The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

“She controlled the swarms, didn’t she?” Lü Wenjun pointed out the key point. “She used the swarms as her informants, thereby expanding the scope of the curse. Her second spell was some kind of contract spell, and her third spell was…”

“Lightening up that heavy eyeball magic tool by making it float in the air,” Pershka continued. “The guys from the Millennium Cave have a strange obsession; they won’t use a fourth spell when facing a newcomer. But they’ll cheat the rules.”

“It becomes a dance hall for the spirit world.” Lu Wenjun pointed out, “If you behave inappropriately, you will be disturbed by spirits, and then you will eat fireballs to your heart’s content.”

"Inappropriate behavior at a dance party refers not only to rude actions, but also to uncoordinated and clumsy dance steps, that is to say..."

Both of them looked like they had a headache.

"Do two people have to cooperate the whole time...?"

"I don't mind if you take the risk and act alone."

"If I'm going to embarrass myself anyway, I'd rather take someone down with me." Lü Wenjun sighed. "Come on, come on, what's there to be a coward for? We've at least practiced for two weeks!"

They quickly discussed the order in which the spells would be used—most of which involved the phrase "adapt to circumstances"—and then Lü Wenjun raised his hand, emitting a mysterious light from beyond the universe.

The patrolling officers in black uniforms had just walked away, and the evening breeze swept through the corridor, sending a slight chill down the spines of the numb students. They strained to turn their eyes and noticed a window open not far away. A dark-haired youth stepped in silently, his toes sinking lightly into the red carpet without making a sound.

He had his hair neatly combed and wore a pure black tuxedo, like a gentleman from a tale of a phantom thief arriving under the cover of night. He bowed slightly towards the window and took a long, slender, and fair hand in his. Then, the girl in the white dress arrived at his invitation, the light from the crystal chandelier sweeping across her orange-red hair, her eyes sparkling in the light.

They entered the building silently, as if it were their own backyard. The older students gestured with their eyes towards the surrounding spirits, trying to warn the gentleman and lady to leave quickly and not disturb the enchantress downstairs. However, the young man simply put his arm around the girl's shoulder and nodded silently in acknowledgment.

They started dancing.

It began with a gentle, slow tempo, moving forward, backward, forward again, spinning, maintaining a perfect rhythm to the music. Persica was normally shorter than Lü Wenjun, but today she was wearing high heels, so the two looked perfectly matched. Lü Wenjun slowed his steps slightly, allowing his partner to keep up easily. They glided gracefully through the crowd, like black and white roses.

People instinctively held their breath; even members of differing groups fell silent, and even the swarms of spirits drifted quietly. Humans are born with an innate ability to appreciate beauty, just as no one speaks during the climax of a play, because all viewers are reluctant to disturb the fleeting beauty, and thus they all tacitly remain silent.

But the uncouth scoundrel, unaware of manners, had already arrived, appearing at the stairwell not far away in his black uniform. His gaze met the two men's, a fleeting look of surprise turning into triumphant delight. Just as the man in the black uniform was about to speak, Lü Wenjun turned sideways, raised his palm, and emitted an orange-yellow light!

A blinding light from outer space struck the man in the black uniform squarely on the neck, the force of the impact choking his gasp. At the same time, Lü Wenjun, with the girl in his arms, spun forward, their movements brushing past the man in the black uniform—a seemingly pre-arranged, perfectly synchronized dance.

The beam of light vanished instantly upon contact, leaving the man in the black uniform disoriented and crashing into a solid wall. A hideous, grotesque beast witch stood before him, her claws silencing his scream.

!

The signal failed to travel, and they passed the first obstacle perfectly. The surrounding students almost wanted to cheer for the two of them. However, Lü Wenjun and Pershka ignored the stairs that were right in front of them.

This staircase is directly in front of Melt, and going down it would inevitably draw attention. The only way to succeed is to descend the staircase in the north corner—which means traversing the northern corridor, which is guarded by more men in black uniforms.

—It's impossible for it not to be discovered.

—But it can be a little later, as long as you're willing to lend me some magic.

Five steps. Three steps. They were about to cross the corridor when the nearest person in black uniform began to turn around. The surrounding students' hearts were in their throats. Then, the two men raised their arms and pointed forward, their relaxed and composed demeanor suddenly changing!

Quick shot.

A vast amount of magic surged from Pershka's hand and flowed into Lü Wenjun's palm. The exceptionally abundant power made his eyes shine brightly. He raised his finger, and flames lit up one after another, like invisible spirits lighting lanterns in the dark night.

Each will-o'-the-wisp appeared beside a person in a black uniform. The allure of the assimilation spell forced them to look away, and the blind spot in their vision formed a straight path.

