As the first winter snow fell, Ai Si, braving the wind and snow, brought news from Gallidos in Aisinger from the Mercenary Guild.
"Brother Li Xi, the situation is urgent. Unidentified individuals are targeting the two princesses. My guards and I have repelled three assassination attempts, and we've suffered heavy losses. Knowing my strength is insufficient, I hope Brother Li Xi will lend a hand, given our past camaraderie. Urgent, urgent, urgent."
Before Li Xi could decide whether to go, news arrived from the Magic Guild, sent by Hermione through their internal transmission system.
"Mr. Li Xi, we were rash previously. We have recalled all issued messages. The matter of the two princesses is extremely pressing. We implore Mr. Li Xi to utilize our Magic Guild's teleportation array when traveling north to shorten the journey. This is a small compensation for the trouble we've caused you. Time is of the essence, and we hope Mr. Li Xi will overlook past grievances."
Well, the route was all arranged.
Looking at the two exasperated ladies before him, Li Xi consoled them by embracing their delicate figures and made a man's decision, "Don't worry, no matter how much trouble it causes, I'm not going. That place is a viper's nest. Only a fool would go."
Li Xi's promise lasted less than two days before it crumbled, due to another message from the Mercenary Guild brought by Ai Si.
This message was a mission posted by the First Princess, Fimer, in the Mercenary Guild, specifically naming Li Xi to take it.
[A-Rank Mission: Protect the Princess. Duration: One month. Upon completion, the reward can be proposed by the mercenary.]
Look at this extravagant display. An A-rank mission, with the reward open to negotiation. It was a clear attempt to overwhelm Li Xi with wealth, demonstrating the arrogance of the rich.
Li Xi, gazing at this mission, something ordinary mercenaries would never encounter in a lifetime, felt a desire to refuse. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, his mouth felt as if it were glued shut, utterly incapable of opening. Dragon blood, divine power, lucky draws, rare and potent Gu worms... Li Xi had so many urgent needs.
"Perhaps... I should go...?" After a long hesitation, Li Xi was tempted, completely forgetting his words of two days prior about only a fool going.
An A-rank mission! Such a difficult mission would surely yield immense rewards. Li Xi couldn't help but be moved. It seemed that in this world, there was no such thing as unwavering loyalty, only insufficient prices.
However, looking at the two ladies, he felt the atmosphere was somewhat off.
"My man should prioritize his career. I support you," Ai Si said with a serious expression and then turned to leave. It was difficult for Ai Si to accept that the cabbage she had painstakingly nurtured was being personally offered to other pigs. Accepting Avril had taken days of mental preparation, and now there were others actively coming forward.
Avril chuckled, coiling around Li Xi like a snake. She brought her lips to his ear, her warm breath whispering, "Go ahead. If the princess throws herself at you, you can accept her. Just don't bring her back. Keeping a mistress isn't bad. If my man has princesses as mistresses, it'll be something I can boast about."
"Our bodies can barely handle the two of us. Having another sister to share the burden will at least reduce our suffering."
Then, looking at the departing Ai Si, she confidently assured Li Xi, "Leave sister's matter to me. Trust me, I'm a professional in this regard."
Li Xi fully trusted Avril in this matter. She had single-handedly planned and persuaded them in their trio's arrangements. In this regard, Ai Si was no match for Avril.
Hearing such understanding and considerate words, Li Xi was so moved he almost wept, "Trust me, I won't make the same rookie mistake other men do. Having you two is enough for this lifetime."
Avril rolled her eyes at Li Xi. A man's promise was like a woman's "no," something that only existed in epic tales. In reality, only a newborn infant, incapable of rational thought, would believe such nonsense.
...
In the rear hall of the Magic Temple,
Angelina and Dick had been watching a video played on a crystal ball for days.
The video showed Li Xi performing a task. Li Xi stood before a dried-up lake, facing the cracked, desiccated lakebed. With rapid hand seals, a torrent of lake water, like a reservoir with its gates opened, gushed from Li Xi's mouth.
