Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 567 The Competition of Quality and Quantity!

The two forces collided. Locke's five permanent defensive fields had a large total energy, while Diana's Crescent Moon Barrier had a higher quality.

When the two collided, instead of the collapse of Diana's permanent defensive field that Locke had anticipated, his own five permanent defensive fields began to collapse in a chain reaction.

"this is……"

Behind Locke appeared the Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow, which used the Plant Mimicry Technique: Green Dragon to quickly fly into the sky. The ground where he had been standing was now shrouded in moonlight, as if the moonlight was pouring down from the sky. The entire ground was covered in moonlight ice, which froze into an ice abyss.

A pair of ice skates reappeared beneath Diana's feet, and Luna's Laurel Tree appeared behind her, only this tree was thicker and more powerful than it had been six months ago.

Diana the Witch gracefully glided through the sky on a pair of ice skates, catching up with Locke. Her permanent defensive field collided with Locke's five-fold permanent defensive field once again, causing Locke's permanent defensive field to collapse.

Locke frowned, realizing he could only use Plant Mimicry: Green Dragon to quickly dodge the opponent's continuous slashes.

Each time the opponent swings their laurel wreath, they can summon a massive amount of ice magic power.

This is because Diana the Witch already possessed the second ring trait six months ago, and now she has become even more powerful.

Locke witnessed for the third time that his five-fold permanent defensive field collided with her crescent moon barrier. As a result, his five-fold permanent defensive field collapsed, while her single permanent defensive field remained intact.

Locke's eyes flashed with interest. 'As expected of the renowned breeding genius of Yunze Wetlands, he found a way to counter my multiple permanent defensive force fields in just six months.'

'This efficiency is simply too high.'

'However, I also want to thank her; without her, I wouldn't have discovered the flaws in the multiple permanent defensive force fields.'

The witch Diana laughed heartily, not out of smugness, nor because she was now chasing Locke to vent the anger she had suffered at the Yunze Cup.

It wasn't because she worked hard for half a year, using all her spare time to research things that were indeed verified.

Today she successfully verified her hypothesis about the multiple permanent defensive force fields with Locke. Tomorrow, she will go to Edgar to verify her hypothesis about the natural incarnation of the Tree of Life.

After six months of hard work, she has finally reaped the rewards today!
The witch Diana said, "I was right. The reason your multiple permanent defensive fields are so powerful is not because of how brilliant the idea is, but because you have the second-ring characteristic."

"What makes your multiple permanent defensive fields so powerful is that second-ring feature."

"That second-ring feature allows you to concentrate the power of multiple people on one person. But that doesn't mean that mindlessly stacking more permanent defensive fields is the right path."

A full moon rose again behind Diana the Witch; it was the permanent defensive force field of the Botanical Ring, the Full Moon Barrier.

The full moon barrier enveloped Locke, and behind it, the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms connected to Luna's Laurel Tree Spirit. The fragrance of osmanthus blossoms continuously provided magical energy to the full moon barrier, giving it the characteristics of a second ring.

Thus, Locke's five-fold, one-ring permanent defensive force field collided with the Crescent Moon Barrier, whose magical energy had been amplified by the fragrance of osmanthus and acquired the characteristics of the second ring.

This resulted in both sides having equally strong permanent defensive force fields, with Diana's witch even having the upper hand.

Essentially, this is a battle between quality and quantity.

Locke looked at Diana, the witch, who was chasing him on ice skates on the ice track in mid-air.

Fighting him did indeed give me a unique feeling, a kind of pressure that I couldn't feel with other wizards, a pressure that only a fellow traveler could bring me.

The last time I felt this kind of pressure was during my battle with Hussein.

"She noticed that the multiple permanent defensive force fields are essentially superimposed and nested together. If subjected to sufficient force, the multiple permanent defensive force fields on my body will collide with each other, resulting in some energy loss, just like turbulence in flowing water."

"In other words, multiple permanent defensive force fields with mutual interference turbulence will never be a match for a powerful permanent defensive force field of similar magnitude."

Locke turned to look at the crescent moon barrier that the witch Diana was casting upon him.

However, only a super genius like Diana could come up with such a method.

