Chapter 953

Chapter 947 Advancement to the Star Ring!

Locke’s fingers touched the second Fruit of Prosperity.

At this moment, the star ring behind him disappeared, and a new star ring appeared beneath his feet, composed of two overlapping rings, one gold and one blue. With a tremendous roar, the surrounding magic violently vibrated, and then the rings rose from the ground, rotating around Locke himself.

The embers left by the last of the Martial and Civil Fire gradually extinguished.

The second forging of the Great Magic was complete.

This was a complete Star Ring, representing Locke Augustine, a dangerous life form in the Endless Void, and recognized by the three great divine races as the mark of the Nightmare Legion’s demon god, signifying that their power had reached a level beyond the reach of mortals within the existing civilization of the Endless Void.

Although in the wizarding world, this was merely the starting point of the path to exploring truth.

Endless starlight enveloped Locke, because the magical pressure, almost equivalent to a small world, was concentrated on one person, so a certain starlight naturally arose on Locke’s body—the gravity of the plane.

At this moment, all the wizards in the audience, from second-ring wizards to first-ring wizards, wizarding apprentices, and even third-ring wizards, applauded on the stage.

The judging panel of thirty second-ring wizards also suddenly abandoned their hostility towards Locke. They had no conflict of interest with Locke to begin with; they had simply thought some of his actions were somewhat outrageous.

But now that Locke had become a Star Ring wizard and seemed to be showing some potential that could attract third-ring wizards, they naturally saw no need to remain hostile.

After some hesitation, the judges applauded Locke.

The entire hall resounded with applause.

Although the results hadn’t been announced yet, the enthusiasm and duration of this applause far exceeded the sporadic applause the judges had given to the Brandy Wizard earlier.

At this point, although the recipient of this special grant hadn’t been announced, everyone knew that it was likely Locke Augustine’s application that had passed the internal review and been sent to the White Wizard Association.

Eric Ender, a wizard from the Mystic Realms, suddenly raised his hand and clapped twice.

Valeria Kenway, the wizard, looked at Eric Ender with curiosity.

“Hmm? It seems you also think our Eastern Realm’s young people are quite good,”

said Wizard Eric Ender. “This wizard is indeed good, and that Zeno wizard is good too.”

“Wizard Valeria, you and the wizards behind you deliberately allowed the magical plant crystallization technology route to emerge in order to stimulate the geniuses of the Eastern Realm, simply to stimulate and guide the emergence of true geniuses. Your Star Domain Sea places too much emphasis on geniuses. You have ignored the interests of other wizards. The wizards behind me don’t question the results of your plan, but rather your methods.” “

Many research directions in the development of magical plant crystallization technology are simply impossible to produce results. It’s merely bait, a bait you use to stimulate the emergence of true geniuses. But isn’t the price too high? The Star Domain Sea’s actions in stimulating the emergence of super geniuses and increasing the number of geniuses… I’m not saying it’s wrong, but isn’t it too radical, too extreme?”

“What I have seen here will be truthfully reported back to Mystic Heaven.”

“But… I have a piece of advice for you: if a major upheaval occurs and you don’t handle it, or are unable to handle it, then we will take over.”

Valeria Kenway’s expression darkened for a moment.

“We are also disappointed by the slow progress of the Mystic Realms over the years.”

“How many years has it been in the wizarding world? The battle between the three great gods and us still has no end in sight. We haven’t yet found our true path—the true way out for this era.”

“The Ascension Project is necessary, and for the Ascension Project, we need more super geniuses and more ordinary geniuses. Besides, the Mystic Realms shouldn’t just look at us. The Super Magic Network Project in the Southern Realm and the Magic Origin Project in the Central Realm are far more extreme than our Ascension Project.”

“The Southern Realm has already caused countless disasters in the endless void because of their Super Magic Network. Their plan from beginning to end is a disaster, causing countless ethical crises. The Origin Project in the Central Realm is even more outrageous; they’re still recruiting archaeologists in large numbers, aren’t they? Heh…”

“I think they should just invest all their resources in archaeology.”

At this moment, on the defense platform, the wizard Zhuoma looked at Locke, who had become a Star Ring Wizard, and suddenly sighed. She then turned to the wizard Brandy and said, “Brandy, ever since I entered the Institute of True Knowledge at Golden Crown Mountain and was framed by you in my first year, I’ve picked up your bad habits. I’ve fought with you for so long, ostracizing colleagues, plotting behind the scenes, manipulating information, but have you ever seen us receive a single special grant?”

“In the end, we’ve all been doing meaningless things.”

The wizard Brandy glared at the wizard Zhuoma and said, “What are you talking about, you native?”

The wizard Zhuoma suddenly smiled and shook her head.

