Leaving the arena, we were about to head to the district where the refugees from the city of Bo lived, but near the exit, we saw a familiar figure. It was Mu Bai; he was heading to the arena and just passed us. Turning around, we saw that he had also stopped.
"Mu Bai, hello, how are you?" I asked, smiling awkwardly. "Are you going to train?"
"Huh? Jiaxing Yun, how did you get here? Oh, hello Zhou Min," he said, slightly stunned. "Yes, and you wanted something?"
"Well, we're done," I said. It would be nice to test his strength, but I didn't want to ask for a duel myself.
"Jiaxing Yun, what level have you reached already?" he asked, slightly hesitant due to the awkward silence.
"First stage of wind magic, intermediate level, and first stage of lightning magic, beginner," I replied with a calm smile. "And you?"
"First stage of ice, intermediate, and second stage of plant magic," Mu Bai replied in an indifferent tone. Zhou Min almost dropped her jaw at his words.
"It seems you don't communicate with him often," I remarked in a whisper, so only Zhou Min could hear. She just nodded in response. "It seems you've been training very hard."
"Yes, I was very impressed by Aquilon; he was so strong that he could single-handedly deal with so many black monsters that I decided that I would reach the same level at all costs. After all, back then, I could only rely on my artifact to do anything. I don't want my life to depend on someone else anymore; I will take it into my own hands," he replied, shrugging. "Maybe we should have a sparring match?"
"Yes, why not," I shrugged now. He himself offered to fight, so there was no point in refusing.
"Then wait, I'll pay for the arena," Mu Bai said, heading deeper into the building.
"Wait, I'll pay myself. You're probably short on money now, and spending it on training must be difficult," I said, deciding to help him a little, plus to win him over a bit. "I'm a hunter; I have money."
"Really? Well, alright. Money is indeed tight now. The family business that Uncle Mu He and I opened is just gaining momentum, so we can't afford much. I can only go to the arena once a week," he remarked sadly.
"Oh, you opened a business? What kind?" I asked, feigning surprise. Naturally, I already knew about this from the original.
"Selling various magical items, but it's difficult to break into an already existing market. So, after almost a year, we've just gotten on our feet and started earning normally, but there's not much free money yet," he said, a little more cheerfully, confirming my knowledge.
"Understood, then wait a minute, I'll pay quickly." I said, heading for the cash registers. Although it was a good moment to talk about Mu He, it was neither the time nor the place. Mu Bai doesn't trust me enough yet, I need more time. After quickly paying, I returned to them, and we went up to the arena together.
"Don't you need to rest?" Mu Bai asked, standing opposite me. "After all, you were training even before me, so you're probably tired."
"No, thank you, I'm fully ready," I replied with a smile. Mu Bai is likely one of the strongest mages of his age and could fight evenly with Mo Fan and Xu Zhaoting, but alas, he lacks the experience for it.
Mu Bai quickly drew up a star chart and summoned an ice prison. Three chains appeared behind him. Remembering his elements, I also remembered Bo Qingche's team; there was also a mage with the exact same elements, although Mu Bai's plant element is stronger than hers, but his plant element is much stronger. On the other hand, both he and she are absolutely no match for me, then and now. But here and now, I must restrain my strength and show the minimum of my abilities. This will give Zhou Ming a little understanding, rather revealing my combat skills, not my strength.
Without thinking long, Mu Bai sent three chains towards me at once; their speed was quite astonishing. I had to admit, he is stronger than that woman; he simply uses three chains instead of four for convenience. Perhaps now he can use five at once. He will definitely be a worthy opponent for Xu Zhaoting and Mo Fan, although they might be much stronger now than I know.
Instantly forming a star path of wind step, I dodged the attack, drew my daggers, and headed towards him. Mu Bai, controlling the chains, tried to block my path, especially surprised to see daggers in my hands. He also quickly formed a star path of plants, trying to grab my legs with vines, but he didn't succeed. I approached him within five meters, after which something completely unexpected happened.
Mu Bai created another chain, with which he threw himself aside, and then landed gently with the help of vines. He is definitely not a simple opponent, even though I'm playing with him. The remaining three chains began to attack me from three sides, covering all possible escape routes; I had no choice but to take their blow.
Instantly finishing the lightning seal spell, I used it to weaken the chain, then deflected it with a dagger strike. After that, creating another wind step, I accelerated, heading straight for Mu Bai. Of course, I could have just used a wind rush, but I didn't want to show new spells, especially to someone like Mu Bai; after all, he is very smart and cunning. Perhaps, if he's lucky, he could become my opponent, but it's unlikely.
