Master said that humans are fundamentally formed from qi, so responding to people's calls is perfectly normal; the so-called unity of heaven and man is precisely this principle. However, Brian Carter was well aware that he could not be satisfied with this explanation.

What is qi? Why can thoughts be projected into reality? To what extent can this projection reach? There were too many questions that needed answers. Perhaps seeking a precise answer in such a world would be extremely difficult, maybe even impossible, but no matter what, he could not convince himself to give up further exploration.

A man in a blue robe pinched a small lump of black stuff from a medicine pouch and held it between his fingers, while also drawing out a slip of paper covered in incantations—Brian Carter squinted and stared for a while before realizing that what the man had taken out was a cicada shell.

"Xun technique returns to Chen, hasten the sound!"

With a sharp shout, a piercing shriek suddenly exploded, stabbing straight into everyone’s mind and making all those unprepared jolt, their faces contorted in pain.

Using the cicada shell as a medium to create a short but powerful shriek—this was the effect of the spell!

The man in blue intended to use the sound to intimidate his opponents and then take the opportunity to break through The Fisher Family's defenses.

Unfortunately, this was not some rare technique. He made no attempt to hide when taking out the materials, and even Brian Carter could see it was a cicada shell, let alone the disciples of The Fisher Family on the other side.

But compared to Brian Carter's method of covering his ears, the man in white responded with much more flair—he simply tossed out a talisman and completely blocked the shriek.

The effectiveness of a spell depends not only on personal strength but also on the environment in which it is cast—for the open outdoors, the power of noise is already quite limited.

The man in blue, who tried to rush through, didn’t have time to stop before being struck on the shoulder by the opponent’s sword and immediately fainted.

"Yan!"

"What are you all waiting for? Get up there!"

With a shout, a few more people charged out from the crowd, but this time the result was even worse. They didn’t even have time to cast their spells—while fumbling for their medicine pouches and slips of paper, they were all knocked to the ground by wooden swords.

Watching his first battle between spellcasters, Brian Carter couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his mouth. When more than ten people were lying sprawled on the ground, he was left with only one feeling—

That’s it??

It had to be said, this group’s actual combat experience was even worse than that of street thugs.

Although a spell requires three steps to unleash its full power, missing one or two doesn’t mean it won’t work at all. Yet, in their pursuit of maximum effect, they insisted on completing the entire process step by step, which undoubtedly gave The Fisher Family plenty of time to counter.

Not only that, few bothered to conceal or mislead while casting, and some even spent ages failing to find the right material, simply dumping their whole medicine pouch upside down in desperation. Everyone here was a novice, knowing only a handful of spells, and seeing the materials basically revealed their intentions. Even if one or two managed to cast a spell, it was hard to pose any real threat to the disciples of The Fisher Family.

On the contrary, those who stood the longest on the field were actually the candidates who gave up on casting spells. Relying on the strong bodies built from years of qi training, they could at least exchange a few rounds of blows with the The Fisher Family people using wooden swords and fists. Of course, on one side were the well-coordinated disciples of a noble family, and on the other, a disorganized rabble—no matter the tactics, the outcome wouldn’t change.

Especially after the leader of The Fisher Family, Nancy Fisher, declared that anyone who failed to stir up trouble would be thrown across the suspension bridge.

Crossing the bridge meant leaving the bounds of Qingshan Town, which was equivalent to failing the exam.

In other words, if you could endure, you might find another chance, but if you were knocked out here, your scholar’s exam would end right then and there.

A quarter of an hour later, not a single person in the crowd dared to take another step forward.

"If they had already started fighting before I arrived, maybe things would have turned around. But now, it seems Nancy Fisher was right."

Suddenly, Lily Lawson's words echoed in Brian Carter's ears.

So that’s how it is, he thought. This was probably why the genius from the The Lawson Family turned and left—this group in front of her simply wasn’t worth standing up to The Fisher Family for. If they had truly charged together, not only would The Fisher Family have been unable to stop them, but those knocked down wouldn’t have lost their qualifications either. But they didn’t, simply because from the very start, this group intended to muddle through.

Thinking of this, Brian Carter stepped forward.

"You want to give it a try too?" Nancy Fisher frowned slightly, once again resting his hand on his sword hilt. "I’ve said before, if you go down, your scholar’s exam ends here."

A stir rippled through the crowd.

"Don’t be afraid, he’s just trying to scare you!"

"We’re all here guarding you, he wouldn’t dare touch you!"

"As long as you can defeat Nancy Fisher, we’ll all charge through together!"

Brian Carter smiled, spreading his empty hands as he walked toward Nancy Fisher, showing he held nothing. Nancy Fisher made no move, simply waiting as he approached step by step.

The atmosphere instantly froze, everyone’s eyes fixed on the two of them—such a close confrontation made it seem as if a new round of battle could break out at any moment.

Nancy Fisher's expression grew even more serious. The reason he didn’t strike first was entirely to maintain his own image. As the new generation leader of The Fisher Family under everyone’s watchful eyes, he had to remain calm and composed at all times.

This person is different from the others, he faintly realized.