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Chapter 516: The Match I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"What's really going on?"

Merlin followed Arrot as they flew towards the testing ground. This was a place for the Wizards to test out their spells. It was enclosed in invisible energy, and not even a Legendary Wizard would be able to cause much destruction here.

Merlin saw two groups facing off against each other on the testing ground. One of the group was headed by someone Merlin already knew, Saturn.

The other group was comprised of Spell Casters who were fewer in numbers and dressed more plainly. Both sides had their daggers drawn, and the atmosphere there did not seem too amicable.

The plump Arrot hurriedly brought Merlin before Saturn, panting as he said, "Wizard Saturn, I've brought Wizard Merlin."

"Saturn, this is who you've summoned? He's only a Fifth-level Spell Caster, how can he defeat Seddon?"

Beside Saturn stood a Wizard with a pale face and handsome features who was wearing a black cape. He was exuding intense Elemental fluctuations all over his body, causing even Merlin to feel a faint sense of threat.

"Wizard Merlin, that is Wizard Vic. We've lost to that group of arrogant mavericks in the match just now. It was Wizard Saturn who asked me to find you and have you join the final round of the match."

Merlin was in a muddle. He did not know what was going on at all. It was a good thing that the plump Wizard Arrot began explaining to Merlin in detail.

All this while, Merlin had been constructing spells by himself and did not realize that the current batch of Potential Wizards was divided into two main denominations.

Favored prodigies like Saturn, who had a Great Legend with four Maxims as a teacher, had been sent here as a Potential Wizard by a Legend who had used up their recommendation for him. There was a great number of them, but they were unevenly matched in terms of quality, and there were rather average Spell Casters among them.

The other denomination was the ones whom Arcane City had personally recruited. These Spell Casters usually did not have much of a background, and simply rose up on their own in their own dimensions. Each of them was a genuine prodigy, and most of them were Five-Elemental Spell Casters.

The latter type was fewer in number but had formidable capabilities. Moreover, they would usually clash with the favored ones like Saturn.

These two types would naturally not see eye to eye with each other and would have conflicts between them from time to time. Before Saturn's arrival, the other party had the upper hand and was suppressing the Spell Casters who had arrived in Arcane City with a recommendation.

Nevertheless, Saturn would of course not let these people step all over him after he understood the situation. Therefore, he had organized this match. Each side would nominate three people, and victory would be determined by best out of three rounds. The losing side must not act all high and mighty before the other party in the future.

Saturn was indeed a Six-Elemental Spell Caster. His strength was actually pretty powerful. He had fought a hard and heavy battle with the strongest member from the other side, Wizard Rael. In the end, Saturn had to use his trump card, a special skill, to be able to finally defeat Wizard Rael.

Merlin eyed the well-built, resolute Wizard Rael from the other side. It was impressive how he was able to force the hand of a Six-Elemental Spell Caster like Saturn. Even Merlin himself could not guarantee that he could defeat Saturn. In a true battle of life and death, Merlin was most likely to lose.

Saturn had won the first round, but the next round would be that Wizard Vic who was standing beside Saturn going against Wizard Olga. Both were Seventh-level Spell Casters and had exchanged blows more than one or two times. Wizard Vic had proved himself to be the one with superior abilities.

The result was tied after two rounds, and the third and final round had yet to begin. Before Saturn had arrived, Wizard Vic had been the strongest among the Potential Wizards who had entered Arcane City by recommendation. Even he had lost the match. Furthermore, their opponents had sent Wizard Seddon, who was only slightly weaker than Wizard Rael. Whoever Wizard Vic sent would surely lose.

Thus, Saturn ultimately asked Arrot to look for Merlin to join the third round of the match.

After understanding what had happened, Merlin frowned slightly. He knew that no matter where he was, there would be cliques. Merlin had entered Arcane City by Wizard Mogan's recommendation, so naturally, he would become a part of Saturn's clique.

If he did not accept the invitation and fight, he would be rejected by this group in the future. Merlin was no lone wolf. He knew that it was important to blend well with the group.

Otherwise, he would be in an awkward position, excluded from both sides.

Nonetheless, Wizard Vic was somewhat worried. "Wizard Saturn, can this Wizard Merlin be trusted? I know Seddon. Not even I can defeat him for sure."

Wizard Vic had some reservations. He knew that Merlin was a prodigy and a genius Six-Elemental Spell Caster at that. This fact had been circulating throughout this batch of Potential Wizards since a long time ago.

If a few years had passed and Merlin had grown to be on par with Saturn, Wizard Vic would not doubt him in the slightest. However, Merlin now merely had the potential to become better, and that potential had not yet been transformed into abilities. It was far too risky to nominate Merlin for the third round of the battle against Wizard Seddon.

Amongst those who could enter Arcane City, who was not a genius? Furthermore, Wizard Seddon had been actively recruited by Arcane City. His talents were acknowledged by Arcane City.

Saturn lifted his head to glance at Merlin, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. Following that, he said firmly and decisively, "I believe that Wizard Merlin won't let us down!"

After speaking, Saturn closed his eyes. Faced with Saturn's manner, Wizard Vic could only shake his head helplessly. Ever since Saturn had arrived at Arcane City, Vic had automatically conceded his "leadership" position to him. Saturn was stronger than him, both in terms of talent and abilities. He had a Great Legend with four Maxims as his teacher. No matter how one looked at it, he was stronger than Vic.

If Saturn had made a decision, he would not change his mind.

After a long while, Merlin nodded. "I'll try my best."

With that, Merlin turned around and faced his opponent, Wizard Seddon!

Merlin wanted to be accepted in their group, so he had no choice but to join this match. Nonetheless, he dared not underestimate this Wizard Seddon in the slightest. His opponent was a Seventh-level Spell Caster with Five-Elemental spells and knew how to combine them with Demon Ability. He could contend directly against most Ninth-level Spell Casters.

There was no assurance that Merlin would win against a genius like this.

Seeing that Merlin had stood out, Wizard Seddon's expression tightened and sunk. He said in a low voice, "You're that Six-Elemental Spell Caster who possesses twelve perfect spells, Merlin?'

Merlin merely nodded calmly at the question, but Seddon began to laugh and spoke in a forthcoming manner, "Not bad, you're a true genius. This match between us is the last resort! Saturn had been too arrogant, but we have our own pride too. We want to prove to everyone that, even without a powerful background, without relying on Great Legends, we're not inferior to anyone!"

These people were proud indeed. They were naturally impressive enough to be able to be recruited by Arcane City. The most important thing was that they were exceedingly industrious and had a great thirst for formidable powers. Once they reached Arcane City, they were like a fish in the water. Their capabilities had advanced very rapidly.

Wizard Seddon was one such case. He was merely a Fifth-level Spell Caster when he arrived at Arcane City a few years ago. A few years later, he was now a Seventh-level Spell Caster. The speed of his growth was outrageous.

Still, a miracle like Wizard Seddon would pop up consistently after some time in Arcane City.

"Swoosh."

Wizard Seddon had made the first move very abruptly. His spell filled the entire sky, shrouding Merlin instantly. The force of the spell was enough to kill a Ninth-level Spell Caster.

Merlin's expression turned grave as he stared at the flames in the sky. Darkness Eye had originally been his trump card and his strongest power, but it was now merely at the fourth form and would be powerless against such a formidable attack.

Therefore, Merlin cast Enervating Halo immediately. His body was then flickering with Wind Elements. His figure drifted about erratically with an astonishing momentum.

If Merlin wanted to escape, he could easily do so with such speed. Nonetheless, this was a match. What Merlin wanted to do was to defeat Wizard Seddon. Thus, he could not run away and could only continuously hide in narrow spaces. Wizard Seddon's spells were all Large-area spells. Their impact was vast, and they had a turbulent momentum. Their power was overwhelming and earth-shattering. Merlin almost could not find a good place to dodge.

Merlin was already at a disadvantage when he made the first move. The situation right now was critical!

Wizard Vic shook his head lightly. 'The difference between their levels is too much. Seddon is not an average Wizard. He's a Spell Caster second only to Wizard Rael, and not even I can be sure of defeating him. I'm afraid that this is too dangerous for Wizard Merlin. What if he surrenders now…"

"Wizard Merlin would not surrender…"

Saturn immediately interrupted Vic. On some level, Saturn held Merlin at the highest regard, even to the extent that Saturn thought of Merlin as his competitor.

Saturn would not surrender, and Merlin was less likely to do so because they bore the pride of geniuses, of Six-Elemental Spell Casters!

Merlin was in a tough situation indeed. He evaded constantly, but space was getting smaller and smaller. He was almost forced into a dead end by Wizard Seddon.

Wizard Seddon's experience in battle was not inferior to Merlin. Indeed, he had started from the bottom and ascended step by step by himself. He was noticed by Arcane City after he had revealed his outstanding talents.

A person like this was difficult to deal with because one wrong step would lead to more mistakes to be made. It was hard for Merlin to regain his opportunity. Up until now, Merlin did not even have the chance to strike and could only dodge incessantly.

"This won't do. I must regain my opportunity and buy some time to unleash my spell fusion!"

Merlin was caught in peril and was in desperate times. He did not even have the time to cast his spell fusion. He would lose if this were to go on. This was the first time he had been in such a hazardous situation when facing a Seventh-level Wizard.

With this in mind, Merlin's face suddenly flushed red and his enormous Mind Power was mobilized all at once. Since he could not cast a spell, he would use the Occult Mind Spell which was invisible and impossible to guard against.

"Occult Mind Spell, Nine Hit Strike!"

With that thought of his, Merlin unleashed an Occult Mind Spell for the first time in a battle, and it was the most advanced one–Nine Hit Strike!

Chapter 517: The Match II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Boom."

The Occult Mind Spell Nine Hit Strike had no shadow nor shape and was impossible to defend against. Merlin was able to retaliate even when he was constantly evading. He could attack in one wave after another and have managed to give out three heavy blows altogether.

Merlin's Three-Hit Strike could even break down Eighth-level spells at their peaks. Seddon had great strength, but being attacked so suddenly had caused him to panic, and his attacks naturally stopped. Moreover, he had to deal with the attack from Merlin's Occult Mind Spell.

Merlin drew in a deep breath, seizing this window of time. A ball of flames and a bolt of thunder appeared on each of his palms respectively.

These were the Sixth-level spells Merlin had just constructed, Endless Flame and Immense Thunder. Just the forces they emanated were enough to cause one's heart to go cold. These spells could be compared to those Eighth-level spells that were at their peaks.

