Above the mage

Chapter 729 You Don't Understand Him

"How interesting. The Golden Flower Dynasty created its own rankings and then put its own player in first place. They really know how to pat themselves on the back."

Before Tris could say anything, a female mage beside him couldn't help but speak up.

His tone carried a hint of teasing and slight displeasure.

The female mage is named Philippa, and she is one of the substitute players in the Linhai City mage team. She is in the late stage of the third ring.

She was slightly unhappy with the ranking because none of their Linhai City team members were on the list.

However, she did not deny the ranking.

Since they haven't yet participated in the battle, their data cannot be recorded by the monitoring rune array, and therefore they cannot be listed.

"It's understandable that we're not included, but the Empire's other substitute, Bai Nuode, is an early-stage fourth-ring mage, yet he's ranked behind a third-ring mage on the power rankings. The Golden Flower mage really dares to rank him like that!"

"I already said that their judging criteria are based on battle records and data recorded by rune arrays to rank the contestants," another contestant from Linhai City said slowly, his tone carrying a hint of rationality.

"Although the Empire's White Nord is a fourth-circle mage, in order to conceal his abilities, he only used the basic [Magic Missile] after entering the arena, and did not really show the strength of a fourth-circle mage."

"Although the final result was an easy victory, the data recorded by the monitoring rune array, such as spell power and casting speed, naturally did not have as high a score as Gao De, so there was nothing that could be done about it."

"But doesn't this also show that he achieved his goal and hid his strength very well?"

Another team member pointed to the list and added, "Look at Feng Lin from Jin Que Hua, she's also a mage in the early stages of the fourth ring, yet she's ranked behind her own Gaode."

"Moreover, Fireball is the most violent third-circle spell in the Evocation tree, and it is also more difficult to control, so it has a higher score weight than other spells of the same level."

"Gao De's ability to master the Fireball spell so exceptionally naturally earns him a higher rating."

"Among the mages who have appeared so far, the one who has performed the best and brightest is indeed this Gaode." He acted as a rational observer, analyzed the situation carefully, and finally came to a conclusion.

Among the players who competed in the past two days, the one who left the deepest impression and played the most aggressively was Gao De.

Both group stage matches were overwhelming victories.

Both matches were fought with a single [Fireball] spell, far more powerful than any other mage of the same rank, giving the opponent almost no chance to react and ending the battle in just a few breaths.

That kind of unreasonable and ferocious fighting power is evident to all the spectators and is recognized as the strongest performance in the group stage so far.

Although they were unable to attend the match in person due to the absence of a game.

However, the accompanying mages had watched the entire match and recorded the details of each game, including the spellcasting details and combat performance. They glanced through the key points and gained some understanding, and also had a certain impression of the Golden Flower Dynasty's substitute player who was extremely good at bombarding with [Fireball] spells.

However, in their view, that was all there was to the impression.

After all, in the group stage, the only goal is to qualify; there's no need to reveal our hand or tactics too early.

Both Bai Nord of the Empire and Feng Lin of the Golden Finch were clearly deliberately concealing their strength.

Therefore, those who can currently rank on the combat power list are, frankly speaking, simply a case of "when the cat's away, the mice will play."

Gaode is not a truly top-tier force, nor is it worth their excessive attention.

Tris quickly scanned the remaining names on the list, glanced at them twice, and lost interest. He casually handed the parchment to the mage accompanying him: "Let's go, our competition is about to begin."

The team members quickly composed themselves, straightened their mage robes, and followed Triss up the thousand-layered cloud ladder.

In the noble district on the west side of Mithril City, a magnificent mage manor stands quietly.

This is Cedric's Morgen family property in Mithril City, and also Cedric's residence during this tournament.

As one of the most prestigious families in the Plantagenet dynasty, this manor exudes the rich heritage of the Morgen family.

Inside the manor, there is not only a training room with a level five cultivation level, but also a senior fifth-ring healing mage specially transferred by the family, who is skilled in treating injuries caused by various spells.

If Cedric is injured in a magical duel, the healing mage will treat his injury immediately to prevent it from affecting his subsequent matches.

In addition, the manor has all the facilities one could need:

Dozens of servants were assigned to take care of his meals, guards to protect the manor, and messengers to deliver intelligence. During the tournament, they were dedicated to serving Cedric so that he could focus on his preparations without any distractions.

