Above the mage!

Chapter 599 Another breakthrough
"Oh no!" Leo's shock instantly turned into real fear.

The terrifying heat emanating from the fireball had already scorched his skin and respiratory tract.

He almost instinctively mobilized the magical power within his body, frantically trying to construct the protective spells he was most familiar with.

Even the most basic first-level protective spell, as long as it can block the first wave of burning from this fireball and buy a moment's respite...

However, it was too late.

Overconfident, he pinned all his hopes and opportunities for retaliation on the instantaneous effect of the [Human Immobilization Spell], rather than taking precautions beforehand.

It's too late to make amends now.

boom!
A ring of scorching ripples suddenly spread across the surface of the blazing fireball, like a boulder being thrown into a calm lake.

Without any contact, the raging fire elemental energy that held the sphere together naturally emanated outwards.

An invisible, scorching force field, like a raging waterfall of fire, instantly engulfed Leo.

At this critical moment.

hum!
The guard badge on his chest suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly intense light.

A thick, semi-transparent energy shield instantly appeared, protecting him firmly inside and forcibly isolating him from the terrifyingly high temperature that continued to burn from the outside.

The guard badge has been triggered.

The energy shield enveloped Leo tightly, and the burning sensation disappeared instantly, but his face remained deathly pale.

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

He actually lost?
He lost to a second-ring mage from an outer county whom he had always looked down upon.
Leo looked down at the fading light of his guard badge, his hands trembling slightly, yet a sense of resentment still lingered in his heart:

During a magical duel, no supernatural items other than weapons can be used. Therefore, the fact that Gao De was able to resist the "Human Immobilization Spell" most likely means that his mental strength is comparable to Gao De's.

Gao Deqiang may be strong, but if his cultivation in the Wood Element Demiplane goes smoothly and he successfully advances to the mid-stage of the third ring as expected, will the [Human Immobilization Spell] he just used take effect?

Then I should be the one to win.
Edmund the Deacon, who had been watching the French fight intently from the sidelines, had a vague idea of ​​what would happen when he saw Leo being completely dominated throughout.

But when the dust finally settled, he still found it hard to accept.

After watching these three consecutive magic duels, he had already confirmed that Gao De's mage level was only second rank.

A second-circle mage, without using any spells beyond the second circle, relied purely on spell combinations, tactical planning, and the ultimate utilization of the rules to gradually crush Roim and Cecily, and in the end, even Leo was defeated by him.

What kind of extraordinary person is this?!
Edmund sighed deeply, his eyes filled with astonishment and complexity.

He first glanced at Leo, whose face was full of resentment, then his gaze swept over the expressionless God, and finally took a deep breath and announced loudly enough for the whole audience to hear:

"The third challenge of the Soren Magic Hall has ended. Challenger, High Mage, has won all three battles and has successfully completed the challenge!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the pale golden light surrounding the fighting arena slowly dissipated, and the mages guarding the arena outside burst into a long-suppressed discussion.

There was shock, admiration, and disbelief.

Roym stood in the crowd, the humiliation on his face long since replaced by relief:
Even Leo and Cecily, two third-ring mages, were defeated by God, so it's not shameful for him to lose to such an opponent.

After hearing Edmund announce the results, Goddard slowly flew out of the arena and landed smoothly on the ground.

“Congratulations, Master Gaode.” Deacon Edmund walked up to Gaode, reached into his robes, and solemnly took out a badge, handing it to Gaode.

This is the emblem of the Solon Academy.

The badge is in the shape of a regular hexagon with a deep black background.

At the center of the badge is a simplified mountain relief, made of pale gold metal, with tiny earth-yellow magic crystals inlaid around the edges, like the rocks on the mountaintop.

Two silver vine patterns are wrapped around the sides of the mountain.

The back of the badge is engraved with the word "Soren" in a powerful and vigorous font, and below it is a string of small runes, which is the certification mark of the academy.

"This is the first badge issued by our institution," Deacon Edmund remarked with considerable emotion.

Upon hearing this, Gao De felt a slight ripple in his heart.

He knew the difficulty of the Magic Hall challenge and was aware of how strict the age limit of under twenty was, so there must be very few mages who could pass the three challenges of the Magic Hall.

In addition, it's only mid-February now.

Gao De had a preconceived notion that the number of badges given by the Soren Academy would be extremely limited.

But he never expected that he would be the first mage to successfully challenge the Soren Magic Academy.

