Chinese professors at the Wizarding Academy

"What just happened? I suddenly can't receive your messages."

Ken's voice rang out in Gu Chen's heart, still so calm, as if there were no emotional fluctuations.

"It's alright. I just had a big battle with that spider queen, and thankfully I wasn't seriously injured."

After arriving at Black Stone Forest, Gu Chen responded to Ken's telepathic message.

It wasn't that I didn't reply on purpose... it's just that I couldn't receive the message from that cave.

"There are many secrets in that cave... It's quite normal that telepathic communication can't get through."

Gu Chen thought to himself,

He didn't plan to tell Ken what had just happened; these things and secrets... were better kept to himself.

And frankly, just saying the name of that thing sends chills down my spine, so it's not something I should tell Ken...

Some secrets are better kept to yourself.

"I'm glad you're alright. How was the shared spirit probe?"

Ken didn't press further, but instead inquired about the newly established mental probing state.

As the name suggests, the two people now share the same field of vision, so what Gu Chen feels, he can also feel.

"no problem."

Gu Chen temporarily put the things on his mind deep inside, deciding to talk about them later when he had the chance, or simply keep them buried in his heart.

"The scope is incorrect."

Ken's voice trembled slightly, which is unusual, but since the detection range was shared, the mental exertion caused some delay.

However, his tone remained calm and composed.

"According to you, the apprentice Aiden described a temporary base, with no more than ten tents, so the barrier should be quite simple."

"But the range of the magical reaction we're observing now is at least three times larger. And..."

Ken paused for a moment.

"Moreover, the barrier's structure is ridiculously complex."

Gu Chen answered in his mind, his enhanced mental probing using the Star Gazing Technique outlining a detailed field of vision in his eyes.

About 300 meters ahead, a relatively flat area of ​​black stone was covered by several layers of invisible energy fields.

"Do you need me to explain it to you?"

"No need... I'm reading too."

Gu Chen's lips twitched, as if in Ken's eyes he looked like a savage barbarian with incredible strength, capable of throwing bricks...

Ken's concerns were indeed valid; after mentally probing the area, they discovered that the camp's defenses were incredibly complex...

However, Gu Chen's time in the library was not wasted. He read a lot of books in his search for ways to improve his talent.

For example, Gu Chen could roughly see the defensive measures in the camp now...

The outermost layer of the camp uses common elemental deflections and visual misdirection, but the inner layer is interwoven with anti-reconnaissance runes, mental alarm nodes, and even several spaces with abnormal ripples...

"This is a trap in the space domain... This couldn't have been hastily set up in just a day or two; it looks more like an outpost that has been in operation for some time."

If I had to describe it, it's like a stage, waiting for the actors to take their places.

"The largest tent in the center," Ken continued.

"The strongest spatial fluctuations definitely aren't from some kind of spatial ring. Such obvious fluctuations, if you ask me, its pattern is more like... a teleportation anchor point."

Gu Chen's gaze locked onto the dark red tent, which was nearly twice the size of the other tents around it. The material was obviously thicker and heavier, and the surface of it faintly shimmered with obscure runes.

The camp was bustling with people, mostly dressed in Grey Tower apprentice robes or low-level wizard uniforms, but a few figures emanated magical energy that clearly reached the high-level of the first ring. Their movements were more disciplined.

"They must be the guards at the core..."

"Holy crap... I've accidentally wandered into the imperial palace."

Gu Chen's lips twitched. Is Joe Beck really here?

This place looks exactly like a fully equipped fortress; to put it bluntly, it's practically an operations center set up by the Antinoya family in the Black Forest!

This was definitely not designed to ensure one's safety during the hunting party.

"Either Aiden lied...or he only saw the tip of the iceberg."

Gu Chen said to Ken,

"It could be a deliberate illusion, but I don't think so. The setup is so complete and sophisticated; if it were fake, it would be far too extravagant..."

"In any case, this place is more troublesome than we expected."

"The infiltration plan?" Ken asked.

Gu Chen remained silent for a few seconds, his mind racing as he weighed the options.

Forget about forcing your way in; that's just asking for death.

Should I take a detour? Wouldn't that mean I came all this way for nothing? Going back to the academy would just mean certain death anyway.

Am I supposed to just shamelessly cling to Ysera? That's ridiculous!

