Don't disturb the sorcerer's scientific research

Chapter 140 Jia Xiu's Underworld Enchantment

"Mr. Lambert, your student has been eliminated."

Lambert, one of the team leaders of the Vita Sage Academy, had just fallen asleep when he heard the noise coming from outside the tent and groggily got out of bed.

Feeling dizzy, I opened the door and asked, somewhat indistinctly, "Who did you just say was eliminated?"

Another teacher was leading the group at the door, and he looked very anxious.

Unlike the San Delos Academy, which had a completely casual attitude, the Vita Sage Academy took this competition very seriously.

Their achievements in the history of the competition are also quite good, dozens of times that of St. Terre, and they have often used this reason to mock their "friendly schools".

Students who achieve excellent rankings in the competition will receive a host of awards from the college, while their instructors will also receive substantial bonuses, which will be considered a valid achievement in future faculty evaluations.

If we can cultivate a champion, it will be just as important as publishing a paper in a top journal in the evaluation.

So when Lambert heard someone say that a student had been eliminated, although he was not yet fully awake, his body still instinctively forced him to get up.

He muttered to confirm, "How many were eliminated?"

"They've all been eliminated."

"All of them have been eliminated!"

Lambert let out a scream, a mournful cry as he watched the prize money vanish before his eyes.

"Hope was eliminated too?"

The person he was asking about, Hope, was the captain of the Vita temporary team and his most outstanding student. Although his overall ranking in the preliminary rounds was only outside the top seventy, Lambert had high hopes for this student, hoping he would make it into the top fifty in the finals.

"Yes, he was eliminated too, as were all the students you were mentoring."

"Why, why, would this happen?"

Lambert was already speaking incoherently; he had only slept for a short time.

Is today still the first day of the competition?

"Strictly speaking, it's past midnight, just past midnight."

"Just now? I only slept for an hour. Before I went to sleep, they were traveling smoothly without encountering any combat. In this hour, dozens of people have been eliminated?"

Lambert's last hope was that, for some unknown reason, a large-scale conflict suddenly broke out on the field during that hour, with fights breaking out everywhere and many people being eliminated. His students were eliminated in the melee, not among the bottom few.

However, reality immediately shattered his illusions with a heavy blow.

"They eliminated four of them, from 95th to 98th place. The elimination scene was really weird. According to the people who saw the projection, first there was a thick fog, then a divine judgment, and a voice asked about knowledge points related to the Radiant Knight. You couldn't see anything except for the light. Then there was a thunderous sound. You couldn't even see our students fight back, and then they were all eliminated."

All of them are countdowns.

Ruined.

This is no longer about prize money; it's about potentially losing the opportunity to mentor students and lead them in competitions next year.

“Don’t just stand there,” another teacher urged. “The students should have been teleported out by now. Go check on them.”

Once a player's shield breaks during the match and they are eliminated, the event organizers will use magic to teleport them out.

Remove various status effects that may be applied to you during battle, or heal injuries that you may have sustained in the forest.

The logistical support is highly professional.

Moreover, there is indeed a probability of various unexpected injuries in the forest. For example, the last place eliminated was actually a contestant with a decent ranking in the preliminaries. He did not encounter any battles during the elimination process and did not even meet any other contestants.

He was eliminated because he was severely allergic to the pollen of a flower in the Silvermoon Forest. After being transported there, he developed severe rhinitis.

It's not a serious illness, but it's not fatal at all.

If it weren't serious, six sneezes in ten seconds, and my nose was running like water, and I didn't have any magic to deal with allergies. I couldn't even cast a sneezing spell because of the constant sneezing, so I was judged to have lost my fighting ability and was eliminated.

It was a bit unlucky, but from another perspective, he will be remembered in this wonderful way.

Lambert and his colleagues rushed to the main competition area.

That's where all the eliminated contestants leave, and it's also the largest viewing area. Each eliminated contestant gets a brief interview here.

Being interviewed right after being eliminated must be very stressful.

Therefore, the subjective competition area is never short of viewers. There are always unlucky viewers who have just been eliminated and are feeling miserable, but are forced to give interviews and pretend that they are not so miserable.

Schadenfreude is timeless.

Here, Lambert met his four poor students.

Each one of them was filled with tears.

Lambert was completely bewildered.

"You lost, so what's with the crying? You're students of Vita Sage Academy, how can you cry like this over a single match?"

Even though that's what he said, Lambert himself actually wanted to cry.

The money is gone, and the reputation of the famous teacher is also gone. It's hard not to cry.

"Who eliminated you?"

"I don't know."

"Isn't that obvious?"

"Teacher, you don't know, it's too strange. A divine guidance spell controlled us all. Radiant Knight, I suspect we've encountered the chosen one of the Radiant Knights."

