Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 608: The Battle of Dragons!

On the fifth day of the competition, the ten Cloud Arenas had been collapsing, leaving only six. When Locke arrived at Arena 1, he heard a deafening sound and saw that Arena 6 was covered with cracks starting from the edge.

Then, amidst the cheers of the wizards and the expectant gazes of the paying audience, it collapsed with a loud bang.

Currently, only five Cloud Peach Arenas remain in the Spell Fighting Tournament, indicating that the competition has entered a heated phase.

During the sports festival, apart from the magic fighting competition, most of the other competitions have entered the stage of vying for the championship.

The results of the potion relay race on Williams' side are already in. Williams' team came in second place, while the school team from the Nexus City came in first.

The number of gold medals from each of the major wizarding academies was displayed above the Cloud Arena, visible to all wizards.

So far, Jinmian Mountain is undoubtedly number one, with a total of 40 medals, including 28 gold medals.

The second place winner is the City of Magic, with a total of 25 cards and 7 gold cards.

The third place went to Kungudin College with a total of 24 medals and 6 gold medals.

Fourth place went to Qise Nursery, with a total of 18 medals, including 2 gold medals.

Fifth place goes to the Hall of Eternal Radiance, and sixth place to the Sandbar Tower...

Currently, this ranking list perfectly reflects the overall strength of the various wizarding academies within the Golden Mound Mountain region of Yunze Wetland.

However, Locke was somewhat surprised that Seven Colors Nursery, a medium-sized organization, could rank fourth.

“No, that’s not surprising either,” Locke said. “As a medium-sized academy, Seven-Colored Nursery is an affiliated ally of Golden Crown Mountain, so it will naturally receive preferential treatment. For Golden Crown Mountain, having a pursuer like this from the Magic Pivot City and Kungudin Academy is not a bad thing.”

"After all, it's not just medium-sized and large-scale wizarding schools that can launch academic ranking wars against top-tier wizarding schools. Lower-level wizarding schools at all levels can also issue requests for these wars..."

Locke said, "In this way, the pressure will be placed on the City of the Demon and Kungudin Academy."

Locke looked at ring number 1, where his opponent stepped onto the stage. The opponent was wearing a brightly colored wizard's robe, with a beautiful body, his hands behind his back, wearing a pair of deerskin boots, and a hood.

The Preston Witch glanced at Locke, then smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Locke."

“My mother said it’s possible for us to become friends. I’d wanted to get to know you before, but who knew that by the time I returned from the colony, it would already be November. If I had known, we should have met before the competition. That way we would have gotten to know each other better.”

“I have a good suggestion. It’s the fifth day now, so it’s best not to reveal too much information about ourselves during the battle. Why don’t you just admit defeat? You haven’t lost yet so far.”

"I deliberately conceded a game because I wanted to keep my trump card up."

The Preston Witch said, "This is a carefully calculated plan that will benefit both of us."

“If we fight, it will be a lose-lose situation regardless of who wins or loses. The reason is that we are both from the Academic Committee faction, you are a candidate member of the society, my teacher is the Catherine witch, and my mother is a sun-ring witch in the society.”

The Preston Witch laughed and said, "Of course, if I think you have a higher chance of winning, I will definitely concede."

The referee wizard was speechless. He coughed and said in a low voice, "Princess Preston, this should not be allowed, especially since it's being broadcast live. Please watch your words."

The referee wizard added, "Of course, this can also be considered an internal matter among you."

"After all, your teachers and clubs are the same."

“Reasonable tactical allocation is also part of the rules.”

The referee wizard looked at Locke, awaiting his choice.

Locke calmly replied, "I refuse."

The referee wizard smirked and raised his right hand. "I declare the match open."

The Preston Witch's smile vanished instantly. "Locke, your choice is extremely unwise."

"I've seen your fight before; you're no match for me."

The Preston Witch looked at Locke with a scrutinizing gaze.

