For Damien

Ronan focused his mind on the armband, whose space remained as magnificent and mysterious as ever.

No matter how many times he has seen it, Ronan is still deeply shocked every time he enters.

Countless runes, like stars scattered across the sky, were found to be all-encompassing, representing almost every type, and there was no connection between them.

The only thing they had in common was that all the runes were closely connected to the largest, planet-like rune at the very center, which was also the true core rune of the armlet.

They all form a whole, like an asteroid belt orbiting a planet, or a galaxy slowly flowing along a predetermined trajectory.

"It was still able to be invoked by me the last time I tried it."

The last time Ronan could think of was when he was being hunted down by Level Four Wizard from the [Resurrection Society] Homer Blue Town.

At that time, he could not use the power of [[Forbidden. Red Ice]] because of the restriction of the Phoenix Bloodline, and could only rely on the power of the Helamus Law Adept Arm Ring.

Although he didn't ultimately rely on this power, he did clearly receive a reliable response from the armlet when he attempted to cast the [Forbidden Black Hole].

Since then, the armlet has been as if it were "dead," and no matter how Ronan tried, he could not budge it even slightly.

"Where did the problem lie?"

Ronan fell into deep thought.

His current mental strength and understanding of the core runes within the armband are far superior to before, so he should be able to access the armband more easily.

"Is this power only usable when casting spells against an opponent stronger than oneself?"

Ronan felt as if he had grasped something, but it wasn't quite clear. In the end, he could only shake his head, put the armband away, and leave it for the time being.

Ronan slowly rose from the beach, took out a map, locked onto the direction, and continued towards his destination.

With no more boats available to hitch a ride on the way back south, Ronan decided to cross the ocean alone.

He had memorized the entire route before he arrived. For Third Level Wizard at his peak, who had condensed nine Spiritual Power Crystal, traveling alone was much faster and safer than by boat.

With the powerful physique granted by the [Immaculate Body] and the continuous restoration of mental energy from the [Clarity Realm], Ronan possesses an extraordinary endurance that is unimaginable to ordinary wizards.

He was not afraid of the exhaustion of the long journey at all, and could even continue his cultivation while traveling.

For him, this return journey was more like a pilgrimage of asceticism.

Between the vast and boundless sea and sky, Ronan was completely immersed in self-refinement and tempering, like an ascetic. He even longed to see the giant ancient sea creature, the Silver Fish, that he had encountered on his way here again, but unfortunately, he did not get to see it.

"Boom—"

On the massive silver metal platform, the dazzling, crystal-like magic shattered, and a figure slowly emerged from the overflowing energy ripples.

This was a handsome blond youth with a pale face, looking as if he had exhausted his mental energy. Behind him was a young wizard whose aura was weak and who had to use his staff to support himself so that he wouldn't kneel on the ground.

Orian

Someone quickly stepped forward and caught the blond, handsome young man at the edge of the metal platform.

The wizards gathered below, surrounded by the Silver Magic Ring, revealed a hint of excitement and joy on their faces. Some cheered softly, seemingly celebrating a victory.

"What exactly do these people from the Star School want?"

High above the edge of the metal platform, a group of Silver Magic Ring Masters watched the ongoing duel between young wizards below with expressionless faces. "Are they just going to wait it out like this until we hand over our inheritance?"

"They probably have no idea, and even we ourselves don't know where the legacy is now?"

This inexplicably organized wizard tea party has been going on for some time now. After the initial awkwardness and tentativeness, it has gradually evolved into a platform for wizards from the Silver Magic Ring and the Star School to exchange ideas through sparring and competition.

Members from both sides continued to participate, each winning some matches, while secretly competing against each other, creating a harmonious and friendly competitive atmosphere.

"Call--"

A sudden, silvery-white hurricane arose, then burst open, revealing a middle-aged man with a gentle gaze, holding a Short Staff.

All the Ring Lord-level figures stood up and bowed slightly to the newcomers.

"Frant's meaning is very clear..."

The First Ring Master Manuel, gently rubbed his temples, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before him, and slowly spoke, "Inheritance, or people."

One of the two must be kept.

"What about leaving behind a legacy? What about leaving behind people?"

Someone frowned and asked.

"If we are willing to leave behind our legacy, the Star School, led by Frant, will fully support our Silver Magic Ring in becoming independent in the south, until it develops into the fourth major wizarding power. At that time, the legacy belonging to Helamus will also be returned to us, which can be considered a loan, but the term will not be less than one thousand years."

