Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Eli's gaze was fixed on the hole in the ceiling.

The scene from that moment just now kept replaying in his mind.

A black magical ring, surging with violent power, sent his extraordinary knight flying like a piece of paper.

The dull thud of those black spikes piercing through the floorboards still lingered in his ears.

Eli's back pressed against the cold wall, his body trembling slightly uncontrollably.

High-ranking official.

The other party is clearly just a high-ranking official.

Six opponents of the same rank couldn't even last three seconds against him.

He wasn't particularly surprised by this; such geniuses could be found in the Eli family as well.

But his knight is a lower-ranking extraordinary being.

A difference of a major rank is an almost insurmountable chasm in this world.

The gap between the high-level and the extraordinary is like the two banks of a great river, with mortals on one side and true powerhouses on the other.

He had witnessed the battles that crossed this chasm.

On the family's training ground, those direct-bloodline geniuses who were sent to the Sky Academy.

He once defeated an extraordinary opponent in a one-on-one contest.

Every battle like that would cause a huge sensation within the family.

Those geniuses were all treasured by their families and nurtured with all their resources.

Eli even once stood at the back of the crowd, watching the backs of those geniuses from afar.

That sense of distance made him clearly aware of how big the gap was between him and those people.

And now, a mage has appeared out of nowhere.

He did the same thing effortlessly in front of him.

The impact on him was even greater than that on the scions of the families of the Sky Academy.

One-hit kill...

Eli's lips moved, but his voice was dry.

"Who...are you?"

He stared at Lin Gui's face, his gaze sweeping over the face disguised by the Thousand Illusions Mask.

"A family with earth magic?"

"Which family are you a direct descendant of?"

"Your hair color... is it from the Dark Earth Clan? Or the Rock Heart Clan?"

Lin Gui did not answer his question.

He slowly walked up to Eli and stopped at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

"Do you remember that student who dropped out a few years ago?"

"White Corey."

Eli was taken aback.

White? That fat guy?

Lin Gui continued speaking.

"I heard him say that because of you, he was expelled from school and his parents were burdened with heavy debt."

"A family that could support a magic student was thus shattered."

"He himself has also fallen so low as to associate with wandering monks."

Eli's expression changed.

He raised his head, and a hint of understanding appeared in his eyes as he looked at Lin Gui.

Then it was replaced by a deeper fear.

"You're here to avenge him?"

His voice involuntarily lowered a few decibels.

When they made their move against White.

He was certain that the other person was just an ordinary civilian with no background whatsoever.

So he acted very decisively.

It was precisely because White's identity was clear that Eli dared to crush him so recklessly.

But this one in front of me...

He secretly regretted his carelessness.

I should have investigated more thoroughly.

But he had no way out.

Eli took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound somewhat confident.

You'd better think this through.

"The Eli family is behind me."

"No matter how strong you are, you are still just one person."

"The Eli family is extraordinary, legendary, and possesses the most complete ice magic heritage in the entire Thousand Towers."

"Even if you can defeat one extraordinary being, can you defeat several extraordinary beings?"

"Can you beat a legend?"

Lin Gui watched him quietly.

Then he laughed.

That smile sent a chill down Eli's spine.

"The Eli family."

Lin Gui repeated those four words, his tone carrying a calmness that Eli couldn't comprehend.

"Do you really think you can represent the Eli family?"

Eli opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Lin Gui took half a step forward, his gaze falling on the badge on Eli's chest.

"A side branch of the aristocratic marginal bloodline."

"You can only scare these petty thugs."

"If you had truly been valued by the Eli family, White wouldn't be alive today."

"Especially his family."

Lin Gui has experienced the Spark and traveled to many places in Akara.

He was all too aware of the enormous chasm between nobles and commoners.

In the eyes of true nobles, commoners are not even considered the same kind of beings.

If this so-called Prince Eli in front of me were to actually receive even the slightest bit of recognition within the Eli family.

White's fate will definitely not be limited to dropping out of school.

A commoner who dared to offend the dignity of a core member of the Eli family would have been crushed to dust long ago.

A highly valued member of a family would not have only a lower-ranking knight protecting him.

For the students of these academies, those at the lower level of the extraordinary rank are considered extremely powerful.

But outside, adventurer guilds can form a whole bunch, even in the giant city-state of Thousand Towers.

Eli's face fell completely at that moment.

His shoulders slumped, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he only managed to utter a series of indistinct breaths.

Fear spread across his eyes.

The protective shield he had always worn was casually removed by the other party.

Lin Gui looked at his appearance and softened his tone.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you."

Eli suddenly looked up.

"You know my purpose."

"I need to find Lillian."

"I think you should know her location very well."

"After all, you've been keeping an eye on her."

Lin Gui took out a sound transmission stone from his pocket and placed it in Eli's trembling palm.

"I hope to hear her location through the communication stone tomorrow night."

"otherwise--"

He paused for a moment, and the smile on his lips faded slightly.

"I think the Eli family wouldn't mind if an insignificant member of a collateral branch suddenly disappeared from their sight."

Eli held the communication stone, his hands trembling so much he could barely hold it.

His lips moved, but he ultimately couldn't say anything.

Lin Gui turned around and walked towards the stairwell.

After walking a few steps, he stopped and turned his head to the side.

"Oh, right."

"Clean up that big hole."

"Don't tell anyone about tonight's events."

"I don't like trouble."

"But what if you insist on causing trouble—"

He glanced at the hole in the ceiling and spoke very softly.

"I don't mind making the trouble bigger."

Then he turned and went down the stairs.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded into the empty corridor.

Eli stood alone among the group of unconscious underlings.

Clutching the sound transmission stone in his hand, he leaned against the wall, his legs weak.

He glanced down at the communication stone in his hand, then looked up at the hole in the ceiling that was still gathering dust.

The night wind blew in through the hole, carrying a chill.

He stood for a long time before he could barely steady his weak legs.

Then he kicked one of his underlings who had fainted on the ground awake and said in a hoarse voice.

"Walk."

The group of people staggered and helped each other out of the top floor.

The footsteps disappeared at the top of the stairs.

The corridor fell silent again.

The door to the women's restroom was still half open.

After everyone had left, a very faint sound came from inside the cubicle door.

It sounded like someone's mouth was covered, suppressing a faint breath.

But the sound was too faint, so faint that it was almost completely swallowed up by the night wind.

After a moment, everything fell silent.