"Occult Mind Spell?"

Wizard Seddon finally weathered through Merlin's Nine Hit Strike. If Merlin was able to cultivate Four Hit Strike, perhaps then he would be able to defeat Wizard Seddon. However, he had only cultivated Three Hit Strike successfully. At most, he could create some trouble for Wizard Seddon but was incapable of causing him any serious harm.

Wizard Seddon stopped his attacks and continued, "You're actually a Mind Power Master, but this bit of Mind Power doesn't pose any threat to me."

Naturally, Wizard Seddon had also noticed the spells in Merlin's hands. He could sense that those were Sixth-level spells. No matter how powerful Merlin's spells were, Wizard Seddon was still confident that these two spells would not cause much harm against him even if they were to be fused with Demon Ability.

It was not just Wizard Seddon. Even Wizard Saturn, who had his eyes shut, now opened them to look at the flames and thunder in Merlin's hands. Merlin had not constructed these two spells when he first entered Arcane City.

This meant that Merlin had already constructed two spells in his short time in Arcane City. Judging from the aura of the spells, they were very powerful ones. At the very least, they were Excellent-grade spells and could even be Perfect ones!

Such terrifying talent at spell construction! Saturn was impressed once more. For the first time, he felt that he could not compare to Merlin in terms of constructing spells.

Nonetheless, these two Sixth-level spells were far too inadequate to defeat Wizard Seddon. Wizard Seddon was not an ordinary Seventh-level Spell Caster but a prodigious Wizard who was on par with those Ninth-level Spell Casters.

"Surrender! Your Occult Mind Spell can't handle me, and your spells are not of any use as well!"

Wizard Seddon spoke with narrowed eyes.

"Can't handle you? Then I'll try this!"

A furtive smile flitted over Merlin's lips. Everyone watched as he quickly brought together the flames and thunder in his hands, gradually merging them.

"Go!"

Merlin pushed his palms forward and the new spells fused from the flames and thunderbolt instantly locked onto Wizard Seddon. It shot in his direction.

"Spell fusion!"

Wizard Seddon's face changed all of a sudden. He felt an intense threat and could think of nothing else now. A shield with a lustrous metal surface appeared in his hand and floated in the air, shielding his whole body as he turned and ran away from Merlin.

"Boom."

The spells exploded with a bang, and the terrifying shockwave immediately ripped apart the hovering shield. The aftershocks landed viciously on Wizard Seddon, sending him flying.

After the smoke and dust dispersed, Wizard Seddon's face was rather pale. He was not injured this time, but it was because he had spent over a hundred Adventure points to obtain a Runic Shield from Arcane City. It was transfigured by a Great Legend who was a Great Alchemist and was initially intended to be used by Wizard Seddon when he was out on his adventures.

He did not expect that it would be used up in this battle. This was a colossal loss. It was not that easy to obtain over a hundred Adventure points.

If he did not have this shield, Wizard Seddon found it hard to imagine what would have happened. Perhaps he would have been gravely injured. When he looked at Merlin again, it was with a desolate expression.

"I've lost!"

With that, Wizard Seddon did not plan to linger and immediately turned to leave.

The other Spell Casters there were still in a daze, astounded by the spell fusion Merlin had just unleashed.

Only the powerful Wizards among the Ninth-level Spell Casters would try their hand at spell fusion by merging all of their Spell Models together. Merlin was clearly not a Ninth-level Spell Caster and could not possibly fuse Spell Models.

The only explanation left was that Merlin had merely fused the spells. Nevertheless, this was even more astonishing. To a Fifth-level Spell Caster, fusing spells was not easier than fusing Spell Models at all. It could even be much more difficult to do so.

Any Spell Caster who could fuse merely spells only was frightening. It was not that there were no powerful Spell Casters who could fuse spells in Arcane City, but they emerged only once or twice each millennium. Merlin had shown up now with the ability to fuse spells.

Wizard Vic shot a look at Saturn and nodded wordlessly. It was no wonder that Saturn was hell-bent on looking for Merlin, a Fifth-level Spell Caster. It turned out that Merlin was able to fuse spells.

Still, only Saturn and Merlin knew that Saturn did not know about Merlin's spell fusion. Saturn had sent for Merlin to join the match because he had felt that Merlin was still hiding some mysterious power when he first met Merlin. Even he felt an intense sense of threat coming from him.

He would never thought that his mysterious power would be spell fusion! Yes, Saturn might be a genius, but even he was unable to fuse spells after becoming a Seventh-level Spell Caster. He dared not even try. One tiny slip up might cause the spells to explode which was equivalent to suicide.

"Haha, Wizard Merlin, you've really helped us in our revenge this time. Those Spell Casters with no background were all acting high and mighty back when you and Wizard Saturn hadn't entered Arcane City. Although I was unhappy with that, I couldn't win against Rael, so I can't do anything about it. Now, look at Rael and the rest, haha. Would they still dare to act so proud in front of us?"

Naturally, Wizard Vic felt like he had been avenged. In the past, he had been suppressed by Rael and the other Spell Casters without a good background. Now, led by Saturn and Merlin, they had finally defeated those Spell Casters who were so haughty and had such formidable abilities. Of course, he was overjoyed.

Merlin only smiled and said nothing. He had made a quick observation and found it to be true that the Spell Casters without backgrounds were overall more powerful than the Spell Casters with good backgrounds.

After all, the ones recommended by Great Legends might really be geniuses, but there was still a difference between them and the geniuses who had truly started from the bottom, who had fought their way through every step of the journey to become who they were now.

Of course, there were also exceptions. Saturn was an exceptional prodigy who had been brought up by a Great Legend who had four Maxims, Wizard Blackcloud. Naturally, he was the genius among all the geniuses.

Merlin did not expect he would become someone with a "background" when he arrived at Arcane City.

"Merlin!"

Saturn stopped before Merlin, and his expression was still as aloof as always. It seemed that this was his natural personality. It was a habit he had developed since young that could not be easily changed.

"Merlin, you must join our group! There are many things which one can't accomplish by oneself in Arcane City and require many others like ourselves. For instance, Rael, Vic, and Seddon whom you've just defeated–we're all the same. Although we live in conflict, we bear no hatred towards one another. People of our level aren't ignorant enough to feel jealous. As for hatred, that's even less likely for us to have. So you don't have to worry that Rael and the rest would hold a grudge against you."

Saturn was such a proud person. For him to take the initiative to explain all this to Merlin indicated that he had acknowledged Merlin as an equal.

Merlin nodded. Just now, he saw that Wizard Seddon had turned and left. Although his action seemed rather curt, Merlin did not sense any resentment in his opponent's eyes. What he saw instead was Seddon's tenacity. Seddon would surely work even harder to try and surpass Merlin once he left. This was the common attribute shared by all the geniuses in Arcane City.

Otherwise, Arcane City would not produce so many Great Legends.

Following that, Saturn left. One could see that he was stunned by Merlin's spell fusion too. He would definitely work even harder after this. However, Saturn was walking a very different path. He only had to work on constructing more spells and becoming a Ninth-level Spell Caster as soon as possible. After that, he would begin fusing Spell Models, and his power would fly off the charts in no time.

"Saturn's Mind Power is not bad as well. How does he train it?"

Merlin now suffered from a lack of Mind Power. His Mind Power was in fact very powerful, and his Mind Heart had been compressed according to his liking so that it would be able to take in more Mind Power. Nonetheless, his Seventh-level Mind Heart would have to reach its limits at least for him to be able to construct six Sixth-level spells.

"Wizard Saturn? When he came to Arcane City, he had attempted the Mind Tower as soon as he can."

Beside Merlin, Wizard Arrot overheard Merlin's mumble and replied softly.

"Huh, what's the Mind Tower?" Merlin inquired curiously.

"The Mind Tower was personally erected by the Ultimate Arcane Wizard. It has eighteen floors in total, and each floor has a challenge aimed at the Spell Caster's Mind Power. Once you've completed the tower, your Mind Power would be honed and increased quickly. This is faster than Meditation, but each attempt to challenge the tower requires a hundred Adventure points."

"Adventure points? How many of those do I have now?"

Merlin asked Arrot. He assumed that Adventure points were not that different from the Dark Magic Region's contribution points, but Arcane City was obviously more generous and open by giving the Potential Wizards access to almost everything it had. It just depended on whether those Potential Wizards could obtain the sufficient Adventure points to gain access to them.

"So how many points do I have now?"

Merlin was estimating that he should have been awarded at least some Adventure Points what with his exceptional talents and twelve Perfect-graded Spells.

However, Arrot smirked. "Potential Wizards who've just arrived at Arcane City have no Adventure points. You would have to venture out yourself to gain them!"

"Not a single point?"

Merlin blinked. It seemed that he had misunderstood the meaning of these "Adventure points."

Chapter 519: Honing Mind Power II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After a moment of consideration, the three elected Spell Casters stepped into the third floor first. Merlin drew in a deep breath and finally let go of his hesitations. This was a free chance to enter the Mind Tower which was not easy to come by. Naturally, he must not give up halfway.

"Swish."

Thus, Merlin stepped into the third floor as well.

The walls of the third floor consisted of a large mirror all around. From the mirror, Merlin could see his surroundings very distinctly. The three Spell Casters looked around in astonishment as well. They were completely surrounded by the gigantic, glossy mirror which even extended under their feet and above their heads.

The third floor of the Mind Tower was evidently a room covered in a mirror.

Merlin furrowed his brow, not knowing what mysteries the third floor contained. He might as well sit on the floor and wait silently.

Who knew how long it was before Merlin felt a sense of fatigue, following which he gradually fell into a deep sleep. This happened unwittingly, and not even Merlin noticed it.

In his dream, Merlin had returned to Blackwater City in the Kingdom of Light. Back then, Blackwater City was controlled by the Kingdom of Light. Merlin and his father, Old Wilson, had rebelled spiritedly, finally saving the people of the Wilson clan.

However, in the dream, everything seemed as before, only the development of events was a world of difference from what had originally happened. Merlin was one step too slow and Wilson Castle was reduced to ashes. Macy and numerous others from the Wilson clan had died pitifully inside Wilson Castle.

Merlin was endlessly remorseful. Thereafter, he even saw his father, Old Wilson, collapsed before his own eyes. He was powerless to redeem the situation, powerless to save the entire Wilson clan.