"Let's change it, we won't go to the camp center."

Gu Chen made up his mind. "You stay on the perimeter to provide support and keep a close watch on the chaos. I don't want to be attacked from both sides when I infiltrate later... The key is to maintain contact between the camp and other parts of the Black Forest."

"I'll try using Soul-Eating Death Qi for remote infiltration reconnaissance to see if I can capture any information and find out if Joebeck is here."

"If things go wrong, evacuate immediately."

"The risk is very high. Although your Soul-Eating Death Aura originates from the same source, the barrier here... according to my perception, is exceptionally sensitive to death magic."

Ken reminded him.

"I know." Gu Chen moved his stiff right shoulder, the presence of the "chaotic vortex" appearing and disappearing intermittently, bringing a slight tingling and numb sensation.

However, I feel much better now. In the chaotic vortex, the three forces within my body have become quite stable.

"That's why I need you to keep an eye on things. If the alarm is triggered, create chaos and come to my rescue."

"Our primary objective is infiltration and assassination, not combat."

Ken didn't object further, but instead conveyed a mental wave of "I understand."

Immediately, his aura dissipated like a drop of water into the sea, quickly dissolving into the surrounding disruptive magical environment.

"Having a mind wizard by your side is definitely a good thing... This ability to hide always gives me the feeling of being watched in the dark."

The mind wizard's ability to conceal itself is a clear advantage in this environment.

Gu Chen took a deep breath, suppressing his distracting thoughts. He slowly raised his right hand, fingers spread wide, pointing it towards the camp. He focused his mind into his right arm and began to release death energy.

A thin, grayish-white energy thread, finer than a hair, quietly emerged from his fingertip, like a living vine, clinging to the shadows and crevices of the rocks as it wafted towards the outer edge of the barrier.

The energy fluctuations were suppressed to almost the minimum, almost blending into the natural death atmosphere of the environment.

With the Star Gazing Technique operating at full power, Gu Chen focused all his energy on this thread of energy, sensing every subtle fluctuation coming from ahead.

The energy threads successfully penetrated the first layer of visual deception barrier without triggering a reaction.

"Fortunately... although it can mislead the eyes, mental detection can still reveal the true scene."

Next is the element deflection field of the second layer.

"Wait a moment... now is the time."

Gui Chen manipulated the gray-white silk threads and secretly slipped inside during the brief pause in the death magic emanating from the camp's air.

The third layer is the anti-detection rune zone.

"If I hadn't upgraded it... I really wouldn't have been able to get in..."

Gu Chen's nerves tightened. The runes were densely packed, like a spider web. His energy threads felt like they were dancing on a knife's edge, trying to avoid the alternating light and dark rune nodes.

Going straight through was impossible. Gu Chen searched for the weak points in the structure, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. This meticulous control was rapidly draining his mental energy...

Almost there, almost through...

Just then, something unexpected happened!

As the energy threads passed through what appeared to be an ordinary rock shadow, the shadow suddenly lit up!

"Depend on!"

It is an extremely well-hidden and complex reconnaissance rune!

It suddenly bit into the silk thread, and at the same time began to trace its origin!

Oh no, it's overturned!

Gu Chen was shocked and made a decisive move, instantly severing the main connection of that energy thread!

But it was too late. The rune exploded, and an extremely sharp mental pulse swept in a fan shape toward the direction from which Gu Chen had just emitted energy!

"We've been exposed! Ken, get ready to provide backup!" Gu Chen shouted in his mind, and at the same time, his body sprang up from his hiding place like a startled cheetah.

What are you still thinking about?

Run!

However, the expected pursuit from the camp did not arrive immediately.

Instead, several fierce attacks suddenly erupted from the black rock clusters to his front and rear!

Three gray bone cones instantly sealed off the space to his left, right, and front!

At the same time, a chilling mental shock pierced the back of his head, the attack angle was tricky, and the coordination was perfect, clearly an ambush laid in advance.

These attacks are insidious, concise, and have a very clear objective: to kill you outright!

"run!"

With life hanging by a thread, there was no time to think. Gu Chen slammed his left palm into the ground, activating the blood wizard's blood manipulation ability. The thin moisture on the ground mixed with the little blood forced from his palm, instantly transforming into three thin yet resilient blood shields to meet the bone spikes.

