Chapter 50: Wind Magic


    "Come on, come on. Don’t say I’m bullying you. Now it’s your turn to attack me," Huangying taunted with a grin, his eyes filled with unmistakable mockery.


    Han Ming silently watched Huangying, his right hand swiftly gathering water elements from the air to form an ice spear, which he hurled at Huangying.


    "Is that all?" Huangying sneered, spitting in disdain as he casually moved to dodge.


    But Han Ming had anticipated this. As his right hand launched the ice spear, his left hand had already quietly formed a small ice arrow. The moment the spear was thrown, the arrow followed, striking the spear’s tail and shattering it into countless ice shards.


    This move was Han Ming’s own creation. While its power was debatable, its effectiveness lay in its unpredictability, making it a useful trick in combat.


    Huangying was caught off guard. As the ice shards flew toward him, he panicked and summoned a whirlwind beneath his feet, using the famous Wind Step of wind mages to swiftly dodge the attack. Wind Step was a lifesaving skill for wind mages, whose physical strength was notoriously weak.


    In that moment of evasion, Huangying was shocked. Han Ming’s combat instincts were far stronger than he had expected. For a first-tier water mage to force a fifth-tier wind mage like himself to dodge was impressive.


    Indeed, Han Ming’s combat instincts had been honed through countless life-and-death battles against skeleton soldiers in the Water God’s Cave, thanks to the miraculous pool beneath the remnants of the World Tree. His experience far surpassed that of any academy student.


    And Han Ming had been waiting for this exact moment—the moment Huangying dodged.


    As Huangying sidestepped, Han Ming lunged forward. Though he was a mage, he was also a formidable warrior.


    In truth, Huangying didn’t need to dodge so frantically. He could have easily dispelled the ice shards with a wave of his hand. But he had panicked, and as he thought he had escaped danger, he saw Han Ming had already intercepted him from the side, wielding an unimaginably massive battle axe.


    Impossible!


    Huangying was stunned. He had used Wind Step—how had Han Ming kept up with his speed? And where had that enormous battle axe come from? Wasn’t Han Ming a mage? How could he wield such a weapon!?


    The surrounding students were equally shocked, their jaws dropping at the unexpected turn of events.


    As the third-ranked student of the Magic Academy, Huangying shouldn’t have been so flustered. But Han Ming’s clever attack had thrown him off balance, leading to one mistake after another. This was the difference in their understanding of combat.


    Han Ming knew his water magic was currently useless, so he decisively abandoned it and resorted to his second surprise tactic—physical combat.


    The power of Han Ming’s battle axe was undeniable. If it struck the unprepared Huangying, it would undoubtedly crush his skull.


    "You sneaky little brat!" a furious roar echoed.


    It was Zhanhu, who had noticed the dire situation. With a wave of his hand, a massive, armored rhinoceros charged forward, colliding with Han Ming’s battle axe.


    This was an advanced earth magic spell, *War Chariot*, combined with the soul of a third-tier berserk rhinoceros. It truly resembled a colossal war machine.


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    A deafening crash followed!


    The rhinoceros’s head was split in half by Han Ming’s axe, but the earth-elemental beast, with its immense size and weight, didn’t stop. Its sharp horn pierced through Han Ming’s left leg.


    The berserk rhinoceros charged forward, then turned around to attack Han Ming again.


    Gritting his teeth against the pain, Han Ming rolled to the side and swung his battle axe along the ground, severing all four of the rhinoceros’s legs. The massive beast collapsed with a thunderous crash.


    But Han Ming’s blood had already stained the ground.


    This was the advantage of mages—they could attack without putting themselves in harm’s way. No matter how much damage their summoned beasts took, the mages themselves remained unharmed. Warriors, on the other hand, bore the brunt of the damage, as Han Ming was now experiencing.


    Han Ming slumped to the ground, casting water healing magic while clutching a small water elemental crystal to replenish his energy.


    The wound was too severe. In his haste, he could only slow the bleeding to prevent excessive blood loss.


