Above the mage

Chapter 713 A Hot Commodity

Even at such extreme speeds, Gaode Maps can still maintain a stable flight posture and make changes of direction at will.

That feeling of being in control of everything was something he had never experienced before.

He then tested his extreme agility; with a thought, his body swooped down towards the sea like an arrow released from a bow, at an astonishing speed.

Just as he was about to crash into the sea, only a few meters from the surface, he suddenly activated the airflow, instantly lifting his body upwards.

The airflow, like an invisible hand, steadily lifted him up, instantly changing his flight direction and sending him soaring into the sky.

This kind of movement is so extreme that it seems to have overcome inertia.

Let alone mages who rely on magic to fly, which greatly reduces their agility, even birds that are naturally good at flying may not be able to do it so smoothly and quickly.

This demonstrates just how remarkable the increased flexibility brought about by Boeing's Phase Two capabilities has become.

Gaode thus sped freely over the sea, sometimes sprinting at high speed, sometimes changing direction flexibly, sometimes skimming low over the sea, and sometimes circling high in the sky.

Extreme speed and a feeling of weightlessness intertwine.

Beneath my feet lies the boundless blue sea.

The distant horizon merges seamlessly with the sea, clear and vast, offering an incredibly expansive view.

Gaode is filled with the exhilarating feeling of riding the wind.

After he had his fill, he slowly slowed down.

With a mere thought, the airflow around him slowed down, allowing him to float steadily in mid-air.

The most peculiar thing is that this levitation does not require any of Gaode's own magic power at all; it is like a fish floating in water, an instinct.

This is completely different from the fact that a mage needs to maintain their mana to cast the [Flight] spell.

The soaring flight speed and extreme agility are undoubtedly a huge surprise for Gaode Maps in the second phase of Storm Soul.

But this wasn't the only surprise.

After testing his flight ability, Gao De activated the cyan light patterns on his body with a thought.

As he focused his mind, the wind energy around him began to rapidly converge, swirling around him like a vortex.

Then it suddenly spread outwards, forming an invisible barrier that was difficult to detect with the naked eye, completely enveloping him.

The next second, Gao De clearly felt that all the wind and airflow within a 10-meter diameter radius around him had been instantly sucked away.

The howling sea breeze and flowing air, once they touched that invisible barrier, would be instantly swallowed up and dissipated by an invisible force, without even a ripple.

It's as if wind doesn't exist in this area at all.

An absolute, windless zone, with no blind spots, thus formed around him.

Gaode quickly figured out the core function of this windless zone:

It is not simply a windless place, but a natural defensive barrier specifically designed to target long-range attacks and flying targets.

For example, arrows, magic gun bullets, and spells with clear trajectories—once you enter this windless zone, it's as if you've entered a bizarre space where the laws of physics have changed.

The originally accurate trajectory will be deflected instantly, veering off the target and making it difficult to hit.

Furthermore, even creatures naturally adept at flying will experience a sudden drop in speed by half once they enter this area, as they lose the support and assistance of the airflow.

The flight attitude would become turbulent and unstable, making it difficult to maintain balance, let alone launch an attack.

Clang.

The clipper's anchor plunged heavily into the shallows of the harbor, splashing up tiny droplets of water.

Accompanied by the shouts of the crew, the ship slowly and steadily docked at the port of Liuge County in the Golden Flower Dynasty.

The return journey was exceptionally smooth. There were no disturbances from leyline creatures or severe storms, and they returned to the Golden Flower Dynasty in less than five days.

In addition, the beast extermination on the shallow island was completed in just one day.

This training mission took a total of six days from start to finish.

Not only did it perfectly achieve Fritz's initial goals, but it even went more smoothly than expected.

Fritz had already learned of their mission's completion through intelligence channels on Valles Island, even before the speedboat carrying them had docked.

So they had barely landed when they received a message from Fritz that had been sent ahead of time:

The mission has been successfully completed. There are no new arrangements for the training camp at the moment. Everyone will rest for five days and wait for further notice.

