Free Web NovelIn the judges' seats, such an intense battle ending like this left some impression on the sun ring wizard and Third Circle wizard judges.
Grand Tournament Chairman Wizard Franklin suppressed a laugh and said, "I just checked. That young fellow's wizard shoes have already entered the top ten of Arthas's Sports Festival total sales rankings. Currently it's already tens of millions in sales revenue. He can earn at least several million magic stones. Truly a marketing genius. As long as he doesn't get eliminated next, he'll continue to receive attention."
"I'm becoming increasingly fond of him."
Wizard Franklin smiled and said, "Much better at operations than some of our traders."
"Some wizards who've just joined our grand tournament institution really are inflexible."
Wizard Roosevelt nodded and said, "I also didn't expect he could actually defeat Witch Preston. However, actually, if not for Witch Preston experiencing bloodline backlash at the end, she wouldn't necessarily have lost. That girl really is too rule-abiding."
"To never even think about resolving her own bloodline side effects."
Wizard Roosevelt looked toward Witch Yekaterina and said, "Is that magical plant with abyssal characteristics the Throne's recent research?"
Yekaterina said, "No. I haven't seen it before."
Wizard Roosevelt nodded. "Indeed it is somewhat crude."
"But if this is his own idea, then that's another matter entirely. This child has great potential. His future may not stop at ordinary Second Circle wizard. He's a major potential stock of our Golden Crown Mountain's new generation."
Wizard Roosevelt said, "As for that girl Preston, her various panel data are actually all higher than Locke Augustine's. Her comprehensive abilities are also higher than Locke Augustine's. It's just... to transcend the soul limit and become a Second Circle wizard doesn't rely on a wizard's comprehensive advantages across the board."
"She seems to have gotten the focus wrong. Hasn't anyone reminded her?"
Witch Yekaterina sighed. "Her parents are both my students. They just dote on their daughter too much. They can't bear to let Preston suffer any grievance."
"I also can't interfere."
"Ah."
"Before the Second Circle, as long as a wizard's talent isn't bad, perhaps one can still arrange an advancement route for them. But facing the Second Circle... who can definitely help that wizard plan their future development path?"
Witch Yekaterina said, "Her parents think they've already arranged everything for her. Those are two of my sun ring wizard students. I can't say much either, after all they're sun ring wizards."
"Of course, looking at it now, correction is indeed needed."
The numerous Second Circle wizards and Third Circle wizards all fell silent.
Along the way, their feeling was that companions on the journey were becoming fewer and fewer.
Therefore, toward wizards who had the chance to become fellow travelers, they always had an extra measure of patience, an extra measure of expectation.
But reality would strike them down again and again.
In this world, those who could occasionally travel together were many, but those who could always travel together would be few.
Wizard Fischer looked at the competition results with some surprise, but he quickly smiled. 'This is also good. This way, the third generation of the Executive Patrol Group has already lost to my grandson.'
'The Academic Committee's White Dragon Princess lost to one of their own. Counting it up, currently the only wizards who haven't lost once are my grandson and that Locke Augustine. But in this battle, he's already revealed all his trump cards.'
'Though formidable, he's still no match for my grandson.'
Thinking of this, Wizard Fischer smiled. 'This Spell Combat Tournament, my grandson can probably take first place. This way the Council of Elders's interests will be satisfied.'
'The top three should be able to be occupied by our Golden Crown Mountain. Best would be first for our Council of Elders, second for the Academic Committee, third for the Executive Patrol Group, fourth for Landbridge, fifth... still our Golden Crown Mountain... It would be best if not a single First Circle young wizard from Magic Pivot City and Kungoding Academy enters the top ten.'
Wizard Fischer was already smiling as he made arrangements.
He exchanged a glance with Witch Yekaterina.
...
In the last match of the fifth day, Locke watched the battle between Antoine and Witch Camilla from Magic Pivot City on Arena No. 1.
Witch Camilla opened with thirty large-mouthed man-eating flowers, the [Man-Eating Flower Jungle] spell model. At the same time, she added three spells that she hadn't added when fighting Locke.
Specifically, having the thirty large-mouthed man-eating flowers spit out large amounts of acid with [Man-Eating Flower Acid Blessing Curse], as well as two curses that gave the man-eating flowers steel teeth and made their attacks more active.
Under the enhancement of these three spells, Magic Pivot City Witch Camilla's magic seemed to transform into a steel man-eating flower jungle, continuously launching terrifying attacks at Antoine.
