Chapter 79: The Return of the Demon Pill

The practical combat class, as the name suggests, is all about real fighting. Of course, the academy would never let a group of newly enrolled children engage in life-and-death battles right away; instead, they are instructed to spar with each other, and later, they’ll face magical beasts. While there’s no risk of fatality, pain and injury are inevitable.

Within this course, there are single combat and group battles. The first to commence is the one-on-one duels. Students of the same rank may challenge each other; if you wish to challenge someone of a higher rank, no one will stop you, but beware—the fate of the challenger, in order to deter unnecessary future fights, is usually quite miserable.

"Wang Luo, I challenge you!"

As soon as they arrived at the arena, Xilili issued her challenge to Wang Luo, paying no heed to the whispers around them. Wang Luo, in a fine mood, glanced at Xilili standing atop the platform, a mischievous smile curling at his lips.

"Wang Luo, Level Two Mage!"
"Xilili, Peak Level Two Mage!"
"Begin!"

With a brief introduction, an anonymous young referee announced the start. Both immediately began chanting, casting their respective spells.

"Earth Mist!"
"Earth Spike!"

Their signature magic appeared once more, filling the stage with a haze of dust. But soon, a crimson light glowed within, burning away every grain and revealing a fiery arrow that shot straight toward Wang Luo.

"Scorching Spell combined with Fire Arrow, not bad!" Wang Luo silently mused, but his casting speed did not falter. Three earth-colored lead balls suddenly appeared, bouncing across the ground toward the newly revealed Xilili. One intercepted the fire arrow mid-flight, and both vanished in a burst of dust.

"Damn it, how can his casting be so fast!" Xilili cursed inwardly, hastening her chants. Fire elements gathered; the rune flashed and vanished. Two slimmer and shorter fire arrows appeared in mid-air, each targeting a bouncing marble.

"Earth Mist!"

At that moment, Xilili heard Wang Luo's voice again. The arena was once more shrouded in earth mist. She cursed inside, preparing to cast Scorching Spell.

"Not good!"

Just as she began chanting, Xilili sensed something flying toward her. She tried to dodge, but it was too late—a marble struck her magic staff.

"Ah..."

Her hand throbbed with pain; the staff flew from her grasp, and Xilili cried out, falling to the side. But the anticipated humiliation did not materialize; she couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh.

"Ah, you pervert! Let go of me, ah!"

A shrill scream erupted onstage. As the dust settled, everyone saw Xilili sprawled awkwardly on the ground, her staff lying nearby. All who witnessed this scene were stunned.

"You’re the one who told me to let go!" Wang Luo shrugged innocently at Xilili’s murderous glare, earning a fiery look in return.

"Wang Luo, I challenge you! If you’re a man, you’d accept!"

The sudden shout drew everyone’s attention again. Glancing at the fiery figure, Wang Luo’s gaze lingered over her chest, then he smiled and shook his head.

"My magical power is depleted."

"I have a Mana Restoration Pill here. Within half an hour, you’ll be back to your peak!"

Hanrod’s voice rang out at the perfect moment, and a richly colored pill appeared before Wang Luo, its fragrant aroma wafting through the air.

"A mid-grade Mana Restoration Pill—one must be at least level four to be eligible to take it!"

Wang Luo, who had dabbled in pill refining, recognized the pill’s grade instantly and looked with surprise at the ever-smiling Hanrod, uncertain of his intentions.

"A Mana Restoration Pill—take one and your magical energy will recover quickly!"

"Isn’t it forbidden for students from outside the academy to use pills for cultivation?"

"Exactly. Teacher Hanrod himself said before that taking pills for cultivation before level four may speed up training, but without a solid foundation, breaking through later will be much harder!"

…

The surrounding discussions did not escape Hanrod’s ears. The students clearly had no intention of keeping their doubts from him, since Hanrod always encouraged open discussion and told them they could come to him if unresolved.

"Ahem, the academy prohibits using pills to accelerate cultivation because of the risk of dependency. Pills also contain impurities—too many, and your magical power and battle energy will be tainted, reducing their potency. There are other reasons—you can look them up in the library. Now, let’s prepare to watch the duel between Femi and Wang Luo!"

Having deftly redirected the conversation, Hanrod brought the focus back. Everyone turned their eyes to Wang Luo. After a glance at Hanrod, Wang Luo grabbed the pill, swallowed it, and sat cross-legged to absorb its effects.

The duels continued. One by one, youths took to the stage. As first and second-levels, their magical power and battle energy were still limited; after casting a few spells, they were left defenseless, so the fights ended quickly.

To Hanrod, watching these children spar was dull—the same few moves again and again. Still, he had to cast an occasional glance and offer pointers, though most of his attention remained on Wang Luo, who was cultivating in the corner.

"As expected, he’s not just a simple level two. That’s a clever trick!" Suddenly, Wang Luo was enveloped in an earthen glow. Hanrod's smile deepened, interest brightening in his eyes.

"Ah, is that a breakthrough?"
"Wang Luo is about to break through!"
"He was level two—now he'll be—"
"Level three! The second level three in our Northern District!"
…

The earth-colored glow around Wang Luo drew everyone’s attention in moments, sparking a wave of excited whispers.

"Damn him! How could he break through to level three!" Xilili, standing beside Lisha, stomped angrily, muttering in frustration.

"Hmph!" Femi, the youth bathed in earthen light, recalled Wang Luo’s earlier teasing words and grew even angrier, letting out a heavy snort.

"Little witch, how about we team up this time? He may be level three now, but both of us are level two—there’s no way we’ll lose to him!"

Hearing Femi's cold snort, Xilili’s eyes sparkled with inspiration. She quickly pulled Lisha over to Femi.

After another glance at the earthen glow, Femi nodded to Xilili. For the first time, the two joined forces, drawing countless astonished and incredulous stares.

Otherworld Azure Dragon 79_Chapter Seventy-Nine: Mana Restoration Pill Complete!