Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 197 Duel Grounds
“This should take us to the core area of ​​the altar,” he analyzed, reaching out to touch the stone pillar.

A peculiar energy fluctuation immediately spread from the point of contact, the light of the stone pillar suddenly intensified, and the surrounding air began to distort and deform.

"Dale, hold on tight to me!" Ron urged, and the little siren immediately grabbed his sleeve tightly.

The next moment, a strong blue light enveloped the two of them, and the surrounding scenery began to distort rapidly.

My body was being pulled by an invisible force, flying towards an unknown destination.
Meanwhile, in another area of ​​the Bloodline Altar, Trish is struggling on the brink of life and death.

The Swamp Patchwork's attacks grew increasingly ferocious, each charge causing the vine barrier she had constructed to teeter on the brink of collapse.

Worse still, this terrifying creature seems to be able to absorb the vines it destroys, making itself even stronger.

"Damn it. I can't hold on much longer if this keeps up," Trish gritted her teeth, her sweat already soaking through the lining of her robe.

Although her forest elf bloodline gives her an advantage in manipulating plants, most of the plants in this environment have been corrupted by the power of the abyss.

He is slow to respond to her commands, and each summoning consumes a large amount of mental energy.

In desperation, Trish decided to risk trying a new method.

"If they have already been corrupted by the abyss, then perhaps..."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and changed her summoning method.

Instead of trying to resist the abyssal power within those plants, they attempted to resonate with it, borrowing rather than rejecting that unusual energy.

To her surprise, the previously sluggish swamp plants suddenly became unusually active!

Countless vines shimmering with a purplish-black light stretched out from the depths of the swamp, more than ten times the number of those before.

"I see. These abyssal plants are more sensitive to specific summoning methods!"

Trish's eyes lit up, and a glimmer of hope welled up in her heart.

She immediately adjusted her strategy, no longer simply commanding the plants with her mental energy, but rather flowing into them like water, guiding them to act according to their own will.

The Swamp Patchwork seemed to sense the threat, letting out an enraged roar and accelerating toward Trish.

But every step it took was hindered by countless new vines, which were not only astonishing in number but also exceptionally resilient, and could even regenerate rapidly after being destroyed.

"This regenerative ability is completely unlike that of ordinary plants!"

Trish was surprised to find that these swamp plants had amazing activity, which amplified the effects of her nature spells several times over.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Trish quickly took out a bottle of bright green potion from her storage bag and drank it without hesitation.

This is a bloodline stimulant specially prepared for her by her mentor, Corinna, which can significantly enhance her affinity for natural elements in a short period of time.

The effects of the medicine were almost immediate—the power of the forest elf bloodline within her was instantly activated, a light green halo emanated from her body, and fine leaf-vein-like patterns appeared on the surface of her skin.

As Trish adapted to her sudden surge of power, she was also amazed by the strange connection she had formed with these abyssal plants.

She could sense the presence of every plant in the swamp, as if they were extensions of her body, at her mercy.

"Now's the time!" Trish drew a complex symbol in front of her chest with both hands and chanted a spell.

Countless thick vines converged from all directions of the swamp, forming a giant net that completely bound the swamp patchwork.

No matter how much it struggled and roared, it could not break free from the cage woven from abyssal plants.

Trish didn't waste the opportunity and immediately ran towards the stone tablet.

At the same time, she keenly noticed some unusual plants in the swamp, as well as fragments of tissue that had fallen during the fight among the swamp patchworkers.

"These materials...they emit unusual energy fluctuations."

Trish stopped and quickly used the isolation container to collect several swamp plant seeds and a small piece of swamp patchwork tissue.

The seeds emitted a faint purple glow in her hand, and whenever she infused a trace of spiritual energy into her fingertips, they would immediately respond, forming a miniature energy circuit.

"As a medium for casting spells, the effect should be quite amazing."

Trish carefully put away the materials and continued running towards the stone tablet.

When her hand finally touched the surface of the stone tablet, an indescribable sense of relief welled up in her heart.

The stone tablet immediately lit up with a dazzling light, enveloping her.

During the teleportation, Trish felt the newly collected materials in her pocket and began to conceive how to apply them to her spell system.

"Perhaps Ron would be interested in these materials."

She thought, "With his material identification skills, he should be able to make better use of the value of these abyssal materials."

Holt's situation became even more dangerous in the canyon area.