Therefore, as soon as the power rankings were released, the messenger responsible for monitoring the situation on the ground bought a copy and brought it back to Cedric.

"Your Excellency, the newly released combat power rankings show that your teammate, Lord Gao De, is ranked first." The messenger bowed respectfully.

Upon hearing this, Cedric merely took the parchment and glanced at it indifferently.

His gaze lingered briefly on Gao De and Feng Lin's rankings before he casually remarked, "It's just a temporary first place, nothing special. Feng Lin was deliberately holding back, as was Bai Nuode."

"However, he is a member of our Golden Flower team. Even if he is only in first place temporarily, it is still a boost to our team's morale, which is a good thing."

Inside a villa in the western district of Mithril City.

This property belongs to the Igor family of Linhai City, and it is also a temporary residence leased by the Holy Empire.

Although the Empire and the Plantagenet Dynasty maintained a superficial peace and did not engage in direct warfare, the undercurrents of competition and tension were palpable to everyone.

For this reason, neither country has developed many industrial projects within the other's territory.

Because no one can guarantee that if war breaks out one day, these industries will not be ruthlessly seized by the other side.

In this situation, the empire had no choice but to rent a villa from the Igor family as its residence.

It is both safe and avoids unnecessary conflicts.

Inside the main hall of the villa, Ellie Warwick sat in the main seat, her expression indifferent.

She glanced at the combat power rankings handed to her by the accompanying mage, and lost interest after a quick look.

She tossed the parchment to Beatrice, who was standing to the side with a curious expression: "You're fourth, White Nord is second, and Gaud of the Broom Flower is first."

Upon hearing this, Beatrice immediately lost interest in looking at the parchment. Expressionless, she rolled it up and tossed it onto the table beside her, saying indifferently, "A piece of waste paper."

"It is indeed worthless. Although I didn't use too many tricks in order to preserve my trump card, my mage level is what it is. They still dare to rank a third-ring mage as number one." Bai Nuode's tone was somewhat dissatisfied.

"This God's Fireball spell is indeed quite impressive, but Beatrice's third-ring feat is exactly what counters Fireball, so it doesn't work. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to get into the top three, let alone dominate the rankings." The speaker was a man with ginger-red hair.

His thick, curly hair was braided into a three-strand braid that hung down the back of his head, with the end of the braid secured with a copper ring.

This hairstyle is a custom of barbarian tribes.

The Holy Empire originated from barbarian tribes.

"It's just a paper number one. Before the knockout stage starts, none of that matters. Just take it with a grain of salt." Ellie Warwick had confidence in Beatrice, but she wasn't blindly optimistic.

She understood that being ranked first in the group stage was really not very prestigious; it was just a gimmick.

The real competition will begin in the knockout stage.

Of the Empire's team, aside from Beatrice who might falter, any one of the remaining five members could easily crush this God.

"How about I unleash a more powerful spell next round, boost the stats, and take back first place?" Bai Nuode suggested.

"There's no need. The previous strategy remains unchanged. You can hide as much as you can during the group stage. In the knockout stage, you'll have plenty of opportunities to shine," Ellie Warwick rejected Brendan's suggestion.

"Don't be careless," she said, no longer concerned about the matter, her gaze intense. "The Chief Mage has ordered me to lead the team to victory in this championship. I don't want to see anyone make a mistake or drag the team down."

"Hehe—Ellie, don't worry," a hoarse voice replied.

The speaker was a bald man with a square face, a broad jaw, and prominent facial bones.

The most striking feature was a grotesque and glaring scar on his lip, which slanted to the left.

I don't know if it was left there intentionally, or if there's some other hidden reason.

"Apart from that one, the other members of the Plantagenet are not worth worrying about at all."

"The person who compiled the rankings is quite professional!"

In the inner palace of the King, Liu Ying finished reading the power rankings brought back by Marcus. Staring at the name of Gao De, who was still shining with golden light at the top of the list, she nodded in satisfaction and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

.

For her, it was perfectly reasonable and accurate for the list creators to rank the two fourth-ring mages after Gaode.

Gaode Maps should definitely be ranked number one!

Through the door, Marcus heard Liu Ying's words clearly. His lips twitched involuntarily, but he couldn't help but remind her, "Your Highness Liu Ying, this is because the power ranking is based on real-time battle records and performance. The real powerhouses haven't made a move or shown their strength yet."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Master Gaode is indeed very strong at the moment, and he will most likely be able to hold the top spot on the combat power ranking for a short period of time."

