Above the mage

Chapter 720 Emerald Dragon Marrow

Of course, it will be very difficult for Gaode to win against opponents in the mid-stage of the fourth ring road.

Even so, he was able to fight his opponents to a standstill in every match, and never suffered a one-sided defeat.

During the training camp, four mid-stage fourth-ring mages with different styles and spell systems all fought against Gao De.

Gaode was able to handle these four opponents with very different styles with ease, and even occasionally gained the upper hand by maneuvering against them.

Such strength and methods far surpass those of ordinary mid-stage third-ring mages, and are even comparable to some early-stage fourth-ring mages.

In contrast, consider mages like Cedric and Gareth who were in the early stages of the fourth ring.

Facing these four mid-stage fourth-ring French fighters, apart from Cedric who can guarantee a consistent victory, Gareth, Feng Lin, and others all have one or two opponents whose styles are countered by theirs.

Faced with such an opponent, their performance was even worse than that of Gaode on the Third Ring Road.

Therefore, after more than ten days of intensive training, Gao De's status in the team rose significantly.

After arranging Gao De's match, Fritz's gaze finally fell on Feng Lin, and he said, "Feng Lin, you'll play the other singles match."

"You are proficient in illusion and enchantment spells. When facing opponents whose mage level is lower than yours, you can easily defeat them without revealing any of your core spells, and you can win very well."

"In addition, you will appear alongside Aria in the two-player battle to help her stabilize the situation."

"Okay," Lin replied with a smile, her tone relaxed and at ease, without any pressure.

As Fritz said, mages who are proficient in illusion and enchantment spells are the bane of low-level mages.

She can win easily without direct confrontation and perfectly conceal her core strategies, making her the best candidate for the group stage.

For all the team members present, only by entering the knockout stage will they encounter truly formidable opponents and truly need to demonstrate their abilities.

As for the group stage, it's just an appetizer.

Therefore, no one would have any objections to Fritz's arrangement, even if he was temporarily "frozen out".

The lineup for the opening match has been finalized.

There is actually another match tomorrow afternoon.

However, this match was relatively easier.

"If the opening match in the morning goes smoothly, then Gao De and Ailiya will probably take care of the two singles matches and one doubles match in the afternoon."

Fritz looked at the two of them and casually mentioned, "There's no rush for the specific details of the match. We'll finalize the lineup based on your condition after the match this morning. There's plenty of time."

"It looks like we'll basically be just spectators in this group stage," Gareth said, though he didn't object to Fritz's arrangements.

"Who told you to be the main force in the knockout stage? Playing against these group stage opponents is just bullying us!"

Arya said lightly, but also with a good sense of self-awareness: "Besides, I'll only play a few more times in the group stage. Once it gets to the knockout stage, I probably won't have any role to play."

"At that time, we'll still need you key players to carry the load."

"Gao De bullies people just the same way when he plays against these group stage opponents," Gareth said "indignantly."

"How can that be the same?" Arya asked with a somewhat matter-of-fact tone.

"Gao De has countless ways to bully others. He can easily win a game by using only one method, without revealing his strength, and even misleading other teams."

"The moment you make a move, you'll immediately reveal your core fighting style!"

"Okay." Gareth was momentarily speechless, then shrugged helplessly.

The crowd couldn't help but chuckle.

"Gao De, your match is the first match of this year's Unparalleled French Fighting Tournament."

"Perform well and leave a deep impression on all the mages across the continent," Feng Lin said with a smile to Gao De.

"No problem." Gao De nodded slightly, his tone calm but full of confidence.

After a brief pre-match briefing, Fritz decisively announced the disbandment of the team.

After a brief farewell to his teammates, Gaode headed towards his hotel.

Mithril City remained bustling in the afternoon.

When Gaode arrived outside the hotel, a familiar yet unexpected figure came into view, leaning against a stone pillar at the hotel entrance.

"Lieutenant Colonel Grayling?" Gao De paused, a clear look of surprise on his face, and quickly stepped forward. "What brings you here?"

Yes, it was Lieutenant Colonel Grayling of the Sea Sentinels.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling straightened up, a gentle smile on his face, and stepped forward to pat Gao De on the shoulder with just the right amount of force: "I've come to bring you some things, and also to take my wife back to her parents' home for a visit."

"Send me something?" Gao De raised an eyebrow slightly.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling glanced at the pedestrians coming and going at the hotel entrance, then lowered his voice and chuckled, "Let's talk in the room."