The bone worm's drill-like mouthparts spun as they rammed into the earth elemental colossus, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound.

The colossus's right arm was completely severed in the attack, sending rubble and dirt flying everywhere.

Nevertheless, Holt remained calm, continuously channeling his mental energy to keep the colossus fighting.

"This power... it's practically cheating," he muttered through gritted teeth, his expression already showing despair.

The bone worm's fighting power far exceeded his expectations.

The drill attack, capable of easily pulverizing any matter, could inflict such immense damage even on the earth elemental colossus, which was known for its sturdiness.

The most disheartening thing is that the bone worm's speed is completely disproportionate to its size.

Its mobility, both on and underground, is astonishing, making it difficult for Holt's Colossus to track its movements.

"This kind of enemy is simply too difficult for advanced apprentices to fight."

Holt was even beginning to feel that he might die here today: "Like Manticore from the gladiatorial arena, but now I'm all alone."

The colossus was already in a state of disrepair at this time:
His right arm was completely missing, his left leg was severely damaged below the knee, there was a large hole in his chest, and his energy core was faintly visible.

The bone worms, seemingly just beginning to stir, were emitting deafening roars as they circled the altar, searching for their next opportunity to attack.

"If this continues, we're doomed." Holt quickly considered a solution.

It would be unwise to confront the bone worm head-on; he needed to find another way.

Upon closer inspection of the environment surrounding the altar, Holt noticed that the seven stone pillars seemed to form some kind of energy array.

Whenever the bone worm approaches a certain stone pillar, the red crystal will glow slightly.

"These stone pillars might be some kind of defense mechanism!" Holt had a flash of inspiration.

He commanded the colossus to grab a huge rock and hurl it with all its might at the nearest pillar.

The red crystal at the top of the stone pillar was hit and immediately emitted a blinding red light, shooting straight at the bone worm.

The bone worm let out a painful shriek and sprang up, clearly injured.

"Just as I thought!" Holt's eyes lit up, and he immediately changed tactics.

Instead of having the colossus directly confront the bone worm, he directed it to attack the crystals atop the remaining six pillars.

The bone worm seemed to realize Holt's intention and rushed frantically toward the colossus, trying to stop it.

A race against time has begun—the colossus, dragging its battered body, dodges attacks from bone worms while trying to trigger the remaining stone pillars;

The bone worms, however, relentlessly pursued the colossus, attempting to destroy it completely before it could complete its mission.

Holt focused intently, continuously channeling his mental energy into the colossus, even though this placed a tremendous mental burden on him.

When the sixth pillar was activated, the bone worm was already close, its malevolent maw almost swallowing the colossus's head.

At the critical moment, the colossus used its last bit of strength to lunge at the last stone pillar.

"boom!"

The colossus and the bone worm crashed into the stone pillar together. As the red crystal was activated, the colossus was also completely destroyed, turning into countless fragments scattered all over the ground.

However, as all seven stone pillars were activated, the entire altar began to emit a dazzling red light.

Seven beams of light converged at the center, forming a huge energy vortex.

The bone worm was stunned by the sudden light, letting out a painful hiss as its body convulsed uncontrollably.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Holt rushed to the center of the altar and simultaneously reached out to quickly retrieve the core of the colossus.

The destruction of the colossus would only consume a large amount of his magic power. As long as the energy core of the "Heart of the Earth," which was the reward for winning the gladiatorial tournament runner-up, is intact, he will have the opportunity to rebuild the colossus.

The moment Holt's feet stepped onto the central platform, a powerful energy surge immediately enveloped him, and the surrounding scenery began to distort and deform.

In its final moments before being teleported away, it looked back at the enormous, writhing worm and couldn't help but sigh:

"It was truly a stroke of luck that we succeeded. Among the Black Mist School, besides myself and Trish, I doubt anyone else could break through to this level of Guardian on their own."

But then Holt remembered the potion master who had displayed amazing skills at the gladiatorial tournament—Ron.

"Perhaps Ron will have it easier than me."

With this vague thought in mind, Holt's figure completely disappeared in the dazzling light, flying towards the unknown core area of ​​the altar.
………………

Trish was the first to arrive at the core of the Bloodline Altar.

When the dazzling light faded, the scene before her made her pause slightly—the environment here was completely different from the surrounding area.

Without that suffocating swamp, without the twisted and deformed creatures, even the oppressive feeling unique to the abyss was greatly reduced.

