Chapter 5: You Are Definitely Not Mages
This was a spacious living room, decorated with a particularly ancient charm. Yet, it was a place many mages could only dream of visiting. This was the room where the Ancient One's Disciple attended classes, and it also served as the meeting place where the Ancient One and other top-tier mages held discussions. In the quiet room, only the Ancient One sat, pouring tea for herself. She raised her cup, slowly savoring the momentary beauty and leisure brought by the tranquil aroma of the tea.
As the Ancient One set down her teacup, a child's voice filled with joy and anticipation broke the beautiful silence. Upon hearing this voice, the Ancient One's brow relaxed even further, and even the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"Teacher! I'm here! Catch me!" As soon as the words fell, the Ancient One extended her hands and steadily yet gently caught the child who had pounced into her embrace.
"You little rascal! Using your abilities everywhere again. What if you bump into something?" the Ancient One said, dotingly stroking the hair of the cute little boy in her arms, and then...
The Ancient One also began to knead and play with Lan Xingyu's little face.
Ah, Xingyu's face is still so fun to play with. I simply can't stop; I can't help myself. The Ancient One held Lan Xingyu with one hand while playing with his face with the other, rubbing here and pinching there.
Should I find another excuse to freeze him in place and then have some fun kneading him? This face is just too fun to play with, the Ancient One thought mischievously.
Lan Xingyu suddenly felt a bit of a chill behind his back! He couldn't help but shiver and burrowed further into the Ancient One's embrace. To him, the current Ancient One was like a combination of a mother and a teacher. Having never received motherly love in either of his two lives, he cherished and enjoyed this immensely. But if Lan Xingyu knew what the Ancient One was thinking, he would probably be covered in black lines...
"Teacher, did you really agree to take me to see how you fight to defend against extra-dimensional invasions? That's great!" Lan Xingyu said happily.
"Have you really thought it through? Although it is difficult for an Advanced mage to be absent from the fight against extra-dimensional invasions unless they have specific injuries or illnesses, you are an exception. Contacting a battle involving life and death might be a bit too early for you. I know you are mature, and you even see through some things more clearly and maintain a steadier mindset than those newly joined young mages. But I still don't want you to be exposed to life and death so early," the Ancient One said, stroking Lan Xingyu's hair with heartache.
The Ancient One also knew that Lan Xingyu couldn't be viewed through the eyes of a child; she even felt that Lan Xingyu had the mindset of an adult (to be fair, this guy is indeed an adult in terms of his Soul...).
She had clearly promised Lan that she would take good care of Xingyu, yet her responsibilities as the Sorcerer Supreme forced her to leave Xingyu frequently, sometimes for days or even a month at a time. Lan Xingyu was also sensible; he never complained and even began to be independent at the age of three and a half. But every time she went back to see Xingyu and saw a child using a pot as big as anyone else's to stir-fry, she would always feel guilty and heartbroken.
"Believe me, Teacher! I'm really ready," Lan Xingyu said firmly, his eyes full of resolve. Because when Lan Xingyu accidentally heard from Mordo about his mother's greatness and why she died, he made up his mind that he must destroy that bastard Mephisto. This was also why Lan Xingyu worked so hard to improve his strength.
Because he couldn't stand it. In his previous life, his parents had already left him, and in this life, when he could have obtained the motherly love he dreamed of, it was because of Mephisto...
"Alright, if you're truly ready, we'll set off together this afternoon. Although this is only a small-scale monster invasion, you must be careful," the Ancient One said solemnly. Of course, if her hand weren't still pinching his face, he would have felt it was a bit more serious...
"Then let's go back and have lunch. After eating, Xingyu, take a good rest, and I'll come pick you up at three."
"Mhm, okay, hee hee!"
————— I am a divider line —————
Lan Xingyu got up from bed, fully equipped and ready to go. Looking at the golden light emanating from his hand, he thought, Mephisto, you just wait. I'll destroy you sooner or later. Now I have completely mastered the power of the glint-glint fruit and the magic in my mind; next, I need to start practicing my Three Types of Haki. Unfortunately, I'm still young; although my strength and physical intensity surpass ordinary people, I'm still growing after all. I need to carefully consider the degree of how to train.