Why do I need to create multiple permanent defensive force fields?

Because a wizard can only have one permanent defensive field, even he who uses the Forest Sanctuary can only use one permanent defensive field at a time. It is only because he uses the Five-Headed Serpent Demon Plant that he can use multiple permanent defensive fields at the same time.

The strength of a wizard's permanent defensive field has an upper limit, which means that multiple permanent defensive fields are always stronger than a single permanent defensive field.

However, Diana, relying on the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms from the Luna Laurel Tree behind her, which was comparable to the Tree of Life, received a powerful boost in magical energy and gained the second-circle trait. In this way, she increased the strength of her permanent defensive field by at least four times, thus breaking the strength of a single permanent defensive field and creating the current situation.

Generally speaking, ritual magic can only enhance one's own power by three times. This is already the limit of enhancement. Further enhancement is not only unlikely but also very dangerous.

Nidhogg is a precedent.

However, Diana the Witch used Luna the Laurel Tree to enhance her permanent defensive field by at least four times through a special method.

In a sense, the special abilities of the Luna Osmanthus Tree Person she cultivated were indeed amazing, though the specific principles behind them remain unknown.

Locke suddenly stopped moving, his right hand clenching slightly. "You're right. Diana, whether it's my idea of ​​multiple permanent defensive fields or your idea of ​​doubling down your permanent defensive field, they're essentially the same thing."

"Ultimately, it all comes down to our thinking about the characteristics of the Second Ring Road."

"Quantity and quality are not important; what matters most is how to break through the limits and obtain the characteristics of the second ring."

Locke merged the three force fields in his hand into a natural force field, and the power of Mister transformed into a highly compressed emerald green axe. Then Locke suddenly swung it down at the crescent moon barrier in front of Diana the witch.

‘Boom~’

The power of Mister transformed into a giant axe, cleaving the full moon in front of Diana. The full moon turned into a faint fragrance, which turned out to be the fragrance of laurel.

Currently, both Locke and Diana are wizards at the first stage of crystallization. Without using ritual magic to fight to the death, the gap between them is not that big anymore.

Myster's Power is also a second-circle magic, and it has the special property of breaking permanent defensive fields. Therefore, with one strike, it directly cleaved through Diana's permanent defensive field.

Diana's laurel wreath slashed through the ice, landing on Locke, but was blocked by the life armor Locke summoned.

Diana the Witch was stunned. "How is that possible? It's not multiple permanent defensive fields, but a special permanent defensive field that is completely integrated?" This means that Locke's two special permanent defensive fields do not have turbulence issues.

At this moment, the witch Diana clashed with Locke, who was wielding the Mist Force Great Axe. In their head-on confrontation, all of her leaf blades were blocked by Locke's Life Armor, while Locke's Mist Force was able to pierce through her Crescent Moon Barrier every time.

Diana had no choice but to turn and run, and while being pursued by Locke, she began to think about how to break the deadlock.

Sweat beaded on Diana's forehead. "That axe, formed from special power, is incredibly strong. It can break through my defensive field instantly. I didn't see him use it during the competition six months ago."

"Is this power you gained in the last six months?"

"It seems I'm not the only one who's made progress," said the witch Diana.

"In that case, Edgar must have made great progress as well. Previously, I thought that I was invincible and the best among my peers because I could amplify my Permanent Defense Field and all my magic by four times with the help of Luna's Laurel Treant. But now it seems that I was a bit arrogant."

"I'm far from being invincible. I need to work even harder!"

Diana transformed the fragrance of osmanthus into her own magical power.

"In that case, I'll test my endurance against him. I have the fragrance from the Luna Osmanthus Tree Spirit to replenish my magical power. I'll stall until his power wanes, and then I'll find a way to break his new permanent defensive field."

Half an hour later, Diana suddenly stopped running away and gave a bitter smile. "I'm not fighting anymore, I give up."

Diana the Witch put away all her magical plants, and Locke took the opportunity to deactivate his Mysterious Power and Life Armor.

The witch Diana shook her head with a wry smile. "You're still the best. I thought that after spending half a year finding the weakness of the multiple permanent defensive force fields, I could defeat you and avenge my defeat, but who could have imagined that you would gain new power."

