The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

"? I thought it was one of your backup plans..."

“It’s me,” Ling Gong said.

She stood with her back against the wall, adjusted her glasses, and said, "I felt that Professor Ji wouldn't let you off easily, so I went to Professor Bill for help. The price was that the wording was a bit ambiguous. You don't mind, do you?"

Lu Wenjun was moved to tears: "Lord Linggong!"

Pershka excitedly pulled her up: "You're the best, fox girl!"

"Oh dear, now you switch to a more enthusiastic tone." Linggong twitched her ears. "Time's almost up, you two hurry up. I saw on the forum that—"

The two impatient girls had already hurriedly run off into the distance. Linggong hid what she hadn't finished saying and turned around cheerfully: "Anyway, good luck!"

Lü Wenjun and Pershka certainly didn't have time for idle chatter. They hurriedly changed into their formal attire and rushed towards the Hall of Muses, like best man and bridesmaids about to miss the wedding.

The ball was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., but they arrived at 6:55 p.m. The doors were already closed, and even the goddess projection used to create atmosphere had been taken down. Through the windows, they could see groups of specters guarding the top of the ballroom. There was a large sphere covered with a red cloth there, which seemed to be a mechanism for unveiling the ball.

Pershka angrily punched his fist: "There are still five minutes left! The receptionist is so lazy!"

"I'm almost late myself, so I have no right to criticize others," Lü Wenjun said, trying to cool things down. "Let me think..."

Now, if they want to get in, they'd have to knock loudly until someone notices and opens the door. At that point, they'd undoubtedly become the center of attention, and just thinking about it makes their skin crawl. It's best to sneak in quietly and avoid drawing attention…

Lu Wenjun's gaze drifted upwards, looking towards the second-floor terrace: "Going through the window is fine too, it's your choice."

Pershka rolled her eyes: "Seriously...!"

Although the witch was proficient in many magical arts, she wasn't particularly skilled at climbing walls. So Lu Wenjun had to pick her up again and use his flying shoes to scale the air and land on the second floor.

“This always happens when we’re together. Are you under some kind of strange curse?” Pershka complained.

Lu Wenjun said irritably, "How about learning a highly mobile technique as soon as possible? It would be better to build your own pumpkin carriage than to use me as a horse every time."

"Anyway, you're very happy, aren't you?"

"Which eye of yours saw me happy?"

Pershka gestured for silence, and Lü Wenjun gently put the girl down and peered out the window to check on the situation.

“Everyone’s here,” he said in a low voice. “There are also a lot of people on the second floor, so it’s not easy to manage.”

Led by Student Council Vice President Giltan, the senior students chatted in groups on the second floor. He saw a silver-haired youth being surrounded by stylishly dressed young men and women, who was building a small silver castle with the tableware beside him; a purple-haired woman wearing glasses and a group of bookish men and women sat on soft sofas, talking to an original book; winged reporters flew between the upper and lower floors, relaying the news that the freshmen were curious about.

The club leaders were all scrutinizing the newcomers, and every now and then someone from a small group would come down from the second floor and extend an olive branch to a freshman who caught their eye. These olive branches caused a serious traffic accident in the southeast corner of the first floor: many clubs wanted to recruit Velsa, but they were all intimidated by the wild aura of the buffet enjoyer and dared not cross the line.

"I'm truly impressed by those two..."

“If a ball is a social occasion, then these two are social disruptors,” Persica said enthusiastically. “But this is really lively, even more interesting than in the movies!”

“Ordinary social dances don’t have a venue this big,” Lü Wenjun judged. “Once the event officially starts, we’ll sneak in quietly. Giltan has already gone downstairs, and the number of people on the second floor will soon decrease.”

As he said, the olive branches had no choice but to return to the upper floors, as the vice president had already come down the stairs to prepare for the opening speech. The musicians in black were ready, and the girl who had previously acted as the receptionist was now giving a warm-up speech with a microphone.

"...That concludes the introduction to the dance program. Let's begin the activities now! Finally, let me introduce the sponsors of this event to all the younger students. The Student Union and various other clubs have provided assistance in organizing this event. Let's thank all the seniors for their selfless contributions."

The receptionist girl raised the microphone: "Mr. Chailo Skal, President of Magic Art Styling Club!"

The silver-haired youth tossed the shimmering silver castle to the nearest freshman and smiled, "It's a pleasure to see another batch of new students arrive at the academy. Welcome all current and potential artists to our organization."

"Ms. Lanting, the president of the Demon Theory Research Club."

