Above the mage!

Chapter 576 Late Stage of the Second Ring
Leo's fingertips unconsciously traced the leyline amulet, his mind racing with calculations, the more he calculated, the more something felt off:
Theoretically, the amount of elemental particles in this demiplane is enough to supply five third-ring mages for a month.

However, the number of mages who can enter a plane is limited to three, which inherently increases the margin for error.

Elena is different from a typical third-circle mage, so her absorption ability is extraordinary. The total amount of elemental particles she absorbs may be equivalent to 1.5 third-circle mages.

Leo and the mage Eldrin were already aware of this, which is the significance of the margin of error.

The problem is that among the people who came in this time, there was also a Gaode Map from the early days of the Second Ring Road.

The amount of elemental particles he can absorb is probably less than 0.5 times that of a third-ring mage.

Combined, the maximum is just two third-ring mages.

Plus myself.
Because of the Earth Vein Rock Amulet, I can absorb about 20-30% more elemental particles.
There's still at least one and a half level three mage's margin for error, right?

How could the elemental particles have become so sparse?

The more Leo thought about it, the more something seemed off.

Where is wrong?

Is the problem with the total number of particles, or did I underestimate Elena's absorption capacity?

Having moved away from Leo's demiplane, Elena had already put all her confusion behind her and sat down again.

Rather than exploring why elemental particles become sparse, it's more important to seize the time while we still have the chance to "absorb" energy and absorb as much energy as possible.

Demiplanes are rare resources, and to ensure fairness, it is very difficult for a mage to have a second chance to enter.

Elena had thought it through clearly, so she immediately restarted her cultivation technique, actively capturing the scattered and somewhat "rebellious" elemental particles around her.

The efficiency is definitely much lower than at the beginning.

However, compared to ordinary cultivation in the outside world, this rate is still beyond description as "rapidly advancing".

Gao De's eyes were tightly closed.

In his pool of magical power, the wood-based magic crystal created from the "Azure Wood Longevity Scripture" shone with an unprecedented green light.

On the surface of the magic crystal, one hundred and eighty magic patterns are closely attached, like an intricately woven network.

One hundred and eighty runes correspond to the late second ring mage level, which means that Gao De's total mana has reached the limit of a second ring mage.

In theory, he could cast 180 second-level spells in one go without running out of energy.

A breakthrough that would have taken years of hard work to achieve was accomplished in less than a month with the help of the demiplane.

Gao De was filled with emotion.

When the mage level broke through from the mid-second ring to the late second ring, the spiritual power gained from the mage level breakthrough washed over Gao De's soul, causing his spiritual power strength to jump from 300 to 310 again.

He could clearly feel that his control over magic power and spells had improved further.

With the help of the abundant wood element particles contained in the wood element demiplane, after breaking through to the late stage of the second ring, Gao De devoted himself to cultivation for a period of time, re-tempering the ripples in the magic crystal.

This made the originally slightly rough texture smoother, the magic power more solid, and the flow of magic power smoother.

This seems meaningless because it doesn't bring any real improvement.

After the tempering and consolidation were completed, the ripples on the magic crystal remained at 180, without any change.

actually not.

This is because it is somewhat similar to high school in Gaode's previous life.

Students typically finish all high school courses by the second year, and the final year, the third year, is dedicated to consolidating and reviewing the courses learned in the previous two years.

It seems like a whole year was spent without learning anything new, which is a huge waste.

In fact, the year of review in the senior year of high school can make the knowledge system more solid, which greatly improves the final college entrance examination score.

The same applies to spiritual practice.

After reaching the later stage of the second ring road, a certain amount of time is spent on "consolidation".

Although it doesn't increase the number of magic runes, it can improve the "purity" of mana, which has a certain success rate boost for the final advancement to the third ring.

Feeling the solidified magical power within the magic crystal, Gao De slowly opened his eyes.

He slightly raised his hand, and a faint green magical energy fluctuation emanated from his palm.

"Rise," Gao De whispered in his mind, pointing his fingertip at the ground twenty feet ahead.

【Thorns】(Alteration, 2nd Ring): The ground within 20 feet of a point within the casting range twists and deforms, and large patches of hard thorns burst forth from the ground.

This area is considered difficult terrain for the duration of the spell, and creatures that enter or move within it will suffer piercing damage.

The ground deformation caused by magic can be deliberately concealed to appear normal.

If a creature cannot see the area or has poor perception when you cast the spell, it will be unable to detect the danger in the area.