"Xingyu, are you ready?" Just as the child was thinking about his future training plan, a light circle appeared in front of him.
"Always ready!" Xingyu said firmly, and after saying it, his whole being felt energized. He thought to himself that he had wanted to say this phrase in his previous life; ever since he watched 'I Am a Special Forces Soldier' in his past life, Lan Xingyu had a dream of being a soldier, but he transmigrated before it could be realized. Now that he finally said it, it felt great.
The Ancient One was momentarily stunned by Lan Xingyu's answer. Always ready? Looking at Lan Xingyu's figure now, it was as if she saw Lan smiling and saying to her again, 'I'm always ready, Master.'
"Good! Then let's set off!" This time, the Ancient One truly set aside her concerns and set off with Lan Xingyu.
As soon as Lan Xingyu stepped out of the Teleportation Gate, he saw a space with magic circles forming a defensive barrier. The battle mages of Kamar-Taj were all fully equipped and ready for action.
"Stay by my side for now and watch the battle. You can head out once you've adjusted," the Ancient One said.
"Mhm, okay!" Lan Xingyu had already begun to adjust his state. He wanted to win what he considered his first battle in his best possible condition.
"Boost, Accelerator," Lan Xingyu cast two spells on himself. Boost was to strengthen his body's power, defense, and stamina, while Accelerator could significantly increase a person's speed.
Indeed, with these spells, Xingyu could achieve Super-luminal movement that would make various physical powerhouses turn in their graves! In his normal state, Lan Xingyu was already acknowledged by the Kamar-Taj mages as the number one person below the Ancient One. And after using these two spells, unless the Ancient One used the Time Stone, she wouldn't be a match for Lan Xingyu. After all, the saying 'In the world of martial arts, no defense is impenetrable, and speed is the only thing that cannot be countered' wasn't said for nothing.
Because in this state, when Lan Xingyu activated his Super-luminal time, everything around him was nearly stationary while he could still move at high speed. I ask you, how can you fight me in this situation?
Just as Xingyu finished buffing himself, the space opposite the barrier seemed to be forcibly torn and shattered. One by one, bizarre-looking monsters rushed toward the mages guarding the barrier.
The mages weren't idle either. One hand manifested a magic circle while the right hand held a staff (actually a scepter), and then... they rushed up for melee combat...
It's not that I want to write about battle mages or anything; it's that damn Kamar-Taj mages are mostly melee fighters...
Although he had seen it in the movies, seeing it happen for real before his eyes still left Lan Xingyu a bit dazed. What do you mages use all that magic power for? Every single one of you goes for melee? This is toxic!
Watching the mages use the 'Staff of the Living Tribunal' in their hands to cleave the monsters rushing at them in half, while Lan Xingyu was trying to adjust, he couldn't help but complain in his heart: "These are damn mages? Even Captain America doesn't do it like you guys! Don't you feel like you're straying further and further from the mage aesthetic?"
It must be said that although he kept saying he was ready before coming, seeing this scene of flesh and blood flying everywhere still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
The Ancient One had been paying attention to Lan Xingyu. Seeing him start to feel uncomfortable, she spoke up: "How about we forget it? This is still too early for you."
"No! I'll be fine in a moment, Teacher. Believe me!" Lan Xingyu said firmly.
Lan Xingyu slapped his own face with both hands, thinking to himself: "What are you doing? You're a person in your twenties, yet you're still so fragile. How can you help Mom get revenge like this? How can you kill Mephisto?" Taking a deep breath, Lan Xingyu found that he actually began to slowly adapt.
A few minutes later, Lan Xingyu closed his eyes. When he opened them again, any discomfort was gone.
"Teacher!"
"Go! If anything happens, I'll back you up. Let yourself go!" The Ancient One knew that although the discomfort was gone, the first time killing always required some venting. And combat was the best way to vent.
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Thank you for reading to the end of this chapter, and if you can help by giving me votes of confidence, I would appreciate it ^_^