Mu Bai used a freeze: an ice field, to bind my movements and slow me down. This was his ice magic of the third stage, beginner level. The effect was definitely good, but too small for me. He skillfully used vines and ice chains to attack and defend himself, moving around the arena. It was quite difficult to keep up with him without using my full potential. It was also difficult to reflect attacks without using the third stage of lightning magic and the high-level spiritual seed power. Most importantly, the constant effect of the freezing spell gradually slowed me down.
Mu Bai's fighting style was what I recommended to Xu Zhaoting. Attack using offensive skills and defend by dodging attacks using speed. Only in Mu Bai's case, his magic was quite versatile. His ice chains, as well as his vines, could both attack and defend him. However, such a strategy also had many drawbacks. Firstly, this tactic required great control over the battle. And this, in turn, greatly exhausted Mu Bai. Secondly, the energy expenditure was colossal, just like on my side; constant spellcasting quickly devoured my magical reserves.
Unfortunately for Mu Bai, my combat experience was far greater than his. So soon, when he started to get tired and could no longer keep track of everything, I got close to him and put a dagger to his throat, thus ending the duel. It was a good training session for both of us. Mu Bai practiced magic control, as well as combat skills against a fast opponent. I honed my skills, which was only possible with limitations. Otherwise, the fight would have ended very quickly with the very first exchange of blows, as Mu Bai simply wouldn't have had time to react, or in the worst case, wouldn't have withstood the power of my lightning.
"You won, where did you learn to fight like that? You're very fast," Mu Bai remarked, moving my hand away from his neck. To my slight surprise, there was only a little shock on his face, but not a trace of terror. He is definitely strong-willed.
"I learned it myself somehow, fighting monsters," I said calmly, stepping aside a little. "And you use the ice prison chains and vines quite resourcefully."
"Oh, it's nothing special. I thought I could increase my mobility and compete with wind mages that way. True, it only works in a limited area and is not good for escape," Mu Bai replied with a shrug. "I noticed you didn't use mid-level magic; have you been using it for so long? Judging by your wind step skills, that shouldn't be the case."
"No, I just decided to test what I'm capable of without mid-level magic," I said, heading towards Zhou Ming. "But I must admit, at a couple of moments, I wanted to use it against you."
"I see, so you're stronger than you showed," he said with a sad smile. "So now I'm against Zhou Ming? You've already fought each other, haven't you?"
"Yes, I suppose so," I smiled, then turned to Zhou Ming. "Did you notice how he uses ice magic? You can use it the same way, only instead of freezing everything around, you should freeze exactly what you need, and then your elements won't suppress each other." Coming closer to her, I added in a whisper, "Don't use that spell I taught you against him; practice it better first."
Nodding, she stepped forward, standing opposite Mu Bai. After that, just as with me, Mu Bai began to draw up the star chart for the ice prison, but Zhou Ming didn't let him do it; instead, she immediately attacked him with a fire wave. Mu Bai had to quickly jump back, dodging the attack, which caused him to lose concentration and interrupt the casting. Zhou Ming decided to close the distance, thinking that Mu Bai wouldn't be able to counter her.
Mu Bai tried to stop her, because if she got closer, he clearly wouldn't be able to dodge. However, Zhou Ming defended herself against the vines with relative success; the difference of almost two stages still made itself known. Also, Mu Bai began to use beginner-level ice magic, which also put a lot of pressure on Zhou Ming, but a fire mage won't be frozen by such ice.
The battle would have been almost equal if not for one thing. Mu Bai, taking advantage of Zhou Ming fighting his vines, managed to create an ice prison, after which everything was decided. Zhou Ming was bound by chains, and no matter how hard she tried to burn them, she only melted them slightly, but it was clearly not enough.
"Not bad," I applauded when the fight ended. "In a battle against a stronger opponent, Zhou Ming, you didn't lose confidence in victory and were able to hold on for so long, well done."
"Yeah, thanks for the words of comfort," she said angrily. "A year ago, we could have fought on equal terms; how could such a gap have formed in such a short time?"
"I trained hard, sometimes to complete exhaustion, to reach this level. In the arena, when I had the chance, I trained until my magical energy was completely depleted. I also thought a lot about how to use my elements and their combinations," Mu Bai informed calmly, even a little indifferently.
"I understand, I'm going to take a shower!" Zhou Ming said and, turning away, left the arena for the women's locker room.
"Mu Bai, we wanted to meet with former classmates; are you coming with us?" I asked him when Zhou Ming had completely left.
"Yes, why not? You paid for the arena, so I can't reserve it for myself," he replied with a shrug. "I'm interested in hearing your stories."
"Understood, then let's go," I said, heading for the men's locker room. "Listen, Mu Bai, I have a serious conversation with you," I said, suddenly becoming serious. It was time to talk about Mu He and the black church.
"What? What conversation?" he immediately asked. I needed to carefully lead him to the idea that Mu He is a traitor and a significant figure in the black church. But it was quite difficult, considering his extraordinary mind.