This was a Magical Artifact deemed "taboo" by the Arcane Workshop, and no one knew who forged it. It was acquired by the Arcane Workshop through a chance encounter and was brought out to serve as his strongest trump card in this talent competition.
However, it was likely that all the wizards of the Arcane Workshop never expected the "Blade of Taboo" to be used in the second round, and even after its use, it still failed to secure a victory.
It left a scar on its opponent that was less than ten centimeters long, and even now, it was almost completely healed.
In contrast, Fa Lin, the controller of this Magical Artifact, was "injured" much more severely.
Ronan caught the Message Stone thrown by Fa Lin, his eyes flickering slightly, unable to help but ask, "What is the name of this Magical Artifact?"
"We'll have a chance to discuss the Jealous Blade of Jie Er Jia Ni later."
Fa Lin looked truly exhausted, his voice becoming incredibly hoarse. He dropped a few polite words and hurriedly left the stage.
Ronan stepped down slowly, and his stone pillar rose again.
At this moment, the gray clouds gathering above him were already extremely imposing, layer upon layer almost obscuring a small part of the high sky above the stone pillar, creating a stunning spectacle.
Yet Ronan felt utterly helpless.
Because despite the immense gray clouds, his soul trait still showed no signs of manifesting.
"Soul trait..."
Ronan closed his eyes, attempting to perceive his soul on a deeper level.
The soul trait is related to the spellcasting school a wizard practices and certain special potentials hidden within the soul.
When a wizard's mental and soul powers grow to an extreme, and this potential is excavated, it can give birth to their own "Primal Spirit."
The "Primal Spirit" is a manifestation of the soul's sublimation and transformation to another height, allowing the wizard to enhance their control over elemental energy by tenfold or even a hundredfold, and possessing many incredible and powerful abilities. A wizard who completes this step undergoes a significant leap in their life level.
This is also the main reason why ancient wizards regarded the fourth level as the first watershed, leading to the distinction between "Mist" and "Dawn."
"So, what exactly is my soul like?"
Ronan began his meditation in the [Clarity Realm], entering the state of the [Lake of No Thoughts].
All the noise faded away from him, and his consciousness sank like a stone into the cold, still lake water, continuously descending toward the lake's bottom. Gradually, a bright light seemed to appear before him.
He slowly approached the light in the "lake," feeling an incredibly intimate and gentle sensation emanating from it.
Ronan gently "embraced" the light, and in an instant, countless emotions and memories surged into his mind.
Most of these memories were his own, followed by those of his previous incarnation "Ronan" from over a decade, and finally, some completely ungraspable fragments belonging to the Ancient Frost Hydra Hekalto. "Is it because my soul is too mixed?"
A realization dawned on Ronan.
Soul fusion is the easiest way to produce "impurities." When he crossed into this world, his soul underwent its first fusion, which caused his already mediocre soul quality to plummet to an "extremely poor" level.
It nearly blocked his path to becoming a formal wizard.
Afterward, he recklessly conducted a preliminary fusion with the bloodline of the "Ancient Frost Hydra," which further "polluted" his soul.
"If the issues with my previous incarnation and Hekalto's soul remnants aren't resolved, the Mist may be the end of my wizarding path."
Ronan's mood darkened slightly. Although it seemed he had found the root of the problem, he still had no clue how to resolve it.
He considered that after this competition, he would delve into ancient texts or seek a solution from Ke Si Di. "Buzz—"
A strange vibration pierced through Ronan's soul, pulling his consciousness entirely from the depths of his soul.
Ronan suddenly opened his eyes, still puzzled about what kind of energy fluctuation could affect his soul, even overpowering the state of the [Lake of No Thoughts]. Yet his mind was already shaken by the scene before him—
"Toxin Hide!"
At the center of an ocean-like energy vortex, Andariel, with seaweed-like hair cascading to his ankles, had a fierce expression, emitting a chorus of wraith-like howls.
In an instant, a terrifying spell fluctuation erupted from his body, and countless writhing, worm-like twisted runes rapidly illuminated the pale, corpse-like skin covering him.
Large patches of dark green light fell from Andariel, and as soon as this thick, sludge-like dark green light touched the air, it began to corrode the void rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, the space surrounding Andariel became "tattered," and even from a distance, through the protective magic array, it still gave an incredibly intense sense of heart palpitations.
Ronan saw that the ground beneath Andariel was littered with shattered bones, likely those of the four-armed, winged skeletal giant that had been used to resist his [Snowy Kingdom in Hand].
Ronan's gaze trembled.
Although Andariel was arrogant and foolish, his strength was undoubtedly in the top tier.
What kind of person could force Andariel to this extent, shattering even his most powerful undead servant?
For a necromancer, losing a carefully nurtured undead servant would significantly diminish their overall strength.
Even if Andariel managed to win this battle by luck, he would fall from the top tier, like a tiger that had lost its claws, likely unable to go far.
Large chunks of dark green spell energy swayed with a beautiful yet terrifying glow, like shattered crystal potion bottles splattering deadly toxic liquid everywhere.