After five repetitions, the lake, spanning over ten square miles, was magically filled. The impoverished villagers nearby, witnessing this divine spectacle, knelt before Li Xi as if he were a deity, proclaiming the arrival of a god.
This video was different from the crystal retrieved from the head of the demon-devouring monster. That one was blurry, but this one clearly showed Li Xi's movements and the approximate flow of energy within his body.
From the crystal ball, a pale blue energy surged from Li Xi, reaching for the heavens. The energy, which only Level 4 practitioners could externalize, seemed like worthless trash from Li Xi, dyeing the entire crystal ball blue, even exceeding its capacity. As a result, Angelina and Dick couldn't discern Li Xi's limit.
The crystal ball they held was no ordinary item; it was a Hertz Crystal, capable of testing magical talent. They were rare, and only the most powerful factions possessed them. Angelina, with the backing of the Magic Temple, had managed to obtain one.
Now, the entire Hertz Crystal was dyed blue by Li Xi. Such a phenomenon only occurred when testing practitioners exceeding Level 7. This indicated that Li Xi's current strength was sufficient to instantly kill 99.9% of the continent's population, placing him among the truly elite powerhouses.
However, they couldn't sense the aura of a domain from Li Xi. Logically, with such immense energy contained within his body, he should be a Level 8 practitioner. Why hadn't he manifested a domain yet?
As Li Xi continued to form seals, all his energy retracted into his abdomen like a flock of returning birds, then transformed into a channel seemingly connected to the ocean, allowing Li Xi to spew out a massive amount of water in an instant.
No matter how many times they watched, the sight of the surging, colossal waves sent shivers down Dick's spine. Reading hundreds of external reports paled in comparison to seeing it once. Dick couldn't find a single word to describe his impression.
Too strong. How could such an unreasonable person exist in this world? Why didn't he need to resonate with the natural magical energies? Why didn't he need to chant incantations? Why could he unleash Grandmaster-level magic continuously?
This... was cheating!
Did he initiate magic with a few casual hand movements? Which teacher taught him this? If such a teacher existed, he would want to learn from them.
"What about the people I assigned to replicate his magic? Have they had any success?" Angelina watched Li Xi's performance, her entire body trembling with excitement. She seemed to see the handsome paramour she had once yearned for, her Adam's apple bobbing incessantly.
She wished she were the one casting water magic, lost in a fantasy, Angelina almost moaned in excitement.
With reddened eyes, Angelina knew this was the power she had been desperately seeking, the hope for her advancement. However, a direct confrontation with Li Xi would undoubtedly end badly. Therefore, indirectly stealing his knowledge was their only recourse.
"Reporting, my lady. There has been no change," Dick replied, his voice strained. They had meticulously replicated Li Xi's hand seals, frame by frame, ensuring no deviation. Even the energy flow within their bodies was textbook-accurate, as Li Xi's movements were not exceedingly difficult and were easy to learn.
Yet, inexplicably, there was no reaction. In contrast, three of the twenty apprentices they had recruited, in their eagerness to perform, had broken their own fingers.
"Useless. A bunch of imbeciles," Angelina snarled, seemingly possessed by a demon, her gaze on Dick as if he were a mortal enemy. Her dictatorial voice rumbled in her throat, "Tell them that if there's no progress within three days, they will all face the death penalty. If they can't even accomplish this minor task, they are unworthy of my resources."
Watching the furious and murderous Angelina, Dick bowed his head and accepted the order, fearing that death would befall him at any moment.
While terrified, he began to believe Li Xi's words. As a seasoned Archmage, he could discern that what Li Xi was using was not magic. Since the dawn of recorded history, magic had never been cast in this manner. This was undoubtedly a new system of cultivation.
This new system, as Li Xi himself called it, was Ninjutsu. This system, named Ninjutsu, was entirely different from any existing profession. Clearly, this Ninjutsu possessed a casting speed that could instantly defeat magic, and its external manifestation was almost identical.
