Chapter 96: Outbreak: Bing Zhi Xie's True Power

In the vast space of the Blue Crystal Tower, the cold air, over fifty degrees below zero, lingered for a long time. The ice chains, no longer compressed by magic, dissipated, and Bimoye fell from the air. There was no blood on his white clothes, as the cold had already frozen his wounds.

"Come out." Bing Zhi Xie vigilantly surveyed the surroundings. After the noisy battle sounds ceased, the place became vast and quiet, with echoes continuously reverberating and gradually fading into nothingness.

No one came out, and no one made a sound, as if no one had ever been there. But Bing Zhi Xie was certain that someone still existed on this third floor, and the bookshelves would not have moved for no reason. After waiting for a while, with no one appearing, he used the wind force at his feet to propel himself straight toward the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

Sure enough, before he reached the stairs, a black shadow instantly appeared in front of Bing Zhi Xie, blocking his path.

"Do you still want to go up?" the black shadow asked in a hoarse voice.

Bing Zhi Xie clearly saw the face of the person, an elderly man in his sixties, wearing a black star-studded magic robe. Just from this magic robe, it was evident that the person was a very powerful individual.

The dark blue stars on the black magic robe emitted a faint, peculiar power. Bing Zhi Xie knew this was the power of rune stones, and it was the special power generated by the proper combination of rune stones.

Rune stones are very magical items, each containing mysterious powers. These powers can be integrated into weapons and armor, forming a new entity. For scholars, rune stones are something to be studied throughout their lives. These rare, special items, which are eroded by elements in nature, can form unimaginably powerful forces when combined in a regular pattern. Only when combined correctly do they exhibit special effects.

A good piece of armor or weapon not only requires excellent material and craftsmanship but also needs the correct rune stones to be integrated to reach the next level. The 'Crimson Lotus' is such an example, and the magic robe before him is also like this.

Bing Zhi Xie calmly looked at the person in front of him. He knew that only a very powerful person would wear such a good magic robe: "Yes, I still want to go up."

"There are countless priceless treasures here. Are none of them what you want?"

"None of them."

"Then what do you want?" the old man asked.

Bing Zhi Xie replied: "A rune stone."

"There are many here..."

"I'm not talking about these." Bing Zhi Xie's eyes were sharp as he stared at the person in front of him: "I want 'Dragon Zero'!"

The old man's expression finally changed, and after a long silence, he said: "Child, that thing is not something you can possess."

"Is that so? I don't think so."

"Are you determined to do this?"

"I must have it!" Bing Zhi Xie's eyes suddenly filled with killing intent: "Moon Wheel!" The darkness vanished instantly, and a dagger made of dry ice slashed directly toward the other person's throat. He already knew that the other person was very powerful, so he aimed for a decisive strike.

The old man's gaze hardened: "What a vicious person!" Before he finished speaking, a wave of magic spread out, and the blade was just a hair's breadth from his throat but could not advance any further.

Bing Zhi Xie held the blade and lunged forward, his clothes fluttering in the wind. He could feel the cold wind on his face, but his body did not move forward in the air at all: "Ugh... spatial lock..."

"That's right." The old man extended his index and middle fingers and pointed at Bing Zhi Xie's chest.

Bing Zhi Xie was instantly thrown back by a powerful impact, crashing heavily into the wall of the Blue Crystal Tower and falling to the ground. He knelt on the ground, coughing up blood, which soaked through the black scarf: "You are... you... cough, cough... you are Vasiliev, the Great Mage!"

"That's correct." Vasiliev suddenly appeared in front of Bing Zhi Xie, extending his hand to grab his face scarf: "You are the thief who infiltrated the Great Blue Crystal Tower last time. Let me see what you really look like."

Bing Zhi Xie frowned, and his figure flashed, disappearing.

"Instant teleportation, where do you think you're running to!" Vasiliev also disappeared into the air, leaving only Bimoye, who was either dead or alive, on the third floor.

Bing Zhi Xie continuously used instant teleportation to fly down the tower. Even his strongest move, 'Moon Wheel,' could not harm the other person at all. Staying any longer would mean certain death.