Amidst this eerie and tragic scene, a figure appeared quietly in the void.
It was a five-meter-tall black giant wolf, its body semi-transparent, engulfed in deep blue, cold flames.
"Howl—"
The giant wolf let out a distant howl, filled with an ancient and vast aura.
Ronan's figure trembled slightly, finally finding the source of the disturbance in his soul.
In the next moment, he saw the semi-transparent black giant wolf sprinting toward Andariel, completely ignoring the terrifying dark green light radiating from the surrounding void, as if it were running in another space.
As it approached Andariel, the black giant wolf leaped high, "Boom!"
A violent energy wave suddenly erupted, and the blinding light made everyone instinctively squint.
When the light faded, everyone saw Andariel half-kneeling on the ground, his expression stunned as he stared blankly at a certain spot, reaching out as if to grasp something, only to fall forward stiffly the next second.
Andariel was not dead, but everyone on the stone pillar could feel his soul's aura rapidly weakening, clearly indicating that his soul had suffered a severe blow.
And in front of him, a figure stood calmly.
It was a strong young man with bronze skin, wearing a bizarre beast-skin Wizard Robe.
Ancient Spirit Witch Evaque! Ronan's pupils constricted slightly. At this moment, the sound of heated discussions like a tidal wave echoed in his ears, far surpassing the commotion during his battle with Jupiter.
It was indeed shocking and utterly unexpected!
Even Ronan's expression began to grow serious.
As a peer among the top tier, he had always thought that aside from the most inscrutable Serena, the differences between the others were not particularly significant.
But Evaque shattered this perception; Andariel seemed to have no significant resistance against him, and in the end, it was merely a simple attack that left Andariel severely injured and defeated.
"Is this the method of the Ancient Spirit Witch?"
"It seems to be a direct attack on the soul..."
Ronan pondered how he would respond if he faced Evaque.
The result was that there was no way; perhaps he could only rely on his soul power to withstand it, or resolve the battle before the opponent could unleash such a method.
Ronan glanced around and saw that everyone still present, after witnessing Evaque defeat Andariel, had begun to wear expressions that were not very pleasant, their gazes toward Andariel tinged with a hint of wariness.
The only ones who appeared relatively unfazed were Serena, Adam... and that Anglie guy.
After this battle, the atmosphere both inside and outside the arena gradually became heated.
After only a few duels, the second round of the ranking battle welcomed another small climax—
Scarlet Spire's Rufus faced off against the heir of Giant Stone Peak, Wei Nu Er Si, the quirky boy who liked to sit on the shoulders of a rock puppet.
Many people knew about Rufus being chased by Wei Nu Er Si from Giant Stone Peak for two whole years, and now they were meeting again in the ranking battle, it truly felt like a "fated enemy."
Compared to three years ago in the battle at Goblin Plain, Rufus had grown significantly stronger.
The Ancient Blood Art he practiced, passed down from Scarlet Spire, had evidently improved a lot, and his grotesque Flesh Demon Body had grown to nearly four meters in height, much more exaggerated than Ronan's "Ancient Giant Demon Form."
However, in the eyes of normal wizards, Rufus, who already looked like a small giant, was still insignificant compared to the rock puppet of Giant Stone Peak's Wei Nu Er Si.
As soon as the latter took the stage, his size began to swell, reaching over a hundred meters tall, resembling a small mountain, nearly overwhelming the vast duel platform.
Although combat power is not entirely linked to size, once something grows beyond a certain limit, it is prone to qualitative changes.
The relatively "small" duel platform actually limited Wei Nu Er Si's performance, but even so, Rufus was being suppressed to an incredibly miserable state.
His blood-based spells were severely restrained against a geomancer who had completely transformed his body into stone, and despite his bizarre and powerful abilities, he could only exert four or five out of ten.
Moreover, his mental power cultivation was completely suppressed, so even under the drive of his hatred flames, Rufus's continuous "explosions" still ended in failure.
Ronan sat on the stone pillar, watching Rufus, who was holding his injured body and leaving the stage dejectedly under Wei Nu Er Si's sharp, joyful laughter, as if he could feel the unwillingness, anger, and frustration boiling within him. "Poor Rufus... It must be snowing all over the world for him right now..."
Ronan felt a deep sympathy for Rufus.
If he were in Rufus's position, being chased by someone for two whole years, unable to fight back, he would probably be so furious that he would grind his teeth and want to spit blood.
The second round of the ranking battle ended at noon on the seventh day.
As winter approached, perhaps snow was about to fall, the sky over the Fairy Ancient City ruins plain was filled with rolling gray clouds, as if something was about to descend.
On one of the eight illuminated stone pillars, Ronan suddenly opened his eyes.
In his clear blue eyes, a faint golden light, reminiscent of runic patterns, flashed by.
"Still a bit more."
Ronan examined his consciousness space. After defeating the Arcane Workshop wizard Fa Lin, his fifth Mental Power Crystal had fully formed, and the strength progress on his character panel had reached [Level 3 Formal Wizard (21%)].