I have to say, it felt pretty good.

Gaode took the badge; it felt slightly cool to the touch and had a hard texture.

Moreover, the moment Gao De received the badge, he felt a gentle energy emanating from it.

"The emblem of the art museum is itself an extraordinary item."

Edmund explained, "It has a built-in miniature magic-gathering array that can gather surrounding magic power. Wearing it can slightly increase the concentration of magic power around you, which is equivalent to a small magic-gathering array that you can carry with you. It will be of great help to your cultivation."

"In addition, with this badge, you will enjoy the highest level of access and privileges at all official agencies within Solon County this year."

Gaudí held the badge, his fingertips tracing the mountain relief on it, and nodded slightly to Edmund: "Thank you, Deacon."

“This is what you earned through your own abilities,” Edmund said, looking at God.

He had seen many talented mages, but he had never seen one like Gao De before.

A seventeen-year-old second-ring mage consecutively defeated two third-ring mages, despite being of a higher rank.
He had a vague feeling that one of the two substitute spots had probably already fallen into Gao De's hands.

Sainte Airport is crowded with people.

Gao De carried a simple, lightweight bag containing the tree species and saplings he had just purchased in the city.

I handed the newly acquired museum badge to the airport guard, and amidst his initial surprise followed by awe, I was led through a private passage onto the airship bound for Etherland County, without having to queue or undergo any unnecessary checks.

The southern region of the Plantagenet dynasty comprised four counties, including Byro and Solon counties.

The Sorrenshire Instruction badge is in hand; Barrowshire is our base.

The remaining two counties are Forth County, the head of the four counties, and Etherland County, where the southern coastal capital is located.

Gaode's plan is to select each art museum one by one and collect all twelve art museum badges.

Then we will have to visit all twelve counties.

During the operation, the principle of proximity should be followed to minimize detours and backtracking.

So after a little thought, Gaode decided to make Etherland County their next stop.

The Plantagenet dynasty's territory was vast, and even with God's fast airship, travel between counties took more than ten hours. Sant Airport was the official operating agency of Solon County.

Thanks to the privileges of the Solon County Academy badge, God was not squeezed into the noisy public cabins on the lower level, but was guided to a private room on the middle level.

It's essentially a free upgrade.

Pushing open the door, the room's furnishings are simple yet exquisite: a sofa covered in dark blue velvet sits by the window, several bottles of drinks are neatly arranged in a magic temperature-controlled cabinet against the wall, and soft, warm light emanates from the shimmering crystals embedded in the ceiling.

Even more thoughtfully, the private rooms are equipped with independent elemental isolation arrays, which can effectively isolate internal energy fluctuations.

As the airship engine emitted a deep roar and slowly ascended, skimming over the airport dome, Gao Decai unloaded his luggage and placed it next to the sofa. He then sat cross-legged on the cushion in the center of the room, closing his eyes and concentrating.

He could clearly sense the throbbing of the Zhenbing bloodline within his body.

That icy power hidden in the blood surged gently within his body.

According to his perception, in just a few more hours, the "Secret Transmission of Zhenbing" would be able to break through to the second ring.

If he advances to the second ring of "The Secret of Perfect Ice", the boost to his combat power will be enormous.

One is that the power boost that True Ice Mana provides to ice-type spells is far greater than the boost that the "Azure Wood Longevity Scripture" provides to wood-elemental spells.

Another point is that once he advances to the second ring of the "True Ice Secret Manual", he will be able to quickly awaken and master new second-ring spells and powerful True Ice spells by virtue of his True Ice bloodline.

Finally, he will also gain the second-ring ability of "The Secret of Zhenbing".

This comprehensive improvement will allow him to be more at ease in the upcoming challenges at the art museum.

Thinking about this, Gaode felt a sense of anticipation.

Although the "True Ice Secret Transmission" can automatically advance cultivation based solely on bloodline, actively activating the technique can accelerate the progress.

Gao De took a deep breath, focused his mind on his body, and guided his magical power according to the operating route of the "Secret Transmission of Zhenbing".

In an instant, the extremely cold liquid ice magic power, like a thawing glacier, circulated within his body like a surging river, driven by the power of his bloodline and guided by the operation of his cultivation technique.

The temperature inside the private room plummeted.

However, as a private room, it does have a basic temperature control system, which will not leak out and will avoid affecting other passengers.

A pale blue icy mist had already enveloped Gaode, and each breath turned into white mist.