The ground trembled slightly, but made no unusual noise, and on the surface, there was no change whatsoever.

But in reality, beneath the ground, countless pale green magic threads appeared, quickly weaving into a net-like structure. In an instant, the entire net-like structure transformed into hard thorns, waiting for any unsuspecting visitors.

However, since this was to test the power of the spell, Gaode activated these thorns directly.

Then, a dense thicket of thorns sprouted from the ground.

These thorns are dark green all over, covered with tiny barbs, about half a foot long, and cover the ground within a twenty-foot radius.

Gao De stepped forward and gently touched one of the thorns with his fingertip.

When Gao De first mastered this spell, he actually tested its power.

But when it is used now, its power is noticeably different.

One is that the hardness of the thorns is far greater than before the breakthrough, and the touch from the fingertips is like touching refined iron, rather than plants;

He also discovered that the number of barbs on the thorns had increased by 30% compared to before.

This is the increase in combat power that comes with raising a mage's level.

Breaking through a mage's level not only increases the total amount of mana, but also strengthens the power of spells.

While this enhancement isn't as terrifying as the qualitative leap of Ring Ascension, it's still not to be underestimated and is one of the key guarantees that a late-stage second-ring mage can suppress an early-stage second-ring mage.

Gao De dispelled the spell, and the thorns beneath the ground slowly dissipated.

Without him making any move, the pale green wood element particles around him automatically flowed into his body under the siphon effect of the [Wood Element Symbiotic Body], replenishing the small amount of mana he had consumed while casting the spell.

Gao De, having regained his senses, looked around and frowned.

Why is the particle concentration so much lower?

According to Elena, the amount of elemental particles absorbed by this wood elemental demiplane in a year is enough for five third-ring mages to absorb for a month.

Although he possesses the [Wood Element Symbiotic Body], his absorption efficiency is equivalent to that of three to four third-ring mages.

However, his wood elemental symbiotic body was not something he had before entering the half-level, but rather something he gradually adapted and evolved.

This means that his absorption rate was not high for the first ten days.

On average, although the amount of elemental particles he absorbed far exceeded expectations, it was still estimated to be the amount absorbed by three third-ring mages. Adding the other two, that makes exactly five third-ring mages.

How could the amount of elemental particles in the demiplane be depleted before the one-month deadline has even arrived?

Gao De thought about it for a while and felt it was a bit strange, but he didn't think about it any further.

After all, there are many possibilities.

For example, Elena might not only be using some kind of cheat code, but she might also have some special abilities; for example, something went wrong in the demiplane last year, resulting in insufficient elemental particles being absorbed; or Elena's information might be wrong.
In any case, the elemental particles have only become a little thinner now, but with the help of the [Wood Element Symbiotic Body], he can still prioritize taking over the remaining particles.

As long as it can still be absorbed, that's enough.

Gao De restarted the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture," and the vein patterns on his body reappeared.

The sparse particles around him, like a swarm of bees awakened, converged on his body once more.

In the demiplane, where the exact number of years is unknown, a high-ranking monk, immersed in cultivation, suddenly sensed an unusual disturbance.

He opened his eyes and looked.

Irregular ripples are spreading across the sky.

The next moment, the voice of the mage Eldrin rang out in the demiplane, clearly reaching his ears, "The time has come, the magic circle has been activated, you should come out as soon as possible."

Upon hearing the voice, Gao De's heart skipped a beat. He immediately stood up, and the veins on his body instantly dimmed as he rushed toward the magic array at the center of the demiplane.

On the other side, Elena also quickly got up, but compared to Gao De's satisfaction, a hint of regret flashed in her eyes.

If it weren't for the fact that the elemental particles became thinner and harder to absorb in the later stages, she was confident that she could have made further progress.

However, the current gains were already quite gratifying, so Elena was still happy and walked steadily toward the magic circle.

Leo was the last of the three to react, and also the one who reacted the most.

He first slammed his fist into the ground beside him, creating a shallow crater, before angrily getting up.

He originally planned to break through to the mid-stage of the third ring in one fell swoop in the demiplane, and begin to gradually overtake Elena, while also being able to defend the dojo more confidently.

For this reason, his father specially prepared extraordinary equipment for him.

Everything was going smoothly until he was about to break through, when the elemental particles suddenly became sparse and "rebellious," causing his absorption efficiency to drop significantly.

This is why Leo's expected breakthrough did not materialize.

