Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Around Dago's spiritual space, three soul crystals rotated rapidly in a triangular shape, emitting a large amount of crystalline radiance that converged at the center of the triangle.

There, the gray void seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, greedily devouring the surrounding spiritual energy.

The fourth soul crystal slowly condensed, with mysterious and profound patterns constantly growing within it, pulsating like blood vessels—the rudimentary form of the embodiment of rules.

Each extension of the lines was accompanied by excruciating pain deep within Dago's soul, the price that had to be paid for leaping through life levels.

When the fourth soul crystal grows to a certain size.

"Buzz—"

The four soul crystals within the spiritual space trembled simultaneously, as if a mysterious force suddenly pushed them outwards.

"Click click click—"

The pitch-black, void spiritual space rapidly expanded outwards, and the four soul crystals within the gray sun subsequently swelled, growing to several times their original size, their colors becoming increasingly crystalline and dazzling, like four top-grade gold diamonds.

Each crystal surface emanated a breathtaking radiance of spiritual energy; they were no longer inanimate objects, but rather extensions of Dago's will.

"call--"

Inside the dark and quiet mushroom house, an invisible hurricane suddenly arose, forming a huge vortex of airflow.

This is not a natural wind, but a distortion of reality caused by the overflow of immense spiritual power.

The simple furniture in the room trembled slightly in the breeze, making a rustling sound, as if it were trembling in fear at this newly arrived Third Ring Road presence.

In this cramped space, even the dust in the air was frozen in place by this oppressive force, daring not to drift away at will.

Within this strange phenomenon, Dago, located in the very center of the room, quietly opened his eyes, and the golden light that flashed from his eyes illuminated the entire room.

That gaze was cold and profound, yet it contained a deep understanding of all things in the world.

Dago slowly stood up, and at that moment he became the light source for the entire room.

He seemed to be surrounded by some kind of halo, with a faint golden glow coating his body and robes, as if he were always bathed in bright sunlight.

This golden light carried no warmth whatsoever, only a pure, suffocating sense of oppression—a manifestation of a highly condensed spiritual force field.

"Is this the level of a third-ring wizard?"

Dago murmured, looking down at his hands. The edges of his palms were glowing, making his ten fingers appear even whiter and longer.

When the Gray Sun Meditation Method is pushed to its limit, the gray sun hanging in the sky above the spiritual world appears even colder and more lonely.

Four pale gold soul crystals floated silently around the soul entity in the center of the gray sun, like knights guarding the throne.

Three of them were larger, while the fourth was several sizes smaller. Inside the fourth was a rune pattern that resembled a flame but was a cold white color.

The rune seemed alive, slowly writhing inside the crystal, emanating a chilling aura that could freeze one's soul.

This is his fourth soul seal—[Ice Flame].

Bring up the system panel. At this point, the information displayed after Dago's strength column has changed to [Third Ring Formal Wizard (1%)].

Behind the simple numbers lies countless days and nights of accumulation on the brink of life and death, and an almost frantic plunder of knowledge.

"The quality of my mental energy has improved, making it about ten times stronger than when I was a second-ring wizard in the late stage."

Dago silently savored the feeling of complete control that intoxicated him, but he immediately suppressed his arrogance with reason.

"It is estimated to be comparable to the mental strength of a typical mid-stage third-ring wizard."

The benefits of the secondary purification of mental energy brought about by the [Gray Sun Meditation Method] are becoming increasingly apparent, with each advancement removing impurities from the soul.

In addition, Dago's soul power has also increased significantly.

The benefit of increased soul power is enhanced control over spells, which is absolute dominion over the microscopic level of the elements.

The relationship between soul power, mental power, and magic is as follows: soul power is like a person's body, mental power is the strength that grows from this body, and magic is the weapon.

Generally speaking, body size and strength are directly proportional to physical strength; the greater the strength, the heavier the weapon one can wield.

