Chapter 46: Senior Phil (Part 1)


    Inside the Imperial Military Academy, Han Ming and Li Chengfeng sat together, enjoying their lunch.


    "Third Brother, you must be close to advancing, right?" Li Chengfeng asked, rolling up his sleeves and biting into a greasy chicken leg with gusto.


    This was a common sight in the Military Academy''s cafeteria. Here, whether male or female, almost everyone ate with a wild, unrestrained appetite. This was a result of the academy''s grueling daily training regimen. After an intense session, no one had the energy to care about manners. They all ate like starving wolves.


    Li Chengfeng, of course, had no idea that Han Ming had already reached the peak of a ninth-tier mage. Han Ming had kept this astonishing fact carefully hidden. In this world, aside from Catherine, no one else knew.


    Han Ming nodded. "Yes, Second Brother. I’m afraid I won’t be able to spend as much time with you in the coming days."


    Li Chengfeng paused, as if realizing something. "Are you… planning to go out and train?"


    Han Ming smiled and nodded.


    In truth, Han Ming was already ready to advance to the first-tier of a grand mage. All he needed was to find an activator to activate his magic imprint. However, he wasn’t willing to undergo the activation ceremony in the capital. Activating his magic in the capital would require visiting the Mage Guild, and the Mage Guild was filled with powerful individuals. Han Ming didn’t want to risk exposing his true capabilities. If some eccentric figure decided to capture him and dissect him like a lab rat, it would be a nightmare.


    So, he decided to leave the capital and find a smaller city to activate his magic imprint. There were plenty of activators around, many of whom specialized in magic activation. However, with so few mages and only one Mage Guild in the capital, most activators were out of work. Many activators had other jobs and only took on activation tasks when mages who couldn’t return to the capital in time sought them out. Han Ming wasn’t worried about his secret being exposed.


    Going out to train was a necessity. While it was called training, his real goal was to find the core of an extremely cold-attribute magical beast. Only then could he cultivate the first layer of the *Water God''s Decree*—**Extreme Freeze**. Until then, his identity as a water mage was essentially useless.


    After a year of training, Han Ming had finally experienced firsthand why people considered water mages to be weak.


    They truly lacked offensive power.


    Creating an ice spear as a weapon was far less effective than using a real weapon.


    Ice arrows were no match for real arrows, and ordinary iron arrows were much sturdier than ice ones.


    Han Ming was now eager to learn the magic techniques from the *Water God''s Decree*.


    Li Chengfeng wasn’t just a brawny, simple-minded guy. After a moment of thought, he guessed Han Ming’s intentions.


    "Third Brother, you’re not planning to hunt for a beast core yourself, are you?"


    Han Ming nodded.


    "Are you crazy? You know that only third-tier magical beasts have a small chance of producing a core, right? And you? Even if you advance to the second-tier of a grand mage, you’re still only second-tier. How do you expect to take on a third-tier magical beast? Even if you’re lucky enough to kill one, there’s no guarantee it will have a core. This is way too risky. I’d advise against it. If you need a beast core, I can help you buy one at an auction. There’s no need to gamble with your life."


    Li Chengfeng was understandably worried after hearing Han Ming’s plan.


    Han Ming smiled and shook his head, thanking Li Chengfeng for his concern but insisting that he just wanted to go out and train. His primary goal was to gain experience. If he couldn’t obtain a beast core, he wouldn’t force it.


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    Hearing this, Li Chengfeng felt slightly reassured.


    This Third Brother of his had always been somewhat mysterious. His origins were unknown, and his physical strength was astonishing. Li Chengfeng knew almost nothing about Han Ming’s past, but he didn’t mind. Everyone had their secrets. So, Li Chengfeng wasn’t too worried about Han Ming’s safety.


    "When are you leaving?"


    "Tomorrow."


    "So soon?"


    "Ha, there’s nothing important keeping me here. Might as well leave early."


    Li Chengfeng nodded.


    Just then, a commotion broke out nearby.


    "Fight! Fight!" someone shouted excitedly.


    Han Ming and Li Chengfeng turned to look.


    In the center of the cafeteria, two people were already grappling with each other, knocking over tables and chairs in the process.


    From their uniforms, the two combatants appeared to be senior students, likely at the third-tier berserker level.


