Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

The "leading figures" of the six major wizarding forces are all wizards whose mental power cultivation has reached the third ring, but this does not mean that there are only six third-ring wizards in this competition.

In fact, whether it's Thunder Tower, Dark Crystal Cult, or even Black Swamp and Lava Brotherhood, there are more than one third-ring wizarding genius.

They were also the focus of this competition, and compared with the "leaders" of their respective forces, they were only slightly inferior in combat power and talent.

The atmosphere only truly heated up when the first third-ring wizard genius appeared, and the topics and discussions stirred up by Dargo earlier were quickly overshadowed.

The duel between the second rings was not the real highlight of this competition; the main competition among the various forces was the strength of the members above the third ring.

The first round of thirty matches lasted from the brightest starlight until dawn, culminating in a clash between two genius third-ring wizards.

One of the two sides in the duel is a third-ring wizard genius named "Gattuso" from the Black Swamp.

This person seemed to have been famous for a long time, and had a considerable reputation among the second-circle wizards of several major powers. Dago kept hearing people around him mention various things about Gattuso.

Gattuso's rival was Barker, the number one genius of the Thorn Ring.

The four originally independent fighting arenas are now completely occupied by a dense stream of blue light emanating from one of the arenas.

These pale blue lights were different from the feeling of ice spells; instead, they were closer to the color of phosphorescent fire in the graveyard. They seemed to be alive, hovering above the four arena, and each gathering and dispersing gave people a strong sense of unease.

Clad in a long black robe, Gattuso, with a deep and somber aura, stood at the very center of the countless blue lights.

In his right hand he held a strangely shaped black staff, which was short and shaped like the skinned and dried carcass of a six-legged lizard.

The almost continuous blue light emanating from its body came from the eyes of the lizard corpse that held the strange staff.

"【The Tide of Calamities】!"

Gattuso uttered strange incantation syllables, and under his control, countless blue lights hovering in the sky surged wildly toward a certain position in the center of the battle.

There stood Barker, his pale golden hair flowing like light. A massive energy field surrounded him, and the field combined to form a huge green crystal energy body, shimmering with a dazzling luster that was almost tangible, perfectly enveloping Barker.

"【Four Colors - Jade Crystal】!"

"Bang bang bang—"

A large amount of blue light continuously impacted the huge green energy crystal, producing a series of sounds that were either dull or crisp, but it could not penetrate the surface of the crystal.

Barker, exuding a powerful aura and with a calm expression, walked step by step toward Gattuso, facing the surging blue light.

The latter's eyes darkened, and upon realizing that spells couldn't break through Orian's defenses, he immediately brandished his staff...

A powerful and mysterious aura flowed from its body, instantly forming a vast and terrifying domain.

Countless blue lights in the sky ceased their attacks on Barker, transitioning from extreme motion to extreme stillness, falling into an eerie tranquility.

Barker seemed to sense something, and he quietly stopped walking and slightly raised his head.

The next moment, Gattuso's eyes, which were shrouded in countless magical auras, flashed with a terrifying blue light, and he quickly pointed a finger at Barker.

"A single layer of magical resonance, [Tichran's Ferocious Appearance - The Spirit-Eating Fish]!"

In an instant, countless still blue lights transformed into an enormous and turbulent vortex.

The vortex seemed to be a real vortex, with even cold liquid splashing out from it.

A thick aura of decay and decay emanated from the vortex, and large swaths of blackness appeared in the void, as if a vast, corrupt black swamp was rapidly spreading out.

Barker raised his hand, and the massive green energy crystal protecting him lit up, but before he could do anything...

"roar--"

An ancient and terrifying roar echoed in the void. From within a massive, dark blue vortex and a decaying black swamp, a grotesque ancient piranha suddenly leaped out.

An ancient, ferocious, and savage aura instantly filled the arena. A huge, rotten, almost skeletonized semi-ethereal piranha opened its mouth and swallowed Barker whole from the center of the battle!

Before the onlookers could even be shocked and astonished, the enormous ancient piranha-like phenomenon suddenly exploded.

"Boom!"

