Wizard: Grinding experience starting with Knight's Breathing Technique

Chapter 157 Tenth-Tier Crimson Lotus, Fire Master! (1.3 words, please subscribe!)

The year 1021 of the Holy Radiance Calendar, the Primordial Moon.

With the agreed-upon sparring date with the Fist of the Empire drawing ever closer, Li Wei focused on his training within the Gray Tower.

After obtaining the Heart of Stone from Li Wei, Tower Master Herman devoted himself to new alchemical research. The difficulty of advancing to the third ring is incomparable to advancing from the first ring to the second ring.

This is a sign of promotion from low-level to mid-level.

Li Wei estimated that it would take at least three to five years for the Tower Master to successfully advance.

Judging by the time, Mr. Marco and Mr. Tim should be back from their advanced studies soon.

Because of the absence of the two main instructors, most courses in the Gray Tower have been suspended over the past year.

Fortunately, Li Wei didn't attend many classes. He only needed to supplement the knowledge he lacked. Most of the time, after completing his daily practice, he would study some theoretical knowledge of magic on his own.

Although wizards value mutual learning, independent research ability is also essential.

Li Wei is currently still a wizard apprentice, in the foundational stage. Once he advances to become a full-fledged wizard, he will have to start researching spells.

Spell research involves more than just learning spells created by others; it also requires developing one's own original spells. Once Li Wei possesses his own original spells and they are certified by the Pan-Plane Wizarding Council, other factions using Li Wei's spells will theoretically need to pay a certain intellectual property licensing fee. A portion of this fee goes to the Pan-Plane Wizarding Council as funding for protecting intellectual property rights, while the remainder goes to the spell's creator, Li Wei.

Thus, any officially registered wizarding organization or member of the Pan-Dimensional Wizarding Council needs to purchase a usage license for the spell from the Pan-Dimensional Wizarding Council in the name of the organization or individual when learning this spell, and then the organization or individual obtains the right to use the spell.

This is how wizards protect intellectual property rights.

In addition, the invention and design patents of magical artifacts, magic arrays, potions, etc., are all protected by the Pan-Dimensional Wizarding Council Act.

This protection is time-limited. Generally, after a wizard is confirmed dead by the Pan-Dimensional Wizarding Council, according to the "Wizarding Research Achievements Protection Act," in order to prevent the overprotection of intellectual property rights from becoming a hindrance to the progress of the wizarding world, the Act's protection of a wizard's intellectual property rights is limited to his lifetime and one hundred years after his death. Once a wizard is confirmed dead for one hundred years, the original spell will become a public spell, and other wizarding organizations can use it without paying licensing fees.

In fact, many spells in the wizarding world today are public spells, the research results and valuable treasures left by our predecessors. These spells have withstood the test of time and continue to benefit wizards of future generations.

As for the latest original spells, many small wizarding organizations or wizards simply cannot afford the relatively high licensing fees.

Therefore, large organizations like the Tower of Stars often possess the most cutting-edge and advanced spells.

Smaller organizations, such as the Gray Tower, mostly rely on public spell traditions passed down from the past. This is why Salman, the first tower master, left the Gray Tower to join the Tower of Stars.

Within small organizations, while one can learn classic public spells left from ancient times, the wizarding community is constantly pursuing truth and innovating. In general, the present surpasses the past, which is an inevitable trend.

If you want to make progress, you can't just stick to the magic techniques left by the ancients.

Therefore, it is difficult for mid-level wizards to make new breakthroughs or grow in small organizations. They must join larger organizations to have any chance of making a breakthrough.

Of course, there are bound to be some loopholes in the practical implementation of the Pan-Dimensional Wizarding Council's protection of intellectual property rights.

However, generally speaking, a wizard who possesses original spells and whose original spells are purchased by many wizarding organizations will usually be just as financially secure as a formal apothecary.

The research of original spells is very difficult. In theory, a first-level wizard can begin researching original spells, but very few can actually create even a first-level spell. The principles of original potions, magical artifacts, and magic circles are similar.

Wizards who possess their own original spells are worthy of respect from other wizards.

These wizards can not only receive a share of the profits from their original spells, but also, if the original spells are of a high enough level and sell well enough, they can also benefit from the profits.

You can also obtain a [Scholar] seat in the Pan-Dimensional Wizarding Council and become a [Scholar] in the Pan-Dimensional Wizarding Council, which is the dream of countless wizards.

As far as Li Wei knew, the Tower Master's next research project was to create an original spell, or more precisely, an original alchemy formula.

If this alchemy technique succeeds, the Tower Master could become the first wizard to develop an alchemical prosthetic heart.

Only a madman like the Tower Master could do something so insane. Even if wizards are very open-minded and tolerant, it is still unimaginable to replace one's heart with an alchemical prosthetic.

After all, the alchemy school is relatively new, and most alchemists are still in the exploratory stage. The transformation of wizards' ideas and concepts also requires a process.

During the month of budding.

Marco and Teacher Tim both returned from their advanced studies at the Tower of Stars.

The apprentices welcomed the two teachers with great enthusiasm.

Professor Marco has become a senior first-circle wizard. During his advanced studies, he successfully constructed his first second-circle spell model. As long as he continues to hone his mental strength to the limit and prepares the corresponding potions, Professor Marco will be able to prepare to advance to the second circle.

