Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

"Um?!"

While he was thinking, Dago's eyelids twitched suddenly, and he abruptly opened his eyes, quickly looking in a certain direction.

The gaze was like two sharp swords, instantly cutting through the air and shooting towards the direction from which the perception originated.

My gaze lingered between the two towering stone pillars.

On the left stone pillar, a young man sat upright.

He was dressed in pure white knight's armor, the plates of which reflected a cold and holy glow in the setting sun.

His appearance was so handsome it was almost otherworldly, yet his temperament was as masculine as the midday sun.

The young man was focused on his hands, holding a golden comb.

He was grooming the mane of the winged unicorn beside him, his movements as gentle as if he were stroking a lover's hair.

The young man seemed to sense something as Dago gazed at him.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping indifferently across the scene, as if the dawn was breaking behind him.

A magnificent and sacred white palace phantom floated in the halo, a manifestation of his soul's essence.

The aura was pure, without any gloom.

"It wasn't him."

Dago looked away expressionlessly, the hairs on the back of his neck still standing on end.

My gaze shifted to the right and settled on another stone pillar.

There sat an elegant young man, his long black robe seemingly cut from the night.

He had a wizarding book open on his lap, its cover pure black, like the dried leather of some kind of creature.

The young man's slender fingers gently caressed the pages of the book, his fingertips pale with a sickly pallor.

A thick, nauseating, ominous aura was slowly seeping outwards from this person.

That was the unique stench of the "Chaos Society".

Behind him, a strange shadow was silently writhing.

Countless translucent tentacles sprouted from the shadows, greedily clawing at the void.

"Chaos Secret Society, Vickers."

Dago exhaled a breath of stale air, his chest rising and falling slightly.

He slowly uttered the name, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

Vickery seemed to notice Dago's gaze.

He raised his head, a graceful yet cruel smile curving his lips, his eyes filled with undisguised icy killing intent.

That gaze was like a viper's hiss, slippery and cold.

Dago did not respond, but merely glanced at her coldly before looking away.

Beneath his seemingly calm expression, a dark light flickered intensely deep within his eyes.

The mental energy in his mind was running at high speed, and countless thoughts grew wildly like weeds.

After his match against Gehrman, Dago's performance has solidified his position as the "dark horse" on the field.

Fear, surprise, awe—all sorts of gazes swirled around him like searchlights.

But such pure, sharp killing intent, as if it wanted to skin him alive, was only found in the case of the one-armed Colecrown; Vickery was the second.

"The Chaos Secret Society..."

Dago pondered the phrase in his mind.

As the most mysterious of the three major wizarding forces in the south, they belong to the Black Wizard Lands.

The black-robed wizard is known for his unpredictable and capricious behavior.

In the Black Witch Lands, murderous intent doesn't even need a reason.

Perhaps it was because I was blocking their way, or perhaps it was simply because some quality about me had piqued their interest.

"If it's a black-robed wizard..."

Dago squinted, his fingertips gently tapping the surface of the stone pillar, the cold touch gradually cooling his chaotic thoughts.

"It's normal to have sudden, unprovoked murderous intent, isn't it?"

Dago narrowed his eyes, looking at the smooth back of his right hand, and slowly put away some of his guesses and thoughts.

"Perhaps," he thought, burying all his guesses and murderous intent deep within his heart.

The sunset on the third day arrived as scheduled.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the huge circular arena a poignant red.

The light on the thirty-two stone pillars went out one by one.

Each time the flame goes out, it signifies the departure, or even the fall, of a genius.

In the end, only sixteen stone pillars remained, still radiating a cold, eerie light, standing tall in the twilight.

The first round of ranking battles has come to an end.

Most of those geniuses who were once hailed as the top tier have firmly secured their places.

Except for Gehrman.

That position now belongs to Dago.

Harvid, his fellow member of the same society, unfortunately encountered a strong opponent in the first round of ranking battles and was eliminated by a narrow margin.

This is the survival of the fittest in the wizarding world, cruel and devoid of any warmth.

Without giving anyone a chance to catch their breath, the mysterious mechanisms left behind by Isidore began to operate once again.

The buzzing sound resounded through the sky.

The sixteen stone pillars shone brightly, their beams shooting straight into the sky and stirring the elemental clouds above.

The second round of ranking battles has officially begun.

The rules were no different from the first round of the competition. Isidore's mysterious mechanism still randomly selected participants for a one-on-one duel.

Those who can stand here are no longer weak.

Each of them rose to their position by stepping over the failures of their peers; they are the pinnacle of the mid-third-ring wizards.

The quality of this round of competition was undoubtedly much higher, with the vast majority of mid-stage third-ring wizards possessing the strength to challenge ordinary late-stage third-ring wizards.

On the other hand, how could a wizard who has reached the late stage of the third ring be an "ordinary" or "common" existence?

Moreover, these exceptionally talented prodigies also experience a significant increase in soul power after winning a round under Isidore's special mechanism.

