Chapter 185: Section 185+: Soul-devouring Skill


    Returning to the Magic Academy, Zi Di sighed in relief, knowing she was temporarily safe.


    The academy boasted seven towers of Legendary Mages and possessed several passages leading to sixteen half-planes.


    It was one of the best Magic Academies in the Empire.


    To study here, Zi Di’s father had spent a fortune.


    The escape during the birthday banquet felt like a dream.


    Perhaps out of concern for reputation and face, the Garden City Lord didn’t seize the opportunity to make things difficult. Her father also continued to provide for Zi Di’s extravagant living and education costs without interruption.


    ...


    Zi Di’s life seemed to have returned to its former tranquility.


    However, she understood that her heart had undergone a tremendous change.


    She no longer used the money her father provided every month; she started to rely on herself.


    There were roughly three types of students in the Magic Academy.


    One type was the nobility, whose superior Bloodlines naturally bestowed high status.


    The second type was the children of the wealthy, like Zi Di, who had lower Bloodlines and modest talent for studying magic, limiting their lifelong achievements. However, being taken in as an apprentice by a mentor could yield a substantial monetary supply. The study and practice of magic consumed vast resources.


    The third type was the exceptionally talented commoners. These students, mostly with outstanding spiritual power, were filtered through the Empire’s selection system and included seeds of exceptional Bloodline Mutations. If these students could grow successfully, they often became the pillars of both the academy and the Empire.


    Zi Di’s refusal to use the funds provided by her father greatly displeased her mentor.


    The academy distributed a plethora of tasks daily, mainly for the commoner students. As a Bronze Level Magic Apprentice, Zi Di had a narrow range of tasks to accept, all of which were arduous to complete.


    But it was through these tasks that she struggled to survive.


    This, of course, was not enough to make her self-sufficient, and her situation became increasingly difficult.


    She no longer had exquisite dresses and started to compete with other students for higher paying tasks, sometimes going hungry when money was tight. Sёarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her plight became known to others.


    Former playmates and intimate friends all shunned her, some even offering scorn and seizing any opportunity to ridicule her.


    There were male students who kept hinting to Zi Di—there’s no need for you to live this hard. Actually, your conditions are not bad, you could make good use of your “natural resources”, and this way, you could easily exchange for a lot of resources. Sometimes, even beyond your imagination.


    Without exception, Zi Di firmly rejected these insinuations and implicit demands.


    She saw another side of the world.


    The once glorious and serene, noble and solemn Magic Academy now revealed its bloody and brutal side to her. Those Mage Towers intertwined into a peculiar jungle.


    The law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, was equally prevalent here.


    In this jungle, every life had its own way to survive.


    The strong stood alone; the weak bonded together.


    Of course, Zi Di was not among the strong, and at the same time, it was difficult for her to be accepted by the groups of the weak.


    Zi Di was like a canary in a nest on a high branch, who had suddenly fallen to the very bottom of this jungle. In the darkest depths of the jungle, where there was little light, she had to seize every sliver of sunlight, every bit of food and water to survive.


    Those as weak as her looked upon the canary-like creature with natural aversion, caution, and even a touch of schadenfreude.


    She stumbled and suffered continuously.


    Throughout the difficult process of survival, there were many temptations and traps.


    The hints from those male students never ceased, and the funds in her account kept accumulating over time… They all reminded her that she could regain her brilliance and relive the ease and glory of standing on high branches if she just gave up some things that seemed insignificant.


    But Zi Di never wavered.


    Sometimes, her determination astounded even herself.


    Gradually, with great difficulty, she found her footing in the highly competitive academy, learned self-reliance, and began to support herself.


    “I can finally support myself with my own hands, with my own labor!”


    This sense of achievement brought her joy and pride.


    But at the same time, she also felt inferior and discouraged.


    The harder she worked, the more she felt the impoverishment of her own potential and the dim prospects of her future.