With the help of Mylene, a second-circle pharmacist, the future of the Gray Tower is sure to be bright.

Given time, the Gray Tower can become a small but elite wizarding organization.

In two months, it will be the time for the sparring match that Li Wei and the Fist of the Empire agreed upon.

To ensure absolute success, Li Wei continuously improved his strength.

His sparring with the Imperial Fist was limited to the Way of the Knights; neither of them could use the Way of the Wizards.

Therefore, he has been specifically practicing the Knight Breathing Technique during this period.

The Black Serpent has reached its limit and cannot break through it for the time being. The only ones it can cultivate with are the Blood Beast, the Phoenix, and the Red Lotus.

The Blood Beast is now advancing towards the eleventh tier, which requires a massive amount of proficiency. Li Wei estimates that to reach its limit, it will have to wait until at least next year.

The Phoenix was only recently obtained and is still working towards the ninth tier.

Li Wei then focused his attention on the Red Lotus Breathing Technique.

A month later, Li Wei's Crimson Lotus Breathing Technique finally reached the tenth level.

Li Wei————

Crimson Lotus Breathing Technique: Level 10 (1/200000), Special Effects: Flaming Body (Liquid), Crimson Lotus Blood.

……

"Tenth rank."

Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, before the battle with the Imperial Fist, I managed to grind the Crimson Lotus Breathing Technique to level ten, reaching a level second only to Legendary.

The liquid flame body was even more exaggerated than the gaseous flame body. Li Wei felt that his torso was filled with explosive power, as if countless magma were flowing inside him. He picked up a piece of straw paper and placed it on his chest. After a moment, the straw paper burst into flames and turned into ashes.

"Young people are just so hot-tempered," Li Wei laughed.

He casually picked up his Sea King Halberd and swung it around in the training area. The two-thousand-pound Sea King Halberd was wielded with ease by him, its power impenetrable, and the whistling wind of the halberd pierced through the void.

A terrifying aura emanated from it, causing the black flame demon bird next door to tremble in fear.

What kind of trouble is this owner causing next door all day long?

As they played, Li Wei had a sudden thought.

Frost armor appeared on his arms, exuding a frosty aura. Liquid flames, like magma, flowed through his frost arms, converging to create a spectacular scene of ice and fire.

The aura of ice and fire swirled and churned, emitting hissing white smoke, before finally flowing into the Neptune's Halberd in Li Wei's hand.

Neptune's Trident, half ice and half fire, twin dragons of ice and fire, spiraling upwards!

"Although the Neptune Trident doesn't have any solidification spells, I can enchant it with the effects of Frost Arms and Flame Body."

Li Wei thrust out his trident lightly, easily piercing a small pit in the wall. Within the pit, half was frozen and the other half was engulfed in flames, clearly distinct and quite magical.

"Haha, this move is really good, at least it looks cool. Let's call it 'Double Dragons'."

With the current frost effects of Frost Arm and the scorching effects of Crimson Lotus, it's difficult to inflict any substantial damage on a formal wizard. The flashy effect of this move outweighs its practical use.

However, as these two special effects continue to improve, their power should remain considerable in the future.

After all, the Frost Giants are a powerful frost race, while the Crimson Lotus is a natural fire behemoth.

Li Wei's current mastery of breathing techniques is unparalleled throughout history, with no one able to match him.

In the martial arts novels of my past life, he had to be a terrestrial immortal at the very least.

Black Serpent, 11th Rank

Red Lotus, Blood Beast Tier 10

Giant, Ostrich Mountain Ninth Step

Phoenix, Blood Whale, Giant Rhinoceros (Tier 8)

Seventh-tier Vortex Beast

Human-faced Spider, Night Owl, Rank 6.

These are Li Wei's main breathing techniques nowadays.

In addition, there are some basic breathing techniques for strength and speed, which Li Wei practices whenever he has free time, pushing them to their limits so he can use them when he breaks through those limits later.

For him now, even a rudimentary breathing technique can be mastered several times a month without wasting any time.

In addition to breakthroughs in breathing techniques.

Li Wei's combat skills have also brought the Black Demon Blade to the limit of the third tier.

Li Wei————

Black Demon Blade: Tier 3 (Limit, Limits Can Be Broken)

……

Li Wei never expected that the Black Demon Blade's combat skills, which he obtained from the mortal realm, could actually be further developed.

However, to reach the fourth tier, one needs to break through the limits.

Based on his previous experience, Li Wei deduced that one's mental strength must reach 11 points to break through the limit, which is the mental strength of a high-level wizard apprentice.

And now, his mental strength is only 9 points.

However, with the power of his Earth Pulse effect, his progress in Earth Meditation has surpassed that of the Deep Sea Meditation he learned earliest.

Therefore, he estimates that he can break through to 11 points in mental strength by the end of this year and become a high-level wizard apprentice.

At that time, the Black Demon Blade will be able to break its limits.

The power of the Nine Swords form proves that the Black Demon Blade is an extremely excellent black energy combat technique.

Although it was obtained by Li Wei in the mortal world, as a magical technique that combines the spiritual cultivation of wizards with the physical cultivation of knights, its future potential is not limited to this!

Li Wei was eagerly anticipating the performance of the fourth-tier Black Demon Blade.

