"If you're looking for your brother, he went out with someone else. Probably to the Maple Grove."

Seeing Bai Lingyue standing at the classroom door and peering inside, Harold stepped out and spoke up. With her beautiful silver hair and delicate features, she was hard to miss for any guy. Even Harold couldn't help stealing a few extra glances.

"Oh, thanks."

As Lingyue thanked him, Harold had already turned and left.

Then another person approached Lingyue, who was still standing there.

"As for Yan Lingxuan, he seemed to have gone out with Zaku. Gavi, Yu Xiaozhuo, and Su Fangwen are with them too."

When the girl smiled, her lips curled up slightly, giving a playful, cute vibe. But a closer look revealed a dignified, virtuous beauty.

Afa, class rep for 1-G, was Arab. Yet with mixed Aryan ancestry, her fair skin, light blue eyes, and faintly golden hair set her apart from typical Arabs. Her doll-like face and infectious smile made her a vibrant beauty. Valhalla Academy had no shortage of pretty girls, but Afa ranked among the top.

"Someone already told me that. Thanks."

"Guess I butted in unnecessarily. Heh~"

"No, it's fine. Please tell me anything about my brother if you can."

Watching Bai Lingyue's honest, serious expression, Afa found it refreshing and a bit surprising.

"Okay, well, I'm the class rep after all. Yan Lingxuan is a new transfer student, so looking out for him is part of my duty. I just don't know why Zaku is bothering him this time."

When thinking, Afa had a habit of pressing her fist against her lips. It made her look both gentle and childlike, adding to her cuteness.

"Hello."

Sherlock, stepping out of the classroom, bumped into Bai Lingyue and had to greet her first. Truth was, they rarely interacted, and Sherlock always found Bai Lingyue's attitude cold.

"Hello."

Bai Lingyue responded lightly.

"Yan Lingxuan is probably at the Maple Grove."

"I see. I'll go check."

Sherlock knew about Zaku and Yan Lingxuan's private fight—it was hard not to. Zaku had been shouting about it after every class this morning. Almost the whole class knew.

"Then I'll go too. After all, I'm with the Student Council."

"I still have tasks from the teacher unfinished. I'll take my leave first."

"Mm, goodbye."

"Bye."

After Afa left, Sherlock and Bai Lingyue walked together down the hallway.

"So Sherlock is this proactive?"

Faced with Bai Lingyue's odd comment, Sherlock frowned. Of course she wasn't proactive. Stopping private fights was one thing; finding a chance to discipline Yan Lingxuan was another.

"Why do you say that? I'm just doing my duty as a Student Council member."

"Nothing much. I just feel a bit uneasy, like my brother might be taken away."

"Huh?"

Sherlock instantly understood. Lingyue had a very strange misunderstanding—thinking Sherlock had feelings for Yan Lingxuan. What an utter disgrace!

"Relax, I have zero interest in your brother. It's surprising you'd even think that. What makes you believe that?"

"Just a hunch."

...

...

Magic Arrays have existed for about four thousand years, the oldest traceable magic civilization. By studying ancient engravings, murals, and texts, humans replicated their complex principles, bringing ancient magic back to life.

The origin isn't actually that complex. Like playing cat's cradle, weaving Magic Power along fixed paths creates patterns—Magic Patterns—that produce various effects. But why? No one knows. Like the periodic table, humans aren't creators; we can only follow the world's rules. Many remain unknown, making it worth deep research.

"Better to avoid it."

Not knowing the Magic Array's effect, Yan Lingxuan dodged the one extending from Zaku's feet for safety.

This array looked like a track, one meter wide, made of lines and strange symbols. Blue, green, and red lights flickered.

Having only taken beginner magic classes, Yan Lingxuan naturally hadn't encountered intermediate-level Magic Arrays or their applications.

What was Zaku up to?

Yan Lingxuan easily avoided it, but Zaku's grin didn't fade. His mouth stayed wide open.

As Yan Lingxuan pondered, another Magic Array appeared under Zaku's feet. Just like before, it shot straight toward him. The previous array hadn't vanished; it remained.