The purple-haired, bespectacled senior hurriedly stood up: "Students who enjoy reading are welcome to chat with us... Um, those who like comics are fine too..."

Good-natured laughter rang out from the second floor. Lan Ting sat down dejectedly, muttering to those around her, "Did I mess up again?" The receptionist's laughter was particularly clear: "Ms. Yu Xin, president of the campus news club~"

A lady in a long-sleeved feathered gown flew in: "Our organization will continue to provide all teachers and students with firsthand information! A warm welcome to the fastest runners to join us!"

"Thank you, and thank you to the other clubs for their great support!" The receptionist handed over the microphone. "And then there's Mr. Giltan, the student council vice president!"

The meticulously groomed brown-haired man straightened his collar and took the microphone: "On behalf of the Student Union and all the senior members of the campus, I welcome the new cohort of students. Each new cohort brings fresh blood to our long-established college. As a member of the Student Union, I sincerely hope—hello!"

The receptionist girl snatched the microphone from his hand. She complained disdainfully, "Mr. Vice President, a senior only needs to say one sentence. Even if you're thick-skinned, you shouldn't have said so much, right?"

Giltan stared in disbelief, his expression suddenly changing: "You...you are...!"

The receptionist girl no longer concealed her smug expression. She took off her baseball cap and threw it high into the air, and wild laughter echoed through the ballroom.

"Welcome, juniors. I am Melt Sefa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Thousand-Year Cave!"

"On this beautiful night, we extend our heartfelt care and encouragement to all of you, our seniors!"

Shock, confusion, bewilderment, and anger swept through the entire arena in an instant. The freshmen were bewildered, while almost everyone above the second floor attempted to leap into the center of the arena.

Melt laughed gleefully, and flickering lights appeared beside her, followed by an ominous ignition sound, like countless invisible bombs simultaneously lighting their fuses. No. Get out of her sight. Shouts echoed throughout the ballroom, but it was too late to reverse the reaction.

She extended her slender arm as if inviting someone and snapped her fingers crisply.

"Curse the Starfire."

The points of light surrounding Melt simultaneously rose higher, transforming into fierce flames that crashed down. Each spark was aimed at the head of an enemy, and so many sparks fell with explosive sounds, like a burning meteor shower igniting indoors. The speed of the sparks was breathtaking; the freshmen only saw intense colors flash past their eyes and heard a woman's soft laughter.

"boom!"

A deafening roar erupted, followed by black smoke and a violent storm. Those who dared to resist were blasted away by the sparks, leaving only the club leader and a handful of others still able to fight. The aura of the spell illuminated the arena; an enraged counterattack was imminent. At that moment, Melt pointed to the sky, and the spirits instantly tore off their red cloths, flying in all directions to reveal the true form of the sphere that had been concealed until now.

It was a huge eye, with an ominous orange-yellow vertical pupil like a snake!

"And the Petrifying Evil Eye, a legendary magical artifact generously provided by our beloved senior Fang Mo!"

The snake's eyes swirled, casting an eerie gaze that paralyzed all senses. Led by the club leaders, everyone in the ballroom was caught in its gaze. The spells they were about to cast failed to materialize; the evil eye's magic had numbed their senses. From the club elites on the second floor to the idiots on the first floor who were indulging in food and drink, everyone stood comically frozen, like living stone statues.

Melt clutched his stomach and laughed uncontrollably: "No way! That's it? You took care of everyone so easily? I really don't know what to say!"

"Shut up, you vixen!"

Only one person remained capable of movement: Giltan, the student council vice president. He immediately summoned his mirror-like, shimmering armor, which not only shielded him from the Starfire's attack but also allowed him to fight even under the gaze of the Evil Eye.

“A mirror armor that isolates curses…” Melt looked him up and down. “Isn’t such a simple spell a bit too ordinary?”

"A spell is good as long as it's effective," Giltan said coldly. "I'll crush all your pretentious fire spells with my spear!"

He summoned his heavy steel lance and launched a fierce charge towards Melt. Melt merely smiled slightly and clicked his teeth twice.

"The dance moves are too rough, unacceptable!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! The swarms of swarms descended, angrily tugging at Giltan's limbs. These creatures, though small in size, seemed to possess immense strength, even pulling Giltan, clad in heavy armor, so that he was comically spun around.

Cold sweat dripped down Giltan's temples as he realized the grave mistake he had made. This ballroom was the domain of the specters, long since transformed into a haunted place by the influence of the spirits. And the rules of this haunted place were…

Those who are not in proper etiquette will not be allowed to enter!