“Brandy, I’m no longer affected by you. The greatest harm you did to me wasn’t successfully shifting the blame for your mistakes in the first year, making me pay a lot of compensation. The greatest harm you did to me was teaching me how to frame others, how to use unfair competition to exclude colleagues. But look, did we get good results? In the academy of true knowledge, where geniuses abound, we’ve missed out on the top-tier grant year after year.”

“Brandy, I can’t even blame you. Maybe I was wrong from the beginning. If I had spent that time on myself, I wonder if things would have turned out better. It’s alright, I’ve given up on the obsession with the top-tier grant.”

Wizard Droma looked at Locke’s back and said, “I can’t improve anything here anymore. I’ll leave the station and go to the Reptile Garden in the Rain Swamp to become a wizarding instructor. I should have gone there last year. The top-tier grant… I know that with my current abilities, I don’t deserve it. That belongs to geniuses like Locke, or Zeno. Heh…”

“Actually, Zeno and Locke are more courageous than us.”

Wizard Brandy roared, waving his fist.

“You say our actions are meaningless? Did I teach you to do that? Didn’t you learn it yourselves? Everyone’s talent has its limits. Our talents can only get us first-class grants at best, I know that all too well.”

“But I’m not willing to accept that! So I can only use these underhanded methods, only these underhanded methods can help me get what I shouldn’t have, what my abilities don’t match. You say it’s meaningless? But if I didn’t use these methods, do you want me to admit that with my abilities I couldn’t get the top-class grant at all?”

Brandy’s eyes were bloodshot.

The witch Droma looked at him and asked, “But even if you use those methods now, you still won’t get the top-class grant. Brandy, give up. Using those underhanded methods here is just wasting our time, depleting our talents, and destroying our potential.”

“The Advanced True Knowledge Academy on Mount Golden Crown is teeming with geniuses. There was Zeno before, then Locke, and even if you delay your departure for another year, you’ll encounter Zeno again and new geniuses next year. There’s no need to waste time here. There might be better paths outside. If there are no opportunities here, go find new ones outside.”

Wizard Zhuoma sighed.

“If this continues, you and I will get used to using underhanded methods to get what doesn’t belong to us. Over time, we’ll become path-dependent, accustomed to this kind of thing happening. You and I will truly have no… future.”

Wizard Brandy suddenly went berserk.

“That’s because you lack ambition. Next year, yes… next year, I’ll participate in the defense again next year. I have one last chance. I’m different from you. I must get the top-tier grant!”

All the wizards participating in the defense, except for Wizard Zhuoma and Wizard Brandy, sighed and felt relieved.

It seemed they had missed out on the top-tier grant again this year; they could only wait another year.

However, each person can only stay at the True Knowledge Academy for a maximum of seven years, so the number of applications for special grants is actually limited. Even if one enters early, they can only accumulate eight application opportunities by following the rules.

The prerequisite for applying is having at least a first-class project grant.

That means a wizard only theoretically has eight applications for special grants. In reality, very few wizards can apply for grants three times in a year like Locke, progressing from third-class to first-class grants.

However, they all looked at Locke; regardless, at least this time Locke deserved the special grant.

The wizards applauded Locke.

…

On the stone steps of the last stretch of mountain path leading to the True Knowledge Academy on Mount Golden Crown, the Dragon Wizard ascended. He looked up and saw the Red Dragon Witch.

The Red Dragon Witch wore a black and red wizard’s robe, her attire magnificent, her demeanor elegant. She seemed to have been waiting there for some time.

The Red Dragon Witch said, “You have one last chance to choose. You can go down the mountain and leave safely.”

The Dragon Wizard’s eyelids twitched. “A fine tactic. We’re always the ones giving choices, but today someone’s giving us choices.”

“But man proposes, God disposes.”

“You didn’t expect your opponent to suddenly help me from the shadows. This is both natural and man-made disaster; I am your calamity, she is your misfortune.”

“Then come on.”

The Red Dragon Witch curled her lips into a smile. “Aren’t you going to try to break my spell?”

The Demon Dragon Wizard laughed. “I knew it at first glance. From the moment I was afflicted by your Peach Heart Curse, I entered your elaborate trap. Through power struggles and manipulation of people’s hearts, you learned my thoughts and led me step by step into your snare. And now…”

A peach blossom mark appeared on the Demon Dragon Wizard’s forehead, and peach branches appeared around him, until a peach grove suddenly reappeared around him.

“I’ve never left your Dragon View Peach Garden, have I? In both of my eras, I don’t recall ever witnessing such powerful botanical magic.”

“To leave your Dragon View Peach Garden, you must undergo your ‘humanity’ test. Of course, I have a way to pass, but if I did, it would be tantamount to me receiving an education in your ideology. But I am a wizard of the Black Sun Tower; we are the ‘heaven’ of this world. I will not accept your ideology.”