Though the array formed quickly, it was much slower than Yan Lingxuan's speed. A simple jump to the side avoided it easily.

"What trick is this? You can't even touch me."

Yan Lingxuan taunted deliberately. Zaku didn't respond, continuing to spawn arrays from his feet.

"Seems Yan Lingxuan doesn't know this is Zaku's signature magic."

Gavi and Yu Xiaozhuo, seemingly aware of the array's purpose, wore knowing expressions.

"What does this Magic Array do?"

"You'll find out soon. It's no fun if I tell you now."

To Su Fangwen's question, Gavi kept it mysterious but warned Yan Lingxuan:

"Be careful not to get surrounded by Zaku's arrays. And never step on one—it'll be troublesome."

"Even if you say that, I don't quite get it."

As he spoke, Yan Lingxuan dodged another extending array. Glancing around, he saw the area was now filled with Magic Arrays.

The track-like arrays multiplied, never disappearing. They accumulated, covering a 300-square-meter area.

With ground space narrowing, Yan Lingxuan could have taken to the air. But he didn't. A strange urge made him want to experience the array's power.

"Enough. Waiting like this is boring. There's a saying: 'The best defense is a good offense.'"

Yan Lingxuan stopped fleeing. Facing the extending array, a faint smile curved his lips. Just as it neared him, his figure vanished.

From afar, Su Fangwen saw Yan Lingxuan appear before Zaku in a blink. He raised a fist glowing with intense magic light and swung it at Zaku.

Yan Lingxuan hadn't just been dodging. He'd been gathering Magic Power during the gaps, and now it was time to unleash it!

As the fist swung, a gust of wind erupted. Weeds and dead leaves in front were blown away by the leaking magic power. But it missed.

Due to the miss, Yan Lingxuan stumbled forward a few steps off-balance. On the fourth step, a deep footprint stopped his forward momentum.

Releasing his spirit to connect with ambient Magic Power, Yan Lingxuan activated his Magic Sense. Instantly locating Zaku, he turned to see him appear over ten meters away.

How did he move? It was invisible.

"Hehe, time for my attack."

Zaku laughed happily. His giant body vanished before Yan Lingxuan's eyes.

The moment Yan Lingxuan's eyes widened, the dark figure appeared abruptly before him. Simultaneously, a fist slammed into his abdomen.

"Pop."

A crisp sound, followed by the thunderous crash of a falling tree.

Yan Lingxuan lay under a broken tree stump, pain flashing across his face.

"Don't look so pained. I know that punch didn't hurt you much."

Zaku shook his slightly sore fist.

Yan Lingxuan stood up again. His upper body shimmered with a silver sheen—Magic Armor. Brushing dust off his pants, he looked back at Zaku with a renewed expression: excitement.

Good thing he activated Magic Armor in time, or it would've been bad. But it still hurt...

"From what just happened, and Gavi's warning not to get surrounded, I've figured out this array's function. It's not for direct attack—it's for movement, right?"

"Correct. One of my specialties, 'Movement Track.' As long as I stand on it, I can break the sound barrier, ignoring physics. No one can catch me on the 'Movement Track.'"

From Zaku's confident smile, he wasn't lying. He didn't bother hiding it.

"Seems true. I've already thought of a way to counter it."

Yan Lingxuan leaped into the air. His solution was simple: leave the 'Movement Track' range. After all, no one said aerial combat was off-limits before the fight.

"Hmph, even if you fly, I still have ways to deal with you!" Sure enough, Zaku had a counter ready.

Magic Power surged around Zaku. Instantly, a flat Magic Array, twenty meters in diameter, appeared in the sky, radiating light downward.

Bathed in the array's light, Yan Lingxuan felt his body grow abnormally heavy. He could still fly, but his speed dropped drastically. This Gravity Magic resembled what Lingyue used, but its power was minuscule—less than one percent of hers.

Zaku flew toward Yan Lingxuan, but his movements were slow. Maintaining so many arrays was taxing. Still, he grinned as he neared Yan Lingxuan, fist clenched.

Just as Zaku was about to strike Yan Lingxuan down, several bolts of lightning suddenly appeared, streaking across the sky and hitting both of them.