It was only a few seconds of silence, yet the two of them controlled it with precision. They traversed the corridor with almost swift dance steps, like two swords drawn from their sheaths!

Just before the will-o'-the-wisp went out, the two finally reached the end of the corridor. The final staircase was within reach, yet even the most skilled dancer would find it difficult to descend its steps. The spirits stirred restlessly, but then the witch in the white dress turned sideways and lifted her frosty cloak.

—The spiral staircase part is too much of a stretch; we need to take a gamble…

Are you good at ice skating?

—I'm not good at it, I don't understand it, and I don't know how to do it.

—Then come with me.

Slow motion.

A gust of icy wind swept by, creating a layer of floating ice above the stairs. They leaped up side by side and slid down the smooth ice. The witch now took the lead, guiding the gentleman as he slowly glided down.

Lü Wenjun discovered that he didn't need to think at all; simply following Pershka's movements was enough to achieve the ideal state. She wasn't a princess in a fairy tale, skilled in dance, but she was winter's darling; ice and snow were like her limbs. She skillfully controlled the thickness of the ice, adjusting her movements to match Lü Wenjun's slightly heavy steps.

The ice surface lasted for an incredibly precise time, vanishing the moment one left it. The men in black uniforms turned around in bewilderment after escaping the flames, only to find a chilling wind. The spinning Evil Eye should have been able to capture them, but Lü Wenjun had calculated the timing perfectly; they landed precisely behind the petrifying gaze, hiding precisely in the Evil Eye's blind spot.

And so it happened, absurdly yet naturally, like a deliberate coincidence from a fairy tale. Everyone in the ballroom saw the two figures twirling and falling, but Melt, who was closest to them, was completely unaware!

Chapter 45 Telepathic Understanding

"The Heroic Martial Arts Society is secretly running a combat club under the guise of exchanging martial arts skills!"

"The president of the Shinto Sumo Club doesn't even weigh 100 kilograms!"

"The Forest Guardians Club is using the guise of protecting the forest to have close contact with orcs!"

On the north side of the first floor of the ballroom, Melt was still enthusiastically reciting the dark histories of various gangs, eliciting shouts of shame or shock from those upstairs and downstairs. Polly's intelligence network was indeed impressive; this veteran forum user possessed countless little secrets, and even a casually revealed joke could be a catalyst for a power reshuffle.

However, this time when she opened the envelope, her movements were a little slower. There was something inexplicably off about it; the cheers around her seemed to slow down a bit, and some people's expressions changed. They were trying hard to remain calm, but what the newlyweds didn't understand was that the harder they tried to hide it, the more obvious it became to others.

Is someone up to no good?

Melt's smile deepened, and she subtly twitched her wrist. Lu Wenjun, who was descending the stairs, keenly noticed this detail. She was about to turn around. His past training had instilled in him an instinctive judgment. That movement was the prelude.

She'll turn and scan the entire area, unleash a fire spell upon spotting her target, and then control the swarms of spirits. We must be improvisational; the attack must begin immediately, but there's not enough time to prepare—

Boom!

A loud crash suddenly rang out from the west side of the ballroom, nearly startling the already tense onlookers into screaming. Melt instinctively turned his head and saw Faris and Vilsa frantically shaking their numb hands, causing the two large buckets they were carrying to fall to the ground.

"Senior, when are we going to eat?" Faris asked confidently. "This table full of delicious food will get cold if we don't eat it soon!"

Vilsa chimed in loudly, "Yes, the food's getting cold, what are we going to eat!"

Melt stared at the two of them speechlessly: "You two... really don't seem to care about the occasion at all? Am I getting angry?"

Two tiny fire spells flew out, causing minor explosions and smoke. This was Melt's worst decision of the night, as the aftershocks of the explosions conveniently masked the simultaneous sound—

Lü Wenjun and Pershka landed on the ice at the same time, spinning apart as they separated. A silvery light shone, transforming into gentlemanly attire and half-covered visors. As Lü Wenjun spun, he gathered strength in one leg, the spiral patterns on his leg filling the air with a dance-like energy.

The instant Melt shifted her gaze, Lü Wenjun leaped into the air, delivering a lightning-fast strike from behind!

The sound of the wind, the surging air currents, the flow of magic—all this information gathered through her senses. Before her sight or the reports from the stalkers could arrive, her magician's instincts reacted first. Melt reached out and patted herself; she floated with incredible lightness, like a feather being blown by the wind!

The extraordinary tales and manifestations are handled with effortless ease.

