Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chen Lin's return to the central training ground caused quite a stir.

His face was still pale, his steps were slightly unsteady, and the vine patterns under his right sleeve were slightly dull.

But his eyes were colder and sharper than ever before, like a lone wolf that had become even more ferocious after being wounded.

His opponent was a level 3 peak apprentice in the lower half of the leaderboard, specializing in earth-type defense, nicknamed "Stone Mound".

This person has a solid defense, but his attack methods are limited and he moves slowly, making him the ideal first prey for Chen Lin during his recovery period while injured.

"Chen Lin? You can still play?"

Looking at Chen Lin's condition, Shi Dun's eyes flashed with disdain. "I heard you crippled yourself trying to fuse with that new thing? Just admit defeat, lest you worsen your injuries!"

Chen Lin remained silent, only bowing slightly in greeting.

The referee announced the start!

The stone block immediately pressed its hands to the ground and growled, "Earth Barrier!"

A thick, earthy-yellow energy surged forth, condensing into a solid rock shield in front of him, while the ground beneath his feet hardened, enhancing his stability.

This is a typical defensive tactic, intended to wear down Chen Lin.

Chen Lin did not launch an attack or raise vines as usual.

He stood still, his right arm slightly raised.

"Thorn Armor!"

Buzz! Dark gray armor covered in metallic thorns instantly covered his upper body.

He walked forward slowly and steadily, as if measuring a distance.

Seeing this, Shidun felt reassured, believing that Chen Lin's injuries were too severe for him to launch a strong attack.

He hid behind the rock shield, occasionally unleashing a few slow spikes to harass the enemy, attempting to further wear them down.

Chen Lin neither dodged nor avoided, his thorny armor withstanding the ground spikes head-on, producing a dull thud.

He appeared passive, but the Seed of Origin was operating at high speed, analyzing the energy flow of the stone pillar and the weaknesses of the shield structure with minimal power consumption, while guiding life energy to nourish the hidden wounds in his spiritual sea.

Time passed second by second.

The stone pillar's magic was continuously consumed in maintaining the shield and releasing ground spikes, while Chen Lin, relying on the powerful defense of the Thorn Armor and the life force of the Bloodthirsty Vine, consumed even less.

"Is that all you've got, workshop owner!"

Shi Dun was getting impatient. He felt that Chen Lin was like a piece of chewing gum, impossible to break or shake off.

Just as he relaxed slightly and was about to release the ground spikes again!

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Lin's eyes!

He didn't get close, but instead pointed his left fingertip lightly towards the stone block!

"The Seed of the Spiritual Pivot - Disturbance!"

A seven-colored seed silently shot out from the flower's stamen!

Extremely fast speed, unpredictable trajectory!

The stone pillar was alarmed and immediately reinforced its shield with all its might!

However, the seed did not hit the shield, but exploded several meters away from him!

There was no physical impact, only an invisible mental fluctuation carrying chaotic whispers that instantly spread out!

Shi Dun felt as if his brain had been hit by a mallet, his vision blurred slightly, and the mental energy output used to maintain the shield became slightly disordered!

It's now!

Chen Lin exerted force with his feet, his body moving like an arrow released from a bow!

Several dark gold vines burst forth from the ground beneath the stone pillar like giant pythons!

Click!

The hardened ground was forcibly shredded by the ferocious vines! The foundation of the stone pier instantly became unstable!

At the same time, the solid rock shield trembled slightly due to the momentary disruption of his mental energy!

Chen Lin had already rushed forward! His fist, encased in thorny iron armor and imbued with the ferocious power of the Bloodthirsty Vine, slammed fiercely into the point where the shield's fluctuations were most intense!

boom!

The rock shield shattered instantly! The stone pillar staggered backward from the force, its face filled with horror!

Chen Lin's fist continued its momentum, stopping just an inch from his throat! The cold, sharp thorns had already pierced his skin!

"I admit defeat!" Chen Lin's voice was cold and hoarse.

Shi Dun's face turned deathly pale. Feeling the threat of death at his throat and the churning blood within his body, he slumped down and said, "I...I surrender!"

The referee declared Chen Lin the winner.

The room fell silent.

The victory was not glorious; in fact, it was somewhat underhanded.

But the precise timing despite his injuries, the ruthless calculation to win with minimal cost, and the bizarre mental interference at the end sent a chill down the spine of the audience.

Chen Lin withdrew his fist, the thorny armor disappeared, and he breathed slightly.

The nerve pain in my right arm intensified when I exerted force just now.

He walked off the ring expressionlessly and began preparing for the next match.

Seed of Origin notification: [Spiritual Sea Dark Injury Repair Progress: 1.2%. Psionic Seed Manipulation Proficiency Increased.]

First point secured.

