Wizard Bloodline

"You actually believe the nonsense of that guy, Iglippsa. He's just a scoundrel who uses the faith in truth to deceive people."

A gray-robed man spoke, his tone unclear whether it was disdain or mockery.

"I don't like him any more than you do."

The first gray-robed man spoke indifferently: "But you can't deny one thing—his prophecies have never been wrong."

"In fact, we should have noticed the prophecy left by Iglippsa before his death. The Black Wizard King sending his only son at this time, the increasingly turbid and drying waters of the Pool of Wisdom—all these signs indicate the beginning of chaos."

The first gray-robed man lightly tapped his staff, which was as tall as a person, on the ground. His tone was calm but filled with an undeniable certainty: "We should prepare early. This is also the reason why I insisted on opening the Three Towers this time."

The other two fell silent.

Time passed slowly, and after an unknown period, someone snorted lightly and spoke: "So, what exactly did Iglippsa's prophecy say?"

His eyes were fixed on one of the three gray-robed figures, and he uttered a name that was difficult to catch clearly.

"Only you have truly seen those three manuscripts."

The gray-robed man, who had only spoken once and remained mostly silent, listening quietly, was silent for a long time.

Finally, he slowly stood up from the stone bench, and beneath his gray robe, thick mist surged out like a tide.

"The Upper Ring Continent cannot give birth to a second Herams, nor does it need a second Herams."

With the calm voice, the three figures and the small island beneath their feet were completely engulfed by the mist.

"...The bloodline of a seventh-level wizard is considered to have initial significance and value for inheritance. The first generation refers to the first offspring of a wizard after reaching the seventh level. The first generation inherits the most complete and powerful essence of the seventh-level bloodline. As the lineage continues, the bloodline will gradually dilute and weaken..."

"First Generation of the Seventh-Level Weakened Bloodline"

Ronan listened to Alazan's explanation and looked at the figure standing on the back of the dark bronze terrifying monster, resembling a natural deity. His eyes flickered.

He saw the other's shoulder-length hair as deep as mithril, hands clasped behind his back, and from his posture, it seemed to be a man.

Countless complex and mysterious runes emerged from the man's body, forming a unique aura and force field. This aura even overshadowed the terrifying presence of the Chimera beneath him, evoking an impulse to submit.

Ronan took a deep breath, suppressing the restless "Storm Bloodline" within him.

Alazan had once said he was a "natural weakened bloodline," but it was only similar. Compared to a true weakened bloodline, there was an essential difference.

And the "Storm Weaver" was merely a sixth-level elemental spirit.

He wasn't surprised by the "sense of suppression" he felt now, only marveling at the strength and unpredictability of the seventh level. The person before him was merely the first generation of a seventh-level weakened bloodline. If it were the first generation of a true seventh-level Twilight, the gifts bestowed by the innate bloodline would be even more unimaginable.

"Boom—"

With the appearance of the first generation of the weakened bloodline riding the Chimera, a massive vortex quickly formed on the surface of the Spirit Lake, which had been as smooth as a mirror.

"Juventus!"

A thunderous roar echoed as several wizards clad in various Wizard Robes emerged from the vortex, ushering the weakened-blooded progenitor far inside.

Juventus.

Ronan silently repeated the name in his heart, committing it to memory.

The air was tinged with the lingering scent of the Chimera, a faint, coppery stench.

The Chimera, a powerful demonic creature active during the transition from ancient to prehistoric times, symbolized "wisdom, cunning, and agility." For many wizards, it was a creature of legend.

The Chimera of Juventus was likely not of pure blood, merely a descendant with a portion of Chimera lineage, comparable in rank to Ronan's Ice Crystal Demon Serpent. It might have been artificially bred, possibly mixed with the bloodlines of other rare magical beasts.

Just like the Unicorn Horse of Adam, the prodigy of Psionic Dawn, which had only a transplanted portion of the legendary Unicorn's bloodline, its actual power paled in comparison to Ronan's Ice Crystal Demon Serpent.

"Although he is just a weakened-blooded progenitor, this lad Juventus likely has a concentration of seventh-level wizard bloodline reaching eighty, even ninety percent. Such talent is rare even among progenitors.

Those behind him must have placed great hopes upon him."

Alazan spoke to Ronan in his mind.

