Rising Star, Seat, Breakthrough Imminent

Mafflin, whose head was pierced by the Silver White Spear that went from his brow to the back of his head, was thrown back violently.

His eyes widened, his mouth gaped open, and his face showed extreme shock and disbelief.

The next instant, all the Ice Crystal Spike surrounding Mafflin shattered, Mafflin broke free from the icy confinement, spreading his arms and opening and closing his mouth silently.

A strange magical fluctuation emanated from his body. Within the Frost Domain, the Black Ice that had frozen the Nether Ghost burst open one after another. At the same time, Mafflin's entire body seemed like a clay doll dried and cracked by the scorching sun. His skin and flesh rapidly split open, revealing gaps the size of an infant's mouth. From these gaps shot out incomparably powerful black beams of light, as if something was trying to break free from his body.

At this moment, the Silver White Spear piercing through Mafflin's forehead melted rapidly, flowing down Mafflin's cheeks like mercury, blocking some of the gaps that were emitting intense light.

Mafflin's face contorted with rage as he reached out to grab the flowing mercury that seemed to be alive. Suddenly, a tall, slender figure appeared silently in front of him.

"Condense!"

Ronan looked down coldly at Mafflin from his high vantage point, and stretched out his right hand towards him. In an instant, countless metallic tentacles made of Itai sprang up and fiercely wrapped around the struggling Mafflin.

Each of the Itai tentacles exuded a faint aura of spatial Stasis. Mafflin, his mental energy surging restlessly, like a trapped beast ramming against a closing "prison door."

Ronan knew that Mafflin was preparing a trump card spell that he hadn't yet had time to unleash, but it was too late to do it now.

The ice Ice and Snow Domain formed by ice crystals, snowflakes, and thorny ice spikes collapsed rapidly under Ronan's hands. The rolling cold air in this world, as well as the aura of several Extraordinary Magic Domain, all converged on one point—that was Mafflin's body.

As Mafflin's body, encased in Itai, began to rapidly grow layers of solid ice, with seemingly inexplicable patterns growing within the endless deep blue ice.

In the blink of an eye, Mafflin's figure had completely disappeared from the battle, leaving only a huge Rotating Ice Ball that released an incomparably pure icy aura, constantly slicing through the empty void like a cold and Keen Edge spinning ice blade.

Ronan stood high in the sky, revealing his true form Itai metal disguise.

He held an ice ball in his right hand, his silver-gray robe billowing in the raging wind, and his aura of magical domains coiled around him like invisible snakes. His handsome face was covered in icy coldness.

As all the icy chill of this space gathered, Ronan remained expressionless and spoke softly.

"Collapse!"

In an instant, the wildly spinning ice puck came to a sudden stop.

An inexplicable aura rapidly spread out from the battle group.

The wizards watching, affected by this aura, all felt an indescribable discomfort, as if their hearts had suddenly skipped a beat, and their entire bodies were momentarily paralyzed and disordered.

However, this discomfort came and went quickly, and in the next instant, everyone saw the frozen ice puck suddenly shatter.

The previously compressed icy cold and magical power poured out like water bursting its banks, instantly clearing away the wandering Nether Ghost in the surrounding area. Immediately afterward, an indescribable and terrifying intent of collapse and cutting was released.

In the small area where Mafflin was located, the void seemed to have turned into a smooth and flat mirror. After shattering, it turned into countless silver fragments and cracked, leaving behind shocking black cracks.

"Bang!"

Amidst the violent energy fluctuations, it was as if something was being squeezed and exploded.

A dark, fist-sized object fell out.

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly, and he subconsciously reached out and grabbed it. Upon closer inspection, he discovered it was a square, bell-shaped object with the bottom hollowed out.

It looks like an old cowbell, with many mysterious ancient patterns engraved on its surface.

He gently shook the strange cowbell, but it didn't make a sound. Instead, a bunch of pale, decaying severed fingers fell out from under the cowbell, each of them wearing a shimmering spatial ring.

Could it all be left behind by the wizards killed and harvested by Mafflin? Just as Ronan was pondering this, a cold, vast, and chaotic aura suddenly rose from the center of the [[Shattered Silver]] power eruption.

Ronan's eyes narrowed, and he was just about to retaliate when the terrifying aura was fully revealed. However, he discovered that it was a ball of light entwined with countless gray streams of energy.

Each gust of air represents a powerful Ghost Body, and at the very center of this ball of light, a soul is constantly struggling to crawl out.

He was emaciated, his face contorted, his expression filled with utter despair and terror, his eyes fixed on Ronan as if pleading for help.

