Chinese professors at the Wizarding Academy

"Isn't this the end?"

When a being far stronger than you tries to hunt you down, the feeling of mental despair that envelops you is unbearable.

Gu Chen tried to calm his pounding heart.

Of course he wanted to run away as soon as possible, but the truth was that he had already been mentally locked onto by the other party, so he tried to use his perfect-level blood absorption to see if he could interfere and gain some breathing time.

but……

"It's completely useless."

Gu Chen's magic chain dissipated halfway through. Even though the other party was clearly within his work area, he was unable to connect successfully.

The Soul-Binding Shadow Beast must be far stronger than me!

My laughable low-level spells are probably no match for the opponent, like a gentle breeze.

"calm……"

Spells are ineffective, and running away won't get you anywhere...

The intense sense of crisis was like ice water poured over his head, instantly washing away any joy Gu Chen felt due to his improved talent.

Bound Spirit Shadow Beast!

How did this thing end up on the outskirts of the Black Forest? And why did it target me so precisely?!

Two mummified corpses?

No, for a spirit-binding shadow beast that prefers souls and magic, it wouldn't even bother to glance at it.

Did my excessively vigorous blood and energy attract it?

Possibly,

Is it... one's own unique method of mental detection? Stargazing?

Or is it a special fluctuation caused by the talent enhancement ritual I am currently undergoing?

There's no time to investigate further!

Gu Chen suddenly felt a chill creep up his back!

Cold, sticky... the oppressive atmosphere filled with death and resentment has firmly locked onto this small grotto and is rapidly approaching!

"Grass……"

In this crisis, Gu Chen couldn't help but swear.

He quickly considered solutions, but reality didn't allow for much thought.

The light at the cave entrance seemed to be swallowed and extinguished by some invisible darkness.

A faint, mournful wail began to echo in the air, and when the sound reached Gu Chen's ears, it made his heart tighten.

"It's too late..."

"We have to run!"

"But should I really run now? What if all my efforts are in vain? The key point is... even if I run now, I might not be able to escape!"

In Gu Chen's inner vision, the last trace of dark red essence blood, which had fused Jim's talent fragments and the life essence of the Bloodhoof Deer, was still slowly flowing through his meridians, like a lazy venomous snake that required patient guidance to complete its final absorption.

However, this slow and gentle appearance is not the original state of this essence blood. It is caused by Gu Chen using his spiritual power to guide and suppress it.

One minute, just one minute short.

But given the speed of the Bound Spirit Shadow Beast, he simply didn't have that one minute of buffer time!

"Stop the ceremony and run?"

"No!"

The thought had barely surfaced when Gu Chen forcefully suppressed it. He had dared to use blood to absorb it because he could use the Star Gazing Technique to multitask.

However, stopping the ritual isn't just a matter of mind; even if you want to stop it... you need to slowly induce it for at least half a minute, and then lose most of your mobility due to the backlash.

If forcibly stopped, the last trace of essence blood in his body, now unrestrained, would immediately wreak havoc and turn his body upside down! This would be enough to unleash a devastating storm within Gu Chen's body. At that point, without the Bound Spirit Beast lifting a finger, he could set himself off like a firework.

Moving forward or retreating, both lead to a dead end!

"A desperate situation?"

Such a situation is naturally despairing, leaving one in a dilemma: one's own strength is insufficient, while the external enemy is incredibly powerful...

Gu Chen even regretted coming to the Black Forest, but if he hadn't come, performing the ritual in the academy would have been even more dangerous. Coming to the Black Forest, at least he still had a chance to resist...

Of course, risks are now looming ahead, and it seems there's little chance of survival.

However, Gu Chen did not intend to give up.

His previously pounding, tense heart calmed down under this extreme pressure.

Ergu Chen's brain entered an unprecedented state of coldness and clarity.

Under immense pressure, the stargazing technique operated at an unprecedented speed. The star trails in my mind were no longer a blurry outline, but revealed more clear, shimmering nodes.

"This...unwavering willpower!"

Once Gu Chen entered this state, he suddenly understood!

It's Jim's talent! He enhanced his own talent through Jim's essence and blood, so naturally he would inherit some of Jim's talent!

