I'll Be Waiting for You at the Southern Wizard Genius Gathering, Sudden Upheaval!

Ronan stepped off the ring, surrounded by discussions about him.

Countless eyes were focused on him, making him the unique focus of attention at that moment.

The first genius to defeat a level three opponent while only at level two in a competition! The first level two genius to encounter a level three seeded powerhouse and still emerge victorious!

An unprecedented feat.

And then there was the First Resonance domain that Ronan had just displayed. Ronan's reputation soared to an unprecedented peak, almost rivaling that of the Third Level Wizard geniuses on the field.

However, Ronan felt no joy; instead, a deep gloom settled over him.

Damien, you

As soon as he reached the Silver Magic Ring, he was greeted by a sea of amazed, admiring, and awe-inspiring gazes.

Clemens seemed quite excited and was about to say something to him when Ronan raised his hand to stop him.

Ronan quickly walked up to Caloni and the other man and called their names in a low voice.

"Well done, Damien."

Caloni's eyes were full of undisguised admiration for him, and the Fourth Ring Master Aqi Duo beside him also had a big smile on his face, looking at him with increasing affection.

"I thought that if you wanted a chance to defeat Damien, you should at least use the power of your ancient bloodline."

Caloni exclaimed, "I didn't expect you to be even more outstanding than I anticipated. You accomplished this amazing feat without using your bloodline."

"Your Ice Magic lineage bears traces of ice-based wizards from the Northernmost Land. Is it from there?"

Aqi Duo asked casually as well.

Ronan, however, had no interest in accepting their praise and replies. Instead, he shook his head and said, "I did not completely defeat Damien."

He voluntarily admitted defeat.

"Um?!"

Caloni and his companion were slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Ronan described in detail the final moments of his battle with Damien to the two men.

After he finished speaking, he looked up towards the direction of the Thorn Palace, but could not find Damien's figure.

After being "defeated" in a battle with him, this person seemed "overwhelmed with shame" and chose to "leave the scene".

To outsiders, it seemed like a perfectly normal reaction, because Damien was the first Level 3 to be defeated by a Level 2. He was the Thorn Palace's greatest hope, yet he also brought shame upon the Thorn Palace.

After Damien was eliminated, the Thorn Palace had almost no hope of achieving a good ranking in this competition. At this moment, everyone in the Thorn Palace looked extremely grim.

"It may not be as you think."

After listening to Ronan's explanation, Caloni paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Perhaps this is exactly what Damien wanted to see."

Ronan frowned. "Does the Ring Master mean that he deliberately conceded defeat in this way to make me suspicious now?"

"Um."

Caloni nodded. "Perhaps he still has some fighting ability, but he still feels he can't defeat you, so he simply left you with the illusion that 'he hasn't lost' in this way. After all, many people know that you have bloodline power that you haven't used yet, right?"

"A veteran genius like Damien, who has lived for nearly a hundred years, is far more shrewd than you imagine."

Aqi Duo chimed in, sneering, "I've seen too many tricks like this. If you let him get in your way, then he's truly succeeded. Just remember one thing: in this situation, no one, and has no reason, to easily admit defeat, let alone risk their reputation as Third Level Wizard."

"All right."

Ronan seemed to be persuaded.

"Prepare well for the next match, Damien. We all have high hopes for you."

Caloni offered him a few more words of encouragement, and Ronan nodded. He walked to the side and sat down alone, his expression seemingly calm, but a faint gloom still lingered in his heart.

Was it really as Caloni and the others said, that Damien's final surrender in the last battle was just a charade? He didn't know.

But I always felt that things weren't that simple.

Because of his physical training, Ronan possesses an extraordinary intuition that is beyond the comprehension of ordinary wizards.

Ronan looked up and surveyed the entire competition venue.

The match on the stage continued, and everything seemed normal.

He, however, sensed a faint hint of conspiracy in it.

But we don't know why it started or where it came from.

Ronan couldn't help but feel a little irritated.

His gaze searched and scanned the area repeatedly, but he still couldn't find Damien.

But they inadvertently met the gaze of a young man from the other side of the Molten Crystal Lake, a gaze as fiery and domineering as a lake of lava.

Ignatius.

The other person stared at him coldly. Compared to the initial disgust and hostility, Ignatius's gaze now seemed to hold a strange, inexplicable quality.