So far, Li Wei has already broken through all the skills that could be improved.

The rest will require time to refine.

With that in mind, Li Wei simply left seclusion. He planned to go to the academy to see if there were any meditation methods of the Burning School, so he could make use of his Fire God Dance special effect to facilitate his future learning of Burning School spells.

After looking around, I still couldn't find a meditation method from the Burning School.

Li Wei wanted Manra to keep an eye out for him, so he went to White Sail Alley, only to find that in the materials shop, Manra's original spot had been replaced by an unfamiliar witch apprentice.

"Excuse me, where did Manra go?" Levi asked.

"Lord Li Wei... Manra said he went home to visit his family and may not be back for a while. By the way, he asked me to give these things to you. I originally wanted to give them to you sooner, but I heard you were in seclusion, so I didn't dare to disturb you."

The new female store manager looked up, smiled, and handed over a small storage bag.

Thank you.

Li Wei left with a thoughtful expression, carrying the storage bag.

Back on the ninth floor of the Gray Tower, Li Wei opened his storage bag.

The space inside wasn't large, and it contained three manuals on the transmission of breathing techniques, as well as various materials that Li Wei had previously asked Manra to collect.

Li Wei silently put away the three breathing technique inheritance diagrams, two rudimentary strength-type breathing techniques, and one rudimentary speed-type breathing technique, keeping them for future use.

Inside the lining of the heritage chart, there is also a message written by Manla.

"Lord Li Wei, I apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. Something happened with my daughter, so I left in a hurry. The storage bag contains the things you asked me to collect. These things aren't valuable, and the fees you paid me before were enough to cover them, so there's no need for any additional payment. I'm grateful for your help during this difficult time..."

Li Wei sighed inwardly after reading the letter.

Manra is a good partner and very reliable.

It seems that the daughter is in trouble now.

As far as Li Wei knew, Manra's daughter had excellent wizarding talent and was compatible with all three elements.

Unfortunately, none of these three elements has the most crucial affinity for the water element.

In this azure realm where almost everyone is a member of the ocean school of thought, this is undoubtedly the most speechless thing.

His daughter could have shone brightly in the Gray Tower, studying there, and Manra could have taken care of her. But fate was not on her side.

Manra had no choice. In order not to waste his daughter’s talent, he spent a lot of money to find a wizard of the Burning Faction in this sea area.

Although this wizard is not from a wizarding organization, he is a well-known and officially recognized wizard, and his strength is estimated to be not much different from that of Green Goblin Carter.

He lives on Blackfire Island, thousands of miles away, and has more than a dozen wizard apprentices under his command.

Manra's daughter was one of them.

The wizard's name wasn't mentioned by Manra, only that he was a senior wizard of the first ring.

Li Wei was also helpless in this situation.

"There's no other way, I'll just go to the Black Sail Wizard Market by myself. I've been in the Gray Tower for so long and haven't been to the market yet. I happen to have some money on me recently, so I might as well go and buy a couple of wizard artifacts to enhance my strength."

Li Wei sighed, saying that finding a reliable partner is not easy, and he now only hopes that Manra will come back soon.

After making some preparations, Li Wei boarded the Dragon King Whale Leviathan and left the Gray Tower.

With his current strength, Li Wei is now so powerful that only a senior first-ring wizard can rival him below the second-ring wizard level, so he is no longer as afraid as he was when he first entered the wizarding world.

If he's careful and keeps a low profile, Li Wei's life is basically safe in this area.

His purpose in going to the Blacksail Wizarding Market was twofold: first, to find a Burning School meditation technique that could at least be practiced to the first stage; second, to buy some wizarding artifacts; and third, to collect some materials for the [Blessing of the Naga] potion and the Breathing Technique inheritance diagram.

Li Wei is now rich, with eight thousand taels of silver hoarded on him.

We need to quickly convert this money into real combat power, because the Tai Shi won't generate interest in the storage bag.

Inside the Gray Tower, there are no magical artifacts for sale. Formal wizards usually carry one or two magical artifacts with them, which they use themselves and no one puts them out for sale.

Currently, among the four official wizards of the Gray Tower, none are proficient in the art of weapon crafting. Like alchemists, weapon crafting is a profession that requires inheritance and is also very expensive and difficult to master.

Therefore, even if Li Wei had money, he couldn't buy witchcraft here.

Li Wei now only has two magical artifacts on his body.

The Equivalent Pot and the Wind Spirit Ring.

The Equivalent Pot, a magical artifact, is of little use to Livy so far, since its creator only made it to provide shelter for his mortal family.

For Levi, who had already entered the wizarding world and whose strength was comparable to that of a first-ring wizard, this snuff bottle was at best a chamber pot. All the knightly breathing techniques and such inside had been completely exploited by Levi over the past period; Tutankhamun had been squeezed dry, leaving not a single drop.

Therefore, the only magical artifact that Li Wei can truly utilize now is the Wind Spirit Ring.

For Li Wei, one magical artifact would clearly not be enough in the event of a fierce and prolonged battle.

Although Li Wei is currently only a wizard apprentice, because of his status as a legendary knight, those who come to cause him trouble are basically formal wizards.

Now that Li Wei has offended both the Ship of the Dead and the Whale Song Island factions, he must prepare more magical artifacts.

