"We are recruiting apprentices with magical talent, everything is lawful and by the rules.

  Then this brat suddenly charged in and started slaughtering us like a madman! He is a bloodthirsty killer. Please act quickly and kill him!"

  Berton kept his head lowered, not daring to look directly at the white haired elder.

  A sharp slap rang out. Berton staggered, his cheek instantly swelling red.

  "You cannot even handle something as simple as recruiting apprentices. What use are you!c

  This classic scolding did not come from the elder at all. It was Ryan who directly stole his line.

  "This is killing me!" Ryan planted his hands on his hips and burst out laughing at the stunned elder, his laughter loud and mocking.

  The elder's face instantly turned ashen. His former dignity was completely shattered by the sudden ridicule, and the magical power around him began to surge violently.

  "I want to see how long you can keep laughing!" the elder roared, his gaze dark and vicious."Kill him!"

  He waved his hand, and the four companions behind him immediately responded.

  All five of them were Ninth tier Senior Mages, with the elder clearly being the leader. His magical aura was steadier and more powerful than the other four.

  The four middle aged men released their magic at the same time. Their figures flashed as they rushed toward Ryan from all directions, surrounding him and sealing off every path of escape.

  "Four Ninth tier Senior Mages. Quite the lineup," Ryan said, putting away his grin and mocking them lightly.

  As he looked at the four closing in, his expression sharpened. He swung both arms forcefully, and magical light instantly enveloped them. His arms transformed directly into a pair of metal blades gleaming with a cold luster.

  The elder's pupils shrank violently, his eyes filling with shock and wild excitement."What kind of arcane art is this?"

  An arcane art that could transform limbs into weapons had already caused a sensation within their ranks.

  The Grand Elder had personally issued an order. Anyone who could uncover information about this arcane art, or capture someone who wielded it, would be heavily rewarded.

  The Grand Elder had clearly described all its features and even distributed related visual records.

  They had been searching everywhere for traces of this arcane art. Never did he expect to encounter it here today.

  "What arcane art is that?" the elder hurriedly called out, stopping the four who were charging at Ryan. The anger on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a much friendlier expression.

  His tone softened as well."If you obediently tell me, I might spare your life."

  Ryan was completely baffled. Why did this old man suddenly stop halfway through the fight and change his attitude so abruptly?

  "What does that have to do with you?" Ryan rolled his eyes, looking at the elder as if he were an idiot.

  "I need to report the names of my moves to you when I fight? Are you stupid?"

  The elder's expression shifted from friendly to livid in an instant, the speed of the change astonishing.

  "Kill him! Bring back the body!" the elder shouted harshly, waving his hand again.

  Then he quickly pulled out a communication crystal, infused it with magic, and pressed it to his ear, muttering rapidly as if reporting something. His voice was urgent and laced with barely concealed excitement.

  A moment later, the elder tightly gripped the communication crystal, a look of joy slowly spreading across his face. Clearly, he had received an exhilarating confirmation from the other end.

  His eyes immediately gleamed with golden light, greedily fixating on Ryan.

  As long as he captured this kid, he would receive the Grand Elder's great reward, rising to prominence and achieving complete success!

  But the moment he lifted his head, the joy on his face froze instantly, replaced by the look of someone who had just swallowed spoiled food, full of panic and fear.

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  In his view, Ryan's right hand had already transformed into a sharp metallic claw. The muscles on his arm were clearly defined, thin yet evenly proportioned, exuding an oppressive sense of power.

  Especially with Ryan deliberately activating his magic, veins bulging, paired with the cold gleam of the metal claw, the sight was terrifying beyond measure.

  A dull, heavy crack rang out. The last middle aged man Ryan had trapped in his claw, in a desperate struggle, had his skull crushed.

  Red blood and white brain matter splattered instantly, scattering like shattered ore across the ground.

  This scene completely shattered the elder's hope and arrogance. He no longer dared to covet any arcane secrets or rewards.

  Magic surged wildly through his body as he spun and shot toward the sky, fleeing in panic, not even bothering with Berton, who was still screaming behind him. Survival was the priority!

  "Take me with you!" Berton, seeing this, was terrified and hastily activated the remaining magic within him to pursue.

  But his speed was no match for the elder, a Ninth tier Senior Mage. The distance between them immediately widened.

  "Trying to run?" Ryan's lips curved into a cold smile as he watched the elder flee in panic.

  He focused his mind, and a blazing arcane spear instantly materialized in his right hand.

  The spear was formed entirely from pure flame magic, its tip glowing hot enough to melt metal, and the shaft trailed a long, fiery plume.

  Ryan raised the blazing arcane spear, aimed at the fleeing elder, leaning slightly back into a throwing stance. Then he exerted all his force and launched the spear.