He gave Ronan a cold smile, then slowly looked away.

Recalling Clemens's reminder to him before the competition began, a guess popped into Ronan's mind—

"Could it be that Damien and this guy made some kind of agreement, deliberately letting me win so that I can meet him in the next match and be beaten to death fair and square in the arena?"

Ronan then shook his head, thinking that the possibility was unlikely.

For just this one thing, would it be too much to bribe a Third Level Wizard to willingly bear the shame of being defeated by a level two wizard, and possibly even face punishment from the forces behind him? Amidst the constant speculation and contemplation, the second round of the competition unknowingly came to an end.

In the second round of the competition, Ronan only focused on the matches between those Third Level Wizard geniuses.

However, due to the vast difference in skill between them and their opponents, it was difficult to discern anything. Most Third Level Wizard could quickly end the battle with just one or two spells.

The Anglie he was "focusing on" only used a regular second-tier [Shadow Scythe] spell in both rounds of the competition.

This spell had clearly been mastered to the "Master Level" by him. When he cast it, it was like countless cold crescent moons falling from thick dark clouds. The rich power of the magic domain spread out and cut through the opponent's defense in a few moves, thus ending the battle.

Jupiter of the Thunder Council was even more exaggerated. When he made his move, only a flash of lightning appeared. After the lightning subsided, he returned to his original position, as if he had never moved his body at all. However, his opponent on the stage had already collapsed, charred and paralyzed.

The other level-three geniuses were similar, each with their own unique style, and they kept their trump cards well hidden.

When the sun rises on the fourth day, the third round of the competition begins.

The colored sphere began to rotate for the third time. Ronan was about to stand up when he was immediately struck by a beam of light.

Before he could react, a faint message emanated from the pillar of light enveloping him. "You got a bye?!"

Ronan was somewhat taken aback, but then slowly sat down amidst the envious gazes from all directions.

In the third round, there were fifteen remaining candidates, and one person would indeed receive a bye, but Ronan never expected that the lucky one would be him.

The third round was probably the fastest and least dramatic. The remaining level-three geniuses "cleverly" avoided each other, each eliminating their opponents and quickly advancing to the fourth round.

In this round, Ronan and Orian both made it into the top eight in the Arcane Circle.

"Damien, relax and fight with all your might."

Whatever the outcome, it will be the best outcome for us.

Ronan, with Caloni's words still echoing in his ears, slowly stood still in front of the stage.

Caloni was right. Even if he lost the next match, the results achieved by the Arcane Circle in this competition were something no one had expected.

It was sunset on the fifth day.

Ronan watched as the orange sun slowly disappeared below the horizon where light and shadow met, as day [Depravity] into Black Night and a strange emotion slowly welled up in his heart.

Turning back, the distribution of the colored orbs of light was complete. One beam of light fell on him, while the other was selected... Ronan's gaze moved forward, finally stopping completely on a lazy young man with short brown hair, wine-red eyes, and an air of wickedness.

Anglie.

The battle he had been waiting for and longing for finally arrived, but Ronan's heart was unusually calm.

On the contrary, Anglie seemed somewhat surprised by the early arrival of this battle.

He stood up from the magnificent black high-backed chair with a somewhat surprised expression, looked up at the sky, and then looked at Ronan with a smile that Ronan couldn't understand.

Shaking his head, he slowly walked towards the arena.

Ronan followed closely behind, step by step ascending into the sky.

Finally, the two stood in the center of the arena.

Looking at Anglie in front of him, Ronan's mind flashed through a multitude of images.

Regarding his past interactions with Anglie, and that mysterious Soul Ignition Potion changed his fate... Unbeknownst to him, a faint fighting spirit ignited within Ronan's body. This fighting spirit was like a fire in the autumn wilderness, initially only a few sparks, but quickly growing stronger and stronger until it ignited his pupils as well.

"Anglie".

Ronan softly uttered the name.

Before he could say anything more, Anglie interrupted him.

"I know what you want to say, I can feel your longing..."

Anglie looked at him and said softly, "But unfortunately, my dear Ronan Damien."

That unripe fruit that wandered into my backyard... I may have to disappoint you again.

"Well"

Ronan paused slightly, and the fighting spirit that had been burning in his eyes suddenly stopped.