Ronan remained silent. The concentration of his Ancient Frost Hydra Bloodline was a mere five percent, incomparable to the other.

As he pondered, the majestic voice that had called out "Juventus" earlier resounded once more.

The voice emerged from beneath the lake's surface but ultimately echoed from the highest point in the sky.

"By the three towers as witness, by the three towers as proof."

Everyone instinctively looked up toward the sky, only to see the shadows of three peculiar inverted towers appear on the lake's surface below.

A tremendous, invisible force arose from the lake, pulling wizards one by one downward.

The wizards' figures landed on the lake's surface without creating a single ripple, like specks of dust completely merging into the shadows of the inverted three towers.

Countless wizards waiting to participate in the selection within the Secret Realm of the Spirit Lake "floated" down into the waters, Ronan among them.

He did not resist the pulling force. Before descending into the water, Ronan had imagined countless sensations he might face next.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself in another independent space.

All around was void, with invisible spatial walls limiting his range of movement.

Directly ahead, three towering, bizarre structures stood majestically, making Ronan at their base seem as insignificant as a speck of dust.

One tower, seemingly forged from ancient whale bones and coral, flowed with deep blue liquid, its tip pointing downward, the water flowing upward as if connected to an infinite, vast ocean.

Another tower was filled with magma, burning with an eternal, raging fire, its tip seemingly hung with numerous blazing suns, their light too intense to behold.

The final tower had no physical form, black and constantly twisting and swaying, reminiscent of the moon's reflection on a calm lake at night, exuding an aura of mystery and tranquility.

"The Radiance of the Three Towers."

"Has the trial begun?"

Ronan's eyes flickered as he attempted to take a step forward. Soon, obscure information emerged from the void, flooding into his mind.

The golden ladybug transformed by Alazan flew out from between Ronan's eyebrows. After a moment of thought, Ronan decided to lift the restrictions and share the content with it.

"Juventus."

In the void, several wizards dressed in moon-white Wizard Robes led a person slowly walking from the bright entrance.

When they reached a certain spot in front of the three towers, the leader stopped, turned around, and spoke indifferently to the last person, "I am aware of your identity, but the Grand Elder has specifically instructed that even you must abide by some of the rules of our Spirit Lake."

"The rules of Spirit Lake?"

The young man at the end of the team murmured softly, taking a light step forward. In an instant, he passed by the bodies of several Spirit Lake wizards and swiftly headed towards one of the three towers ahead, a black tower that resembled the reflection of the moon. His figure disappeared into the tower, and after a few breaths,

the entire black tower suddenly radiated a brilliant light, as if transitioning from illusion to reality.

One after another, purple "stars" appeared out of thin air, illuminating the astonished faces of the Spirit Lake wizards.

They stared in disbelief at the scene before them, their expressions frozen.

After a long while, someone's low murmur could be heard.

"Juventus."

"As expected of the son of the Black Wizard King."

"Tower of Knowledge, Tower of Spells, Tower of Souls..."

In the dark void, Ronan finished reading the information he had actively received and looked up at the three towers before him.

His eyes flickered with thoughtful light.

"Do they correspond to the three factions of Spirit Lake: Deep Sea, Flame, and Black Moon?"

"I thought that after such a long time, the wizarding world would have come up with some new methods for recruiting newcomers, but it seems they are still using the old ways."

Alazan's calm voice rang in his ears.

"How so?"

"In the past, powerful schools in the wizarding world recruited new members based solely on the Primal Spirit grade of the new wizard.

Only those with a Primal Spirit of four stars or above had a slight chance of advancing to Twilight. This was the standard for most schools; anything lower was not worth considering."

The golden ladybug fluttered before Ronan's eyes, flying past each of the three towers in turn.

"If I'm not mistaken, these three towers will test your wisdom, combat power, and soul aptitude respectively.

By understanding these three aspects, one can roughly estimate the future grade of your Primal Spirit."

"Is the grade of the Primal Spirit really that important?"

"I've said it before, the grade of your Primal Spirit determines the level of access you have within the Hall of Truth.

The higher the access, the more knowledge you can actively or passively acquire, and the more profound it will be. When you advance to Twilight, the fundamental runes you can create will be more mysterious and powerful.

To put it simply, the grade of the Primal Spirit largely determines a wizard's combat power.

