My health recovery is incredibly fast.

Xia Zuo tried it out in the academy's spell training ground, and it was indeed the case.

The moment the fireball and the spell's source overlapped, an uncontrollable explosion occurred.

Faced with this situation, Xia Zuo pondered for a while and then chuckled, coming up with a cunning plan.

He summoned a fireball with 100 points of power, put his hand into the flames, and felt the rate at which he was losing health—not taking fire resistance into account, it was losing 100 points of health per second, which was exactly equivalent to the power of the spell.

Next, he summoned a Blood Elemental minion with no fire resistance and hurled the fireball at the opponent.

The fireball exploded, and the Blood Servant's health instantly dropped by 500 points.

Conclusion: A fireball with 100 power deals 100 damage per second while burning, and its explosion damage is 5 times the burning damage.

Theoretically speaking, if Xia Zuo were to coat the source of the Implosion spell with a layer of blood magic with 1000 health points, it would be able to withstand the burning and explosion, allowing it to successfully approach the Starry Sky Demon.

Where is the best place to hide the source of a spell within a fireball?

Xia Zuo had already thought this through.

When he first learned to cast the fireball spell, he noticed a hollow, spherical, black, flammable object in the center of the fireball.

谷鈷

The spell source is encased in a blood magic shell, then stuffed into a spherical flammable material, using the flammable material and flames to conceal the existence of the blood magic shell.

The above is the solution that Xia Zuo has figured out.

Whether it is feasible or not still needs to be tested by professionals.

Xia Zuo first sent a secret message to the bald man, asking him to be his sparring partner.

Rexor replied decisively and refused directly, stating that he was still busy working for the Wildhammer Alchemist Association, but did not say what the specific task was, so Shazo did not ask any further questions.

Few people know that Xia Zuo is a pure-blooded mage, and even fewer have the ability to test his spells.

After much deliberation, Xia Zuo asked Christo for a sparring partner.

In his secret message, he mentioned that he wanted to test a composite spell that combined blood magic and elemental magic, and he needed to find an opponent who could detect blood magic.

Shazo quickly received a reply; Christo had agreed to his request to be his sparring partner.

...

In the outer teaching area, inside a closed spell training room.

The layout and decor here are similar to the training room at Beatrice Academy. Large, transparent skylights serve as the ceiling, while hard stone bricks adorn the walls, which are illuminated by wall lamps at night.

On the training field, after listening to Shazo's description, Christo gently stroked her chin and said:

"You mean, you wrapped the source of the Implosion spell with a layer of blood magic, wanting to see if I could detect that blood magic shell, right?"

“Yes, Your Excellency.” Xia Zuo nodded. “I think that if you can’t detect the Blood Magic Shell, then the Starry Sky Demons won’t be able to either.”

"That's not wrong... Life force is one of the most secretive of all energies. If you can evade my detection, hiding the source of your spell in front of the Starry Sky Demons won't be a problem... but..."

Christor frowned slightly. "But is your life force strong enough? Won't you become depleted of life force while trying to help the blood magic shell resist the scorching flames?"

Xia Zuo pulled up his character template and took a look.

...

[Vitality] 500

[Health Points] 1900

[Health Regeneration Speed] 450 points/hour

[Negative Status] Poisoned by highly toxic crystals (50 layers)

...

After triggering the [Emergency Hour] event, the health regeneration rate can be increased to 1000 points/hour and 1500 points/hour.

In theory, with sufficient health packs and supplements, Shazo can cast the combination of Fireball and Implosion three times in a short period of time without worrying about falling into a low-health state.

“Hmm… Your Excellency, the combination spell I conceived is not yet fully developed, but I can already withstand the drain on my life force,” Xia Zuo said thoughtfully. “I can probably cast it once per hour now. If the frequency is any higher, I might run out of life force.”

“Once an hour.” Christo gave Shazo a deep look. “Let’s give it a try.”

She pointed to a corner of the training field, where she used a shaping spell to construct a target with an internal physiological structure, and then used a transformation spell to change the target's appearance into a Crackfoot Bone Spike Demon.

"Cast your combination spells on it. Its internal structure is the same as the real Crackfoot Bone Spike Demon, and its internal organs vibrate at the same frequency."

Xia Zuo looked at the Starry Sky Demon, which was nearly 5 meters tall, and felt a strong sense of oppression.

This was the first time he had ever seen such a realistic model of a starry sky demon.

Sharp, spike-like teeth protruded from a mouth split open to the ears; two inverted triangular black eyes held crimson pupils; thick, muscular legs and arms with bent joints, bulging with red muscles; a complete set of skeletal armor covered his body, the sinister bones, white as frost, exuding an aura of death…

Chapter 123 Spell Combinations

Facing the chillingly imposing model of the Starry Sky Demon, Xia Zuo composed himself and asked:

"Your Excellency, are the spell resistance and physical strength of this Starry Sky Demon comparable to those of a real Riftfoot Bone Spike Demon?"

“The spell resistance is the same as the real Bonespike, but the physical strength is much weaker,” Krestor said, standing to the side with her arms outstretched. “After all, this is just a magical creation, not a real flesh and blood body. In battle, the Bonespike will also use its bones to further strengthen its internal organs... Hmm... this model’s defensive capabilities are about a quarter of the actual ones.”

Xia Zuo nodded and stood in another corner of the training ground, diagonally opposite the model of the Starry Sky Demon, at least a hundred meters away.

At the boundary of the starry sky, the distance between the two sides on the battlefield can reach one kilometer or even more.

At this point, it would be difficult to lock onto the target if the spellcaster were to cast the spell himself.