This dream was like reality, clawing at the depths of Merlin's heart. A swell of indescribable sorrow rose up within Merlin, and without realizing it, two streams of tears had run down Merlin's cheeks.

"No, this is all an illusion! It's false, for I've transformed the Wilson clan!"

Merlin trembled inside. He had unconsciously fallen into an illusion. Ever since he had Darkness Heart, in addition to powerful Mind Power, it was hard for him to be trapped in an illusion.

However, he was caught in an illusion this time without noticing it. Moreover, there was no sense of incongruity as if everything was real.

Merlin glanced at his "self" in the mirror. His face was still streaked with tears. It was the first time Merlin had seen himself "crying".

"Everything in the dream is another outcome…"

Merlin carefully recalled his entire dream. It was strange that even the tiniest details in the entire sweep of things could be brought to mind distinctly. Now that he replayed it in his head, he felt a sense of misery.

Suddenly, Merlin noticed that his Mind Power had grown by some amount. He immediately thought of another possibility.

"Could it be that the third floor of the Mind Tower uses 'sorrow' to stimulate Mind Power, increasing Mind Power in that manner?"

Most people, when experiencing great joy or sorrow, would cause their Mind Power to fluctuate immensely. However, this was only for most people. Even if one became a Spell Caster, elation and grief would still increase Mind Power, only it was too negligible.

Merlin did not expect that such a basic concept would be magnified countless times over in the Mind Tower. It followed that his Mind Power would grow by a huge amount.

Merlin looked toward the three Spell Casters once again. They still had not awakened, and their faces gripped by incomparable sorrow since long ago. They must have surely fallen into deep grief. Under such circumstances, their Mind Power would greatly increase when they awoke.

Merlin lowered his head in a pensive manner. He had gained a general understanding of the function of the Mind Tower. It was marvelous indeed. At first, it used the most direct stimulation of pain, after which was emotional stimulation. Although these were the most rudimentary ways of stimulating Mind Power, they were magnified without limit in the Mind Tower. Of course, the effects were much better.

Merlin, for instance, had Mind Power and willpower which were too strong. Conversely, he was not suited to boost his Mind Power in the Mind Tower. In here, one should sink absolutely into the illusion, and experience unmatched sorrow, to increase Mind Power.

Merlin drew in a deep breath. The grief of his dream, now that he thought about it, was still aching faintly. He really did not wish to face that level of sadness once more.

However, for the sake of his Mind Power, Merlin could only choose to fall into the dream completely. Therefore, he closed his eyes lightly and immersed himself totally into the dream, experiencing that heavy misery. His Mind Power began to slowly, steadily expand…

The third floor, the fourth floor, the fifth floor…

Merlin slowly and steadily ascended throughout his journey. The three Spell Casters who had attempted the Mind Tower with Merlin had reached the seventh floor long ago but were unable to hold on at the seventh floor. At last, they left the Mind Tower.

As for Merlin, he was still one step behind. On each floor, he would engage completely in the dream with no efforts of resisting, allowing the Mind Tower to shape his dreams.

In the dream, Merlin went through all sorts of ecstasies and griefs, all of which were very realistic, based on everything that Merlin had experienced in the past. Only then would Merlin feel as if it really happened.

Of course, there were many benefits to this. The most direct advantage was that Merlin's Mind Power was rising sharply, all the way to the eighth floor.

The eighth floor was where the plump Wizard Arrot had reached. Merlin looked around curiously. It seemed to be a plain room with nothing special.

"I wonder what kind of dream it will be this time?"

Merlin was slightly looking forward to another dream. His current attempt to complete the Mind Tower had allowed his Mind Power to flourish rapidly. It was nearly at its limits. After a few more floors, it might reach the limits of the Seventh-level Mind Heart.

Such a growth rate was even faster than consuming potions. Of course, it was not as quick as divinity as it was a treasure which even Legendary Wizards would need, and was very rare. Unless one literally suppressed a god, it was difficult to obtain divinity.

Furthermore, even if one had suppressed a god, without the ability to overwhelm, the god could rely on the power of divinity to defy the Great Legend, not letting a Spell Caster obtain divinity so easily.

Thus, besides divinity, this Mind Tower was very helpful for honing the Mind Power indeed.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, as Merlin was waiting to fall into a dream, he felt his mind quake as if a huge explosion had occurred. Following that, Merlin felt that his Mind Power seemed to be forcibly sucked out by countless tentacles.

This sensation was incomparably unendurable. Even Merlin could not help but take in a cold gulp of air, and constantly drew in thin breaths, trying to lessen the pain. Nonetheless, this pain only grew in intensity, which was difficult for Merlin to bear.

What was even more dismaying was that Merlin was unable to perceive what was this mysterious energy, draining his Mind Power just like when the seventh floor of the Mind Tower had pulled him into a dream.

"No wonder that Arrot was unable to take it and could only make it to the eighth floor."

Merlin broke out into a bitter smile involuntarily. This method of directly draining one's Mind Power was far too excruciating. All at once, he had lost his Mind Power, and Merlin's entire person became incomparably fragile.

Mind Power was a crucial part of a Spell Caster. Even when Merlin had used his Mind Power excessively in the past, his Mind Power had never been completely sucked out like how it was now.

The effects of his Mind Power being vacated were evident. Merlin was now unable to wield an Occult Mind Spell or cast spells by stimulating his Spell Models with Mind Power.

In short, Merlin currently had many powerful but worthless techniques which he was unable to utilize.

Once Mind Power was gone, the resulting effects were rather terrifying. Currently, Merlin was filled with a lingering fear. He could think of nothing else but to begin meditating. Although this was slow-paced, he was able to recover some Mind Power.

As expected, after some time had passed, Merlin's Mind Power was gradually replenished but as soon as that happened, the mysterious energy sucked out his Mind Power once again.

Again and again, in torturous cycles, Merlin stayed on the eighth floor of the Mind Tower for three days. Each time his Mind Power was vacated, his Mind Power would increase significantly once it was recovered.

At the moment, Merlin's Mind Power was nearly at its limits, lacking by just a margin.

"Boom!"

When Merlin's Mind Power was sucked out once again, he could even distinctly feel a fulfilling sensation. Yes, a fulfilling sensation. His Mind Power was slowly recovering as if a tiny stream had appeared in a dried-up riverbed, which would quickly turn into a surging river, overflowing to the heavens.

At last, when Merlin's Mind Power was recovered, it had already reached the limit. Merlin felt that no matter what, as long as his Mind Heart remained at the Seventh-level, he could not possibly add more Mind Power.

The eighth floor no longer served Merlin any purpose. Without any hesitation, Merlin immediately went up to the ninth floor!

On the ninth floor, Merlin closed his eyes slightly, wordlessly enjoying the fulfilling sensation of the Mind Heart. This time, his Mind Power was exuding gradually in invisible fluctuations.

"Four Hit Strike!"

Merlin's eyes flew open as if automatically. Merlin's Offensive Occult Mind Spell could finally wield Four Hit Strike after his Mind Power had reached the limit of the Seventh-level Mind Heart.

Once his Occult Mind Spell had attained the Four Hit Strike, Merlin had another technique in his arsenal which was on par with Ninth-level Spell Casters. This was the only powerful technique, subsequent to spell fusion, which was comparable to Ninth-level Spell Casters.

As for the rest, like Glacier Country, Perfect-grade spells, Fusion Pandora Demon Ability, and even the fourth form of Darkness Eye, they were only at the stage of peak Eighth-level. They had no way of holding up against Ninth-level Spell Casters and did not pose a large threat to such Spell Casters.

"The Mind Tower is truly a great place!"

Merlin was somewhat unwilling to leave the Mind Tower. This place was essentially the finest place to cultivate Mind Power.

"I wonder what method the ninth floor of the Mind Tower would use to hone Mind Power?"

Merlin began to turn his attention toward the ninth floor. Up until now, he had not seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary on the ninth floor. However, out of vigilance against the Mind Tower, Merlin was still very cautious, not daring to let his guard down in the slightest.

Chapter 520: Profit

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Swoosh."

Just when Merlin was bored stiff, something finally happened on the ninth floor of the Mind Tower. An old man dressed in black appeared suddenly. Merlin immediately became nervous. He could sense from the Elemental fluctuations of the old man, that this person was a powerful Spell Caster.

In the Mind Tower, other than the other challengers, Merlin had never encountered other Spell Casters. This old man was obviously not another challenger.

"Challenger, you've entered the ninth floor of the Mind Tower, so we'll go by the rules of the ninth floor. Your Mind Power is formidable, and your Mind Heart has reached the limits of the Seventh-level. Moreover, you're a Mind Power Master."

Merlin felt a jolt of surprise. He did not think that the old man in black would be able to learn of his attributes in just a glance.

The old man in black shook his head, and said with a detached expression, "There's no need to look at me like that. It's not I who can discern your secrets but the Mind Tower which was built by the Great Ultimate Arcane Wizard. In here, no one can hide anything."

It turned out it was the Ultimate Arcane Wizard who had ascertained everything. Merlin sensed that although this old man made Merlin feel extremely intimidated, he himself was not that powerful of a Wizard, and should be merely at the Ninth-level.

"You are…?"

Merlin was somewhat unsure about what was odd about this Ninth-level Spell Caster.

The old man in black fixed his gaze on Merlin and said immediately, "Other than a Spell Caster, I have another identity. Like you, I'm a Mind Power Master! It must be said that Mind Power Masters are most authorized to speak about the honing of Mind Power for we're the ones with the most incisive understanding of Mind Power. The Ultimate Arcane Wizard placed us in the Mind Tower to hone the Mind Power of Potential Wizards like you."

Merlin's heart leaped. He did not expect to meet another Mind Power Master. The level of threat this old man posed was clearly not as intense as Wizard Ossais, and his abilities were surely not as strong as Ossais', but his achievements in Mind Power were surely impressive too.

"How will you hone Mind Power?"

Merlin asked meekly.

"It's simple. I'll retain my Mind Power to the level of most Ninth-level Spell Casters and battle with you. It'll be a battle purely of Mind Power skill. Spell and Occult Mind Spells aren't allowed to be used."

The words of the old man in black caused Merlin some doubts. A challenge purely of Mind Power skill – what did this have to do with expanding Mind Power?

As if he sensed Merlin's misgivings, the old man laughed coldly. "After the challenge, you'll know!"