Ronan recognized it at a glance—it was Mafflin's soul.

In an instant, Mafflin's soul was entangled by terrifying Ghost Body and pulled back.

One of the ghosts was particularly ferocious and menacing, clinging to Mafflin and tearing at him frantically, before pulling Mafflin into a huge mass of gray air currents.

Judging from his appearance, he seemed to have been a rather young and handsome boy in life.

"Did it backfire?"

Ronan looked slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised by the outcome.

Mafflin's final spell, his trump card, was abruptly extinguished by himself. Perhaps it was due to the backlash caused by the failed spell, or perhaps it was because after his physical body perished, his strength was no longer sufficient to suppress the countless Grievous Soul he controlled, leading to this situation.

Ronan thought for a moment and took out a small bone ring from his Space Ring.

This ring was Ghost Bone Ring he obtained from a Black Robe Wizard a long, long time ago, during his apprenticeship. It was specifically used to store souls.

Once, this bone ring was inhabited by the ghost of a madwoman who was determined to kill "Valensuna".

Later, the madwoman ghost died, and the bone ring remained unused.

Ronan used the bone ring to collect the energy spheres entangled with countless Nether Ghost. The bone ring, which was only a mid-level zero-grade magic item, had just collected all the Nether Ghost, including Mafflin, when a crack immediately appeared on the surface of the ring, and the crack continued to spread.

Ronan wasn't surprised, but he didn't have a more suitable container at the moment, so he could only freeze the bone ring with frost to temporarily suppress the restless Ghost Body.

When Ronan finished what he was doing, he looked up and saw countless colorful orbs of light, large and small, surging toward him from the void.

"Call--"

Like a strong wind brushing his face, Ronan closed his eyes and felt his Soul Power surging rapidly, quickly approaching a certain critical point.

In his mind, three pale golden Spiritual Power Crystal simultaneously emitted a hazy glow, trembling incessantly with a loud "Boom!"

It was as if a gray Torrent was erupting on Ronan.

He was enveloped in billowing Ash Smoke, which clung to him like a thick gray cloud.

The gray clouds churned and rolled, as if something was about to be born from them.

Around the battle, Third Level Wizard stood motionless in place.

Gazing at Ronan's tall figure, faintly visible amidst the rolling gray clouds, many people were momentarily lost in confusion.

"Mafflin is dead?"

The same question arose in the minds of every spectating wizard, giving them a strong sense of unreality.

A moment later, the eyes of the watching wizards, who had fully accepted the reality before them, began to tremble violently.

Mafflin is dead! The current inheritor of the Bone Bell, with mid-level level three strength, was considered by many to be a top-tier figure in the first tier before the battle began, a top-tier figure qualified to compete for the top twenty spots in the Helamus Genius Seat. Mafflin is really dead?! And he died at the hands of a young wizard whose apparent strength is only level two.

Shock, horror, disbelief, and incredulity erupted in the hearts of the onlookers like a volcanic eruption.

"Who exactly is this person? Has anyone heard of him?"

"When did the South ever have such a powerful lineage of Ice Magic?!"

"What a terrifying monster!"

A small but powerful storm was brewing among the wizards watching the battle. Many realized that a new, monstrous star was about to rise in the Southern Wizard World and would soon shine brightly in this battle for seats!

"Well"

The person most affected by this battle was naturally Claire, the genius wizard known as "The Magic Power Hand," who was also a member of the Blue Mist Society like Ronan.

Claire was still in a daze, not yet fully recovered from the shock of Ronan's decisive victory over Mafflin.

Claire suddenly remembered what Orian had said to Ronan when he brought Ronan into the Blue Mist Society: "Perhaps you could try fighting him. I don't think you'd be a match for him."

At the time, he only felt that it was an insult from Orian, but now he realizes that it was not an insult at all, but a trap that Orian had dug for him.

"The so-called 'Four-Colored Metal' Orian is just a smokescreen, a decoy deliberately set up by the Silver Magic Ring. This Ronan is the Silver Magic Ring's true chief genius, their top trump card hidden in their hands."

Claire murmured to himself, stunned. He had finally discovered the truth. Ironically, most of the Blue Mist Society members were still kept in the dark, just like him.

The current president of the Blue Mist Society, "Dawn Wind" Havide, must have known the situation; otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to let a mere level two wizard join the Blue Mist Society, and he wouldn't have been so warm and friendly towards him. Claire was thinking to herself.

Suddenly at this moment.

"Boom!"