"Now I can control my essence and blood with significantly greater precision and speed..."

"I absolutely couldn't do it; it was just my unwavering willpower that made it work!"

Under immense pressure, Jim's talent fragments came into play, and Gu Chen also entered a state of extreme focus and concentration!

While monitoring the movement of his internal essence, Gu Chen also calculated the speed at which the deathly shadow approached the cave entrance.

"soon!"

After the willpower takes effect, the flow of essence and blood becomes significantly faster, and the rate at which new blood is generated also increases dramatically! It becomes even more powerful!

"But that's not enough!"

If you want the essence and blood to be successfully absorbed and the blood exchange to be successful, you need at least 20 seconds!

but……

His own mind told him that the Spirit-Binding Shadow Beast would be able to kill him in no more than 10 seconds!

In a flash, an extremely audacious, almost suicidal thought crossed my mind!

"We have no choice but to take a gamble!"

If ordinary guidance is to follow the steps and gradually flow back to the sea along the meridians.

It is relatively safe, has a wide coverage, and is quite effective; at least it is safer than other methods.

But now, Gu Chen has no time left!

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He no longer tried to guide it gently, but instead relied on the powerful focus given by his unwavering will to carefully control the last bit of unruly blood essence. Like riding a mad horse, he no longer took the safe and flat road, but charged straight towards his own heart!

"puff--!"

The instant that wisp of essence blood was forcibly injected into his heart, Gu Chen felt as if a red-hot iron had been shoved into his chest, followed by being thrown into an ice cave! The sensations of extreme heat and extreme cold intertwined, accompanied by unimaginable expansion and contraction, almost tearing his heart apart on the spot!

He suddenly spat out a mouthful of scalding blood, which splashed onto the opposite rock wall, producing a slight "sizzling" sound and emitting wisps of white smoke, demonstrating the violent energy contained within.

At the same time, an unprecedented force also pumped out from that ravaged heart, surging and rushing along the arteries to the limbs and bones!

"Buzz—!"

A strange ringing sound rang in his ears, not from the outside world, but from the depths of his soul.

At that moment, time seemed to be slowed down.

During this time, my consciousness was very clear; even a second was enough for a multitude of thoughts to flash through my mind.

In that split second, Gu Chen came up with a plan to escape!

The brightness at the entrance of the grotto seemed to have been suddenly reduced.

A thick, light-devouring darkness had invaded, and in the center of the churning black mist, two scarlet lights suddenly shone, filled with greed, cruelty, and hatred for all living beings!

As the Bound Spirit Beast drew closer, Gu Chen felt the pressure growing stronger and the light in the cave growing dimmer... and the thought of giving up seemed to well up within him.

Wherever it passed, even the air seemed to freeze and decay.

Suddenly, a sharp claw flashed out from the black mist body of the Spirit-Binding Shadow Beast! It was aimed directly at Gu Chen!

But Gu Chen showed no fear or apprehension!

The effect of unwavering willpower was beyond imagination. The forced absorption that I originally thought would backfire actually succeeded!

Talent upgrade successful!

Now... there's no need to worry about any backlash! Blood wizards are masters of survival!

If you can't beat them, can't you at least outrun them?

Ran!

It's now!

"boom!"

All the power accumulated within Gu Chen's body, along with the spit-out blood, suddenly erupted! The ground beneath him cracked inch by inch, and his seated body, using this recoil, shot backward like a cannonball! He didn't rush forward, but crashed into the rock wall behind him!

"As I remember, there shouldn't be any problem... This road goes directly across the stream. Although Gray Tower Academy is upstream, that's the main stream. The rocky slope here should just be a tributary. It shouldn't be so deep that I'll end up in the heart of the forest following the main stream!"

"Let's take a gamble!"

This was his planned escape route. The giant rock was backed by a steep slope, and below it was the larger stream he had sensed earlier!

"Snap!"

The thick rock wall shattered under the impact of his concentrated energy and spirit, revealing a gap.