With that, the old man made the first move by mobilizing his Mind Power, which quickly turned into a formless sledgehammer, smashing toward Merlin ruthlessly.

Merlin, who was highly sensitive to Mind Power, was naturally able to tell that the old man in black had made his move. His opponent was wielding a Mind Power attack that was formed on the basis of the average Ninth-level Spell Caster's Mind Power.

Merlin's current Mind Heart had reached the limits of the Seventh-level, coming infinitely close to most Ninth-level Spell Casters in terms of Mind Power. Therefore, he activated his Mind Power instantly which turned into an unseen Mind Power net. Layer by layer, he tried to entangle his opponent's Mind Power sledgehammer.

"Chi."

The old man's Mind Power rapidly transformed into a sharp dagger that slashed open Merlin's net. Following that, his Mind Power crashed heavily into Merlin at the highest speed.

"Bang!"

Merlin's body was immediately sent flying and he fell painfully onto the ground.

The old man in black shook his head slightly, saying in disappointment, "This won't do. You're not flexible in the slightest. Utilizing Mind Power isn't that simple! This is already the first time, and you only have three chances on the ninth floor of the Mind Tower. Once I defeated you three times, you'll be sent out from the Mind Tower."

Merlin stood up slowly. In that previous hit, he had secretly cast Enervating Halo, so the old man's attack did not cause him considerable damage.

As for the lack of flexibility that the old man mentioned, Merlin understood clearly. Merlin's use of Mind Power was clumsy indeed. Even when he had looked for Ossais, it was to learn Occult Mind Spells.

In the present, once he was not allowed to use Occult Mind Spells, Merlin was practically at the level of a "rookie" in terms of using Mind Power.

"If it's solely Mind Power skill, what use does it have toward increasing Mind Power?'

Merlin did not hastily rush into battle. Instead, he carefully pondered the matter. This was the Mind Tower, and its most vital function was to hone Mind Power, inducing remarkable advancements in Mind Power.

Thus, this was definitely not just a mere battle of Mind Power skill. There must be another objective that Merlin had not noticed.

Therefore, Merlin began to think back to every movement of the old man in black. Every gesture and every word that he said were now incessantly flashing across Merlin's mind.

"Again!"

Merlin thought about this for a long time then suddenly stood up. Without further explanation, he mobilized his Mind Power. Invisible Mind Power arrows filled the air, coming from all directions, racing wildly toward the old man in black.

Moreover, there was no angle of escape, and it would be difficult for the old man to evade.

"Heh? Mind Power can also turn into a storm."

The old man's Mind Power, by quickly whirling at an unimaginable speed, took shape as a windstorm in an instant, whistling as it scattered Merlin's Mind Power arrows all at once.

As for Merlin, he was defeated once again. It was the same Mind Power as before with hardly any differences. Although Merlin had the advantage of the first strike, he was still unable to be of any threat to the old man in black. His opponent's storm was not an Occult Mind Spell but simply a pure use of Mind Power skill.

"You have one last attempt."

After saying this to Merlin, the old man in black quietly closed his eyes.

He was left with only one chance but Merlin was wild with joy. He finally knew the old man's intentions. Using Mind Power in such a direct manner as an arm would move a finger, could only be done by completely fusing Mind Power into one's consciousness. At a single thought, Mind Power can be wielded as if by instinct.

Instinct – Merlin finally grasped that his Mind Power must be merged with his instincts, becoming instinct itself. In that manner, his Mind Power would flourish greatly.

"Once again."

Finally, Merlin understood the secret of the ninth floor. Thus, he challenged the old man in black once again. This time, he industriously fused his Mind Power with his instincts, but this was not something that could be accomplished in a day.

"Bang!"

Merlin's body was sent flying once more but a smile had dawned upon the old man's face. "Not bad, you've realized this so quickly. Still, you've failed three times and must leave the Mind Tower. I'll look forward to your next visit!"

"Whoosh."

As soon as the old man in black spoke, Merlin felt his entire being shimmer once, following which he appeared outside of the Mind Tower. Arrot, who had been waiting outside for a long while, asked in exhilaration, "Wizard Merlin, you've made it to the ninth floor?"

Merlin glanced at the Mind Tower. It was a wonderful place indeed. The ninth floor of the Mind Tower had taught him a method to increase Mind Power. Nonetheless, his Mind Power was truly inferior to Wizard Saturn's by some degree as he had only made it to the ninth floor.

"I've only made it to the ninth floor… However, this time I've profited greatly. Let's go, I'll come again next time."

Merlin looked up at the Mind Tower which had sixteen floors in total. He had only made it to the ninth floor with seventh floors left to go. Those would surely be amazingly beneficial toward the honing of Mind Power.

Therefore, Merlin was already eager to attempt the Mind Tower once more. However, before doing so, he would have to obtain a huge sum of Adventure points.

Chapter 521: The God-binding Disc

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

What did Arcane City really have? Why would countless genius Spell Casters wish to enter Arcane City?

Ever since Merlin had attempted the Mind Tower, he had a dim understanding of why generations after generations of genius Wizards would come to Arcane City by any means possible.

One would have everything that one needed, for instance, Merlin's Mind Power which had been troubling him. He was able to challenge the Mind Tower, each floor offered Merlin some stimulation, expanding his Mind Power in that manner.

Now, Merlin was training to fuse his Mind Power with his instincts. Once he had done so, Merlin's Mind Power would flourish swiftly, and might even break through to an Eighth-level Mind Heart instantly. In addition, he would then be able to complete the ninth floor of the Mind Tower.

Moreover, Arcane City had many other great items such as casting tools. Arcane City was known to be a place where one could find any casting tool.

Merlin gave it a try. As of now, he had only used very few casting tools because most casting tools were not worth his while.

The only exception was the Assembled casting tool, which was still incomplete. Merlin had not paid the Bell Space any attention for a long time.

As for Wizard Bell, Merlin had even deliberately looked him up in Arcane City. There was a very comprehensive set of information regarding powerful Wizards in Arcane City, which was free to access. Only Arcane City could have something like this.

From this information, Merlin found out some facts about Wizard Bell at last. Wizard Bell was previously a Great Alchemist of the Molta Empire royal family. At that time, he was a Great Legend and was reputed to be the foremost Great Alchemist in the Molta Empire.

As for the Assembled casting tool, it was first created by Wizard Bell. In the field of alchemy, Wizard Bell had always been a pioneer. In general, a large portion of alchemy was gradually developed and refined thanks to Wizard Bell.

However, during the war between the mysterious dimension and the civilization of Spell Casters, the fires of war burned the Glorious Land, and the Great Alchemist Wizard Bell died there.

These were details about Wizard Bell. Merlin was deeply moved when he learned this. Back when he had obtained the components of the Bell Space, he had vaguely sensed that these casting tools were not that simple.

This turned out to be true. Although Wizard Bell was the first to create Assembled casting tools, the one which he was proudest of throughout his life was the God-Binding Disc. It was assembled from nine casting components, and each component was an individual casting tool. They could become various sorts of new casting tools when combined in different ways.

This was the unique characteristic of Assembled casting tools.

Merlin became excited when he learned about the God-Binding Disc, so he looked up descriptions of it. The God-Binding Disc was the most powerful casting tool transfigured by Wizard Bell, one with supreme might, and was formed from nine individual casting tools in total.

Back then, Wizard Bell had become a Great Legend by consolidating a Fire-type Maxim, and ultimately that was the only Maxim he created. However, he focused all his efforts into alchemy and transfigured the God-Binding Disc. Thereafter, he was able to use the God-Binding Disc to suppress natural gods.

Even if some natural gods were stronger than Wizard Bell himself, possessing divinity transformed from the endless power of faith and being nearly immortal, once the God-Binding Disc was wielded, the formidable natural gods were subdued one after another.

It was because of such prowess that Wizard Bell was unreservedly recognized as the foremost Great Alchemist, even in the Molta Empire which was brimming with talent.

Other than Wizard Bell, there were no Great Alchemists who had such splendid results in battle. The God-Binding Disc, as wielded by Wizard Bell, was able to suppress six natural gods in all.

"God-Binding Disc?"

Merlin's heart leaped. He had acquired three casting components which formed the Bell Space. This Bell Space was marvelous as well, possessing some mystical powers.

Therefore, Merlin wondered if the three casting components he had were components of the God-Binding Disc?

Thus, Merlin continued inquiring about the God-Binding Disc. In Wizard Bell's hands, the God-Binding Disc had exploded with terrifying strength. However, after a great war erupted between the Glorious Land and the mysterious dimension, not only did Wizard Bell die but even the God-Binding Disc was lost.

According to rumors, the God-Binding Disc had been broken up into nine most basic casting components, scattered throughout the lands.

"God-Binding Disc!"

There was a feverous fire in Merlin's heart. He increasingly believed that his Bell Space was, in fact, three of the casting components making up the God-Binding Disc.

Arcane City reputedly had the richest supply of casting tools and other alchemy products, along with some rare, strange treasures. Merlin began his inquiries, actively seeking out the casting tools of Wizard Bell.

As the leading Great Alchemist of the Spell Caster's most glorious era, Wizard Bell had many casting tools which were widely circulated. After a brief search, Merlin figured he might as well ask about the components of the God-Binding Disc.

As a sacred place created by the Ultimate Arcane Wizards, Arcane City was the hub of the entire Spell Caster civilization. The three great Arcane Cities were the most secure fort of the Spell Caster civilization, and the places which would preserve the spark of civilization if the Spell Caster civilization was ever endangered.

Therefore, the three great Arcane Cities had everything one would ever need.

As Merlin enquired about the God-Binding Disc, the Great Legends who watched over the countless casting tools and alchemy products of Arcane City did not find his questions strange. There were many Spell Casters who, like Merlin, had previously looked into legendary casting tools with powerful might such as the God-Binding Disc.

"There are only four casting components of the God-Binding Disc in Arcane City."

"Four?"

Merlin was slightly stupefied before his heart burst with elation. Initially, he had not hoped for four more components for it was too challenging to assemble the complete God-Binding Disc all at once. It was uncertain if he could assemble it as a few of those components might even have been completely destroyed.

Therefore, four components were already beyond Merlin's expectations.

"How many Adventure points would the four casting tools cost?"

Merlin asked immediately.

He was curious as to why not many Spell Casters were willing to purchase the renowned God-Binding Disc. Otherwise, these components would no longer be in Arcane City.