In the days that followed, Chen Lin was like a pre-programmed fighting machine, going back and forth between the ring and the temporary rest room.

His life was fragmented: fighting, healing, analyzing, meditating, and fighting again.

Every day, he pushes his limits:

On the third day, facing the "Swift Arrow" apprentice: the opponent's arrows rained down.

Chen Lin used his Thorn Armor to withstand the attack. The psionic seed attempted to interfere with the attack for the first time by firing "double shots". However, his mental control was unstable, and the second seed almost went out of control and backfired, causing him to suffer a splitting headache.

Ultimately, by using vines to anticipate and restrict the opponent's movement space with spikes, he managed to close in and defeat them.

He vomited a small amount of blood after the match, indicating that the mental damage he had sustained that day had not healed at all.

On the 7th day, facing "Phantom Singer": Soul-Devouring Ointment stabilizes the soul core, and Thorn Armor weakens physical sound waves.

Chen Lin abandoned his hearing and relied on the super-strong perception of the Seed of Origin and the residual effect of the Moon-Eroding Spirit Dew to lock onto the true form.

Use a psionic seed to create a brief mental illusion as a countermeasure, disrupting the opponent's spellcasting rhythm, and then end the vine attack.

After this battle, the skill of using psionic seeds in mental combat greatly increased.

On the 15th day, facing the Lava Spiter: the Thorn Armor's energy absorption field was overloaded, and its right arm was burned by the scorching air wave.

Chen Lin risked activating three psionic seeds simultaneously amidst the explosion's smoke and dust, launching them in a triangular formation towards the opponent's spellcasting node. This triggered a small-scale mental shockwave that interrupted the chanting, and as the opponent clutched their head and screamed in agony, Chen Lin strangled them with poison vines.

The battle was a narrow victory. The Thorn Armor was damaged, and the precision of the Psionic Seed control was significantly improved, but the mental energy consumption was huge, and the repair progress of the hidden injuries was stagnant for three days.

......

Every victory is accompanied by physical pain and mental anguish.

他的积分在艰难而稳定地攀升：15分、17分、20分、23分……但距离37分的门槛，依旧遥远。

As time went on, the opponents became stronger, and the research on him became more in-depth.

His characteristics of "being injured", "relying on defense", and "mainly using psionic seeds for interference" have been grasped by many people, resulting in a variety of targeted tactics.

Chen Lin was dancing on the edge of a knife.

He constantly adjusted his tactics, squeezing every bit of analytical power from the Seed of Origin, optimizing the way the psionic seed was used, and began to try to incorporate the faint spatial refraction properties of the Moon Shadow Essence into the flight trajectory of the psionic seed, making it even more elusive and unpredictable.

At the same time, during the battle, he also used the life-stealing properties of the Blood-Eating Vine to draw weak life force from the energy and blood energy dissipated by his opponents, and to nourish his own injuries, like a blood-sucking thorn walking on the edge of life and death.

Day 25, Points: 32.

Remaining matches: 5. Five more wins are needed!

Chen Lin's face was so pale it was almost transparent, his eye sockets were deep-set, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, like burning ice.

The continuous battles have made the hidden injuries in his mental sea as stubborn as a reef, with extremely slow repair progress.

The nerve damage in the right arm worsened under frequent, high-intensity manipulation, and the flexibility of the vines was greatly reduced.

The only good news is that the control of the psionic seed has improved rapidly under the pressure of life and death, the cooperation with the vines has become more and more harmonious, and the use of moon shadow refraction has become more and more proficient.

However, his next opponent is "Gold Rider" Kahn, who is ranked 12th on the leaderboard!

At the late stage of a Level 4 Wizard Apprentice, with an affinity for the metal element, his attack power is extremely strong. He is adept at manipulating metal fragments to form storms that tear apart all defenses, making him the nemesis of "iron cans" like Chen Lin!

What's more troublesome is that Kahn had obviously studied Chen Lin and gave up on probing him right from the start.

"Metal Storm - Tornado!" Kahn waved his hands, and countless gleaming metal fragments appeared out of thin air, like a raging tornado, instantly engulfing Chen Lin!

The fragments are not only sharp, but also contain highly penetrating metal energy, which is specifically designed to break through energy armor!

Thorn Armor activated instantly!

A dark gray light shone brightly!

Ding ding ding!

A barrage of impacts erupted! Metal fragments cut and drilled into the armor's surface!

The energy absorption field was operating wildly, but the penetrating power of the metal energy was too strong, far exceeding the previous attacks!

The armor vibrated violently, its surface quickly becoming covered with scratches, and large sections of the metal thorn spikes were severed.

Even more terrifying, some fragments pierced through the energy field and slashed hard at Chen Lin's body, leaving a trail of blood!

A sharp pain shot through me!

