Chapter 204: The Witch Tea Party for Two
“Thank you for the inspiration you provided, and now I grant you release.”
I lifted this guy, whose name I still didn’t know, and threw him to the ground. He didn’t have time to let out another scream before I broke his spine.
The resilient vitality bestowed by the Dragon bl**d to these Dragon People indeed surprised me. I had quickly killed two of them in a surprise attack earlier without much thought; now that I tried a different approach, I certainly experienced how troublesome they can be.
However, if I were to say that this intimidation taught me something, it would indeed be worth discussing.
I have many basic spells; apart from the foundational shaping spells, there are many others categorized differently, such as Five-Senses Weakening and Perception Enhancement.
These spells that affect physical perception are indeed magical; their effects can be discerned from their names, one diminishes while the other amplifies.
Spells are not conceptual skills; rather, they are named for the effects they can achieve. Their functions cannot be analyzed solely by their names regarding whether they can serve other purposes.
For instance, Five-Senses Weakening is a curse spell that requires locking on to a target, while Perception Enhancement is a protective blessing applied to oneself.
Essentially, they are different things.
Originally, I thought if the Five Senses can be enhanced, they can also be weakened; it should be reversible. If the sense of touch could be amplified several times, then pain could similarly escalate.
If the attacks cannot inflict effective damage, this method could convert physical damage into mental anguish inflicted on the opponent.
Pain is, in a sense, as terrifying a negative effect as an injury.
But now I realize that achieving the effect I envisioned is quite challenging. It’s not less demanding than fully understanding the structure of the spellbook, akin to mastering the Fireball Spell, and it also requires substantial theoretical knowledge to support it.
Currently, I can only improvise, conducting magical alterations without a theoretical foundation.
But isn’t this ironically convenient?
I have such a test subject in front of me, a guy I don’t have to worry about damaging, in the Dream World, so I am not afraid of my spellbook getting ruined.
So I directly started to attempt the Five-Senses Weakening spell. As for why I chose this spellbook, it’s because the Perception Enhancement spell affects oneself, while the Five-Senses Weakening spell weakens the opponent. Naturally, I want to prioritize my own safety.
You could say this is the first time I look forward to an unexpected spell effect, preferably one that could accidentally lead to the opponent’s demise.
Now, it’s evident that the opponent’s last performance before d*ath demonstrated my success, which is one reason my tone earlier revealed joy.
Five-Senses Weakening belongs to curse spells, but who can deny that amplification is not also a form of a curse?
Transforming Five-Senses Weakening into Five-Senses Enhancement is indeed a great tactic, but it becomes unpleasant once utilized, for example, visual enhancement combined with blindness, auditory enhancement along with a Dragon Roar from the Dragon bl**d Academy, and tactile enhancement amplifying pain, combined with burns producing continuous agony is simply perfect; if it drags on, the body may even go numb.
And now I still have to deal with some onlookers.
“Don’t think I’m easy to deal with. If you come up again, I might consider not killing you but instead cutting off your limbs and hanging you up to await your academy’s people to claim you.”
I looked at those guys in the distance. Those from the Dragon bl**d Academy know what it means to not act impulsively after hitting a wall, but it’s clear there are others here besides them. If other academies are incited, it indeed could create significant trouble for me.
After all, the final method to stop the ceremony is to stalemate with the opponent, halting the progress of the ceremony.
So, as for threats, of course, I will say whatever can scare them. The Witch Academy does not have a good reputation, and I am somewhat upholding tradition.
I wonder how Tan Han is doing now; at her speed, she should have just arrived, I guess.
In the current situation, it’s mutually intimidating. If they are intent on stopping me, I have no means, but if I strike first, I would indeed worry about disrupting the tea party.
The best way is, of course, to use an Illusionary Clone for intimidation. They may know that among so many, only one is genuine, but they dare not gamble on which one it is.
However, that does not prevent them from talking back. They may acknowledge that they are outmatched in strength, but their mouths will not admit defeat.
We’re all new students, and the stark difference in abilities can very directly reflect the standings among the academies.
“Oh? It seems someone is arriving.”
