Above the mage

Chapter 716 Liu Ying's Strength

"Greetings, Captain!" Arya was the first to speak, cheering softly.

The others also realized what was happening and quickly offered their greetings.

"I've met Captain Liu Ying."

"Greetings, Your Highness."

The voices were perfectly synchronized, without the slightest hint of perfunctoriness.

As the captain of their mage team, Liu Ying has never shown her face since the start of the training camp, nor has she participated in a single magic combat training session.

It wasn't until three days before the start of the competition that it officially met the public for the first time.

Logically speaking, everyone present should be a proud and arrogant prodigy.

For a captain who shirks his responsibilities, one would naturally harbor some dissatisfaction or resentment.

But none of these apply to Liu Ying.

Everyone was overjoyed and excited by Liu Ying's grand finale appearance; there was not a trace of resentment in their eyes.

The reason is simple: apart from Gao De, everyone present has a powerful family or force behind them.

This background gave them some understanding of the situation regarding fireflies.

It is this understanding that gives them an unexpected level of "tolerance" for fireflies.

Moreover, even without this understanding, the fact that Liu Ying just mentioned a late-stage fourth-ring mage level was enough to shut everyone up.

In the later stages of the fourth ring, it seems to be only two minor ranks higher than in the early stages.

However, the path of a monk's cultivation is inherently more difficult as one progresses, and the gap between ranks increases exponentially.

Even for these exceptionally talented individuals present, the gap between these two minor ranks would require at least four or five years, or even longer, to catch up, despite their best efforts in cultivation.

With such a terrifying level of power before them, Liu Ying's status as captain was already firmly locked in.

No one has the right to question it, and no one has the confidence to disagree.

In the late stages of the fourth ring... Gao De stood in the crowd and couldn't help but let out a long breath upon hearing this. This level was exactly the same as Sunafa's mage level.

That's ridiculously strong!

At this moment, he was quite confident of winning even against a fourth-ring mage.

But that only applies to mages in the early stages of the fourth ring.

In the middle of the fourth round, they were able to manage to stay in the game and find opportunities to win.

However, if you encounter a mage in the late fourth ring, there is absolutely no hope of winning.

Liu Ying is not only a late-game fourth-ring mage, but also an elite among late-game fourth-ring mages.

Her unique constitution, while bringing her endless pain, also destined her to be extraordinary.

Even at the late fourth ring level, Liu Ying's combat power is undoubtedly unparalleled.

Thinking this, Gao De couldn't help but sigh inwardly: It's a good thing this unparalleled magic battle tournament is a 5+2 team battle.

If it were an individual competition, other countries probably wouldn't even need to participate.

He simply couldn't imagine anyone gaining the slightest advantage, let alone achieving victory, against Liu Ying.

"Hehe..." Fritz looked at everyone's expressions and smiled.

"Liu Ying is here today mainly to meet everyone and get to know each other. After all, in three days, you will be fighting side by side to conquer the Unparalleled Magic Fighting Tournament."

"But don't worry that Liu Ying doesn't know you well enough. I've compiled your performances in French fighting these past few days and selected some of the most representative French fighting records for Liu Ying to watch."

As the team leader, Fritz naturally felt incredibly comfortable having such an excessively powerful captain under his command.

Although Liu Ying is of noble status and has a powerful background, he cannot command her at will, and even the training arrangements must be consulted with her in advance.

But compared to the combat power boost she can bring to the team, this minor inconvenience is nothing to worry about.

With Liu Ying on the team, this team undoubtedly has a much stronger foundation to win the championship.

Everyone on the field nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

However, after Cedric nodded, some inexplicable emotions welled up inside him.

He was born into the Royal Order of Wizards and is the grandson of the chief wizard, Van der Ley.

Gifted with exceptional talent from a young age, his cultivation path was smooth sailing, with almost no bottlenecks encountered.

After reaching the fourth ring, among mages of the same age, there are few opponents who can truly make him take them seriously.

He had no resentment towards Liu Ying:

A mage at the late fourth ring level is enough to crush him.

Coupled with the Wang Mian family's rich heritage and the rumored extraordinary talent in light elements, he felt even more awe.

But then he remembered what his grandfather, Van der Ley, had told him: the light elemental magic of the Flowing Light had exceeded the boundaries of ordinary people's imagination. Only by seeing it with his own eyes could he know what it meant to have extraordinary talent.

Upon hearing this, Cedric became incredibly curious. What exactly did this "beyond imagination" mean?

It should be noted that even the high-ranking mages of the Royal Mage Order did not receive such high praise from Van der Ley when casting light elemental spells.