"If you're willing to leave someone behind."

Manuel paused for a moment, then continued, "Each of us here will receive three pointers from Wizard Rona. Of course, this is only for questions within his capabilities."

After Manuel finished speaking, everyone in the room fell silent.

Both conditions are incredibly appealing.

This group of people came to the south without any support from their headquarters. They worked hard to create the Silver Magic Ring, and now they have reached their limit.

It was precisely because of the difficulty in breaking through the bottleneck that the idea of returning to headquarters arose.

But with external support, the situation is completely different.

If the Star School can truly fully support the development of the Silver Magic Ring and help it grow into a large wizarding force, then what difference does it make whether they return to headquarters or not? The rights and resources that a high-ranking member of a large wizarding force can enjoy are far greater than those of a mid-to-lower-level member at the headquarters of the Elemental Magic Ring.

Unfortunately, they had already lost the opportunity to choose this condition—before Frant and the others arrived, all the details regarding the inheritance had already been reported to headquarters.

Perhaps the people from headquarters who are coming to meet them are already on their way, giving them no chance to back out.

"It looks like we have no choice but to keep them..."

The Ringed Wizard sighed and said, "The personal guidance from Level Five Wizard, and the fact that there are three opportunities in total, is quite precious. Perhaps it will allow us to take that step and embrace the Dawn."

Someone nearby nodded in agreement, but soon another person spoke up with a strange expression, "The people of the Star School know our background. They should have guessed that we would report the matter of the inheritance to headquarters immediately, right?"

"What do you mean?"

Someone frowned, while the latter added meaningfully, "Don't you think the second condition is much easier to accept than the first?"

Everyone was taken aback by these words, and then someone blurted out instinctively. "They came here specifically for people?!"

Ronan Damien! Star School truly wants is Ronan Damien himself!

In an instant, the few who understood this point all gasped in surprise.

Only now did they realize that everyone's focus was on "Helamus's Born Controller of Magic heritage," to the point that they almost completely overlooked the fact that, no less impressive than this heritage was the inheritor who stood out among countless geniuses.

Ronan Damien, a prodigy belonging to their Silver Magic Ring, accomplished a feat that no one in the Southern Wizard World had been able to achieve in a thousand years while his soul age was less than thirty. He cleared the "Helamus's Blood War" and even defeated a top wizarding genius from the Central Region, ultimately becoming the top prodigy of this year.

He should have been shining brightly, but a huge bloody upheaval has prevented his fame from spreading to this day.

They had always assumed that the Star School coveted the inheritance "in their hands," but little did they know that the Level Five Wizard standing behind the Star School saw things much more deeply and further than they did.

What he truly valued was Ronan Damien, a "rough gem" that had not yet undergone much polishing, a young successor personally recognized by the "legendary wizard Helamus," and there was no one in the world more suitable to take him under his wing as a disciple.

"In fact, what I gleaned from my teacher's letter was that he valued Damien more than the legacy he was passing on."

Manuel glanced at everyone, his expression calm as he spoke softly, "Therefore, I have rejected both of the conditions proposed by the Star School."

Everyone was slightly startled.

At this moment, a domineering and powerful spiritual energy fluctuation suddenly rose from the distant silver metal platform, faintly reaching the peak of level three.

A clear and peaceful voice, carried by the wind of magic, drifted from afar.

"Zephyrin of the Star School wishes to seek guidance from the Arcane Circle Masters of the Ring."

The crowd's expressions changed slightly as they felt powerful Dawn- level consciousnesses suddenly descend upon them, coldly sweeping over them with an undeniable air of authority.

In the field of vision, on the huge silver metal platform, the duels between the ordinary wizard members had long been cleared away. Only a young wizard wearing Dark Blue Magic Robe, whose whole body seemed to be surrounded by countless starlight, stood quietly in the center of the platform.

"Call--"

Manuel raised his Short Staff, the Dawn light of dawn dispelling some of the pressure on the crowd, and calmly continued what he had just been saying.

"... So what they want to do now is to thwart us by everything they can, to make us voluntarily relinquish our right to teach and guide Damien..."

"Everyone, I can't go off the field, so it's all up to you."