Ideally, one should be like Old Devil Han, whose entire body is a treasure trove.

To put it simply, in the wizarding world, besides skill level and spells, equipment is also very important.

Li Wei was poor before, so he never dared to dream of equipment of the level of witchcraft.

Now that I have money, I can buy what I want and spend what I want.

The special effect of "A Hundred Faces and a Thousand Appearances" is activated, and Li Wei transforms from a burly man of 2.5 meters into an ordinary wizard of about 1.8 meters.

His long, silver-white hair was now tied up in a neat bun.

His thick beard on both sides revealed his vicissitudes, and his face was as sharp as if it had been carved by a knife.

He wasn't wearing the robes of the Gray Tower, but rather a set of ordinary hunting attire, which made him look quite handsome.

He transformed into the female sorceress pile driver from a game in his previous life, but unfortunately, there were no Gwent players in the taverns of this world.

"Hehehe, I really am Geralt the White Wolf now. I don't even need to wear a mask. It's the real deal."

Li Wei was secretly delighted.

"The third special effect of this Blood Beast Breathing Technique is simply an essential skill for murderers, arsonists, and outlaws."

Li Wei is different now; he's quite well-known in this sea area. Therefore, he'll travel in a different guise from now on to avoid being easily spotted by his enemies.

Of course, if the enemy is very familiar with your scent, then this disguise of your appearance should not be able to fool them.

However, this possibility is unlikely.

Overall, after this complete makeover...

Li Wei's security has been greatly improved.

The Black Sails Wizard Market is some distance from the Gray Tower.

Li Wei traveled for about a day on the Basilosaurus.

In the distance, he saw the island covered with a dark forest, towering high in the sea, like a giant sail lying down.

This island is much larger than the island where the Gray Tower is located.

This is Black Sail Island, the largest wizarding market in this sea area, a trading center for large quantities of spellcasting materials, sea beast meat, and cultivation resources.

The breathing techniques that Levi had Manra find were mostly sourced from the Blacksail Wizarding Market.

So this time he also intended to see if he could find some breathing techniques that would be useful to him at the market.

When they were still some distance from Black Sails Island, Levi had Leviathan wait for him in the deep sea. Leviathan himself was one of the iconic characteristics of the legendary knight Levi, and some people had already given him legendary titles without his consent, such as "Whale Knight" and "Dragon King Knight," each one more unpleasant than the last.

So, to avoid being too conspicuous and attracting the enemy's attention, Li Wei chose to swim over.

You should know that there are enforcers from Whale Song Island at the Black Sails Wizarding Market, and Levi doesn't want to expose himself to the enemy.

Even before landing on the island, Li Wei could hear the distant cries of vendors from the Black Sails Wizarding Market, thanks to his advanced hearing.

It felt like a dream come true, transporting me back to my childhood when I went to the market in my small town.

"Silver Scale Witch Robe, one for the Fifth Prince."

"Moonlight Greatsword, Juta sold it."

"Sea monster meat! Selling at rock-bottom prices!"

Having not felt this kind of atmosphere for a long time, Li Wei couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Sure enough, the Black Sails Wizard Market was full of the warmth and life of everyday people.

As soon as Li Wei landed on the island, a group of people surrounded him.

"Hey buddy, I have some top-quality seal potion here, want some?"

"don't want."

"Hey, take a look... This is a good thing! Eating it will give you a thousand pounds of strength out of nowhere, and it can also enhance male virility."

"roll."

Li Wei frowned and said in a cold voice, releasing a trace of his aura.

Get rid of these fake pharmacists who sell counterfeit drugs.

He already knew that there were many apothecaries selling fake medicines at the Black Sail Wizard Market. These apothecaries were often not certified by the Apothecary Association and often did not have real medicine-making skills. The potions they made could not be sold through various formal channels, so they could only set up stalls at this market or find people to sell them on the street.

Li Wei himself is an advanced pharmaceutical apprentice, and he is not far from becoming a formal pharmacist. Whatever potion he needs, he makes it himself and is self-sufficient. He would never buy potions made by others.

He would especially not use untested medicines.

If someone is a complete novice who has just entered the wizarding world and comes straight to the Blacksail Wizarding Market, they will definitely be scammed by all sorts of con artists here.

Fortunately, Li Wei had been in the wizarding world for a long time and was familiar with all sorts of common knowledge, so he completely ignored the charlatans' flowery words.

Li Wei scanned the items displayed on the market stalls.

Very few people buy the breathing technique transmission diagram.

This is the wizarding world; everyone who's come here is here to become a wizard. As for knights, that's something only mortals can practice—that's what most people think.

Since Li Wei had some free time these past two days, he wasn't in a hurry, so he just wandered around the market, hoping to find some good stuff from the stalls.

In the end, after visiting almost all the different stalls, he had made some money.

Regarding breathing techniques, he found three basic-quality breathing techniques: one for strength, one for speed, and one for defense. Apart from defense, the others were not urgently needed by Li Wei at the moment.

Breaking the limit of the eleventh-tier Black Serpent Breathing Technique requires a full 10 limit-breaking points, which means that it requires ten fourth-tier limit defensive breathing techniques or two eighth-tier limit defensive breathing techniques.

It's certainly not easy to gather all the elements in the Wizarding World.

