An Unexpectedly Sensible Choice

[Small Lava Eruption Spell (0.7+0.3 rings)→Small Lava Eruption Spell (0.9+0.3 rings) (can break limits, no first-ring spell slot, cannot advance)]

[Charge Points: 29497 points, 58.33%→28335 points, 66.47%]

[High-Temperature Amplification (0.7 rings)→High-Temperature Amplification (0.9 rings) (can break limits, no first-ring spell slot, cannot advance)]

[Charge Points: 28335 points, 66.47%→27654 points, 25.13%]

[Wall of Flame (0.7 rings)→...

...

[Charge Points: 27654, 25.13%→25137, 85.68%]

Lohr raised all his skills to 0.9 rings. Looking at the neat, orderly panel, he nodded in satisfaction.

At the same time, the elemental domain within his Sea of Consciousness erupted into violent unrest.

"Crack, crack~"

The five runes raised to 0.9 rings rapidly began to reorganize and transform.

"Whoosh, whoosh~"

Earth and fire elements surged about wildly. Only when they passed through the meditation rune model at the center of his Sea of Consciousness were they soothed and calmed.

The disturbance slowly subsided after a full six minutes.

Lohr looked inward at his Sea of Consciousness.

Compared to before, the five altered runes had become far more exquisite and intricate.

"Seven rune models, three pseudo-first rings, four 0.9 rings, mental power 99.9."

Lohr swept his gaze across the nighttime surroundings, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Once I break the limit of Lava Eruption Spell again, this round will definitely be secure."

Boom—

At that moment, a dazzling blaze suddenly lit up more than ten kilometers away, shattering the night's original tranquility.

"That direction..."

Lohr focused his mental power slightly and sensed it. He discovered that one of the dense Divine Power Crystal auras was coming from that location.

"Crack—boom—buzz—ah~"

The firelight illuminating the sky seemed to be a signal. From then on, spell collisions and screams rang out everywhere in all directions.

Fortunately, there were no Divine Power Crystals within a kilometer of where he had arrived. Otherwise, he would certainly have been caught up in those spells.

"How lively." Lohr shook his head and shifted his gaze back to the panel. "Break the limit of Small Lava Eruption Spell for me."

[Small Lava Eruption Spell (0.9+0.3 rings)→Small Lava Eruption Spell (0.9+0.3 rings) (limit break +0.1)]

[Charge Points: 25137, 75.18%→11350, 20.34%]

"What a pity. I don't have enough Charge Points to break the limit a second time." Lohr looked at his remaining Charge Points with some regret.

After breaking its limit once, Small Lava Eruption Spell had gone from an ordinary beginner first-ring spell to the strongest beginner first-ring spell.

Combined with High-Temperature Amplification, it could barely unleash power equivalent to 1.4 rings.

Although reaching this level as an apprentice was already absurd, he still felt it was somewhat imperfect.

"I was too impulsive at the start. I'd been restricted for too long, and my mindset was a little unbalanced. I should have broken the limit of Small Lava Eruption Spell first. Maybe I could have broken its limit one more time."

Lohr thought to himself, Remember this lesson. Don't make the same mistake next time.

If he had broken the limit of Small Lava Eruption Spell first, perhaps he could have done it one more time and raised its power to 1.5 rings, possibly allowing him to seize more special Potions.

But meditation talent was tied to reasonable improvements in future cultivation efficiency. It was simply too important. His concern had muddled his judgment, and he had briefly lost his composure.

Boom—crack—

"Roar~ howl~"

The sounds of spell collisions around him grew increasingly fierce. Many Bloodline Wizard apprentices also unleashed beast transformations, turning into various animal forms and darting about everywhere.

Some scattered shards of ice spikes and broken stones even reached the base of the great tree where Lohr stood, making it sway back and forth.

Some Fire Element Wizard apprentices were also setting fires everywhere, hoping to make the situation even more chaotic so they could fish in troubled waters.

This pitch-black forest instantly became bright, with flames and smoke spreading for hundreds of kilometers.

"I should get moving too."

