Chapter 155: Earth Shield!

Whoosh!

Deep within the Trial Forest, a five-colored pillar of light suddenly erupted, shooting straight into the sky. Lotus flowers of various brilliant hues drifted up and down within the beam, shifting constantly in a truly fantastical display.

"That is..."
"The sign of a spiritual herb beginning to mature!"
"Hurry, go!"
"Move!"
...
"The spiritual herb is finally about to emerge! Heh, judging by this phenomenon, it's no ordinary treasure. It must be at least of the seventh grade! Let's get over there quickly!"

Running swiftly, Wang Luo looked up at the multicolored pillar of light, feeling the immense energy contained within it. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke to the flushed-faced figure held tightly in his arms.

"Yes, but, Qi'er—"
"Shh...!"

Pressing his index finger gently against Gusi’s slightly parted lips, Wang Luo made a hush sound, smiled faintly, and picked up his pace, dashing toward the source of the five-colored light.

Seeing this, Gusi fell silent, swallowing all the questions in his heart, and leaned closer into Wang Luo's embrace. Yet, he still could not let go of his worry for Qi'er, who was, after all, one of his few true friends.

"Help!"

A shrill scream abruptly shattered the tranquility of the forest. Moments later, a flurry of disheveled figures burst through the brush, occasionally turning to launch desperate attacks behind them to fend off whatever was relentlessly pursuing them.

"Hmm?"

Hearing the commotion, the running Wang Luo came to a sudden halt, looking with puzzlement at the crowd rushing toward him as several familiar faces gradually came into view.

"Wang Luo! It really is you! Help us!"

When Wang Luo recognized them, some among the fleeing group spotted him in return, immediately crying out in ecstatic relief as if they had just encountered their savior.

Swish!

A streak of white light suddenly burst from the trees. Three flamboyant tails lashed out violently behind it, producing cracking sounds in the air as they swept toward the fleeing crowd.

"Qi'er, we haven't provoked you! Why are you trying to kill us?"

brandishing a blood-red sword, Damon roared as he lunged forward. From the flanks, Lisa and Kairo similarly charged in with blades drawn, while the mages seized the moment to begin chanting their incantations. The group clearly operated with well-practiced coordination and distinct divisions of labor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three fierce, frost-emitting fox tails collided with three swords glowing in various colors, producing three deafening explosions. The three figures were sent flying backward from the impact, but the fox tails merely paused for a fraction of a second before resuming their ferocious assault on the crowd.

"Vine Dance!"
"Flame Serpent!"
"Whirlwind!"

A violent whirlwind materialized out of thin air, arriving ahead of time to intercept one of the fox tails, while three thick vines and three fiery serpents lunged simultaneously at the other two tails, wrapping around them tightly.

"Fall back!"

A sharp shout rang out. Abigail and Feimi, who had been standing by, immediately scooped up the mages who had just finished casting and retreated at top speed, closely followed by the group's powerhouses: Damon, Lisa, and Kairo.

"Wang Luo, are you dead or something? Can't you see that Qi'er has gone mad? Get over here and save us!"
"How could Big Brother Qilu ever pass on his legacy to someone as heartless as you, just standing there and watching people die!"

Having once again narrowly blocked Qi'er's attack with the others, Xilili and Bonnie—who had already held a bias against Wang Luo—started shrieking one after another, nearly slipping out of Feimi's arms and tumbling to the ground.

"Boss! You can't just stand by and watch! Qi'er's gone crazy, she's trying to kill us!"

Carried along in Abigail's arms as they fled, Pril—who had just finished his spell—chimed in with a shout of his own, spotting Qi'er once again closing the distance behind them at a speed noticeably faster than before.

"Earth Shield!"

Gusi, having long since left Wang Luo's embrace, instantly began casting upon seeing Qi'er unleash another fierce strike, displaying the full might of a peak sixth-rank mage.

Swish, swish, swish!

Three petite and delicate earth magic shields materialized in rapid succession, intercepting the three sweeping tails behind Qi'er. Upon impact, the pitiful shields shattered upon contact.

Seeming to have anticipated this outcome without the slightest hint of surprise, Gusi maintained his composure and continued his incantation. Three more tiny earth magic shields flashed into existence, blocking the continuation of the fox tails' assault.

"Earth Shield!"

With another soft cry, right behind the shattered remnants of the previous barriers, three more earth shields followed closely, perfectly intercepting the tails' attack once more.

"Impressive!"

Watching Gusi continue to deploy earth shields with such fluidity, a momentarily startled Wang Luo couldn't help but marvel internally. He certainly hadn't expected the seemingly delicate Gusi to be so formidable when it came to casting magic.

Those rapidly manifesting, diminutive earth shields demonstrated not only Gusi's exceptional casting speed but also his profound proficiency and precise control over magic—areas that happened to be Wang Luo's own weaknesses.

Whether fighting the Red Bear or dueling Luya of the Law Enforcement Team, Wang Luo had always relied on multi-tasking and terrifyingly fast spellcasting to win. However, his finesse and precise control over magical energy left much to be desired.

If Wang Luo were to cast an Earth Shield to counter Qi'er's tails, his casting speed would certainly be no slower than Gusi's. Yet, the shield Wang Luo would produce would undoubtedly be the most standard variety: a massive earth wall capable of shielding a person's entire body, rather than Gusi's miniature, precisely tailored shields designed solely to block the incoming tails.

A massive earth shield wasted mana and made movement cumbersome, whereas small shields possessed none of those drawbacks. In combat, life and death often hung in the balance of a single moment and a sliver of mana. Only now did Wang Luo realize just how astonishing it was for Gusi to effortlessly summon one small earth shield after another.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Having cast eighteen small earth shields in succession, Gusi's pretty face turned pale, and a sheen of sweat broke out across his forehead, but he had successfully blocked Qi'er's onslaught.

"Incredible!"
"Wang Luo, who is this freak?"

Seeing Gusi's performance, Pril and the others stared in gape-mouthed astonishment. Like Wang Luo, none of them had expected Gusi to possess such exquisite control over his magic alongside such staggering execution speed.

"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and attack! Can't you see Qi'er is coming again?"

Feeling a tinge of smugness in his heart, Wang Luo glanced at the approaching Qi'er and quickly urged the others into action. Knowing his own shortcomings in this area, Wang Luo also began chanting an incantation; after all, only through constant practice could one improve.

"Gusi, take a rest. We'll be fighting for that spiritual herb shortly!"
"Huh?!"

Gusi, who was preparing to cast another spell on the side, froze abruptly upon hearing Wang Luo call out to him. Letting out an exclamation of surprise, he cast a bewildered look at Wang Luo. If his ears hadn't deceived him, Wang Luo had been casting a spell just a moment ago, paused briefly to speak to him, and then seamlessly continued casting the exact same unfinished spell without missing a beat.