He spent three days inscribing the [Golden Edict] rune from "Schbiert" onto these five Mental Power Crystals. This kind of on-the-spot refinement of Soul Runes was something only Ronan could do.
After three days, the [Golden Edict] rune from Schbiert was only one-fifth away from complete refinement. Given that he currently had the lowest mental power cultivation in the arena, being able to temporarily increase his combat power was a good thing. Ronan looked around at the remaining seven people besides himself: Life Court's Serena, Psionic Dawn's Adam, Chaos Secret Society's Livicky, Giant Stone Peak's Wei Nu Er Si, Ancient Spirit Witch Evaque, Anglie, and a fire wizard from a group called "Crimson Flame Oath."
After two rounds of ranking battles, those who still had seats were not simple characters.
Even the one who appeared to be the "weakest," the fire wizard from "Crimson Flame Oath," wielded an extremely domineering fire magic. Among the mist-level fire wizards Ronan had seen, aside from Ashen Witch Moriel, he was probably the strongest.
Even the one who had died at his hands, possessing the bloodline of the Ancient Flame Demon, Molten Crystal Lake's Yi Ge Nei Xiu Si, was not comparable.
In the third round of the ranking battle, Ronan naturally hoped to face off against them.
However, it could be said that in the eyes of some people present, he was also the one with the "weakest" strength, the one most hoped to be matched against.
"Who do you think will ultimately seize the top spot?"
Among the crowd of onlookers, several first-level wizards were engaged in a heated discussion.
"Life Court's Serena, Psionic Dawn's Adam, and Chaos Secret Society's Livicky... Several of those who have manifested their soul traits have a great chance, likely one of them."
"Evaque practices the Ancient Spirit Witch's legacy. I once read terrifying rumors about the Ancient Spirit Witch in an ancient book. Even Andariel was no match for him; I believe he might be the strongest in the arena."
"Don't underestimate Giant Stone Peak's Wei Nu Er Si!"
Not far from the group of first-level wizards engaged in intense discussion, a gray-haired, blue-eyed man was watching them with great interest.
After quietly observing and listening for a while, the gray-haired man turned to the black-robed figure beside him and said with a sense of nostalgia, "Look at these faces full of vitality, Doru.
What a nostalgic age. I was just like them, standing in a similar position, looking up at you under the spotlight.
I remember a group of guys banded together to set up a betting pool for the top spot, and I wagered more than half of my magic stones on your name, but unfortunately..."
"Sorry."
The black-robed figure spoke suddenly.
The gray-haired man was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "After hundreds of years, you're still so dull, Doru."
The gray-haired man shook his head and did not continue on that topic.
He turned his head, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the sky, briefly lingering on an elderly black-robed woman, then smilingly said to the black-robed figure, "There's still plenty of time; how about we play a game?"
The black-robed figure looked up in surprise, but the gray-haired man had already produced a golden compass from somewhere.
The compass was studded with round white crystal stones, with thirty-two on the outermost ring, and the number of crystals halved with each inner layer.
At the very center of the golden compass was a purple eyeball, within which three triangular pupils were arranged, surrounded by densely packed runes, exuding a mysterious and profound aura.
"I specifically brought this back."
The gray-haired man looked at the golden compass with gentle eyes and said, "The south, my dear motherland, this barren land that has nurtured us, it is time to repay it. How many more years will it take for the treasures buried beneath this land, without me, Lin Di Si, to see the light of day?"
As he spoke, the gray-haired man extended his pale, slender finger and gently tapped on the purple eye at the center of the compass.
At the moment his fingertip touched it, the purple eye on the compass suddenly emitted a strange wave.
This wave quickly seeped into the ground, as if connecting to something, pulling something.
In the distance, at the center of the crowd, the eight glowing stone pillars suddenly flickered between bright and dim.
The sudden change caused the bustling crowd of onlookers to stir restlessly.
Amidst this commotion, the gray-haired man was enveloped by a strange wave of power, countless runes glowing around him, swirling in the air, and an invisible wind gently lifted his long hair.
The gray-haired man smiled, his emerald-colored eyes sparkling like glowing gems.
"Now, the rules will be set by me."
The gray-haired man raised his head, his gaze piercing through the crowd, looking at the eight figures on the stone pillar, and spoke, "Doru, who do you think this precious opportunity should be given to?"
The black-robed figure seemed taken aback by the man's "mad" actions, his expression dazed. Before he could respond, the gray-haired man had already given his own answer.
"It's you."
The gray-haired man gently pressed his hand on one of the white crystal stones on the compass, and the crystal stone burst forth with light. His gaze locked onto a tall, slender figure among the eight on the stone pillar, and he softly said, "The weak... should be favored.
Don't you think so, Doru?"
Beside him, the black-robed figure's lips moved slightly. He wanted to correct the use of the term "favor" mentioned by the other.
But in the end, he remained silent, only casting a sympathetic glance at the "lucky one" chosen by the gray-haired man.