Don't disturb the sorcerer's scientific research

Chapter 136 The Finals Are Imminent
It was definitely worth the trip, absolutely worth it!

The head of the St. Delos Academy team clapped and looked at Jia Xiu on the stage with a smile.

He thought this business trip was just about taking these hundreds of students out for a trip, but he never expected to encounter something like this.

I had heard before that there was a student named Jia Xiu who was a bit unusual among the new students.

In retrospect, it was complete nonsense.

How can this be considered "somewhat" unusual?

This is truly extraordinary.

Some students need the school's educational background to prove their worth, while other students are needed by the school to prove the school's worth.

Jia Xiu clearly has the potential to become the latter.

Young people are amazing.

Presumably, the college will soon formulate a special training plan, and such students certainly cannot be given the same training plan as ordinary students.

Perhaps the college has already started a meeting to discuss this, and the broadcast projections to each college will continue until Jia Xiu completes the final proof. If those people in the Academic Affairs Office don't take this seriously, they won't have anything to do.

I estimate that in a few years, Jasmine will become the next legend of San Teruo.

Compared to the team leader, Margaret was clearly more excited.

She even put her fingers in her mouth and whistled; it's unclear where this young lady from a noble family learned that.

But after whistling twice, Margaret suddenly realized something.

Given Jia Xiu's rate of progress, he certainly won't take six years to graduate.

Maybe in three years, or even two if things go faster, the college will definitely find a way to keep him at the university after he graduates.

A researcher who can consistently produce results is definitely a treasure of the academy.

In other words, in about two or three years, Jia Xiu will go from being a student to a colleague.

And there's no hope for my professional title to change in the short term. First, I went from student to colleague, and then from student to boss!

An incredibly embarrassing scene flashed through Margaret's mind.

but……

Think positively.

It's a bit awkward that my superior is my former student, but it would definitely make things much easier to curry favor with him...

……

On stage, Jacob felt a great sense of loss.

The disappointment didn't stem from the poor performance in this round; although the ranking was low, at least we made it to the next round.

It wasn't from Jia Xiu's failure in the competition, although he did indeed fail, but he didn't feel the frustration of losing.

Instead, there was a sense of disappointment mixed with emptiness, and a feeling of being somewhat bored with the game.

It's like the saying goes, in a race, the competitors start to fly.

They are no longer rivals.

It's not because of this victory or defeat, but because we probably won't have the chance to compete again in the future; we're no longer on the same level.

The other contestants who went to congratulate Jia Xiu passed by him, and he was like a piece of wood being tossed around in a flood, isolated from the noise of the outside world.

This was the first time he had felt this way since he could remember.

He didn't know how to describe it.

If Jashu knew what he was thinking, he would definitely describe it as—emo.

However, the Holy Son of the Papacy is indeed a Holy Son; his emotional management and self-consolation abilities are quite outstanding.

I'm not feeling emo anymore; I'm not listening to sad songs and crying into my blanket late at night.

He quickly realized that even if they wouldn't have the chance to compete on the same platform again in the future, their competition wasn't over yet.

The five-university championship has not yet determined the final champion.

Before Jia Xiu takes off completely, beating him once is something you can brag about for a lifetime.

Jacob rallied his spirits and rekindled his fighting spirit.

Jia Xiu has a solid foundation in basic knowledge and strong research abilities, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has strong practical skills.

He could tell that Jia Xiu's spellcasting ability was currently slightly weaker than his own, but his thinking was indeed unique.

The spell that burst the undead in the previous round left a deep impression on him.

A novel approach may not always work.

Moreover, Jia Xiu is only a first-year student, while he is a third-year student at the seminary and has more practical experience.

It's possible to win.

This is when the gap between them is the smallest.

Jacob walked through the crowd toward Jash.

Right now, Jia Xiu felt like his head was about to explode from all the noise.

"Jia Xiu, could you give me your autograph?"

"Jia Xiu, could you please tell me your contact address? It would be even better if you had your address."

"It's so beautiful, may I touch your draft proof?"

The previous ones were understandable, but this last one is such a strange request.

Jia Xiu tried hard to squeeze out of the crowd.

While I was being squeezed out, I was groped several times. It was so perverted.