Angelina's shallow and brutal approach was mere imitation. Without understanding the specific energy composition or the secrets of the profession, even the Pope himself couldn't unravel its mysteries.
After all, merely gazing at a Van Gogh painting doesn't make one a great artist, nor can one instantly hit a high C after hearing a soprano sing it.
Angelina, having issued her command, perhaps sensing it was slightly unreasonable, softened her tone. "Focus your efforts on this aspect. Also, find suitable tasks for him to undertake. Money is not an issue. As long as we uncover the secret of this rapid spellcasting, the entire world will pay us. The magic world will be transformed by us."
"Go. The world lies at our feet. Now, we just need to find a lantern to illuminate the old fog of the magic world."
When Dick appeared at Li Xi's doorstep with new tasks, he suddenly received news that Li Xi had accepted a mission from Aisinger, with a duration of one month. This meant he would have to wait another month to glean more secrets from Li Xi.
Dick stood in the wind, utterly bewildered. His superior seemed unable to wait three days, and now it was a month. Who knew what insane actions this volatile old woman might take within that month.
...
At this moment, Li Xi had arrived in Aisinger via the Magic Guild's internal teleportation array. The first batch of dwarf weapons delivered to Filin was not numerous; two spatial rings could contain them.
"Mr. Li Xi, this is Mr. Pack, a standing council member of our Magic Guild," Hermione said, leading an elder with white hair to welcome Li Xi upon learning of his arrival through the teleportation array.
From this elder, who looked as if a gust of wind could blow him over, Li Xi sensed the same energy fluctuations as Hermione, tides of energy that lapped at the surrounding space. Clearly, this elder was also a top-tier Archmage.
The Magic Guild typically had two standing council members. Not that there were only two council members, but rather that most mages spent the majority of their lives in meditation and magic cultivation, rarely willing to waste their time on worldly affairs. Therefore, the Magic Guild operated on a rotation system, with two council members at a time. After a five-year term, they would be replaced. It appeared that only Archmage-level mages could earn the title of council member.
Pack's eyes gleamed, as if two stars resided within his pupils.
"Mr. Li Xi, you are young and accomplished. Welcome to the Magic Guild," Pack said, looking at Li Xi as if he were an undiscovered treasure. Only high-level spellcasters could truly appreciate the pricelessness of Li Xi's rapid spellcasting. Mages of his level could cast magic below intermediate level instantly, but not advanced magic. This had been a long-standing convention, yet Li Xi's emergence had shattered this accepted rule.
"We have prepared a welcoming banquet for Mr. Li Xi. The wine is a fruit wine brewed from the leaves of the ancient life tree, a thousand-year-old treasure of the Elven royal family. It is extremely rare, and we hope Mr. Li Xi will honor us with his presence." Hermione made no mention of Filin or the others, acting as if she had never sent a summons using them as an excuse. She grabbed Li Xi, intending to drink with him until they were both intoxicated. It seemed that even if a world war erupted outside, she wouldn't let Li Xi go.
Pack nodded in agreement, stating that the wine was indeed exceptionally rare and that only Li Xi was missing to partake. He and Hermione flanked Li Xi, attempting to lead him away.
"Masters, the Princess's mansion urgently requires my protection. I have already accepted the mission. As a mercenary, it is my duty to report to my employer immediately." Li Xi, faced with the two masters acting like thugs and blocking his path, could only promise, considering their powerful spellcasting abilities and frail elderly frames. "Masters, after I complete this mission, I will certainly return to have a long discussion with you both."
"I give my word and will not break it, I swear it on my mercenary honor."
Li Xi was close to taking off his ruby B-rank mercenary insignia and handing it to these two elders to guarantee his sincerity.
Pack smacked his lips, unsure if it was regret at not being able to converse with Li Xi immediately or at not tasting the fine wine. Regardless, he said with great regret, "Mr. Li Xi, always remembering your duty is the most precious spiritual wealth. If that is the case, then we shall await Mr. Li Xi here. We shall meet again in a month."