Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

"A six-ring wizard for one hundred years..."

Dago couldn't help but murmur.

A soul age of less than one hundred years who can become a second-ringed being is considered a genius even within a top-tier southern wizarding power like the Thorn Ring.

In countless days and nights of meditation, Dago deeply understood the hardship of accumulating every bit of spiritual strength. It was the ultimate tempering of will and the difficult piecing together of fragments of the world's rules.

An ordinary wizard might spend his entire life stuck at the peak of a single ring, exhausting his lifespan before that hopeless bottleneck and turning into a pile of bones.

But what is that compared to Isidore?

This gap cannot be measured by talent alone; it is a complete crushing of life level and cognitive dimension, like a firefly compared to the bright moon, or an ant compared to a giant elephant.

Is he mediocre? Is he trash?

"...Just as Steele just sang, Isidore is known as a born Law Master."

He once commanded meteorites and single-handedly destroyed a vast empire composed entirely of wizards.

That was not simply brute force, but a precise calculation of the trajectory of stars, an ultimate manipulation of the rules of gravity.

He stood on the high ground of truth and used the smallest lever to pry open the boulder that was destroying the world.

In that era, his name was synonymous with truth, and any existence that attempted to resist his will was reduced to ashes in the meteoric fire that fell from the sky.

There are countless legends about him. He is a true powerhouse who stands at the pinnacle of the Upper Ring Continent, regarding all living beings as insignificant and rules as simple as the lines on his palm.

Later, he chased the twilight into the Central Continent, where he clashed with those ancient and noble wizards, leaving behind many legends. He is said to have even dissected mythical creatures, recording their bloodline secrets in the eternal code.

"And then?"

Dargo suppressed his inner turmoil and pressed Undine for answers.

His voice echoed in the empty room, carrying a hint of awe and longing for the unknown fate.

Undine simply replied calmly, "Dead."

"Well……"

Dago's breath hitched, and his pupils contracted slightly.

"Isidore perished on a more distant dark continent, and the exact cause of his death is unknown."

Undine's voice was flat, as if stating a cold theorem: "On the endless path of seeking truth, death is the only destination. Even a powerful sixth-ring wizard can fall in an instant if he takes a wrong step, touches some forbidden rule, or encounters an even more terrifying unknown."

This is the cruel reality of the wizarding world: there are no eternal protagonists, only eternal truths.

Undine said, "However, before his soul completely perished, he returned once and left his legacy in various corners of the Upper Ring Continent. It was the culmination of his lifelong understanding of the elements, soul, space, and even the rules of time; it was a gift he tried to leave behind in this world."

—Isidore's Wizards spot!

Each inheritance represents one of thirty-two seats, which are opened once every hundred years. Only genius wizards whose soul age is under one hundred years old can be invited to obtain the ticket to enter the competition for seats.

This is not just a spot; it's a high-stakes gamble on the future.

If one can win the position of chief, one may receive a crucial inheritance from Isidore, a key to a higher level of life, a shortcut to truth that countless wizards dream of.

Once all the key inheritances are gathered, it is said that one can inherit the incredibly powerful Archon bloodline of Heramus!

To completely elevate one's own life essence and master that terrifying power to command the stars and rewrite the rules!

"This is both a publicly known treasure trove of opportunities and a flesh-and-blood mill that devours geniuses."

The battle for the Isidore Wizards' seat has been ongoing for nearly a thousand years in the Upper Ring Continent, but no one has ever truly gathered the entire legacy together.

Each opening is accompanied by the fall of countless geniuses; their bones become the steps beneath the feet of those who follow, and their souls become the nourishment that sustains this land.

Undine turned to look at Dargo, her eyes seeming to see through the ambition and fear deep in Dargo's soul. After a pause, she said, "The official start of the Southern Wizards' competition for the spots will be in three years."

"call--"

Dago exhaled a long breath, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.

That is the greed of a predator when it sees its prey, and the fervor of a seeker when it sees the light of truth.

At that moment, the weariness that had been lingering between his brows seemed to vanish.

That was the heavy pressure accumulated from hovering on the edge of life and death for a long time, which was replaced in this instant by a grander goal.

Compared to that unattainable truth, physical exhaustion and mental strain seem insignificant in the face of the principle of equivalent exchange.

"I see."

Dago spoke softly, his voice low but carrying an unwavering resolve.

Undine's eyes held a complex expression as she spoke softly, "I mentioned this to you before to encourage you. In the Thorn Ring, although you performed exceptionally well, you are still too insignificant on the scale of the entire wizarding world."

