Chapter 151: The Final Circle

Chapter 151: The Final Circle

"At last, the finals!"

Li Wei had been waiting for this day for so long.

He could almost see the Elven Spring beckoning to him.

"First place—mine without question!"

His eyes burned with determination.

He had come here solely for the top spot.

Without first place, without the champion’s reward, his participation would be meaningless.

The mithril staff and mithril robe were fine—valuable, even.

But they paled in comparison to the waters of the Elven Spring.

Besides, he already possessed mithril ore; once refined,

he could forge his own mithril staff and robe.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Xiong Er approached and slapped Li Wei on the shoulder. "Haven’t seen you in seven days during the second round. We’re both lucky bastards."

Li Wei’s lips twitched.

Lucky?

He’d passed by Xiong Er several times already, witnessed his brute-force sorcery tactics—

that was precisely why he’d avoided trouble.

Deliberately stayed clear.

Otherwise, how could they possibly have missed each other on the final day, when Li Wei roamed everywhere hunting prey?

Li Wei replied, "Yes, but luck won’t save us in the final circle."

Xiong Er grinned widely. "Bring it on. I won’t hold back."

"Though if you want to surrender, I’ll still give you the chance."

"Heh, I return those words to you."

Li Wei chuckled softly, accepting the challenge.

"Contestants, prepare yourselves—the match is about to begin."

Silence fell as all eyes turned toward the glowing portal ahead.

Vex cast a glance at Li Wei’s retreating figure, a flash of malice flickering in his gaze.

"I’ll make you pay!"

The match commenced. One by one, contestants stepped into the portal, their order determined by rankings from the second round.

Russell entered first. Li Wei followed closely behind.

In the stands, spectators watched as the dark clouds shrouding the island’s center finally dispersed.

Beneath them lay the island’s heart—an active volcano.

Fire-elemental beasts prowled its slopes. Fire sprites danced in the scorching air.

One by one, ten figures materialized upon the volcanic ridge.

This time, all ten were summoned together—close enough to see each other with just a turn of the head.

Not due to limited space, but by design.

The Mages’ Association had willed it so.

Beside Li Wei stood Savis and Lilith.

Their eyes met—brief, tense—then each silently turned away, dispersing into the blackened terrain.

No need to fight yet.

Not until others bore some points worth stealing.

Otherwise, what was the point?

To battle over ninth and tenth place?

Rumble. Gurgle. Gurgle.

Li Wei walked across the obsidian mountain, feeling tremors beneath his feet,

hearing the molten roar churning deep within the earth.

"The Mages’ Association really isn’t holding back."

He stared toward the crater.

"If this volcano erupts, the entire island realm is finished."

Lava would consume everything.

Even a creature as mighty as a winged dragon couldn’t survive such devastation.

All contestants must gather enough points before the eruption—and escape.

Anyone left inside after the blast would meet only death.

Sensing the mountain’s unrest, Li Wei tensed, half-expecting the eruption at any moment.

He summoned his Shadow Servant, layering it with an invisible armor spell.

Summoned beings were permitted in the competition.

"Hunt," Li Wei commanded. "Kill on your own. Bring back the spoils."

And with that, he released the shadow into the wild.

It melted into a pool of darkness, slithering across the rocks.

The mountain’s exposed black stone made perfect camouflage.

Without mental sensing, even Li Wei would struggle to spot it.

Nature’s gift of concealment.

Soon, the shadow returned—with prey in tow.

"A firefluff rabbit?"

Li Wei examined the creature.

"No core. A pity."

"Skin it. Rabbit pelt is valuable—naturally warm in winter."

With a spatial ring at hand, he wouldn’t waste anything of worth.

Stripping off the rabbit pelt, he cast the carcass aside.

The meat was utterly worthless.

"Move on."

The digits on the point card in Li Wei’s hand shifted to "10."

A mere first-rank, mid-grade tinder rabbit.

He pressed onward toward the volcanic crater.

The closer one drew to the caldera, the more formidable the fire-attribute magical beasts became.

Near the rim, one might even encounter fire elementals.

Li Wei was in dire need of a fire element core.

It was one of the essential components required for the Fire Spirit Sacrificial Rite, his advancement ceremony.

To break through from the first rank to the second, a second-rank fire element core was indispensable.

Only by slaying a second-rank fire elemental could such a core be obtained.

For Li Wei, this was a daunting challenge.

Second-rank fire elementals were entirely immune to fire-type spell damage below the second rank.

One had to employ at least a third-rank fire spell to inflict any harm upon a second-rank fire elemental.

Water-type spells were the optimal choice, with ice-type spells a close second.

Water spells naturally countered the fire element.

Ice spells and the fire element shared a mutual antagonism; whoever possessed the greater strength would dominate the other.

Crackl-crackle! Sizzle-sizzle!

Midway up the mountain, Li Wei spotted a cave entrance continuously spewing magma, sending sparks flying in all directions.

The sputtering sparks hissed as they struck the barren earth.

Gurgle, gurgle!

A lava serpent writhed out of the cavern, its burning, fiery eyes locking onto Li Wei.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

The lava serpent flicked its tongue, flames incessantly billowing from its maw.

Beholding this, Li Wei seized the initiative.

A single fireball spell was hurled straight into the lava serpent's face.

Whoosh! Bang!

The lava serpent swayed twice before rearing up once more, seemingly having sustained little to no damage.

Li Wei’s heart sank, realizing the beast before him was a second-rank magical beast.

Otherwise, it could never have shrugged off his fireball spell so effortlessly.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

The lava serpent lunged at Li Wei, spewing a torrent of flame toward him while still a considerable distance away.

Chirp, chirp, chirp!

The intense flames continuously scorched the air, releasing a pungent, acrid odor.

Li Wei retreated in haste.

Under the onslaught, his invisible armor materialized.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The invisible armor hissed loudly under the baking heat.

Crack!

A layer of the invisible armor shattered into pieces.

As the fiery onslaught subsided, the lava serpent opened its bloody, cavernous maw and snapped at Li Wei.

It intended to swallow him whole in a single gulp.

Li Wei planted his feet firmly and leapt, soaring up into the sky.

Whoosh!

The lava serpent shot beneath his feet, plowing a deep furrow into the earth.

Shoo, shoo, shoo!

A triple-shot ice arrow spell!

Squelch!

The ice arrows struck the lava serpent's body, inflicting only a modicum of damage.

The projectiles were promptly evaporated and dissolved by the intense heat radiating from the serpent.

Only yesterday, he had grinded his ice arrow spell to the mastery level.

The power of the ice arrow spell was by no means to be underestimated.

Though it could not compare to a first-rank ice spike spell, it was vastly more potent than an entry-level ice arrow.

Against an ordinary first-rank fire-attribute magical beast, its might was sufficient to wound.

Yet, when facing a second-rank lava serpent, the ice arrow spell appeared far too weak and trivial.

The lava serpent twisted its body, looking up at Li Wei with a sneering expression.

Is this truly the extent of your skill? You are only fit to scratch my itches.

Li Wei’s gaze hardened as he shouted, "Shadow Servant!"

Dropping its prey, the Shadow Servant sped back to Li Wei's side.

Whoosh!

A fireball rapidly coalesced within Li Wei's palm, its color deepening profoundly, its brilliance growing ever more blinding.