With Perception Enhancement, I could see a figure appearing in the distance, riding a Flying Broomstick. That must be someone from the Witch Academy.
Logically, I should personally go greet them, but I cannot leave; if I do, this place would be lost. However, I can still go to respond.
Just as I was preparing to respond, I noticed that behind the incoming Witch Academy student, there was another person!
As I got closer, I barely recognized who it was—it was Su Ningmu from Class 45—while the person behind her was unfamiliar to me, but from their uniform, they appeared to be from the Wizard Academy.
I recalled that the Wizard Tower was quite far from here; how did they manage to come all this way?
Facing someone from the Wizard Academy, I immediately recalled what Sister Bai had told me. Although she only mentioned it briefly, I kept it in mind.
Those from the Wizard Academy are known for their cunning methods, adept at curses, and even direct body modifications, among other things.
This made me think of roaches—not very threatening in terms of attack, but quite disgusting.
Skin flakes, hair, and such can all be used as curse materials; how can that not be repulsive?
Though I don’t know if this particular person fits that description, they are still a new student, and their means likely won’t be extensive, but I cannot count on luck here.
At this moment, strength is not what I worry about; it’s the unknown means that I need to be cautious of.
So I responded with my highest standard for this potential conflict.
Blessing of the Fire Elemental Sprite!
Fire is a great means of eliminating many troubles and preventing the opponent from gathering various information about my body. The heat wave of the flames can destroy all unnoticed problems.
The flames erupting violently at the peak of the ancient dragon naturally caught everyone’s attention; such a commotion seemed to turn the area into a sea of fire.
Surrounded by the protective flames, the Fire Elemental Sprite was by my side.
“Come here!”
I called out, and Su Ningmu quickly recognized me. After all, the distinctive blessing of the Fire Elemental Sprite is very recognizable, and she had seen my methods before.
As we got closer, I noticed that Su Ningmu was heavily injured, her clothes were torn to shreds, and large areas of her body were damaged.
“Thank you for your hard work, I’ll handle it from here.”
I placed a protective shield around Su Ningmu and pushed her back slightly to give her some buffer.
However, that person from the Wizard Academy didn’t care about this; they immediately chose to confront me to test our strengths.
Those who choose to do so are usually quite confident in their own abilities.
Boom!
As our first collisions struck, I maintained my flaming protection directly facing their blow.
The item in their hand was clearly a Witch Weapon, a tool they crafted using Witch Power, also showcasing their own strength. This isn’t considered an Alchemical Item since Witch Weapons generally align with their own power systems, resembling self-forged weapons, almost a part of their body.
From this exchange, neither of us gained any advantage, but while I had my additional protective spell, they promptly retreated.
“I say, why aren’t you staying at the Wizard Tower?”
“Yang Yuelan? I know you; I didn’t expect you to initiate the ceremony?”
The opponent did not give their name but directly pointed out my identity, clearly demonstrating a surprising level of awareness regarding me.
But in the next moment, they pulled out something rather crude, which bore evident signs of handmade bindings, and whispered into it.
“Wait, a thing for communication? You Wizards really are something.”
I narrowed my eyes; although I know they rely heavily on external items, it seems they have means to communicate now, which is quite against the rules.
So, after a brief contemplation, I decisively chose to take the initiative. They were transmitting information, and whatever it was surely needed me to interrupt.
After a few exchanges, they realized my goal was to destroy their item for communication.
“Since you’re watching over, it seems I can’t destroy your ceremony alone. But don’t worry; we’ll wait for the second batch of the ceremony.”
With that, they abandoned their Witch Weapon to secure their chance to escape, but I rejected their expectations and refused to let them go.
“Wait, you should destroy that Witch Weapon!”
“Taking you out can fundamentally solve the problem. You don’t really think I was genuinely concerned about that thing, do you?”
“d*mn.”
They cursed, but ultimately, they still took a heavy hit from me.
Their bizarre methods and Witch Weapons indeed gave me a very tricky feeling.
Is this the strength of the students from the three top academies?
Being able to leave alive from my hands…
I watched as they flew away; their wings clearly were not their own, likely some form of Witch Weapon.