The technique, constructed by referencing ancient Chinese poetry and the prototype of "lightness skill" in chivalrous literature, can transform any heavy object into something as light as a feather. Lu Wenjun's long-planned attack missed its target, while Melt, taking advantage of the momentum, leaped into the air. She floated upside down, chuckling, "Too bad, you missed."

Lü Wenjun also smiled, a meaningful smile: "Really?"

Another gust of air rose, not as swift as a spring kick, but with a rough, frenzied force. A dark shadow loomed above Melt, and a burly orc witch leaped down from the second floor, her massive hammer slamming down towards Melt's head!

Without hesitation, Melt raised her hand, a fire spell igniting at the side of her hair, and slammed it into the orc witch's weapon. Steel and fire clashed for a moment... then Melt resolutely smashed through the latter! The fire spell scattered in all directions, like miniature fireworks!

"You're kidding me? What kind of magic is this?!" Melt exclaimed.

The concentration of magic was far too high, far exceeding the level of an alternate mage! Melt suddenly recalled a battle report from not long ago, saying that Polly was so hungry that she was dizzy and had been defeated by the freshmen. She had laughed at it at the time, but she never expected that it wasn't Polly's fault at all.

Which heretical sorcerer could put in such effort!

Just as Melt was in shock, the second beast witch leaped out from the crowd, viciously slashing upwards with a large machete. She was forced to cast a fire spell to reposition herself, but the third beast witch immediately followed, thrusting out a vicious spike.

—It can't land!

The beast witches' attacks were already fierce, and their coordination was as perfect as if they were one person. They changed positions and attacked in turns, making it difficult for Melt to find an opening to land. The delicate situation, so tight and impenetrable, was like three lion dancers fighting for a single colorful ball. No matter where the ball landed, it would be caught by the lions, and if it landed, it would be seized by spring-loaded legs in the audience.

She then understood the true meaning of that smile; the straightforward kick was a feint, the real trap was the three witches' encirclement. Meanwhile, Lü Wenjun and Pershka took this opportunity to circle around from the left and right and reunite, their dance steps still precise and orderly. The spirits couldn't find a reason to attack! Or rather, the spirits had completely given up on interfering!

“Older ladies who don’t know how to read the room should probably leave early!” Pershka laughed.

"Wow! That youthful, impetuous tone is so youthful..." Melt winked as if he'd eaten a lemon. "Looks like I'll have to show you the true strength of this old man!"

She floated in mid-air, reached out, and snapped her fingers once more. Hundreds of fire spells shot into the sky, but instead of striking the beast witch, they rushed towards the two of them with frantic rage. At the same moment, the spirits controlled by the contract plummeted to the ground.

A merciless rain of fire fell from the sky, while above the ground, swarms of specters marched! Melt unleashed a wide-ranging attack with no blind spots!

Fastest shot.

Lu Wenjun picked up the girl, used his amazing leg strength to jump, and then sprinted towards the wall! At an incredible angle, he began to run rapidly along the wall!

He flicked out floating will-o'-the-wisps one after another, diverting the spirits' attention. A shrill fire spell grazed past him, smashing a series of charred holes in the wall of the Hall of Muses. The spells focused on lethality were ultimately no match for the monster's speed; he had pushed the speed of a top-tier alien to its limit, leaving everyone else in the dust unscathed, like a white hurricane leading the flames.

Use speed to restrain the fire spell, use will-o'-the-wisps to control the specters, rely on the witches' encirclement to control the mage's body, and then continue in this manner. Continue until Melt lands. The tactics seem simple, but require exquisite teamwork to execute perfectly; the rest is a test of willpower. Can it be sustained?

"Unfortunately, it's almost 12 o'clock..."

No! No! Just as Cinderella had to leave the ballroom before midnight, this battle was also time-limited. To avoid being caught in the crossfire of the fire curse and the specters, Lü Wenjun could only use the walls as his running track. And since his range of movement was restricted, he was bound to come into contact with something patrolling the venue—the gaze of the Paralyzing Demon Eye!

So, at the 27th second of the battle, Lü Wenjun finally broke into the range of the Petrifying Demon Eye. Before this evil eye that had imprisoned so many senior students, he was powerless to resist and could only fall heavily to the ground.

The two sides were positioned in a dramatic coincidence, with the ballroom divided in the center by the Demon Eye. Lü Wenjun and Pershka crouched at the southernmost entrance of the ballroom, while Melt floated at the northernmost side, looking down on the last resisters like a victorious enchantress.

She raised her fingertips, unleashing a shimmering fire spell.

"What a pity, Cinderella. The fairy godmother's magic has ended."

“You’ve got the wrong story.” Lü Wenjun’s eyes darted around. “I’m Spring-Heeled Jack!”