No ball tolerates a man who draws weapons on a lady, and Giltan, enraged by the stalkers' fury, spun around in place. He was furious: "Are you blind?! Why aren't you hitting that woman who carried out the terrorist attack?!"

"Because I bribed them with a contract spell beforehand~" Melt stuck out his tongue. "Thanks for your hard work, Vice President, you're out~"

Several cursed sparks rained down, completely shattering Giltan's mirror armor.

Thirty seconds after Melt revealed his identity, the ballroom fell completely into the hands of the Millennium Cave.

Chapter 44 The Waltz of Ice and Fire (Double Update Today)

"Hahaha! You guys are so lame! Not only did you not recognize my trap, but you didn't even recognize me! If this were a real attack, you'd all be in heaven together by now~"

The petrifying demonic eye above the ballroom spun like a disco ball, casting paralyzing rays evenly onto everyone. With a blind spot of less than 5 degrees, Melt moved a chair to the only safe zone and sat down, surveying the crowd like a victorious female general.

This operation was well-prepared; all the staff had been replaced with people from the Thousand-Year Cave. Black-clad musicians pounded drums and gongs behind Melt, playing off-key, chaotic tunes. A dozen or so men in black uniforms patrolled the ballroom, carefully avoiding the demonic eye's gaze to ensure they remained mobile and unaffected.

On the second floor, the silver-haired youth Chai Luo said sternly, "Who would have thought that your Thousand-Year Cave would go mad to this extent? What are you planning to do this time?"

"Interfering even with the freshman welcome dance, aren't you afraid of provoking public outrage?!"

"We haven't settled scores for the last time they ruined our exhibition!" "And for the incident at our club dinner!" "And for our internal election meeting!"

The various clubs were unusually united in their condemnation, with voices of denunciation and criticism resounding everywhere. Each of the four kings of the Thousand-Year Cave had their own scoundrels, with Melt being particularly at odds with the clubs and the student council, and her presence felt at every major event.

However, this demoness usually doesn't bother the new students much. Everyone was busy guarding against Fang Mo, but they didn't expect that this time it was her who came to cause trouble.

Melt listened with a grin: "You've all misunderstood. I came here specifically to help."

Giltan felt his anger rising: "Why did you make things worse?!"

"It seems that you freshmen have unrealistic fantasies about the school's activities and groups. As a senior, I feel it's my responsibility to correct your misconceptions." Melt held up a stack of envelopes and raised his voice, "Freshmen! Want to know the real face of these clubs and organizations? Guess what your seniors do behind the scenes?"

"Uh... misappropriating public funds for food and drink?" Faris said, holding the bucket.

Melt slowly opened the envelope and read aloud: "Mr. Chai Luo, the president of the Magic Art Styling Club, on the surface encourages everyone to create freely, but in reality, he is a madman who harbors hostility towards all members. Using the pseudonym 'Brown Fairy,' he has been frantically smearing the works of fellow club members on the campus forum, and so far, 13 people have left the club because of this!"

"No way." "Really?" "That super internet troll is actually..."

Chai Luo's face immediately darkened: "What kind of true colors is this! What's wrong with criticizing ugly works?"

"You actually admitted it!"

Melt pulled out a second envelope: "Miss Yu Xin from the News Agency claims to promote talented people equally, but in reality, she only promotes pretty girls with wings. Because she's a despicable, selfish, and lesbian who completely treats the club like her own harem game!"

Yu Xin, who was still numb, blushed slightly: "Ugh, don't just say it out loud..."

"They actually admitted it on the spot?!"

Melt himself was barely able to contain himself as he read, opening the third letter: "The Lanting of the Demon Theory Research Institute... Pfft... What is all this...?"

Lanting closed his eyes and screamed, "Don't read! I surrender! Our entire society surrenders!"

The literary figures were shocked: "President!?" "Why!?"

Melt was laughing hysterically: "Miss Lanting conceived a restricted-level interspecies intimacy work based on her own club members. Each member has a dedicated play and personal chapter. Not only did she enjoy writing erotic content, but she also profited as much as 20 magic coins from it, hahahahahaha!"

"President?!"

Lanting, with a tearful face: "This is... normal material for writers..."

Even Faris couldn't take it anymore: "Do you think I'm going to use the club members as material to write porn?! This is all perverted!"

“This junior is right, the more you study magic, the more perverted you become,” Melt laughed. “These so-called clubs are all the domain of madmen. Let me introduce another heavyweight one!”