“I won’t give you that chance.”

The Demon Dragon Wizard lifted his foot and continued walking. He passed directly through the Red Dragon Witch’s body, who seemed like a phantom, their bodies overlapping.

The next moment, the Red Dragon Witch’s phantom disintegrated, transforming into countless peach blossoms that passed through the Demon Dragon Wizard’s body.

In an instant, the Demon Dragon Wizard’s permanent defensive field collapsed, some of his magic dissipating into the air.

His magical pressure plummeted by a third.

“I see. If it weren’t for her great enemy secretly helping me, I would have lost a third of my magic power just getting here from the bottom of the mountain. And if I encountered her guardian avatar here, I would have lost another third of my magic power just to leave Dragon View Peach Garden.”

“When I finally meet her, I will only be able to face her with less than a third of my magic power. Although I am only a half-body clone at this moment, she should also be a clone.”

The Demon Dragon Wizard smiled. “Truly impressive. Even in the Age of Stars, it would have taken me a lot of effort to deal with her.”

The peach blossom mark on the Demon Dragon Wizard’s forehead suddenly shattered. The spell that the witch Catherine had cast on him through Alaric finally broke. The shattered mark turned into countless points of light in the air, then scattered into the air. Some fell to the ground, and some landed on him, blocking his permanent defensive field.

“It’s finally untied, but because of her great enemy’s interference, I wasn’t actually weakened that much.” “

Man proposes, God disposes. Human hearts are no match for the treacherous forces of nature.”

The Dragon Wizard looked at the tortoise shell on his left hand. A crack had appeared on it; the Ten-Day Curse was activating. He had sensed the fate of the wizard with the dragon bloodline.

As one crack appeared on the shell, more and more appeared, as if the entire shell was about to explode, constantly revealing new fissures.

The Dragon Wizard looked towards the first floor of the True Knowledge Academy. His gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of buildings, landing on Locke Augustine within. “

Heaven decrees your death, how dare you not die?

How can you not die?

How will you not die?”

The Dragon Wizard lifted his foot, landing on the stone steps, taking the final step. He put a pipe in his mouth; he had important business to attend to, so he’d have a smoke first.

His fingers traced the shape of his pipe, and instantly, endless smoke billowed from it.

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

“Heavens… a word is a word!”

On the first floor of the True Knowledge Academy at Golden Crown Mountain, Locke stood on the podium, reaping the second Prosperity Fruit amidst applause.

His advancement was now complete.

At this moment, the five judges had already written their comments, and even Master Patrick of the Rose Council seemed to have given up on helping Brandy secure the fund, as the situation appeared far too difficult.

With his abilities, he was not capable of distorting the truth and turning black into white.

Just as the Witch of the Green Dragon Throne was about to announce the results, a sudden gust of wind swept through the meeting room, and countless plumes of ash appeared in the air above.

Many wizards instantly felt a tightness in their chests and difficulty breathing.

The grayish-white ash drifted like willow catkins, like swirling snow in a flowing wind.

The wizards in the meeting room clutched their chests, coughing. They felt dizzy, their magic chaotic, their minds agitated, and a heavy pressure weighing on their shoulders. The

Green Dragon Throne witch, seated on the judging panel, exclaimed in surprise, “Hmm? This is… could this be… an Ember of Time?”

“How could something so rare appear here?”

The Valeria wizard from the Starfield Sea held out his hand, looking at the ash falling into it. He glanced at the wizard from the Mystic Heaven, then smiled, “This is interesting.”

At that moment, countless Embers of Time transformed into a grayish-white snowfall, pressing down on the wizards present, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Wizards below the second ring were so overwhelmed by the Embers of Time that they couldn’t even stand, forced to lie prostrate on the ground.

Even ordinary second-ring wizards found it difficult to move.

Whether they were first-class wizard apprentices, full-fledged wizards, or crystallized wizards, they were all slumped over, lying on the ground, prostrate, or forced to slump in chairs, because the conference room was filled with the embers of an era.

A stench of smoke filled their nostrils.

Who was using the embers of an era as tobacco?

Who was blowing smoke that could suppress hundreds of full-fledged wizards!

At this moment, only wizards of Star Ring rank or higher were qualified to withstand these embers of an era and had the opportunity to move freely in this environment.

Locke turned to look at the conference room door. Now a Star Ring Wizard, he could naturally move freely under these embers of an era.

Locke felt a tightness in his chest and discomfort, but overall, he was in relatively good condition.

The gold and blue star rings behind him slowly rotated.

Locke had a feeling that the other party was coming for him.

His dragon bloodline wanted to break free from the control of his teacher’s Heart Curse and be controlled by the other party, turning against him and harming him.

The Tower of the Black Sun!