Lohr stood up, cast a 0.9-ring Levitation Spell on himself again, then activated Adaptive Rock Barrier, enveloping his entire body in a pale yellow curtain of light.

He then sensed the surroundings slightly and found that the fluctuations of Divine Power Crystals were strongest to the west.

The distance was not far either, only around ten kilometers.

He immediately pushed off with his feet, stepping across branches as he rushed westward at high speed.

However, he had barely gone any distance when the trees within a five-hundred-meter radius ahead suddenly transformed into thorns over a wide area.

One of the outermost trees was precisely where Lohr had landed, and it immediately entangled him.

"Ah—"

"Damn it—"

"This Thorn Spell is nearly as powerful as a first-ring spell! Run!"

Dozens of screams mixed with warning cries rang out.

"What a bother."

Lohr frowned slightly. He could sense faint divine power fluctuations at the center of the thorny area, but he had no interest in such a tiny Divine Power Crystal.

Still, since that person had dared to involve him, Lohr could only send him a Lava Eruption Spell.

Although exposing his strength early might draw concentrated attacks from a group of apprentices, he would have to go through something like this sooner or later anyway. It made no difference.

With Small Lava Eruption Spell, comparable to a mid-level first-ring spell, and the beginner first-ring Adaptive Rock Barrier, he feared no one.

Having made up his mind, Lohr dismissed Levitation Spell and landed on the ground. His mental power stirred the Small Lava Eruption Spell in his Sea of Consciousness as he lightly stomped forward.

Rumble—

A torrent of lava covering more than thirteen hundred meters suddenly erupted from the ground like a fire dragon soaring into the sky, perfectly engulfing the thorn-covered area formed from the trees.

"No—"

The dozens of figures trapped among the thorns instantly turned to ash. Only the apprentice at the center of the thorns held on for less than half a second before finally becoming ash after letting out a shrill scream.

At that moment, the sounds of spell clashes within thirty kilometers around Lohr abruptly vanished.

Countless apprentices stopped casting spells, raised their heads blankly, and stared at the magma shooting into the sky.

Then, just before the magma scattered and was about to fall as lava rain, they all fled outward like mad.

Divine Power Crystals, contribution points—at that moment, all of it was thrown to the backs of their minds.

Their lives were practically gone. What use were those things?

"Hm? Why did it suddenly become so quiet?"

Lohr looked around and discovered in surprise that, apart from the crackling of flames burning the trees, all other sounds had become distant.

As for people, he could not see even half a shadow.

He had been preparing to face several thousand apprentices and have a proper fight, but he was instantly left bewildered.

"Drip, drip—"

Drops of lava rain fell onto Lohr's body, only to be automatically blocked by the Adaptive Rock Barrier surrounding him. They then slid to the ground, leaving behind one black pit after another.

"The apprentices of this era are really sensible." Looking at the falling lava rain, Lohr came to a realization and laughed.

Times truly were different. In his previous life, whether players or natives, whenever they saw a stronger opponent whose gap from them was not too great, their first reaction had been to focus fire and eliminate them.

But things were different now. When these apprentices saw a stronger opponent, their first reaction was to avoid him.

If this were the future, they would definitely fail their practical combat class.

"The higher-ups really had a reason for holding this Divine Kingdom Trial. Apprentices these days are a little too cowardly." Lohr smiled. "Still, that's a good thing for me. It saves me a lot of effort."

He glanced into his Sea of Consciousness and saw that one Small Lava Eruption Spell had consumed only one-twentieth of his elements, making him even more satisfied.

Having figured out why the apprentices had fled, Lohr let out a light breath and walked to the middle of the charred ground. He picked up the tiny Divine Power Crystal and weighed it slightly.

"Only three grams..." Lohr was somewhat disappointed.

He casually put the Divine Power Crystal into his pocket, then sensed the locations of the other Divine Power Crystals again.

When he discovered that the Divine Power Crystal fluctuations within thirty kilometers had shown no signs of being moved, the disappointment on his face vanished, replaced by a brilliant smile.

"Looks like I'm going to make a huge profit this time!"

Those apprentices had fled so thoroughly that they did not even dare touch the Divine Power Crystals before running away.