After a month in the demiplane, although his magical power had increased, he still failed to break through to the mid-stage of the third ring.

This made him feel extremely frustrated.

But no matter how frustrated they were, it was time to leave. Besides, given the current situation in the demiplane, staying here would only be a waste of time.

—In the last two days, his cultivation efficiency in the demiplane was even slower than in the outside world.

About twenty minutes later, the three of them arrived at the location of the magic circle in the demiplane almost simultaneously, which was the place where they had appeared when they first arrived in the demiplane.

At this moment, the runes of the magic array were emitting a faint glow, echoing the ripples in the sky above the demiplane.

The three stepped into the center of the magic circle one by one, and their bodies were soon enveloped in light, disappearing into the demiplane.

In the blink of an eye, they returned to the central magic circle of Emerald Valley, and everything in the environment returned to normal, no longer being elemental particles.

All of this reminded the three that their January demiplane training had come to an end.

The mage Eldrin was already waiting there, his gaze calmly sweeping over the three of them, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.

Well, although Elena's expression was calm, she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes. Gao De was the same, obviously he had also gained a lot, and so was Leo. Huh?
The mage Aldrin was taken aback.

Because Leo's expression didn't suggest he had made a great achievement.

what's the situation?
"Chief Eldrin!" Before he could finish his question, Leo had already stepped forward, his voice trembling with intense emotion, even a little hoarse:

"I would like to ask, did any problems occur last year with this wood element demiplane that you are in charge of? For example, were the energy channels damaged, or was the particle storage not as expected?"

Aldrin hadn't expected Leo to ask this, and a flicker of doubt crossed his mind, but he remained calm and composed as he replied:

"The demiplane is inspected every six months and maintained every ten years, so there should be no problem. The amount of elemental particles stored is also the same as in previous years, so what problem could there be?"

“But…” Leo’s throat bobbed, and he said with difficulty:
"Chief Eldrin, I have no intention of questioning your judgment, but I just don't understand why, after I entered the demiplane this time, the elemental particles there suddenly became thinner in the last period of time."

"What's even stranger is that those elemental particles aren't even flowing uniformly, but rather deviating in other directions, making it difficult for me to absorb them?"

Upon hearing this, Aldrin's slight dissatisfaction turned into astonishment.

"Thin? How is that possible? The total amount of elemental particles in the demiplane is enough for five third-ring mages to absorb, and you're only three, how could that be possible?"

He muttered to himself, his brows furrowing into a deep frown. Then, an idea suddenly popped into his head, and his gaze fell on Elena.

Could it be that Elena has some special quality that I haven't thought of?
As for Gao De standing to the side, Aldrin glanced at him briefly, but quickly ruled out that possibility.

Even if a mage at the early second ring is exceptional, they shouldn't be able to influence a demiplane.

Thinking about it this way, he was almost certain that the key lay with Elena.

Of course, although he had some guesses in his mind, Aldrin would not ask directly.

A monk's privacy is paramount; one should not ask too many questions.

Therefore, he finally said to Leo with a stern face, "I only guarantee that the demiplane is operating normally and there are no problems."

As for the root cause of these unexpected situations, it may be related to one's personal cultivation methods and environmental adaptability, which are beyond my control and have nothing to do with the demiplane itself.

"But..." Leo still felt resentful, but he swallowed the words back.

After all, Eldrin was the chief mage of the Kent region, on par with his father in terms of mage rank, and held a prestigious position. To say anything more would be disrespectful to the chief mage.

Standing to the side, Gao De took in all of this, his thoughts racing.

It seems that it was indeed his own fault that had such a significant impact on Leo?

However, Gaode felt no remorse for this, and even seemed satisfied.

Leo was hostile to him from the beginning, and his words were full of arrogance as a "superior person".

It's naturally a happy thing for the other party to suffer bad luck because of you.

Knowing that the matter would not be resolved, Leo remained silent for a moment before bowing to Aldrin, his voice filled with suppressed resentment: "I was out of line. Thank you for your explanation, Chief."

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to walk quickly towards the exit of Emerald Valley.

He also needed to hurry back to the Solon Academy in Karen City to take charge of its defense.

As the monk in charge of the temple, it was against regulations for him to leave the temple for a month without permission, and he only managed to suppress the criticism because of his father's influence.

Further delay would ultimately be inappropriate.

He wanted to vent his anger and frustration on those challengers from other counties!

If a challenger were to break through to his door...

(End of this chapter)