Dago wasn't the only one who grew rapidly in battle.

The thrill of rapid growth in battle is as captivating as poppy.

Dago took a deep breath, taking the opportunity to observe the spell systems of the top geniuses on the field.

His gaze pierced through layers of emptiness, locking onto a tall pillar in the distance.

There, one figure stood out the most.

Michael.

A princess from the Central Wizarding Empire, a member of the Emerald Court.

To the southern wizards, she herself was a huge mystery.

The power of the Emerald Court wizarding lineage is undeniable, given its ability to establish an empire in the central region.

In the first round of the competition, she didn't even use a single finger.

He defeated his opponent simply by displaying his talent, thus revealing his soul characteristics.

The second round of the battle wasn't as outrageous, but Michael only cast one spell.

Michael's opponent was a late-stage third-circle wizard who was skilled in wind magic.

The wind howled, and the wind blades formed a net, enveloping Michael.

However, Michael simply stood there quietly.

She raised her hand and tapped it lightly with her fingertips.

There were no lengthy incantations, no complicated gestures.

Resonance of the Triple Dharma Domain!

In that instant, the world seemed to change color.

A vast expanse of white light appeared out of nowhere, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly engulfing the countless wind blades.

There is no suspense.

As the white light faded, his opponent lay unconscious at the edge of the ring, his fate unknown.

Michael, however, had already returned to her seat.

A phantom crown floats above her head, and she is a ghostly figure holding a bow and arrow and a staff.

The light was so dazzling that it was hard to open one's eyes.

She was so calm as if she had never left, not even a wrinkle appeared on her clothes.

"Is even the resonance of the triple Dharma domain not enough as a trump card?"

Dago's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

Is this the foundation of the Central Wizarding Empire?

Gehrman comprehended the Triple Law Domain Resonance and was regarded as a genius.

In Michael's hands, this seemed to be just a routine tactic readily available.

This gap is not just about talent, but also about the chasm of knowledge transmission.

Dago stared intently at Michael.

He studied the "Elemental Resonance Technique" and his perception of energy became extremely acute.

In addition to its destructive power, Michael's spells also carried an intense, suffocating life force.

That is the symbol of the "Jade Court" and the source of her power.

These vital energies are not borrowed from heaven and earth, but originate from within herself!

The Despairing Winter Planet within Dago's body is now slowly rotating.

It is in a semi-compressed state, restrained and profound, like a dead black hole.

He is manipulating this power through his physical body, disguising it as ordinary life energy.

Ordinary wizards would never be able to perceive the extraordinary despair and deathly stillness within him.

But he can see through people.

If we quantify the life energy contained in the physical body of a normal third-ring wizard as "1".

So, the life energy of those Jade Court elites we saw before was between "5" and "10".

It's already considered a monster with a strong vitality.

Dago, who had practiced the physical body seal [Cold Element] and undergone countless trials with the [Elemental Resonance Technique], was a master of the technique.

His life energy is conservatively estimated to be over 50.

This is a physical strength that would make even wizards of the same rank despair.

but……

Dago's sensory tentacles cautiously extended, touching the edge of the aura emanating from Michael.

boom!

A surge of life force, as intense as the blazing sun, returned, nearly scorching his mental energy.

"Close to...100!"

Dago's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

This was before she had fully unleashed her power; it was merely a natural outpouring.

If she were to unleash her full power, what a terrifying scene that would be!

Humanoid dragon?

No, it's even more exaggerated than a dragon.

Dago felt a sense of absurd incredulity.

He was well aware of the difficulties of physical cultivation.

Trying to push one's life energy to the "100" level through mere cultivation methods is almost an impossible task.

unless……

Dargo's brain began rapidly building models and deducing various possibilities.

"She possesses a top-tier body-forging technique that is several times more profound than the 'Elemental Resonance Technique'?"

This is the most reasonable explanation: the knowledge reserves of the central empire far exceeded those of the south.

"Or perhaps, she carries the blood of some ancient creature?"

"Or perhaps it's some kind of parasitic symbiote, or the blessing of some high-level magical artifact?"

Whatever the reason, it represents a shortcut to the pinnacle of power, or perhaps a truth.

The wind blows across the empty arena.

The dust beneath the stone pillars was stirred up and swirled in the air.

Dago sat atop the stone pillar, like an unchanging sculpture.

He was waiting, waiting for his next opponent.

On this wizard's path, filled with thorns and corpses, only by constantly devouring can one survive.

Only by surviving can one touch the truth.

"Michael..."

He silently recited the name in his heart.

Vickery, who was in the distance, seemed to be getting impatient, and he flipped through the black book in his hand a little faster.

The white-armored knight continued to groom his horse's mane, as if the surrounding battle had nothing to do with him.

Everyone plays their own role on this stage.

Hunter, or prey.

Dago's lips curled up slightly, revealing a glimpse of his gleaming white teeth.

Alright, let's begin.