A stone spear shot straight toward the crowd at Central Academy Square. Though thrown, its speed rivaled a cannonball’s.

The spear brimmed with terrifying power—not ordinary stone. Like the Flame Wolf King’s fireball, it could erase everyone at Central Academy Square instantly.

Mo Qing, moving fast, saw the entire village gathered there. They were barely twenty meters away.

In an instant, every hair on Mo Qing’s body stood on end. A ferocious beast seemed to charge from behind. Her body froze.

Villagers waited, magic arrays unactivated. Their eyes widened in horror. Elders knew the truth: that spear would annihilate them all!

Sensing extreme danger, Mo Qing forced herself to act. She shoved the burly couple aside and conjured ice shields before and behind her—without incantation! Silent casting was possible with mastery, though weaker.

Mo Qing knew she couldn’t dodge this. She’d die for sure. After erecting a shield behind her, she piled all power into shields ahead. She aimed to buy villagers extra protection before the spear pierced her. Slowing it might give elders time to activate the barrier.

True to her hope, elders acted decisively. Understanding her sacrifice, they began the ritual. Just then, the spear struck the ice shield a meter behind her. The shield crumbled like sand. Next, it would pierce Mo Qing, shatter all shields, and plow into the crowd.

The burly man’s wife wailed Mo Qing’s name. Villagers on Central Academy Square stared in rage. Elders sweated profusely. All knew Mo Qing was doomed. Activate the barrier now—or everyone died!

In that moment, Mo Qing felt eerie calm. Her life flashed by—joy, sorrow, pain, despair, hope. All emotions passed, leaving utter silence. She heard no screams, no roar of Voidbreaker from behind. Only stillness. She turned her head slightly toward the couple.

“Sorry. So close, yet I couldn’t save you.”

Once activated, the barrier couldn’t deactivate; restarting took a full day. Mo Qing slowly closed her eyes.

“Sorry, Little Yi. Auntie can’t teach you cooking anymore…”

“Sorry, old man. I can’t grow old with you… though you’re almost there anyway…”

“And… sorry, Yu’er. Mom… will never… see you again…”

“Farewell.”

A single tear traced her cheek. The stone spear arrived!

Then, a hand gripped the spear—moving deceptively slow.

…

Rewind slightly. Yan Yi shuddered. A powerful aura surged into Ink Village, heading straight for Central Academy Square.

Yan Yi usually dismissed such attacks. But this one’s path held Mo Qing!

His heart turned to ice. He didn’t fear injury—even welcomed it sometimes. No self-harm tendencies, but Mo Qing, only Class D, had zero survival chance. Her body might shatter.

Memories flooded him: life in the village, that beautiful, cute (well, not quite), sometimes ditzy auntie, her proud face teaching him breakfast. His chest tightened. One thought: Go! Go now!

He stepped forward. The ground cracked. Walls splintered. Yan Yi released his power restraint. Not full strength, but the fastest he could muster.

He outpaced the spear. In a blink, he stood before Central Academy Square. Controlling his power to avoid collateral damage, his left hand gripped the spear—just a foot from Mo Qing’s back.

Mo Qing expected piercing pain. Instead, a gentle breeze brushed her. It wasn’t strong; she just stumbled, leaning on her front ice shield.

Confused, she thought: That was wind pressure? The spear’s front should’ve generated crushing force. This was too weak!

Mo Qing opened her eyes slowly. What happened? Through the transparent ice shield, she saw villagers’ stunned faces. Elders, mid-ritual, gaped, hands frozen.

She turned her head slowly. Her jaw dropped. Yan Yi stood with his back to her, left hand clamped on the spear. Cracks spread under his feet, but no skid marks—he’d stopped the spear dead on contact. Its immense kinetic energy drained into the earth. Yan Yi didn’t flinch a hair!

The spear still glowed with enchantment runes—power, speed, earth magic. It shimmered brilliantly, yet looked ordinary otherwise.

Yan Yi’s left hand squeezed lightly. *Boom!* The spear turned to dust.

…

On Shan Hill, the blue-haired youth froze. He sensed his magic severed. His first thought: Could this weak-looking village have a decent barrier?

He didn’t dwell. Raising a hand, he muttered.

“Earth Element, Basic Transmutation: Stone Spear! Enchant: Power—Piercing Force! Enchant: Speed—Swift Wings!”

As he spoke, rock layers rose from the ground, forming a spear in his hand. Two faint glows enveloped it; runes appeared.

He tested its weight, then stepped into a lunge. Pulling back, he hurled it toward Central Academy Square again!

Simple logic: If once failed, try again. No tiny village had a Class B+ barrier.

But he missed the crucial point: Ink Village had a powerhouse! A monster far beyond him!

…

Yan Yi sighed inwardly. Made it. He turned to check on Mo Qing. Then he remembered—he’d totally shown off. No explanation ready. Turn or not? Villagers’ stunned faces made it awkward.

Yan Yi decided to embrace the awkwardness. Then another aura surged. Rage flared in him.

“I haven’t settled with you yet. Daring to strike again? You’re dead!”