Instead, there was a vast, misty plain covered with rough gravel.

There was a slight dampness in the air, but the nauseating stench was gone.

“Here, there’s almost no trace of the abyss.” Trish looked around, her brows furrowing slightly.

Topographically, this area is circular, with the ground sloping slightly towards the center.

The overall feeling is like a meticulously designed arena, specifically prepared for some kind of duel or ritual. "It's as if someone deliberately purified this area to create a battleground."

Her gaze pierced through the fog, trying to capture more details, but the thick fog obscured her vision, allowing her to see only a few dozen meters around her.

"You need to make sure you're safe first, then wait for the others to arrive."

Trish took a deep breath, took out a small cloth bag from her storage bag, and gently untied the knot.

The bag contained a special spore-bearing plant, pale green in color, that glowed faintly in her palm.

This is one of the special plants she began to cultivate intentionally after awakening her forest elf bloodline—the Perception Spore.

They can be dispersed by the wind and transmit information about their surroundings back to their owners.

"Go, my little spies."

Trish blew a soft breath, and the spores drifted away like tiny snowflakes, disappearing into the surrounding mist.

A moment later, she closed her eyes, established a mental connection with the spores, and began to receive the information they transmitted back.

In this way, she is able to roughly "see" the terrain and objects within a radius of several hundred meters.

Although not very clear, it is sufficient to provide basic alert functions.

"There is no trace of hostile creatures, at least not yet."

She breathed a slight sigh of relief, then fell into thought.

"The way the abyssal plants responded to me in the swamp area was completely different from usual."

Recalling her experience in the swamp, Trish still feels a sense of disbelief.

When she changed her summoning method, no longer rejecting the abyssal energy in those plants, but instead trying to resonate with it, a miracle occurred.

"The vitality of those vines is simply beyond imagination. Not only are they numerous, but they also possess extremely strong resilience and regenerative ability."

It was this special connection that allowed her to trap the Swamp Patchwork, buying herself time to reach the control point.

"This might be related to my forest elf bloodline, or perhaps there's some kind of connection between the plant life of the abyss and the natural elements that we haven't yet understood?"

This discovery thrilled Trish.

This is precisely why she decided to risk collecting those swamp plant seeds.

They might contain secrets that could further enhance her natural magic.

Just as she was lost in thought, a new message from the spore caught her attention.

"somebody is coming!"

The girl immediately tensed up, her mental energy rapidly spreading out in an attempt to confirm the identity of the newcomer.

A few seconds later, she breathed a sigh of relief—that familiar mental fluctuation was none other than Ron.

But her vigilance prevented her from showing herself immediately.

After all, in such a special environment, any underestimation of the enemy could have fatal consequences.

She stood behind a boulder so that if the other party had malicious intentions, she wouldn't be caught off guard.

“Tracy!” Ron had already recognized her through his mental detection, but he did not approach her rashly.

In this environment, anything could be an illusion or a trap.

Trish clearly shared the same concerns.

She stood there, scrutinizing Ron and Dale with a look of intense scrutiny.

"Ron? Are you for real?"

Trish's voice carried a hint of hesitation and wariness.

Ron did not answer immediately, but instead took out a specially made badge from his pocket.

This was specially issued by the Pre-Leaving School, and it has anti-counterfeiting seals jointly set by Hayek and Warren, making it almost impossible to forge—or rather, the cost of forging it far exceeds its value.

In addition, this emblem can also teleport the user outside the bloodline altar; of course, using it means automatically giving up the trial.

"We agreed to meet here and form a team to face the challenges together."

Ron said calmly, displaying the emblem in his palm. The runes on it lit up upon contact with his mental energy, forming a unique energy ripple.

Trish's expression relaxed, and she took out an identical emblem from the inside of her robe.

When the two emblems resonated with each other, they each emitted a faint, resonant light.

Trish finally confirmed Ron's identity, and a relieved smile appeared on her face: "It really is you. I'm sorry, I have to be careful, this place is too eerie."

“It’s okay, that’s what I thought too.” Ron nodded, looking around:
“Although this area looks much more ‘normal’ than the surrounding areas, the more normal it is, the more vigilant we should be.”

The little siren, seeing that it was an ally, breathed a sigh of relief, and the water element in her hand slowly dissipated.
"Phew, that scared me to death! I thought we were going to fight again."