If a child wields a sledgehammer, he will injure himself before harming the enemy; if a giant embroiders a needle, he will have strength but nowhere to use it.

Previously, Dago's mental power had been purified twice by the Grey Sun, so his "strength" was greater than that of wizards of the same level, just like a child with superhuman strength wielding a giant sword.

Although he has enough strength, his size limits his ability to perform many delicate maneuvers.

This had been a hidden danger in his battles; every time he overloaded himself with spells, he was depleting the potential of his soul.

Now that I have grown into an "adult" body, wielding the same weapon will naturally make me more adept at it.

That stiffness disappeared, replaced by a silky smoothness that felt like an extension of one's own arm.

Time was of the essence, and there was clearly no time to practice third-tier spells on short notice, but that did not mean he had no new methods.

Dago casually summoned a small ice ball in his palm, his eyes flashing slightly, and the [Ice Flame] seal flickered faintly in his mental space.

In an instant, a cluster of blue-white mist silently rose from the ice ball in his palm. His five fingers slowly closed, and the mist gradually contracted until it completely transformed into an ice-blue flame.

This flame has no temperature, yet it burns the "heat" of space. It is a paradoxical existence, a desecration and reconstruction of the laws of nature.

The moment the flame took shape, all the heat in the small room seemed to converge on it, and the temperature inside the room dropped sharply.

The wooden floorboards cracked under the strain, a result of the internal moisture freezing and expanding instantly.

In the blink of an eye, a thin layer of white frost covered the four walls and the floor of the room, and even the light seemed to be frozen by the cold and slowed down.

"After being enhanced by [Ice Flame], the icy power of ice magic has undergone a qualitative change."

Dago slowly extinguished the ice ball in his hand, and the power that was enough to freeze steel dissipated from his fingertips without leaving a trace.

A strange sense of realization arose in my heart; it was a glimpse into the essence of power.

He vividly recalled that in Melville's dream of the Golden Kingdom, the mechanical heart, the terrifying being known as the "Gold Eater" had told him that the connections between elements were far more wondrous and intimate than he had imagined.

The world is material, but what controls matter are rules, and wizards are those who tamper with those rules.

"You are destined to walk the path of gold, and the golden throne is not just surrounded by frost."

Dago whispered the words the "Gold Eater" had once told him, words that were like a curse and a prophecy, deeply imprinted on his soul.

The effect of 【Ice Flame】, condensed into a certain extreme of frost, does indeed exhibit some characteristics of flame. This is not only an imitation of form, but also a plunder of nature.

It spreads and engulfs like fire, leaving behind only the deathly stillness of ice.

Back then, the Flame Core Air Bomb was his signature weapon, a brutal aesthetic that utilized high-temperature explosions.

It's just that it hasn't been used for a long time because in higher-level games, mere destructive power is no longer enough to determine victory or defeat.

Now, he seeks even more bizarre and undefendable killings.

Dago felt as if he had grasped something, the profound meaning of the fusion of water and fire, the reversal of yin and yang, was right before his eyes, but it was like the moon reflected in a mirror, shattering at the slightest touch.

Truth is always veiled by a layer of ignorance.

"The realm of ice and fire coexisting is still too far away for me. Let's take it one step at a time."

Dago shook his head, severing his unrealistic greed, and his eyes returned to their cold, hard state.

He slowly rose, and the golden light on his robe gradually receded into his body, returning him to his original state.

As Dago progressed from the second ring to the third ring, his mental and spiritual strength both increased significantly. This was not merely an accumulation of quantity, but a sublimation of the essence of life.

With the added effect of [Ice Flame], Dargo's control and compression of frost power have been greatly enhanced, making him a walking human-shaped calamity.

This made it possible to realize an idea that had been lingering in his mind all of a sudden: a tactical concept of the perfect fusion of extreme cold and explosiveness.

Whether it is feasible or not can only be determined in actual combat.