The Great Legends raised their head and eyed Merlin, then said calmly, "Each component of the God-Binding Disc requires five hundred Adventure points, so four components cost two thousand Adventure points in total!"

"What? Five hundred Adventure points?"

Merlin's mouth fell wide open. Five hundred points in addition to five hundred more would make a thousand Adventure points. That was enough to exchange for a first-rate casting tool in Arcane City.

Merlin's Aurora Ship, for example, specialized in speed. In truth, there were similar alchemy products in Arcane City, which merely required a little more than one thousand Adventure points.

Spell Casters with so many Adventure points would have purchased other first-rate casting tools. Who would waste their energy on four individual components?

The God-Binding Disc had a great reputation indeed but if it was just four components, they could not compare to other first-rate casting tools or alchemy products.

Moreover, these four components were damaged to different degrees and were not in perfect condition. With such defects, in addition to their costly price, it was natural that not many Wizards were willing to exchange for these four components of the God-Binding Disc.

Merlin was silent for a moment, then drew in a deep breath, and turned to leave right away.

These four components were costly indeed and were even "defective", not worthy of such a huge sum of Adventure points at all. Merlin had only been in Arcane City for a few days but he already understood how difficult it was to obtain Adventure points. In general, each mission might take months or even years, and one would only receive a few dozen Adventure points in return.

This was to say nothing of Adventure points above hundreds and thousands. In the eyes of most Potential Wizards, this was a huge fortune.

Nonetheless, Merlin had secretly made up his mind to acquire the four casting components of the God-Binding Disc. When combined, the four components might not be formidable, and might not even compare to Merlin's Aurora Ship, but Merlin also possessed three casting components that were very likely to be part of the God-Binding Disc.

With these three components, Merlin would have seven casting components of the God-Binding Disc. Although these seven parts might not form a complete God-Binding Disc, and would not have the full, mystical powers of the God-Binding Disc, they would surely surpass most first-rate casting tools. It was something only obtainable by sheer chance.

Therefore, Merlin was determined to get the four casting components of the God-Binding Disc in Arcane City!

"Oh, Adventure points. Without Adventure points, one's cultivation in Arcane City would surely suffer a great blow."

Merlin already understood the significance of Adventure points in Arcane City. The Mind Tower, the force field area, and so on, all required Adventure points to be used.

One must complete an adventure mission to gain Adventure points, which would only be awarded after the mission is completed.

Merlin was already familiar with many places in Arcane City. Of course, he knew about the Mission Tower too. The fat Wizard Arrot had previously introduced Merlin to most of the places in Arcane City, and the Mission Tower was one which Arrot had emphasized.

There was a considerable number of Spell Casters in Arcane City but because Arcane City was too big, it looked as if it was sparsely populated by Spell Casters. The only exception was the Mission Tower.

People came and went in the Mission Tower, and each day, there were many Spell Casters who went there. Among them, there were not just Spell Casters below the Seventh-level. Spell Casters above the Seventh-level and even Great Wizards were more common.

In Arcane City, anyone below the level of Legends could be considered a Potential Wizard, each of whom had a time limit of one thousand years in Arcane City.

Once those thousand years had passed, if one had not become a Great Legend, one would be sent by Arcane City to assist Great Legends in standing guard over other dimensions. After all, there were plenty of dimensions directly controlled by Arcane City, requiring the supervision of many powerful Wizards.

Of course, there were those who stood guard willingly. As long as a Potential Wizard had become a Great Wizard, they would usually be top-notch Great Wizards among the tens of thousands of dimensions. Great Wizards like these were able to voluntarily apply to guard the dimensions.

Moreover, based on how disorderly the dimension was, and how long one stood guard, Arcane City might give a great sum of Adventure points. This method was generally not very risky. One would just need to spend some time to obtain a lot of Adventure points.

Nevertheless, Merlin could not apply for missions like this as he was not a Great Wizard. He was not qualified at all to apply to guard dimensions, and could only take on other missions.

After stepping into the Mission Tower, Merlin glanced around casually. There were mostly difficult missions which would take a long time with only a few Adventure points as a reward such as capturing a foreign tribe.

Other than that, one could choose to enter the front lines and fight against foreign tribes directly. Missions of this sort were very hazardous, and even most Great Wizards would be at risk of dying.

If the resulting Adventure points were higher, Merlin would not mind the risk but these missions had comparatively fewer Adventure points. In comparison to the number of Adventure points Merlin would need to purchase the four components of God-Binding Disc, it was far too insufficient.

"There are many missions with over a thousand Adventure points, but those are far too dangerous for me. For instance, hunting down Great Wizards at their peak – I can't possibly succeed…"

Merlin furrowed his brows tightly. After going around the Mission Tower for a long time, he still did not see any mission that was appropriate and would satisfy him.

Chapter 522: The Strongest Team of Six!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Wizard Merlin!"

A clear, cold voice came from behind Merlin. He turned around and saw a familiar figure. It was Wizard Saturn.

"Wizard Saturn? You're about to go on an adventure mission too?"

Upon seeing Wizard Saturn, Merlin naturally thought of how Wizard Saturn had reached the eleventh floor of the Mind Tower. He must have enjoyed the sweet taste of progress, and wished to earn some Adventure points.

However, Wizard Saturn shook his head. "No, I came here expressly to look for you."

"Look for me?"

Saturn glanced around, then said gutturally, "We'll talk outside."

Following that, Merlin tailed behind Saturn, leaving the Mission Tower. When they were outside, Saturn said meaningfully, "Wizard Merlin, Arcane City has assigned a mission to us, the newest batch of Potential Wizards. As long as we complete the mission, we'll get two thousand and five hundred Adventure points."

"Arcane City has actually given us a mission automatically with such a rich prize? It mustn't be that easy."

Merlin was rather tempted indeed, but it was surely not so easy to get two thousand and five hundred Adventure points, so there must be a certain level of risk. Wizard Saturn did not deny this and nodded softly. "This mission is rather special indeed and is only suitable for us. As for the mission itself, there's a level of difficulty, and might possibly be dangerous. Still, with such a huge reward, the risk would be worth it."

Saturn's words really roused Merlin. Indeed, such a generous reward would be worth the risk. Moreover, Merlin had spent half the day wandering around the Mission Tower. Missions with high Adventure points were available but those were too difficult and could not be completed by Merlin at this point.

As for those which were slightly simpler with only a hundred or two Adventure points, Merlin might be confident in completing them but it would still take up a certain amount of time. Furthermore, by relying on these missions to obtain the necessary amount of Adventure points for purchasing the four casting components of the God-Binding Disc would take an unknown period of time.

"Tell me, what's the mission exactly?"

After a long pause, Merlin seemed to arrive at a decision. He was leaning toward accepting the mission. After all, two thousand and five hundred Adventure points was a rich reward that was rarely seen in missions.

Nonetheless, before that, Merlin had to be somewhat cautious, to first understand what the mission was.

Saturn's expression was as aloof as ever as he explained, "This mission is rather complicated to explain. Let's go, I'll bring you to meet the others. It's not just the two of us on this mission."

With that, Saturn brought Merlin to his residence, and as they walked, he told Merlin in detail about this mission.

Saturn mentioned again that the mission was special, only appropriate for Merlin and the rest. Of course, there was a reason behind this. Merlin slowly learned that within the countless dimensions in the Void Zone, besides the Spell Caster civilization, there were foreign tribes of an unknown number.

There were perhaps unique civilizations in each of the dimensions but the majority of these civilizations were confined to one dimension for they did not have the ability to set foot in the Void Zone.

As for the Spell Caster civilization, they had broken free of their dimension and traversed the Void Zone, in addition to controlling tens of thousands of dimensions. As a result, they had become one of the strongest civilizations within the Void Zone.

Of course, in the vast, boundless Void Zone, it was surely not just the Spell Casters who broke free of their dimension. There were other civilizations such as that mysterious dimension which waged an explosive war against Spell Casters, and civilizations whose beings were entirely different from Spell Casters. Their capabilities were on par with the Spell Caster civilization or even stronger.

As the Spell Caster civilization had produced three Ultimate Arcane Wizards and countless Legends, it finally won a place among the vast Void Zone. Nonetheless, it could not be considered the strongest. There were some foreign tribes with inherent differences from the Spell Caster civilization that were more or less at the same level.

When there were differences, there was bound to be conflict. Among the foreign tribes, the one which was currently in tense relations with the rest was the Rock Tribe.

The Rock Tribe was not living beings. They were a relatively formidable foreign civilization which had previously had some conflicts with the Spell Casters. However, after both sides had generally understood their opponent's strength, they no longer carried out wide-scale attacks but instead tried to restrain each other.

Nonetheless, in a few dimensions nearby both civilizations, the two sides were battling through overt and covert means. In one of these dimensions, both sides had agreed that fighters above the level of Great Wizard were not allowed to enter the Seely dimension. This agreement had lasted for a millennium.

However, in recent times, subtle developments had taken place in the Seely Dimension. Arcane City suspected that contenders which were at the level of the Rock Tribe's Great Wizards had infiltrated the Seely Dimension, noticeably plotting something.

In light of security considerations, Arcane City had decided to send Wizards into the Seely Dimension to ascertain whether the Rock Tribe was up to anything. Spell Casters who were Great Wizards or higher were naturally too sensitive hence they were not allowed to enter. As for average Spell Casters, they might not be of much use.

Therefore, only these freakishly, perversely powerful Spell Casters of Arcane City, who did not have high levels or significant influence, and who would go unnoticed would be best suited to investigate the Seely Dimension.

They just had to learn what the Rock Tribe was plotting in the Seely Dimension, then return to Arcane City, and their mission was considered complete.

Merlin listened to Wizard Saturn's explanation wordlessly. He had a more definitive understanding of this mission. It turned out that besides the Spell Caster civilization, there were foreign tribes that were on par with the Spell Casters.

Merlin had not seen such tribes, and while he was curious, he was also analyzing the potential dangers of this mission. In fact, this mission seemed rather simple but contained certain risks as the Seely Dimension laid between the Rock Tribe and the Spell Caster civilization. Although no Great Wizards from either side would dare to enter the dimension openly, there must have been an unknown number of surreptitious infiltrations throughout the thousand years.

This dimension had become a buffer zone of the covert and overt battle between the Rock Tribe and the Spell Casters. If the Rock Tribe was really plotting something, Merlin and the rest were very likely to be discovered if they went in and investigated. It followed that they would have to confront the fighters who were stealthily hiding in the Seely Dimension, who probably may be comparable to Great Wizards.

