Chapter 30: Courting Death; Do You Know How to Speak?

Outside the Hall of Inheritance, the colossal totem of a crane twitched its sharp beak, scanning the surroundings with wary eyes.

It was utterly bizarre. In the span of just a few hours today, the same sensation of being struck by a blunt object had rattled it three times! Who on earth was playing such underhanded tricks on it?

With this thought, the crane totem and its master were simultaneously seized by a surge of fury. The crane beat its wings, soared into the sky, and let out a sharp, angry cry. The massive sound waves whipped up a gale that terrified the nearby wizard apprentices, causing them to cower and press themselves against the ground. Yet, after circling the area, it found nothing amiss.

The crane could only retract its wings in frustration and return to the top of the tower, its sharp eyes sweeping the perimeter in a desperate attempt to unmask the shameless villain who had assaulted it.

"My Lord," one of the guards at the Hall of Inheritance noticed the situation and asked the official standing beneath the crane’s talons in a hushed tone, "Should we go inside the hall to investigate?"

The official cast a sidelong glance at him. "Report this matter up the chain. We shall hold our ground outside the Hall of Inheritance. Do not let this thief escape, but do not rush inside either, lest we damage the heritage within."

Another guard hesitated. "Are we truly not going in to check?"

The official replied coldly, "If they can enter and exit with such ease and deceive us three times over, they are no ordinary foe. If we go in and actually find something... what then?"

The guard was left speechless and retreated silently to his post.

...

"That official is being a bit derelict in his duties..." Watching the entire scene from the sidelines, Lin Zhao gestured toward the official.

Ji Yaoguang said softly, "You cannot say that. They are merely human wizards and common shaman priests of a slightly higher rank. Neither the Bai Ren—whose cultivation has reached the Earth Wizard level—nor myself are enemies they can stand against. Therefore, choosing to secure the scene while awaiting reinforcements is the correct decision."

Lin Zhao looked at those guards, who radiated potent wizardry, and asked in confusion, "That crane totem must be a hundred meters tall. With such a massive size, is it really just a human wizard?"

The bird looked so imposing; it would surely be quite prestigious to ride upon it.

Ji Yaoguang smiled slightly. "You forget, if you wished, you could make the Bo beast that large as well; it would only consume a bit more wizardry. How can the size of a totem, which is entirely subject to one’s whim, be used to judge a wizard's rank?"

Lin Zhao suddenly remembered. "Oh, my. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have nearly forgotten I even have a small totem."

Ji Yaoguang replied, "Of course, because you are with me, the time you get to use your totem... has become much less!"

His words were gentle, tinged with both reserve and a hint of self-satisfaction.

"That's true. When we have time later, let's go have another spar." Lin Zhao was a little excited. Come to think of it, he hadn't had a boss battle with the Old Tree in several days; he was actually starting to miss it.

Ji Yaoguang’s smile nearly vanished. He quickly said, "Let's find that person first."

He absolutely could not spar with his little bird. His own strength was truly too overwhelming; if he were to accidentally cause the little bird to 'respawn' from a fatal blow, he would be worried to death.

Lin Zhao, of course, agreed. They walked hand in hand, sharing a concealment spell, following the fungal spores to track the detestable Bai Ren.

"Old Tree, fungi aren't plants, right? They feed on decaying wood. Why are they still under your control?" Lin Zhao, having just graduated from high school, was at the peak of his knowledge and immediately thought of his biology lessons.

"Not plants?" A trace of confusion flickered across Ji Yaoguang’s brow. "According to the classification of the Great Mountain Tea, anything that moves, regardless of size, is an animal; anything that cannot move belongs to the plants. And regardless of whether they move or not, if they are alive, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Spring God’s wizardry."

"The Spring lineage? What a strange classification."

"Spring is the leader of all things. Growth and reproduction—these two authorities belong to the Spring God," Ji Yaoguang explained. "Wizardry is not divided by the Five Elements but categorized by the laws of heaven and earth overseen by the Twelve Heavenly Officials, such as the Official of Space, the Official of Time, the Official of Spring, and the Official of the Underworld. However, in recent years, these categories have become increasingly refined, and these twelve have become the major classes."

"Are all your specialties under the Spring God?" Lin Zhao’s eyes brightened. "Can you manage childbirth too?"

Ji Yaoguang shook his head solemnly. "Wizardry related to reproduction is another branch of the Spring God’s lineage. You must stay away from them. They are most obsessed with cultivating all sorts of rare things. If you were discovered, they would certainly catch you and breed you with various crows to propagate the Golden Crow bloodline."

Lin Zhao’s face turned pale instantly. "That is terrifying! You must protect me well!"

He began walking a bit faster, and Ji Yaoguang paused slightly, pulling him closer.

"Do not rush; I am here," Ji Yaoguang said, smiling as he watched the startled expression on his face. "That Bai Ren didn't leave long ago. Let’s head over slowly and see how many internal traitors he intends to contact."

...

The academy of the Di Kingdom was vast. It was divided into sixteen districts based on the year of enrollment, with over a hundred thousand people in each district. With cafeterias, dormitories, general stores, and wizardry shops, it was a completely self-sufficient small city.

The passing wizard apprentices were all dressed in simple black-and-white uniforms, but few wore them properly. Some tied them around their waists, others bound them to their wrists, and some even adorned them with skulls, lotus flowers, bamboo bells, or live snakes, completely obscuring the original color of the garments.

It was... very youthful. Lin Zhao passed them quietly, hearing their enthusiastic and noisy chatter. At their teenage age, they weren't talking about their studies, but rather...

"It seems Old Bai is on duty for self-study tonight. We definitely won't be able to slack off then."

"I drew a picture of the Cold-Blooded Mad King in my textbook and made him look a bit ugly, and I even included his nickname. He told me to find him in the instruction office tonight. What should I do?"

