During this period, the Dark Elves had been remarkably calm.
Although the entire Northern Region of the Dark Pole had already fallen, consolidating territory, coordinating conflicts with the goblins and dwarves — all of this consumed a tremendous amount of their energy.
Therefore, despite the enormous pressure facing the Central Region of the Dark Pole, with an outlook far from optimistic, so far all they had to deal with were merely scouts and roaming riders.
Under these circumstances, the entire Central Region could still maintain relative calm. In fact, with the Genius Tournament on the horizon, a kind of twisted prosperity had even emerged.
More and more wizards were flooding into the Central Region, bringing fresh blood and greater strength.
Seeing this, Leilin suspected this was one of the reasons the War Council was working so拼命 to build momentum — to attract more wizards and bolster their forces.
The Dark Pole was vast beyond measure, and it was a place where the legacies of ancient wizards had been preserved relatively well, with a population approaching forty or fifty million. When all these factors stacked together, how many geniuses could they produce? And how many were like Weilin, freakishly lucky powerhouses with their cheat-tier advantages cranked to the limit?
……
In a dark, murky swamp.
Purple toxic mists spread across the area, and the bones of various dark beasts lay buried in the rotting muck. Occasionally, a few three-eyed crows soared overhead, letting out grating, unpleasant caws.
Inside a luminescent grotto.
The surrounding walls had been reinforced with magic, repelling the mud and poisonous fog outside.
An elderly man with black hair was tenderly stroking the hair of a very young wizard beside him.
"My child! Over these ten years, you've mastered everything I have to teach. Now, it's time for you to go out into the world…"
"According to the news Aguo brought back, in the Wizard Holy Land — the Central Region — a grand tournament for young wizards will be held. The champion will not only receive generous rewards but may even be granted an audience with a Third-rank Guardian and obtain the chance to receive a legacy…"
"A Third-rank Wizard?"
The young man's previously nonchalant expression immediately turned solemn.
"Yes. You are the greatest talent I have ever seen — perhaps even the entire Dark Pole couldn't produce many who could rival you. I believe the final victory will surely be yours. It's a pity I won't have the chance to witness it…"
The old man's voice carried a note of regret. Then, his hand froze mid-air.
The once smooth yet wrinkled skin began to wither, forming concentric folds, like the bark of an old tree that had been completely drained of moisture.
The old wizard's black hair gradually turned ashen grey.
His entire body withered at a visible rate, becoming gaunt like a desiccated corpse.
"Master? Master?" The young wizard stared at his mentor in disbelief — the mentor he had lived and worked alongside day after day.
Snap! The old wizard crumbled entirely into a shriveled, charred mummy. The young wizard accidentally brushed against the old man's arm.
Poof! A cascade of ash scattered downward, and the old wizard dissolved into a pile of fine powder. Only a single intact wizard robe remained spread across the bed.
The young wizard stood there frozen, staring blankly. It took a long while before he finally reacted.
Even though wizards could use energy particles to radiate their bodies and obtain lifespans far exceeding those of ordinary people, there was still an upper limit.
Even dangerous physical modifications could add only a few decades of life before reaching the Morning Star stage, and they came with high risk of failure, potentially turning the wizard into something that was neither human nor ghost.
This old wizard's Life Energy had simply been exhausted. He had reached the natural end of his days.
A First-rank Wizard, unless they possessed an ancient profession like a Bloodline Sorcerer, could live at most two hundred years or so. This old wizard had lived for a very long time, and his Meditation Method had long failed to advance. Now, his time had simply come.
"Master!"
The young man stood there in silence, scene after scene of his time with his mentor flickering before his eyes.
After a long while, the young wizard turned and walked away.
Boom! The moment he departed, the grotto collapsed inward, forming a massive void that drew the surrounding swamp flooding in.
"Master! I swear it! I will win the championship!"
The young man declared to the sky, then left without a single backward glance.
As he turned, a single tear slid from the corner of his eye.
……
"The honor of the family now rests on your shoulders!"
In the Southern Region, inside an ancient wizard's castle.
In the dim light, a long, decaying table stretched across the hall — this darkwood table was over a dozen meters long, running almost from the far end of the hall all the way to the entrance.
Upon the tablecloth sat silver candelabras and an assortment of fruits and delicacies.
Around the table, in sparse arrangement according to rank, sat several figures.
At the head seat, an old woman wearing a tall black pointed hat, her fingers laden with enormous rings of ruby and emerald, was speaking earnestly to a young girl beside her.
"I understand, Grandmother!"
The girl was silent for a moment before her firm voice rang out.