The liquid ice magic within his body became increasingly agitated, churning and colliding within the magic pool.

Their volume continued to expand, their color changed from light blue to deep ice blue, and fine ice crystal-like lines appeared on their surface.

Without any deliberate guidance, the Zhenbing bloodline has already paved a smooth path for breakthroughs and advancements.

With the final cycle of cultivation, the sixty drops of liquid ice magic in the magic pool trembled simultaneously, and the icy blue halo suddenly intensified.

The cracking sounds continued incessantly as each drop of liquid magic expanded to its limit and then shattered, turning into countless sharp-edged ice shards that gleamed with a cold, chilling light.

Guided by the power of the Zhenbing bloodline, these chips formed a rapidly rotating, icy blue vortex above the mana pool, emanating a chilling aura.

Tiny specks of silvery light condensed at the center of the vortex.

As the last drop of mana shattered, all the ice shards and crystals converged and spiraled together around the mana pool.

The ice-like patterns on the edge of the chip automatically aligned, and the silvery-white light spots converged into the core.

With a clear, resonant sound of ice cracking, a six-sided ice crystal core with distinct edges and corners was formed.

The Ice Crystal is crystal clear, with silver-blue bloodline radiance flowing inside, and sixty ice patterns engraved on its surface.

It hovered in the air for a moment before slowly sinking to the bottom of the magic pool, firmly rooted in the center, facing the wooden magic crystal beside it, which was engraved with one hundred and eighty magic patterns and shone with an emerald green luster.

The two, one ice and one wood, form a striking yet harmonious contrast, creating a delightful interplay.

As soon as the crystallization of magic was completed, the power of the Zhenbing bloodline erupted once again, and a pure chill surged into his mind like sweet rain.

This is a gift of spiritual power from the breakthrough in the mage's level. It not only stabilizes the spiritual power limit that Gaode has already broken through, but also raises his strength to another level.

Gao De could clearly sense that his mental strength value steadily increased from 310, eventually stopping at the limit of 333.

That abundant spiritual energy made his consciousness exceptionally clear.

Just then, his consciousness suddenly entered a more comfortable state.

It felt like being immersed in warm spring water, or bathed in soft moonlight.

An indescribable sense of comfort swept over him, plunging him into a state of semi-drunkenness.

This state lasted for about fifteen minutes. When Gao De regained consciousness, he had a piece of information about "ice seed" in his mind.

This is the second-ring ability of "The Secret of True Ice".
But it's not over.

The power deep within Zhenbing's bloodline was still surging, a torrent of knowledge even more magnificent than when he awakened the first ring, flowing into Gaode's mind like a great river flowing through an ice field after the snow melted.

This time, the gift is no longer about basic spell techniques, but rather directly addresses the logic of controlling ice magic:

He instantly grasped how to enhance the transmission effect of released ice spells by controlling the high-frequency vibrations of his magic power. In just a moment, the chill could spread throughout the target's body along with their weapon and armor.

They learned how to freely adjust the form of ice spells according to their needs, such as shaping ice walls into defensive barriers with spikes.

I've got it.
These are all advanced techniques that allow the same spell to have more variations and greater power in his hands.

Without the knowledge bestowed by the Zhenbing bloodline, even with the personal instruction of a senior ice mage, Gaode would need to spend an extremely long time and effort, as well as possess a certain talent, to gradually master these skills.

At this moment, these complex manipulation skills are like instincts etched deep into the soul.

He could execute precisely with a mere thought, as if he were a seasoned mage who had been immersed in ice magic for decades.

Here, as soon as the gift of knowledge was bestowed, a dazzling silver light suddenly flew out from Gao De's bloodline, like a silver snake with its own consciousness, rushing straight towards the sea of ​​magic in his mind.

This is the awakening spell process of the Zhenbing bloodline.

Using the power of bloodline, automatically construct spell models that have not yet been mastered.

Prior to this, thanks to the millennium-old knowledge base of the Western Kingdom acquired through [Heart of the North], Gaode's second-circle spell library had already undergone a leapfrog expansion.

Nineteen new second-ring spells were added all at once.

Eleven of them can be used directly in combat, as mentioned briefly.

There are also eight spells that were not mentioned. These are utility spells, which are rarely used in combat, but can often play a significant role in everyday situations.

These are: [Find the Trap], [Secondary Restoration], [Object Locator], [Invisibility], [Spider Walk], [Suggestion], [Web], and [Truth Realm].

(End of this chapter)