    According to her spirit and bloodline, her lifetime’s greatest achievement would be Black Iron Level!


    This meant that in this unique jungle, her lifelong efforts would only just allow her to move out of the mire and reach the trunk. She couldn’t even climb to the lowest branches.


    Although Zi Di had long been aware of this, now she felt the despair more acutely than ever.


    She began to understand those companions around her, some of whom ridiculed and made life difficult for her, why they chose to use their bodies in exchange for a relatively easy and superior life.


    Understanding did not imply agreement.


    Being an extremely beautiful figure of the academy, Zi Di’s persistence and personal effort made her stand out and added to her charm.


    More and more suitors appeared around her, but all were met with her stern rejection.


    One of her suitors, formerly unremarkable, had suddenly bloomed with radiance.


    “Miss Zi Di, do you know why my strength has improved by leaps and bounds?” The suitor, after a long time of lurking, finally found the opportunity to talk to Zi Di alone.


    Zi Di was slightly taken aback, “What do you mean?”


    “Aren’t you curious about my performance? My bloodline is nearly the same as yours,” the suitor smiled.


    “Are you saying you have a method to change your bloodline?” Zi Di asked, surprised.


    The male student silently smiled, shook his head, and said, “Change the bloodline, how could you have such a na?ve thought? Bloodlines cannot be changed; they are determined at the time of a person’s birth.”


    “Even if there is a bloodline awakening, it’s just that one originally possessed such potential.”


    “We’ve all had our bloodlines tested upon entering the academy, our potential is as it is, you shouldn’t hold any hope for that aspect.”


    Zi Di frowned, “Then you…”


    The male student took a deep breath, “My dear Miss Zi Di, you have to understand one thing, there are many types of power, magic, fighting energy, divine arts… and within magic, there are many subdivisions, Fire Element, Space Department, Thunder Element, Wind Element, Summoning System…”


    “Our bloodlines have very low potential in these schools, but these magic disciplines were also invented one by one, and then prospered.”


    “Now, there is such a new discipline. Perhaps your bloodline could help you more in this field.”


    Zi Di furrowed her brows, “What are you really trying to say?”


    “Here, take this.” The male student actively handed Zi Di a rolled-up piece of parchment.


    Zi Di unfolded the parchment and immediately her pupils shrank, she couldn’t help but gasp, “Soul-devouring Skill? Undead Magic? Have you lost your mind?”


    “Hehehe.” The male student’s face was full of mockery, “I’ve lost my mind? Indeed, reality is pushing me to the brink of madness. But I would rather be a madman and learn Undead Magic because it can help me change my status quo and, to some extent, break through the existing limits!”


    “You and I are the same, our talents are too mediocre, and our bloodlines too common.”


    “Without going a little mad, we’ll always be at the bottom, stepped on by others.”


    “But with this spell, I can use my spirit to devour other people’s spirits, thus strengthening my spiritual power!”


    “How about it? Do you accept or not?”


    Zi Di’s face turned pale.


    The suitor in front of her had a pale face, dark circles under his eyes, and a maniacal expression—one look and you knew something wasn’t right.


    If she refused, she would almost certainly be attacked by this suitor.


    Since he had revealed the Undead Magic, he would surely kill to silence her. And unfortunately, this place was a secluded part of the street.


    “And… spiritual power…” Zi Di was all too aware of the significance of the spirit for a Mage.


    On one hand was the despair over her own bloodline and talent, and on the other was the prospect of a new school of magic. Perhaps, as the suitor claimed, she would perform better in the school of Undead.


    Zi Di felt her mouth dry.


    She knew she was tempted.


    Her bloodline and talent confined her, making her a Black Iron for life. But perhaps… If she practiced Undead Magic, could her bloodline talent be stronger in this area?


    “This spell, I… will take it.” After a moment of hesitation, Zi Di said stiffly, “Thank you.”


