Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

"So what if he's a jerk..."

In this wizarding world that follows the ironclad law of "equivalent exchange," emotions are the cheapest variable, while truth is the eternal constant.

It's better than both of them suffering in the future, but it's a pity about his short-lived yet wonderful friendship with Ginya, which he lost and then regained.

Dago casually opened his system panel. With the help of half a moon soul stone, his progress in the strength column had reached [Second Ring Formal Wizard: 200%].

At this moment, three crystallized soul power crystals in his mind emitted a hazy golden glow, more dazzling and beautiful than the world's finest gemstones.

They slowly rotated around the soul body in the spiritual space, drawing in the surrounding fragments of spiritual energy and forming a miniature gravitational field.

Now, Dago's mental power, both in quality and quantity, has surpassed that of an ordinary third-ring wizard, after all, his mental power has undergone two purifications.

Perhaps that's why he still doesn't have enough soul power to break through from the second to the third ring.

Just like the foundation for building a tall tower, the more magnificent the building, the more demanding the requirements are on the load-bearing capacity of the foundation.

His soul strength was not yet sufficient to bear the larger framework of truth that was about to be born.

"I wonder if I can find anything else to increase my soul power at the market."

The possibility is slim, but this is the only hope for Dago at the moment, because the "energy" in the Moon Soul Stone given by Michael has been exhausted.

"Buzzing—"

Suddenly, Dago heard a slight commotion outside.

It wasn't just the sound, but also the disorder of free elements in the air, like a boulder being thrown into a calm lake.

He tidied himself up briefly, his elemental shield flickering slightly to ensure he was always in optimal defensive condition, before stepping out of the spatial tent.

Upon emerging, one sees wizards hovering in mid-air, all looking in two directions with varying expressions and engaging in lively discussions.

Greed, apprehension, envy, fear... countless emotions intertwine to form a portrait of humanity.

"Has someone else arrived?"

Dago's eyes flickered slightly, and his body slowly levitated.

He had witnessed similar scenes many times in the past two weeks, ever since the battle between the Ash Witch Tracy and Michael.

The top geniuses of the southern wizarding world arrived one after another, and each time an outstanding figure arrived, it would cause a small commotion.

Dago looked in the direction the others were looking and saw a giant, golden bear standing upright on the hill to the east.

With each step it took, a deafening roar was produced, shattering a piece of land and leaving huge footprints and deep pits. The ground shook slightly, as if a thousand troops were rolling in with overwhelming force.

As the giant bear crossed a high slope, its entire body was enveloped in blinding light, and then it abruptly transformed into a giant black wolf.

Running swiftly through the hills, they whipped up gusts of wind, tearing apart large clumps of grass and creating striking sand and gravel tornadoes.

The black giant wolf leaped into the air, then transformed into a giant eagle with white feathers amidst the light, its body crackling with electricity as it soared through the sky.

Each transformation is accompanied by a dramatic change in the surrounding elemental environment, something only a wizard who has fully mastered the "Law of the Wild" can achieve.

"It's Evaque!"

Dago heard people talking in low voices not far away.

"It is said that this guy follows the path of an ancient spirit sorcerer. Some people have personally witnessed him shaking the mountains and tearing apart a third-tier magical beast."

Ancient Spirit Witch

Dago caught the word, and his eyes lit up slightly.

A grand gathering covering the entire southern continent was held, and more and more top geniuses from various forces appeared. Dago also witnessed many powerful and peculiar schools of magic that he had never heard of before.

Many of them were passed down from ancient times, like the pages of a legend slowly turning towards him.

Every page is filled with bloodshed and wisdom, tempting those seeking knowledge to explore further.

The white giant eagle flew over Dago's head and landed in the deepest part of the fairy city ruins, transforming into a burly man dressed in a black animal skin robe with a peculiar appearance.

The animal skins on his body exuded an ancient and wild aura, as if he were a primitive man who had walked out of the long river of history.

The latter coldly glanced around, then closed his eyes and sat down on the spot under the watchful eyes of countless people.

It was an absolute confidence, a certainty that no one would dare to launch a sneak attack on him at this distance.

Along with Evaque, a blue-purple orb of light, swirling with countless bolts of lightning, roared down from the southern sky like a sun made of lightning.

A strange look appeared on Dago's face.

That's a high-energy particle aggregate, an advanced application of elementalization.

Sure enough, after the lightning sphere broke open, a domineering and majestic young man emerged from it. He was none other than Gehrman, the number one genius of Thunder Tower, one of the six major wizarding forces.

Fine arcs of electricity coursed across his skin, and every strand of his hair seemed to be connected to the electrical charge of the atmosphere.

Three years have passed, and Gehrman has not only recovered from his injuries, but is also stronger than he was three years ago.

At least he's now in the top circle of geniuses without being ostracized by others.

This is proof of strength. In this circle, even breathing is a sin for the weak.

Currently, four new tiers have formed around the Fairy Ancient City Ruins—the innermost circle has the fewest people, but each one is a renowned top genius.

Even the weakest among them possessed the strength of a mid-third-ring wizard approaching the late third-ring level, led by geniuses from the three major wizarding factions of Tracy, Michael, and the South.

That place is the center of the energy storm, an arena where rules collide.

The second level is for geniuses of slightly lower strength, with the third ring as the dividing line; at least a third-ring wizard is required to enter.

They were potential challengers, as well as losers eliminated in the first round, their eyes gleaming with resentment and covetousness.

The third level is the one where Dago is currently located, and it is generally populated by second-ring wizards.

This is an awkward predicament, caught between two equally undesirable positions: one that cannot reach the core interests, yet one that is unwilling to become a mere ant at the bottom.

Finally, there is the largest group of first-ring wizards, who surround the third level, scattered like ants among the surrounding hills and plains.

They are the massive denominator, the backdrop of this grand feast, and even... future cannon fodder.

If the innermost layer of top geniuses is the blazing sun, then the second layer of third-ring wizard geniuses is the bright moon, the third layer is the stars, and the outermost layer is... fireflies scattered throughout the mountains and forests, gazing at the sun, moon, and stars.

This is a cruel yet stable pyramid structure, with each ascent accompanied by the descent of countless corpses.

"Second-ring wizards are not qualified to participate in this grand event; they can only witness it, serve as a backdrop, or even just an embellishment."

Dago’s tone was as calm as if he were stating a physical law.

Without sufficient power to overturn the rules, one can only be a compliant subject to them.

Dago squinted and peered inside. As of now, the number of top geniuses in the innermost layer was eleven, and the number of geniuses in the second tier was nearly two hundred.

Of course, this only refers to those exposed to everyone's gaze; there are certainly other hidden geniuses and powerhouses, such as someone like Ang.

To date, Dago has not been able to find any trace of Ang.