    Zhanhu roared at Han Ming in fury, "You sneaky brat! How dare you use physical attacks as a mage! Don’t you have any sense of honor? Don’t you know mages are supposed to duel using only magic!?"


    Han Ming, pale and gasping for breath, chuckled weakly. "Calling me sneaky? You’re the ones who ambushed me. Truly honorable mages, aren’t you? I’m impressed."


    The students watching the scene understood that Huangying and Zhanhu were in the wrong, but none dared to speak up. Who would risk offending the second and third-ranked students of the Magic Academy for a stranger?


    Huangying, still shaken, tried to calm himself. "Fine, fine. I initially thought I shouldn’t bully a first-tier mage like you, so I only used a basic wind blade. But you’re so underhanded. Did you think I wasn’t serious?"


    Huangying was furious. That last attack had nearly cost him his life. How could he not be enraged?


    Now disheveled, with his hair in disarray and his eyes bloodshot from anger, Huangying glared at Han Ming.


    "Let me show you the true power of a wind mage. Reincarnate well in your next life!" Huangying snarled.


    With his body as the center, a fierce gale erupted within a ten-meter radius. The violent winds carved countless deep gashes into the ground!


    The onlookers scrambled to retreat. A few who were too slow had their limbs severed by the razor-sharp winds. The gale was like a whirlwind of blades, shredding everything in its path.


    Han Ming raised his battle axe to shield himself. The powerful winds slammed into the axe, the force nearly wrenching it from his grip. Considering Han Ming’s monstrous strength, this spoke volumes about the terrifying power of wind magic.


    But this was only the beginning.


    The wind blades Huangying had summoned gradually slowed, then merged into a single, massive wind blade over ten meters tall.


    "Let’s see if you can survive this," Huangying spat.


    The colossal wind blade descended toward Han Ming at incredible speed.


    With one leg impaled, Han Ming had no way to dodge. He could only raise his battle axe with both hands to block the attack.


    The clash between the wind blade and the axe produced a deafening roar. Han Ming was sent flying over a dozen meters, skidding across the ground and leaving a deep trench in his wake.


    What!?


    Huangying was stunned. That attack had been pure wind magic, without any summoned beast soul. He had been confident that it would kill Han Ming, yet Han Ming had blocked it.


    What kind of monster is this kid!? How does he have such terrifying strength?


    The commotion at the Magic Academy’s entrance had drawn even more spectators.


    Phil and Shangque, who had already left, returned upon hearing the uproar. Despite her disappointment in Han Ming—a disappointment born of her own assumptions—Phil still felt a lingering fondness for him. She couldn’t bear the thought of him coming to harm because of her.


    Among the new arrivals was Han Ming’s second brother, Li Chengfeng.


    Li Chengfeng had just finished dinner when he heard about the fight at the Magic Academy. Curious, he came to watch the spectacle.


    But when he saw Han Ming lying bloodied in a corner, his anger exploded.


    This was the first time Li Chengfeng had seen Han Ming so badly injured. From the moment they had met, no matter the difficulty, Han Ming had always overcome it effortlessly. Li Chengfeng had grown to trust his younger brother implicitly.


    Now, seeing Han Ming in such a state, Li Chengfeng’s heart ached, and tears welled in his eyes.


    "Who!? Who hurt my brother!?" Li Chengfeng roared, losing all composure. His furious gaze landed on Huangying and Zhanhu, standing a dozen meters away.


    "Han Ming!?"


    Phil, who had also returned, gasped in shock at the sight of Han Ming’s condition. She covered her mouth with her hand, unable to speak, and moved to help him.


    Li Chengfeng, seeing Phil with Shangque and realizing that Huangying and Zhanhu were Shangque’s lackeys, quickly pieced together what had happened.


    "Get away! Don’t touch my brother!" Li Chengfeng shouted, slapping Phil’s hand away.


    "I… I just wanted to check on him," Phil stammered, her face red with urgency.


    Li Chengfeng glared at her coldly. "Save your fake concern. If it weren’t for you, my brother wouldn’t be in this state!"