But in reality, this battle for the Wizards' spot with Isidore will be very difficult for you. It's not just a contest of ability, but also a comprehensive competition of resources, background, knowledge reserves, and even luck.

Prior to this, no invitation to the battle for seats had ever been extended to any second-ring wizard. There was a huge chasm between the second and third rings, a qualitative leap in their understanding of the rules.

To receive an invitation, you must advance to the third ring within the next three years. This means you'll need to engage in more intense meditation, consume far more resources, and even undertake perilous missions to seize a chance for a breakthrough.

Moreover, even if this is achieved, the top wizarding geniuses from the three major wizarding forces and dozens of medium-sized wizarding forces in the entire south will gather, and the competition for tickets alone will be fierce enough.

The resources and power of those large factions are far beyond your imagination. The monsters they cultivate may wield fragments of ancient wizards' artifacts, or they may have been transplanted with terrifying organs from spirit beings.

"Three major wizarding factions?"

This was the first time Dago had heard this claim, and he blinked involuntarily.

His vision was always limited to the periphery of the Thorn Ring, and he knew very little about the true rulers of this vast continent.

"Um."

Undine explained:

The wizarding world has a specific standard for classifying wizarding forces, categorizing them as micro, small, medium, large, and super-large.

This division is not merely a matter of numbers, but also a reflection of the highest combat strength, the scope of resource control, and the completeness of knowledge transmission.

Our Thorn Ring, with several third-ring wizards in charge, controls several surrounding mortal kingdoms and resource points, so we can only be considered an ordinary medium-sized wizarding force.

Although we reign supreme in this corner of the world, we are nothing more than slightly stronger ants in the face of truly colossal beings.

Among the six major wizarding factions, only the Thunder Tower and the Dark Crystal Cult can be considered top-tier medium-sized forces, but they don't even meet the standard of being large.

It is said that major powers possess at least a fourth-ring or higher miracle wizard, whose will can influence natural phenomena, and whose towering magic towers monitor the pulse of the continent.

Undine tried to let Dago experience the intensity of the competition in advance, even going so far as to bring up Barker as an example, who was the benchmark for the younger generation of the Thorn Ring and an existence that countless junior apprentices looked up to.

"...Barker is arguably the most outstanding genius of our generation in the Thorn Ring. He has extremely high elemental affinity and is very accurate in constructing spell models."

However, if placed in a competitive arena, his strength might only be considered average. The number of geniuses who are just as outstanding, or even more monstrous, would exceed your expectations.

Some people are born to defy convention; their spiritual power is as vast as the ocean, and their methods as unpredictable as demons.

Dago listened quietly, his blood gradually heating up, and his heart pounding faster than ever.

This is not fear, but an excitement stemming from biological instinct, a desire to challenge the unknown.

The path of a wizard is inherently about going against the current, seeking hope in despair, and deciphering order from chaos.

If the road ahead is smooth and easy, then there is no point in exploring it.

Different domains of magic, different schools of magic, and different philosophies of magic.

The gloom of the necromancy school, the ferocity of the elemental school, the mystery of the prophecy school, the rigor of the alchemy school... are displayed in the most talented and gifted individuals of each major power, clashing and competing with one another.

That will be the highest stage for wisdom and power, the moment when the sparks of truth shine most brightly.

Even setting aside the allure of Isidore's legacy, the event itself held immense appeal for him.

That is a fantastic opportunity to witness the vastness of the world and to validate what you have learned.

"What a magnificent sight that would be!"

Dago murmured softly, reaching out in the direction before him, his five fingers gently clenching, his eyes narrowing as if he saw countless magical lights intertwining in the void, as if trying to grasp that sliver of truth born from destruction and rebirth.

"Dago".

At this moment, Undine suddenly spoke, pulling him back from his inexplicable reverie.

Dago turned his head, his expression now calm.

It was a kind of absolute rationality belonging to wizards, where all the fanaticism was buried deep in their hearts, transformed into cold calculation and execution.

He saw that Undine had a communication stone in her hand, the surface of which glowed faintly, clearly indicating that she had just received a message.

During their conversation, she seemed to have been waiting for a response, and now it seemed she had received it.

"Several tower owners expressed their opinions."

Undine looked at him and carefully chose her words before speaking slowly: "In view of your outstanding performance in the Goblin Plains competition, and the danger you suffered because of the Worldstone Coordinates—after all, that is a causal entanglement that could even kill a miracle wizard, and the risks you may face in the future, the Ring has decided to follow the principle of equivalent exchange and give you some rewards and compensation."

compensate?

Dago's eyes flickered slightly, and he subconsciously asked, "What compensation?"