Chapter 71: You’re Quite Bold (Main Quest Completed, Extra Chapter)

Unlike the others, Ye Zhiyan truly had no interest in evolution, nor in challenging dungeons. The only reason she chose to become an Evolver was because of the deep, hidden love she harbored for Chen Mo.

Even Ye Zhiyan herself couldn’t pinpoint when she had fallen for Chen Mo. It wasn’t love at first sight, nor a sudden spark of infatuation. Chen Mo was an orphan, a well-known secret in their class. He rarely smiled or spoke, and aside from his deskmate Ding Yan, he barely interacted with anyone else.

Yet it was precisely this somewhat solitary, aloof boy who quietly stole into Ye Zhiyan’s heart. Sometimes, she found it laughable herself—she was the cherished daughter of Ye Changming, chairman of the Star City Ye Group, with two doting brothers who gave her anything she wished for. How could she possibly fall in love with someone as strange as Chen Mo?

Perhaps it was because she noticed Chen Mo was always the first to arrive in the classroom each day, silently cleaning up, and was moved by his actions. Or perhaps it was when she asked him a math question, and he displayed such intelligence and charm that she couldn’t help but admire him. In any case, Ye Zhiyan understood her own feelings—she simply enjoyed being with Chen Mo.

To keep up with Chen Mo’s pace, to survive, she had to win!

Leaf Blade!

Hundreds of leaves transformed from a wall, converging into a sword—a sword forged from leaves!

A mage wielding a sword? This struck her classmates as novel, wondrous, and almost magical! Even Instructor Moon Fox’s eyes lit up, and she firmly committed Ye Zhiyan’s name to memory.

“Such theatrics! You think I’ll be afraid of you?” Zhong Lin’er was not about to admit defeat so easily. She once again raised her Staff of Arrogance, meditating deeply to gather fire elements, and actually conjured a fireball the size of two basketballs!

“I don’t believe your flimsy leaves can’t be burned!”

Whoosh—

The flames from two basketball-sized fireballs shot up four or five meters high. Many mage classmates in the stands watched in awe. They could cast Fireball themselves, but even conjuring a fireball the size of a single basketball was difficult, let alone two. This feat required high magical power and intense concentration, a challenge for anyone.

The fireballs spun rapidly, the faster their rotation, the greater their destructive force. Ye Zhiyan refused to back down. She focused her mental power, spinning the Leaf Blade at high speed. The light leaves formed a green vortex, like a gaping mouth poised to swallow the fireballs whole!

Zhong Lin’er was far from a brainless beauty. On the contrary, she was shrewd; otherwise, she wouldn’t have toyed with so many men at her feet. Suddenly, a sly smile appeared on her lips. “Ha! Foolish little sweetheart! Did you think I’d fall for the same trick twice? Fireball—Split!”

“Split” was a magical control technique Zhong Lin’er had learned from Wu Chen. She forcibly compressed two Fireballs into one, which was why she could conjure such large fireballs, but this made them extremely unstable. With her current mental strength, she couldn’t control them for long. So, just before the compressed fireballs exploded, she focused her will between the two and split the fire elements apart!

Boom!

Just as the Leaf Blade was about to clash with the fireballs, they suddenly split in two, dodging the attack and shooting toward Ye Zhiyan from two directions!

“Wow! Impressive!”
“Zhong Lin’er’s magical control is really strong!”
“Pfft, what’s so impressive? It’s just Fireball. Even a magic apprentice can cast that!”

Chen Mo frowned. He hadn’t expected Zhong Lin’er to have improved so much.

Just as everyone thought Ye Zhiyan would be caught between the two fireballs, the Leaf Blade suddenly doubled back. Yes, it turned back!

A mage using mental power could make slight course adjustments to their magic, but a complete 360-degree turn was utterly impossible—at least, for mages at their current stage.

However, Ye Zhiyan was more than just a mage; she was a Leaf Spirit, a hidden class. The leaves weren’t just magic; they were part of her very body. Manipulating them was as natural as moving her own limbs.

In fact, Ye Zhiyan’s awakening to this hidden class had been entirely by chance. She had always been slow in dungeon runs, falling far behind others. While others advanced by hundreds of meters a day, she struggled to gain even one hundred. Discouraged, she began to lose hope, convinced she wasn’t suited for this path. Instead of fleeing, she noticed green leaves scattered along the way, though there were no trees in the temple—an oddity. Out of curiosity, she collected every leaf along her path, gathering a hundred over the course of half a month. Unexpectedly, when she collected the hundredth leaf, they sprang to life, swirling around her. An elven woman appeared and alerted her that she had triggered a hidden class quest. A portal opened, and after passing a series of trials, Ye Zhiyan became a Leaf Spirit.

Swoosh!

Under Ye Zhiyan’s control, the Leaf Blade spun sharply and split in two, pursuing the fireballs and piercing straight through them. Green light gradually wrapped around each fireball, threatening to consume them entirely.

Suddenly, the fireballs exploded. The Leaf Blade was instantly shattered, and searing embers scattered across Ye Zhiyan, battering her shield.

Explosive Flames! Fireball combo technique!

The students in the stands gasped in surprise—no one had expected Zhong Lin’er to have even mastered Explosive Flames!

“Hahaha! Silly little sweetheart! Did you think your hodgepodge tricks could beat me? Die!” Zhong Lin’er pressed her advantage, once more gathering fire elements. Fireball had a ten-second cooldown, but with her 20 points in Meditation, she could reduce it by 20 percent. After eight seconds of charging, she conjured yet another fireball.

Although Ye Zhiyan held a powerful hidden class, she was still too inexperienced. She hadn’t learned to further develop her skills, and her real combat experience was lacking. The hundred leaves she’d used had been burnt by the Explosive Flames, turning yellow and losing their power. She needed to absorb them back into her body and slowly revive them before she could use them again.

But Zhong Lin’er gave her no chance.

Boom! The fireball locked onto Ye Zhiyan. Like a startled rabbit, she screamed as her shield shattered—she had failed.

The stands were filled with regret. Many students despised Zhong Lin’er for her manipulative ways and felt sorry for Ye Zhiyan.

Zhong Lin’er twisted the knife, attacking her spirit: “Silly little rich girl! Go back to being your pampered princess, you useless thing!”

Ye Zhiyan’s composure completely broke. Her mind buzzed with noise, convinced the whole world was laughing at her. She covered her face, tears streaming down, and ran away as fast as she could, desperate to escape the sound of mocking laughter.

Bang!

Suddenly, Ye Zhiyan found herself crashing into a broad, firm chest.

Warm, strong arms pulled her into an embrace, and a gentle voice whispered in her ear, “Don’t cry, class monitor. In my eyes, you’ve always been that smiling, gentle, and kind class leader! Believe in me, believe in yourself—today’s failure is nothing; it will only make you stronger!”

Ye Zhiyan couldn’t utter a word. All she wanted was to cry out every tear in her heart against that comforting chest.