Locke said, "Senior, although this is our first meeting, we have the same teacher. Logically, I should agree with your point of view, but your definition of win-win and lose-lose may be wrong."

"Secondly, this competition is also a whetstone for me to hone my skills. So I don't want to miss any of them."

Locke grabbed with his left hand, and the Golden Palace Branch transformed into a bow and arrow, falling into his hand. The Little Golden Jujube Hanging turned into an arrow, and he shot out a sun.

The Preston witch raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? The spell's damage conversion efficiency has increased by at least one-tenth. What did you do to increase it so much?"

The next moment, the golden sun clashed with a wizard's sword worth 500,000 in her hand. The surface of the wizard's sword was covered with ice, clearly a wizard's sword with ice magic enchantment from the Evocation School that the Preston Witch had specially replaced in order to deal with Locke.

'Hmm? My intuition is correct. Could it be that he's improving in every match?'

……

On the judges' panel, the Grand League Chairman Franklin Wizard smiled and directed more cameras to the No. 1 arena, saying, "The Alliance Battle is absolutely a guarantee of high viewership."

"I just don't know what the outcome will be."

Wizard Fisher considered for a moment and said, "I think Preston has a higher chance of winning. Both Preston and Augustine have the bloodline of a third-circle dragon and both have 9999 magic power, but Preston's parents are both members of the Academic Committee. She received the most orthodox education from Mount Golden Crown from a young age."

Roosevelt the Wizard said, "But Locke isn't bad either, though he is indeed a bit young. He should only be 23 this year. Preston is 33."

Catherine the Witch took to the judges' panel. "Judging from her learning experience and panel data, Preston does indeed have a higher chance of winning."

Franklin, Roosevelt, and Fisher were all startled by Catherine's sudden appearance.

Chairman Franklin immediately looked at Catherine. "Catherine, have you awakened from the dragon's slumber?"

"This is currently a battle between members of the same sect. You've come at just the right time; this seat was reserved for you."

After Catherine sat down...

Wizard Fisher smiled at Catherine and said, "Your Majesty, Preston should be able to achieve final victory."

“Preston is, after all, the White Dragon Princess of the Academic Committee.”

"However, your other student is also good. It's just a pity that his foundation is too shallow and he needs to be polished. I think he can wait another five years and wait for the next magic combat competition. He should be able to achieve better results then."

After careful consideration, Wizard Fisher concluded that Catherine was the throne of the Academic Council, and the Preston Witch was the backbone of the younger generation of the Academic Council, with both of their parents being wizards on the Academic Council.

Both emotionally and logically, she was closer to Catherine the Witch.

Therefore, out of flattery, he said such things.

Catherine the Witch gave him a cold look.

The wizard Fisher immediately noticed that the witch Catherine's attitude was unusual, so he stopped talking to avoid offending anyone by saying the wrong thing.

'Hmm? That's strange. Could it be that the Preston Witch isn't a member of the most trusted younger generation of the Academic Committee? She's been a student of the Throne for twenty years, while Locke has only been her associate wizard for six months.'

'Logically speaking, what I said just now was quite appropriate,' Wizard Fisher frowned.

Roosevelt the Wizard then turned to Catherine the Witch and asked, "Your Throne, you just said that, based on the data on paper, who do you think will win?"

Catherine the Witch did not hesitate. "Locke Augustine."

Roosevelt Wizard and Fisher Wizard's eyes immediately sharpened.

The witch Catherine said, "It's not about who studies with me the longest or spends the longest in the first crystallization stage that makes them stronger. Locke already has a certain understanding of the second stage, and he has gone further on the Path of Truth."

“Preston, however, still lacks polish.”

Wizard Fisher frowned. “I’m not their teacher, so I don’t know their situation. That being said, Preston is our White Dragon Princess of Golden Crown Mountain.”