"

Gao De nodded. There were too many people and too many eyes around at the hotel entrance; it was definitely not a good place to talk.

He gestured to the side, leading Lieutenant Colonel Grayling into the hotel, up the carpeted stairs, to his room.

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling pushed open the door and went in first, looking around the room.

"You live quite simply," he remarked. "No wonder you've achieved what you have today on your own. Such composure is rare among young monks."

He had seen too many young monks who became arrogant and domineering after achieving some success.

It is rare to find a company like Gaode, which comes from humble beginnings yet remains humble and powerful, and still keeps a low profile and simple lifestyle.

Gao De simply smiled, turned to invite Lieutenant Colonel Grayling to sit on the chair by the bed, and pulled over another chair to sit down himself.

"Lieutenant General Karen promised you that if you could collect all twelve gym badges, she would apply for a big reward for you." After reminiscing, Lieutenant Colonel Grayling returned to business and reminded you.

"Oh!" Gao De suddenly realized.

Actually, he hadn't forgotten, but Lieutenant General Karen hadn't specified the exact time or the reward, so he didn't immediately think of it that way.

"On the very day you cleared the Magic Hall challenge and earned a spot as a substitute member for the Golden Flower Dynasty's mage team, Lieutenant General Karen submitted your reward application immediately, without any delay," Lieutenant Colonel Graylin said slowly, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest of his chair.

"However, this reward is indeed unusual, as it involves the core foundation of the dynasty. The approval process is extremely strict, requiring qualification review and process retrieval. It took a full three months to finalize the decision."

"Fortunately, we arrived before the start of the French Bulldog tournament."

"Lieutenant General Karen specifically instructed me to personally deliver this reward from Byro County to Mithril City via the teleportation array as soon as possible."

"What kind of good stuff is it?" Gao De's curiosity was piqued.

To be described as extraordinary by Lieutenant Colonel Grayling, and considering that even Lieutenant General Karen's application process took months, one can imagine how precious this award is.

A hint of mystery and admiration flashed in Lieutenant Colonel Grayling's eyes as he smiled and said, "Even the Holy Empire might not be able to produce something like this."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped his hand, and an exquisite bottle appeared out of thin air in his palm. He held it steadily in his hand and handed it to Gao De, gesturing for him to take it.

Gao De's curiosity grew even stronger, and he quickly reached out and took the bottle.

The bottle was not made of ordinary glass or ceramic, but of wood.

The bottle is light blue, with a distinct wood texture that is warm and smooth like jade. It has a slightly cool feel and is covered with fine natural wood grain.

A small silver rune clasp is inlaid at the mouth of the bottle.

Through the warm, smooth wooden body of the bottle, one can clearly see the scene inside:

A drop of translucent, emerald-green gel floated quietly in the bottle.

Its texture is as smooth and delicate as mutton fat jade, pure and flawless, without any impurities, and its interior is entwined with fine golden patterns like leaf veins.

Those light patterns were not static, but rather like living leaves, slowly unfolding and opening.

With each stretch, a faint emerald green glow emanates from the creamy surface, flowing along the wood grain of the bottle.

"Five hundred and sixty-one years of Emerald Dragon Marrow and Spirit Wood Marrow." Lieutenant Colonel Greylin's voice rang out slowly, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.

Upon hearing this, Gao De's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously paused in his breathing: "Jade Dragon Marrow?!"

Despite his humble origins, he clearly understood the status of the dragon.

This is one of the most powerful beings in the mage plane, possessing world-destroying power, a long lifespan, and extremely high magical talent.

Anything associated with it is no ordinary treasure, let alone a core treasure like Dragon Marrow, which is clearly extraordinary.

"Yes, dragon marrow, and it's jade dragon marrow that matches the attributes of your cultivation method," Lieutenant Colonel Greylin repeated.

"Dragon marrow is not something that can be obtained casually; the process of acquiring it is extremely rigorous."

He paused, then slowly explained the origin of the dragon marrow to Gao De: "To obtain such a drop of spirit wood marrow, one must first obtain a complete jade dragon corpse, and this jade dragon must die of natural causes at an old age, and must not die in battle or from desecration."

"If a dragon dies an unnatural death, its core energy will instantly dissipate, making it impossible to condense dragon marrow."

"Then, we must first bury this complete jade dragon corpse in the core of the ancient forest, where the essence of the plants and trees is most concentrated."

"The body must be tightly bound by the main root of an ancient tree, so that it can be nourished by the life energy of the ancient tree and slowly condense into dragon embryo marrow."

