Elite Mages' Academy

The two of them still held back during the fight. It was not because they underestimated each other, but rather because they both knew how terrifying their power would be at full capacity. Xiao Lin would definitely not use Myth during a spar, nor was he planning on using his dragon’s breath.

However, in that scenario, Xiao Lin was actually on the losing end of things. After all, his abilities were mostly on the explosive side, but Alexander was just using his own strength to fight.

Even though it seemed like Xiao Lin had more than enough power to spare, he was very clear that he had almost run out of time using Ruin. His nerves were on the edge. Even so, his opponent’s fists applied tremendous pressure on Xiao Lin.

The pressure was not through outward injuries. Every time Alexander punched, it seemed to be dodged or blocked by Xiao Lin, but in truth Xiao Lin could not completely block it. If he was an ordinary opponent, Xiao Lin would be more than able to block it, and Xiao Lin would not have to care that much.

However, Alexander was different, as his strength was much more terrifying than Xiao Lin anticipated. Every punch Xiao Lin blocked still damaged him. At that moment, Xiao Lin could feel his internal organs churning. If he did not force it down, he would already be spitting out blood.

The intense battle was still going on, and Xiao Lin still used his reliable basic swordsmanship and Phantom Steps to face Alexander. The effect was much better than when they just started. Even though Xiao Lin was always on the defensive end, facing the power of Alexander, it was very hard for him to even launch an attack every few minutes, but he had not been completely passive.

Xiao Lin was hard at work observing his opponent. Alexander’s pattern of attack looked very monotonous, but Xiao Lin quickly realized that, in a true battle of life and death, the simplest and most direct methods were actually the most effective, and it was actually what he lacked himself.

Xiao Lin started to understand why the president agreed to the spar in his stead. The president wanted Xiao Lin to grow quickly, and wanted Xiao Lin to learn how to stand against opponents of this level because, in the future, most of Xiao Lin’s opponents would be at that level.

Chances for fights like that were rare. Even when it was Lilith, Xiao Lin never had a chance to properly fight her before, so he treasured the moment. As an SS-rank talent holder, Academic Genius’ active effect might not look that strong initially, but his passive skill was also constantly improving and showing how powerful it was.

With each slash, each block, and each dodge.

The extremely ordinary movements were constantly being perfected by Xiao Lin at shocking speeds. That was the effect of his learning ability. Observing his opponent and learning his opponent’s strengths before perfecting his own defensive measures.

Alexander quickly realized it as well, and obviously he did not know what Xiao Lin’s talent was. However, with the tremendous learning capacity Xiao Lin was showing, he immediately noticed it.

The green fist aura filled the training hall, destroying the floor, and even the surrounding walls were starting to break down. Alexander no longer held back his strength in that state, and each of his punches were enough to cover half the training hall in his green aura.

However, Xiao Lin could figure out the best way to react each time, and if he could not dodge, then he would figure out how to receive the least amount of damage. After slowly learning and grasping Alexander’s movements, Xiao Lin could even start to attack with his flame sword aura. Of course, it only had miniscule effects against Alexander, but the high temperature flames were also not something the training equipment could easily withstand.

Alexander’s training armor was quickly burned away as well, and both of their upper bodies were practically naked. Their bodies were filled with shocking wounds. Under their intense attacks, even being touched would be devastating.

Xiao Lin’s current skill was already at Bronze rank, which meant that he could maintain his Ruin state for almost ten minutes. Of course, Momentary Ruin would allow him to preserve his strength, but against an opponent of Alexander’s level, it was possible that he would be defeated by Alexander in the brief moments Momentary Ruin was down, so Xiao Lin did not want to take the risk.

As a spar, both of their presidents had mutually clarified that victory in the battle would mean nothing. It also meant that the two of them could fight, but they should not cause any trouble. Xiao Lin obviously wanted to win, and if he could not use Myth, dragon’s breath, or his active talent, then he only had one trump card remaining: Absolute Defense.

