Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 323 Spirit Realm Ether
Although he inwardly complained, Zhang Yuan knew that Tyrantir meant well, so he didn't press the matter. He simply whispered a thank you and waited for the void to arrive.

He then took out the Leaf of Concealment from Beven and used its advanced restoration technique to remove his blindness.

While one can use the perspective of the chess pieces, that is different from one's own vision. Moreover, without eye contact, many targeted spells are difficult to cast.

"What was that magical barrier just now?"

Zhang Yuan was still rubbing his eyes, which had just regained their sight, when Tyrantir couldn't help but speak up.

He was incredibly curious that this unprecedented spell could lock everything down, even his junior brother Balas had fallen for it.

"This is a time barrier, a spell-like ability possessed by my summoned creatures."

After a moment's thought, Zhang Yuan decided to tell the whole story and describe the effects of the skill. After all, he had already shown it to the teacher, and it would be too inappropriate to keep it a secret.

Zhang Yuan remained calm, but Tyrantir almost began to doubt his own existence and even his magic.

I initially thought the blue light barrier was a sealing barrier or a spell that could immobilize or stun, but it turned out to be a time stop!
Time stops!

The Nine Rings Arcane Arts is the highest level of alteration magic.

It is said that time stops, but in reality, the caster himself enters an extremely fast-moving time stream and moves at an incredible speed in just over ten seconds. Compared to the time stream, the time in the external prime plane flows slowly and is almost still.

This principle of spellcasting does have some similarities with relativity.

Tyrantir, a master mage himself, was no stranger to this spell, but the time barrier he had just encountered was clearly not the same as the one he was using.

The spellcaster himself did not enter the time flow that mortals could not perceive; his every move was clearly displayed in the eyes of himself, who was not a divine being.

Without any relative difference in flow rate, the stagnation of time occurs in a separate, isolated space, where spacetime is self-contained within the barrier.

This power to truly alter space and time is, in a sense, even greater than the spell to stop time. While the current system of arcane magic can achieve this, only by relying on complex, magnificent, and prohibitively expensive magic arrays or even illusionary locks, and by having a highly skilled caster in charge, can a similar effect be achieved.

But what is the current situation?
His own apprentice released a summoned creature without even a stammer, just by raising his arm?

Tyrantir stared at the Void Facet who was rushing towards him, looking him up and down, but he couldn't see anything in common between the Void Facet and the Time Dragon. Or had the Fia'ni gang mutated into a new species?

Just as Tyrandeil was deep in thought and Zhang Yuan was waiting for the Void to escort the prisoners back in triumph, the clown—no, that wraith—arrived first.

Seeing the ghostly spirit emerge from its stealth state and appear before him, he took a quick look and realized that this was none other than his Uncle-Master Balas.

Even he's here? That unfortunate teleportation interference earlier must have been one of their doing. I just wonder how long the two of them have been watching from the sidelines.

Curious, I voiced my question, but before the teacher could even speak, Barras chuckled and said, "You've been here since the beginning. Your teacher was worried and wanted to see how much you've improved lately."

"You have many tricks up your sleeve, but you can't neglect the basics. We were actually right next to you, but your detection spells didn't detect our presence. Have you ever thought about why?"

Tyrantir didn't respond to his junior brother's words, but instead began to consider his own disciple.

Why else could it be? Your spellcasting levels are all far superior to mine, Zhang Yuan thought to himself. But then he thought again, if the answer were so simple and straightforward, then the teacher wouldn't have bothered to test him.

He buried himself in deep thought, but just moments ago he was engaged in a fierce battle, and now he had to take an exam. He couldn't figure it out for the time being, and just then, the void brought the prisoners over.

Tyrantil's eyes narrowed, and after uttering a few syllables, he raised his hand and shouted:

"The law is a deterrent!"

That speed was much faster than the previous battle between the two.

Seriously? All I, your apprentice, did was fail to answer a question, and I'm going to be knocked unconscious and made to stand as punishment?

Zhang Yuan was startled, but then breathed a sigh of relief. Who else could have taken this hit but that unlucky guy Burke from the Bloodsail Gang?
Tyrantir pulled out a pair of shackles and threw them at the unconscious Burke. The shackles automatically unfolded and bound the target.

"After all, he is a high-level mage. Relying on ordinary methods is not safe. This binding shackle is enough to deal with him."

After finishing all this, Tyrantil turned to look at Zhang Yuan, and seeing his disciple shaking his head somewhat embarrassedly, he frowned and said:
"You said you've made some progress in your studies and knowledge of the various factions lately. You didn't just read a few books, did you?"

These words were both a warning and a hint. Zhang Yuan's mind raced, and all sorts of transformation spells he had mastered, learned, or understood quickly flashed through his mind. When he saw Balas approaching intentionally or unintentionally, a flash of inspiration struck him.

"Teleportation, Spirit Transformation, Aetheric Journey!"

With absolute certainty in his tone, Zhang Yuan had no doubt about his memories.

These three are respectively the third, seventh, and ninth ring spells of the Transformation system, but their principles and effects are consistent.

The former establishes a connection with the etheric realm, or the spirit realm, allowing the caster to briefly enter the etheric realm and thus avoid the attack they would otherwise suffer.

However, since the caster exists in a physical body, this kind of erratic operation of repeatedly jumping back and forth between the two worlds is short-lived and unstable, and is actually not very reliable.

The ability to transform a spellcaster's physical body into a spirit form allows them to reside in intermediate planes such as the ethereal plane or the astral plane.

The Aether, as a buffer plane closely connected to the Prime Plane, links the inner plane commonly known as the Elemental Plane. It is also a plane dominated by thought and spirit, but unlike the Astral Plane which connects to the outer planes, it is not as vast and boundless, and one can easily get lost in it.

The caster resides in the etheric realm, much like observing the prime plane through a one-way glass. It is safe and concealed, and anti-invisibility spells are basically helpless against this kind of underhanded tactic, because it is not invisibility at all!
Furthermore, because the spirit enters the etheric realm, an inner interstitial plane,...
Anti-teleportation spells that typically target outer planes and spatial tunnels are generally ineffective against it.

If it weren't for the Void Mask's even more domineering methods, which directly separated spacetime, Barras wouldn't have been caught so easily.

When a petty thug meets an old thug, there's nowhere to reason with him.

As for Ether Travel, it's basically a group version of the phantom spirit, nothing much to say about it.

After hearing Zhang Yuan's answer and insights, Tyrantir's expression finally softened. He didn't say much more, but just stared at Void Mask with a hesitant look.

Thank you to Qi Guo-Gongzi Jiang and Wanliu Tongyuan for your monthly ticket support!
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(End of this chapter)