Li Wei felt that the best hope lay with Andrew in the human realm. If Andrew could find the breathing technique of the Iron Crocodile family, it could directly provide 6 points of breakthrough points.

Besides the gains from the breathing technique, Li Wei also acquired some materials for crafting the [Blessing of the Naga] potion. He was about to advance to the first level of alchemy, and preparing the potion materials in advance would allow him to start crafting it after the advancement.

The Naga's Blessing is a very complex potion, considered one of the more difficult ones among the first-stage potions. In addition to the three main ingredients, it also requires thirteen secondary ingredients.

Li Wei had only collected eight types before, and was still missing five. After visiting the market this time, he finally collected them all.

Next, all you need to do is prepare "Tears of the Gray Naga" and "Beak of the Annunciation".

This precious main ingredient is basically unavailable at these street stalls; it can only be purchased at large stores run by wizarding organizations or at auctions.

Li Wei then stopped wasting time.

He was holding a map of the Blacksail Wizarding Market in his hand.

We found the most luxurious shop in the area.

Star Ring Store.

The Star Ring Shop is an industry under the Tower of Stars, and the one in this Blacksail Wizard Market is just one of its branches.

In the Azure Realm, the Star Ring Shop is roughly equivalent to an official store. The quality of the items produced there is generally not a problem; otherwise, it would tarnish the reputation of the Tower of Stars.

Of course, the prices here are slightly higher than outside, but Li Wei has plenty of money, so he walked in with an air of nonchalance.

"Hello, this is Eileen, saleswoman number 007 at Star Ring Store. I'm at your service!" A witch with a sweet voice and sexy attire approached, exuding a fragrant aroma. She wore semi-transparent black stockings, a rarity in the wizarding world, along with a short, low-cut wizard's robe, giving her a pure yet alluring look.

Beautiful female salespeople can boost male customer spending, and this is also true in the Wizarding World.

The Star Ring Shop had the most complete selection of items in the Black Sails Wizarding Market, so Levi simply made a list of what he wanted to buy and handed it to the witch, Eileen.

"Wow, this customer wants to buy quite a lot," Eileen said, covering her mouth in an incredibly affected manner.

The list Levi compiled was quite varied, including witchcraft artifacts, breathing technique inheritance diagrams, meditation techniques and spellbooks, potion ingredients, and even alchemical materials such as mithril and obsidian.

Eileen took out a piece of parchment, chanted a spell, and the list of goods from the Star Ring Shop began to appear on the parchment.

Then Eileen glanced around and said, "I'm sorry, we don't have the Breathing Technique Inheritance Diagram; the Gray Naga Tear is also out of stock at the moment; everything else, we have. Let me show you around our witchcraft shop first, and you can see what you need."

Eileen was overjoyed to have such a big client. She took Li Wei's arm with aristocratic manners and led him up to the second-floor witchcraft shop.

Li Wei can get a 1% commission for every witchcraft item she buys.

That's at least a few tahini, which is enough for an ordinary witch like Eileen, who has no ambition, to buy some beauty potions she likes.

In the wizarding world, not everyone aspires to become a powerful and learned wizard. Many, like Irene, live a mundane and unambitious life because of their Chaos Child talents.

Essentially, most ordinary wizarding apprentices are probably only slightly better than ordinary people in terms of temperament, or even no different. Especially the second generation born into the wizarding world, such as Winnie, who have basically stayed in the wizarding tower from childhood to adulthood, have not experienced the hardships of the mortal world, have not seen the dangers of the world, and are often too naive.

In terms of temperament and perseverance, Li Wei believed that these people were far inferior to the great knights he had met among the ordinary people, let alone the legendary knights.

Inside the witchcraft shop.

Li Wei looked at the few witchcraft artifacts in the shop window and couldn't help but shake his head.

Overall, the sea area where the Gray Tower is located is still too underdeveloped.

As the largest shop in this sea area, it only sells a dozen or so witchcraft artifacts, which shows how rare and precious witchcraft artifacts are.

[Giant Squid Ring - First-Ring Witchcraft]

[Main functions: storage, defense]

[Solidation Spell: First-Circle Spell - Troll Warband]

[Price: 800 Tai Shi]

Li Wei immediately noticed the ring, which resembled an octopus sucker.

Although he now possesses the Wind Spirit Ring, he still feels that the storage space is insufficient. Compared to bag-type storage items, Li Wei prefers this ring-type one, which is more convenient, flexible, and offers greater storage space.

Of course, ring-type storage items are also more expensive.

Because the manufacturing process of storage rings is much more advanced than that of pouches, all storage rings start at the level of a first-level magical artifact and are priced at several hundred gold stones. Rings like these, which also have other practical spells embedded in them, are even more precious.

"I'll take this one."

Li Wei pointed to the giant squid ring.

His ultimate goal is to have all ten fingers covered in storage rings, becoming a "Ten Rings Knight" to maximize his storage capacity.

This will make it easier for me to "buy for free" in the future.

The witch Irene looked excited.

"Hehe, 8 Taishi in hand, is this the world of the rich?" Witch Eileen couldn't help but feel envious.

This white-haired middle-aged man doesn't seem very strong, so why is he so rich? Could he be a descendant of a formal wizard?

Another reason Li Wei was interested in the Giant Squid Ring was the first-level defensive spell it contained.