Xiao Lin was in a state of absolute focus. While he tried to dodge Alexander, he was rapidly calculating his remaining strength and time.

The time quickly got to nine minutes, and he only had one minute left until Ruin reached his limit. Alexander’s green fist aura was also a little weaker. It seemed like his opponent could also not use that destructive power without any limits.

It was time!

Absolute Defense!

Xiao Lin widened his eyes, forming a white circle of light around his body and repelling Alexander’s fist aura. Over nine minutes of observation and learning, even if he had yet to completely master it, he still more or less grasped Alexander’s attack patterns.

Alexander’s punching speed and strength were both terrifying, but there was an almost half a second long pause between each punch. After all, such punches would definitely inflict a good amount of recoil on his own body. The fact that Alexander could control it in half a second was already very worthy of praise, but to Xiao Lin, he wanted to use that half a second.

Looking at Xiao Lin attacking for the first time, Alexander was not surprised, but Xiao Lin’s timing was very accurate and perfect. During that time, he was preparing the energy for the next punch, and was in the midst of the next attack. The time frame was unbelievably short, but during that time, Alexander practically lost all of his attack power.

Alexander was actually very clear on this weakness of his, but before that, no one was ever able to make use of his weakness. That was also Alexander’s strongest point. Even if his opponents knew his weakness, there was nothing they could do! Yet, this time, his fist aura lost its protective effect when facing Absolute Defense, and at practically the same time, Xiao Lin did not hesitate to use his flame sword aura.

The attack flowed like a coursing river, and everything happened in the blink of an eye. Outsiders would only be able to see a flash before the two of them clashed. After that, an intense explosion followed. In the explosion, the training hall could no longer handle it, and the ceiling started to crumble. The cracks on the wall were also rapidly growing.

After a few seconds, the training hall collapsed.

…

The vice president of the Russian student union and Dawn Academy’s president might have been watching the friendly match in the main training hall, but their thoughts were on the other training hall. After noticing the abnormal energy fluctuations and the final sound of the collapse, they both appeared instantly. Looking at the rubble in front of them, they exchanged glances, both of them speechless.

Xiao Lin and Alexander were pulled out of the rubble by employees after that, but they actually did not need any outside help. After recovering their strength for a short moment, they could already stand up by themselves. They still looked exhausted, but it was not at the level where they had used everything that they had. The battle was just a spar in the end. They did not put their lives on the line.

The two presidents asked about the other party’s injuries symbolically, but it was obvious that they only cared about their own academies. The pleasantries quickly ended, and it seemed like the two of them were not in any critical conditions, so they both left while being supported.

Before they left, Xiao Lin and Alexander did not speak to each other, and they merely exchanged a glance, but they could tell what their opponent’s gazes meant. They were looks of acknowledgement, acknowledging that the other party was an opponent that deserved respect, which was already enough.

The president brought Xiao Lin to his own office, sending everyone else away before slowly pouring Xiao Lin some tea. After sitting down for a moment, he could not resist asking, “What was the result?”

“President, I was just wondering when you would ask that question.” Xiao Lin laughed. Looking at the president’s twitching eyebrow, Xiao Lin immediately let out a dry cough and shut his mouth.

The president had a helpless look on his face, waving his hand as he said, “Fine, I admit that I’m a bit of a gossip. How about you satisfy my curiosity?”

Xiao Lin’s smile disappeared from his face as he shook his head. “There was no result.”

“Come again?”

“There was no victor.” Xiao Lin thought for a moment before continuing, “I had wanted to use his weakness and carelessness to launch my only counter attack at the last moment. I thought I succeeded, but he actually turned his body to steel at the last moment. I don’t know what that ability is, but it blocked my whole attack, and then, the battle stopped. The end of the battle is what you saw when you came.”

“Turned to steel?” The president tapped the table with his finger, going deep in thought before saying, “I forgot to tell you before, Alexander’s natural strength is very high, but he actually takes mostly defensive classes in the academy. Even without the strength that his talent gives him, in terms of defensive ability, he is also the top among the first-year students of the Russian academy.”