Like a primeval jungle descending.
That dangerous, dark jungle staged a terrifying frenzy of carnivorous plants. This was an ultimate technique that even Witch Camilla hadn't brought out when fighting Locke.
Of course, a very important reason was that Locke had used Full Moon Growth to block her man-eating flower jungle.
This caused Witch Camilla to have no time to apply subsequent spells at all.
Locke was curious where she had obtained thirty more man-eating flower magical plants. Did she have them stored previously?
Because of Witch Preston's reminder, Locke decided to specifically observe Antoine's battle, even giving up observing other wizards' battles.
He saw that besides himself, Witch Juliana, Witch Preston, as well as some other wizards, including that wizard from Kungoding Academy, a male wizard from Landbridge, and a witch from Seven-Colored Nursery, were all observing from the side.
On Arena No. 1, magical radiance flashed from Antoine's ten fingers. Immediately ten elemental magics shot out, fireballs, wind blades, electric knives, each one a First Circle crystallization stage elemental magic.
The torrent composed of ten magics directly blasted open paths through the man-eating flower jungle. Immediately after, a flame magic mirror automatically jumped out from Antoine's astral ring. The person-tall flame magic mirror, like a black hole, absorbed all the acid into it.
"Tch." Antoine's eyes were gloomy. "Magic Pivot City witches are just troublesome. Total magic pressure is really too large."
"If I had Augustine's Full Moon Growth magic, solving this would be faster."
"Golden Crown Mountain wizards making me take a bit more effort is one thing."
"A mere Magic Pivot City also dares to block my path! Since that's the case, you must be punished!"
The bronze magical bracelet on Antoine's left wrist automatically detached from his arm, transforming into two wind and fire wheel-like magic artifacts, continuously spinning in mid-air.
One was a Thunder Wheel.
One was a Wind Wheel. ƒreewebɳovel.com
These were the Thunder Wind Twin Wheels!
The two magic wheels rushed swiftly, directly colliding toward Witch Camilla's body, and temporarily clearing all obstructing man-eating flowers.
The man-eating flower jungle's self-recovery ability was useless in the face of high-speed saturated magical attacks.
The next moment, Witch Camilla was knocked off the arena. She covered her mouth, experiencing dry heaves. The next moment, she looked up toward Antoine standing on Arena No. 1.
"Offensive bronze soul artifact..." Witch Camilla muttered to herself.
Soul artifacts attacking wizards would cause certain soul damage. Even though the arena had special magical protection that could prevent physical soul damage, that terrifying attack directly attacking the soul was a phenomenon extremely difficult to encounter in the natural world.
That sensation of the soul being nakedly exposed to the outside world and attacked by others couldn't be protected against by the arena's magic.
So Witch Camilla at this moment was still immersed in the lingering fear from the attack just now.
Wizard Antoine looked at her coldly, put away his magic artifacts, turned and left the arena.
Watching this scene, Locke immediately discovered that Antoine's problem was indeed very large.
It wasn't that he was powerful because he had many magic artifacts.
He simply had an unreasonably large total magic pressure, which was why he could use so many magic artifacts simultaneously.
"Those two offensive bronze magic artifacts just now consume magic pressure extremely heavily. Even I could at most control those two bronze magic artifacts simultaneously," Locke thought. "But he could simultaneously control another eleven magic artifacts that require huge total magic pressure as well as terrifying control ability to fully control."
"Wait." Locke thought. "I remember that alchemists do have spell systems for simultaneously controlling multiple magic artifacts."
"They can also strengthen control over magic artifacts. This type of combat-oriented alchemist follows an equipment flow path. But shouldn't Council of Elders wizards mainly be energy masters?"
Locke thought, "That's not right either. Even if Antoine is an alchemist, to support him simultaneously controlling so many high-requirement magic artifacts, he must possess a scale of total magic pressure that individual organisms find difficult to have." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"My previous opponents, him, Witch Juliana, the wizard from Kungoding, those powerful wizards..."
"To secure victory, I actually still need more powerful strength. Sea Gold Sand has temporarily been developed to the extreme, so what should I do?"
Locke thought of his Full Moon Growth. His Full Moon Growth still had many problems.
Currently, he had discovered two problems alone.
Why not consider how to solve these two problems?
At this moment, the surfaces of the fifth and fourth arenas suddenly showed cracks. Immediately after, fragments of the two cloud arenas continuously fell down.
