Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

At one point, Dago seemed to understand a deeper meaning behind the magical ring's holding of these combat trials. Perhaps the intention was for magical ring wizards to absorb the "wisdom" of others to enhance their own abilities. Unfortunately, not many people could think of this.

The problem with this world is that intelligent people are full of doubts, while fools are full of unwavering convictions.

Dago also saw wizards like himself, who preferred close combat. Most of them were wizards of the Black Root Thorn, whose bodies were stronger than those of ordinary wizards, and some had even undergone certain physical modifications.

Dago realized how crucial the spell "Elemental Resonance" was for improving the skills of wizards who followed the "melee route." In his battle against Jareden, he demonstrated some of the effects of the "Ice Flame Blue Demon Body," which is why it caused such a stir and attracted so much attention.

A large part of the reason is the terrifying physical strength brought about by his own physique.

The ranking screen above the square kept changing, and the sound of spells exploding could be heard from time to time overhead.

The sound came from the enormous spider with eight eyes that was spinning a web in the air. It had been presiding over this competition and also providing punishment for some wizards who "failed".

The giant spider looked like some kind of alchemical puppet creation, and its body seemed to house a human soul. Dago heard others call it "Abochild." As for its owner, Dago's gaze moved upwards and landed on an old white-bearded wizard wearing a magnificent robe and a thorn ring on his head.

Since his appearance, this third-ring wizard had been lying in a daze with his eyes closed high in the sky, seemingly uninterested in any battle below.

The high-ranking members of the Thorn Ring reside almost entirely within the four towers of Cletam City. They assist the tower masters in managing the Ring and serve as "mentors" to the Ring wizards, as well as representatives of the various tower factions.

After joining a normal magic ring wizard, they will soon receive invitations from various high-level tower forces. After choosing to join, senior high-level wizards in the tower will impart the necessary inheritance and knowledge to you. If you can climb up step by step, you will have the opportunity to come into contact with the tower masters who are the leaders of these forces and become their mentors.

Competition and conflict exist between different tower factions within the Law Ring. If the tower you join is powerful, strong members of the high-level ring will stand up for you, and the problem will naturally be solved. Otherwise, you can only choose to avoid it.

Leaving one tower and joining another is a common occurrence in the Thorn Ring, and the Ring as a whole exists within such a healthy competitive environment.

While watching and thinking, Dago would simulate a battle with a wizard on the field in his mind, or test some unexpected magical techniques.

Before we knew it, time flew by, and the first round of the competition came to an end.

"Rumble~~~"

The ground beneath his feet suddenly began to shake. Dago instinctively stood up and then saw that the old wizard from the third ring, who had been in a "dreamy" state, had opened his eyes at some point.

A radiance that seemed to engulf the sky shone from those indifferent, weathered gray eyes, and the powerful spiritual energy belonging to the Third Ring surged and churned in the air like a vast ocean.

Without him making any move, a massive amount of free energy particles from heaven and earth converged, and the ground in the center of the square began to break free from the shackles of gravity, rising into the air with a "rumble".

Dargo's eyes trembled. The power of a third-ring wizard was beyond his imagination. With a wave of his hand, countless cubic meters of earth and stone floated up. With this method alone, even if it was just used to smash people, few second-ring wizards could withstand it.

Just then, a new arena was generated in mid-air. It was a large area suspended in mid-air, also enveloped by an energy shield of rune arrays.

Previously fragmented "arena" spaces have now coalesced into a larger, more formal, and more robust spherical space.

This is the stage for the second round!

"If you have an opponent you want to challenge, give me their name."

Perched on silver threads in the sky, the giant spider, acting as the "referee," uttered a deep voice, announcing the rules and format of the second round of the competition to everyone.

The second round was reserved for the challengers, with most wizards retreating to the spectator area.

Wizards aspiring to higher rankings would write down the names of the challengers they wished to challenge and submit them to the giant spider Abochild. Abochild would then conduct an initial screening—rejecting some meaningless challenges that were too far off the mark—before informing the challenged of the selected "challengers."

The challenged party has the right to refuse a challenge, but if the number of refusal exceeds a certain limit, their ranking will be lowered.

From the perspective of the rules, this is relatively reasonable and fair.

The ice crystal high-backed chair behind him melted, and the activated ice crystals shrank back under his robes. He took a few steps forward and looked up at the densely packed ranking screens made of magical light in the sky as he approached the arena.

At this moment, some people have already submitted "challenge applications" to the spider Abochild, using their mental power to manipulate energy particles to write the names of the challengers in the air, which then turn into streaks of light and shoot towards Abochild high in the sky. Abochild opens its mouth and eats the names of the wizards one by one, its eight jewel-like silver eyes slightly narrowed, like a discerning gourmet tasting the dishes that are being served.

Dago withdrew his gaze from the sky rankings, extended his finger, and calmly wrote a name in the air in front of him with his mental power, then added another name.

Several streams of spiritual energy secretly extended from the side, seemingly trying to peek at what he had written. He raised his hand, and the two names he had written turned into streaks of light that shot towards the spider in the sky.

The giant spider Abochild was "chewing" on Dago's challenge when it suddenly stopped. Then, its eight giant eyes lowered and gave Dago a deep look.

"It's been a really long time since I've 'tasted' this person's name."

A deep, wistful voice came from Abochild's massive mouth, "I still remember how he looked standing in the audience back then. Before I knew it, he had become a taboo subject that no one dared to mention."

Abochild's every word seemed to drill into one's eardrums, its strange sound causing a buzzing commotion and discussion among the wizards below.

Many people subconsciously looked at Dago with a look of doubt and curiosity in their eyes. The giant spider had eaten the names of no less than a hundred "challengers," but this was the first time it had behaved like this, and it even took the initiative to talk to Dago.

So, who exactly did this young man, who rose to fame overnight like a comet, challenge?