Now that Liu Ying was right in front of him, a strong urge to investigate surged within him.

He wanted to experience for himself just how powerful Liu Ying's methods were.

After a moment of silence, Cedric finally made up his mind. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed slightly: "Your Highness Liuying, may I spar with you?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

Even Fritz's eyes were filled with surprise.

He hadn't expected Cedric to make such a suggestion.

Then, he looked at Liu Ying.

He couldn't agree or refuse on Liu Ying's behalf; it depended on Liu Ying's own decision.

Liu Ying's clear blue eyes fell on Cedric.

"Okay." Her voice was still pleasant, but without a trace of extra emotion, as if she had agreed to a trivial matter.

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Ying slowly stepped forward and walked towards the center of the Silverwing Nest.

Her steps were unhurried, and the faint golden light that had surrounded her suddenly became sharper.

The light in the air seemed to be drawn to her, becoming even brighter, causing everyone present to subconsciously hold their breath.

Cedric felt a chill run down his spine and dared not be careless in the slightest.

He quickly composed himself, gripped his staff tightly, and strode into the arena. "Your Highness, I'm making my move!" Cedric shouted, launching the first attack without holding back.

He swiftly waved his staff with his left hand, and the crimson gem embedded at the top of the staff instantly lit up, its light blazing intensely.

This is a stored spell inscribed on the staff, which can be cast instantly without a lengthy casting process.

A subtle magical fluctuation spread out, and the fourth-circle spell [Summon Fire Elemental] was instantly formed.

A fire elemental, four or five meters tall and engulfed in raging flames, appeared out of thin air beside him.

It exuded a scorching aura and let out a deep roar, which made the surrounding air slightly hot.

As soon as the fire element appeared, he gathered fire energy in his hands and instantly unleashed a [Fire Arrow].

But it wasn't just one, it was a full five arrows burning with flames.

The arrow, carrying a sharp gust of wind and crackling flames, shot swiftly toward Liu Ying like five streaks of crimson lightning, scorching and distorting the air along its path.

Cedric knew very well that these [Fire Arrows] could not harm Flowing Fire at all; he was just trying to test the waters and buy himself time to cast his spell.

Immediately afterwards, he once again activated the magic power within his body, quickly constructing a spell model. A thick layer of earthy yellow light emanated from his body, building a solid defense for himself.

At the same time, a semi-transparent wall of wind appeared out of nowhere, blocking his way.

The Wind Wall spell not only defends against ranged attacks, but also buys him time to chain spells.

It serves both as defense and as preparation for a better offense.

Despite Cedric's relentless spellcasting and the onslaught of fire elementals, Liuying remained unmoved, standing quietly in place.

It was as if she was deliberately letting Cedric have his way, allowing him to use his methods to his heart's content.

Only when the five flaming arrows, carrying scorching winds, were about to reach three meters in front of her did Liu Ying, whose expression remained unchanged, slowly raise her right hand.

A wisp of golden light lingered around her fingertips.

Without complicated incantations or tedious procedures, golden light instantly burst forth, transforming into a golden light wall that took shape in front of her.

A protective spell using the light element; this is quite common.

However, the light barrier of Liu Ying seemed particularly different.

Not only is it heavy and condensed, but it also has fine golden light patterns flowing on it, making it extremely strange.

boom-

Five fiery arrows crashed violently into the golden light barrier.

The flaming arrow was imbued with the primal power of a fourth-order fire element, and the flames burning on the arrow were almost solidified.

The air along the way was scorched and distorted, enough to easily penetrate the defensive shield of an ordinary fourth-circle mage.

Yet this powerful attack failed to even stir a ripple in the golden light barrier, disappearing without a trace, as if it had sunk into the sea.

There was no expected burst of flames, no tremor of the light barrier, and even the crackling sound of the fire arrows burning instantly fell silent.

When the raging flame energy came into contact with the fine light patterns flowing on the surface of the light wall, it seemed to be absorbed by an invisible force, turning into strands of crimson light that flowed slowly along the patterns.

The next second, a blinding golden light suddenly burst forth from the light barrier, instantly illuminating the entire Silverwing Nest, causing everyone present to subconsciously squint.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Five sharp whooshing sounds rang out in succession.

The five [fire arrows] that were absorbed were actually reflected back perfectly by the light barrier!

The reflected fire arrows traveled several times faster than when they were fired.

The already scorching heat intensified, and the flames on the arrow became even more blazing, like five streaks of crimson lightning striking Cedric with incredible speed.

The speed was so fast that it reached within a few meters of Cedric in the blink of an eye.

Cedric's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpoints, and a storm raged in his heart.