At this moment, he seemed to sense some unusual aura spreading from Anglie.

"Thump!"

My heart pounded violently inside my chest.

Ronan's breathing became somewhat rapid, and he felt the Ancient Frost Hydra Bloodline Crystal inserted into his heart trembling violently.

Anglie... Anglie also possesses this bloodline! But the power he is slowly releasing doesn't seem to be directed at him.

What did he mean? What did he want to do? "You're just a tiny bit short of being qualified to challenge me."

Anglie stretched out his hand, making a small, ethereal gesture with his index finger and thumb, while a strange and eerie smile appeared on his face.

He spread his arms, and a visible shadow expanded behind him.

The frequency of the Bloodline Crystal pulsation in his heart increased, and Ronan's expression twisted slightly. He had a strong premonition of something bad and a vague unease. Instinct drove him to move quickly toward Anglie.

"What are you up to?"

Ronan growled at Anglie in a hoarse voice.

Anglie didn't answer, he just looked at him and smiled.

Right now.

Anglie looked strikingly similar to the man Ronan first saw in the Corpse Garden.

Ronan gritted his teeth, and the metal formed from the Nightmare Tungsten Steel and Neiman Alloy condensed into a huge, dazzling crescent blade as he swung his arm. It shot toward Anglie with a whoosh, but was stopped halfway by an invisible force.

"I will be waiting for you at the Southern Wizard Genius Gathering, in the position of chief prodigy of Helamus."

At this moment, Anglie's figure had expanded into a huge shadow, with a pair of jet-black wings unfolding behind him, as deep as the darkest night.

He looked at Ronan with a smile, his lips moving as he spoke, word by word, just like before. "Don't die before I see you again."

Remember, this is a threat.

Having said that, Anglie's wings fluttered gently, and the Bloodline Crystal at Ronan's heart trembled at a crucial moment. "Whoosh—"

It's like a television screen that's suddenly turned off.

The shadow in front of Ronan suddenly shrank and disappeared, along with Anglie's figure.

Ronan stood frozen in place, his right hand still outstretched, not yet recovered from Anglie's sudden departure.

The next second, a huge explosion was heard from another direction in the distance, accompanied by an unprecedentedly terrifying aftershock of energy.

Immediately afterward, he caught a glimpse of lightning flashing, and amidst the countless bolts of lightning, Jupiter, who had been sitting upright on a silver-white chair, high above like a "monarch," suddenly appeared before him.

Her eyes stared straight at him, then her face quickly turned pale and ashen, and she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. In the center of her chest, there was a huge bloody hole that looked like it had been torn open by the claws of some bird.

Ronan was startled and took a step back.

As they retreated, terrifying flames erupted from the other side, accompanied by even more intense energy fluctuations.

Roars, howls, and the sounds of clashing spells filled the air. In the sky, the six "Dawn Day," which had remained suspended still, suddenly erupted in a burst of light—one a volcanic red, the color of lava, and the other a vibrant green, like jade—before crashing violently into the other two nearby "suns"! "Boom!"

A terrifying energy tide, indescribable in words, churned and spread across the sky. A majestic voice, filled with anger, shock, and disbelief, resounded overhead. But before Ronan could understand what the voice was saying, he felt something silently pass by his head.

He looked up abruptly and saw only a blurry figure.

The figure emanated an unparalleled gray light, becoming the seventh "sun" in the sky.

This round of gray suns continued to expand, like a giant mouth, slowly swallowing up the other six rounds of "Dawn Day".

"Resurrection... Saving the world"

"Praise, worship, follow!"

"The old day must be washed away, and a new day will surely come."

"Sing His true name!!"

"Buzz—"

Countless male and female voices rang out simultaneously in the arena, chanting the same strange, ancient incantation in a high-pitched voice, which sounded ethereal yet eerie amidst all the chaos and noise.

A silvery, mirror-like brilliance shone in the night sky, and countless silver rays fell like raindrops.

Ronan stood in the center of the huge arena, with Jupiter, who was seriously injured and on the verge of death, not far away.

He stared blankly at the sky, which was being swept up by darkness, and unconsciously murmured to himself.

"Damn it, Anglie, you're a madman!"

"What... what did they do now?!"

I'll make up for yesterday's missed update today.