    “Hehehe, let’s sign a contract first. Don’t worry, I won’t make things difficult for you. The contract is lenient, it’s just to prevent you from reporting me as soon as you leave,” the suitor laughed heartily.


    The contract had no problems, and Zi Di signed it.


    “From now on, we are the same kind of people. Hehehe.” Someone passed by, the suitor immediately slipped into the shadows and left the area.


    Afterward, Zi Di also left with a heavy heart.


    At first, she stored the spell on a high shelf, not daring to touch it.


    She was extremely hesitant about practicing Undead Magic.


    As time passed, her situation became even more difficult.


    Her mentor, after several hints and explicit statements to no avail, finally lost patience and stripped her of her position under his command.


    This added insult to injury for her.


    With no bloodline talent, having lost her wealth, and unwilling to sell her beauty, Zi Di seemed to have fallen into a trap of despair with no way out, nowhere to escape.


    Finally, one deep night, alone, Zi Di once again unfolded the parchment detailing the Undead Magic with trembling fingers.


    She began to attempt practicing Undead Magic!


    Her soul was gradually transformed by the power of the Undead Magic.


    “Devour… If I devour a person’s spirit, my spiritual power will increase tremendously!” The intense temptation nearly overwhelmed Zi Di.


    “No, how can I become a murderer?”


    “A single misstep leads to a path of continued errors. I cannot descend into the abyss of sin.”


    “Think about it carefully, I only need the spirits of intelligent life! I don’t have to strike against the Human Race; there are countless foreign slaves in the slave market.”


    The tempted Zi Di began to search the slave market for suitable targets.


    Boom!


    A loud bang, and flames erupted from a house on the street.


    “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me!”


    The familiar voice made Zi Di, who was passing by, freeze, and then she saw the suitor who had given her the Undead Magic burst out of the fiery house, running desperately.


    A long spear shot out with the speed of a thunderbolt. The suitor couldn’t dodge in time and was impaled on the spot.


    “We received a tip and have verified that he has been corrupted, becoming an Undead Mage!” The City Guard came out from the burning house and loudly explained to the onlookers.


    Accompanying them was a mentor from the Magic Academy.


    He cast a spell in public, and under the effect of the spell, the suitor’s soul appeared, visible to the naked eye.


    His soul shimmered with a thick gray light, a characteristic of the power of an Undead Mage.


    The onlookers exclaimed, and then they burst into shouts: “Kill the Undead Mage!”


    “Smash his soul to pieces, completely annihilate him!”


    “Well done, City Guard!”


    Zi Di stood to one side, her face as white as paper.


    The suitor’s human-shaped soul was screaming hysterically, emitting a sharp and piercing noise.


    Suddenly, he spotted Zi Di.


    Mad with rage, he charged towards the girl.


    “No, don’t come near me!” In her panic, the girl stumbled backward and fell to the ground.


    A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, annihilating the suitor’s soul.


    “You’re also an apprentice from the academy, right? Your combat prowess needs improvement,” said the Magic Academy mentor as he destroyed the Undead with lightning and helped Zi Di to her feet.


    “Mentor…” Zi Di’s eyes were vacant, her mind flooded with the image of the suitor’s soul being obliterated by the lightning.


    “Let me check to see if you have been infected by the Undead Magic,” the Magic Mentor cast a Detecting Spell once again.


    After all, the suitor’s Dead Soul had nearly reached Zi Di.


    The girl felt as if she was falling into an icy abyss, her heart raced in panic, and she was overwhelmed with endless fear.


    However, after the spell swept over her, there was no reaction.


    “Don’t worry, you are healthy,” said the mentor after extinguishing the fire in the house and then left.


    Zi Di stood motionless until the City Guard and the onlookers had all dispersed, and only then did she come to her senses.


    She was drenched in cold sweat and listlessly dragged her steps, leaving the place.


    After returning, she fell seriously ill and no longer entertained the idea of touching Undead Magic.