"But once the knockout stage arrives, those hidden core powerhouses will all come out, and he will probably fall out of the top ten."

"After all, he is only a third-ring mage. The gap between him and a fourth-ring mage cannot be bridged by the strength of a single spell."

"No, that won't happen." Hearing Marcus's words, Liu Ying shook her head firmly, her tone extremely certain: "You don't understand him. He's different from other mages."

"Alright then." Marcus shook his head and didn't argue with his prince any further.

"As long as you're happy..." he thought to himself.

The various factions reacted differently to the power rankings.

Meanwhile, Gao De, the person involved, is currently staying in a secluded little hotel on the outskirts of Mithril City.

He had no attendants specifically to deliver intelligence information to him.

But the hottest topic in Mithril City right now is this power ranking.

The name Gaode is on the lips of countless people.

Even though he was staying in a remote hotel, he still learned that evening that he had topped the combat power rankings.

"Now it's impossible to keep a low profile even if you want to." Gao De could only shake his head helplessly at this.

He was somewhat speechless at the fact that the person who ranked him put him ahead of two fourth-ring mages.

It's hard to say whether the other party has a keen eye for talent or is deliberately flattering him to the point of being criticized and targeted by the public.

He could only silently resolve that, apart from [Fireball+], he absolutely could not reveal any other spells or trump cards in the upcoming group stage matches.

He is destined to finish the group stage under everyone's watchful eyes; this is an unchangeable fact.

A week passed quickly.

At this point, the group stage is halfway through.

The Golden Flower Dynasty Mage Team's schedule is progressing extremely smoothly.

As of today, they have completed four group stage matches, winning each one decisively and remaining undefeated.

As expected, Gao De and Ailiya, the golden duo in the group stage, once again secured two resounding victories in major matches.

Gao De continued his signature style of play, sweeping the field with an increasingly unstoppable move: [Fireball+].

In every match, he could end the battle within a few breaths, giving his opponents no chance to cast spells or organize a defense.

With a series of decisive victories, he further solidified his position as the top performer in the group stage. It's worth mentioning that he retained his number one spot on the power rankings, but Feng Lin failed to maintain her third-place position.

It was even squeezed out of the top five, and was also overwhelmed by the third-ring mage from Linhai City.

After all, she only participated in one 2v2 match on the first day, and her output spells were mainly control spells, so her record and sample data were not impressive.

Meanwhile, Philippa, the substitute player from Linhai City, has demonstrated extremely powerful magic guns and exquisite control and rapid-fire of magic bullets in the group stage over the past few days.

They swept through the group stage, barely even needing to cast spells.

From a certain perspective, her dominance was even stronger than Gaode's dominance.

However, this playstyle relies somewhat on "equipment" to its advantage.

In addition, its visual effects are somewhat inferior to Gaode's hand-crafted fireball, so it is temporarily ranked fourth on the combat power list with a slight difference in combat power.

Thus, the top three in the group stage power rankings are now comprised of Golden Flower, Holy Empire, and Coastal City, each holding one spot.

This is exactly what everyone predicted before the match.

After all, French Bulldogs are a sport whose popularity is directly related to a country's strength, and there are rarely any underdogs or dark horses in this sport.

A week later, the Plantagenet dynasty's seven group stage matches had all concluded.

With a record of seven games without losing a single point, they secured first place in their group without any controversy and successfully advanced to the knockout stage. According to the tournament schedule, the opening match was played by one of the host teams, the Plantagenet Dynasty.

The final match of the group stage fell to the Linhai City Mage Team.

After the final round, there will be no rest time; the draw ceremony and rule explanation for the knockout stage will begin immediately.

All advancing teams must be present to witness and determine their subsequent opponents and schedule.

Therefore, the Golden Flower Dynasty mage team, which did not have a match that day, arrived at the Dragonspine Arena early to watch the final match in Linhai City while waiting for the start of the knockout stage.

Even Liu Ying, who didn't attend the entire group stage, is here today.

On the field, a 2v2 duel is underway between Linhai City and their opponents.

The main player was Philippa from the third ring, while her teammate from the fourth ring, Bai Nuode, was basically just watching.