Chapter 226: Magic Training.

Throughout the entire morning, Ilio put the Mage Apprentices of Class One through absolute hell. Apart from the five Little Fairies, the young dragon, and Ace, who were still standing strong, everyone else had collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

Most of the Mage Apprentices admitted to Class One were gifted young elites from various countries, pampered and indulged like royalty by their families. Who could have imagined that, upon entering the elite class at St. Velia Magic Academy, they would be thoroughly humbled by a Saint Mage instructor before they'd even had a chance to show off?

"Since this is your first day of training, I'll be considerate and refrain from deducting any points. We have another practical combat session this afternoon, so I hope you'll all perform well."

After delivering this positively devilish announcement, Ilio clasped his hands behind his back and strolled away.

The moment he was gone, the Mage Apprentices sprawled on the ground began to wail.

"Waaah! I'm... I'm so tired! I can't even feel my legs anymore."

"I think my legs are going to fall off."

"Every muscle in my body aches. I'm exhausted!"

"What's this afternoon's practical combat session going to involve?"

"Did the teacher just say he'd start deducting points? Light God above! I don't want to lose any points!"

"We only get ten points a month. With the way he tortures us, will that even be enough?"

"Lu Weixi only has one point left. He's in serious trouble!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Don't let him hear you."

Lu Weixi, who had already heard every word, shot the two students discussing him a furious sideways glare. They flinched and immediately shut their mouths.

With a cold snort, Lu Weixi looked up at the six figures still standing, his feelings complicated.

Was... was this really how great the gap between them was?

Xidi and Nasha helped each other to their feet. Still breathing hard, they asked, "Um... Sperien, aren't you all... tired?"

Shu Li wiped the light sheen of sweat from his face with a clean handkerchief.

"Not at all. We used to train even harder than this!"

Budno added, "Sometimes we'd spend an entire day running."

And not just running. They had to jump, too, leaping from tree to tree.

Nasha hesitated before asking, "Life in the mountains... must be pretty harsh, right?"

She had heard that mountain folk needed to develop exceptionally strong bodies to protect themselves from magical beasts. After seeing them today, she had to admit the stories were true. Amo and the others had astonishing stamina.

Occasionally, though, Nasha found herself puzzled.

Amo carried himself with an air of refinement that rivaled the nobility. Every now and then, he revealed a certain indefinable elegance that made him difficult to figure out.

Shu Li put away his handkerchief and smiled.

"Not harsh at all. Not even a little."

The Fairies lived such comfortable, fulfilling lives that it was almost ridiculous. Their cubs were spoiled rotten from birth and had never suffered the slightest hardship.

Nasha clearly didn't believe him. She assumed he was simply putting on a brave face.

Shu Li cleared his throat and didn't bother explaining further.

Hector leaned weakly against the railing beside the road, sweat pouring down his face.

"Sperien and the others are mountain folk, so it makes sense that they have good stamina. But... why are you so strong too, Ace?"

Ace had been recommended to St. Velia Magic Academy by a Grand Mage of the Empire. His background was surely extraordinary. Yet while the other nobles lay drenched in sweat and sprawled across the ground, Ace looked perfectly calm and composed. He had barely broken a sweat.

It made no sense!

"My first teacher used methods somewhat similar to Ilio's," Ace replied, lowering his eyes. "I've undergone rigorous training like a warrior's since I was young."

As the favored child of the Light God, he had been dearly loved by the gods. Even the Dark God had once bestowed a blessing upon the Child of Light.

Every god had served as the Child of Light's teacher, passing on their finest abilities to him.

Shu Li asked in surprise, "So that's how you managed to cross the Xisha Mountains all by yourself, escape from the bandits' hideout, and make it all the way into the Dalia Empire!"

Crossing mountains and valleys was no easy feat without extraordinary stamina.

"Wait!" Hector interrupted, bewildered. "What bandits' hideout?"

"Hey, you haven't heard? Ace was robbed by bandits while traveling through the Xisha Mountains."

Dixio enthusiastically launched into a detailed account of Ace's encounter with the bandits.

Although he hadn't witnessed the incident himself, he was an excellent storyteller. With a few imaginative embellishments, he painted Ace as an extraordinarily heroic figure, leaving Hector utterly dumbfounded.

The other students pricked up their ears. By the time they finished listening to the thrilling tale of Ace outwitting and overcoming the bandits, they couldn't help regarding him with newfound respect.

If they had encountered bandits themselves, they would probably have been helpless.

Having their magic staffs, storage rings, and money stolen, then being tied up and locked in a dark room? Without exceptional ingenuity, they would never have escaped.

Yet Ace had not only managed to break free, but had also ventured into the mountains under cover of darkness. Along the way, he'd even found time to fashion a low-ranking magic staff for self-defense. After shaking off his pursuers, he'd pressed on without stopping until he reached the Dalia Empire.

He was practically superhuman.

"The teacher was right. We really are too weak." Hector was deeply moved after hearing Ace's story. "We need to work hard this afternoon!"

Several students who had been harboring resentment lowered their heads in shame.

That afternoon, after two hours of rest, the students of Class One had recovered their energy and headed to the magical training ground in high spirits.

Inside the spacious training ground, Ilio greeted them with a beaming smile.

"Tired?"

The Mage Apprentices stood in neat rows, staring straight ahead as they answered in unison.

"No!"

"Excellent." Ilio narrowed his eyes slightly, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "Since you're not tired, let's begin a magical combat exercise right away."

Shu Li suddenly had a bad feeling.

"How will the exercise work?" he asked cautiously.

Ilio opened his right hand and murmured a simple incantation. A tiny tornado appeared above his palm.

"It's very simple. All you have to do is survive my attacks for one hour, and you win."

