FALLEN ORACLE

**Chapter 1: The Forsaken (1)**

**Chapter 1: The Forsaken (1)**Chen Yi still believed his original strategy had been the right one. The reason he'd ended up in this passive situation was simply that he hadn't expected his opponent to use Air Pressure.Of course, if he knew Wind Rip—something most people had already mastered—this would be easy to handle.He crouched behind his shield, flipping through his spellbook for a solution. But after two pages, he seemed to remember something and snapped it shut again.The boos from the audience kept drifting into his ears.If he had a choice, he wouldn't have dragged the match out into something this long and ugly. People came to watch flashy magic duels, not one guy huddling behind a shield, getting hammered back by the same boring Air Pressure spell while shamelessly refusing to surrender.Given where he was, Chen Yi had no choice but to take a risk. He stowed his spellbook back into his storage ring, let out a roar, and used what strength he had left to charge forward about twenty paces, shield held high against the pressure.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw he was now about ten paces from his opponent. Perfect.He hurled his shield forward and used the split second to close in from the right side. His opponent cast with her right hand, so approaching from her left—his right—was relatively safer.Five paces left!Chen Yi raised his left hand. The elemental ring on his index finger glowed red at his command.*Small Flame!*A jet of yellow fire shot from his fingertip, its outer edge just grazing his opponent's body.Her protective barrier was already visibly cracked. A few more seconds and it would shatter completely. Then, ugly as it might be, victory would be indisputably his.But his opponent reacted fast. After blowing his thrown shield back at him, she redirected her Air Pressure at the ground, using the recoil to launch herself backward. In an instant, they were ten paces apart again.Chen Yi had seen this coming, though. He'd already stopped casting Small Flame and placed a Binding Trap spell at the spot she'd retreat to.Because he transitioned between spells so quickly, the dying embers of the first spell masked the flash from the second. His opponent had no warning.Ten seconds of binding gave him plenty of time to close in. But if he cast Small Flame again now, she'd just blow it back at him with Air Pressure—and then he'd be the one getting roasted.So he drew his longsword from his belt and charged with a roar.Seeing the blade coming, his opponent kept her cool. She slowly raised her right hand, and the strengthening ring on her ring finger glowed purple.Strengthening magic: *Hand of Void.*A phantom hand extended from the ring and clamped down on his sword, holding it fast.Chen Yi had trained in physical combat, but he was no match for a magical construct. The Hand of Void wrenched the sword from his grip.The crowd erupted in laughter:"Oh look, a swordsman at our academy tournament!""Go back to baking bread, kid!""Hey, maybe he's here to steal our cafeteria's bread recipes before he goes home."...The Hand of Void dutifully delivered Chen Yi's sword to its owner. But the moment her fingers touched the blade, her body convulsed uncontrollably.The laughter died instantly."Static spell? So that's how you use it." In the main booth at the center of the arena, a white-haired old man stroked his beard and murmured.She was temporarily paralyzed. Seeing his plan work perfectly, Chen Yi didn't hesitate. He closed the distance and shattered her already-damaged barrier with one strengthened punch.One more punch, and victory would be his!But as he threw that second punch, Chen Yi went flying backward instead. His own protective barrier shattered completely."Damn. The kid's got Elastic Physical Barrier too. And she pre-cast a spell sequence." That was the thought that flashed through Chen Yi's mind as he flew through the air.He landed on his hands by reflex. He still didn't want to give up—but a cold sensation spread from his fingers.Beginner Freeze had fused his hands, magic rings and all, to the floor. He couldn't cast anymore. Which meant..."Winner: Connie!" The referee wasn't slow. He'd quickly assessed the situation and announced the result."Good match, senior." Connie removed her protective mask, letting her golden hair spill free."You won. Nicely done." Chen Yi couldn't deny it, even if he didn't like it.Connie canceled the Freeze and pulled him to his feet. "Not at all. Your spellcraft is still cleaner than mine. And honestly, without your guidance, I wouldn't be where I am today. You just lacked luck. Once you get a psychic bond, with your talent, becoming a professor within a year wouldn't be hard.""Thanks for the kind words."Professor? Chen Yi sighed inwardly. Right now he was just an intermediate trainee. Losing in the second round of the Magic Tournament meant even advancing to advanced trainee was now out of reach. Becoming a professor? Don't make him laugh.Connie had entered the academy three years after him. In the early years, he'd taught her a few things about magic. But ever since she got her psychic bond last year, Chen Yi had known it was only a matter of time before she surpassed him.Seeing the gloom still on his face, Connie tried to cheer him up. "Maybe your talent is so high that the gods up above are fighting over you. Once they figure out who's strongest, that one gets to pick you."The girl had a way with words. Still, Chen Yi quickly warned her, "Be careful. If the church hears that, we're both in deep trouble."Connie shrugged. She didn't seem to care.The next match was about to start. As a loser, Chen Yi had to leave the arena. He'd barely stepped off the floor when a familiar voice spoke directly into his ear: *"Come to my office after all the matches today."*He looked up at the main booth. The white-haired old man in the center was staring right at him. Obviously, it was him using psychic transmission to speak privately.The sky was growing dark when Chen Yi arrived at the academy's tallest tower. He pushed open the door to the innermost private office. The white-haired old man was reviewing documents at his desk."Headmaster," Chen Yi said quietly."Ah, you're here. Take out your spellbook." Morin, the headmaster of Rongqi Academy, rose and walked to the front of his desk, leaning against the edge in a relaxed posture as he addressed Chen Yi."Well..." Chen Yi hesitated."What? Don't tell me you didn't bring it. First lesson of this academy: your spellbook stays on you at all times!"Chen Yi had no choice. He pulled his spellbook from his storage ring and held it out."Hand it to me.""I said, hand it to me!" When Chen Yi didn't move, Morin raised his voice. His tone turned serious.Defeated, Chen Yi handed his spellbook to the headmaster.Morin flipped through it from front to back—*shff, shff, shff*—page after page. All blank. It was an empty spellbook."Care to explain?" Morin pressed.The process of channeling mana through willpower during spellcasting is extremely complex. Even someone with an exceptional memory can't memorize everything.That's why mages record the unique symbols of the spells they've mastered in a spellbook. When they forget the exact sequence of mana manipulation, the book helps them cast.For any mage, the spellbook is their lifeline.The headmaster knew very well that Chen Yi had studied hard at this academy for eight years. In the classroom, in the library, he was the most diligent student of all.So how could his spellbook—eight years of magic recorded in it—possibly be blank?"I... lost my original spellbook," Chen Yi admitted, shamefaced. In that moment, he felt he'd let down not only himself but also the headmaster, who'd bent the rules to let him stay.His performance in the Magic Tournament hadn't escaped the headmaster's sharp eyes after all. Morin had sensed something wrong with his spellbook and called him in.