Trish's gaze fell on Dale, filled with curiosity:

"It is said that only the champion of the Blood Gladiator Tournament is qualified to bring one assistant into the Bloodline Altar. It seems that you have indeed used this privilege."

“That’s true.” Ron nodded slightly. “With Dale around, dealing with dangerous situations is much easier. How are things on your end? What happened?”

Trish paused for a moment, then briefly recounted her experiences in the swampy area.

A flicker of surprise crossed Ron's eyes when she mentioned how the vines corrupted by the abyss, under her guidance, fought back against the Swamp Patchwork.

"You mean, the plants that were originally corrupted by the abyss not only didn't reject you under your guidance, but instead became unusually obedient?" Ron asked thoughtfully.

“That’s right.” Trish nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement:
“At first I was also very surprised. Generally speaking, creatures corrupted by the abyss will repel normal elemental forces, but when I tried to stop resisting and instead resonate with that force in some way, the situation was completely different.”

She took out a small glass bottle from her storage bag, which contained several seeds that glowed with a purple light:
“These are seeds collected from those vines, and I believe they are valuable for studying the relationship between the abyss and the elements of nature.”

Ron's gaze was immediately drawn to the seeds.

This special sample from the abyss is undoubtedly of great value to his current research.

He traded several bottles of recovery potions and a bottle of "Mental Shield" for several seeds from Trish, as well as a piece of living tissue from the "Swamp Patchworker".

"I've also encountered some interesting situations."

Ron briefly described his experiences in the "Activated Ruins" and the Twisted Battlefield, specifically mentioning the black giant formed by the merging of numerous Shadow Nightmares.

However, the specific details of the battle were only mentioned briefly, saying only that he and Dale worked together to hold them off, and then quickly entered the control point.

Just as the two were exchanging information, Trish's spores sent back new information.

“Someone else is here.” She immediately became alert, but then relaxed: “It’s Holt.”

Before long, Holt's figure appeared in the mist.

He was already thin, but now he looked even more tired, though his eyes remained alert.

He visibly relaxed after seeing Ron and Trish and verifying each other's identities.

"Finally found you." Holt approached, his voice tinged with weariness. "This area is very strange; I once thought I was lost."

The three briefly exchanged information.

Holt details his fierce battle with the bone worms in the canyon and how he cleverly used the energy array formed by the stone pillars to repel the enemy.

“These are crystallized bones and worm molts that I collected from there.”

Holt took out two sealed containers: "Unfortunately, my Earth Elemental Colossus was severely damaged in the battle, and only the core was preserved."

Ron took the container, examined it carefully for a moment, and then his eyes lit up:
“These crystallized bones are of extraordinary value. They not only have extremely strong structural stability, but they are also able to resonate with elemental energy.”

He turned his gaze to Holt: "If you use them to repair your Earth Elemental Colossus, not only can it be quickly rebuilt, but it might also greatly enhance its defense and flexibility."

Holt's face lit up with delight: "Really? That's wonderful!"

He pondered for a moment and made a decision:

"As a token of our gratitude, we'll split these materials 30/70. After all, in this kind of environment, helping each other increases our chances of survival."

He then handed over about a third of the crystallized bone and the worm's molted skin to Ron:

"Your ability to identify things is truly impressive."

Ron carefully put away the precious materials, and thanked them calmly on the surface, but in his heart he had already begun to make plans.

"If the puppet absorbs the tissues of these abyssal creatures, it might further enhance its abilities."

His gaze swept over his two companions, and he suddenly realized a problem: "We're all here, but where are the other two sequence members?"

Holt shook his head: "I didn't see them. Perhaps they chose another route, or perhaps they failed to break through the blockade of the outer area."

Trish's expression turned serious: "Perhaps we should wait a while? After all, there's strength in numbers."

“We can’t wait any longer.” Ron pointed to the fog in the distance: “Look over there, the fog is changing.”

Indeed, the fog in the distance was slowly dissipating, and the outline of a huge building could be vaguely seen.

"This should be the core of the bloodline altar."

Ron speculated, "Since the fog is starting to dissipate, it means the trial has entered the next stage, and we must move on."

The three exchanged a glance, nodded in tacit agreement, and walked together toward the faintly visible building.

As they approached, the fog thinned, and the outline of the building became clearer.

It was a giant arena shaped like a wrestling ring, entirely composed of a translucent, dark red crystal.

(End of this chapter)