"You, and you, come up."
Hearing her name called, Jia Na quickly stood up and walked onto the dueling platform.
Following closely behind was a female mixed-race half-elf with dark skin, slightly pointed ears, a silver crescent earring on her right ear, and deep, cold features. She also stepped onto the dueling platform.
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...
"Miss Jia Na was the first to raise her hand, it's unbelievable..."
"What's so surprising? I heard she successfully contracted her first summoned beast several months ago."
"But her opponent is Bell-Moonshadow, a Shadow Wizard Apprentice from the Lunar Shadow Family! That's no ordinary apprentice... Moreover, Miss Jia Na's first summoned beast is a Celestial Sparrow, which isn't skilled in combat at all."
"Sigh... I hope the Shadow Wizard on the other side will show mercy and not hurt Miss Jia Na... Otherwise, my heart will ache to death."
"Your heart aches? My heart aches even more..."
...
Seeing Jia Na gracefully walk onto the Wizard dueling platform, the two male apprentices sitting behind her couldn't help but show some worry on their faces.
Especially when they saw Bell-Moonshadow standing on Jia Na's other side, their expressions became even more troubled.
...
"The first group's dueling time is limited to twenty minutes, and the dueling scene will be randomly generated."
Seeing the two stand ready, Grace stood at the edge of the dueling platform, then lightly pointed her index finger forward, and a transparent barrier enveloped the entire dueling platform.
"You may begin."
As Grace gave the command, in an instant, the scene transformed. One moment it was a large wooden platform resembling a podium, the next it changed into a rocky landscape filled with sand.
"Let me introduce myself, I am Bell-Moonshadow, a Shadow Wizard Apprentice. When I came up just now, I heard many people were worried about you."
The change in the surrounding scene didn't seem to affect Bell at all. Under her undisguised gaze, there was only arrogant confidence, certain of victory.
"Hello, I am Jia Na-Roland, a Summoning Wizard."
Unlike Jia Na's widespread fame, Bell-Moonshadow, also a female Wizard, was much less discussed among the apprentices.
However, as a direct descendant of the Lunar Shadow Family, Bell-Moonshadow, possessing remarkable talent and strength, was not to be underestimated by anyone.
Moreover, Bell-Moonshadow's cold aura, which kept people at bay, also made the apprentices of the same year hesitant to approach her easily.
"I hope you don't get injured in the upcoming match, otherwise, it will be difficult for me."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Unlike Bell-Moonshadow's half-smile expression, Jia Na's eyes showed no emotion at all.
"By my will, I command you—Summon, Celestial Sparrow."
"Shadow Sneak!"
The Witchcraft of both sides was completed almost instantly. Just as Bell transformed into a shadow and lunged towards Jia Na, in a flash, with a crisp chirp, an off-white barrier suddenly formed around Jia Na.
"Bang bang bang bang—"
Bell, in Shadow Sneak, quickly leaped out of the shadows. Dense shadow energy, like a sharp dagger, wrapped around Bell's hands, mercilessly unleashing a series of attacks on the barrier.
The attacked protective barrier only rippled slightly and was not breached by the shadow assault.
"Vine Entanglement!"
Seeing Bell emerge from the shadows, Jia Na immediately scattered a handful of seeds. After reciting the incantation, more than ten emerald green vines, like pythons choosing their prey, grew rapidly from the rock crevices and quickly climbed up Bell's legs.
"Bang!"
Just as Bell was about to be bound by the vines, she suddenly turned into a pool of black liquid that burst and splashed. The vines splashed with the black liquid made a corrosive sizzling sound, easily interrupting Jia Na's attack.
"It's an illusion!"
Although Jia Na didn't know what Witchcraft the opponent used, she knew that the purpose of these Witchcraft methods was to consume her magic power and stall for time until the Celestial Sparrow could no longer sustain the barrier.
"Flash—"
Raising her right hand high, Jia Na quickly recited the Flash Spell. Light shone brightly, and in just a moment, a large amount of light quickly drove away the surrounding shadows.
"Vine Entanglement—"
Her eyes constantly watching the dynamics of the surrounding shadows, as the shadows became fewer and fewer, seeds scattered again, turning into more than ten vines, gathering around Jia Na, ready to strike.
"Hmm?"
Just as Jia Na was searching for Bell-Moonshadow, suddenly, dense fog arose. Feeling the fluctuations of dark element particles contained within the fog, Jia Na's brow furrowed.
"It's Fog Gathering magic... I didn't expect her to be a dual-element apprentice as well."
Like Jia Na, Bell-Moonshadow also possessed dual talents. In addition to her B-grade Shadow Affinity talent, she also had a C-grade talent, Fog Gathering.
"Sizzle— Sizzle—"
Light and dark, two completely different energies, constantly collided on the barrier formed by the Celestial Sparrow. Hearing the continuous corrosive sound of dark energy in her ears, Jia Na knew that in a battle of attrition, she would definitely not be Bell-Moonshadow's opponent.
"Afu, shrink the barrier."
Feeling the Celestial Sparrow becoming increasingly weak, Jia Na issued a command through telepathic communication. The Celestial Sparrow, hearing the instruction, gradually reduced the barrier's range and continuously used purifying power to dispel the dark energy on the barrier.
"Flash—"
The gray fog was thick and visibility was zero.
Except for the area covered by the protective barrier, the entire dueling platform was obscured by Bell-Moonshadow's dense fog. Seeing this, Jia Na almost concentrated all her magic power in her hands, constantly casting the Flash Spell, almost burying her entire body in the blinding white light.
At the same time, Bell-Moonshadow, hidden in the shadows of the dense fog, was staring intently at the circular barrier filled with dazzling light.
Although her expression showed confusion, as a Shadow apprentice who had long been accustomed to lurking in the darkness at all times, she was always looking for the opportunity for a one-hit kill.
"The gray fog has enveloped the area. Even if your Flash Spell is strong, it cannot penetrate the gray fog, and it is ultimately futile."
Feeling the magic power on the barrier getting weaker and weaker, Bell-Moonshadow, who had been waiting for an opportunity, narrowed her eyes slightly. When the protective barrier was on the verge of collapsing, like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows, in an instant, shadow energy condensed, and her hands, already transformed into two sharp shadow daggers, ruthlessly stabbed towards the weakest point of the barrier's magic power.
"Oh no!"
The barrier shattered, and the light dissipated.
Looking at the empty scene inside the barrier, Bell-Moonshadow's expression, which had been certain of victory, suddenly froze.
"Bang— Bang—"
Sounds of breaking air arose, and four thorny vines pierced through layers of dense fog, firmly binding Bell-Moonshadow, who was still in mid-air, maintaining her attack posture.
Seeing this, Bell-Moonshadow's heart sank, and she immediately twisted her limbs, trying to break free from the thorny restraint. However, as her struggles became more intense, a dizzying sensation that paralyzed her whole body quickly swallowed Bell-Moonshadow's will, making her movements increasingly sluggish.
"The thorns are poisonous..."