"Moreover, dragon embryo marrow cannot be generated throughout the entire body; it can only be generated in three core locations on the third, fifth, and seventh vertebrae of the dragon spine, with a maximum of one drop generated at each location."

"In other words, a single jade dragon corpse can generate a maximum of three drops of dragon embryo marrow at a time, not even one more."

"As for Dragon Embryo Marrow, it cannot be taken directly. To become Spirit Wood Marrow that can be taken directly without any side effects, it needs to undergo complex processing."

"After breaking through the soil and extracting the dragon embryo marrow, it must be soaked for more than ten days in fresh laurel sap and sap from oak trees that are over a thousand years old to remove impurities and violent energy from the embryo marrow."

"Then, the potion masters of the dynasty, who specialize in refining dragon-type magical materials, use their exclusive blending techniques to condense the embryonic marrow into a melt-in-your-mouth, creamy consistency, which is when it is truly formed."

"As for the age of the dragon marrow, it depends on the time when its embryonic marrow was buried in the heart vein of the ancient forest."

"For every year the remains are buried in the heart of the ancient forest, the age of the embryonic marrow increases by one year. The longer the age, the stronger the spiritual effect," Lieutenant Colonel Greylin continued, his tone tinged with emotion.

"The Golden Flower Dynasty has survived to this day, enduring the wars and changes of the late ancient and medieval periods, accumulating only a few dragon remains. This is one of the core assets of the dynasty and will not be used lightly."

"Moreover, Emerald Dragons are a relatively rare gem dragon species among dragons. They are gentle in nature, skilled in wood element and illusion magic, and are extremely rare."

"As far as I know, the dynasty currently possesses no more than three well-preserved jade dragon remains that meet the conditions for condensing dragon marrow."

"In other words, the dynasty can only produce a maximum of nine drops of jade dragon embryo marrow in a year, making it extremely scarce."

"More importantly, dragon marrow that is less than 100 years old is not actually very valuable; it can only be considered a rare material. Only those that are over 100 years old can truly be called a rare treasure."

"After a hundred years, the efficacy will increase by a whole level for every additional hundred years."

"This is equivalent to the dynasty being able to produce a maximum of nine drops of truly valuable spirit wood marrow every hundred years."

"It is conceivable how precious this drop of spirit wood marrow, aged 561 years, is."

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling revealed, "Among the Dynasty's current reserves of jade dragon embryo marrow, three drops are over a thousand years old. You definitely won't get something of that caliber."

"Of the remaining six drops, apart from one that is over nine hundred years old and about to reach the age of a thousand, the oldest one is the one in your hand that is five hundred and sixty-one years old."

"The Dragon Embryo Marrow Dynasty, which is about to reach its thousandth anniversary, will definitely not agree to take it out, because a thousand-year-old Dragon Embryo Marrow and a hundred-year-old Dragon Embryo Marrow are completely different things, with vastly different effects."

Lieutenant Colonel Grayling gave God a very detailed explanation of the origin and rarity of dragon marrow, making God truly understand how hard-won this drop of jade dragon marrow was.

"Also, you must not swallow this drop of spirit wood marrow directly. You must place the dragon marrow on the tip of your tongue and let it melt naturally. It will seep into your body on its own, just like a living thing."

"Afterward, you will enter a deep meditative state for 6 to 12 hours. During this time, your body will resonate with the dragon marrow. This is a normal phenomenon and there is no need to panic."

"The essence of Emerald Dragon Marrow is a highly concentrated blend of life essence and magical essence, along with a small amount of the extraordinary qualities of the Emerald Dragon."

"As a top-tier extraordinary creature, the dragon's spine stores the primal magic power accumulated throughout its life. After consuming dragon marrow, this magic power will be directly poured into the magic crystal in your body, acting as a catalyst to stimulate the advancement of your magic crystal."

"As long as your absorption efficiency is high enough, it can definitely help you raise your mage level by one or two minor ranks."

"That's one thing. The second is the golden light patterns in the jade dragon marrow, which are essentially the materialized remnants of the dragon's soul, not ordinary energy patterns."

"When it seeps into the user's bloodstream and reaches the brain, it will guide you into a deep meditative state."

"In this state, you will be able to resonate slightly with the soul of this dragon and gain some of the Emerald Dragon's abilities, such as a certain enhancement to the effects of your wood elemental spells."

"What you can get in the end depends on the individual."