"Moreover, she has the support of two Sun Ring Wizards. Although she doesn't carry many magical artifacts, she possesses the bloodlines of many rare magical creatures that cannot be traded. These were obtained by the Sun Ring Wizards when they went to the depths of the void to explore the world."

"The actual gap between the two is enormous. If one is to win based on their understanding of the second stage..." Wizard Fisher said, "then unless Augustine has gone very far and is thinking about how to construct great magic. And even then, to close the material gap, his thinking must be exceptionally good."

Wizard Fischer looked at Witch Catherine with a puzzled expression. "Your Majesty, are you asking too much of a foreign wizard with no background?"

Franklin the Wizard said with a smile, "Actually, I also think Locke is more promising. After all, he has high commercial value, and his wizard shoes have entered the top fifty of the sales charts."

"I really like this kid who has such a good business sense."

The three third-ring wizards of Golden Crown Mountain simply ignored the conversation.

……

On arena number 1, Locke fired five arrows at the Preston Witch in succession, all of which she nimbly dodged. The Preston Witch immediately went berserk three times, her blood boiling three times, transforming into a beast, a diamond, and a blood beast.

He developed his physical abilities to the fullest extent.

They dodged all the attacks.

Five arrows of the sun danced in the sky like golden firebirds, their powerful magical pressure distorting the surrounding air.

Many viewers even began to dehydrate because they couldn't bear the pressure.

Building on this, Locke fired three more arrows toward the Preston Witch, who was standing in the sky with a pair of dragon wings growing from her back.

Instantly, eight sun arrows appeared in the sky, automatically tracking the Preston Witch.

This is also Locke's current limit.

The Preston witch scoffed, glancing at the eight sun arrows following behind her. "I don't know why, but his spell model has definitely been improving throughout this match."

"It's only been five days. Yet he's already completely different from the first day of the competition."

“I’ve been learning alongside my teacher since I was little; you could say she raised me. My parents are also Sun Ring Wizards, so there’s nothing I don’t know. So where does the problem lie?”

"If there's anything I don't know that led to his rapid improvement in matches, it's definitely something I know but have forgotten, or something I couldn't properly understand." A flicker of interest crossed the Preston Witch's eyes. 'Well, fighting him doesn't seem like a bad deal.'

'Then I'll reveal some of my cards. It seems that if I want to preserve my information, I have no choice but to concede.'

Locke drew his bow and arrow, using a state of thoughtlessness to connect with the spirits of the early leaders. At this moment, he had a deeper understanding of the path of the second ring, and thus, when connecting with the spirits of the early leaders, he received more power from the fire of civilization.

Intense magical light emanated from both ends of the Golden Palace Remains Branch.

Locke fired his ninth arrow toward the Preston Witch in the sky.

A ray of sunlight shot out from his bowstring, and Locke's magical pressure also rose to its limit. It seemed that if it continued to rise, he would enter a period of soul decay.

Eight arrows of the sun surrounded the Preston witch, while the ninth arrow of the sun was shot toward Preston's face.

The wizards watching all believed that Preston Witch had no chance of avoiding the arrow.

The intense magical pressure was so great that many wizards had to wear special magical robes to resist the heat.

Two options flashed through Preston's mind. 'The first is to forcibly boost her defenses using her magical body, but the moment she does, her magical pressure will vanish, and she'll likely fall from the sky. She won't be injured, but it will be a very unsightly fall.'

The second one is…

In an instant, the Preston Witch's body transformed into bolts of lightning, then her body swelled dramatically, and soon she became a giant lamp spirit made of lightning.

That is the bloodline of the Storm Lamp Spirit from the depths of the void.

It is an extremely rare bloodline in the Wizarding World, with only a handful of cases having been captured so far.

But Preston's parents arranged for him to have this bloodline.

At this moment, the Preston witch used a first-circle universal bloodline spell, Temporary Change of Subject, a spell she learned from her parents. This spell allows her to temporarily change the primary and secondary bloodlines, making herself the primary bloodline and the others secondary.

