Chapter 913: Chapter 687: 100 People
In the arena, over a hundred people had obtained magic armor. The rest had lost their chance. Just as Ai Lin said, all the formulas they had recorded before had disappeared.
Watching others acquire unprecedented strength while having nothing themselves, for a moment, despair, and even curses were unceasing.
"I can understand your feelings, but believe me, if you didn’t succeed this time, you have only yourselves to blame,"
Ai Lin’s voice appeared, and she moved from the side to the center of the field, surveying every individual around her.
"Over a hundred people? Actually, I thought it would be good if even ten people succeeded this time, but you’ve really surprised me," Ai Lin said with a smile, "Do you know? The last formula didn’t require any technique to record, only a certain number of attempts. If you had continuously tried, you could have recorded that formula in just a day and a half. But I saw that you gave up repeatedly, and some even left halfway through, such people I call fools."
Ai Lin said.
Just a matter of attempts?
Everyone’s eyes widened, especially those who had failed to record the formula. Clearly, this had nothing to do with intelligence, just perseverance. Those who succeeded must have tried relentlessly, while those who failed did so because they were lazy.
"So, congratulations to you, my students, you have successfully graduated. Although there are only a hundred of you, I think that’s more than enough to contend with their ten thousand," Ai Lin said, clapping her hands.
When the hundred people slowly walked out of the stadium, Emperor Saint Jialin was completely stunned.
Crown Prince Saint Julio walked at the forefront, his luminous magic armor and six Mana stars proving his strength. And following Crown Prince Saint Julio, those clad in Mana armor wore pride on their faces that they could hardly hide.
Yes, I am a powerhouse! A true powerhouse! These were the sentences written on their faces.
About these soldiers, though they were all excellent, they averaged only a Two-Star in strength. Yet, three days later, they had reached the power of Seven Star! This was almost beyond belief!
But the fact was before their eyes, leaving no room for doubt!
Some soldiers who had left the stadium halfway were now only able to cry out in despair when they heard the news; the last formula was actually the simplest! Why didn’t you say so earlier! If you had spoken up sooner, who would have left?
But clearly, Ai Lin did not wish to teach her knowledge to those without perseverance.
Even if it was a mere hundred people, it was enough.
"Alright, Your Imperial Majesty, please inform the military that in two days, my hundred people will challenge their ten thousand. Tell them not to run away!"
With that, Ai Lin pointed at Saint Julio, "Crown Prince Saint Julio, from now on you are the commander of this team. In the battle the day after tomorrow, I hope to see you victorious!"
Instinctively, Saint Julio saluted, "Yes!"
Having done all this, even Saint Julio himself was stunned. Indeed, his heart still harbored the dream of a powerhouse! If he could become a powerhouse, who would bother being an ignorant fool!
This hundred-man team had shaken the military of The Divine Auffa Empire; in just three days, they had turned a group of Two-Star Mages into Six-Star or even Seven-Star Mages, it was like a dream.
However, what about their combat ability?
Some senior military officials harbored a streak of wishful thinking.
"Anyway, we’ll know when we fight!"
Two days later, on the makeshift battlefield. The unequal battle of ten thousand against a hundred was about to begin. Although Crown Prince Saint Julio had always appeared as a prodigal figure, as a Crown Prince, he had certainly received proper military training. But even so, this was his first time commanding a battlefield, and his first time participating in a battle where the numbers were so unequal.
How to fight? Crown Prince Saint Julio had no idea in his heart.
Ai Lin didn’t care about the strategies; she had only one command for Saint Julio.
Win.
"Damn it! Let’s go all out!"
In the end, these words squeezed out of Saint Julio’s mouth.
Amid the roar, magic armor emerged. The power of a Six-Star Mage erupted, and behind Saint Julio, all the warriors revealed their magic armor. Light overflowed, and Mana rippled!
On the other side, the commanders watching the turbulent Mana in the distance were also fraught with anxiety. Although they outnumbered the enemy, it did not necessarily mean any advantage.
But no matter what, we are trained soldiers after all!
"Form ranks! Assume formation! Forward!"
Atop the Floating Island, Ai Lin, holding the young pony Ziyue, seemed to watch the battle below indifferently, as if the outcome had nothing to do with her. However, beside her, the Emperor and military high-ranking officials stared intently at the Saint Julio side. Would this explosive growth of Mana not bring any side effects? Could it cause a temporary loss of strength? Might it shorten lifespan?
