Chapter 56 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

After a dozen more Blinks, Lina’s figure swayed. Her feet slipped on the slick ice, and she fell, landing hard on her backside.

The Ice-mist Leopard was also exhausted, but when it saw Lina fall, a fierce light flashed in its eyes.

As a predator, it would never let a moment of weakness in its prey go to waste. It immediately gathered its strength and lunged at Lina.

Zhang Ye stood up instantly, his eyes fixed on the arena.

Although Lina had Tier Nine armor, she couldn't yet fully utilize its capabilities. A pounce like that would still cause some damage through the force transmitted through the armor.

Fortunately, the examiner on-site was already prepared to intervene. However, if the examiner stepped in, it would mean Lina’s test had failed.

Zhang Ye felt a pang of sympathy. Through their brief interaction, he had found this girl’s personality to be very cheerful and lively. Even though she was a lesbian, he was still very willing to be her friend. If she failed the test, he wouldn't be seeing her around All Souls Magic Academy anymore.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ye pursed his lips and offered a silent prayer.

In the next moment, Zhang Ye’s eyes widened, filled with pleasant surprise.

His prayer had worked!

Lina hadn't given up. While still sitting, she performed a Blink. The Ice-mist Leopard missed its target, crashing into the wall due to its momentum and exhaustion. Lina took the opportunity to scramble to her feet, a flash of light appearing in her hand as a golden longsword manifested.

This golden blade was very similar to the one Oscar Venis had used, but it was a Tier Seven weapon.

Lina gripped the longsword and swung it fiercely at the Ice-mist Leopard. A golden blade of light shot out, slamming into the leopard’s back.

At this moment, the Ice-mist Leopard’s mana was completely depleted, leaving it with no power to defend itself. A massive wound was carved into its back, leaving it heavily injured!

Lina panted heavily.

That blade of light wasn't her own magic, but a spell triggered by the magic circle embedded within the golden longsword.

After releasing that one strike, Lina’s mana was nearly gone, but she stubbornly raised the golden sword again, injecting the last of her mana into it.

The Ice-mist Leopard sensed the danger and tried repeatedly to get up. However, it had been exhausted by Lina’s evasive maneuvers, its mana was empty, and it was severely wounded. It had no strength left to dodge and could only watch as Lina gathered power.

After a full three seconds, the golden light sword was finally filled with mana, triggering the internal magic circle. Lina swung the sword down.

Another golden blade of light flew out, striking the Ice-mist Leopard’s neck. The leopard’s neck was sliced halfway through. After a few spasms, its life force faded away.

The examiner watched this scene and nodded. “Excellent, pass!”

Although her mana was nearly empty by the end, the Ice-mist Leopard hadn't managed to land a single hit on Lina from start to finish, so her rating remained high.

Hearing this, Lina let out a victory cheer, but as soon as she finished, her body went limp.

Zhang Ye appeared just in time, catching her as she fell backward.

“Hehe, Brother Ye, I passed!” Lina opened her helmet. Her small face was somewhat pale, but her smile was still as bright as sunshine.

Zhang Ye chuckled and began injecting mana into her body.

Normally, one cannot simply inject mana into another person because internal mana is defined by the attribute of one’s cultivation. If the attributes are incompatible, they will conflict. However, Zhang Ye’s null-attribute mana, with its Full Attribute Compatibility, didn't have this concern.

“Mmm...” As the mana flowed in, Lina’s small face turned visibly rosy.

It felt so good...

She fought to keep herself from making any strange noises, after all, there were so many people around...

Feeling her mana recover rapidly, the little stars began to twinkle in Lina’s eyes again.

“Brother Ye, thank you!” Feeling the weakness leave her body, Lina said sincerely.

Zhang Ye smiled and didn't ask about the doubts in his heart.

Everyone has secrets. Lina had hers, and he had his.

So, he wouldn't pry.

Soon, the third test concluded. Of the nearly two thousand people who started, only a little over a thousand remained.

These people would enter the assessment secret realm along with freshmen from other recruitment areas to compete for the final three thousand spots.

“The third test is over. All qualified candidates may return to Bailing City to rest. Assemble at Bailing Square tomorrow at exactly twelve ke at noon for the final entrance examination,” the space-attribute Saint-tier old man said. He then opened a spatial gate to send everyone away.

“Brother Ye, want to go for a stroll and look at some pretty girls?” Perhaps because she had passed the third test, Lina was very excited as she asked Zhang Ye.

Zhang Ye laughed. This girl was certainly lighthearted. She had almost failed the test just moments ago, and as soon as she recovered, she was clamoring to go look at girls.

However, Zhang Ye was also in a good mood, so he nodded. “Sure!”

“Let’s go, let’s go! I know there’s a Bailing Commercial Street in Bailing City that’s very lively. There are bound to be lots of pretty girls there!” Lina chuckled, her eyes sparkling. “I saw a beastkin girl earlier who was really pretty. I wonder if we’ll run into her.”

Zhang Ye had also seen the beastkin girl Lina mentioned; she was a cat-girl and indeed very beautiful. However, Zhang Ye wasn't particularly interested in her looks. Compared to her face, he was more interested in touching those fluffy cat ears.

Zhang Ye smiled. “Then let’s go. There are so many people here for the exam, I wonder if there are any elves, hahaha...”

In many novels, elves were beings of absolute beauty. Surely this world had them too?

But in the next moment...

“Elves?” Lina shook her head. “Elves went extinct a long time ago. There aren't any elves anymore.”

“What?!” Zhang Ye practically jumped.

I was really looking forward to elves, and now you’re telling me they’re extinct?!

You’ve got to be kidding me?!

Lina explained, “Elves were a very powerful race. Every elf was born with immense magical talent and a natural affinity for nature. They were powerful and incredibly beautiful...”

“Then why did they go extinct?!” Zhang Ye asked, stunned.

“Because they were too beautiful. Many countries liked to capture elves to use as slaves. Furthermore, elf blood has the effect of maintaining youth, and an elf’s Spirit Core can enhance one’s talent. Thus, they were hunted on a massive scale,” Lina said.

“Decades ago, a war broke out between the elves and the Holy See. In the end, the Holy See won. As for the elves... since then, there hasn't been a single report of an elf appearing.”

Zhang Ye stood there with his mouth open, not knowing what to say.

An innocent man bears the guilt of his wealth.

The beauty of the elves naturally drew wandering eyes, not to mention that elf blood and Spirit Cores had such immense value in this world.

Maintaining youth? How many people cultivated just to extend their lives, to stay young, and to seek immortality?

Enhancing talent? A person’s talent was usually fixed at birth; a treasure that could enhance talent would naturally be sought after by the entire world.