Chapter 142 What Business Is It of Yours?

“Boom!”

The fire elemental giant’s fist struck the solid-stone barrier with tremendous force, sending fragments of rock flying in every direction. Had Hope’s casting materials not been so powerful, they likely would not have withstood even a single blow.

After blocking the fire elemental’s attack, Hope cast another shield to reinforce his defenses.

But by the time the shield appeared outside the barrier, Chu Yun’s Annihilation Divine Thunder had already descended.

The Annihilation Divine Thunder possessed a powerful shield-breaking effect. It shattered Hope’s shield, and the fire elemental giant followed with another punch, finally smashing an opening into the barrier.

Flames immediately poured through the breach toward Hope inside. Hope hurriedly tore open a scroll to defend himself, then surrendered to Chu Yun.

“Wait, I surrender. I’m no match for you.”

Hope was somewhat unwilling to accept defeat. After all, he had not even had the chance to use his trump card.

But battles did not always go according to one’s wishes.

After this fight, Hope felt that perhaps he ought to reserve one of those flying wings he had previously looked down upon. If he could cast earth-element spells from the air, many of them could be transformed into attacks involving falling rocks.

Chu Yun ordered the fire elemental giant to stop and withdrew the flames, bringing the battle to an end.

Nelson nodded and turned to the other two mages. “There is no doubt that Chu Yun has won this battle. Do either of you have any objections?”

The examination for a third-tier mage required not only Nelson’s approval, but also the approval of at least two other third-tier mages. As the defeated party, Hope naturally no longer had the right to vote.

Of the two remaining mages, Chu Yun needed only one to approve him in order to become a third-tier mage.

If neither mage approved him, Chu Yun could choose one of them and challenge that person again after resting and recovering at a later time. Of course, if Nelson refused his approval, it would not matter even if the other three agreed.

This system made the examination relatively fair and impartial. The other two examiners had no objections. They were equally pleased to see the guild gain a genuinely capable third-tier mage. Chu Yun had earned their approval through both his earlier lessons and his performance in this battle.

Once everyone had signed the examination form, Nelson came before Chu Yun and handed him the badge he had prepared in advance. Then, in front of everyone, he announced:

“Congratulations to Chu Yun on becoming a third-tier mage certified by the Blackstone City Mage Guild!”

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the arena. To the students, today had not only given them the chance to witness a battle between high-level mages, but also to see the birth of a third-tier mage. Chu Yun lived at the academy; perhaps, whenever he was in the mood, he might even come and teach them a lesson.

Just as everyone was rejoicing for Chu Yun, a discordant voice rang out once again.

“Chu Yun, the Crown Prince wishes to see you.”

Leotis approached the edge of the trial grounds with a dark expression.

He truly did not want to antagonize the Mage Guild, but he had no choice but to obey the Crown Prince’s orders. He could not help envying those free professionals. If he were a fifth-tier powerhouse without an official position, even the Crown Prince would have to bow his head before him.

Unfortunately, his family was vast and depended on him for support. Not everyone had the right to choose freedom.

Facing Leotis, a fifth-tier dragon knight, Nelson could no longer rebuke him as he had before. Even so, he still intended to protect Chu Yun.

“Chu Yun, come with us.”

Nelson had no idea what the Crown Prince was planning.

Frowning, Chu Yun followed Nelson and Leotis toward the Crown Prince. The mirror in his pocket was already prepared.

If the Crown Prince proved incapable of reading the situation, tonight might well become his day of death.

When the Crown Prince finally saw Chu Yun walking toward him, he excitedly activated the Holy Lance behind his back.

This battle had made him even more certain that Chu Yun was the person who had obtained the divine fragment. Otherwise, someone as young as him would have become famous long ago if he could summon an elite monster like a fire elemental giant.

Communication in this world was not backward. The major intelligence organizations and newspapers would certainly never overlook a genius of such extraordinary talent.

“He must have suddenly grown stronger after obtaining the divine fragment!” the Crown Prince thought with absolute certainty.

Yet when Chu Yun came before him, the Holy Lance behind his back remained completely still.

Unwilling to believe it, the Crown Prince continued trying to activate the lance, but the result remained unchanged.

“How is this possible?”

The Crown Prince began to panic. He had already seen most of the powerful figures in Blackstone City the previous night, yet had found no clues.

If he could not locate the divine fragment, he would have no way to grow stronger or truly control the Holy Lance. When that time came, his fate would be utterly miserable. The Second Prince’s mother had been killed by his own mother. Although there was no evidence, the Crown Prince understood the Second Prince well enough to know that he would never be spared.

“What do you want?”

Chu Yun felt that the man before him was rather strange. His expression changed several times in the span of a single second.

Hearing Chu Yun’s question, the Crown Prince abruptly came to his senses.

“Have you absorbed the divine fragment?”

Desperate, the Crown Prince questioned him outright, hoping to judge the truth from Chu Yun’s expression.

The moment those words were spoken, everyone was stunned, and all eyes turned toward Chu Yun.

Although Chu Yun was surprised, he did not take it too seriously.

From the moment he absorbed the divine fragment, he had known that something like this might happen. This was a world of magic, and there would always be people capable of using special means to locate those carrying divine fragments, just as one might use a hound to track down Anna.

“That’s right. I did absorb the divine fragment. So what? What does it have to do with you?”

Chu Yun answered with a smile.

With the Mirror World in his possession, he could disregard worldly laws and ignore the coercion of the powerful. He was the freest person in the world.

“You—you really absorbed the divine fragment?”

The Crown Prince had never imagined that Chu Yun would actually admit it.

“That’s impossible! If you truly absorbed the divine fragment, how could the Holy Lance have shown no reaction?”

After Chu Yun’s admission, the Crown Prince instead suspected that he was deliberately mocking him and found himself unable to believe his words.

“Hmm? The Holy Lance? What sort of reaction is it supposed to have?”

Chu Yun looked at Nelson in confusion.

Hearing mention of the Holy Lance, Nelson finally understood as well.

“The Holy Lance has not been brought out in a very long time, so the younger generation may not know this. But the elders all understand that the Holy Lance reacts when it approaches a divine core or a fragment of one.”

“Heh. So the Crown Prince came all the way here to find someone carrying a divine fragment? I suppose the Holy Lance must be broken. I clearly did absorb a divine fragment. What does Your Highness intend to do next?”

Chu Yun appeared calm, but in truth, he had already sensed that something was wrong.

The reflected divine fragment had indeed reacted. The reason the Holy Lance had shown no response was that, for some unknown reason, every reaction had taken place inside the Mirror World.

Through the reflected divine fragment, Chu Yun could sense that the Holy Lance within the Mirror World was now trembling violently. He guessed that this was likely a special effect of the reflected divine fragment.

After hearing Nelson’s explanation, the surrounding mages felt their hearts jolt. They remembered that they, too, had been invited to the banquet the previous night. At the time, the Crown Prince had greeted nearly everyone while carrying the Holy Lance on his back, just as he was doing now.

At first, they had assumed he wanted to show everyone the Holy Lance. Yet he had never taken it down. Thinking back on it now, the purpose of that banquet had clearly been nothing more than to find the bearer of the divine fragment.

Everyone’s gaze toward the Crown Prince became distinctly unfriendly. One by one, they stared at him, waiting for his answer.

This was Nelson’s small act of revenge. Otherwise, there would have been no need for him to announce the matter publicly.