[Kraken Encirclement: Ocean-based spell. After casting, eight giant water elemental tentacles conjure up, tightly encircling and protecting the caster. Defense strength rating: B. Cooldown: 1 day]

This is the description of the Giant Ring Spell from the Star Ring Shop. This defense strength rating is a grading system developed by the Star Ring Shop itself through long-term testing and evaluation of different ring spells.

The defense strength of each ring is divided into three levels:

Grade A, Grade B, Grade C.

This rating system is quite authoritative and is generally accepted by most wizards.

Li Wei calculated that if he were to rate his defensive measures according to this grading standard...

Among Li Wei's current defensive spells, [Golden Guardian], the [Water Shield] spell that comes with the Deep Blue Wand, and [Wind Spirit Protection] from the Wind Spirit Ring all have a defense strength of C-level, which is also the defense strength of most simple first-level defensive spells.

Giant Squid Entanglement is a more complex defensive spell, with slightly higher defensive strength.

The defensive strength of my solid black scales should be grade A.

Basically, the defensive power of solid black scales is equivalent to the top-tier first-level defensive spell.

That's why Li Wei was able to withstand the Nightmare Knight's second-ring attack.

After buying the giant squid ring.

Li Wei felt that his defensive capabilities were now sufficient; what he needed next was something for escaping and something for attacking.

He looked at the remaining magical artifacts and realized there was practically nothing to choose from. There was only one magical artifact in the shop with a fixed escape spell.

[Flying Fish Robe - First Ring Witchcraft]

[Main Functions: Defense, Movement]

[Solidation Spells: First-Circle Spell - Water Shield / First-Circle Spell - Flying Fish Leaps Over the Sea]

[Price: 900 Tai Shi]

This robe is probably the most expensive witchcraft item in the shop.

The material itself is the skin of some kind of sea monster, which is very sturdy and can withstand most magic attacks.

In addition, two practical spells have been fixed on it: Water Shield and Flying Fish Leaping Over the Sea.

Water Shield is, needless to say, the most common first-level defensive spell in the Ocean faction.

In the flying spells, Flying Fish Leaps Over the Sea has a speed rating of C, similar to the flying spell used by Teacher Mylin.

While not as fast as Green Ghost Carter's Green Smoke Escape or Wind Spirit Ring's Wind Spirit Protection, the Flying Fish Leaps Over the Sea spell lasts longer, allowing for a long gliding experience.

Li Wei accepted all comers, since he had money now anyway.

He must be fully armed to deal with the possible inhabitants of Whale Song Island or the Ghost Ship.

With the Giant Squid Ring and the Flying Fish Robe, Li Wei's survivability improved significantly. He then bought a control-type magical artifact worth 600 taels, called the [Blue Gloves].

This is a magical artifact from the School of Life, which somehow ended up in the Azure Realm. Wearing this glove can increase casting speed and enhance the caster's power.

In addition, a first-level spell, [Love of Green Vine], has been solidified above.

The effect is to cast a spell that causes vines to grow under the enemy's feet and entangle them.

This control technique is no less effective than the Water Prison spell of the Ocean School; both are classic and powerful control spells.

In this way, Li Wei has defense, escape, and control all at once.

As for attacks, he possesses the skills of a knight and the Flame Stream Seal, so he doesn't lack them for the time being. Moreover, given Li Wei's current magical power limit, he can't use so many magical artifacts simultaneously.

The three magical artifacts cost Li Wei two thousand three hundred taels of silver.

In all the years Li Wei has been in the wizarding world, he has never been so generous as he is today.

In the blink of an eye, several thousand taels of silver were gone. This was more money than most wizard apprentices could save in their entire lives. In fact, most ordinary professional wizards couldn't even come up with that much money.

Li Wei bought another Annunciation Beak. This thing is particularly expensive, costing 900 Talcos each. After all, it's the main potion for Naga Blessing, and it's already a stroke of luck to be able to buy it.

However, the beak of a single harbinger bird, ground into powder, is enough to make dozens of portions of Naga's Blessing. Li Wei only needs to successfully refine a few more potions and sell just one to earn back the money.

As for the Burning School's meditation method that Li Wei wanted, the shop only had the "Solar Meditation Method" for the apprentice level. Fortunately, the "Solar Meditation Method" is the most basic and widely spread meditation method of the Burning School, so Li Wei should be able to easily find the advanced version later.

As for the Burning School's magic tricks, Li Wei has no plans to learn them for the time being. With the Flame Stream Seal in hand, he doesn't care about those tricks. He is currently preparing for the Burning School's meditation method in order to become a formal wizard in the future. At that time, he can learn some powerful classic Burning School spells, such as the all-powerful... Fireball, Great Fireball, or even Five Fireballs.

In the end, after buying some miscellaneous items, Li Wei spent a total of four thousand taels of silver at the Star Ring Shop, losing half of his wealth before leaving.

After this purchase, he instantly became a platinum member of the Star Ring Store, earning forty points. These forty points could be exchanged for forty Tai Shi on his next purchase, which was better than nothing...

Li Wei browsed the other shops in the Blacksail Wizarding Market, but unfortunately, he still couldn't find the Tear of the Grey Naga by the next day.

The Grey Naga themselves are not very strong, only at the level of a first-level transcendent being.

