Holy Grail Proof, the Secret of Life Armor, World Root, Life Ancient Tree

"The elders of the council have decided..."

Serena hesitated for a moment before saying, "I plan to officially begin the 'Holy Grail Proof' three years from now."

"Holy Grail Proof?"

Ronan blinked, and as he walked around the cluster of flowers in front of him, he discovered a shimmering little lake hidden behind the neatly arranged fruit trees.

The lake was covered with yellow and purple aquatic irises and orange-red Cattail Grass, and a flock of yellow-green wild ducks floated leisurely on the lake.

"It's a tradition of the empire, specifically used in situations like the current undecided throne."

Serena explained.

Ronan stopped by the lake, gazing at his tall, slender figure reflected in the water, clad in a long robe. He asked calmly, "In what specific form will the Holy Grail Proof be presented?"

"Fighting."

Serena said solemnly, "Power is always the most direct and important standard for measuring a king."

"I remember you recently held a trial called 'Bow of Hunting'."

"That's different."

The 'Bow of Hunting' only targets wizards from all factions within the Empire, while the 'Holy Grail Proof' could involve far too many characters.

And."

Serena hesitated for a moment, then said in a somewhat complicated tone, "The 'Bow of Hunting' trial was ruined by someone."

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on the lake. He simply uttered a name softly, "Juventus?"

"Yes."

During his three years in the Lost Land, Ronan learned about Juventus through the Spirit Lake Book. The information stated that Juventus had appeared in the "Bow of Hunting" trial of the Life Empire.

However, only now, through Serena's account, does he truly understand what Juventus did during the "Bow of Hunting" trial.

It cannot be encompassed by a mere "appearance".

—He almost single-handedly suppressed the brilliance of all the top wizarding geniuses in the entire Life Empire!

No one can defeat him, not even when they join forces.

The Life Royal Court lost face so badly that it had to rely on the intervention of several elders of the Holy Grail Council to barely persuade Juventus to leave.

Yes, Juventus also has the Black Wizard King of Level Seven Twilight being behind them. Without Alba King, who is also a level 7 being, even if Juventus "crashed" the grand traditional trial ceremony, the Life Royal Court could only "persuade" them to leave, rather than forcefully expel them.

"Juventus is like a thick, impenetrable haze, hanging over the entire Trial Grounds, making it hard for everyone to breathe."

Serena recalled the scene, golden runes flashing in her lake-green eyes. She took a deep breath and looked at Ronan, whispering, "Just like what you did to those wizarding geniuses of the Destiny Empire during the Stone of Destiny Trial."

A gentle breeze rustled through the water plants, the calls of wild ducks echoed across the lake, and dappled sunlight danced on its surface. Ronan remained silent; everything seemed utterly peaceful.

According to Serena, the "Holy Grail Proof" is the first formal competition among the major heirs to the throne. Anyone from any faction could participate as a "supporter," making it theoretically much more intense than the "Bow of Hunting" trial.

"So if I help you win this competition, you can become the next Alba King?"

Ronan asked casually.

Serena shook her head. "Of course it's not that simple. The 'Holy Grail Council' is no longer what it was when it was founded. It has long been corrupted by power and personal desires. The so-called 'Holy Grail Proof' has become a joke. No one will obediently follow the so-called tradition, including me."

"So, what is your purpose in wanting to win this match?"

Ronan looked at Serena.

Serena said, "Now, within the Life Royal Court, a portion of the power once belonged to my brother, Garcia Alba."

Before he left, he gave me everything, but many people were unwilling to accept this outcome; they needed me to prove that I was qualified to succeed my brother Garcia.

"The 'Holy Grail Proof' is like a test they gave me."

"Garcia Alba..."

Ronan's eyes flickered as he recalled the name. "The Alba King who died at the hands of the Ancient Wizard Revival Society?"

"Right."

For the first time, Ronan saw sadness in Serena's eyes. Serena gently placed her hand on her chest and whispered, "He suffered misfortune because of me. The Life Armor that originally belonged to him is now on me..."

Ronan narrowed his eyes and said, "Mind if I take a look?"

Serena hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

The next moment, Serena's brilliant blonde hair billowed without wind, and along with her dress, waves of invisible energy emanated from her body, suppressing the dense water plants at their feet and creating ripples on the calm lake surface.

Golden runes flashed in Serena's eyes, and countless golden and white rays of light burst forth from her body, enveloping her tall and beautiful figure and gradually weaving an exquisite and magnificent armor on her body surface.

The entire suit of armor consists of a breastplate, shoulder armor, arm armor, skirt armor, and leg armor, as well as a headband derived from a complex and mysterious golden rune on Serena's smooth and full forehead.