Letting them escape is a pity, but in the process of seriously injuring them, I also placed a curse upon them: the Corrosive Curse. Isn’t the Wizard Academy quite adept at curses?
Injured and fleeing, I certainly couldn’t let them slip away easily.
This exchange also made me understand that I still lack some means for pursuit. It would be ideal if Fireballs could still target and pursue once out of my control, but that idea is a bit unrealistic—super-long-range strikes are still too advanced for me at this stage.
Yet, the Witch Tea Party and the severely injured Su Ningmu also have me very worried, so I cannot leave.
“Let them escape. If you don’t want my anger to fall upon you, you better leave my sight now!”
Seizing the opportunity, I threatened those who wanted to cause trouble.
With the blessing of the Fire Elemental Sprite, my affinity with fire is enhanced, and the modified Fireball Spell, coupled with this blessing and fire affinity, becomes terrifyingly powerful.
Thus, it was the Wizard Academy student who could seriously injure me and flee under such means that made me regard them with such seriousness.
“Su Ningmu, how are you? Can you hold on?”
“I’m… still okay… hiss…” Su Ningmu was still holding on, but based on her condition, it was quite optimistic.
“Were these wounds caused by those Witch Weapons? Just hang in there; I’m using this spell for the first time as well.” I comforted her softly, realizing that if I didn’t act quickly, she might faint at any moment.
The spell I spoke of, of course, is the Flesh Healing spell. Healing spells typically have high lower limits and thresholds; low-threshold healing spells usually have poor effects, primarily stimulating the body’s self-healing, while needing to pay attention to disinfection, necrotic tissue, and foreign matter in wounds, and so on.
Those low-threshold, effective, and low-cost mindless healing spells can only be seen in games.
The threshold for my Flesh Healing spell alone requires a hundred points of magic power, which says a lot.
But precisely because the consumption is high, it fits someone like me, who knows nothing.
While the visual effect it can achieve may not compare with those blessing spells of the Elemental Spirits, the outcome is undoubtedly impressive.
“All the injuries have healed, but there seem to be some corrosive curse effects like poison? Wait, what is this infection? A fungal infection?”
After using the spell, I looked at Su Ningmu, but her situation was still dire. Upon checking again from the perspective of Spirit Vision, I confirmed the outcome.
This result made even me swallow hard instinctively.
“Really… I didn’t expect I’d fall victim to so many of their means.” Though Su Ningmu still appeared weak, she was much better off than before.
“The Wizard Academy students are known for their strange methods; don’t blame yourself. Do you want to try to resolve these?” I asked earnestly, seeing Su Ningmu trying to stand up.
“What do you mean? You can resolve it?”
“I can’t guarantee, but your injuries have mostly healed, and you can withstand a second round of damage. The curse is a spell effect; I’m confident I can erase it. The poison hasn’t spread severely yet; it mainly concentrates on your lower limbs. The unknown fungal infection is spreading slowly, so these can be resolved violently—with high temperatures for sterilization, then treat with a spell.”
“Ah? So, wouldn’t I…”
“It’s merely in the Dream World; if you’re afraid of pain, I can cast Five-Senses Weakening on you.” I shrugged, stating that currently I can only use the most primitive methods to eliminate issues.
“Uh… I still need to think about it…”
“No rush, if you come, we can start the Witch Tea Party.”
I didn’t interfere with her choice, after all using a Flesh Healing spell consumes a lot of magic, and if she doesn’t mind, I certainly won’t either.
Compared to that, I’m more concerned about whether the Witch Tea Party can be held.
After all, theoretically all conditions for the ceremony have been met, but subjectively I still feel that if the Witch Tea Party features only two witches, it might be too few.
Yet, time waits for no one; if I don’t take action, other academies will. Tan Han might face off against that faster academy alone but may not be able to stop them, so I cannot hesitate.
“Has it started already?”
“Of course, please enjoy the desserts I made with my own hands; however, I must apologize for one thing. Originally, I planned for Tan Han to grind coffee, but it seems I’ll have to do it instead. Don’t mind; I lack experience in this area, so I can only brew you a cup of tea.”
“Tan Han? She also arrived?”
“Yes, but she left because she was worried someone might complete the ceremony before us, so we should thank her for the time she secured for us.”