What they didn’t know was that if Ai Lin had disclosed the knowledge from the Dragon Knight Academy, these warriors could have reached Nine-Star levels in minutes! But Ai Lin wasn’t foolish enough to do that. To establish her position, an initial shock was enough. The good stuff always had to be brought out slowly.
The battle commenced, and Saint Julio charged forward, unleashing lethal Magic. A thunderous spell twisted through the air and chained through dozens of the opposing soldiers, not only piercing their magical shields but even shattering the armor they wore!
Even Saint Julio himself was stunned by this strike. Such terrifying power; it was something he had never possessed before!
Laughing heartily, Saint Julio continued to cast spell after spell. The opponent’s shields were as fragile as paper mache, easily torn apart by his attacks. Soldiers fell in rows behind him, while the warriors who had just gained new power deployed powerful Magic. The battlefield resonated with roars and flashes of light, yet the opposition had no strength to fight back! Even when a spell occasionally hit their magic armor, it was unable to pierce through!
On the Floating Island, Saint Jialin laughed.
"This competition, I think it’s unnecessary to continue," said the Emperor.
The military high-ranking officials nodded in agreement at his side.
Indeed, there was no need for it any longer. The battlefield had become a complete rout; this wasn’t the fight that anyone had expected, but a bullying!
The victory ultimately belonged to Ai Lin’s side.
When the opposition declared their surrender, Saint Julio could not help but howl to the sky. For so many years, becoming a Powerhouse had always been his dream, yet he hadn’t thought that it would come true just when he had given up hope!
Saint Julio flew towards the Floating Island, and stood before the Emperor.
The Emperor looked at Saint Julio with eyes full of satisfaction, while brothers Saint Cassio and St. Antonio viewed him with envy.
Why had Saint Julio successfully recorded the formula while they had not? If they had succeeded then, would they now possess such astonishing power as well?
In this world, without power, all wealth and status are nothing but deceit; only power truly belongs to oneself!
Saint Julio, full of gratitude, looked at Ai Lin. Ai Lin glanced back at him and simply said, "Weaker than I had anticipated."
Instantly, all of Saint Julio’s passion vanished.
Indeed, even though he had become strong, in Ai Lin’s eyes he was still merely a weakling!
People are always like this: when one is weak, inferiority comes with an inexplicable pride, fearing others’ disdain. This unexplained pride often drives one to make inapt decisions. However, when one grows sufficiently powerful, humility is learned. Only when you begin to grow strong do you realize that above you, there’s always someone stronger. You will never be the strongest. It’s a strange situation, no different from when one is weaker, but it’s only after growing stronger that one accepts this truth.
Saint Julio was such a person. He had now become powerful, yet he had become more humble.
He saluted his father, then saluted Ai Lin. Afterwards, he descended from the high platform. These past days had brought him much reflection; he needed a quiet place to rest.
The one-sided battle had silenced all disputes.
Saint Jialin, the Emperor, approached Ai Lin with a smile, but before he could speak, Ai Lin spoke first, "Alright, Your Majesty, consider the matter of downsizing the army."
"Downsize the army, do we need to downsize our army too?" Saint Jialin felt this was very sudden.
"Of course, retaining excellent soldiers within the army is essential. Do you want your army to consist of a bunch of Six-Star Mages plus a gaggle of Two-Star and even One-Star Mages?" Ai Lin retorted.
This was a question Saint Jialin had not even considered, but indeed, once Ai Lin’s knowledge was disseminated, any Mage who failed to grasp the new formula would inevitably be left far behind. They would no longer have a place in any battle. At most, they could take care of logistics, but even that didn’t require so many people. Hence, downsizing the army was almost inevitable.
"I understand. Let’s discuss it further, shall we?" asked Saint Jialin of Ai Lin.
"I was just speaking off the cuff. Whether to downsize the army is up to you all; after all, I don’t understand these matters. But when The Sanctuary Empire is downsizing, and our The Divine Auffa Empire is still maintaining such a large military force, it feels as if we’re scared," Ai Lin said nonchalantly.
It’s because of Long Yi, of course!
Almost immediately, Saint Jialin understood that Ai Lin was attributing the conflict between The Divine Auffa Empire and The Sanctuary Empire to the discord between Long Yi and her.
However, at least Ai Lin had a point. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets on Qidian, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read on m.qidian.com.)