The captain of Vita Squad said, wiping away tears with difficulty.

Then, a dark figure, about the size of a small hill, emerged, spewing flames from its hands.

"Flames shooting from his hands? A fireball spell?"

"No, it just kept spraying, spraying non-stop, and our shield shattered in just two hits. It's a demon! It's probably demon magic! There are demons infiltrating our area!"

Lambert slapped Hope on the head.

"What demon race? You're already shameful enough, and you're still spouting nonsense. Did you eat something you shouldn't have?"

Another distinctive feature of the Vita Sage Academy is that many of its members enjoy hallucinogenic substances, alchemical potions, or spells, both for research and for personal use.

According to those who habitually use these drug spells, illusions "bring endless inspiration."

As for the claim that using too much of it will cause death, please, they were originally meant to become liches.

However, Lambert was always against this approach. He insisted that what he gained was inspiration, but what he gained was a damaged brain, which was completely not worth it.

Hope's current claims, involving both manipulative divine arts and demons constantly breathing fire, seem like a combination of sudden inspiration and a mental breakdown.

"No, I didn't."

Hope defended herself.

"Teacher, look, the projected image is still showing the area where we were eliminated. Another team is about to go there, and they will definitely have to go through the same thing we went through."

Lambert looked up and, sure enough, there was another group of three people in the projection, cautiously making their way along the hiking trail.

The number of spectators in the stands also increased.

The news that several people had been eliminated in strange ways had spread among the audience, and many people who were still awake came to watch, hoping to see if they could have another head-on battle.

The competition was so boring during the daytime hours. Did they come to watch the contestants sneakily collecting resources in the forest?

Amidst the rumors of human-to-human transmission, the methods of elimination became increasingly bizarre.

From the overwhelming firepower amidst the thick fog, to the one-sided beating of giants by divine power in the dark night, it finally evolved into a terrifying sacrifice that resembled a divine miracle...

It sped off in a bizarre and unpredictable direction.

Lambert stared at the projection, wanting to see for himself whether his student was lying.

If the opponent is truly too strong, then there's still a chance to save face.

Being eliminated so early can be attributed to bad luck.

On the projection, thick fog gradually rose, obscuring the three of them. Then, just as Hope had said, a light that looked very much like divine guidance appeared.

However, it did not illuminate the entire area shrouded in thick fog, and a few figures could be vaguely seen.

Next was a quiz on the Radiant Knights.

As expected, none of them could recall the Radiant Knight's name.

Hope excitedly pointed out, "Yes, that's it, exactly the same, exactly the same as our process!"

Lambert was also completely baffled. The Radiant Knight—what kind of unorthodox deity was that?

The one the Holy Light Church brought in during the previous matches?

Could it be that the chosen ones in the competition are truly the Radiant Knights, and the Holy See has sent more than one Holy Son?
The Chosen One's abilities are too bizarre, no, I should say the Radiant Knight's abilities are too bizarre.

Divine guidance is a form of control.

But thinking about it that way, as weird as it is, it seems to work quite well...

The few people in the arena who were under the control of divine guidance magic watched in despair as a tall figure appeared in the thick fog, unleashing a barrage of magic bombs.

"Number of players remaining: 91."

The information on the signs in the spectator area has been updated.

Lambert looked at Hope, "The process you described, which is so outrageous, is actually true."

Hope didn't answer, she just shrugged, as if to say, "Serves you right for not believing me earlier."

Could it be Jia Xiu who set up this ambush?

Although Jash hadn't appeared yet, the thought still popped into Lambert's mind.

Such a peculiar fighting style seems to belong to Jashu.

Although the Radiant Knights belong to the Holy Light Church, the Holy Light Church's chosen ones should not resort to such methods.

An even worse situation than having students who are among the worst performers has arisen! Not only are they at the bottom, but they've also been eliminated by students from Saint-Dero, or even by students from Saint-Dero Margaret!
That tall figure, isn't it the burly man who has always been by Jia Xiu's side?

Oh no! We have to get out of here right now and get back to Vita Sage Academy today.

As long as he runs fast enough, Margaret won't find out that her student has been eliminated.

That way, you won't be ridiculed or mocked.

He has already lost his prize money and can no longer bear the ridicule, suffering a double blow both materially and emotionally.

"Hope, let's go!"

"I still have to do interviews."

"What's the point of accepting this interview? Never mind, I'm leaving now. See you at school."

After Lambert finished speaking, he prepared to slip away, find the nearest teleportation array, and return to Larvin as quickly as possible.

However, at that moment, a strange and sarcastic voice came from behind.

"Oh my, isn't this Lambert, the lecturer from that elementary school in the south? What brings you here today? Are you here to see the students from Larvin's best spellcaster school and eliminate your lousy students?"