An invisible wave suddenly emanated from somewhere far away.

Claire and the wizards who had not yet dispersed instinctively turned to look in the direction from which the fluctuations came.

Everyone's eyes narrowed sharply as they saw layers of mist rapidly dissipating from a certain location on the east side of the Fairy Ancient City.

In the dispersing mist, a blazing white beam of light pierces the Sky Dome from a gray-white stone pillar.

In the dim light, everyone could see an incredibly dense gray cloud quietly drifting into the pillar of light and gently landing on the top of the stone pillar, with what appeared to be human figures within it. All the wizards stared blankly at this scene, and the atmosphere was briefly silent for a few seconds.

A moment later, someone reacted and let out a shocked and moved whisper.

"It's a seat!"

"One of Helamus' thirty-two Talent Seat has already been taken!"

In an instant, everyone was shaken.

This is too fast! The Fairy Ancient City has only been around for a short time, and the battle for it has already begun. Yet, someone has already defeated enough opponents to gain recognition and secure a place among the thirty-two prodigies.

At that moment, everyone felt a strange sense of urgency.

Although many people are self-aware and may not aspire to be among the thirty-two prodigies, the confirmation of their places also means that the first stage of the competition is drawing to a close.

They don't have much time left to reap the rewards, and many of them don't want to be prey or stepping stones for others to rise in the future.

Many wizards glanced deeply at the figure in the battle-suppressing group that had brought them such shock and impact, and then quickly left, still feeling astonished and deeply wary.

Claire was still staring at the conspicuous beam of light when she turned around and met a pair of eyes as deep and blue as an autumn lake.

"You."

Claire was startled and instinctively stepped back, unsure of what to say.

At this moment, after absorbing all the mysterious light orbs collected by the Skeleton Doom Bell Mafflin, Ronan's body was enveloped in such thick Ash Smoke that it almost completely enveloped his entire body.

His entire body was shrouded in Ash Smoke, wisps and strands, like flickering gray flames. Combined with his deep, cold eyes and tall, slender figure, even if he did nothing but stand there, he exuded a strong sense of mystery and power.

"I need to find a quiet place to prepare for my promotion to level three."

Ronan looked calmly at Claire in front of him and said directly, "I'm afraid I can't go with you to find the other Blue Mist Society members to join you."

Mafflin's "gift" completely made up for the last bit of Soul Power that Ronan was missing from becoming Third Level Wizard, and even surpassed it.

He now feels he can reach the level of Third Level Wizard at any time.

Advancing from Level 2 to Level 3, whether it's condensing a fourth Spiritual Power Crystal, constructing a fourth Soul Rune, or a further sublimation and transformation of spiritual and Soul Power, will greatly enhance his combat strength. Ronan must complete this as soon as possible.

Even now, it is in the midst of a fierce battle.

Ronan's initial impression of Claire, the genius wizard known as "The Magic Power Hand," was lukewarm, but Claire's two returns completely changed Ronan opinion of him.

Claire is not a bad person; in fact, one could say she is more "humane" than most wizards.

Even when facing a powerful opponent like Bone Bell, he would still think of helping himself, a mere second-level wizard from an "enemy" faction.

So.

Ronan felt it was necessary to tell Claire about his plan to find a place to break through his limitations.

Claire was taken aback by Ronan's words, then her expression shifted rapidly before she finally said, "Go find a place to advance your cultivation; I'll protect you."

"Well"

Ronan was somewhat surprised. Before he could react, Claire was already frantically searching around, as if she were looking for a suitable place for him to cultivate in seclusion, while constantly saying, "Have you prepared the materials needed for advancing from level two to level three? I have some more on hand; you can use them first."

Ronan looked at Claire, who seemed even more anxious and concerned than he was, and suddenly couldn't help but want to laugh.

Rather than a change in attitude due to the display of his strength, he was more inclined to believe that the other party's true nature was just like that.

Ronan did not refuse Claire's offer. In fact, in the Fairy Ancient City, especially after someone had just won a seat, everyone was starting to feel anxious, and the intensity of the competition was bound to escalate. Choosing to go into seclusion to break through at this time was an extremely risky move.

With Claire by his side to help protect him, he felt much more at ease while making his breakthrough.

Ronan and Claire quickly left the battle with Mafflin and eventually found an inconspicuous Fairy Ancient Building that looked like a giant gray mushroom in a relatively remote and hidden location.

The ancient fairies who once lived in the Fairy Ancient City have long since disappeared.

Ronan pushed open the old, small door made of some unknown material, entered the building, and looked around at the interior.