  A violent explosion roared through the small city, making the ears of countless hidden onlookers ache.

  Around Ryan's throwing hand, the air shimmered with visible ripples of flame, pushed outward by the extreme heat and force.

  The spear's power was so intense that the surrounding air seemed to hang suspended for several seconds.

  The blazing arcane spear, carrying devastating force and a dazzling tail of fire, shot forward like a falling meteor, directly homing in on the panicked elder.

  The whistle of its passage grew louder and faster, too quick for anyone to react.

  The elder barely sensed the deadly threat behind him and tried to look back, only to feel a sharp pain in his chest.

  A flaming spear had already pierced through his torso, carrying his body forward for a distance before releasing it, continuing to fly away.

  The inertia of his flight had not even stopped. His figure shrank into a tiny black dot in the distance, yet he was stunned to see his chest.

  A massive bloody hole gaped in his torso, his organs already incinerated by the intense flames, leaving an empty cavity.

  A few stray flames still flickered inside, as if mocking his overconfidence, the air thick with the acrid scent of burning flesh.

  The blazing arcane spear, which had pierced his body, suddenly shifted direction midair, turning back with even more ferocity, aiming straight for his head.

  At this point, the elder's internal organs were destroyed, his magic completely disrupted, leaving him utterly powerless. He could only watch the spear approach helplessly.

  The elder could only widen his eyes, helplessly watching the blazing arcane spear strike with destructive force.

  At this moment, he didn't even have the strength to move a single finger. Worse, the momentum from his earlier flight was still pushing his body forward, sending him directly into the spear.

  A crisp crack accompanied by the sound of shattering bones rang out. The spear pierced the elder's skull with precision, and his headless body, trailing a long line of blood, plummeted from the sky at high speed, crashing heavily onto the ground.

  Ryan watched as the blazing arcane spear automatically flew back to him. The flames along its shaft slowly subsided. He tilted his mouth, a wicked, charming smile creeping across his face.

  "Run again, and you'll end up like him!" Ryan shouted, raising the blazing arcane spear.

  He aimed at the staggering Berton, his body leaning back slightly, ready to throw at any moment.

  Berton's feet froze instantly at the roar, his blood seeming to solidify in panic.

  He stiffly turned and landed on the ground, legs trembling, unable even to look Ryan in the eye.

  "Smart of you to stop." Ryan saw him halt, and slowly sheathed the spear, speaking in a leisurely tone.

  "Don't worry, you don't need to be afraid. I won't do anything to you."

  No sooner had Ryan finished speaking than he instantly teleported in front of Berton. Looking at the frozen man, he feigned gentleness as he spoke to comfort him.

  Yet his eyes, like a scanner, methodically assessed Berton from head to toe.

  The slap from earlier had already knocked off Berton's facial mask, revealing his true appearance.

  By conventional standards, Berton's looks could not be called handsome, nor outright ugly. One word summarized him perfectly: sleazy.

  His small, darting eyes, constantly shifting, full of fawning and cowardice, were instantly off-putting.

  "Dad! No! Grandpa! Please spare me! I was coerced too!"

  Berton immediately dropped to his knees, voice trembling, frantically kowtowing and begging, his posture extremely submissive.

  "Stop claiming relations you don't have. You're not worthy yet." Ryan was momentarily taken aback by this sudden display.

  Then he lifted a foot, delivering a precise kick to Berton's magical core.

  "Ah!" Berton arched his back, writhing in pain on the ground, screaming uncontrollably.

  Within seconds, his magic began to leak uncontrollably.

  The fluctuations of his Sixth tier Senior Mage power visibly faded before the eyes, ultimately disappearing entirely, reducing him to an ordinary person incapable of channeling any magic.

  "What were those five people just now!" Ryan grabbed Berton by the head.

  Finding him in too much pain to speak coherently, Ryan instead lifted him by the collar.

  From the start, Ryan had not believed those five were from the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword.

  They didn't even wear the iconic sword-shaped armor of the Sanctum.

  Their weapons were a mix of axes and blades, clearly violating the Sanctum's rule of sword-only combat.

  Moreover, Ryan's Grimoire had already revealed that their factional markings belonged to the Temple of Radiance.

  Ryan mentally searched all stored information on the Temple of Radiance but drew a blank. It seemed likely they were a newly rising power in the last ten thousand years.

  "I honestly don't know!" Berton, suspended in midair, clutched his painful abdomen, face red, stammering, tears nearly spilling.

  "I only know there's a cult leader called Shadow Cult who ordered us to do this."

  "Shadow Cult…" Ryan furrowed his brows, carefully recalling all stored information on cults.

  A moment later, a flash of understanding appeared in his eyes.