Manuel's gaze finally fell on Kosti in the crowd, and he said in a deep voice, "If you have any contact with Damien, tell him not to come back during this time."

Kosti pursed her lips, instinctively gripped her staff, and nodded solemnly.

"Splash—"

Amidst the surging, towering waves, a tall and slender figure suddenly burst forth from the water.

It stepped onto the sea surface step by step, treading on white waves. All over its body, numerous pure black patterns undulated slightly with the rise and fall of its muscles, giving people a mysterious, eerie, wild, and primal feeling.

Ronan held a strange dagger resembling a "Three-Edged Dagger" in one hand. Beneath him, the seawater surged with a large amount of blood, and one after another, shark carcasses floated to the surface belly up.

Amidst the heavy stench of blood, a trace of blood seemed to be drawn to the dagger. A strange eyeball embedded in the center of the handle now seemed to come alive, spinning around and revealing a [Bloodthirst] and Greed expression.

"Call--"

Ronan flicked his wrist, drying the water off his body and hair. The Itai material transformed into a black robe, which automatically donned onto his body.

"Is this the effect of the [Malice Weapon]?"

After doing all this, Ronan looked down at the strange dagger in his hand.

He had just tried using the [Malice Weapon] he obtained from Beatrice and found its effects to be truly remarkable.

This dagger's unique design allows it to transform all external evil thoughts into power to strengthen the wielder.

This enhancement mainly occurs in two aspects: mental strength and physical strength.

Ronan estimated that he had just deliberately attracted a group of sharks, and the "malice" provided by nearly forty sharks had increased his overall strength by almost 10%.

This level of increase is already quite exaggerated. Just imagine his enormous base strength; even 10% of his mental power would be enough to determine the outcome of many battles.

And this doesn't seem to be the limit of the dagger's amplification.

"It is indeed a force that most people find hard to refuse."

Ronan looked at the malevolent dagger in his hand. With the end of the battle and the disappearance of the source of malevolence, the power amplification brought by the dagger was also rapidly fading.

Ronan read a deep longing in the strange eye embedded in the dagger, and even some fragmented information about how to "permanently retain this power."

"To feed it with one's own blood?"

Ronan read the information conveyed by the dagger. This was something Beatrice and her group had not mentioned to him. He didn't know if they had deliberately kept it from him or if he was simply unaware of it.

"It all looks like a scam, a trap. If it were an ordinary wizard, the immense sense of loss brought about by the fading power might not be able to resist the temptation, and they might end up feeding themselves with their own blood. In the end, their will would most likely be corrupted by evil thoughts, and they would gradually become slaves to the weapons."

Ronan took a light breath, casually put away the evil dagger, his expression calm, completely ignoring the seductive and pleading look in the eyes on the dagger.

Unfortunately, this temptation had no effect on me.

The pure and powerful Soul Power I'm pursuing now, this mixed power born from evil thoughts, is like wearing a dirty, greasy, and smelly tattered apron—it's unbearable."

Ronan stretched out his limbs, and the runes belonging to [[Immaculate Body] - Ancient Power (Intermediate)] gradually faded away as he checked his Character Panel—

[Skill: Basic Meditation Technique - [Clarity Realm] (Master 1357/1600)]

Energy Missile-Particle Torrent (Master 1302/1600)

Charged Weapon - Power of Breaking Law (Master 670/1600)

Ascetic Body Forging - Ancient Power (Master 1470/1600)

His Master Level proficiency in [Ascetic Body Forging] is almost 1,500 points. If nothing unexpected happens, [Ancient Power] will also be promoted from (Intermediate) to (Advanced).

As Ronan approached the level of proficiency, he could feel the runes growing along his skin and throughout his body. Moreover, it seemed as if something was trying to break free and be born from these [Ancient Power] runes.

Ronan hadn't forgotten his initial guess about the [Immaculate Body]: it might simply be a "container" to "bear" the Ancient Power, a custom-made "soil" suitable for the growth of the Ancient Power runes.

The truly core and powerful element of [Ascetic Body Forging] is not the [[Immaculate Body]], nor the Vitality Orb within his body, but rather the [Ancient Power] rune, which he is currently exploring.

Time will give you all the answers you seek.

"Before that, I just need to quietly take each step in front of me."

Ronan thought calmly.

At that moment, he suddenly sensed something, flipped his hand, and a Communication Stone that was shimmering with a faint light appeared in his hand.