Gu Chen's figure tumbled into the steep slope outside the gap and rolled down into the stream below.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The shadowy claws grazed past his afterimage, striking the spot where he had been standing. The hard rock was easily sliced ​​open like tofu by the claws, leaving five bottomless ravines with wisps of black smoke emanating from the edges.

"Well……"

Although Gu Chen had tried his best to dodge, five light marks were still left on his right arm, and he let out a soft groan.

"Awooo—!!"

The attack missed, and the Spirit-Binding Shadow Beast let out an angry mental roar. The roar was silent, but it was like a tangible iron hammer, slamming hard into Gu Chen's consciousness.

"Ugh!"

As Gu Chen rolled downwards, he let out a painful groan, blood seeping from his seven orifices, but the light in his eyes was sharper than ever before.

He succeeded!

The blood transfusion was successfully completed. Although I didn't improve much, at least I'm no longer a low-level sixth star!

And... there's an unexpected surprise!

The Blood Exchange method seems to be able to uncover the hidden talents of the target being exchanged!

Now I can also activate my "tough will" in high-pressure environments, just like Jim!

This not only allows you to try to concentrate your mental energy, but also lets you manually put yourself in a state of pressure, which will inevitably increase the speed of mental energy concentration very quickly!

A flicker of joy flashed in his eyes, but Gu Chen quickly hid it in his heart.

Then a hint of resentment flashed across his face.

"You just wait... I'll definitely kill you when I grow up."

Gu Chen repeatedly kicked his feet on the protruding rocks on the steep slope, trying to slow his descent and adjust his posture.

He could feel that with the success of his talent, his mental power was significantly more concentrated, and his perception range had nearly doubled!

The ability to sense magic is also much clearer!

Most importantly, his clear thinking, ability to multitask, and even the subtle ability to perform three tasks at once clearly indicate that his talent has leaped from the low level of the sixth-rank star to the peak of the middle level of the sixth-rank star! He is only one step away from the high level!

Moreover, thanks to the immense life force in the Bloodhoof Deer's essence blood and the overload pumping of his heart at the last moment, his physical attributes also improved dramatically. His vitality far surpassed that of an ordinary mid-level Blood Wizard!

However, a price soon followed.

Suddenly! A deathly aura of ashen gray spread from the lingering scent of the shadowy claws, instantly entangling his entire right arm.

Starting from the fingertips, the flesh withered. The skin dried out, and then the entire right arm turned a deathly gray-white! Next came the elbow, the upper arm…

Even the bones became crispy!

It all happened so fast that Gu Chen didn't have time to take any remedial action. He didn't even feel the crack of his bones breaking; his arm seemed to have weathered away in an instant, as if millions of years had passed in a flash.

In less than the time it takes to breathe, the ashen color had already spread past the elbow!

There's no time to hesitate! Otherwise, his torso and head will be the next to crumble!

"Blood Shield!"

Without hesitation, Gu Chen activated his blood shield to cover his left hand, and then with a sudden burst of force, he ripped his right arm off!

Gu Chen's face instantly turned deathly pale, and his forehead was covered in a thick layer of cold sweat. But he gritted his teeth and didn't even let out a scream.

"thump!"

With the sound of severed limbs falling into the water, Gu Chen also plunged into the icy stream, where the current instantly submerged him.

The river water was icy cold. He struggled to stand firm in the waist-deep stream and suddenly looked back.

At the gap in the grotto, the twisted black mist of the Spirit-Binding Shadow Beast was fully revealed, its scarlet eyes fixed on Gu Chen in the water, filled with rage and resentment.

But it seemed wary of the flowing, vibrant stream, lingering only at the cave entrance, emitting low, threatening moans.

Gu Chen understood instantly.

The water not only interfered with the smell, but there also seemed to be something in it that the Spirit-Binding Shadow Beast feared, preventing it from entering.

In other words, this stream became his temporary talisman.

"What a persistent nuisance..."

However, Gu Chen was very clear that this protection was only temporary.

As a powerful creature among carrion-eating monsters, the Spirit-Binding Shadow Beast will never give up on its prey easily. It will definitely follow the stream until it finds a place to cross the stream or where the stream becomes shallower.

We must leave immediately!

Without hesitation, Gu Chen slid forward along the rushing stream.