Above the mage

Chapter 778 [Van der Lei's Vigilance]

Having finished refining the elemental seed, Gao De withdrew the faint green light flowing around him, stood up, and stepped out of the meditation room.

The apprentice monks waiting outside the tower all showed genuine surprise upon seeing this.

The six team members completed the selection of elemental species one after another and entered the meditation room to begin refining at almost the same time, with little difference in their starting time.

Gao De, despite being the lowest-level mage in the team, was the first to complete the refining process and leave calmly.

Is this the strength of the second-ranked player on the power ranking?

However, there was actually another person waiting outside.

Arya.

Like Gao De, she was a third-ring mage, but her mage level was one level lower than Gao De's.

Furthermore, since she was the last one to choose an elemental species, when it was her turn, only elemental species that were not compatible with the attributes of her cultivation method remained.

There are no absolute attribute barriers in elemental refining.

Gao De himself is the best example. He possesses both the Ice and Wood system, yet he still successfully refined the Earth-type [Sleeping Spider Web] and the Fire-type [Heart of Ember].

Multiple elements coexist and blend together without ever exhibiting rejection or backlash.

However, whether the elements are compatible or not directly determines the difficulty and risk of refining.

Elements with conflicting attributes will continuously clash with the caster, greatly increasing the probability of failure and backlash.

As a third-circle mage, Arya already faces difficulties refining mid-level elemental seeds; this additional layer of complexity actually makes the risk extremely high.

After weighing the pros and cons, she decided to give up on refining it on the spot.

She planned to properly seal this elemental seed and refine it after she advanced to the fourth-circle mage.

Seeing Gao De walk out, Ailiya raised her eyes and gestured softly in greeting.

The two stood side by side under the corridor, chatting casually and resting, waiting for the rest of the team to finish refining.

The two waited for about an hour before the remaining four people gradually emerged from the meditation room.

Some looked relaxed, having completely tamed the elemental species; others looked slightly tired, clearly having gone through a struggle and barely completed the refining process.

However, everyone completed the task successfully, and no one suffered any backlash or injury.

Just as the last person stepped out of the meditation room, a faint light suddenly flickered in the air of the corridor.

Intricate magical patterns appeared out of thin air, flowing and intertwining.

Van der Ley, dressed in a plain robe and with white hair, appeared before the crowd in an instant.

His posture was composed, and his aura was restrained.

Upon seeing this, Gao De's heart stirred slightly, and he instantly realized what was happening.

A seventh-ring archmage, with his noble status and authority over the royal mage order, would never spend several hours waiting for a group of juniors to complete the elemental seed refining.

Considering this manner of appearance, Gao De speculates that the figure before him is most likely not Van der Ley in person.

"The Holy Empire originally only offered this batch of mid-level elemental species as the champion's reward. However, due to certain reasons, after multiple negotiations and back-and-forths, the Empire had to take the initiative to increase the reward significantly and upgrade the overall reward level."

"That's why you can also receive an additional reward from the Holy Empire." As God's thoughts drifted, Van der Ley continued, looking at the crowd.

"One advanced elemental essence per person."

As soon as the words were spoken, the expressions of the six team members lifted simultaneously, and genuine surprise flashed across their eyes.

The so-called high-level elemental essence is actually the liquid essence of the ultimate condensation of elements.

It abandons the solid crystalline form of ordinary elemental condensates, removes most impurities and wildness, and is spiritually gentle and easily absorbed.

It has no independent spirituality, no risk of backlash, and requires no complicated refining process. It can be directly absorbed and fused by the body, special extraordinary organs, or even magic and weapons.

This is an extremely rare top-tier cultivation resource, mostly used to break through bottlenecks, nourish special talents, and advance extraordinary traits; it is priceless and unavailable for purchase.

The Holy Empire's decision to offer two sets of treasures—one mid-tier elemental seed and one high-tier elemental essence—at once was undoubtedly a massive financial blow.

Van der Ley raised his hand in a gesture of invitation.

A mage apprentice from the waiting tower slowly stepped forward, carrying a tray.

Inside the tray, six uniformly styled magic-sealing glass bottles were neatly arranged.

The double-layered runes on the bottle gleamed, firmly locking in the liquid essence inside and preventing the magic from evaporating or dissipating.

"Although they are all high-level elemental essences, there are still some differences in quality." Van der Lei's gaze swept over the six people and finally settled on Gao De.

He raised his hand and took out one of the most crystal-clear glass bottles, handing it over. "This is the ice element essence prepared exclusively for you, the best quality among the six."

Gao De raised his hand and took the glass bottle. It felt slightly cool to the touch and had a warm and delicate feel.

