Translator: AnubisTL
Wizard Noren's announcement of the competition instantly ignited the fire in the hearts of all eligible wizards.
The number of wizards present who had not yet reached the sixth tier was considerable. When combined with the juniors brought along by the several seventh-tier wizards who had accompanied Wizard Noren, the total came to nearly one hundred people.
Although a portion of the first- and second-tier wizards, knowing their own lack of strength, voluntarily gave up their right to participate, over sixty still entered the competition arena.
With so many contestants, their levels ranged from third to fifth tier, and their preferred combat styles and research specializations were vastly different.
A traditional arena match could never fairly showcase their true abilities.
After a moment's thought, Wizard Noren made a simple, brutal, yet perfectly wizard-style decision—a battle royale!
After all, they were currently in Grandmentor Anton Buchanan's private plane, and the space was vast enough.
Wizard Noren strolled out of the palace, casually waving his silver wand in a circle over the distant, expansive grasslands and hills.
In an instant, a massive, invisible boundary that all the wizards could clearly sense was drawn, forming a giant circular area over a thousand kilometers in diameter.
This was the "stage" for the competition.
The rules were simple to the extreme: all contestants would be randomly teleported into this area, and the free-for-all would begin.
With no allies and no restrictions other than the prohibition against intentional killing, the last person standing within the area would be the winner, claiming the coveted "Substitute Death Puppet."
This format was admittedly disadvantageous for Position Warfare Wizards, who required time to set up large-scale magical formations and construct permanent fortifications. Yet, it was undeniable that this was the closest simulation of a real planar battlefield—enemies would never grant you the luxury of time to prepare.
For this reason, the scheme had been accepted by nearly all the contestants.
Wizard Noren said no more, tapping his wand lightly.
Jieming felt a violent surge of spatial power ripple around him. The scenery before his eyes instantly blurred and distorted. When his vision cleared, he found himself in an unfamiliar hilly region, standing amidst knee-high, faintly glowing, alien grass.
"Phase Space!"
The moment he landed, Jieming activated his spatial wizardry without a second thought.
His form blurred, slipping silently into the gap between the main plane and the phase space like a drop of water merging into the sea, utterly "vanishing" from the material world.
Once he had concealed himself, Jieming's mind began to race, formulating a strategy.
Jieming had a clear understanding of his own abilities. He was indeed powerful, but the wizards who had gathered here were all geniuses among geniuses.
In particular, he had sensed no fewer than ten auras of fifth-tier wizards!
In this chaotic melee, which brought together dozens of same-level or even higher-level genius wizards, Jieming knew he did not hold a complete advantage.
If it were a chance encounter, he would have the confidence to defeat any single fifth-tier wizard, relying on the squad of elite Black Giant Priests within his internal space and his own spatial wizardry.
He might not even be defeated if he faced the combined attack of two or three fifth-tier wizards simultaneously, thanks to the Black Giant Legion's sudden-strike capability and the mobility of his spatial wizardry—after all, "outliers" like him, who could carry an entire army on their person, were a rare sight.
Although cannon fodder units were species specifically modified for combat, they still needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves, and they required maintenance and rest during non-war periods.
Therefore, most wizards could only find ways to bring their "cannon fodder" units along during planar wars, making it impossible to deploy them so flexibly.
But Jieming's weakness was equally obvious.
If this battle dragged on for too long, giving his opponents enough time to deploy their Wizard Tower Phantoms and establish runic position—or worse, allowing them to analyze the Black Giant's combat patterns and devise specific countermeasures—he would be almost certain to lose.
After all, his true level had not yet broken through to the fourth tier. In terms of absolute energy reserves and the instantaneous mobilization of wizardry, there was still a qualitative gap between him and a true fifth-tier wizard.
"I must end this quickly! Strike with the force of thunder and prioritize eliminating the most threatening fifth-tier wizard!" Jieming swiftly formulated his core strategy.
Once the top-level threat was neutralized, dealing with the remaining third- and fourth-tier wizards would be far easier for him.
With his plan clear, he immediately sprang into action.
He briefly emerged from the phase space. With a wave of his hand, tens of thousands of arm-length "Shuttle Hunters" swarmed out like a disturbed hive of bees, silently scattering to conduct a carpet reconnaissance of the vast tournament area.
Then, he vanished back into the spatial rift.
Here, he began to boldly stack various buffs upon himself.
He donned the Acceleration Rune Artifact Bracelet. His perception and reaction speed instantly soared tenfold, the cost being accelerated cellular aging and a faint, piercing pain emanating from the depths of his soul.
He downed several magic potions, each shimmering with a different hue. His mental power expanded and solidified like a lake's surface rippling outward after a stone was thrown into it.
One after another, auxiliary wizardry auras—enhancing physical strength, elemental resistance, and mental defense—were layered upon him like armor, cast without restraint.
"Space-type wizardry is truly unparalleled for stealth and self-protection," Jieming couldn't help but remark again as he cast the spells.
Outside, such frequent and violent energy fluctuations would have alerted everyone instantly. But here, sheltered by the phase space, all fluctuations were perfectly isolated. This was his advantage—the ability to fully arm himself in advance.
Now, suspended within the spatial rift, Jieming was surrounded by a kaleidoscope of wizardry auras. He resembled a human neon sign, dazzlingly bright. Yet, to the outside world, he remained completely undetectable.
Because he was tucked away in the spatial rift, conventional active reconnaissance methods were useless. But this didn't stop Jieming. While other energy fluctuations were masked, his vision remained unaffected. This meant that passive reconnaissance methods enhancing his sight were still fully operational.
After casting multiple reconnaissance spells on himself—including Life Spirit Vision, thermal perception, and elemental tracking—Jieming began to glide through the phase space like a ghost, moving at high speed in search of his prey.
Soon, through the soul link, he sensed the signal of a Shuttle Hunter to the northwest abruptly vanish!
"Found you!"
A sharp glint flashed in Jieming's eyes as he immediately streaked toward the location where the signal had disappeared.
With a mere thought, he commanded all the Shuttle Hunters in the vicinity to converge on the same spot from all directions, like sharks scenting blood.
Traversing the phase space, Jieming reached the target area in moments.
Through the spatial barrier, he clearly "saw" a figure standing beside a raging river of lava.
It was a male wizard clad in a dark red runic robe, surrounded by a scorching aura of fire elements—evidently a fifth-tier wizard who had mastered the laws of flame.
He had just casually fired a Lava Ray, incinerating another Shuttle Hunter that had arrived too early and gotten too close. Now, he was warily scanning his surroundings, fully aware that he had been exposed.
A cold smile curved Jieming's lips.
(End of the Chapter)
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