At that point, even Merlin, Saturn and the rest, who were each Demonic geniuses, would be in great danger.

"Wizard Saturn, are you confident that we'll come out of the Seely Dimension in one piece?"

Merlin could not help but ask. He saw that Saturn bore an unperturbed manner, his face calm and composed as if he did not think that this mission would be that dangerous.

"There's no guarantee of that but this is why I've gathered all of you. If we really encounter a fighter from the Rock Tribe, the combined abilities of all six of us will surely be enough to contend against them!"

Saturn's tone was firm and decisive and full of certainty. The six individuals he spoke of were Rael and the rest from that past match.

Rael, Seddon, and Olga – these three were Potential Wizards without backgrounds. Adding to this was Merlin, Saturn, and Vic. The six of them were the strongest team of six within this batch of Potential Wizards.

All six were truly geniuses among geniuses. With everyone put together, they were able to take on anyone at the level of a Great Wizard. It was not surprising that Saturn was confident in completing this mission.

After a long moment, Merlin nodded seriously. "For two thousand and five hundred Adventure points, it's worth the risk!"

Merlin had decided. At the same time, the rest nodded as well. Perhaps they had some reservations in their hearts but with two thousand and five hundred Adventure points dangling before them, no one would refuse.

Therefore, the strongest six of the newest batch of Potential Wizards in Arcane City joined forces temporarily for the sake of the mission, forming the strongest team of six.

With Rael and Saturn in the lead, the strongest team of six quickly left Arcane City, flying toward the Seely Dimension in the far distance.

Chapter 523: The Seely Dimension

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the icy blackness of the Void Zone, six beams of light whistled as they sped onward.

Merlin and the rest, making up a group of six, had been flying in the dark, chilly Void Zone for more than a month. Yet, they still had not reached the Seely Dimension. This indicated how far it was.

As a dimension that bordered the foreign tribe, it was natural for the Seely Dimension to be rather distant, even with Merlin's Aurora Ship. The ship, which possessed great speed, was the result of Wizard Mogan's request to Wizard Yatho who spent huge costs to abandon certain functions, focusing on its speed before it was transfigured successfully, achieving great speed.

Even so, the flying ship painstakingly transfigured by Wizard Yatho was still slightly inferior to the alchemy products and casting tools of Wizard Saturn and the rest, which were faster. Those tools even exuded a powerful force. It looked as if they were not just faster but were equipped with defensive and offensive abilities too.

Vic and Saturn were Spell Casters with the best backgrounds. They never seemed to run out of trump cards. No one knew what life-saving treasures they were gifted with by the Great Legends who supported them.

Saturn was backed by a top-notch Legend who had condensed four Maxims. In terms of background, Saturn was in the lead. Therefore, his treasure was the best. If he had flown with full speed, he would have left Merlin and the rest behind.

Merlin's Aurora Ship had decent speed, ranking behind Wizard Saturn and Wizard Vic. As for Rael, Olga, and Seddon, they were Spell Casters without backgrounds. Even though they were selected and recruited by Arcane City, they were naturally more than one step behind Saturn and the rest in terms of resources. Their casting tools were standard and the simplest, with a very slow speed of flight which was not even half of the speed of the Aurora Ship.

Nonetheless, in order to accommodate Rael and the rest, the team could only fly at a leisurely pace.

Merlin was rather rueful at the huge disparity between those with and those without backgrounds. Spell Casters backed by Great Legends, even if they did not enter Arcane City, would end up with significant achievements with a great chance of becoming a Legend.

Conversely, Spell Casters without backgrounds might rely on their gifts, and wait for opportunities to become a freakish Great Wizard. However, it was exceedingly difficult for them to become a Great Legend.

Back when Arcane City had not existed, a Great Legend would appear only once every century or so. After the Ultimate Arcane Wizards established the three great Arcane Cities, the Legendary Wizards of the Spell Caster civilization began to shoot up in numbers.

Those genius Wizards who had excellent talents but without good opportunities were absorbed into Arcane City, finally having the chance to become a Great Legend.

Merlin was now in the Aurora Ship with his eyes closed. He was mulling over how to turn Mind Power into a part of his instincts. After reaching the ninth level of the Mind Tower, he had learned a new way to increase Mind Power, which was to turn it into an instinct. In that manner, his Mind Power would grow in leaps and bounds.

Merlin's current Mind Power had reached a limit. He had the faint premonition that once he grasped how to change Mind Power into instinct, he was likely to break through that limit and achieve an Eighth-level Mind Heart.

To this end, Merlin had asked Wizard Saturn for guidance. After all, Arrot had mentioned that Saturn had reached the eleventh floor of the Mind Tower in one go.

Nonetheless, Wizard Saturn's reply was rather disappointing, and also astonishing. Saturn's method was a simple one. He had used his powerful Mind Power – just pure Mind Power – to defeat the mysterious old man in black without any Occult Mind Spells.

A method like this, in fact, did not bring any evident benefits to Saturn.

"Each floor of the Mind Tower must contain a deep meaning for Spell Casters. Only by understanding the function of each floor, would the Mind Tower serve as the best place to hone Mind Power."

Many thoughts spun across Merlin's mind. He knew deep down that forcibly rushing through the Mind Tower did not serve any purpose. One would not achieve the goal of honing Mind Power at all. In the ninth floor of the Mind Tower, what he had learned was to make Mind Power a part of his instincts.

Only then would his Mind Power be truly honed.

Besides honing his Mind Power in the Mind Tower, managing to raise his Mind Power to the limits of the Seventh-level was Merlin's biggest gain, just like how he had successfully cultivated the Occult Mind Spell Nine Hit Strike until Four Hit Strike.

In this manner, Merlin would be able to rely solely on Four Hit Strike to kill most Ninth-level Spell Casters. The Occult Mind Spell Nine Hit Strike and spell fusion – these two techniques were presently Merlin's strongest attacks. They were his aces up his sleeve, and he must not wield them so lightly.

Merlin glanced at Saturn, Vic, Rael, and the rest. These genius freaks were surely like him, each having their own hidden trumps. Once they were all wielded explosively, even a Great Wizard would have to momentarily evade the onslaught.

Saturn, in particular, had always induced a sense of threat in Merlin. Merlin did not know what frightening techniques Saturn was concealing, so although this trip to the Seely Dimension carried a certain degree of danger, the alliance of these six freakish Wizards greatly reduced the risk.

…

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."

The six beams of light continued their flight in the icy darkness of the Void Zone. In the blink of an eye, Merlin and the rest had flown in the Void Zone for three months, and this was with Flying casting tools. If they had solely relied upon spells to fly, it would have taken years.

"Look, there's a dimension!"

Rael's deep, clear voice rang out as he pointed at a source of blinding white light in front, which was covered in thick fog, just like a ball of mist. This was the archetypal appearance of a dimension.

Most dimensions were like these, hidden in a fog. Of course, this was not a fog but the unique dimension energy that each dimension possessed, radiating outside the dimension and protecting it securely.

However, although the overall strength of this dimension energy was formidable, the area in isolation was comparatively weaker. On average, Spell Casters above the Seventh-level were able to break through the dimension energy to enter the dimension.

Saturn took out a map of the dimensions and compared the dimension coordinates, following which he nodded assuredly. "That's the Seely Dimension!"

They had finally reached the Seely Dimension. Besides their joy, they also felt a sense of heaviness. They knew that this dimension was not so simple, and possibly contained endless dangers.

If one went beyond the Seely Dimension, one would be in the territory of the Rock Tribe. It was hazardous for Spell Casters to go there. After all, the Rock Tribe was similar to the Spell Caster civilization in terms of powerful abilities, having occupied countless dimensions. In the vast Void Zone, they were a relatively powerful civilization known as the Rock Tribe civilization.

Wizard Saturn and Wizard Rael stopped in their tracks in front of the Seely Dimension. They stared at the gigantic dimension with solemn expressions.

"Everyone should know about the general situation of the Seely Dimension. In fact, the civilization in the dimension is not primitive, so we must keep a low profile and be careful after we entered the dimension. After all, besides the Seely people of the dimension, there are members of the Rock Tribe hidden among them."

Wizard Rael said to the rest of them in grave tones.

"We'll follow the instructions of Wizard Rael and Wizard Saturn."

Merlin and the rest replied accordingly. This mission had a certain level of danger, and they must not be rowdy and disorganized. Among the six, Saturn and Rael had the greatest capabilities so with two of them in lead, there would not be much trouble.

"Very well, since everyone is ready, we'll enter the dimension."

With that, the group of six headed toward the Seely Dimension.

…

In the Seely Dimension, a horse carriage slowly trundled along a rocky road.

In the carriage, there sat a lady in the prime of her youth, with a graceful figure and beautiful features, accompanied by a female guard who was dressed in the skintight apparel of a warrior.

"Ziwei, do you think that Father will marry me off to the Kingdom of Seeway this time?"

A fatigued look came over the young lady's face as she asked softly.

The female guard who was called Ziwei maintained her poker face. She was holding a blade and shook her head coldly. "This is a matter between His Majesty the King and Your Highness the Princess. I have no right to comment on this. However, His Majesty is furious about Your Highness' secret escape from the palace, and has ordered me to escort Your Highness back to the palace, and to request Your Highness to not do anything like this again."

It turned out that this young lady was a princess, one who had sneaked out from the palace. Now, this female guard was ordered to "capture" the princess and bring her back.

It was not surprising that this carriage was surrounded by knights who were armed to their teeth, enclosing the carriage rightly. Not even a fly would be able to get near.

Her Highness the princess suddenly revealed an unusual fury, yelling in a high-pitched voice, "Ziwei, I don't wish to return to the palace. Once I do, Father will marry me off to that seventy-year-old man from the Kingdom of Seeway. How many more years can that oldie live? One year, two years or three years?"

As she looked at the princess' furious face, Ziwei's cold gaze had involuntarily revealed a hint of warmth, following which she sighed. "Your Highness, His Majesty the King has no other choice. The Kingdom of Seeway has a Holy Knight whereas our Kingdom of Seeden has never produced a Holy Knight even today. If Your Highness isn't married to them, our Kingdom of Seeden would be destroyed imminently…"

"Holy Knight!"