This Demon-Sealing Bottle is a specially made demonic artifact with an excellent demon-sealing effect, completely locking the biting cold air inside the bottle without leaking out at all.

A layer of fine, even frost has formed on the surface of the bottle, resembling naturally sculpted ice crystal patterns.

The clear, blue liquid in the bottle flowed slowly, with tiny, silvery-white sparkles shimmering and floating within it.

Upon closer inspection, one can sense a powerful, pure, and utterly undisturbed extreme ice elemental force.

Its level and concentration far exceed those of ordinary ice-type magical materials, and it firmly suppresses the other five essences.

The rest of the team members all had their eyes on the bottle of superior ice marrow, their eyes filled with envy, but none of them felt any dissatisfaction.

Everyone knew that Gao De was the core pillar that turned the dynasty around from a desperate situation to win the championship.

This award for the highest quality is well-deserved and indisputable.

Gao De was also pleased.

Although he came from humble beginnings as a mage, the title of King of the North broadened his horizons, allowing him to see beyond ordinary magical materials.

Low-grade treasures could no longer stir his mind.

But the essence of ice is different. This treasure is too precious and extremely practical. It can be used to enhance his Mandora's Eye.

The Mandora Eye's ability to perceive, calculate, see far, and even see through illusions has brought him many conveniences, making it one of the most practical "skills".

However, for a fourth-tier Mandora's Eye to be further upgraded is already an extremely difficult task.

This bottle of high-level ice element essence has a single attribute, top-notch concentration, and perfect compatibility, making it a rare and excellent material that perfectly matches the advancement requirements of Mandora's Eye.

Van der Ley moved swiftly.

He quickly distributed the remaining five elemental essences of different attributes and of medium to high quality to the other five team members, ensuring that everyone received one. After everyone carefully stored the essences, he changed the subject.

"Next up is the champion's reward provided by Linhai City."

Van der Ley paused deliberately at this point, softening his tone slightly to whet everyone's appetite.

"They are not short of money, and their resources are abundant. So although they did not have to bleed money like the Holy Empire for some reason, they still offered substantial rewards."

As they were talking, another mage from the tower walked steadily towards them carrying a larger tray.

On the tray are several old-fashioned and heavy scrolls, with dark-patterned leather edging sewn along the edges to prevent damage and cracking.

The scroll bears a gilded seal at both ends, representing the joint efforts of the four major chambers of commerce in Linhai City.

Gao De stared intently at it, but found it difficult to accurately identify its complete purpose at first glance.

But Arya's eyes suddenly lit up, and she spoke first, her tone filled with amazement and certainty: "This is a golem-making manual?"

"A merchant's daughter certainly knows a lot about things." Vanderley glanced at Arya, casually offering a word of praise, then nodded in confirmation, "That's right, it's the orthodox Construct Golem Manufacturing Manual."

"This golem manufacturing manual integrates the three classic golem designs that are currently in mass production and have the highest stability in the four major chambers of commerce in Linhai City, and can be used to completely build three golems."

Golem Crafting Manual....

Golems, or constructs, are not simply puppet creations, but rather complex products of magical engineering in the mage plane.

The creation of golems involves four complex fields: materials science, alchemy, runic literature, and soul science.

Its essence is a perpetual automated combat system assembled from fixed rune circuits, magic power cores, and standardized components.

The golem possesses basic recognition capabilities, fixed combat logic, and autonomous defensive awareness. It can operate year-round and defend itself against enemies without human intervention.

Therefore, they have become the core items for high-level mages to build mage towers and construct their own exclusive defense systems.

The golem crafting manual is the key to creating golems.

The basic golem crafting manuals available on the market can only create low-level basic golems, and they generally cost more than 100,000 gold coins.

The proven standard golem crafting manual is more stable, but the price will be close to 200,000 gold coins.

As for the crafting manuals for top-tier golems, they are generally not for sale.

If they were to appear on the market, they would only be at top-tier auctions, with the starting price alone exceeding 200,000 gold coins.

The golem-making manual provided by Lin Hai City is for standard golems.

However, because it includes three sets of the latest classic golem craftsmanship optimized through iterations in Linhai City, its market value is actually close to 500,000 gold coins.

Of course, the cost price is definitely not that high.

After all, the knowledge it contains is the most valuable thing, but at the same time, knowledge is the least costly thing.

"The Fifth Ring Mage can then begin selecting a site and building their own mage tower."

Van der Ley's gaze swept over the group of young mages, his tone carrying a hint of advice, "Although you have not yet reached the fifth ring, your foundation is solid and your talent is outstanding. Breaking through the shackles is only a matter of time."

"This golem-making manual will come in handy when you build your tower in the future."