"Blood Shield!"

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The blood shield successfully deflected the trajectory of the bone cone, but the enormous impact still caused Gu Chen's blood and qi to churn.

At the same time, he was no longer able to defend against that mental attack!

And that mental shock has already arrived!

"Get out of here!" Ken's cold shout exploded like thunder at the edge of Gu Chen's sea of ​​consciousness.

A more powerful blade of energy slashed out, precisely intercepting the impact.

"Wow!"

Two invisible forces collided, producing a low, muffled sound in the air, and tiny cracks appeared on the surfaces of several nearby black stones.

Taking advantage of this moment, Gu Chen twisted his body strangely and slid out from the gap in the bone cone, increasing his speed again.

As he fled, he caught a glimpse of four figures draped in gray cloaks out of the corner of his eye.

Their faces were covered by hoods, but it was clear that they all wore strange, misty masks.

They appeared from their hiding place like ghosts, pursuing him in a semi-encircling formation. Their movements were swift and silent, their presence barely perceptible.

"Fully armed..."

Gu Chen noticed that beneath their cloaks, one could vaguely see close-fitting light armor and various strange devices hanging from them.

"Wait... this isn't like a wizard. What wizard is fully armed like this? Aren't they supposed to rely on magic for their livelihood? Why do these people look more like knights?"

Gu Chen suddenly realized that these people were dressed in completely different clothes than the wizard robes worn by ordinary wizards.

One of them raised his hand, and in his palm, an inconspicuous metal disc lit up with a ghostly blue rune. A powerful gravitational field instantly enveloped the area where Gu Chen was located, making his steps suddenly heavy.

The other person flicked their hands, sending several small, black, and dull nails flying towards the direction Gu Chen might dodge!

Their methods are professional, efficient, and well-equipped; they are also extremely familiar with wizarding techniques!

"Does Antinoya really have that kind of power?"

This is something that no ordinary force could cultivate!

Gu Chen felt a chill in his heart; simply running away would only lead to his death!

"No, the style is wrong..."

"They are very strong... Based on my feeling, they are at least at the high-level of the first ring, and there are only one or two of them in the camp..."

"Since when has this kind of ability become so readily available in the outer courtyard? Are you kidding me?"

Gu Chen's mind raced... This doesn't make sense. If someone really had that kind of strength, they wouldn't need to set up so many defenses; they could just send people out and kill them all.

And their attire is different from that of ordinary wizards...

There was also an excessive and overly strong defensive setup in the camp...

Gu Chen had a flash of inspiration!

All these unusual circumstances indicate one thing: they are not Antinoya's people!

Other forces have intervened!

Thinking of this, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he abruptly changed his escape route.

Instead of leaving the camp, he rushed directly towards the edge of the barrier of the Joebeck camp!

"...Shifting the blame eastward?"

A gray-robed man spoke in a hoarse, low voice, at an extremely fast pace.

"Stop him! We can't alert the undead worms in the camp!"

Another person gave the order, and the pursuit speed suddenly increased. At the same time, more attacks came at Gu Chen from tricky angles, trying to intercept him halfway.

The gravitational field grew stronger, and the nails blocked his escape route. Gu Chen felt the killing intent behind him almost materialize.

It's now!

He suddenly turned around, facing the two gray-robed men who were closest to him, and his right arm, which he had been suppressing, suddenly rose!

This time, instead of channeling soul-corroding death energy or necromantic magic, Gu Chen directly loosened the control of the "Chaotic Vortex"!

I'd only just gotten the hang of it, so I couldn't control it precisely to begin with, but... it's not like I absolutely had to control it precisely, was it?

You can pry open a crack slightly to release a little of its scent.

A chaotic smell!

"Try this!"

Gu Chen let out a low roar, and the dark gold patterns under the skin of his right arm flashed wildly. Then, a wisp of purplish-black aura burst forth from his right palm!

This aura carried an extremely terrifying presence, as if simply seeing it would cause chaos and trigger an instinctive fear!

boom!!!

The gray-robed man in front of him was clearly unaware of what was happening, or rather, even Gu Chen himself couldn't control how what he released would develop.

But it's not a big problem; as long as we solve the immediate issue, everything will be fine.

As this dark purple aura was released, everyone present shuddered!