From the very first day he transmigrated to this world, he had been in contact with this wizarding force. Even his nominal witch mother seemed to have gone to Corfu because of the Black Sun Tower’s pursuit. The

Black Sun Tower was deeply intertwined with his fate.

Although he knew that as long as he continued to ascend, given the Black Sun Tower’s concern for the dragon bloodline, they would definitely come to contact him,

he hadn’t expected them to come so soon, right when he broke through to become a Star Ring Wizard.

However, Locke was still somewhat relieved.

Because he saw those ordinary second-ring wizards staggering through the gray embers of the era, and he immediately realized that if he hadn’t broken through to become a Star Ring Wizard in time, he probably wouldn’t even be able to stand upright right now.

‘I didn’t expect the Black Sun Tower to come so directly. I can’t feel their magical pressure.’

Locke stared ahead.

The conference room door opened, but no wizards entered; only three incense sticks were stuck in the ground.

The three incense sticks burned quickly after the conference room door opened, burning out in a flash.

Immediately, the ash and smoke from these embers of time rapidly coalesced into ferocious beasts, like dragons born from the ashes themselves. These wingless dragons attacked all the wizards present.

Many wizards were even horrified to discover that their skin was turning into wisps of ash.

Their bodies were being assimilated by the embers of time, turning into the ash left behind by that bygone era.

The Brandy Wizard struggled to breathe, feeling as if countless ash were entering his lungs through his respiratory tract, making it difficult to breathe.

“What happened?”

“What’s wrong?”

On the judges’ panel, several throne wizards exchanged glances.

Wizard Fisher was the first to stand up. The Senate itself was the military faction within Mount Golden Crown. As a third-circle wizard of the Senate, and as a power master, Wizard Fisher was furious.

“Who dares to openly attack our Golden Crown Mountain!”

“Do you consider our Golden Crown Mountain nothing?”

He stretched out a finger, a wave of killing intent condensing on it. After a brief moment of gathering, it suddenly burst forward, destroying countless smoke beasts in an instant with this third-ring level killing intent wave.

The air seemed to reverberate with killing intent.

But the next moment, a force rebounded from the source of that era’s embers, sending Wizard Fisher flying backward.

He sat in his chair, panting, “This…this is fourth-ring level power. No, the magic pressure isn’t at the fourth ring.”

“Who is it?”

Several voices echoed continuously from within the grayish-white smoke formed by the era’s embers.

‘You are intolerable to the world.’

‘Fate is inescapable.’

‘You should not live.’

‘This world does not tolerate you, you are abandoned by the world.’

From the ashes of time, bodies made of incense ash emerged one after another; they were all wizards from a bygone era who had worshipped the Tower of the Black Sun.

This legion of wizards looked in unison in the direction of Locke. “

This world has no place for you!”

“Evil dragon, we, the world, will unite to strike you!”

These were wizards who had worshipped the Tower of the Black Sun during the Age of Stars and the Dark Ages. Though they were dead, their power was preserved in the rituals, and now they appeared under the call of the Tower of the Black Sun’s will.

This led to the current global campaign against Locke,

a campaign to completely eliminate him and erase his existence.

Among these wizards were even several third-ring wizards.

Locke felt this global condemnation of him. Facing so many enemies, the isolation, the helplessness, the cold indifference of the world pierced him. For a moment, he even lost his composure, but then the Tree of Prosperity and the Moon of Evolution appeared behind him.

He coldly looked back at this murky aura of his homeland. “

I am in the future, and you are in the past. How can you launch a global campaign against me?”

At that moment, almost all the wizards in the audience were instantly teleported out by the Golden Crown Mountain’s teleportation array.

The once crowded conference room suddenly became empty, replaced by a wizard legion formed from the power of ashes.

At this moment, Wizard Fisher struggled to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

He glanced at the Red Dragon Throne in the audience.

“Although I don’t know what happened, I knew Locke Augustine was a troublemaker. His antics at home were one thing, but today he’s even brought High Ring Wizards to our door.”

“What sins have you committed?”

“But there’s something I’ve wanted to use for a long time.”

He took a rusty key from his astral ring, and a keyhole appeared at his feet.

“Power users who have stored their battle power in the Supernatural Purgatory, lend me your power temporarily.”

He inserted the key, crafted from killing intent, into the keyhole and turned it gently.

Instantly, a power composed of killing intent erupted from it—the power of the Senate wizards who had guarded Mount Golden Crown for countless ages in the Supernatural Purgatory. Before their deaths, each of them transformed their demonic pressure into fluctuations, leaving their power in the supernatural purgatory. This power would then transform into a fighting force guarding Golden Crown Mountain in the event of an invasion, even if these were merely remnants of their past fluctuations, simply residual fluctuations left behind by the amplitude of their demonic pressure.

(End of Chapter)