He had never seen such bizarre light elemental magic.

He had seen plenty of light element shields.

But no one has ever seen anyone turn a light element shield into a mirror that can reflect attacks.

In a panic, he hurriedly activated the [Wind Wall] spell that he had already set up in front of him.

The pale blue wind wall instantly became thicker, attempting to block the five backlash fire arrows.

However, the moment the Wind Wall spell came into contact with the fire arrow, it emitted a sizzling sound.

The pale blue wind element was instantly devoured and burned away by the flames, as fragile as paper.

Fortunately, this brief obstruction ultimately bought him some breathing room.

Cedric gritted his teeth and instinctively lunged to the side, his body flashing out like an arrow, narrowly avoiding the five deadly fire arrows.

The flaming arrow grazed past his body, the scorching airwaves like tangible blades slapping his cheek, bringing a sharp pain.

He staggered to his feet, his chest heaving violently.

How could a seemingly simple protective light barrier have such miraculous effects?

Is this how Liu Ying works?!

Is this the unimaginable light elemental magic that Grandpa Van der Ley was talking about?

Cedric's heart was pounding.

But he did not back down at all.

The more powerful he became, the stronger his desire to explore grew.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, and the elemental energy around him became even more violent.

The three elements of fire, earth, and wind intertwined and swirled around him, emitting a piercing buzz.

He could clearly sense that Liu Ying was intentionally indulging him, not rushing to retaliate, but letting him fully display his strength.

Without the slightest hesitation, Cedric unleashed his full power of mana, instantly forming the fourth-circle spell [Elemental Storm]!

A violent wind element surged up first, carrying with it scorching fire and heavy earth elements, rapidly converging and swirling in front of him.

It gradually formed a giant storm with a diameter of several meters.

The storm spun endlessly, whipping up countless rocks and flames, and swept towards Liu Ying with a destructive force.

Wherever it passed, the magical energy fluctuations in the air became extremely violent.

Faced with this terrifying offensive, Liu Ying remained calm, her clear blue eyes showing no ripples.

She simply raised her left hand slowly, and the golden light at her fingertips suddenly surged, becoming even more dazzling and refined than before.

The next moment, the golden light barrier in front of Liu Ying suddenly flashed a dazzling golden yellow.

The surface patterns became increasingly fine and intricate, flowing slowly like ancient runes.

The light elemental energy around her became increasingly violent, forming an invisible pressure that spread outwards.

The light barrier had increased in thickness, exuding an aura of indestructibility, as if it could withstand any attack.

Just as the [Elemental Storm] was about to collide with the golden light barrier, the barrier suddenly erupted with a blinding golden light.

Immediately afterwards, the incredibly violent and destructive [Elemental Storm] was actually reflected back completely by the flowing golden light barrier.

Without the slightest loss or deviation, the direction of the storm was instantly reversed.

The power that was originally sweeping towards Liu Ying now turned around and, still carrying a world-destroying momentum, swiftly swept towards Cedric.

Cedric's expression changed drastically. He could only subconsciously activate his mana to cast a protective spell, forming a rock wall in front of him in an attempt to resist the reflected [Elemental Storm].

But he knew very well that this was of no use.

This [Elemental Storm] was a fourth-circle spell he unleashed with all his might, and no one knew its power better than him.

boom!

[Elemental Storm] crashed hard into Cedric's defense.

The thick rock wall shattered instantly, turning into a shower of rubble, offering no cushioning whatsoever.

At this critical moment, the fourth-tier fire elemental he summoned stood in front of him.

The fire elemental let out a defiant roar, its flames rapidly dimming under the impact of the storm, and its form began to become ethereal.

It lasted only a second before completely dissipating into the air, turning into wisps of crimson elemental energy that were swallowed by the storm.

The earthy yellow aura surrounding Cedric, his last line of defense, rippled violently before quickly dimming.

Before the yellowish-brown halo completely dissipated, he was already violently thrown away by the force of the storm and crashed heavily onto the edge of the fighting arena.

boom!

With a dull thud, a trace of blood spilled from his mouth.

Just as the aftershocks of the [Elemental Storm] were about to completely engulf him and severely injure him, a soft golden light suddenly descended from the sky and steadily enveloped Cedric.

The golden light was warm and pure, instantly dissolving the aftershocks of the [Elemental Storm] without leaving a trace, and leaving no trace of its power on his body.

At the same time, a gentle energy of light slowly flowed into his body, healing his damaged body and instantly reducing the pain.

A complex emotion welled up in Cedric's heart.

This was naturally also Liu Ying's work.

Healing and protection... that's the true domain of light elemental magic...