At this moment, the Preston witch used this spell to transform herself into a Storm Lamp Spirit, and further enhanced the Storm Lamp Spirit's magic to its extreme using her own bloodline power.

She reached out and grabbed an arrow of the sun.

The next moment, the light from the nine sun arrows vanished.

This is a unique ability of the Lamp Spirit race—Limited Wish Granting!

Then, nine arrows of the sun reappeared behind her, and according to the will of her limited wish spell, all of them were altered to be directed at their master, and all of them shot toward Locke.

Locke's expression changed slightly; he hadn't expected something like this to happen.

The Preston witch frowned. "It was originally intended for the Fisher family wizards, or for Julian, but it ended up being used on one of our own. Locke, don't blame me, I've already made a gentleman's agreement with you."

The Preston Witch's body took on its original form, and the limited wish-granting spell of the Lamp Spirit bloodline could only be used once a day, and once used, it placed an extremely heavy magical pressure on the user.

Therefore, she was slightly out of breath at that moment.

The Preston Witch landed on the arena floor, looking up into the air. "If I were hit by my own strongest attack... hmm?"

Locke immediately activated the bloodline of the Three-Eyed Tiger Cat and used the bloodline magic of the Scorpion Woman's Ring to enhance his own bloodline to the limit. Then, he used the Earth Extreme Magnetic Force to create a pillar of light in front of him.

Locke, using his knowledge of the Peach Arch Thorn Arrow, the attractive properties of the Earth Element Magnetism, and his understanding of the Three-Eyed Tiger Cat bloodline, temporarily ignored the side effects of the Three-Eyed Tiger Cat bloodline overusing the Earth Element Magnetism.

All nine peach-blossom thorn arrows were deflected.

Then, nine more attacks were launched at the Preston Witch.

In an instant, a burst of intense heat erupted.

Locke was slightly out of breath. "Trying to defeat me with my power? That's ridiculous."

Beside the arena, many wizards were drawn to the exciting battle.

They originally thought this internal conflict within their sect was just a formality, but who knew it would be so intense.

The second-circle wizard of the Tower of Transformation whispered, "Although the White Dragon Princess's Storm Lamp Spirit's Limited Wish Spell is indeed powerful."

"They are incredibly difficult to defend against. However, the two have developed their bloodline abilities to a completely different degree."

On the other side, a member of the Tower of Transformation nodded and said, "A botanical wizard can temporarily ignore the side effects of bloodlines by relying on his understanding of them, while a bloodline wizard is forced to abide by the restrictions of the Lamp Spirit bloodline."

"This is absolutely ridiculous."

"If I were that little white dragon princess, even if we were both at the first stage of crystallization, I could still forcefully use the second limited wish spell despite the side effects."

"That little white dragon princess didn't understand her own power. But it's no use for others to explain this to her, because she couldn't be aware of it. Even if she thought she was aware of it, she wasn't actually aware of it at the time."

"If the little white dragon princess is still following the rules, then Locke Augustine has already begun to subtly challenge the boundaries of the rules."

On Arena 1, the Preston Witch spat out a mouthful of blood. She stepped out of the flames. If it weren't for the crucial moment, she would have immediately used [Temporarily Change Body] to transform her main bloodline into a white dragon.

She used her magical body, otherwise she would have been knocked off stage number 1.

The Preston Witch glared at Locke, her eyes blazing with fury, and her body transformed into a small white dragon. "Damn it. I only held back because you're one of us. In that case, let's fight seriously."

'Roar~'

The Preston Witch's dragon might attacked Locke, colliding with Locke's dragon might. The next moment, Locke's dragon might collapsed, and before Locke could react, a cold, fiery dragon breath descended from the sky.

Locke used his beast-like body and the immortal dragon scale on his left hand to protect himself as he broke through, but he also suffered many injuries.