Do you think you can become smarter just by rubbing your head against someone?

And the girl who came up to hug me, well, maybe that's okay, but never mind, I don't need that.

The orc girl and the dwarf girl are a bit too radical.

The former carried an unpleasant orcish smell, and because they tried to cover it up with a strong perfume, the combination of the two was even more pungent.

The latter, whose beard is longer than his hair.

I've finally experienced the downsides of fame.

After finally getting off the stage, I bumped into Jacob.

What does that mean? Wait for him here.

Jia Xiu was slightly wary, as he harbored considerable resentment towards the Vatican due to the influence of various literary and artistic works.

And this Jacob is the Holy Son of the Vatican, possessing both religious fanaticism and the characteristics of a popular idol.

In his eyes, this holy son was capable of anything.

However, Jacob very politely extended his right hand.

"Congratulations, Jia Xiu. Your mastery of runes is truly impressive. Among spellcasters of our generation, I'm afraid no one can compare to you."

Why are you speaking so humbly?
This surprised Jassiu a bit, and he simply shook hands with Jacob.

I feel like this Holy Son is alright; apart from being a bit showy, he doesn't seem to have any major flaws.

It's just that his fans are problematic.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. You are very capable too."

Of course, Jia Xiu was completely unfamiliar with this Holy Son and had no idea what made him so powerful.

But people praise others and elevate them.

“I admire your ability, and that’s why I’m challenging you. In the final round, I will do my best to defeat you. It may be a trivial match for you, but for me, it may be my only chance in this lifetime.”

“It’s not insignificant, I will take it seriously,” Jia Xiu replied.

If it's really insignificant, then what was the point of him working so hard for so many days?

The replica Primal Crystal, which was the champion's reward, was really important to him.

"Thank you."

Jacob bowed slightly.

In his imagination, Jia Xiu must be a very upright person to accept the challenge so readily.

I'm sure they'll put on a fair fight in the final round!
After a difficult escape from the theater, Jasmine finally returned to Gillianice's villa.

There was no celebration.

He is tired.

Exhaustion often occurs after excessive thinking.

When I'm under the double boost of inspiration and sage time, I don't feel it; I'm incredibly focused.

Once the boost was over, I felt dizzy, sleepy, and tired.

Jia Xiu didn't even change his clothes; he simply patted himself onto the bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

...The northern wasteland, the Valley of Fire, the territory of Belial, the King of Lies.

This is also the starting point for the teleportation mission to invade Theldarion.

Therefore, the other great demons involved in the operation also began to gather in the Valley of Fire.

We've reached the final preparation stage before the operation.

Belial had a bad feeling.

I can't give a specific reason, but I feel that something might go wrong with the operation.

The spy planted in Theldarion has already ascertained the defensive capabilities of the elven holy land.

It was thinner than they had expected.

Logically, this should be a good thing.

But here's the problem.

Why is it thinner than expected?

Their prediction was based on the assumption that hosting a large-scale competition would necessitate strengthened city defenses.

However, the elves' defenses were not much different from usual.

There has been some improvement, but not much.

Whether the elves were as oblivious as ever, or they thought the teachers from the participating teams were also a formidable force, no one would have thought of invading the city at that time.

That explanation makes sense.

Invading a city when skilled spellcasters from all over are gathered there is indeed a very unwise move.

The devil craves this kind of irrationality and the shock it brings.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

After all, the devil had been preparing for this operation for many years, developing new teleportation spells, planting multiple spies, and colluding with numerous witches to interfere with prophecy spells, preventing the sorcerers from discovering their impending operation.

Prophecy is a type of magic where spellcasters on the continent are far superior to those of the demons; one must be wary of it.

The current abbot of St. Teresa is a renowned prophetic mage.

He will definitely make predictions about the game.

Therefore, the witches prepare in advance to ensure that any predictions about the competition will yield a false result.

Judging from the current response, the response was successful.

Otherwise, there would be no reason why the dwarf dean wouldn't warn his allies that he was responsible for all the Saint-Dero students participating in the competition.

After much thought, Belial finally attributed this bad feeling to pre-action anxiety.

He didn't think being nervous before an operation was a bad thing, even though he was already a great devil. For a devil of that rank to be nervous would be a stain if it were known.