Margaret arrived on time, never missing an opportunity to mock the Vita Sage Academy.

"Oh, no, these are all students who got in through good exams, how could it be that the students are bad? Oh dear, could it be that you, the teacher, can't teach them well?"

Lambert was trembling all over.

"You talk as if Jia Xiu was someone you taught."

"Jia Xiu eliminated your student."

"Did you teach him any of the spells he used?"

"Jia Xiu eliminated your student."

"I……"

"Jia Xiu eliminated your student."

Lambert's face flushed red. He had seen students rely on teachers, but he had never seen a teacher rely on students.

Shameless! I can't stand it! How could someone be so shameless?

Damn it, he really wanted to have such a shameless opportunity just once...

Just as Margaret was precisely mocking Lambert, the audience was also quite lively.

Every audience member was discussing the same question.

Who is the Radiant Knight?

"It seems to be a demigod from the Holy Light Church. They came during the previous competition."

Are there any cults that specifically worship this demigod?

"Never heard of him. What, you want to believe in the Radiant Knight?" "Don't you think his divine guidance magic is pretty useful? Anyway, you won't get any good spells by believing in other gods, so why not give this one a try?"

"That makes sense..."

……

At this moment, Justina, the Radiant Knight herself, was idly honing her sword skills.

When she has nothing to do, she practices her swordsmanship.

It allows you to clear your mind and is very stress-relieving.

"Please grant me divine guidance..."

Suddenly, a prayer popped into my head.

As a very obscure god, Justina doesn't hear prayers all the time.

Unlike gods like the god of magic, who have high divine authority and many believers, those gods usually close the channels for listening to prayers because they hear so many prayers.

Otherwise it will be very annoying.

God cannot be compared to God.

She hears things here only four or five times a day, and the true gods wouldn't even bother with them.

As far as she knew, the true God she belonged to did not answer prayers that were not devout enough or that did not offer enough devotion.

Most so-called holy and great gods are somewhat utilitarian.

It can only be said that most gods, while possessing divinity, also possess a great deal of humanity.

However, what puzzled Justina even more than hearing prayers in the middle of the night was the strange prayer requesting divine guidance.

Is that thing still being bestowed?
Divine Guidance is such an overused spell that you can learn it at any library with a spellbook.

Are all her followers such a lazy bunch that they don't even want to learn divine guidance techniques on their own?
Low-quality believers.

But low quality is low quality, one is still one, and granting divine guidance is not out of the question.

Just as she was about to use her divine power to bestow magic upon the believers, she heard another prayer.

"Please grant me that divine guidance technique..."

"Please grant me wondrous divine guidance..."

One after another.

What's going on? Even a mere Radiant Knight like her has a day when she has an overwhelming number of followers?
However, it still requires divine guidance techniques.

What happened to the Divine Guidance spell? Has something changed that she doesn't understand?

Overwhelmed by the number of prayers she received, Justina stopped practicing her swordsmanship and decided to respond to each of these believers.

Even a roadside demigod with few followers can be so service-oriented.

A few minutes later……

Justina sat on the ground, looking serious.

The Radiant Knight was pleased that so many believers were praying to her, but the divine guidance magic they wanted was not something she knew, and the Radiant Knight did not like it.

What's going on?

Justina couldn't understand it at all.

She painstakingly bestowed divine guidance upon each believer, but they were all ungrateful, saying that this was not what they wanted.

What do you want?
Does divine guidance have any other functions?

She also discovered that these people could not be considered believers in the strict sense.

They simply prayed to themselves, offering a tiny bit of faith, in a state of "I'll believe for fun first, and if it's not fun, I'll stop believing."

They are as utilitarian as the gods.

No wonder those true gods like to cultivate fanatical believers; believers who don't care about logic are indeed "high-quality" believers compared to these.

But then again, where did these people come from?

Although there was no evidence and no reason to be found, this complex problem was beyond the scope of Justina's single-minded thinking.

But her knightly instincts told her a name.

Jia Xiu.

It's definitely related to Jia Xiu.

I need to go see him...

……

"Ah!"

Jia Xiu rubbed his nose.

They continued happily looting the loot boxes. The two teams that were eliminated by them had already been teleported out, but the items they exchanged for with their points and the supplies they searched for in the forest were left behind, scattered all over the ground.

Unfortunately, although the quantity looks large, there aren't many good items. It's probably because my ranking in the preliminary rounds wasn't high, so I couldn't exchange for anything good.

For Jia Xiu, the only things that were somewhat useful were the potions that restored his shield.

Both teams exchanged quite a bit.

If only Big Yellow's treasure chest monster were here, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble to carry it myself.

"What's wrong, boss? Are you allergic to pollen?" Mia, who was also licking the bag, asked.

