Time swiftly turned to night, and after dinner, Tilan and Mel arrived at the designated Blood Begonia Forest, where several people had already gathered, roughly forming two groups with 3-4 individuals each, speaking in hushed tones under the trees.
Yiming had not yet arrived, but according to the message she sent, she would be there soon and asked the two to wait a few more minutes.
The sky was adorned with a white moon, and together with the orange fire from the streetlamps not far away, the forest was not dark but slightly cold.
The trees that grew here were called Blood Begonia Dragon Trees because the bark of the tree was as densely ridged as sunflowers, very tough, and slightly spiked. As the trees grew taller, the bark near the roots would split and curl out, resembling dark red dragon scales, which was quite special.
The reason the academy planted these trees was that when the bark matured to dark red, it became a type of ritual spellcasting material. Ground into powder, it could also be used in some potions. However, this material was not scarce, so it was cultivated in a free-range manner within the academy, and the students were not bothered if they occasionally scraped some off for experiments.
"Has she still not arrived? That girl wouldn't have gotten scared off, would she?" a few people whispered on the other side of the forest. Sha Lin was surrounded by them in the center, her gaze occasionally shifting in this direction, with two witches holding wands and another holding a black puppy.
The group supporting Yiming, which included several students on good terms with her, was also present. Everyone was patient since Yiming said she would be there soon, but they were quite surprised and curious about the newly arrived students from Tilan's side.
"What are your names?" asked one of the girls, attempting to initiate conversation. Her hair was slightly curled, tied into fluffy pigtails on both sides, and she was dressed in a T-shirt and jacket with shorts and long socks.
"My name is Dantalion, I'm here as an exchange student to learn." The girl said as she lightly pressed a hand against her chest to introduce herself.
"Oh, I see, I knew I hadn't seen you before." She blinked, her dark gold hair shimmering silver under the moonlight.
"My name is Anjie Molly, I'm a classmate of Yiming. We've known each other since middle school," she said before continuing to inquire.
"Which academy are you from?"
"Yuanting Academy, the one famous for its Breed Masters." Tilan continued to introduce herself, then responded briefly until two minutes later, when Yiming arrived at the forest.
"Whew, finally made it." She appeared a bit sweaty, apparently having hurried on the way.
Seeing her arrival, a few familiar faces gathered around.
"We've been waiting for you. How are your preparations?"
"No problem, I made a few potions at the last minute and reinforced my Magic Artifact, I'm in great shape~" Yiming patted her chest in front of her friends, then nodded at Tilan and her companion as a greeting.
With both parties present, there was not much to say, and under the watchful eyes of their companions, the two women moved to the clearing in the middle of the forest. Soon after, the students spectating on both sides maintained a temporary barrier shield. As long as it wasn't a direct hard hit, it could easily deflect some of the fighting's residual effects.
"It's about to start."
"Are you ready?" the students on both sides asked once again.
In the moonlight, Sha Lin stood 20 meters in front of Yiming, her head slightly raised, bathing her face in the moonlight. She wore dark green velvet gloves, and the complex etchings on the back of her hands glowed one by one, with blood-red patterns twisted like a demon's grimace, intermixed with intricate ancient text.
"Blood Moon Witch·Crimson Devourer."
In an instant, her normally brown-black eyes turned a vivid red, like slowly flowing blood gems, highly conspicuous in the night, and then she moved. Her figure leaped up, arcing through the sky, rushing towards Yiming swiftly, and with an absence of any air-breaking sound, as if there was no air resistance, leaving behind two faint red lines traced across the sky.
Her slender legs twirled and flipped in the air, showered in the chilly moonlight, then she landed heavily, shattering the layers of Oak Shield that Yiming had in front of her, effortlessly as if tearing through decay.
And just as a shield shattered and split, Yiming's face abruptly appeared; she stood still, holding a brass lantern in her left hand, and her right hand dropped countless particles of Flash powder.
"Oak Witch·Tree Without Blood or Tears."
Amid the arcane Cursing Chants, the powder scattered into the wind and took flight. Behind Yiming, an immeasurably large silhouette of a giant tree slowly emerged. The frigid tree, as if Awakening, exuded a cold breath, slowly rose to its feet, casting its shadow over the whole arena, leaving no trace of moonlight to be seen.