While speaking, I began brewing black tea; although I’m not very clear on the process, as long as it’s drinkable, that’s good.
“Really… so there’s this as well.” After hearing my explanation, Su Ningmu seemed to have grasped the general situation, but she quickly thought of something and took out an item.
“What is this…”
“It’s an invitation to the Witch Tea Party; it suddenly appeared before me while you were preparing for the ceremony. It must be a part of the ritual.”
“There’s such a setting? I thought that the invitation issued as mentioned by Teacher Lina was just talk.”
I made a slight sarcastic remark only to quickly realize that perhaps this invitation is a proof issued to invited witches.
When I took the invitation as the host of the Witch Tea Party, the beam of light enveloping the entire ceremony seemed to transcend in that moment.
Following that, the other illuminated beams of the ceremony shattered, and all the academies rushing to complete their ceremonies found their tasks disrupted.
The various tools for the rituals were directly damaged; even if they weren’t broken, the ceremonies here would no longer be recognized.
In an instant, numerous academies erupted in chaos, and after venting their emotions, their focus shifted to the only ceremony on the entire map.
But the Witch Tea Party ceremony had just begun, and points are only awarded when the ceremony concludes, so many academies still did not know who had completed the preparations first.
“Seemingly, Lady Luck is on our side.”
At this moment, I leisurely pulled out a chair and sat down, taking the time to sip the black tea I brewed with my own hands.
“Hmm… this isn’t quite to my taste. Could it be that there was an error in the process, hence the flavor is off?”
“Actually, it tastes good… the dessert is also excellent, but are we really okay being so leisurely like this?” Su Ningmu asked, still a bit worried.
“What? Are you afraid they’ll come rushing in all at once?”
“Yes, after all, we’ve now become the target, although I know those guys aren’t your opponents. However, if they gather in too large a number, it could become troublesome, and those academies whose rituals were disrupted will likely…”
“Rest easy; remember what the Witch Tea Party’s ceremony contents are?”
“Alright, I remember the ceremony’s content: every invited witch presents their invitation letter, brings their experiences or confusions, pours out their sorrows at the tea party, fills their hearts with sugar and cake, and lets joy wash away their sadness.”
“Seems about right, then let’s begin.”
“Uh… are we starting now?”
“Yep, let’s hear your story. Just tell me about what you’ve encountered since entering the Ancient Battlefield, and I’ll summarize and analyze the situation.”
“Uh, okay.”
Su Ningmu also knew she didn’t have much to say, but for the sake of completing the ceremony, she still began speaking; after all, it was just her own experiences, right?
Even though she hadn’t had much interaction with me prior, having only exchanged a few words during the gathering hosted by Tan Han, that didn’t hinder her from conversing as if we were friends under the current circumstances.
All the while, my attention remained on the gathering crowd below; if any individuals with ill intent arose, I would use a heavy-handed approach to suppress them to achieve an intimidating effect.
But at present, the only academy hosting a ceremony was right in front of me, and as time goes on, the number of people gathered would only increase; at that point, I may no longer be able to keep them in check.
“After encountering that guy, I thought I could negotiate with him… but… but, Sister Xiao Han, aren’t you going to manage those people below?”
“Leave it to me.”
I darkened my expression and left my seat because I knew I couldn’t afford to remain inactive anymore.
Now standing at the peak of the ancient dragon at the active volcano, I looked down at the gathering crowd below, who were now more numerous. Although most were from minor academies, I still spotted some familiar faces from other academies.
Indeed, the strength I displayed was unable to suppress so many people, and they would no longer allow the Witch Tea Party to proceed.
As I faced the shouts from the crowd below, a sudden disturbance in the distance caused a momentary halt for me and everyone else.
The disturbance felt like a mini earthquake, invoking a slight tremor in the ground, accompanied by strange sounds. The active volcano here became considerably more animated due to the disturbance, and even the largest volcano behind me had a severe reaction, though it hadn’t yet reached the eruption limit; streams of lava flowed down from the cracks, a sight that was quite alarming.
Although the disturbance spread widely, I could still sense the source.
That direction… isn’t it the Central Ancient Battlefield?