"Most of you come from wealthy and powerful families, and you can easily obtain common magical materials, potions, and scrolls. However, the orthodox and mature golem-making technology is a monopolistic knowledge resource that even the most noble families cannot access at will."

"The Golem Crafting Manual is a rare resource, and once it's used up, it's gone forever. It should not be easily sold unless absolutely necessary."

Everyone nodded solemnly.

In the mage realm, there are many things that money simply cannot buy.

The Golem Making Manual is something that can barely be considered one of those things, so they naturally wouldn't do something so unwise.

After everyone had put away the scroll, Van der Ley's expression turned slightly serious as he announced the final and most special ultimate reward: "Finally, this is the championship reward that the Dynasty has prepared for all of you champion members."

"A personal ritual blessing, personally cast and permanently imprinted by me: [Van der Lei's Vigilance String]."

A look of confusion appeared in everyone's eyes.

They could tell it was a spell.

Moreover, it is an extremely special spell because it carries a personal mark: it is named after the caster.

This usually means that it is an original spell, the result of his own creation, improvement, and finalization.

Throughout the continent, any spell that can be described as "someone's spell" signifies the caster's top-tier skill in the corresponding school of thought and their own formidable strength.

However, precisely because it was so private, they had no understanding of the spell's effects.

Van der Ley had anticipated this and patiently explained slowly and meticulously: "This is a permanent ritual blessing spell. Once the blessing is cast, it will take effect permanently."

"It can grant the recipient three effects."

"Firstly, after receiving the ritual, the recipient will remain in a state of high alert, completely immune to all forms of stealth attacks, ambushes, and surprise attacks."

Even in a deep sleep or meditative state, they will be instantly awakened the moment an attack occurs, eliminating the risk of assassination.

"Secondly, you will be able to detect any spell that is being cast and is targeting you about one second before the spell actually lands."

It gives you a brief window of opportunity to evade, counter, and dismantle the spell. Even if you have no recourse, at least you'll know what to do.

"Thirdly, whenever a creature with malicious intent or a gaze with the intention of spying enters your vigilance and perception range, you will feel a vague sense of being watched and detect spying and ambush in advance."

After speaking, Van der Ley paused, seemingly to allow everyone a moment to process his words, before adding, "Of course, this spell's detection capabilities have their limits. Its detection range, effectiveness against invisible creatures, and ability to penetrate certain special concealment methods are all constrained. However—"

His tone remained unchanged: "Since it's from my hand, it's sufficient for most situations."

Seven rings.

In the entire mage plane, the seventh ring is a realm that the vast majority of mages can never reach in their entire lives; it is the combat power level at the top of the mage pyramid.

Those who can reach this threshold are revered core forces and national treasures in any power, including behemoths like the Golden Flower Dynasty and the Holy Empire.

When Van der Ley said "it's sufficient in most cases," he was stating his own power rather than the spell's capabilities.

This statement carries more weight than any fancy demonstration.

"The cleric in the tower will lead you to the main hall of the ceremony, where I am already waiting for you."

As Van der Ley finished speaking, his figure flickered again, and then the light and shadow slowly dissipated.

All of this confirms Gaode's previous speculation.

From beginning to end, what they saw was only a surreal image of Van der Ley, not the real person.

At the same time, Gao De finally understood why the Golden Flower Dynasty would have such a distinguished chief mage personally present the award.

This was entirely because the champion's reward provided by the Plantagenet dynasty required Van der Ley to personally bestow it.

No one dared to delay, and they followed the guiding mage closely, ascending the spiraling, magic-patterned staircase all the way to the main hall of the ceremony.

The moment they stepped into the main hall, everyone's eyes lit up.

In the center of the main hall, a gilded magic array stretches across the ground, with layers of patterns arranged in a neat and orderly fashion.

Magic permeated the air, and wisps of light flowed slowly along the rune array patterns, carrying the solemn and imposing aura unique to high-level rituals.

An elderly man with white hair and a plain robe stood silently in the center of the formation, his aura powerful and profound, his eyes deep and unfathomable—it was none other than Van der Lei himself.

Although the appearance of the previous phantom was exactly the same, the feeling it gave people was completely different.

On the stone ceremonial platforms on both sides of the main hall, the complete set of ritual materials had already been neatly arranged:

Six complete and flawless snowy owl skulls lay quietly, their entire bodies translucent white, with fine and dense bone structure.

The naturally grown nerve patterns and sensory pores are intact, without any bumps, cracks, or human damage.

Yes, ritual spells require consumables, and these consumables are usually extremely rare and expensive.

This also limits the casting of ritual spells, preventing the overuse of blessings at its source.