Agnes, leading a team, had just emerged from the teleportation array near the Great Blue Crystal Tower when she saw a black shadow flash by: "Instant teleportation!" Just as she was about to chase, the figure disappeared again.

"Don't chase, there are injured people in the tower."

Agnes recognized the voice of the Great Mage Dust Vasiliev and immediately led her team into the Great Blue Crystal Tower.

Bing Zhi Xie was shocked. No matter how he tried to escape, he could not shake off Vasiliev's pursuit. His figure appeared, and before he could use instant teleportation again, his shoulder was firmly grabbed.

"Wood Prison." Vines and branches grew wildly from the ground, tightly binding Bing Zhi Xie, completely enveloping him, leaving only his face exposed. Vasiliev waved his hand, and a pale green light formed a seven-star seal on the tree trunk: "You can't escape."

"Seven-star seal..." Bing Zhi Xie knew that Vasiliev was a Great Mage of the Wood element. Being trapped by such a powerful 'Wood Prison' was a nightmare, and he could not break free no matter how hard he tried. Moreover, Vasiliev had used the seven-star seal on the 'Wood Prison,' sealing his magic power, making it impossible to use magic to break free or to teleport away. His current situation was like that of a prisoner awaiting execution.

In the dark forest, Vasiliev, with a finger of light, looked at him expressionlessly: "Tell me, do you want 'Dragon Zero' for yourself, or is someone else making you do this?"

Bing Zhi Xie struggled desperately, but his entire body was bound as if buried in cement, unable to move an inch.

"Hmph, you don't need to struggle in vain. Your strength cannot break my magic. Since you won't speak, let me see who you are. To have such powerful strength at such a young age, I am very curious to see your true face." Vasiliev extended his hand again to remove his face scarf, suddenly feeling a chill in the air as ice element magic surged. Vasiliev took a step back, shocked: "Elemental contract, you are actually a Great Mage!"

Bing Zhi Xie frowned, his expression showing a bit of pain. A character gradually appeared on his left forehead, guiding all the ice element power in the air.

Vasiliev knew that this character was an elemental symbol, the mark of a lifelong contract with the ice element. When a mage signs this contract with an elemental spirit, the elemental symbol of that element is left on the mage's body. This symbol represents the greatest assistance the element can provide to the mage, allowing them to control the element without using magic. This is the lifelong contract with the elemental spirit, the greatest recognition by the element, and the path all mages must take to become Great Mages.

The atmosphere around became abnormally cold, and the air suddenly trembled. The sounds of insects, birds, and trees instantly disappeared, as if they had entered a dead zone, with no sound at all. The ice element symbol on Bing Zhi Xie's forehead guided all the ice elements in the space, making them exceptionally active. The temperature around plummeted, and the water in the plants and trees all froze into icicles.

The vast forest suddenly became oppressively quiet, as if it were the calm before a great disaster.

"Ah!!" Bing Zhi Xie suddenly shouted, and the ice elements were instantly activated, rapidly gathering in front of his forehead and then suddenly dispersing. Everything in the forest, including the rocks, shattered like glass. The entire forest broke apart simultaneously, and the scattered branches and leaves, before they could fall, were instantly frozen by white frost, turning the entire area into a white expanse.

People dozens of miles away could feel the unrest of the ice elements in the air, and the temperature kept dropping. Students sleeping in their dormitories yawned and woke up, shivering in their thin blankets: "What... what... what's happening? Why is it suddenly so cold?"

Sofina, who was doing cleanup work on the battlefield, changed her expression and looked back at the direction where the ice elements were surging: "This is... the power of a Great Mage unsealing their elemental contract..."

Everyone stopped their work, unsure who was unsealing the elemental contract within the academy, and ran in that direction.

Vasiliev saw the black-clothed boy, who was struggling to control the ice element power, and realized he had not yet fully mastered the power of the elemental contract. If this power continued to spread uncontrollably, half of Kulantin would be devastated. He slowly raised his withered hand and said in a deep voice: "Little one, don't blame me." A green wood element symbol appeared in front of him, glowing in the darkness, but his power was not out of control, concentrated entirely in his palm, and he struck Bing Zhi Xie's chest.

---

End of Chapter 96.