At the port, apart from Gaode, the other five people already had their own carriages waiting for them.

"See you in five days." After a brief farewell, everyone boarded their carriages and left.

"Master Gaode, you'll see me in five days, so don't miss me too much." Only Feng Lin winked at Gaode before leaving, teasingly saying.

Everyone left one after another, leaving only Gao De with nowhere to go.

He obediently took the airship back to Mithril City.

He always has something to do.

If all goes well, I might be able to master a new third-ring spell in five days.

However, Gao De never expected that once he returned to Mithril City, the inconspicuous little inn where he was staying would suddenly become exceptionally lively.

One after another, gold-embossed invitations were delivered to him by envoys dressed in various costumes, each invitation bearing the emblem of a different power.

Some are emblems of top-tier mage factions, some are clan crests of powerful families, and others are logos of large business guilds.

Each one exudes considerable weight.

This was to be expected, but Gaode didn't anticipate it would happen at this particular time.

He had assumed these invitations would come after he cleared the gymnastics challenge, or after the magic tournament ended and he truly made a name for himself.

Of course, Gaode ignored all these invitations and rejected them all.

On the last day of his five-day rest period, he took some time to visit Wang Mian's inner court again, where he went to Liu Ying's place to practice his light adaptation and told her about his experience during the training camp.

Just as he was leaving, a steady voice came from behind him, calling out, "Venerable Master Gaode, please wait."

Gao De paused, turned around, and saw Marcus standing not far away with a gentle expression.

"Is there something you need?"

Marcus stepped forward and said with a smile, "It's nothing major, just a few words with you at the request of your wife."

He paused, his gaze falling on Gao De, and slowly spoke: "Isn't it strange that Fritz didn't make the most of the already limited training time to let you gel, but instead gave you these five extra days?"

"Is there some reason?" Gao De asked.

"It's a requirement from the families behind your teammates," Marcus said slowly.

"The demands of the family behind it..."

'

"You must have received many invitations from various mage factions, families, and even merchant guilds these past few days, right?"

"Yes." There's no reason not to admit it.

"I heard you didn't accept a single invitation?"

"Hmm," Gao responded softly, his tone flat.

"That suits your personality quite well..." Marcus laughed.

Then, he suddenly changed the subject and said leisurely, "Do you know? Half a year ago, excluding Prince Liuying, the dynasty's mage team only had two fourth-ring mages."

"Feng Lin and Evan, both of them only recently broke through to the fourth ring in the past six months in preparation for the upcoming French Bulldog tournament."

.

"You may not know this yet, but the Magic Tournament has never been just a competition of strength among young mages like you, nor is it just a contest between nations."

"Behind it all is a competition of resources from the families and influence of all the participants."

"Whoever stands out in the legal battle tournament will receive more resources, more public attention and recognition, and may even influence the subsequent dynastic structure," Marcus explained calmly to Gao De.

Gao De listened quietly without interrupting, but his heart gradually began to stir.

He vaguely understood that Marcus's words were not merely an explanation, but rather something more to come.

Sure enough, Marcus continued, "In this situation, you should be the most unique presence in this mage team."

.

"Special?" Gao De raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it's special." Marcus nodded, his tone sincere.

"The source of the strength of the other members of the team, and who is behind them, is actually quite obvious."

"You are the only one who is a completely grassroots mage. You have no illustrious family background and no powerful support. No one can know for sure where your current strength comes from."

"On the surface, everything you have is the result of your own hard work... but most people can understand that at your age, it's almost impossible to reach this level of strength solely through your own talent."

"You definitely have more opportunities... Don't worry, no one is interested in finding out the specific sources of these opportunities. What I mean is, these opportunities you have may not be enough."

"Your teammate Cedric, you probably think he's a bit too 'arrogant,' right? But do you know what kind of power he has backing?" Marcus continued, looking at his expression.

"What is it?" Gao De asked.

He could certainly tell that Cedric, Gareth, and the others were all extraordinary individuals.

The temperament and profound knowledge they possess are not something that ordinary mages can have.

