[Small Lava Eruption Spell (0.7+0.3 rings)→Small Lava Eruption Spell (0.9+0.3 rings) (limit breakable, 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) (limit breakable, 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 neatly arranged panel, he nodded in satisfaction.
At the same time, the Elemental Domain within his Sea of Consciousness stirred violently.
"Crack, crack~"
The five runes raised to 0.9 rings began to rapidly reorganize and change.
"Whoosh, whoosh~"
Earth and fire elements darted about everywhere. Only when they passed through the meditation rune model at the center of his Sea of Consciousness were they soothed and calmed.
The disturbance gradually subsided only after a full six minutes.
Lohr turned his awareness inward and examined his Sea of Consciousness.
Compared to before, the five altered runes had become far more exquisite and complex.
"Seven rune models, three pseudo-first-rings, four 0.9-rings, and 99.9 mental power."
Lohr scanned the dark night around him, a faint smile curling his lips. "Once I break the limit of Lava Eruption Spell again, this round will be in the bag."
Boom—
Just then, a blinding burst of fire erupted more than ten kilometers away, shattering the night's former peace.
"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 there.
"Crack—boom—buzz—ah~"
The blaze that lit up the sky seemed to be a signal. From then on, collisions of spells and miserable screams rang out from every direction.
Fortunately, there were no Divine Power Crystals within a kilometer of where he had descended. Otherwise, he would definitely have been caught up in these spells.
"What a lively scene." Lohr shook his head and turned 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 one limit break, Small Lava Eruption Spell had gone from an ordinary first-ring beginner spell to the strongest first-ring beginner spell.
Combined with High-Temperature Amplification, it could barely unleash power equivalent to 1.4 rings.
Although reaching that level as an apprentice was already absurd, he still felt that it was not perfect.
"I was too impulsive at the start. I'd been constrained for too long, and my mindset got 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."
Remember this lesson. I can't make the same mistake next time, Lohr thought.
If he had broken the limit of Small Lava Eruption Spell first, perhaps he could have done so one additional time, raising its power to 1.5 rings and possibly snatching more Special Potions.
But meditation talent was tied to a reasonable improvement in his future cultivation efficiency. It was simply too important. His concern had muddled his judgment, causing him to lose his composure for a moment.
Boom—crack—
"Roar~ howl~"
The clashes of spells around him grew fiercer. Many Bloodline Wizard apprentices had also undergone bestial transformations, turning into various beasts and charging about wildly.
Scattered ice shards, broken stones, and other debris even reached the base of the large 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.
The pitch-black forest instantly brightened, while flames and smoke spread for hundreds of kilometers.
"It's time for me to get moving too."
Lohr rose to his feet, cast a 0.9-ring Levitation Spell on himself again, then activated Adaptive Rock Barrier, covering his entire body in a pale yellow curtain of light.
He then sensed his surroundings slightly and found that the Divine Power Crystal fluctuations to the west were the strongest.
The distance was not too great either, only around ten kilometers away.
With a tap of his foot, he stepped across the branches and hurried west at high speed.
However, he had not gone far when all the trees within five hundred meters ahead suddenly transformed into thorns.
One of the trees at the outer edge happened to be where Lohr had landed, immediately wrapping him up.
"Ah—"
"Damn it—"
"The power of this Thorn Spell is close to a first-ring spell! Run!"
Dozens of screams rang out amid several warning cries.
"What a nuisance."
Lohr frowned slightly. He could sense a faint divine power fluctuation at the center of the thorns, but he had no interest at all in such a tiny amount of Divine Power Crystal.
But since that person had dared to involve him, Lohr could only send a Lava Eruption Spell their way.
Although exposing his strength early might draw concentrated attacks from a group of apprentices, it was bound to happen sooner or later. There was no difference.
With a Small Lava Eruption Spell comparable to a first-ring intermediate spell and a first-ring beginner 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 within his Sea of Consciousness, and he lightly stamped his foot forward.
Rumble—
Lava suddenly erupted from beneath the ground, covering an area more than thirteen hundred meters wide. Like a fire dragon soaring into the sky, it perfectly engulfed the thorn-covered region formed by 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 as well, after letting out a shrill scream.
At that moment, the sounds of spell clashes within thirty kilometers around Lohr suddenly vanished.
Countless apprentices stopped casting spells and blankly raised their heads to look at the magma shooting into the heavens.
Then, just before the magma dispersed and was about to fall as lava rain, they all ran outward like mad.
Divine Power Crystals, Contribution Points—at that moment, all of it was cast to the back of their minds.
Their lives were about to be lost. What use were those things?
"Hm? Why did it suddenly become so quiet?"
Lohr looked around and discovered in surprise that, aside from the crackling of flames burning through the trees, every other sound had become distant.
As for people, he could not see a single one.
He had been ready to face several thousand apprentices and fight to his heart's content, only to be left completely baffled.
Drip—drip—
Drops of lava rain fell onto Lohr, but the Adaptive Rock Barrier surrounding him automatically blocked them. They slid to the ground, leaving one black crater after another.
"Apprentices of this era really know when to back off." Lohr looked at the falling lava rain and laughed in realization.
Times were different, after all. If this had been his previous life, whether players or natives, their first reaction upon seeing a stronger opponent whose advantage was not overwhelming would have been to focus fire and eliminate them.
But now it was different. These apprentices' first reaction upon seeing a stronger opponent was to avoid them.
If this were the future, they would definitely fail practical combat class.
"The higher-ups had good reason to hold this Divine Kingdom Trial. Apprentices these days are a little too cowardly." Lohr smiled. "Still, it's a good thing for me. It saves me a lot of effort."
He glanced into his Sea of Consciousness. Seeing that one Small Lava Eruption Spell had consumed only one-twentieth of his elements, he felt even more satisfied.
Having figured out why the apprentices had fled, Lohr let out a soft breath. He walked to the middle of the scorched ground, picked up the tiny Divine Power Crystal, and weighed it lightly in his hand.
"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 not moved again, the disappointment vanished from his face and was replaced by a brilliant smile.
"Looks like I'm going to make a killing this time!"
Those apprentices had fled so thoroughly that they did not even dare touch the Divine Power Crystals before running away.
Before you continue