Surprisingly, Her Highness the princess had calmed down. It was all because of that Holy Knight. Ever since the original Seely Empire collapsed and broke off into countless small kingdoms, there had been successive years of war campaigns but also days of peace and serenity.

However, after some kingdoms produced the strongest Holy Knights, everything had changed. Each kingdom was consolidating their power, ready to emulate the Seely Empire of days past, uniting all kingdoms.

"Ziwei, why can't our Kingdom of Seeden produce a Holy Knight? How I wish that the heavens would allow our kingdom to have a Holy Knight too. I'm willing to pay any price…"

Ziwei merely smiled. This was Her Highness the princess' naïve thinking. Holy Knights did not appear so easily. In the past centuries, after the collapse of the Seely Empire, there had been no Holy Knights. It was only in the recent decades that a few kingdoms had begun to produce a few Holy Knights continuously.

If Holy Knights were so easily created, someone would have emulated the Seely Empire and united the countless kingdoms, big and small, a long time ago.

"Your Highness, perhaps we'll be able to fulfill your wish!"

Just at this time, an intangible voice, which somehow sounded close to the ear, came into the horse carriage.

"Swoosh."

The female guard Ziwei immediately drew the long blade at her waist, eyeing her surroundings as watchfully as a tiger. However, besides Ziwei and the princess, there was no one else in the carriage.

Chapter 524: Princess Fleur

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Who's there?"

It was not just Ziwei but also the recently distressed princess who were on their guard.

There were only the princess and Ziwei in the horse carriage, so Ziwei pulled the curtain to one side and looked around. At this point, the entire convoy stopped, and the heavily clad knights gulped a mouthful of cold air, staring at the sky before them in utter astonishment.

They were faced with a few strangely dressed men who were standing in mid-air, blocking the path of the carriage.

"They can stand in mid-air. Only the powerful Sky Knights have such an ability!"

"Sky Knights, they must be Sky Knights, and there are six of them. Who sent them? Our Kingdom of Seeden only have four Sky Knights in total, and they're all the supreme Captains of their regiments."

"No matter who they are, prepare for battle at once. Even if they're Sky Knights, we must preserve the Royal Knights' glory!"

These heavily clad knights were filled with dread. The six Sky Knights induced in them an incomparable level of shock. These were powerful individuals second only to Holy Knights.

Although they were frightened, these heavily clad knights still guarded the carriage, and no one withdrew.

Ziwei who peered through the curtain was wearing an unpleasant expression. She could not figure out which kingdom would have the capability to dispatch six Sky Knights just to intercept Her Highness the princess?

This was too absurd a notion, and even Ziwei could not believe this.

"Your Highness, I'll try talking to the six powerful Sky Knights first, and ask them their origins."

With that, Ziwei leaped from the carriage suddenly, and a vivid green light surged up around her body like a halo. This was a rather mainstream cultivation method in the Seely Dimension – fighting spirit!

Ziwei was a Great Knight. If she had advanced further, she would become a Sky Knight, and able to walk on air. Ziwei was also the head guard of the royal family. With her escorting the princess, it should be a piece of cake yet, they had unexpectedly encountered these six mysterious Sky Knights in their journey. Even a Great Knight like her could only bow her proud head.

"Honorable Sir Sky Knights, may I ask what instructions you have for stopping us?"

Ziwei's manner was humble. Faced with six Sky Knights, there was nothing for her to be arrogant about. It should be known that in the Kingdom of Seeden, a Sky Knight would serve as Captain for a regiment.

The travelers in the sky were Merlin and Saturn and the rest. This group of six had just arrived in the Seely Dimension, eager to learn about the actual circumstances of this dimension.

Before their eyes was a princess of a kingdom. Naturally, they were the best candidates in terms of understanding the Seely Dimension.

Saturn eyed Merlin, and a rare smile tugged at his mouth. "Wizard Merlin, I'll have to trouble you now to use your Darkness spell and quieten these people for a moment."

Merlin nodded then raised one arm, following which the entire area seemed to darken. Darkness descended instantly and shrouded the entire convoy, and everyone within was caught in a boundless illusion.

"It's done. They're in the illusion. We can ask them anytime we like."

Merlin led Saturn and the rest into the darkness. With one light wave of his hand, Her Highness the princess leaped from the carriage like a puppet. Together with Ziwei, she came before Merlin and the rest.

"Wake up!"

Merlin softly commanded both of them. There was a snap in both their minds, like a clap of thunder, and the boundless illusion vanished instantly. Both of them recovered their senses rapidly.

"What happened to us earlier?"

The princess looked at the surrounding sweep of darkness. Her heavily clad knights had descended into a dream and were unable to hear her at all.

Ziwei, on the other hand, appeared much calmer. She pulled the princess close to her and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, there's no need for panic. These are the Sky Knights."

However, as Ziwei looked around at the darkness, she knew that not even Sky Knights were able to achieve such a peculiar effect. All at once, she did not know how to handle the situation.

Saturn stared at the princess and said coldly, "Your Highness, I've said that we'll be able to fulfill your wish. Are you really willing to pay any price?"

The princess was rather stunned before she remembered her causal words, saying that she was willing to pay any price if only the heavens would allow her Kingdom of Seeden to produce a Holy Knight.

Could these people really be Holy Knights?

"Are you Holy Knights?"

The princess asked somewhat incredulously.

Saturn smiled in response. Of course, they knew about the Holy Knights of the Seely Dimension. Most Sky Knights were equivalent to Seventh-level Wizards, the most ordinary kind of Seventh-level Wizards.

As for Holy Knights, that was a huge step forward. Strictly speaking, Holy Knights themselves were merely on par with average Ninth-level Spell Casters. However, the most important rite of becoming a Holy Knight was that one must tame a giant dragon.

In the Seely Dimension, there were grand creatures called giant dragons. In fact, these giant dragons were similar in some ways to Spell Casters, able to spit fireballs and frost and the like. Nonetheless, these were not spells but the dragons' natural abilities.

A giant dragon had extraordinary strength and an immense body. One giant dragon could easily wreck a sturdy city, so these dragons were considered creatures of the legends.

A few Sky Knights, who were at their peak, had wished to become Holy Knights. Other than having immense strength themselves, most importantly, they had to tame a giant dragon and ride the creature, containing terrifying powers of devastation as it soared across the horizon.

Based on their capacity for destruction alone, Holy Knights had reached the peak of Ninth-level Spell Casters who had fused a few types of Spell Models together.

The strongest Holy Knight in the history of the Seely Dimension was the Seely King who founded the great Seely Empire a thousand years ago. He was a Holy Knight whose powers reached unimaginable heights. The records of Arcane City even clearly indicated that the Seely King's powers were comparable to a Great Wizard.

Nonetheless, this was the sole contender of the Seely Dimension who was on par with Great Wizards. Moreover, if a civilization wished to step beyond their dimension and venture into the Void Zone, they must produce Great Legends.

Although the Seely Dimension had a Holy Knight who was comparable to a Great Wizard, they were unable to transcend their dimension and become a formidable civilization.

After the Seely King had passed away, very few Holy Knights appeared. Even when they did, they could generally only reach the level of Ninth-level Spell Casters at their peak, unable to compare to Great Wizards.

Merlin and the rest were each able to easily kill most Ninth-level Spell Casters. If they resorted to their hidden trumps, they were even comparable to peak Ninth-level Spell Casters who had begun to fuse spells.

Therefore, it was not too far off to say that Merlin's group of six were Holy Knights.

"Whether or not we're Holy Knights isn't important. What's important is that we can help you resist the Holy Knights' threat! You won't have to marry some other king."

Saturn's words spurred the princess' rush of excitement. She eyed Merlin and the rest, then bit her lips and asked cautiously, "What do you want to do?"

"Just tell us everything you know."

"It's that easy?"

"That's right, it's that easy!"

Wizard Saturn laughed and the princess laughed as well. Thus, Wizard Saturn began his inquiries, and the princess began replying in full and systematic detail.

The Seely Dimension had a long history, especially a thousand years ago when the Seely Empire had united the entire Seely Dimension. That was their golden age.

However, the Seely Empire had fallen a thousand years ago, breaking up into countless tiny kingdoms. Every kingdom began fighting, leading to a confrontation between the larger kingdoms.

Holy Knights had always been rare in every kingdom, and some kingdoms had not even produced one because Holy Knights were the strongest forces. One Holy Knight was equivalent to a million troops.

Once a kingdom had given birth to a Holy Knight, that kingdom was able to become mighty in one leap. In the past decades, a strange situation had occurred. Among a few kingdoms, Holy Knights began to emerge.

The neighboring kingdom of the Kingdom of Seeden, for instance, which was the Kingdom of Seeway, had produced a Holy Knight. Other kingdoms had even produced two or three Holy Knights. Currently, the number of Holy Knights from all the kingdoms was higher than it was hundreds of years ago.

The Kingdom of Seeway had given birth to a Holy Knight and was already restless, even voicing an intention to make their move against the Kingdom of Seeden. The king, in order to protect the Kingdom of Seeden, at least for a few years, was thus prepared to send the prettiest princess of the royal family, Princess Fleur, to the seventy-year-old king of the Kingdom of Seeway.

As a result, Princess Fleur had escaped from the palace and was now brought back by Ziwei.

"That's not right. This is unusual."

When Saturn and the rest heard about this, they already felt that something was wrong. The main peculiarity was those Holy Knights.

In the past centuries, the number of Holy Knights was small, but in recent decades, their numbers had increased many times over. Furthermore, certain kingdoms were stirring impatiently. Clearly, there was a trend of kingdoms intending to wage war and conquer other kingdoms.

Merlin frowned as well. He carefully recalled the information from Arcane City, especially data regarding Holy Knights. In the Seely Dimension, Holy Knights enjoyed a high status. In fact, the most difficult part of becoming a Holy Knight was the taming of the giant dragon.

Holy Knights themselves were merely a stronger version of Sky Knights. Hence, it was not so easy to tame a giant dragon. Many powerful Sky Knights had tried to do so, only for a majority of them to end up as a tasty snack in the dragon's mouth.

"What's odd about this is the giant dragons."

Merlin suddenly spoke. When Saturn and the rest looked at him, he continued saying in a low voice, "Sky Knights have to tame giant dragons to become Holy Knights. However, if someone was to capture these dragons and tame them in advance, then send them to the powerful Sky Knights, wouldn't they be able to produce Holy Knights on a large scale?"

"Capture the giant dragons?"