The decaying, dilapidated, and ancient aura on the field was instantly swept away by another extremely powerful magical domain.

The enormous, dark blue vortex in the sky dissipated completely, and the black swamp shattered.

The blinding flames pushed everything aside, and then, Barker's figure, encased in a huge crimson crystal, reappeared.

At this moment, every part of Barker's body radiated dazzling light. Crimson-gold flames flowed down his body like lava, and countless powerful magical energy intertwined, tearing and melting everything.

"[Four Colors - Molten Crystal]!"

Barker made a gesture of raising his hand.

Countless long, sharp crystal pillars, as narrow as swords, immediately sprouted from the crimson crystal outside his body. In an instant, they pierced through layers of void and reached Gattuso's brow.

"!"

Gattuso stood frozen in place, his body stiff, his already pale face turning even paler, with fine beads of sweat seeping out.

His expression shifted dramatically, seemingly filled with resentment, but faced with the magical crystal spikes so close, poised to easily pierce his skull in the next second, he ultimately...

They gave up resisting.

His imposing aura dissipated like the receding tide, and Gattuso appeared utterly dejected. He slammed his staff down heavily and whispered, "I lost."

A moment of silence fell over the surrounding area, and a few seconds later, a huge commotion and discussion broke out.

The clash between the third-ring wizards ended with Barker's victory.

Riding the wave of his victory over his peers, Barker immediately became the center of attention.

But he did not immediately step onto the field. Instead, he turned his sharp, piercing gaze toward the Thunder Tower, toward the lofty Gehrman.

Gehrman responded calmly, and their eyes clashed, as if invisible sparks were flying in the air.

Then, Barker turned and left the field.

"Is this what's called the 'crystal and elemental system complexation technique'?"

Below the stage, Dago watched the fight between Bakker and Gattuso in silence, a thoughtful look on his face.

This was the first time Dago had watched a duel between third-ring wizards, and as he watched, he had many thoughts running through his mind.

The first layer of magical resonance is considered amazing at the level of a second-circle wizard. Once it is used, it can often determine the outcome of a battle.

However, at the third ring level, the power of the first level of Dharma Domain resonance seems somewhat "insufficient".

No, to be precise, the power of the first layer of magical resonance derived from low-level spells seems a bit "weak" at the level of a third-circle wizard.

There are no ranks in the realm of magic, but the spells that derive from the realm of magic vary in strength.

For example, Gattuso's final spell in the Black Swamp was a resonance of magic domains—[Tichran's Ferocious Appearance—Spirit-Eating Fish].

If Dago is not mistaken, it should be derived from the first-tier dark magic spell, "Piranha Soul".

A typical first-tier dark magic spell, its effect is to summon a phantom piranha to devour the opponent.

After reaching a certain level of resonance within the Dharma Domain, one comprehends the ferocious nature of the ancient piranha. If one were a second-ring wizard, this power would be absolutely ferocious and invincible.

However, in a contest between third-ring wizards, this move is a level below.

The inherent power of a third-tier spell exceeds that of a first-tier spell by tens or even hundreds of times, even if the latter generates a resonant domain of power.

It only closes the gap. If the former's proficiency is also very high, and they have even developed the power of the Law Domain, then they will still have an overwhelming advantage over the latter.

Not to mention, the third-order spell that Barker cast was not an ordinary third-order spell, but a third-order composite spell whose complexity and ingenuity far exceeded that of ordinary third-order spells.

Gattuso's defeat was entirely justified; at the very least, he was far inferior to Barker in his understanding of magic.

"Is it wrong for me to focus on practicing low-level spells? After all, all the spells I have mastered are at the zero level, not even the first level. As my strength increases, these methods will gradually become obsolete."

Dago pondered quietly, constantly turning the space ring on his left ring finger.

This is one of his little habits; he does it subconsciously whenever he's thinking about a problem, as if it helps him generate inspiration.

"No, it can't be considered a mistake; it's just another direction for development, another choice of specialization."

Dago stopped what he was doing, his eyes calmed down, and he already had the answer in his heart.