Currently, only three arenas remained for the Spell Combat Tournament in the Cloud Arena.
This represented that the competition had entered the final championship contention period.
On the audience stands, wizards were making cheering sounds everywhere.
The wizards watching the live broadcast also became excited as the two cloud arenas collapsed from mid-air.
Off-site betting pools appeared one after another.
Everyone placed bets on the contestants they considered most likely to win the championship.
At the same time, the Second Circle wizard host of the Spell Combat Tournament came out and coldly announced new rules for the final stage of the competition to all contestants who hadn't been eliminated yet. "Currently, there are still 27 wizard contestants remaining."
"Therefore, the competition has entered the advance notice system. Now announcing all match lists for tomorrow's competitions..."
The Second Circle wizard host began announcing the match lists.
Locke heard that his fourth match tomorrow was actually against that dark horse contestant from Kungoding Academy. The remaining five matches were all with relatively ordinary contestants from other wizard organizations.
With his current proficiency in using Peach Bow Thorn Arrow, these contestants would require at most three arrows to deal with.
That wizard from Kungoding Academy, Wizard Mike, walked over carrying a ribbed steel staff and said to Locke, "Didn't expect that we two would face each other tomorrow."
"Locke Augustine, your plant magic is very powerful, very gorgeous, but we builders' curses are as old as mountains. Our rigidity is high enough!"
Wizard Mike looked at Locke and said seriously, "This is Kungoding Academy's first Sports Festival since coming to Cloud Marsh Wetland! I want to hang my academy's great name on the championship throne."
"Challenge welcomed," Locke asked. "I remember Kungoding Academy just moved here, right? You haven't participated in the Sports Festival before. However, I'm curious. Why did Kungoding Academy leave its original wizard land?"
Wizard Mike saw that Locke wasn't angry but instead calmly conversed with him. He was stunned for a moment, then said, "You seem different from other Golden Crown Mountain wizards. Not so resistant to outside wizards."
"Kungoding Academy comes from a wizard land called [Nine Origin Mountains]. Kungoding Academy was one of the two major top forces there!"
"It's just that we Kungoding Building Materials Academy lost in competition with [Nine Origin Mountains'] top wizard academy [Arcane Foundation Brotherhood]."
"At the invitation of Cloud Marsh Wetland's White Wizard Association, we simply left Nine Origin Mountains and ran to Cloud Marsh Wetland."
Wizard Mike said confidently, "This isn't any secret either. We Kungoding Academy aren't any shameful despicable outsiders, nor did we come to your Cloud Marsh Wetland as laborers."
"We openly and properly entered Cloud Marsh Wetland to launch an academic status challenge battle against your Golden Crown Mountain."
"Arcane Foundation Brotherhood won against us by numerical advantage. We Kungoding Academy absolutely don't recognize their construction philosophy. Arcane Foundation Brotherhood believes that in qualified circumstances, emphasizing efficiency's importance surpasses emphasizing details! We Kungoding builders' style is striving for excellence, but Arcane Foundation Brotherhood's style is 'good enough.'"
"We were invited here by Cloud Marsh Wetland. Cloud Marsh Wetland believes our philosophy is more suitable here."
Locke nodded slightly.
Indeed, if it was Cloud Marsh Wetland, they would definitely highly value exquisite things.
Between Kungoding Academy and Arcane Foundation Brotherhood's different development styles, Cloud Marsh Wetland would definitely prefer the former more.
In a certain sense, Kungoding Building Materials Academy being invited here was also normal. Builders and earth wizards were also Cloud Marsh Wetland's mainstream magic research directions, with resource investment not much less than botany and breeding studies.
Locke said, "I see. Academic status challenge battles between wizard organizations are indeed very cruel. Losers lose many things, winners gain everything."
"Wizard Mike, I respect your desire to represent Kungoding Building Materials Academy and confirm your own status in Cloud Marsh Wetland's Golden Crown Mountain district. But..." Locke's words turned. "This competition is also very important to me."
It concerned whether he could obtain coordinates to a medium-scale plane that had never been developed by wizards, and supposedly the quality of the reward planes for the Plane Conquest Competition would be relatively high.
They were planes carefully selected by Truth Wizard, the Silent Witch.
Precisely because of this, even descendants of Third Circle wizards had strong motivation to fight for this.