Merlin's words immediately cleared the mist before the eyes of Saturn, Rael, and the rest. They already vaguely understood what Merlin was implying. Besides Spell Casters, only the Rock Tribe who were hiding in the Seely Dimension would be able to easily capture giant dragons.

"Only by locating a Holy Knight can we learn whether the Rock Tribe is behind this."

Saturn and the rest had come to investigate the Rock Tribe's schemes in the Seely Dimension. To their surprise, they already had an investigative direction as soon as they arrived. If everything went smoothly, they would soon get to the bottom of the Rock Tribe's plans, and return to present their report.

Chapter 525: In the Palace

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the palace of the Kingdom of Seeden, King Roger wore a purple gold crown as he towered above in his throne, his eyes fixed upon Princess Fleur who was kneeling in the foyer below.

King Roger was very fond of this daughter. If it was not for the overbearing manner of the Kingdom of Seeway, he would not have wished to use such a plan to stabilize the situation.

After a long moment, King Roger unleashed a long sigh, and said slowly, "Fleur, the kingdom is now in hard times. Every day, the Kingdom of Seeway becomes more and more insistent in its goal to annex our Kingdom of Seeden. This is detrimental to our Kingdom of Seeden…"

King Roger was about to further persuade Princess Fleur when she suddenly lifted her head, and said with a calm expression, "Father, in my journey, I've met six powerful Sky Knights. They have a plan to defeat the Holy Knight of the Kingdom of Seeway!"

"Huh? Six Sky Knights?"

King Roger was astounded. He promptly shifted his gaze to the six strangers behind Fleur. These six men looked to be rather young but there was a distinct force exuding from them, just like when he was faced with the kingdom's Captains.

King Roger glanced at Ziwei, who nodded gently as well. This proved that what Princess Fleur said was true. Therefore, King Roger immediately smiled. Of course, six Sky Knights who would serve the Kingdom of Seeden were exactly what the king had been lacking.

"Six powerful Sky Knights, welcome to the Kingdom of Seeden. I can dub all of you as Grand Dukes!"

King Roger was not stingy with his titles, immediately conferring the rank of Grand Duke upon Merlin and the rest. Besides the king himself, this was the highest title. The Captains of the Kingdom of Seeden who were similarly Sky Knights were also Grand Dukes.

Merlin and the rest did not decline. They had discussed this beforehand. They must first establish themselves in the Kingdom of Seeden, and it would be best if they could assimilate. Becoming the Grand Dukes of the Kingdom of Seeden was undoubtedly the best way to assimilate into the Kingdom of Seeden.

Following that, Merlin and the rest were put up in the palace. They could stay there for now.

"Ziwei, what's all this about?"

After Merlin and the rest had left, King Roger summoned Ziwei and asked in a low voice.

Ziwei hesitated for a beat but did not cover up the truth. She recounted the appearance of Merlin and the rest in careful detail but she did not know of the subsequent secret plan agreed upon by Merlin's group and Princess Fleur.

"These six strong Sky Knights appeared out of the blue. Fleur said that they can deal with the Holy Knight. I wonder if that's true? Sky Knights defeating a Holy Knight – do you think that's possible?"

King Roger furrowed his brows and was somewhat at a loss of what to do. If Merlin and the rest truly had the ability to defeat the Holy Knight, then the Kingdom of Seeden would not have to bow its head to the Kingdom of Seeway.

As for the origins of Merlin's group, King Roger was not that concerned. In the past decades, Holy Knights had cropped up in various kingdoms which had been nobodies before that. As long as Merlin's group of six would assist the Kingdom of Seeden, it would be good enough. There was no need to learn about their origins.

Conversely, Ziwei appeared calm and collected. She said quietly, "Your Majesty, whether the six Grand Dukes can defeat a Holy Knight – if you summon the Captains and let them give it a shot, you'll find out, right?"

At Ziwei's suggestion, King Roger smacked his own forehead. That was right. The Kingdom of Seeden had four Sky Knights as well. All he had to do was let them try.

"Alright, Ziwei, you'd better go and watch over Princess Fleur. Make sure she won't sneak out of the palace in the meantime. I'll summon the four Captains at once."

With that, King Roger dismissed her with a wave of his hand. The foyer descended into silence once again, and a look of exhaustion washed over King Roger's face.

At this point, King Roger did not notice the ripples in the air which quickly vanished without a trace. In another spacious room nearby, the image of King Roger's recent conversation with Ziwei was displayed before Merlin and the rest.

Rael waved his hand and the image was cut off. This was a small spell of Rael's but it was rather handy when used against most people. If it was a powerful Spell Caster, they would notice the Elemental fluctuations at once, and the spell would be useless.

They saw that King Roger, in the image, had already summoned the four Captains of the regiments, who were all genuine Sky Knights. Evidently, he was planning to test whether Merlin and the rest truly had the power to contend against a Holy Knight.

This was the first step of their plan – to win King Roger's trust and gain a foothold in the Kingdom of Seeden.

"We've already made the first step. We'll establish ourselves in the Kingdom of Seeden. As for the investigation of the Holy Knights, we'll have to think about that after gaining our foothold."

Wizard Saturn spoke slowly. Although it looked like the people in the Seely Dimension did not have the power to be of threat to them, the Rock Tribe was hiding behind the scenes. They must keep a low profile, and being cautious was never a bad thing.

"Wizard Saturn, how are we dealing with those four Captains? They're all Sky Knights of this dimension. Perhaps Ziwei isn't able to tell the difference between us and the real Sky Knights. Even if she has some suspicions, that's all she would have, without any confirmation. However, to the four genuine Sky Knights, they would surely be able to tell that our powers are a world of difference from theirs. We'll have some problems then."

Merlin raised an inquiry.

"That's simple. We'll just use a puppet to fight for us."

Wizard Vic spoke suddenly, following which he promptly retrieved a puppet. This puppet was large and sturdy, but in general, it was shaped like a normal human. Moreover, the puppet was covered in a pitch-black armor, which gave an impression of callousness.

"Use a puppet? That's a good idea! Can this puppet compare to a Ninth-level Spell Caster?"

Puppets were not that different from humans. They did not cast spells but relied on the absolute strength of their bodies. This was similar to the cultivation system of the Seely Dimension. Although it would not have the unique fighting spirit of the Seely Dimension, this was not important. At worst, they could say it was a special cultivation method. Most likely, those Sky Knights would not probe further.

The most important concern was whether this puppet could defeat those Sky Knights. Most Sky Knights in the Seely Dimension were on par with Seventh-level Spell Casters. If they were more powerful Sky Knights, they could even compare to Ninth-level Spell Casters!

However, Vic merely laughed and said mysteriously, "Wizard Merlin, this puppet is my trump card. Before I entered Arcane City, my teacher had spent over a hundred years transfiguring it. When required, the puppet can even explode with the strength of a Great Wizard in a short burst."

Merlin's heart trembled. This was Wizard Vic's trump card. It was just a puppet, yet it concealed alarming strength which could match a Great Wizard in a short burst.

Nonetheless, Merlin could tell that Wizard Vic was being rather modest. This puppet could only be more powerful. At first, Merlin had been worried that they would be in trouble if those Holy Knights were more powerful or if they encountered a contender from the Rock Tribe.

Now, it seemed that the aces up the sleeves of these freakish Wizards far exceeded Merlin's imagination.

"Very well, since we have this puppet, we'll follow the plan."

With that, Merlin and the rest stayed in the palace, keeping a low profile at all times. They did not meet anyone and only walked about casually in the palace.

…

The palace garden was filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers. Merlin and Wizard Vic, dressed as knights, were sitting quietly on a stone bench, enjoying the scenery of the garden.

The Captains of the Kingdom of Seeden still had not reached the palace for now.

"There are no gods in the Seely Dimension?"

Merlin asked Wizard Vic. He felt that it was rather strange. Most dimensions would give birth to gods but he had not seen any traces left behind by gods in the Kingdom of Seeden nor any records of gods in the books.

Wizard Vic shook his head slightly in response. "Before coming to the Seely Dimension, I've looked up some information in Arcane City in preparation, so I partly know of their situation. In fact, there are gods in the Seely Dimension. Of course, powerful ones. However, a thousand years ago, due to the Seely Dimension's unusual location between the Rock Tribe and the Spell Caster civilization, each side had sent their best fighters. We've sent an Ultimate Arcane Wizard, and the Rock Tribe sent their most powerful Rock Ancestor. Both sides joined forces to soundlessly wipe out the gods of the Seely Dimension."

Merlin was shaken to his core. The equivalent of two Ultimate Arcane Wizards had attacked, and the gods of the Seely Dimension had been vanquished just like that, with barely a whisper.

Merlin did not say anything else but extended his Mind Power over the entire palace, and even stretched further to cover most of the capital city.

He could clearly perceive the stirring of the people's will in the capital. In great streets and small alleys, people were discussing the Holy Knight produced by the Kingdom of Seeway. Their words revealed their worries for the Kingdom of Seeden.

"Wizard Vic, take a look. These people are worried about the fate of the Kingdom of Seeden. Little do they imagine that their lives are already in our grasp as well as the Rock Tribe's."

Merlin said in a stupefied manner. The entire Seely Dimension was nothing more than a buffer zone between the Rock Tribe and the Spell Caster civilization. This dimension was totally unable to give birth to contenders who were at the level of Legends, forever incapable of reaching the Void Zone. Naturally, they had no way of escaping the fateful clutches of the two great civilizations.

"That's right. They'll never know that their destinies were controlled long ago. A kingdom may fall or another powerful one may rise. What meaning is there? This is the tragedy of weak civilizations. Ever since Spell Casters had exiled the gods from the Glorious Land and entered the Void Zone, we've witnessed many formidable civilizations. We knew on a profound level that if we don't grow stronger, our civilization would ultimately end up with the same fate as these puny civilizations."

Wizard Vic said ruefully. Merlin had a dim understanding of why the three Ultimate Arcane Wizards had taken the initiative in asking all Great Legends to sign the Legends' Accord as well as established the three great Arcane Cities.

It was to reduce the pointless internal conflict between Spell Casters, to constantly expand the overall strength of the Spell Caster civilization.

"Merlin, Vic, come to the foyer of the palace quickly. The four Captains of the Kingdom of Seeden have arrived."

Wizard Saturn's voice suddenly sounded into their ears. Both of their expressions turned apprehensive and they exchanged a glance, following which they rapidly headed toward the main foyer of the palace.