C55 The Weakness of the Fire Lizard

He had come across a description of this demonic beast in the academy's library. Its skin was as tough as rock, and it dwelled within the magma all day, having evolved over countless eons into a solid mass of stone.

Furthermore, the Fire Lizard's attack speed surpassed that of the Wind Snake. Its inherent magic allowed it to spew a unique type of magma, rendering it immune to Fire Magic. A Wide Sword, even if forged from the finest iron, would simply melt upon contact.

Mages, upon encountering it, would turn tail and flee as fast as they could.

Zhan Tian, who topped the Skysplit Tower Combat Strength Rankings, was halted at the twenty-fifth level. Cobble, in second place, was stopped at the twenty-fourth, while Saiya, in third, also failed to conquer this level, though he lasted slightly less time than Cobble.

This clearly was the level that tested the students' foundational skills.

Zhang Xing, now a master of Fire Magic, had reached the Minute Subtlety Stage. Yet, his expertise was of no use here. His Ice Magic, in comparison to his Fire Element skills, was significantly weaker.

After slaying several demonic beasts, he noticed no increase in his Experience Points. This meant that only by slaying actual demonic beasts could one earn experience.

Two Fire Lizards slowly made their way up, their bodies over a meter long, tapering at both ends with a thicker middle, resembling a spindle. Their four large claws, shimmering with a ghostly light, could easily crush stone. Their eyes, the size of dark red marbles, shone with an eerie glow.

Zhang Xing set aside all distractions and focused on how to shatter this stony brute. Ice Magic was clearly the superior choice.

He cast two Ice Spears, a spell taught to him by the President. The spears struck the Fire Lizard's back, but the magic dissipated without effect.

The two Fire Lizards' tiny eyes seemed to glint with mockery. From three meters away, they opened their mouths and unleashed twin jets of red-black magma. The molten rock hurtled towards Zhang Xing with a speed that made it nearly impossible to defend against.

Before this attempt, Zhang Xing had cast both Pace Slowing Arts and Blind Arts in succession, to no avail. He sensed that as the spells took effect on their targets, they were inexplicably neutralized by some mysterious magical force.

Zhang Xing found it odd. Aside from being ineffective against elves, these spells usually had over a 90% success rate on other creatures.

Having evaded two jets of lava, Zhang Xing persisted, unleashing ten consecutive Pace Slowing Arts. It was only when the final spell hit the Fire Lizard that he saw any impact.

Good heavens! The Fire Lizard had a mere one in ten chance of succumbing to the spell. It was clear that this tactic was futile and far too time-consuming.

At this point, Zhang Xing was at a disadvantage, and it was giving him a headache. Why had the white-bearded President placed such formidable Demonic Beasts here as obstacles? He doubted that even a seasoned magic instructor could easily handle them.

If these Fire Lizards were truly this challenging to defeat, which of the students could possibly make it through? This would render the entire purpose of the Tower of Trials moot.

Zhang Xing was convinced that these Fire Lizards had a vulnerability. He began to attack the creatures from various angles, searching for their weak spot.

After careful observation, he noticed that regardless of its movements, the Fire Lizard's belly always remained pressed against the ground, not lifting even a fraction during turns. He decided to test whether its underbelly was its Achilles' heel.

Without hesitation, Zhang Xing unleashed a high-level spell: "Earth Quaking Mountain Shaking!"

The landscape erupted into chaos as boulders tumbled and the earth shook violently, causing the Fire Lizard to somersault several times.

"There it is!" Zhang Xing exclaimed, spotting a grey patch the size of a coin on the creature's underbelly, nearly imperceptible unless scrutinized closely.

Following another Earth Quaking Mountain Shaking, Zhang Xing swiftly launched two ice spears from his hands. The subsequent muted thuds signaled the end of the Fire Lizard, which gradually faded into nothingness in the air.

​