In his eyes, now a bewitching blue from his transformation, a crimson deeper than blood was reflected. Directly in front of Melt, an inconspicuous will-o'-the-wisp began to burn once more. The fire grew at an eerie speed, instantly expanding to ten times its original size, the enormous fireball containing an ominous crimson hue!

Divine infusion, enhanced spell!

Melt involuntarily looked towards the flames, and at the same time, she immediately understood the purpose of the spell.

Will-o'-the-wisps are an attention-grabbing technique, but they were previously so inconspicuous that they only managed to distract a handful of people. Now, however, the enhanced will-o'-the-wisps have captured the attention of the entire room, including…

The Petrifying Evil Eye is directly above the ballroom!

The serpentine demonic eye was drawn in, its gaze fixed on the will-o'-the-wisp, its magical vision piercing through the intangible flames and shooting straight toward the north of the ballroom.

At that moment, Melt was paralyzed by the evil eye he had brought with him!

Pershka's cloak billowed behind her, and a massive amount of ice and snow formed with the cold wind, constructing a huge, crystalline sphere around Melt. The ice sphere resembled a giant flower gradually blooming, its upper side perfectly enveloping the Demon Eye, while Melt remained immobilized at its center.

The will-o'-the-wisp failed at this moment, and the Demon Eye shifted its gaze as originally intended. However, the petrifying gaze refracted several times across the ice surface, ultimately landing on Melt once more. The petrification curse fell heavily, and then again, and once more…

Melt was dumbfounded. The magical artifact she had carefully prepared had turned into a prison for her alone!

The beast witch wielding a giant hammer leaped to the top of the ice puck, raising it high before it completely closed. A terrifying smile graced her demonic mask.

Miss Melt's smile seemed particularly stiff in comparison: "Um, wait a minute, wait a minute, to be honest, I'm a little allergic to hammers—yay!"

boom!

With a resounding thud of the hammer and a melodious scream, the icy cage was fully formed. The beast witches glided aside, leaving the center stage to the dazzling young people.

"The origin of the story of the Evil Eye is the ancient Greek serpent Medusa, whose core is a malevolent gaze, and the way to break it is already revealed in the original text."

"Use a distraction to divert attention and keep yourself safe."

"If you use a mirror to reflect your gaze, you will only bring trouble upon yourself."

A white-clad conman and a red-haired witch, a manipulator of flames and a darling of ice and snow. The two strongest geniuses of this competition bowed slightly, like dancers taking their final bow after a performance.

They said in unison, "That concludes the explanation!"

The brief silence was broken by applause. Faris and Versa clapped loudly in the distance, whistling as they did so. Then a storm of applause erupted, and the crowd cheered loudly, applauding the most dazzling dancers of the night.

Lü Wenjun turned his gaze to the side and smiled slightly.

The girl's eyes shone with childlike excitement.

·

“I’m often puzzled,” Faris said. “How can someone who makes a fool of himself all the time suddenly become like he’s on steroids when it really matters?”

Lu Wenjun said arrogantly, "I told you long ago that I have a cheat code, but you didn't believe me!"

"Pah, you dog genius."

Lu Wenjun rolled his eyes: "If it weren't for your shout, that genius dog would really be a dog... If you two had just kept your voices down, you would have seen us being chased all over the place by Melt like wild dogs."

“We’re all friends, no need to be so polite.” Vilsa handed him a chicken leg. “Besides, you run much faster than a dog, so considering your main color scheme, you should compare yourself to a weasel.”

"What weasel? That's just a short-tailed weasel."

"That's why it suits your style," Faris said, glancing sideways. "Weasels steal chickens when no one's looking, and you stole the little witch when no one was looking, didn't you?"

Lu Wenjun patted his chest: "Brother, are you blind? If you opened your eyes even a little wider, you could see that I was forced into this situation!"

Velsa rubbed her eyes hard: "I didn't see it."

"Oh my, you're being so wronged! Bah!" Faris spat.

The male college students were spouting idiotic nonsense, but it didn't seem to spoil the atmosphere too much. Melt's bombshell of his past had only been partially dropped, yet it had already stirred up a huge wave of reactions; in fact, the entire dance hall was now in complete chaos.

"Your work is absolutely awful." "Your sculptures are a pile of shit!" "Rustic is awful, no matter how fancy the painting is!"

The Magical Art and Styling Club transformed into a heated arena, where members engaged in a brutal, hand-to-hand combat session with their president, who relentlessly fought off ten opponents. Meanwhile, the president of the neighboring News Club was surrounded by a group of handsome young men, who looked utterly aggrieved. The leader protested why winged girls were allowed but winged cross-dressers weren't, leaving the veteran reporter speechless.