Preston, in his guise as a small white dragon, gave chase. "Immortal Dragon Scales? I see."

“But I have one too.” A true dragon scale, an immortal dragon scale, appeared on the back of the Preston Witch.

At the same time, she breathed a cold dragon's breath at Locke.

The icy dragon's might made the wizards watching the battle feel incredibly cold!
A wizard at the first stage of Liquefaction shakily drank a potion and said, "This is like the extremes of ice and fire. Watching the game here is too stressful for me."

Locke used the Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow and the Plant Mimicry Technique: Green Dragon, flying in the sky, and the two engaged in a series of chases.

This is a battle between bloodline magic and botanical magic.

A white dragon, created using bloodline magic, and a green dragon, created using plant magic, engaged in a high-speed battle of magic in the sky.

The two exchanged blows, with Locke continuously using the Overlord Sea Sand and the seven kinds of plant magic of the Scorching Sand Stream, while the Preston Witch used various bloodline spells and the powerful melee abilities of the White Dragon.

Both sides used dozens of spells in succession.

The battlefield had long since shifted from the arena to mid-air.

During the battle, Locke's magical pressure gradually increased, seemingly about to break through some kind of limit.

However, before that, he took out a piece of Abyss Devourer Sea Gold Sand from his Astral Ring, and an unusual demonic pressure emanated from the sky.

The Preston Witch stopped in her tracks, startled by the strange magical pressure. "This is..."

"It feels so strange."

Locke flew through the air, his left hand flipping open. The Abyss Devouring Sea Gold Sand floated in his hand like a purple-green pagoda. At the same time, he didn't forget to promote his product. "This is my second Overlord Demon Plant."

"Alsace is currently selling my No. 2 Overlord Essence line of products very well."

Locke said, "Senior, if it weren't for this magical plant, I estimate I would have lost to you this time. But with this magical plant, things might be different."

A mocking glint appeared in the eyes of the small white dragon, Preston Witch. "Nothing is useful before a true dragon's body."

“You also have immortal dragon scales, so you naturally know how powerful I am in this state. I spent seven years painstakingly completing this spell after reaching the first stage of crystallization. This is also the blueprint for the ultimate spell that my parents hoped I would use.”

“Locke, this is the perfect magic my parents created for me, and it has the full potential to grow into a great magic.”

"It's not comparable to your half-baked plant mimicry skills."

The next moment, her dragon might clashed with Locke's dragon might once again, and at the same time, a cold, emotionless dragon breath attacked.

At this moment, the battle between the two sides has become the focus of attention.

Because only at Golden Crown Mountain can one witness the battle between the two Dragonblood Wizards.

Locke lifted the Sea Gold Sand and used the Flowing Gold Sand Waterfall!
Instantly, under the triple blessing of tree fern transformation, abyss transformation, and overlord transformation, the Sea Gold Sand, which had grown to its limit, summoned black-gold spores that seemed to blot out the sky.

Countless spores fell, directly confronting Preston's dragon breath.

The power of the abyss clashed with the power of the dragon's breath.

Both are advanced powers.

Preston was surprised to find that the two sides were evenly matched. Just then, she suddenly felt the surge of the white dragon bloodline, a backlash from the bloodline itself.

Because the White Dragon bloodline was pushed to its limit, its bloodline power began to resist the spell model of [Temporarily Replacing the Main Body].

"No!"

The next moment, the Abyss Devourer, Hai Jinsha, suddenly contracted, transforming into a black-gold spiral spear. It carried a black-purple abyssal magical pressure, assimilating Preston's magical pressure (abyssal energy has an assimilative and restraining effect on ordinary magic). Then, it suddenly descended from the sky, knocking the white dragon directly from the sky to the ground.

Because that wasn't a ring.

So the audience of wizards were dumbfounded, and many of them immediately turned and ran away.

'Boom~'

The cloud smashed a large crater into the ground.

(End of this chapter)