Locke nodded and said, "Diana, your method of amplifying the permanent defensive force field by four times is also very ingenious."

Diana said, "But that's not enough. I need to work even harder. Fighting you has helped me adjust my mindset. Thank you."

Locke nodded slightly.

His battle with Diana also allowed him to discover the weaknesses of the multiple permanent defensive force fields and to witness a special amplification method.

It was a worthwhile trip.

Exchanging ideas and verifying each other's insights with these geniuses can indeed greatly improve oneself.

Locke said, "Well then, I'll be going now. I need to hurry to the library to get the reading list my mentor gave me."

The witch Diana said, "Well, I have to go now. We can talk again another time."

After the two parted ways, Locke left Joseph's Golem Shop and went to the library. He currently has 3000 contribution points in the public library of Yunze Wetland. Because he published two articles in the journal "Green Grass Yunze", he was rewarded with 1500 contribution points for each article.

This earns three times more contribution points than publishing an S-level article directly in the association, which would yield 500 contribution points.

Locke spent 300 contribution points to borrow the three magic books related to Peach Arch Thorn Arrow, and he currently has 2700 contribution points left.

Locke borrowed some more S-level and A-level articles from related associations, spending another 1000 contribution points, leaving him with only 1700 contribution points.

Because contribution points are so important, Locke previously wanted to find apprentices to publish some Zone 2 journals for him to generate contribution points.

After all, if you have enough contribution points, you can use them to exchange for entry opportunities into the Wizarding Realm for yourself and your students.

"【Peach Bow Thorn Arrow】is an ancient yet entirely new magic of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands..." Locke sat in a library chair, flipping through books, "so there are many related works. For a long time, it was very popular among the botanical wizards of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands."

"Later, as more and more new plant magic emerged, the [Peach Bow Thorn Arrow] magic received much less attention. But even today, the [Peach Bow Thorn Arrow] magic remains one of the most classic first-level magics in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands."

"Furthermore, research on it continues, with some minor innovations every year."

Locke read the contents of the book and said, "The Peach Arch Thorn Arrow requires a matching peach tree-type magical plant, as well as a matching jujube tree-type magical plant. It is a very powerful first-level attack spell, known as having the highest attack power among first-level spells."

"Moreover, it has a special restraining effect on negative energy magic such as psychic magic."

"In contrast, the construction of the [Peach Blossom Arrow] spell model was quite difficult, with the biggest challenge being concentration. The construction of this spell model required unparalleled focus, and the process was lengthy and could not be interrupted in the slightest. One had to be in a state of absolute concentration at all times."

Locke read the description of the [Peach Blossom Arrow]. "Constructing the [Peach Blossom Arrow] spell model requires establishing a transcendent connection with a certain spiritual being. Therefore, it requires no emotional fluctuations and a blank mind. The slightest violation may lead to a magical backlash."

Locke flipped through an article, which contained records of various wizards who, due to using the [Peach Arch Thorn Arrow] and being mentally confused, suffered magical backlash, resulting in injuries and deaths.

"This is a very dangerous kind of magic, and that's why, as time goes by, fewer and fewer wizards learn or even just understand this powerful magic."

Locke pondered, "Professor Catherine wants me to learn this magic before learning advanced meditation techniques, probably to train my absolute concentration."

"But to construct this spell, it will cost another sum of money to purchase peach-type magical plants and jujube-type magical plants."

"The problem is that I don't have any money right now..." Locke thought with a headache.

There's no other way but to learn the theoretical knowledge first. The practical part can wait until later, when I have more money to buy the two types of magical tree plants.

Locke flipped through a pile of magic books and began to study. He also realized that the difficulty of learning this ancient magic model was indeed much higher than that of learning the current mainstream botanical magic.

Moreover, during the learning process, I seemed to have a deep communication with some kind of spirituality.

Locke was studying diligently in the library.

Time flies, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

September 1st, Love Day, arrives as scheduled.

On this day, Locke was also in the library, studying the [Peach Arch Thorn Arrow] while taking notes, and at the same time, he opened the Wish Spirit Mushroom to observe the various sales rankings of Arthas's products.

(End of this chapter)