41: Chapter 41 Spatial Rift

"The rest of you don't need to intervene, and don't act unusually, lest you provoke his resentment."

"I will personally go to the Alliance Headquarters to report this matter."

"While I am away, I'll leave the affairs of the branch in your hands."

"Rujun's actions yesterday must have displeased Chen Ping, which is why he hasn't shown his face yet."

"When he comes next time, explain things to him properly."

Minister Jiang Tianhai stood up, preparing to leave after finishing his instructions.

"Understood!"

Fang Bin and the others responded in unison.

Minister Jiang Tianhai nodded in satisfaction at their attitude and turned to walk out of the meeting room.

Lin Fan was completely unaware of this discussion among the Baiyun City Alliance high-level officials.

He finished his classes for the day, hurried to Lin Duo's school to pick her up, and then they went home together.

After returning home, Lin Fan learned that his father was still at work, which was quite normal.

He washed up and was just about to head out.

However, his mother warned him with a serious expression that he wasn't allowed to stay out too long this time.

"I know, I know. I promise."

Lin Fan smiled, rubbed his head, and agreed.

Leaving the house, Lin Fan immediately left the outskirts of Baiyun City and headed toward the bustling urban area.

He caught a ride there, heading toward the vicinity of the border.

He hadn't touched a single cent of the money he earned from selling magic beast corpses, monster cores, and void stones.

What he was spending now was the savings he had accumulated from working in the academy library and other part-time jobs.

Finding a secluded corner, Lin Fan took his equipment out of the system space.

With a flash of light, the equipment automatically donned his body, and the mask settled firmly onto his face.

Everything was ready; it was time to head out for training!

Lin Fan walked toward the guards stationed at the border.

As he approached, a familiar voice called out to him.

It turned out to be the same guard he had met the first time he went to the border.

"It seems they work on a shift system, and today is his turn to stand guard again," Lin Fan thought.

"Mr. Chen, we meet again! You're heading out for training a bit late today."

The guard grinned and greeted him enthusiastically.

Lin Fan merely nodded, not saying a word.

The conversation ended in his silence, but the guard wasn't angry at all and smilingly cleared the path for him.

Lin Fan also noticed that the number of guards at the border today was much smaller than when he came yesterday.

"Could they have withdrawn their defenses?"

Lin Fan wondered, his footsteps never stopping as he walked toward the distant forest.

He had originally intended to change areas to hunt magic beasts, as the Alliance's exploration teams had been active in his usual spots.

But curious about the reduction in the number of guards, he decided to check that area first.

To his surprise...

He walked a full two hundred meters into the forest without seeing a single soul.

"They really did withdraw. But why? Could it be because of me?"

Lin Fan rubbed his chin, but only touched the smooth surface of the omniscient mask.

Recalling the encounter with Vice Minister Wei Rujun and Zhao Chaoyang yesterday, he immediately guessed the reason.

After all, that guard yesterday had said so too.

The exploration teams patrolling the border were all led by those two elders.

"They must have guessed that my strength far exceeds theirs and didn't want to offend me, so they withdrew the teams."

Lin Fan reached a conclusion, feeling a bit smug.

This way, he could hunt magic beasts and farm experience points to his heart's content without worrying about being watched.

To be honest, when the system alerted him that someone was spying on him yesterday, he was genuinely startled.

If not for the system's warning, he wouldn't have discovered Vice Minister Wei Rujun and Zhao Chaoyang at all.

He might have even exposed the secret of his dual elements in front of them!

Lin Fan didn't dare imagine the consequences if that secret were leaked.

After all, he was the first person in the history of mages to awaken dual elements.

Those powerful old fogies might capture him and use all sorts of inhumane experiments to force out his secrets.

"After all, in manga, when the protagonist exposes their cheat, the outcome is usually like that."

At least for now, his strength wasn't enough; he absolutely could not expose the secret of his second element.

Perhaps he would never need to expose it.

As his thoughts churned, Lin Fan stopped overthinking and immediately took action.

He had already promoted to a Tier 3 Mage and was looking for a chance to test his strength.

The image of that giant bear involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Those crimson cyclopean eyes, which seemed capable of piercing through the soul, made him shudder.

"Better not. I'll farm experience points to increase my strength first before looking for that bear for revenge."

Lin Fan clicked his tongue and quickened his pace toward the depths of the forest.

Before long, Lin Fan discovered a magic beast.

It was a massive creature with the body of a bull and the head of a feline, its size comparable to a small truck.

"Just in time to test the power of a Tier 3 spell."

Lin Fan's lips curled slightly under the mask, and a silvery-white light flashed in his eyes.

In the next second, countless starlight motes emerged behind him.

There were a full twenty or so!

Upon reaching the Tier 3 Mage realm, a mage could condense a Star Array to cast spells.

A single Star Array was composed of five Star Patterns!

The starlight quickly condensed into Star Patterns.

Immediately following...

A massive silvery-white Star Array slowly took shape behind Lin Fan.

The terrifying pressure and powerful aura emitted by the Star Array were impossible to ignore.

The magic beast on the ground immediately sensed the danger.

Its massive body lunged, about to launch an attack on Lin Fan.

But Lin Fan's spell was already prepared.

What he cast...

...was a Space Element spell that could only be learned at the Tier 3 realm.

"Space Rend!"

Lin Fan shouted in a low voice.

In an instant.

The space around the magic beast began to warp and deform.

Visible cracks appeared in the air one after another.

They formed a massive circular barrier.

Like a shattered mirror, it firmly trapped the magic beast within.

The magic beast roared and charged toward the outside of the barrier.

But as soon as it touched those cracks, it was bounced back by an invisible shield.

It refused to give up, charging again and again, but it could not break through the cage formed by these cracks no matter what.

Lin Fan was also curious about the power of this spell and stood quietly to the side to observe.

Just then, the spatial cracks around the magic beast became increasingly dense.

Buzz!

A low hum, like the whistling of the wind, rang out, and the space enveloped by the circular cracks...

...along with the massive magic beast inside, vanished without a trace.

[Ding! Mission complete. Gained 10 experience points!]

Lin Fan: "..."

He looked at where the magic beast had been; it was completely empty.

Forget blood and shredded meat, not a single trace was left behind.

That magic beast—not even a scrap remained—had been completely annihilated within the spatial turbulence!

This spell... is simply too powerful!