Wizard Mike gave Locke a thumbs-up gesture. "Then let's see which of us two has higher rigidity. Let me have a fair contest. This is precisely the significance of competition."
"See whether botany spells are more exquisite, or whether we builders' constructions are more impregnable."
After Wizard Mike gave a greeting, he turned and left the competition venue.
Locke didn't leave the venue. First, he replied to congratulations from Witch Scarlett.
Witch Scarlett sent him a message saying that his product was currently in the top three sales in the history of products she'd operated.
'Locke, your idea of endorsing your own product is truly wonderful.' Witch Scarlett said, 'By the way, store alliances have come to me asking whether you're willing to do some product endorsement activities. You can earn money...'
'You currently have very high endorsement value.'
'However, my suggestion is it's best not to. After all, those count as your competing products. If you work a bit harder now, perhaps you can create history! During the Sports Festival, have a pure magical plant wizard shoe reach the top three in sales!'
In a research base of the Arthas Store Alliance, Witch Scarlett glanced at her backend, which was full of complaint messages.
At the same time, Witch Scarlett ignored some soft-eared leaders' warnings to her to pay attention to those magic weavers' thoughts, that top ten was enough to stop, and suggestions that she could slow down marketing methods going forward.
Witch Scarlett frowned. "At Arthas Store Alliance, sales volume is king. These leaders have neither personnel authority over me nor rights to allocate resources to me. I can still listen to small matters, but for major matters concerning my achievements, I have no reason to listen to them."
Witch Scarlett sneered. "Who knows if these people took money from the magic weavers."
"Locke, my good partner, the rest is up to you."
At Golden Crown Mountain, Cloud Arena, Locke saw the message Witch Scarlett sent him, nodded, then sent back an "I understand" expression.
Then he searched the crowd for wizards from Magic Pivot City.
While observing these wizards' battles, he discovered problems with his Full Moon Growth. One major problem was that his magic pressure couldn't support using Full Moon Growth for too long.
Full Moon Growth, this magic, was entirely comprehended by him from observing the Void Beast, and therefore this magic was still in a semi-finished state.
Locke found Magic Pivot City's seating area.
A bunch of Magic Pivot City wizards were looking at him with vigilant and distant gazes. Locke smiled and didn't mind.
Magic Pivot City and Golden Crown Mountain had fought many academic status challenge battles over the years. Relations between the two sides were very poor.
It was already impossible to distinguish who was right and who was wrong, or who started it first.
Locke looked toward Magic Pivot City's young generation's First Circle witch genius, Witch Camilla.
Locke said, "Witch Camilla, can you come out for a moment? I have something to discuss with you."
Witch Camilla showed no intention of coming out, sitting in her seat. "Hmm? What could our Golden Crown Mountain's genius researcher want with me? Sorry I can't oblige. You showed me no mercy on the competition stage either."
Locke smiled. "I'm looking for you for a very important trade. But since you're not interested, then forget it. What a pity. Originally I thought you'd be happy to accept this trade."
Locke left without any reluctance, turning to go.
Seeing this, Witch Camilla's interest was immediately piqued. She looked at Locke's departing back, hesitated, then said, "Wait."
"Since that's the case, let's find a quiet place to talk."
Locke wasn't surprised by this.
During the battle, Locke had sensed that Witch Camilla was an opportunist, and very greedy.
Therefore, she would definitely agree to trade with him.
On the ground, at Golden Crown Mountain, Dragon Blood Market, Feathered Serpent Pavilion.
Witch Camilla sat on a sofa in a quiet room and said, "Augustine, speak. What exactly do you want with me?"
Locke handed her one of two cups of Duck Head Spring tea that the half-dragon shopkeeper had sent over for free. "Nothing much. I want to obtain a piece of Magic Pivot City-made natal witch porcelain."
Witch Camilla had just taken a sip of wizard tea and nearly sprayed it out.
She quickly pulled a tissue from the table and wiped the corners of her mouth.
Witch Camilla shook her head slightly, looking at Locke with eyes full of astonishment.
Witch porcelain was Magic Pivot City's only advantageous academic field, and natal witch porcelain was something new from the last ten years. Non-Magic Pivot City wizards simply couldn't obtain it.
What shocked Witch Camilla was that Locke would so shamelessly directly request to obtain a piece of Magic Pivot City's natal witch porcelain.
And with such a calm expression.
Even she, who considered herself an opportunist, was shocked by Locke's request.