However, these creatures typically appear in dangerous areas of the Endless Sea, inhabited by many powerful extraordinary beings, including some second-ring extraordinary creatures. This makes it difficult for ordinary, formal wizards to capture the Gray Naga. Wizards capable of capturing Gray Naga, on the other hand, don't value them, making Gray Naga Tears often hard to obtain.

"After a while, I'll visit other wizard markets. If all else fails, once my Crimson Lotus and Blood Beast are both 11th-tier Legendary, and my Wizarding Path has advanced to Advanced Wizard Apprentice, I'll go look for those Gray Naga's haunts. I have the Black Serpent's Letter; as long as I avoid second-ring transcendental creatures, I should be able to capture the Gray Naga safely."

When Levi left the Blacksail Wizarding Market laden with his spoils, he found a secluded spot, changed his appearance, and transformed into the Knight Anderson to avoid being targeted by anyone with ulterior motives.

Even though he was so careful, he still sensed through the Black Serpent's Letter that someone was following him.

Since Li Wei left the Star Ring Store, three people have kept a certain distance from him. They looked around and seemed like passersby, but Li Wei's intuition was accurate, and with his spider sense, he knew that these three people were definitely following him.

"Could it be that the people from Whale Song Island have already discovered me? That's impossible. If Whale Song Island were targeting me, why would they send a wizard apprentice? They'd have to be at least a full-fledged wizard... I guess they just ran into some thugs at the wizarding market. Whatever, if they want to harm me, then they'd better prepare to die!"

Li Wei's heart began to turn cold. He had long heard that the wizard market was a mixed bag, with no shortage of lawless madmen. He never expected to run into one himself today.

He quietly changed direction and headed deeper into Black Sail Island.

The three people followed closely behind.

Finally, Li Wei stopped in a deserted dark forest in the center of Black Sails Island.

He sat calmly on a boulder, eyes closed, waiting, displaying the demeanor of a master.

The three people followed. They were three wizard apprentices, all wearing black robes. It was impossible to tell which organization they belonged to; they might have been wandering wizards.

"Good senses. Looks like you've spotted us too," one of the leading wizard apprentices said with a light laugh.

Li Wei asked calmly and indifferently, "Are you following me?"

The three wizard apprentices exchanged glances and, without a word, unleashed a variety of magical attacks: Water Arrow, Tidal Grip, and even a small fireball—a magical version of Fireball, probably one of the most powerful among magical spells.

With a wave of his deep blue wand, Li Wei summoned the first-circle spell, Water Shield, which created a blue water barrier that protected him.

All those magic tricks were blocked by the water shield spell, not to mention that Li Wei's body was covered with black scales.

At the same time, he shot off like an arrow released from a bow.

With a cloud of dust, Li Wei arrived before the strongest of the three wizard apprentices, the high-ranking wizard apprentice.

He gripped the Neptune's Halberd and thrust it toward the wizard's apprentice.

When the high-ranking wizard saw Li Wei's Neptune Trident, his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in shock, "This belongs to the wizard Baine! You're the one who killed the wizard Baine? How is that possible?"

The defensive power of the Wave-Surging Technique lit up on his body.

However, this defense was useless against the Neptune's Trident.

puff.

Neptune's Trident pierced through the abdomen of the high-ranking wizard apprentice, pulling out all sorts of internal organs along with it.

Li Wei lifted the wizard apprentice high and threw him to the ground, the Neptune's halberd slicing him in two.

For him now, killing a high-ranking wizard apprentice would be a piece of cake.

I don't know who gave these people the confidence to rob me.

Furthermore, the fact that this high-ranking wizard apprentice recognized Bane's Neptune Trident suggests that he is most likely from Whale Song Isle, which makes the situation even more intriguing.

Whale Song Island, as one of the enforcers of the Black Sails Wizard Market, has disciples who secretly embezzle funds and engage in illegal activities. One can imagine how chaotic things are behind the seemingly peaceful market.

Fortunately, when I was short of points, I was cautious and didn't choose to become an enforcer at the Blacksail Wizard Market, otherwise I would most likely have been scammed by these people.

Li Wei's Neptune Trident tore the high-ranking wizard apprentice in two, and the Armored Scorpions immediately swarmed forward.

Li Wei flicked his snake tongue, a ferocious smile on his face as he stared at the remaining two people.

Both of them were at the level of advanced wizard apprentices.

I was completely terrified.

The three of them came from different factions.

They usually operate under the leadership of the law enforcement officers on Whale Song Island, using their positions to secretly engage in illegal activities.

The person killed by Li Wei was the captain of the law enforcement team stationed at the Black Sail Wizard Market by Whale Song Island, and he possessed a moderate amount of power.

Having tasted success with this method, they selected Li Wei, a "sucker" who had just come out of the Star Ring Store, from the crowd of passersby.

After all, Li Wei's strength didn't seem that great; he was just a mid-level wizard apprentice, yet he still had wicked thoughts.

Unexpectedly, although Li Wei appeared to be a mid-level wizard apprentice, he was actually a legendary knight in secret.

Under Li Wei's overwhelming attack, a high-ranking wizard apprentice died instantly. This terrifying power reminded them of the fear of being dominated by a formal wizard.