But he really didn't know what kind of force it was.

Even though he joined the Sea Sentinels, he basically worked alone.

For him, the Sea Sentinel was more like a mission posting station and reward redemption center, and was not enough to be considered his backer.

Even if they could be considered as a powerful backer, the strength of the Sea Sentinels was still somewhat insufficient compared to the top forces of the Golden Flower Dynasty.

"The Royal Mage Order," Marcus slowly uttered five words. "He is the grandson of Van der Lei, the chief mage of the Royal Mage Order, and has received top-notch magical education since childhood."

"With a constant supply of resources, being able to break through to the fourth ring at this age is not only due to his own talent, but also largely due to the full support of his family and the Royal Mage Corps."

"No wonder..." Gao De said softly.

The Royal Mage Corps is a mage organization directly under the royal family. It controls the dynasty's core mage resources and can even influence the dynasty's policies.

Cedric, with his privileged background, couldn't really be said to have put on an act; rather, it seemed to be a natural habit formed from being nurtured by top-tier institutions since childhood.

“It’s not just Cedric,” Marcus continued. “Gareth’s brother is Raymond, one of the three leaders of the Vanguard of Justice.”

"Evan is the top student of his class at the Royal Academy of Wizardry and will represent the Royal Academy of Wizardry in the competition. His performance is directly related to the educational standards of the Royal Academy of Wizardry."

"Feng Lin's family is an ancient magic clan with a history of over five thousand years. They are skilled in illusion magic and hold a pivotal position in the dynasty's intelligence and underground forces."

"Furthermore, due to their long history and profound heritage, most nobles and magical forces have to give them some face."

"Even Aria, who is also a substitute like you, comes from an extraordinary background."

"Behind her is the Fengming Chamber of Commerce, a behemoth in the Golden Flower Dynasty that spans many fields, including commerce, magical materials, and logistics."

"From the bustling streets of the glorious capital to the rural markets of remote counties, they have businesses everywhere. They are wealthy and can easily buy any scarce magical materials."

Gao De listened quietly, a slight ripple stirring in his heart.

Although he guessed that everyone came from a prominent background, he did not expect that each of them had such an illustrious background, and that the forces behind them were capable of influencing the dynasty's structure.

In comparison, this grassroots mage with no powerful backers certainly stood out conspicuously.

"As for Princess Liuying, I don't need to say anything more, do I?" Marcus smiled.

Behind Liu Ying is the entire Wang Mian family, and even the royal family.

After saying this, Marcus looked at God and his tone became serious: "I'm telling you this to tell you that the French Fighting Tournament is more complicated than you think."

"Your talent and opportunities are enough to make you stand out, get this ticket to the competition, and join the Dynasty Mage Team."

"But entering the arena is just the beginning. Without sufficient resources, it's difficult to achieve any outstanding performance in the French fighting tournament."

"I don't know about the others, but Cedric and Arya's families have spent a lot of money acquiring elemental species recently."

.

"To put it bluntly, these five days of rest are for them to go back and focus on absorbing and refining this elemental seed, using its power to quickly improve their strength and pave the way for the Magic Tournament," Marcus said.

"The powerful forces behind them are willing to spend money on this legal battle tournament."

"Talent is certainly the foundation, but with a continuous supply of top-tier resources, the gap in talent can often be narrowed infinitely, or even completely reversed."

"Your strength is definitely ahead of Aria's right now, but the Wind Cry Merchant Guild is willing to spend money to give Aria a mid-level or even high-level elemental seed."

"When the magic tournament begins, are you sure you can still consistently suppress her?" Marcus's gaze was fixed on God, with a hint of a rhetorical question in his voice.

"What you've said is making me a little anxious," Gao De laughed.

He spoke of his anxiety, but it wasn't showing on his face at all.

Marcus didn't care and continued, "Actually, a grassroots mage with such outstanding talent as you needs more resources to fully realize your talent than those mages from prominent families."

'

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be practicing dual cultivation, right?" he suddenly asked.

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