Chapter 150: A Share for Everyone

Chapter 150: A Prize for Everyone

In those final moments, the rampaging chiropterans sent shivers down the spines of many contestants.

Driven to pure madness, the creatures struck out at any human in sight.

Everyone scrambled to avoid them.

Li Wei looked up at the sky, where the beasts still soared, unleashing furious roars and snarling cries.

"Time is up."

The announcement of the match's conclusion echoed in his ears.

A moment later, everyone was teleported out of the island realm.

Upon leaving the secret territory, the crowd returned to the staging area beneath the coliseum.

Wakes, Meryl, and the others let out long sighs of relief.

"Why did those creatures suddenly go mad like that?"

"Who knows? Maybe something provoked them."

"I was almost snatched up by one, thank goodness the time ran out."

Wakes glanced toward Li Wei, his eyes flickering with calculation.

"Kai, did you do something to drive them crazy?" Wakes demanded.

Hearing this, the crowd turned their gaze to Li Wei, curiosity plain on their faces.

Wakes pressed on, "You were carried off by one earlier, so how did you survive? What exactly did you do?"

He wanted to direct the friction onto Li Wei.

Then, he hoped to rally everyone in the third round to eliminate Li Wei first by joining forces against him.

Wakes had grown tired of Li Wei long ago.

Li Wei cast a sideways glance at him. "To get your hands on my spell model, you really will stop at nothing, won't you? Dreaming up any accusation to frame me."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the crowd shifted their suspicious glares toward Wakes.

Disdain flashed in the eyes of quite a few.

A spell model was one of a mage's most prized possessions.

Stealing another's spell model was no different from murdering their family.

For certain mages, it was even more vital than life itself.

Wakes's face flushed with anger. "You!"

"Hmph! Just you wait!"

Wakes spun on his heel and left, too humiliated to remain standing there.

He had no desire to endure the judging stares of the crowd any longer.

Back in his room, Wakes slammed his fist onto the table.

"Curse that Kai!"

His eyes gleamed with malice. "I will make you pay for this!"

Li Wei had made a fool out of him in front of everyone, fueling a deep resentment.

The Mage Association then announced the roster of contestants for the third round of the exchange tournament.

Russell, Kai, Willy, Xavis, Lilith, Xiong Er, Meryl, Wakes, Nick, Wilder.

Ten contestants had advanced to the final round.

"The third round will commence tomorrow; all participants, please prepare accordingly."

"The third round permits the use of one tier-one magical item or equipment, as well as spatial storage artifacts."

"High-powered disposable magical items, magic scrolls, and prohibited potions are banned, as is bringing pets, servants, retinue, or mounts into the arena (with the exception of summoned entities)."

"The third round operates on a point system; please review the point distribution guidelines below."

"Defeating tier-one magical beasts (low, mid, high, peak grade) awards 5, 10, 15, and 20 points respectively."

"Defeating a tier-one fire elemental spirit awards 30 points."

"Defeating tier-two magical beasts (low, mid, high, peak grade) awards 40, 60, 80, and 100 points respectively."

"Defeating a tier-two fire elemental spirit awards 200 points."

"Defeating a lava giant awards 1,000 points."

"Defeating a fellow contestant allows you to seize all points from their point card."

"The third final round is scheduled to last one day, and during the closing stage, the island's volcano will erupt."

"Voluntarily withdrawing from the realm preserves your points; an involuntary withdrawal due to life-threatening danger forfeits all points."

"Once everyone has exited, the participant with the highest points will be crowned champion, with runner-up positions awarded in descending order."

"The champion of this exchange tournament will receive a bottle of Elven Spring Water."

"The runner-up will receive a Mithril Staff."

"The third-place winner will receive a set of Mithril Robes."

"All finalists will receive a commemorative gold medal from the Twenty-Eighth Youth Mage Exchange Tournament."

"The top thirty contestants will receive a commemorative silver medal from the Twenty-Eighth Youth Mage Exchange Tournament."

"Every participant will receive a commemorative bronze medal from the Twenty-Eighth Youth Mage Exchange Tournament."

It truly was about participation, ensuring a prize for everyone.

"Spectators and competitors alike, please look forward to the upcoming finals!"

Li Wei returned to the spectator stands, dissolving his phantom double.

Gu Ze said with envy, "Even a commemorative bronze medal makes it all worthwhile!"

Li Wei asked, slightly puzzled, "A bronze medal isn't worth much materialistically, so what's the big deal?"

Gu Ze explained, "That bronze medal proves you became an official mage before the age of twenty-five."

"It is a professional certification from the Mage Association! It represents your raw talent and future potential!"

"To become an official mage before twenty-five means you have a real chance at becoming a tier-three mage, holding the potential to strive for the rank of Grand Mage."

"No matter where you take that bronze medal, you will be treated with immense respect."

Gu Ze sighed; he happened to be twenty-six this year, just past the age limit for the tournament.

Otherwise, he might have had a shot at earning a commemorative silver medal.

Li Wei nodded, beginning to understand the significance.

Yet what Gu Ze described was limited only to traditional mages.

The number of first-ring mages under twenty-five was actually not small at all.

Out of the hundred and thirty contestants, three-quarters were first-ring mages under twenty-five.

Yet, the vast majority were eliminated in the first round.

Only a handful of Ring Mages advanced to the second stage.

In the final circle, among the ten remaining competitors, only Veld remained as a Ring Mage—

and he had barely scraped into the finals.

Ring Mages possessed obvious strengths—and equally glaring weaknesses.

In duels, one-on-one arena battles, their superior spellcasting speed granted them a real chance against traditional mages.

But when confronted with complex environments, their shortcomings emerged: rigid spells, limited spell slots, and weaker spell control.

A first-rank Ring Mage had only seven spell slots in total—

three first-level slots and four zero-level ones.

The *Magic Shield* spell was mandatory; the other two first-level slots left little choice.

Either one offensive spell and one control spell, or both offensive.

Choosing only control spells rendered them helpless without allies.

Zero-level spells, due to their low proficiency threshold, proved nearly useless against mages or magical beasts of equal rank.

Li Wei’s *Minor Fireball* could obliterate low-to-mid tier first-rank magical beasts—

but that was thanks to his supernatural traits and the immense base power of his perfected-level technique.

A novice Ring Mage’s *Minor Fireball*, at best, might wound a fragile first-rank beast.

Traditional mages suffered from slow casting—a fatal flaw—but at least they never ran entirely out of spells, provided their knowledge was broad enough.

And casting speed could be improved through higher proficiency or the Supernatural Trait of Swift Incantation.

After seven grueling days, the second round finally ended.

At last, Li Wei could enjoy a proper meal in peace.

Inside the island’s secret realm, he’d survived on wild fruits or flavorless roasted meat—

a harsh existence.

Especially those days hiding in the winged reptile’s nest, surviving solely on shadow servants fetching wild berries.

Not even roasted meat had been an option.

(End of Chapter)