"Don't kill me. I admit defeat this time. I'll give you all the money I have. My father is Kane, the Fire Wizard. If you kill me, you'll face a formal wizard hunting you down once my father emerges from seclusion. Don't do anything foolish in a moment of impulse."

The wizard apprentice who used the small fireball spell spoke tremulously. He noticed that the corpse of the Whale Song Island enforcer was almost completely devoured by the scorpion; it was too gruesome, and he didn't want to die!

"I never imagined that a law-abiding wizard like myself would encounter thieves like you. To protect myself, don't blame me for using excessive force in self-defense!"

Li Wei's expression was fierce, and he showed his attitude with his actions. He wielded the Neptune Halberd with wide, sweeping movements, and charged towards the two wizard apprentices.

The wizard apprentice who claimed to be the son of Kane saw that the man was ungrateful and hardened his expression. He decisively took out a crimson scroll, tore it open, and chanted a spell.

Seeing this, the other wizard apprentice tacitly protected him, blocking Li Wei's attack.

In just a moment, terrifying high temperatures spread, and a blazing fireball with a diameter of three meters took shape, shooting towards Li Wei like a cannonball!

boom!

Flames shot into the sky, erupting from the Black Forest. Within a ten-meter radius of Li Wei, the area was filled with intense heat, and all the trees within that area were instantly charred and turned to ashes!

"Die! This is the Great Fireball, hailed as the strongest attack of its kind!"

Kane's son's face was contorted with rage as he watched the fireball engulf the mid-level wizard apprentice with lightning speed.

This was his father's trump card, a one-time use item, a spell scroll for a first-level fireball spell.

Ordinary first-level defensive spells are simply no match for them.

Although the Great Fireball is also a first-level spell, it is an advanced and improved version of the Fireball spell. Its power should be among the strongest below the second level. According to the Star Ring Shop's rating, this is a true A-level attack power.

The flames engulfed Li Wei.

"Well done." Another high-ranking wizard apprentice looked in the direction of the flames with lingering fear.

Kane's son sneered, "This is a classic case of refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit, courting death! I was genuinely planning to settle things after paying the money, but alas, I didn't want to kill anyone..."

Anyway, he has the protection of his father, a senior wizard. He's just bullying a wizard apprentice, so the higher-ups probably won't hold him accountable.

As soon as he finished speaking, the flames exploded.

A monster engulfed in crimson flames was sent flying through the explosion.

He wore a flying fish robe, his face arrogant and terrifying, with black scales emerging from it. His smile was chilling, his forked tongue flicked wildly, and saliva dripped from his mouth. The flying fish robe billowed from his exaggerated muscles, and his trident was glowing red-hot. His frost-covered hands gripped the trident tightly.

"Hehehe, what a pleasant surprise. As expected of the Burning Faction, this attack power is truly satisfying..."

In the instant he was engulfed by the Great Fireball, the Water Shield on Li Wei's Flying Fish Robe held up for a moment before being evaporated by the Great Fireball. Fortunately, he had the defense of the solid black scales and the fire element resistance brought by his Flame Body.

This allowed Li Wei to safely block the attack.

Now Li Wei believed that this person was indeed the son of the so-called "Fire Master" Kane. Such a rare spell scroll was practically impossible for an ordinary wizard apprentice to possess.

Kane's son looked terrified.

"That's impossible!"

"Even a certified wizard couldn't withstand that fireball spell, what kind of monster are you?!"

He panicked completely.

The trident pierced through the air, penetrating his head and neck, pinning him to a tree, and killing him instantly.

Levi leaped to the other side and crushed the head of another wizard apprentice.

The corpses and souls of these wizard apprentices would not be wasted; they would be devoured bit by bit by Li Wei's adorable armored scorpions.

In the end, not even a skeleton remained on the spot.

This period of time, especially in the eerie environment.

Li Wei's armored scorpion devoured many wizard apprentices.

With such a high-quality supply of "scorpion food".

The number of Armored Scorpions in the Insect House has reached nearly a thousand, which is the limit that Li Wei can control.

Many newborn Armored Scorpions grow to be more powerful than their parents, devouring the souls of wizards and accelerating their evolution.

Li Wei cleaned up the battlefield and picked up the spoils of war.

These three wizard apprentices aren't very strong, but they're quite rich.

The three people contributed more than a thousand Taishi to Li Wei, and the apprentice who claimed to be the son of the "Fire Master" Kane had more than five hundred Taishi.

Apart from that, there were only things that Li Wei didn't care about, so he put them all away and would sort them out later.

After Li Wei finished doing all this, he suddenly felt a warmth in his chest.

He lifted his clothes, his face darkening.

A crimson flame mark appeared on Li Wei's chest, shimmering with an eerie light.

"Tracking mark?"

Li Wei did not panic too much. Instead, he stood there and pondered for a moment. Finally, he came up with a solution.

To avoid being hunted down by Kane, Levi decided to strike first... and take care of Kane!

He transformed into the Earl of Silver Mountain and investigated the Blacksail Wizards' Gathering. To his surprise, he discovered that the Fire Wizard Kane was actually the master of Blackfire Island and the mentor of Manra's daughter.

Ah! Fate is truly wondrous!

Today's update: 13000+ words, plus an extra 7000 words, leaving 49000 words unfinished!

(End of this chapter)