The Mage Apprentices were stunned.

Who could possibly evade a Saint Mage's attacks?

The difference in power was so overwhelming that there was no contest.

"Do we get a reward if we win?" Budno asked fearlessly. "Like extra points or something?"

Ilio smiled. "Of course. Anyone who lasts the full hour will receive one additional point."

Amanda asked quietly, "One point? Isn't that a little stingy?"

Ilio winked at him.

"You're welcome to turn it down."

Amanda hurriedly replied, "I'll take it! I'll take it!"

Something was better than nothing! One point was still a point.

Shu Li's eyes darted thoughtfully.

"Are we allowed to fight back?"

Ilio's rules were always flexible. He could add new conditions whenever he pleased.

"Of course, provided you get the chance."

Ilio raised two long, slender fingers on his left hand.

"If you manage to hit me, you'll receive another two points."

The Mage Apprentices' eyes lit up. Every one of them began entertaining the same tempting idea.

There were forty or fifty students in their class. Surely, if they all joined forces, they could defeat a single opponent?

Lu Weixi desperately needed points. The moment he heard the rules, he could hardly wait to begin.

He'd fight with everything he had if that was what it took to earn more points!

Soon, the students were gripping their magic staffs nervously, waiting for Ilio to cast his spell.

"Ready—begin!"

The instant he finished speaking, Ilio tossed the little whirlwind from his hand.

As soon as it touched the ground, it transformed into a towering tornado half a meter wide and three meters tall.

But that was only the beginning.

To the Mage Apprentices' astonishment, the tornado split into two, then four, then eight...

In the blink of an eye, twenty-four tornadoes had formed, scattering in every direction.

"Aaaah! Watch out!"

The Mage Apprentices panicked and fled in all directions. In an instant, the enormous training hall descended into complete chaos.

"Light Squad, assemble!"

Amid the confusion, Shu Li raised his magic staff and issued a command.

The Little Fairies and the young dragon, well accustomed to working together, immediately hurried behind him. Ace moved with remarkable agility, weaving between several tornadoes before taking his place beside Shu Li.

Nasha, Xidi, and Hector wanted to join them, but the tornadoes were chasing them relentlessly, making it impossible to reach their companions.

Without hesitation, Shu Li led the others to retrieve the three of them, bringing each safely into formation.

"Maintain formation and figure out how the tornadoes move," he instructed calmly. "Be ready to counterattack at any moment."

"Got it!" Angel replied.

If there was one thing the Little Fairies excelled at, it was teamwork.

Back when they were trying to leave the Faerie Forest and venture onto the continent, they had spent three consecutive years ganging up on Ilio, only to be thoroughly beaten day after day.

After countless attempts and adjustments, they had finally developed perfect coordination and eventually emerged victorious.

Although their squad now included a few relatively weak humans, that didn't interfere with their teamwork.

"Ilio is the eye of the storm," Kumandi analyzed quickly. "All the tornadoes are moving clockwise."

Ace swept his sharp gaze across the hall.

"There's a five-meter gap between each tornado, and they're all moving at the same speed."

Shu Li gave him a thumbs-up.

"Impressive."

He had managed to calculate such precise measurements in so little time!

Ace smiled.

Shu Li issued another command.

"Everyone in the Light Squad, run clockwise!"

"Yes!"

The members of the Light Squad drew upon the determination they'd shown during their morning run and began racing against the tornadoes.

The other Mage Apprentices were being blown off their feet left and right. Those who managed to get back up and keep running did so without any plan whatsoever, with no idea where they might find safety.

But once the Light Squad, led by Shu Li, discovered the pattern and began successfully evading the tornadoes, some of the other Mage Apprentices followed their example. They formed temporary teams and started working together.

Ilio stood at the center of the training ground with his arms folded, watching the proceedings with great interest.

Seeing Shu Li lead his companions in a race against the tornadoes, he smiled in satisfaction.

However, when his gaze fell on Ace, he awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Hopefully, the King wouldn't hold this against him afterward.

After leading his teammates around the training ground several times, Shu Li frowned.

"We can't keep running forever. We need to find a way to fight back."

"H-how are we supposed to do that?" Hector asked breathlessly.

They had spent hours running that morning, and now they were running again in the afternoon. At this rate, they were going to spend the entire day on their feet!

"The tornadoes don't do much damage," Kumandi observed. "Their power is about the same as a spell cast by a Junior Mage Apprentice."

Most of the students struck by the tornadoes were simply knocked to the ground without sustaining any injuries. They could get back up and continue fleeing unless they became so exhausted that they could no longer move, in which case they were eliminated.

"So..." Dixio's eyes lit up. "We can withstand them!"

He was officially a Senior Mage Apprentice, after all. How could he let junior-level magic defeat him?

"First, we need a defensive barrier!" Shu Li declared. "Buy me some time. I'll cast a light-element defensive spell."

"All right!"

The Light Squad spread out, positioning themselves around Shu Li to protect him.

Whenever a tornado approached, they braced themselves and took the impact with their own bodies, slowing its advance.

Shu Li wasted no time. He raised his magic staff and began chanting a lengthy incantation.

Just as a tornado was about to strike him, he completed the spell.

A dome of light two meters in diameter suddenly appeared, repelling the tornado.

"Quick, get inside!" he urged his teammates.

Those who had been knocked to the ground by the tornadoes scrambled nimbly to their feet and rushed into the defensive barrier.

The barrier successfully held off the tornadoes' attacks.

"Phew! We're finally safe!"

Hector dropped onto the floor with a thud. Xidi and Nasha were also panting heavily, looking as though they had narrowly escaped death.

"Time to fight back!"

Shu Li fixed his gaze on Ilio, who stood at the eye of the storm, and ground his teeth.