Chen Lin groaned, feeling his mental energy pouring out like a floodgate being opened!

He tried to move, but the metal storm, like a leech, blocked out all space!

"Haha! Your turtle shell can't withstand my power to shatter metal!"

Kahn laughed wildly, increasing his magic output, making the Metal Storm even more violent!

A gasp rippled through the audience!

Chen Lin's Thorn Armor was on the verge of collapsing!

A critical moment!

A glint of madness flashed in Chen Lin's eyes!

Instead of focusing all his energy on maintaining the Thorn Armor, he instantly channeled most of his mental power into the Spiritual Pivot Seed above his head!

"Seed of the Spiritual Pivot - Moon Shadow Refraction! Triple Strike!"

At the flower's center, three seven-colored seeds shot out simultaneously!

This time, an extremely faint, almost invisible pale blue moonlight halo flowed across the surface of the seed!

In the instant of flight, the trajectory of the three seeds was no longer a straight line, but as if they were being moved by an invisible hand, drawing three strange and unpredictable arcs in the air with subtle spatial fluctuations!

Like three elusive, multicolored streaks of light, they instantly pierced through the gaps in the metal storm!

"What?!" Kahn exclaimed in shock!

Although his metal storm covers a wide area, it is not a solid block inside!

These three strangely shaped streaks of light accurately located three nodes where the flow of storm energy was relatively weak!

"Explode!" Chen Lin roared!

Three psionic seeds detonated simultaneously in front of, beside, and behind Kahn!

Three highly concentrated mental shockwaves, arranged in a triangle, crashed violently into Kahn's mental core!

"Ugh!" Kahn felt as if his brain had been hit by three heavy hammers at the same time!

Stars flashed before his eyes, and the mental energy that was maintaining the metal storm instantly collapsed!

The raging metal fragments went out of control, scattering all over the ground with a crash!

It's now!

Chen Lin endured the excruciating pain from the excessive activation of the spiritual energy seed in his mental sea and the numbness in his right arm as the ground beneath his feet shattered!

"Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy - Pierce!"

Instead of binding him, the vines, like poisoned javelins, took advantage of the moment when Kahn's mind was wounded and his defenses were wide open, and with a piercing sound, they fiercely stabbed at his hands, which were holding the spell, and his vital chest and abdomen!

At the tip of the vine, a pale purple light shone brightly from the neurotoxin!

Kahn, being a late-stage level four cultivator, roared in the critical moment, and his body was instantly covered with a metallic sheen!

But how could a hasty defense withstand Chen Lin's long-planned deadly attack?

puff!puff!puff!

The vine pierced deep inside! The poison was injected instantly!

Kahn's body trembled violently, his hands went numb instantly, the magic he had been gathering was interrupted, and the metallic luster on his body surface flickered erratically!

His eyes were filled with horror and disbelief!

Chen Lin's figure appeared before him like a ghost, his fist, enveloped in the remaining energy of the Thorn Armor, stopped at his heart.

"I admit defeat."

Chen Lin's voice was cold and hoarse, a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were sharp as knives.

Feeling the toxins raging through his body and the threat of death looming over his chest, Kahn's face turned ashen: "I...I surrender!"

The referee declares Chen Lin the winner!

The entire place fell silent, then erupted into a huge uproar!

"He won?! He beat Kahn!"

"What kind of attack was that? The seed can bend?"

"He eventually removed some of the armor protection! That was too risky!"

"He's coughing up blood! His injuries have gotten worse!"

"33 points! Only 4 points left!"

Chen Lin retracted the vines, swayed slightly, and forced himself to stand firm.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, feeling the waves of weakness and excruciating pain emanating from his mental sea, as well as the numbness in his right arm that had almost lost all feeling.

But the flames burning in his eyes were even more intense.

The final four days, four matches.

His opponents were getting stronger, and his health was deteriorating.

But Chen Lin was like a blood-soaked thorn; every time he fell, he brought with him deeper wounds and a more ferocious counterattack.

He used the newly acquired Moon Shadow Refraction Psionic Seed with increasing skill, combining it with the poison control of the vines to form a bizarre and deadly vine tactic.

......

Points: 37.

The last game.

Opponent: Ranked 8th on the leaderboard, "Frost Whisperer" Avira, a peak level 4 wizard apprentice, specializing in ice magic, with both control and burst damage.

Chen Lin stood on the ring, his body thin and his face as pale as paper, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

But his spine was ramrod straight, and his eyes were eerily calm, like the stillness before a blizzard.

Beneath the sleeve of his right arm, the vine patterns were dim, and the light of the Spirit Pivot Seed was slightly restrained, but the ferocity and resilience forged in blood and fire made Avira, who was opposite him, feel a slight tremor in her heart.

"Chen Lin, you are strong and you fight very hard. But this ends here."

