Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Throughout the entire ordeal, not even the slightest hint of surprise, disappointment, or anger appeared on Dago's face.

He was like the smooth, lifeless waters of Lingjing Lake beneath his feet, unfathomable.

"Nine-star soul aptitude, nine-star magical ability, and even his obscure and tedious knowledge has a terrifying rating of seven stars."

Dago narrowed his eyes slightly, completely ignoring the piercing gazes around him.

He completely ignored everyone else, calmly peering through his fingers at the tall, slender figure above him, obscured by layers of light.

In his mind, he spoke softly in a flat tone: "Juventus... Is this the innate, heaven-defying talent of the first generation of the seventh-level Bloodline Decay, possessed solely through bloodline?"

"Hmph, that kid's bloodline purity is indeed astonishing. He has a great chance of surpassing his monstrous bloodline giver and completely shedding the curse of 'decaying blood' in the future."

Alazan's languid voice rang in Dago's mind at just the right moment.

Then, changing the subject, his tone carried an undisguised sigh and schadenfreude, "However, now is not the time to lament about others."

"Look at yourself. Your soul aptitude... even after that self-destructive trial, it's still too poor. You're two insurmountable star levels away from the five-star rating that's supposed to be the entry-level standard."

Arajan paused, his tone becoming extremely complex: "If only you had listened to my advice back then, and obediently stopped to recuperate after the third dream, and stopped getting involved with those dimensional impurities."

"And then you have to take this damn soul test... The treatment and resources you receive now are worlds apart from your current 'discarded pawn' situation!"

"But... judging from your expression right now, you don't seem worried at all that you might not even be qualified to sweep the grounds at the outer gate of Spirit Mirror Lake because your soul doesn't meet the standards?"

"Although Lingjing Lake has a prestigious reputation, it is not the only way out that one must enter."

Dago indifferently withdrew his gaze from Juventus, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and calmly replied in his mind.

"Compared to a vague and ethereal sect identity, for someone like me who is still in the formal stage, the opportunity to recklessly comprehend and steal so many 'Primordial Spirit Scripts' in the Tower of Knowledge is far more valuable..."

"In this lifetime, there may only be one fleeting moment when I can distinguish between sesame seeds and watermelons."

"Phew... I almost forgot, your obsession with the truth and your unwavering resolve, you madman, are so strong that even four lifetimes of painful reincarnation spanning hundreds of years could not shake you in the slightest."

Alazan's voice sounded somewhat listless, like a mischievous child who hadn't seen a good show. "To be honest, I really wanted to see it for myself just now—"

"You were so funny when you were abandoned by everyone, all panicked and begging for mercy like a drowning dog. Too bad, you managed to pull it off again."

Dago was probably the last trial participant to emerge from the projection of the three towers during the entire assessment.

After he fully surfaced, Lingjing Lake remained completely still.

Above the sky, the unqualified wizards who had been sifted out were quickly swept away by the cold power of the magic circle.

The many geniuses selected are being quickly and urgently "picked out" by the envoys of the three major schools, like dividing up the finest delicacies.

The strange thing is...

The repulsive force of the elimination and screening array did not fall on Dago, whose soul did not meet the requirements.

But absolutely no guiding wizard from any school would condescend to come and lead him away.

In this bustling and heated selection process, where some were happy and others were sad, D'Ago, like the aloof Juventus, became one of the only two absolute outliers on the field who were ignored by everyone.

But he kept a very calm mindset, and even had a hint of mockery on his lips.

He had already anticipated this embarrassing outcome the moment he stepped out of the Trial Tower and saw the number of his soul crystals.

He observed, like a detached bystander, the ecstatic expressions on the faces of the chosen trial participants and the selection process in which they were constantly evaluated and bargained over like commodities.

"Although the official statement claims that the entire trial is a rigorous selection process based on the combined standards of the three towers of 'spells, knowledge, and soul,' theoretically, the scores of these three trials should have equal weight in the final evaluation."

"But actually... it's all bullshit."