"Senior Brother Weisheng Wu seems to have bullied that little apprentice again. He dragged him off to his home. He’s definitely going to beat him to a pulp, right?"

"Why is Senior Brother Wu always going after that little apprentice? If he wants a lackey, he should just find one of us."

"The Weisheng family... sigh, they are a prestigious clan in the Wizard Kingdom with a Heavenly Wizard totem. If one were to marry into it, they could settle directly in the Wizard Kingdom, right?"

"Dream on. A Heavenly Wizard totem is just a totem with great potential. If the individual’s own cultivation isn't enough to open the secret treasury, it's lucky if they can even reach the Earth Wizard level. Look at Official Weisheng, isn't he just like that?"

"Just a totem with great potential? Do you have any idea how precious such a totem is? Reaching the level of a human wizard is easy. For those of us who became wizards using ferocious beast totems, not only is our potential low, but part of our soul is corroded the moment we become wizards. We die many years earlier than them; we can't even grind our way to becoming human wizards!"

"The geniuses who get to go to the Great Mountain Tea don't need to use ferocious beast souls. The Great Mountain Tea provides spirit beasts."

"Then why don't you go there? Is anyone stopping you?"

"Did you know? There’s a book called *'I Reborn as a Heavenly Wizard, Why Are You All Begging for My Forgiveness'* that is incredibly good. But the school checks are very strict, and hand-copied versions have already risen to sixty Blue Shells per copy."

"Ah, my family only gives me twenty Blue Shells a month. Are these people crazy to spend so much money on a book?"

"It’s not that they have something wrong with their heads; it’s just that your pockets are empty. Do you want to copy a version together and earn some pocket money..."

Listening to these conversations, for a moment, Lin Zhao had the illusion that he had returned to his high school campus.

"These students have a hard life," Ji Yaoguang said, hearing these words and shaking his head with a faint smile. "Except for little apprentices under ten who can return home for three days every ten days, those over ten must study until the 'Small Selection' at age fifteen. Any slight mistake along the way and they are eliminated, losing the chance to become a wizard."

"It’s fine to live a normal life if you don't become a wizard, right?" Lin Zhao asked, puzzled. "In the inn where we stayed, that elderly couple—look at how harmonious and loving they were."

Ji Yaoguang wanted to say that it was just a facade, but he hesitated and decided not to explain further. After all, letting his little bird remain innocent for a few more days was fine. Once he truly understood the Wizard Kingdom, well... he would talk about it then.

The academy was covered in turf instead of bluestone paths. The little apprentices used their weak wizardry to walk atop the blades of grass. Anyone who accidentally stepped on the ground would draw a burst of light laughter.

There were also a few little feathered ones who would walk two steps and then drop to the ground to fly for a short distance, revealing triumphant smiles, only to be caught by their teachers and dragged away, looking dejected.

"Why don't they let the feathered ones fly?" Lin Zhao was immediately unhappy. "If they have wings, why not fly?"

"In the Wizard Kingdom, one can fly as they please," Ji Yaoguang said, imagining Ah Zhao growing wings and flying around. "Outside, the closer one gets to the Purple Sun, the stronger the corrosion. Therefore, unless there is an urgent matter, wizards are generally not allowed to fly in the sky."

Lin Zhao looked up at the purple sun and found it increasingly eyesore.

However...

"By the way, Old Tree, since that Bai Ren is only an Earth Wizard, why couldn't you beat the ferocious beast he summoned back in the Vast Sea?" Lin Zhao asked, confused.

"He didn't summon it; I disturbed the remains of the Xuanwu deity," Ji Yaoguang recalled, still feeling a lingering fear. "My totem is not naturally suited for combat, and summoning it inside the remains of the Xuanwu—prying open the tortoise shell—naturally provoked the attacks of the remnant spirits. If you ever encounter such a 'Great Malice' that is a physical entity rather than a totem, you must never fight it head-on."

"Are all 'Great Malices' that powerful?" Lin Zhao had heard of the power of the Great Malice many times, but he still didn't have a concrete concept of it.

"Every Great Malice is a creature of the Heavenly Wizard level from before the Great Catastrophe. After they die, their bodies are corroded and they become evil entities. Not only is their strength fully preserved, but they also don't experience fatigue when fighting in disaster zones; they can exhaust our warriors of the same rank to death," Ji Yaoguang sighed softly. "To kill a Great Malice, one must lure it onto our own land and sever its connection to the disaster zone before it can be killed."

"The price is indeed a bit too high." Lin Zhao imagined the scene if the Old Tree and the Xuanwu remains were to fight on the territory of the Di Kingdom; it would truly be the end.

Ji Yaoguang said gloomily, "However, within the Wizard Kingdom, there have always been those who hope for no further expansion, who want to stop selling the resources that people have worked so hard to produce to various local states at cheap prices, and who want to stop sending newborn children out to fight. They hope to consolidate the battle lines, retreat within the country, and rely on the land of the Wizard Kingdom to live and reproduce in peace. At the same time, they want to suppress the Great Malice in the lands of the local states, thereby allowing the Wizard Kingdom to have more Heavenly-tier totems."

"It seems the conflict between the Wizard Kingdom and the local states is very deep." Lin Zhao felt it was troublesome just thinking about it. "Old Tree, you’re telling me all this—are you afraid the lord of a local state will kidnap me, or are you afraid that if I learn about the bad sides of the Wizard Kingdom, I’ll hold a grudge against you?"

Ji Yaoguang chuckled. "Of course, I don't want anyone to kidnap you, and I want you to be careful and not trust others so easily."

"Hmph, you only want me to trust you, right?" Lin Zhao walked over to Ji Yaoguang and circled him. "Old Tree, you’re quite confident, aren't you?"