She glanced at Giltan not far away and smiled meaningfully, "The student council president didn't come to the welcome ball this year because the vice president took advantage of her absence to organize the whole thing. He secretly reached an agreement with various clubs, planning to use the ball to preemptively allocate freshman resources in exchange for support in the internal elections."

Giltan snapped, "Don't talk nonsense!"

“With guys like this, so engrossed in power struggles, the future of the student council is truly worrying~” Melt started opening envelopes again. “But it’s okay, we have plenty of reliable seniors here, and everyone is welcome to join our Millennium Cave anytime, hahahaha!”

"Newcomers who want a challenge are welcome anytime! As usual, the seniors will suppress you to the 'Unorthodox' level, so whether you can beat them is another story~~"

The men in black uniforms moved out amidst her laughter, handing out brightly colored flyers for the Millennium Cave to each new student. They scanned their surroundings warily, searching for their target.

"Find Lü Wenjun and Pershika!" the black-uniformed leader gritted his teeth. "The boss gave a death order; this time, we must take down those two bastards!"

Unbeknownst to them, the two scoundrels were sitting on the terrace just a floor away, gazing at the night sky in the cold wind, their eyes filled with the same bewilderment and astonishment.

Just a minute ago they were figuring out how to sneak into the ballroom unnoticed, but now they were the only two lucky ones who could move around. The mental illness at the magic university was also magical; a perfectly good ball had turned into a scene of a terrorist attack in the blink of an eye. The enchantress had peeled back the glamorous facades of her seniors, so that the newbies could see the real college life behind the filters.

Pershka glanced at the chaotic venue and suddenly felt that all her hopes and expectations had vanished, leaving her feeling empty, as if she were in an empty nest.

She wasn't truly as naive as a child; she knew that people in such social settings always had their own agendas. But she never imagined that her first ball would turn out like this—some were abusing their power, some were prioritizing personal gain over public duty, some were planning to exchange their newfound status for power, and some were treating it all as a grand joke.

The small ballroom was packed with people, but not a single one wanted to dance. Only she stood foolishly in the cold wind, fantasizing about the grand spectacle she imagined.

"Shall we go?" she said wearily.

I'm really getting tired of this. It turns out the fox woman was right: there's no point in barging into a group of people you don't know and who don't understand you. What's the point of hoping or trying? Dancing is a game for two, but nobody wants to cooperate with you.

"Wait a minute, I'm not ready yet," Lü Wenjun said.

He broke off a twig and scribbled on the terrace, using dust and dew to create a simplified overhead view. Lu Wenjun muttered incessantly, "I've memorized the patrol routes of the black-uniformed officers, and the interior layout is as shown. The Demon Eye is in the middle, Melt is in the north-north side of the first-floor lobby, and unfortunately, the proper entrance is in the southwest corner. We'll have to take a huge detour this time..."

He drew a triangle at the window further forward, and from there drew a spiral that circled around the ballroom.

"...Go down the stairs on the north side. The Mystic Strange's magic is too powerful; even if she holds back her full strength for a direct confrontation, she'll have no chance. So we'll launch a surprise attack and decide the outcome the moment she notices!" Lü Wenjun emphasized the target location. "Any problems here?"

Pershka stared at him in surprise. This man, who had always been at odds with her, was now more annoyed than ever during their previous arguments.

"Aren't you planning to leave?"

"Miss Pershka, have you been chilled to death by the cold wind? I practiced for two whole weeks just to dance today!" Lu Wenjun said. "I don't care about club struggles or school secrets. I'm going to take back my spot and get on with my business. Otherwise, who's going to compensate me for my time? Does our school have time insurance?"

Pershka met his gaze for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. Her smile was so joyful and beautiful, like a plum blossom blooming in winter.

Lu Wenjun was shocked: "Calm down! Don't get so angry before the fight even starts! We can change the plan, let's talk this out!"

"No objections. What's the countermeasure for the technique?"

“First is the Cursed Starfire, a spell that can lock onto an enemy and drop them extremely quickly, causing an explosion.” Lu Wenjun drew a face. “There are many fire-attribute manifestation spells, but those with a locking function are rare. Considering its sinister name, I think its true form is Akualele.”

Akualele is a spell originating from the Hawaiian Islands. This spell is considered simple and brutal by global standards, as its true form is a burning fireball, which local sorcerers, known as "Anā'anā," use to bombard their enemies' houses.

"It matches that woman's temperament. But the curse spell requires establishing a connection with the target, or at least observing the target, but the senior who was previously in a blind spot was also bombed."