The armor is entirely white-gold, covered with many vine, silver leaf and flower-like patterns, which eventually form a huge pattern like a sacred tree, with countless golden runes flashing in the light.

This was not the first time Ronan had seen Serena's Life Armor. Compared to the Talent Competition the Southern Helamus Prodigy, Serena's armor had changed a lot, appearing to be more advanced, more complex, and more complete.

Serena was enveloped in the golden light of her armor and slowly floated upwards. Her entire body released unparalleled and powerful runic fluctuations from within, causing the entire lakeside void to tremble.

Ronan felt the vast life energy emanating from Serena, the wind whipping his Platinum Magic Robe and his long, shimmering white hair dancing at his temples.

He looked up slightly and saw Serena, bathed in endless magical light and clad in magnificent armor, looking down at him. Her exquisite and beautiful face was shrouded in a sacred and inviolable coldness.

Terrifying energy fluctuations washed over Ronan like waves, while the vegetation on the lakeside began to grow wildly as it collapsed.

Ronan knew exactly what Serena wanted to do, narrowed his eyes, and instead of retreating, he advanced.

With her Expert Level skill nearing perfection, comparable to a mid-stage Level Five Wizard, the [Star Force Field] silently emanated from her body. Countless powerful and blazing invisible stars swirled and collided, unleashing an indescribable, dazzling light. In just an instant, it completely dissipated all the power belonging to Serena in the surrounding area.

Ronan stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind, and beneath the radiant Dawn Mask, his eyes remained calmly fixed on Serena before him.

He suddenly raised his hand, and a Spiritual Force Field enveloped the small lake beside him. Then, his powerful mental energy surged in and seeped into Serena's body.

As if struck by a sudden realization, Ronan's eyes flashed, and he blurted out, "A contract?"

"Whoosh—"

Amidst the rippling of the lake, the golden light dissipated, and all the magical power converged in one direction.

The golden runes on Serena's forehead and the armor on her body disappeared, and she gently landed back on the spot.

"As expected of His Majesty the Golden Dawn"

Serena said with a somewhat complicated tone, "You are the first person to see the true nature of Life Armor at first glance."

The Star Force Field retracted, and Ronan flicked his robe sleeve. A flock of wild ducks darted out from under his robe, flapping their wings frantically and quacking as they swam into the lake, disappearing into the distant water plants in the blink of an eye.

He turned to look calmly at Serena, who continued, "The ancestors of the Alba Family, the Life Witch, found the legendary World Root, the legendary Life Ancient Tree, and made a pact with it. Then, using the power of the twelve rules of the pact, they forged twelve sets of life armor."

The core of the Life Armor originates from the legendary Life Ancient Tree.

Ronan listened to Serena's story, his eyes flickering slightly.

While he was exploring the Life Armor, he felt a sense of familiarity with the power he had received from the Saint Blood Tree when he used the "Bloodline Deduction Array" to connect with it. He never expected that the power of the Life Armor would come from the legendary Life Ancient Tree.

Alazan

Ronan called out to Alazan in his heart and soon received a response.

"It should be true."

Alazan whispered, "Such a continuous and boundless life energy can only be provided by the legendary Life Ancient Tree."

Signing a contract with the Life Ancient Tree is not a rare thing.

Exchanging a certain price for the right to share the power of the Tree of Life to a certain extent can be considered a standard for measuring the strength of a Plant-Type Wizard. Not every Plant-Type Wizard can have this qualification.

Reaching the World Root and gaining the approval of the Life Ancient Tree —either of these two things is extremely difficult.

Alazan paused, then continued, "This ancestor of Alba was wiser than many wizards. She actually thought of splitting the power of the rules bestowed by the Life Ancient Tree and passing it down in the form of magical artifact sets and bloodlines, thus extending the duration of this contract almost indefinitely."

Amazing."

It's rare to hear Alazan use the word "amazing" to praise someone, which suggests that Serena's ancestor Life Witch, was indeed a person of exceptional wisdom and extraordinary abilities.

"The fact that Princess Highness has shown me this shows that she trusts me a lot."

Ronan looked at Serena and spoke slowly.

"This wasn't really a big secret to begin with."

Serena shook her head and said, "Of the twelve sets of Life Armor left by our ancestors, eight were damaged or lost over time. When my father was alive, he found one set and replicated and repaired another. Now, the Alba Family controls a total of six sets."

Each set of Life Armor contains a perfect power of rules, which in theory can merge with each other to ultimately form a truly complete ultimate Life Set.

It is said to be an unparalleled power that touches upon the laws of the world!

Rules and regulations

Ronan was slightly touched as he listened to Serena's words.