Avira's voice was cold, and her hands were surrounded by a chilling aura. "Your injuries are too severe to withstand my 'Extreme Cold Storm'."

"Give it a try."

Chen Lin only said three words.

Battle begins!

Avira showed no mercy; a biting cold wave instantly swept across the ring, causing the temperature to plummet!

Frost had formed on the ground, and the air seemed to freeze!

The terrifyingly low temperature not only slowed down movement, but also frantically eroded vitality and mental strength!

Chen Lin's thorny armor instantly covered him, but the dark gray light appeared particularly dim in the extreme cold, and the energy flow was obviously sluggish.

His movements became stiff, and the numbness in his right arm was exacerbated by the low temperature.

Avira formed hand seals: "Frozen Coffin!"

Several huge ice spikes fell from the sky and slammed into Chen Lin. At the same time, ice spikes rose from the ground, blocking any space to dodge!

A cold glint flashed in Chen Lin's eyes, and instead of retreating, he advanced!

He braved the cold wave and frantically poured his spiritual energy into the Spiritual Pivot Seed!

"Seed of the Spiritual Pivot - Moon Shadow Illusion!"

The two seeds, shrouded in pale blue moonlight, did not shoot towards Ivira, but instead shot towards the empty spaces on her left and right sides, detonating simultaneously!

This time, what exploded was not a mental shock, but two distorted lights and shadows and a low murmur—a faint illusion!

Although it couldn't truly confuse Avira, it was enough to cause extremely subtle interference with her energy perception and spatial judgment!

Just as Avira was slightly distracted by the illusion!

Chen Lin exerted force with his feet, relying on the slight adaptation to the environment through the reflection of the moonlight, his body seemed to blend into the cold wind, narrowly avoiding the main ice spikes, and with his thorny armor withstanding several ice spikes, he charged towards Avira!

At the same time, the third seed was shot out silently, its trajectory unpredictable, heading straight for Avira's back!

Ivyra snorted coldly, turned around and struck out with her palm, condensing an ice shield!

However, just as the seed was about to hit the shield, it strangely deflected, bypassed the shield, and exploded beside her!

The mental interference struck again!

Avira paused for a moment.

Chen Lin had already rushed forward!

The vines on his right arm, like a dying venomous snake, unleashed their final ferocity!

"Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy - Strangulation!"

The vines climbed upwards, but at a much slower pace than at their peak!

Avira instantly broke free from the mental interference, and an icy armor solidified on her body!

"Ice Blast!"

boom!

The entwined vines were blasted apart by the violent ice energy!

Chen Lin was violently thrown back by the shockwave, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

The thorn armor's brilliance completely dimmed!

"it's over!"

Avira raised her hands high, and a huge vortex of ice crystals formed above her head, radiating a destructive aura!

At this critical moment!

Chen Lin fell to the ground, but a resolute glint flashed in his eyes! He did not try to stand up, but instead poured his last bit of spiritual power, along with the indomitable will deep within his soul, into the Spiritual Pivot Seed!

"The Seed of the Spiritual Pivot... Moon Shadow... Return to Nothingness!"

A single, and final, seven-colored seed was forcibly condensed at the flower's stamen, and it suddenly lit up amidst the floating flower phantom above Chen Lin's head!

It didn't fly towards Avira, but instantly merged into Chen Lin's own mental energy field!

hum!

A strange spatial fluctuation spread out from Chen Lin!

Not an attack, but... assimilation?

refraction?

To Avalo's horror, she discovered that her mental focus on Chen Lin had become blurred and indistinct in an instant!

Locked in by the ice crystal vortex, Chen Lin's figure seemed to transform into several overlapping phantoms, his spatial position shifting erratically!

Her deadly strike, which she had prepared in advance, failed to accurately lock onto its target!

"What the hell?!" Avira exclaimed in shock and anger!

In that moment of distraction!

With his last breath, Chen Lin slammed his right arm to the ground!

"Poison Ivy!"

Several sharp vines, coated with highly concentrated paralyzing toxins, burst forth from the thinnest spot on the ice beneath Ivira's feet!

Avira reacted extremely quickly, dodging the attack, but she was ultimately a fraction too slow!

puff!

A poisonous vine grazed her calf! The pale purple toxin instantly seeped in!

"what!"

Avira felt a numbness in her calf, and her movements instantly froze!

The vortex of ice crystals above her head went out of control and crashed down beside her, blasting a large crater in the arena!

Chen Lin appeared beside her. Although he staggered, his fist, encased in the remnants of thorn armor, gently pressed against her back.

You lost.

Chen Lin's voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, but his will was as firm as a rock.

Feeling the coldness in her back and the numbness spreading through her legs, Avira slowly admitted defeat.

Chen Lin felt a wave of relief and collapsed to the ground.