So much so that Witch Camilla didn't have time to refute immediately, but instead asked Locke, "You... should know that Golden Crown Mountain and Magic Pivot City's relationship isn't good, right? You should also know that you defeated me before, so I find you very displeasing?"
"You know even more that natal witch porcelain is currently something only our Magic Pivot City's few elite wizards have?"
Locke calmly took a sip of Duck Head Spring tea. "I know all of what you're saying."
Full Moon Growth currently had a very serious problem, which was that maintaining its current scale required magic pressure that he couldn't provide for an extended period.
And to continue expanding the scale and strengthening the power would be even more impossible.
But when fighting Witch Camilla, he noticed that natal witch porcelain combined with the spiritual layer. So he only needed to have a natal witch porcelain combine with the spirituality of Full Moon Growth's magic moon, having this porcelain act as a moon core, and he could strengthen Full Moon Growth.
Of course, this was a risky attempt.
This was equivalent to him combining pure magic with alchemical creations for the first time.
Locke said, "I just believe that any matter has the possibility of trade. Next, you and I both have tough battles to fight. So I want to exchange value with you. I can provide you with Type 2 Tyrant Element. You can strengthen your thirty large-mouthed man-eating flowers yourself, letting them gain strength out of thin air."
"Let your large-mouthed man-eating flower jungle reach unprecedented strength."
"Give you a chance to compete for the top three in the Spell Combat Tournament. After all, your Magic Pivot City shouldn't be planning to win the championship this time. As long as you enter the top three, for you personally, that's already very good."
Witch Camilla's eyes flickered. Clearly, she had ideas about Type 2 Tyrant Element before.
She had no interest in Locke's abyssalized magical plants. The reason was that such things were first too dangerous. Unlike Locke, she had no abyss resistance at all. Using such dangerous items would only reduce her combat effectiveness.
Second, they easily attracted the Ethics Review Committee.
Locke currently hadn't mass-produced magical plants. The cost and pressure of the ethics review mechanism were all transferred to Arthas, and Arthas's production bases were all in various colonial planes, which could evade most of the Ethics Review Committee's attention.
But abyssal magical plants were extremely special. The Ethics Review Committee would probably immediately target them.
Plus, Locke currently didn't have the technology to mass-produce Abyssal Devourer Body Sea Gold Sand, so Locke hadn't planned to promote Abyssal Devourer Body Sea Gold Sand yet.
Abyssal Devourer Body Sea Gold Sand had lost the ability to reproduce normally and could only be converted using potions.
And to prepare this potion, without specialized study, even Second Circle potion masters probably couldn't prepare it.
The difficulty of preparing Abyssal Devourer Body potion and material costs meant its difficulty to obtain was more than ten times that of Type 2 Tyrant Element.
The two couldn't be compared.
The danger levels of the two also couldn't be compared.
Locke still had the ability and confidence to mass-produce Type 2 Tyrant Element at the First Circle stage, but Abyssal Devourer Body potion was different.
He himself was afraid of this thing getting out of control.
At this moment, Witch Camilla deliberately put on airs. "So you're looking for me for this kind of thing."
"Locke Augustine, everything you said is very good and very right. It's just a pity I simply don't want to trade according to what you said. Too bad."
Witch Camilla looked at Locke triumphantly, preparing to see regret on Locke's face.
But Locke remained calm.
Locke also had no intention to insist. If Witch Camilla didn't work out, he'd try finding someone else.
Locke nodded. "I understand. Since that's the case, then forget it."
Locke directly stood up.
Mainly since the conversation had reached this point, he also had no need to insist. It wasn't like only she had channels to purchase natal witch porcelain.
Witch Camilla was stunned for a moment. As an opportunist, she felt a pang of pain at this moment, as if she had lost a treasure out of thin air.
The more this was Locke's attitude, the more she wanted to trade with Locke.
Witch Camilla said in surprise, "Wait, you're not insisting anymore? Won't you make an effort?"
Locke turned to look at her. "In fact, you've already refused me twice. If you're unwilling to cooperate, then we indeed have no reason to continue wasting time."
Locke directly left the quiet room.
Witch Camilla's expression changed several times. She discovered that Locke wasn't deliberately manipulating her, but had truly instantly changed targets.
This made her, as an opportunist, feel as if she had lost money.
"Wait, Locke."
She chased out, catching up in the corridor. "I think I indeed can trade with you. After all, constellation witch porcelain isn't as mysterious as you think."