"You can solve allergies? You've done a great deed."

"No, I was just asking."

Jia Xiu rolled his eyes.

"Boss!" Ram's voice came from afar.

Ram wasn't responsible for looting the loot boxes; instead, he kept watch with his "rat-a-tat-tat" to prevent any looting mishaps.

"what happened?"

"The Arcane Eye has issued another warning."

"Another warning issued, and people are still coming?"

"should be."

Jia Xiu stood up. It was strange. He hadn't seen a single person all afternoon, so what was going on at night?

He took the Mystic Eye from Ram and quickly spotted a group of people rushing towards them.

This group moved much faster than the previous two groups. The uneven hiking route did not slow them down at all. Based on their outdoor skills, it was easy to identify them as Ukmak people without even looking closely.

"Stop picking up stuff, get ready, this group might not be so easy to deal with..."

……

At this moment, less than 500 meters away from Jia Xiu's ambush point, on the hiking trail, Justus, leading his well-trained classmates, approached Jia Xiu's position.

They were actually the first group to arrive in the vicinity.

Besides physical fitness, cross-country running and wilderness survival are also compulsory courses at the Royal Spellcaster Academy in Ukmark.

The school's training philosophy has always been to cultivate both legal expertise and military prowess.

Therefore, their adaptation to the forest environment is similar to that of Mia, who grew up in a wild druid village very close to nature.

Meanwhile, Justus memorized the spawn points of most of the players before the start of the match.

The two most important ones are Jasius and Jacob.

His plan was to first eliminate Jasius, then defeat Jacob, and finally win the championship.

Therefore, after entering the forest and assembling, the team members immediately headed to Jiaxiu's birthplace.

However, they did not engage in direct combat, but instead observed each other from a safe distance.

During the days of preparation, Justus carefully examined his opponent, Jahieu.

After much thought, he came to a conclusion.

Jia Xiu is indeed very powerful, but his power is based on a unique way of thinking, namely "killing at first sight".

Once you figure out the methods he used, it's not so scary.

Therefore, they waited there for nearly ten hours, hoping that other teams would scout ahead for them.

Let's find out Jia Xiu's fighting style first.

"Approaching location."

Justus said in a low voice, raising his right fist, and the entire squad immediately stopped.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready," the other team members answered in unison.

Their tactics were very straightforward, and could be summarized in one sentence: Justus sacrificed himself.

He deduced that the special divine guidance technique used by Jia Xiu must require continuous casting.

Therefore, he was to trigger the divine guidance spell, while the other team members went to locate Jia Xiu's position as quickly as possible.

When casting spells continuously, it's always difficult to hide them well.

Then they interrupted the spellcasting and began to counterattack. In a direct confrontation, no one could stand against the Ukmarks.

This is the confidence that comes from rigorous military training.

As for the one that enters the dense fog to harvest when the divine guidance spell takes effect, it is most likely Ram, and he is equally unafraid.

From his observation, he realized that if one could answer the question about divine guidance correctly, their movements would not be restricted.

And he got full marks in two elective courses, "Religious Studies" and "Theologia"!

Having received feedback from his teammates that he was ready, Justus confidently walked forward.

"Question: What is the name of the Radiant Knight?"

Justina!

Justus answered very quickly.

Sure enough, as long as the question was answered correctly, he wouldn't raise his hand and cry; his guess was right.

"Question: What is the main ability of the Radiant Knight?"

"Spatial Rift, Supreme Holy Flame, Barrier of Will!"

He answered again very quickly.

Jia Xiu, who was casting a spell, widened his eyes. "You've got some skills. You even know about such an obscure god as the Radiant Knight."

Beside him, Mia, who was in charge of controlling the Arcane Eye while Jashu was casting his spell, said, "Multiple targets are approaching us from different directions, trying to surround us."

"Oh?"

Jia Xiu remained calm.

Justus's judgment was actually correct; a large part of his combat power came from his "first encounter kill".

However, unlike other first-meeting kills, Jia Xiu's reserves are enough for several first-meeting kills.

“Activate backup plan one,” he said.

"Do we really need to activate backup plan one? A bit... a bit..."

Mia looked troubled.

"This is legitimate magic. People are naturally inclined to eat and have sex. You can't be prejudiced against our innovative and academic magic!"

As everyone knows, when Jia Xiu needs to emphasize that a spell is serious, it is usually quite unserious.

Mia reluctantly began casting a spell.

Hopefully, no one will know that she was the one who used this spell.

Soon, under the control of magic, countless bacteria spread in all directions.

These are not pathogenic bacteria.

Instead, it was enchanted by Jashu, carrying bacteria with the vampire's unique "pleasure" effect, which silently drifted into the noses and mouths of the Ukmark squad members...

(End of this chapter)