"If Gattuso had comprehended the second level of Dharma Domain Resonance instead of the first level, the outcome of his battle with Barker might have been different."

"He failed simply because his understanding of the Dharma Domain was not deep enough."

"If the power of a single resonance isn't enough, then go for a second; if a second isn't enough, then strive for a third. Besides these, there are also the superposition of multiple law domains and the fusion of different law domains."

Furthermore, beyond the extraordinary level of the Law Domain, there are even higher and stronger realms!

"Who says that even a low-level, beginner-level spell of rank zero can't rival a forbidden spell?"

Dago felt that it was truly foolish of him to abandon the Law Domain that he had spent so much time and effort to comprehend and instead turn to studying high-level spells.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Dargo relied solely on low-level spells to "conquer the world" from then on.

After leveling up, spells will be updated, and you'll definitely need to learn higher-level spells. But you need to see if they're suitable for you and whether it's worth investing a lot of energy to study them in depth.

This involves each person's fighting style and the construction of their own spell system.

"The combat system is constantly being optimized and adjusted during a wizard's growth process."

The ability to combine different spells and build a combat system that best suits oneself and maximizes one's combat power is also a place where a wizard's talent and skill can be showcased.

After some thought, Dago realized that although his strength hadn't changed much, he felt that his path ahead had become clearer and more defined, and his goals and direction were more steadfast and clear. It was a kind of improvement in another form.

Undine is right; watching such large-scale competitions of geniuses can greatly broaden a wizard's horizons.

And experience is one of the decisive factors in determining how far a wizard can go in the future.

"Gattuso was once the number one genius of the Black Nightmare Swamp, but he was later defeated by Ang and now he has been defeated by Barker, becoming the first level three wizard to be eliminated."

This incident will likely have a significant impact on his reputation.

Violet whispered in Dago's ear.

Dago looked up and saw Gatuso, after his defeat, slowly return to the forces of the Black Nightmare Swamp, exuding an aura that kept others at bay.

People close to him went up to him, seemingly wanting to comfort him, but he drove them away with a look and an unpleasant expression.

Gattuso sat in a deserted corner, his presence a somber shadow.

Some shine brightly, while others fall from grace.

this is the truth.

The first round of competition did not completely end until dusk on the second day.

Without any pause, the second round began immediately.

The competition of sixty people had half left in the second round, and the Thorn Ring Wizard had only three left: Barker, Dago, and another late-stage second-ring Wizard.

The expressions on the faces of Carlos and Ronald, the two top-level figures leading the team, did not change much.

The Thorn Ring was not particularly strong among the six major wizarding factions, and given its unique lineage, this outcome was within the two's expectations after one round.

In this competition, the performance of Barker alone will be the most important factor for the Thorn Ring team.

As for the others, it all depends on luck.

Dago had good luck in the first round, facing a Black Swamp Wizard whose strength wasn't particularly outstanding, but his luck was clearly not so good in the second round.

It could even be considered terrible.

The remaining streams of soul light within the colorful orb intertwined and collided, causing two beams to descend. One beam landed on Dago, while the other locked onto a plant-type wizard from the Water Palace.

The latter was of medium build, with a fair and delicate baby face, and looked quite ordinary.

The fluctuations of spiritual power emanating from his body... were clearly the kind of power possessed only by a third-ring wizard!

"Yadal Eugene"

The current champion of the Water Palace, and one of the few seeded players in this competition.

Many people have heard of Yadar, including some veteran third-circle wizards from various factions.

Seeing that Dago's opponent was Yadar, Carlos called Dago over just before he went on stage and gave him some serious instructions.

"Dargo, just do your best; there's no need to force yourself to win."

Dago nodded to indicate that he understood, then calmly turned and went onto the field.

"Looks like this kid didn't listen to what you said..."

Ronald, who was watching closely, couldn't help but ask, "What do you think his chances of winning against Yadar are?"

"If he activates his bloodline power, he has a certain chance, even against a third-ring Yadar, but how confident is he of victory..."

After pondering for a moment, Carlos still couldn't make a precise judgment and could only shake his head, saying, "It's hard to say."