Dargo coldly analyzed the cruel underlying rules in his heart: "These old fox wizards of Spirit Mirror Lake, whether they worship the destructive flames or the unfathomable deep-sea school—"

"When faced with the prospect of profit, they will always be more inclined to recruit those naturally noble disciples with outstanding spiritual qualities."

Because in this world, the upper limit of one's soul determines the upper limit of one's future achievements.

Soon, all the passers-by in the sky had been selected by the various factions.

The green-haired woman, who possessed an eight-star soul aptitude and caused a frenzy, finally managed to join the wealthy and powerful Black Moon faction after paying a heavy price.

As the spoils were divided, the resentful and calculating gazes of many powerful figures inevitably returned to Dago once again.

Without exception, after a brief and disdainful examination of their souls, these gazes quickly shifted away as if electrocuted.

Dago felt that standing alone on the lake was like a defective product that had been cruelly stripped of its fancy packaging and placed on a street stall for all the powerful and wealthy to pick and choose.

The dimensional impurities tainted by his four lifetimes of reincarnation, the appalling "flaws" in his soul, were like leprosy etched into his bones, making everyone who had ever felt even a hint of attraction or greed for his ten-star magical talent soberly retreat.

Even a high-ranking fire-wielding deacon in a crimson robe couldn't resist his greed and took the initiative to step into the air and walk to within three meters of Dago.

The deacon stared with bloodshot eyes, his gaze like that of a hungry wolf, repeatedly and frantically wandering over the ten dazzling deep blue suns and five crimson stars surrounding Dago!

His Adam's apple bobbed repeatedly, and his hands clenched and unclenched several times.

But in the end.

The deacon closed his eyes in pain.

He sighed deeply, shaking his head helplessly as if looking at a terminally ill patient, and turned to leave resolutely.

"What a pity..."

As Dago watched the departing red figure, he felt no emotion whatsoever.

He was all too aware of the extreme inner turmoil and eventual hesitation the other person was displaying at that moment.

"Soul aptitude is not an insurmountable iron law. As long as one is willing to spend a huge amount of rare and precious materials, it is not impossible to forcibly cleanse and improve one's marrow through expensive means."

"but……"

A sharp glint flashed in Dago's eyes. "In this great era... the prophet known as the pillar of the sea has just died, and the entire vast wizarding empire is in a turbulent period, fraught with undercurrents and turmoil."

At this critical juncture, with many wizarding factions opening their doors wide and recruiting disciples to seize territory and gain influence,...

All schools of thought are at a critical juncture of life and death, facing extreme scarcity of resources and having to use every magic stone wisely!

As for Dago... the intense and deadly "turbid" aura emanating from the depths of his soul due to his transcendent dream state made him appear to these shrewd high-level wizards as an absolute and bottomless "bottomless pit of resources".

A crazy gamble that requires the entire nation's resources to fill in the impurities, and no one dares to guarantee whether they can successfully advance and reap the rewards!

In this starkly extraordinary world, there is always an extremely cruel, life-or-death zero-sum competitive relationship between forces, schools of thought, and even between wizard mentors and apprentices.

A wrong decision to recruit disciples may waste more than just a little resources; it could directly lead to the complete defeat and annihilation of the entire school in a future century-long contest.

Therefore, in the eyes of this group of absolutely rational egoists, no one is willing to take such a huge risk that could bankrupt them for a "magical genius" with a flawed soul.

In this deathly silence, as if the whole world had abandoned them.

Dago's keen senses twitched slightly.

He subtly raised his eyes, making no attempt to notice Juventus, who stood high above and had already firmly established themselves on their pedestal.

His sharp, hawk-like gaze did not look away like the others, but remained fixed on him, scrutinizing him intently with a probing look.

At this moment, everything happening to Dago, this "unique oddity,"—the scenes of being disliked and isolated—seemed to evoke a strange and intense interest in this first-generation bloodline possessor who was born standing on a cloud and had never tasted failure or cold stares.