    One was tall and thin, with a cold, calculating expression. The other was burly and muscular, his eyes wide with anger, his physique imposing.


    The sight of two skilled fighters going at it naturally drew everyone’s attention. The students stopped eating and gathered around to watch the spectacle.


    "Gott, what did you mean by calling me a big oaf!?" the burly man roared, clearly offended. He prided himself on being more than just a brawny figure.


    The cold-eyed youth, Gott, replied expressionlessly, "What? Was I wrong? Aren’t you a big oaf?"


    "The big guy is Mark, and the skinny, cold one is Gott. They’re both third-year prodigies. There’s been a lot of debate about who’s more talented, and that’s led to constant friction between them," Li Chengfeng explained to Han Ming.


    Han Ming nodded slightly, observing the two.


    "Then there’s nothing more to say. Same rules as always—whoever loses has to apologize," Mark said, his voice filled with frustration.


    Gott sneered and nodded.


    "Ha!"


    Mark’s body shook as he released a surge of pale green battle aura, indicating his wood-attribute aura.


    Gott, on the other hand, released a transparent, colorless aura, clearly wind-attribute.


    Both were at the second-tier berserker level, which was already impressive for their age. They were undoubtedly prodigies. To put it in perspective, the commander of Wild City’s garrison was only a first-tier berserker.


    The Imperial Military Academy truly was a place where talents flourished.


    Mark roared, throwing a powerful punch toward Gott’s face, his wood-attribute aura making the strike even more formidable.


    Gott dodged with a slight tilt of his body, then countered with a swift chop aimed at Mark’s side.


    Despite his anger, Mark’s mind was clear. He had to admit that Gott was indeed skilled, especially with his wind-attribute aura, which made him difficult to confront head-on. Mark grabbed a table, infusing it with his wood-attribute aura to block Gott’s strike.


    *Ssshh!*


    A faint cutting sound echoed as the table, reinforced with Mark’s aura, was cleanly sliced in two by Gott’s hand. The cut was smooth, without a single splinter.


    "So sharp!" Han Ming exclaimed.


    The wind-attribute aura was incredibly sharp, comparable to a blade. It had effortlessly cut through the aura-infused table.


    After blocking the strike, Mark swung a heavy punch toward Gott’s side. But Gott, with his superior speed, countered almost simultaneously. This was the terrifying speed of wind-attribute aura—even when striking second, Gott’s attack was just as fast.


    Their fists and palms collided, and the resulting clash of auras sent tables and chairs flying. The surrounding students, however, remained unfazed, continuing to watch with amusement. Every student at the Imperial Military Academy was no ordinary individual.


    Gott was forced back several steps, his arm numb from the impact. His expression grew even colder as his aura began to twist and writhe unnaturally.


    Mark’s fist had been cut, revealing a shallow wound that exposed the bone. He covered the injury with his left hand, which glowed with green aura, and the wound began to heal at a visible rate. In no time, even the scar had disappeared.


    Han Ming couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. The healing ability of wood-attribute aura was no joke. And this was just a warrior’s ability. If it were a wood-attribute mage, the healing would be even more terrifying. Compared to that, his water-attribute healing spells were child’s play.


    By now, the onlookers had started to back away, moving from the center of the room to the walls.


    Han Ming, still unsure of what was happening, was pulled to the edge of the cafeteria by Li Chengfeng.


    "What’s going on?" Han Ming asked, confused.


    Li Chengfeng’s expression turned serious. "They’re summoning their Beast Souls," he said, pointing at Gott.


    Han Ming followed Li Chengfeng’s finger and saw that Gott’s aura had taken on the faint shape of a transparent leopard.


    So this was a Beast Soul? Han Ming focused intently, watching closely.


    "Good!" Mark shouted excitedly, releasing his own aura. Behind him, the faint image of a massive green serpent appeared, its tongue flicking as if it were a real magical beast.


    "These two don’t really match their Beast Souls, do they? That cold Gott seems more suited to a serpent’s Beast Soul," Han Ming muttered.


    Li Chengfeng chuckled softly. "They don’t really get to choose. Beast cores are incredibly rare, and not everyone can obtain one. Plus, it has to match their aura attribute, which makes it even harder. It’s not that they don’t want a Beast Soul that fits their personality—it’s that they don’t have a choice. Just having a Beast Soul is already a big deal."


    Han Ming nodded in understanding.