Therefore, the towers are equipped with alchemical devices to assist in locking onto enemies, helping spellcasters track targets, and magic circles that enhance spell effects to greatly increase casting range and projectile speed.

Like Xia Zuo's favorite fireball spell.

A fireball with 100 power has a maximum near-ground speed of 200 meters per second, a maximum flight time of 5 seconds, and a theoretical maximum flight distance of 1000 meters.

After being reinforced by the tower, in the thin air and relatively weak gravity of the interstellar horizon, the fireball can travel at speeds approaching 1000 meters per second, with a maximum flight time exceeding 10 seconds. In some ways, the fireball reinforced by the tower is comparable to a miniature missile.

Xia Zuo raised his left hand, palm up, and gently lifted it, condensing a fireball the size of his head. The black, hollowed-out flammable material in the center of the flame was perfectly concealed by the raging fire.

After a brief preparation, he activated [Blood Magic Attack and Defense], summoning a blood magic shell and a spell source inside the hollowed-out flammable material. Then, with a wave of his hand, he controlled a fireball to fly towards the model of the Starry Sky Demon.

"Bang!" The fireball exploded, scattering sparks everywhere.

Amidst the intense, exploding light, the small red dot of the spell's source braved the high temperature and scorching heat to penetrate into the model.

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!" Four consecutive dull thuds came from inside the model.

With each muffled thud, the model's lungs would violently bulge, the amplitude gradually increasing.

On the fifth muffled thud, the model's lungs bulged outward into a sphere, followed by a loud bang.

"Phew~" Xia Zuo breathed a sigh of relief, quite satisfied with the results of this experiment.

This was his first time facing the Starry Sky Demon. Although it was just a model, he succeeded on his first try.

Well... strictly speaking, it can't be considered a success.

Because the Crackfoot Bonespike will travel with the Multi-Functional Mutant, it can use the Mutant to heal itself. Even without the Mutant's help, the Crackfoot Bonespike can use its own bones to temporarily suppress injuries and reduce bleeding.

The truly lethal implosion site is the head of the Riftfoot Bone-Spiked Demon. However, the bones there are the hardest, making implosion extremely difficult. Shazo would need to absorb even more elemental energy to potentially implode that area.

Shazo rested for a few seconds and looked at Christo, who was deep in thought.

"Your Excellency, have you noticed my blood magic shell?"

Kristor shook her head slightly. "No, no. The flames and fire energy fluctuations of the fireball completely concealed the existence of the blood magic shell. I think even the most powerful Star Demon in the skies above the Eastern Continent wouldn't be able to detect the tricks you made inside the fireball."

Xia Zuo excitedly clenched his fist and waved it.

Christo stared at Shazo. "You seem to still have energy left, don't you? Actually, that combined attack just now didn't have too much of a negative impact on your vitality."

Xia Zuo scratched his head. "Yes, Your Excellency."

“Rexol told me that you have mastered the blood magic [Blood Servant]. Did you get the inspiration from the textbook on creating elemental servants?” Krestor asked.

Xia Zuo was prepared for Christo's question. "That's right, Your Excellency."

"When you were condensing the blood magic shell inside the fireball, what blood magic did you use? [Flesh Control]? No... it couldn't be that. The life force extracted by Flesh Control is both fragile and cannot exist at a distance of more than 5 meters from the body. You must have used a special blood magic."

Christo asked:

Can you tell me what that is?

Xia Zuo looked at Krestor's burning gaze and pondered for a moment, "It's [Blood Magic Attack and Defense], a blood magic I comprehended on my own."

Christo took a deep breath and pressed her right hand against her chest, as if to soothe her uncontrollably beating heart.

Xia Zuo noticed the other person's emotional fluctuation and cautiously asked, "Your Excellency, is this blood magic very powerful?"

Christo was silent for a few seconds, then shook her head. "No, the effects and uses of this blood magic are rather limited, even less effective than the protective spells within the temple. But for you, it is of great significance."

"Why do you say that?" Xia Zuo rubbed his temples; the other person's words sounded quite profound.

“Do you remember my analogy of the Western Continent?” Crestor asked.

"You said it's like the Eastern Continent of the Second Era, the era when the power of bloodlines had just been revived."

Christo took a thin book out of her alchemy pouch.

Xia Zuo took it and read it.

The booklet contains little information, arranged chronologically, listing the pureblood mages who appeared in the second era of the Eastern Continent, and briefly describing the history of pureblood mages.

Pureblood mages were the first bloodline to appear on the Eastern Continent among the many bloodlines.

The identity, appearance, age, and other details of the first pure-blood mage are impossible to verify. This is partly due to the vast distance in time, and partly because pure-blood mages possess blood magic that alters appearance, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to track their whereabouts.

All the temple knew was that this pureblood mage, who called himself Winston Bergust, had mastered at least ten blood spells within just three years after awakening the power of his bloodline as a blood mage.

What the temple was most concerned about was that any one of Bergust's pure-blood magic spells was a signature spell of other pure-blood mages.

For example, high-level blood magic such as [Blood Elemental Servant] and [Blood Magic Attack and Defense] only determines the spell's principle, without restricting its appearance or how it works.

Throughout the history of the Eastern Continent from the Second Era to the present, there have only been a dozen or so pure-blood mages who have mastered high-level blood magic, making it known as the rarest and most mysterious form of blood magic.

The rest of the pureblood mages can only master basic blood magic, such as Blood Arrow, Blood Shield, Blood Transformation, Blood River, and Blood Prison, which have strict restrictions on the appearance and effectiveness of the spells.

The vast differences in the amount and quality of blood magic possessed by pureblood mages sparked a war among them.

An ordinary pureblood mage, together with other bloodline awakeners, besieged Bergust and several other naturally gifted high-level pureblood mages.