But he always felt that a moderate level of tension could make the devil more vigilant.

Too many devils fail in their missions because they lack any sense of urgency.

Sometimes being too fearless isn't a good thing.

Besides the action itself, he also did not forget the "personal matters" that needed to be carried out in parallel with the action.

Arrest Jia Xiu.

Belial summoned one of his more capable demons from the deep.

Among the devils under his command, he was among the top in terms of combat strength and relatively intelligent.

It's not easy to find someone with brains in the deepest hell of demonic cultivation.

These kinds of devils are often overconfident to the point of arrogance, and are very accustomed to solving problems with pure violence.

He needs to arrange for someone who can fight, someone who won't get carried away in the heat of battle and kill Jia Xiu.

Soon, a strong, cunning demon from the deep hell knelt before Belial.

"You won't have to participate in the main battlefield of the operation."

he ordered.

"Your new mission is to help a small squad led by a succubus, who are lurking in Theldarion, capture a student named Jash alive at the start of the operation. I don't want to see you come back with a bunch of mangled pieces of flesh."

"As ordered."

The answer came from the Demon Refining Deep Hell.

He showed absolutely no resentment at being excluded from the main battlefield; he was a devil with a brain.

I immediately understood; this was to help the leader with his affairs.

Perhaps his achievements on the front lines were not as great, but it meant that he was deeply trusted by the King of Lies. As long as he wanted to continue climbing the ranks under Belial, this was more useful than military merit.

So he gladly accepted the order and left.

After arranging things for Jaxiu, Belial sighed.

It's time to go see the other major devils involved in the operation, and the army they lead.

Even the greatest devil has his limitations.

For example, they often need to communicate with other lords who are also great demons.

He hates talking to idiots.

Unfortunately, most of the other lords were idiots with off-the-charts combat skills.

Those who will participate in the operation together are even more so.

Hopefully, their army didn't start fighting the demons as soon as they arrived at the Valley of Fire.

Demons always seem to have a greater passion for killing their own kind than humans do...

……

Jia Xiu slept for a full eight hours.

This is a very normal amount of sleep, but for him, it's considered extremely long.

The energy lost during a brainstorming session cannot be replenished even when you are full of energy.

So I slept for two rounds of four hours each.

He called it two wheels because he finally discovered the side effects of his gift of boundless energy.

I can't even sleep for more than four hours.

After sleeping for a while, I have to force the computer to turn on, then refresh the status and go back to sleep...

Jia Xiu changed his clothes and took a shower. Gillianis's family had a complete set of magical bathing equipment, which was very convenient.

The biggest difference between this and a water heater is that this thing is generally unaffordable for most people.

Today is the day the final competition events will be announced.

Unlike before, the final rules will be announced first, followed by a rest day, so that the contestants can prepare during these days.

The rules were announced at the same location where the final match was held.

Silvermoon Forest, a famous attraction in Theldarion.

A forest of trees whose leaves glow silvery-blue at night.

There are all sorts of romantic legends and love stories about the origin of this forest.

However, the truth is that after the elves discovered that tourists liked this tree, they allocated a huge sum of money to hire people to plant it one by one.

Although its origins are anything but romantic, it doesn't detract from the fact that this forest is still quite beautiful.

Looking around, Jia Xiu saw a vast expanse of pale blue.

It possesses all the qualities to become a popular spot for online influencers to take photos and check in.

It looks alright, has a story to tell, and doesn't rip off locals.

There is also a trail for tourists in the forest, and the participants gathered in the open space at the entrance of the trail.

At the entrance is a stone archway with blue fluorescent text inscribed in Elvish.

Many people gathered under the archway.

"Wow, what beautiful Elvish script! This must be a very romantic sentence."

"Yes, yes, it's so beautiful..."

Jia Xiu used his rune eye to take a look.

"Please do not linger at the entrance."

The elves, as always, dislike using common language; even this kind of hint has to be written in Elvish, which is rather absurd.

Once everyone had arrived, an elf dressed in the robes of a mage from Silvermoon Academy appeared beneath the archway.

"Now, the rules for the final round are announced. This entire forest will be your battlefield. You have three days to fight using any means necessary until the final winner is determined."

(End of this chapter)