For example, two sixth-level wizards, one with a one-star Primal Spirit and the other with a nine-star Primal Spirit, would have a difference of over ten thousand times in the amount of energy they can mobilize with a single Spell! Many powerful inherited Spells also have strict requirements on the user's Primal Spirit grade.

If your Primal Spirit grade is not high enough, you won't even have the qualification to practice forbidden incantations."

Alazan's tone was calm, carrying a cold, almost cruel edge.

Ronan thought for a moment and asked, "How exactly is the star rating of the Primal Spirit determined?"

"The rules of the universe and nature."

The golden ladybug gently landed on Ronan's shoulder. "This concept is difficult for you to understand now, but you'll gradually comprehend it after the dawn."

Ronan recalled his encounters with fifth-level wizards. Whether it was the Primal Spirit's true form of the fifth-level wizard guard beside Moriel from the Ancient Wizard Revival Society or the Primal Spirit's projection of the fifth-level wizard Freminge from the Elemental Ring, there were always dazzling crystalline lights resembling stars.

He wondered if those represented their respective Primal Spirit grades.

"How many grades are there for the Primal Spirit?"

"Theoretically, the highest is nine stars, corresponding to the nine levels of wizards.

There are examples of low-star Primal Spirits eventually achieving legendary status, but those are rare. Most of the Twilight-level wizards I know have Primal Spirit grades above seven stars."

Ronan narrowed his eyes as he examined the three majestic towers before him and softly asked, "How many stars do you think my Primal Spirit grade would be?"

Alazan chuckled lightly.

"To be honest, I'm quite curious as well."

Ronan took a deep breath, his gaze wandering among the three towers, finally settling on the one on the far right—the Black Moon Tower, which represented the soul aptitude test. He slowly walked towards it.

After walking a certain distance, he felt an invisible resistance. Ronan tried to exert a bit more force. "Hum—"

It felt just like when he encountered the dark silver tailless dragon in the Spirit Realm, where the first encounter with its terrifying draconic power sent his "soul out of his body"! Ronan's consciousness completely broke free from his physical form, being drawn by a force towards the Black Moon Tower ahead.

An intense desire surged within him, urging him to "step inside," like a child yearning to return to its mother's embrace.

However, in less than half a breath, all the strange phenomena vanished, and his instincts receded. Ronan's consciousness returned to his body.

Before he could recover from the brief dizziness, he heard Alazan's voice.

"The results are out."

Ronan snapped back to attention and was startled to see three deep purple polygonal crystals appear on the right side of his body.

They were beautiful, emitting a faint glow, like crystals.

Ronan reached out to touch them, but his fingers passed right through the crystals.

As he gazed at these illusory purple crystals that had appeared out of thin air, the Black Moon Tower lost its original allure for him. His eyes flickered slightly as he calmly spoke, "It seems my soul aptitude isn't great, only a mere three-star rating."

"I didn't expect it to be this poor either."

The golden ladybug, transformed from Alazan, fluttered before Ronan's eyes and sighed softly, "And this is after you've already practiced a round of 'Spirit Heart Amber.' If it weren't for me, reaching the Dawn level would probably have been the end of your path as a wizard."

Ronan ignored Alazan's words. In truth, he wasn't surprised by this result.

Using the same nine-star system to gauge soul aptitude, he estimated his initial soul aptitude was only one star. After his journey to the East Coast, it might have reached two stars. After seventy-two years of reincarnation and dreaming, it improved further, leading to the current three-star aptitude.

"Thank me, Damien.

Soul aptitude has never been an obstacle on the path of a Spirit Heart wizard. 'Spirit Heart Amber' will continuously tap into your soul's potential, step by step enhancing your soul until it reaches perfection."

"If only I had practiced the 'Spirit Heart Amber' a few more times before taking this test, maybe the final evaluation would have made me feel like a super genius, surrounded by admiration and praise."

Ronan spoke indifferently, then walked straight toward the second flame tower.

Similar to his experience with the Black Moon Tower, his consciousness left his body. But this time, when he regained his senses after the momentary daze, Ronan found himself in a completely different place.

"This is..."

Ronan immediately noticed something unusual and looked down at his hands.

His fingers appeared illusory, as if woven from countless fine threads of white light, and the rest of his body was the same.

(End of Chapter)