Chapter 361 - 198: A Gathering of Geniuses, a Monster’s Nest (2)

Chapter 361: Chapter 198: A Gathering of Geniuses, a Monster’s Nest (2)

Among the many participants in the Battle of the Holy Ring, such a level of strength was practically at the bottom of the barrel, completely unworthy of Gong Quanhai’s attention.

Of course, if they happened to meet during the Battle of the Holy Ring, Gong Quanhai wouldn’t mind defeating Pei Ze to avenge Red Lotus City’s previous loss in the tournament.

A flicker of ridicule crossed his eyes. Gong Quanhai retracted his gaze and scanned his surroundings.

When his eyes swept over a few figures in the crowd, his expression immediately grew solemn.

Noticing the change in Gong Quanhai’s demeanor, Yin Yao followed his line of sight, and his own expression turned serious as well.

"Wen Huachun, Fei Xian, and Ye Sinan. Those three are probably the strongest contestants in this year’s Battle of the Holy Ring."

"That’s right. Wen Huachun’s father is the president of the Silver Stream City Council, a powerful Wizard who has mastered the Rule of Storm. Wen Huachun inherited his bloodline and has had an extremely high affinity for the wind element since birth. I hear he’s already a Level 3 Crystalized Wizard and has even mastered the Heart of Wind Element. His power is immense."

"Fei Xian, on the other hand, comes from a Bloodline Clan. The blood of the Serasi flows through his veins. Not only is his physique incredibly tough, but he also has a strong immunity to Elemental Magic. He’s not much weaker than Wen Huachun."

"As for Ye Sinan, while she might be slightly weaker than the other two, she’s said to have an extraordinary gift for Plant Magic. She may have even mastered the Heart of Wood Element, so her combat prowess is not to be underestimated."

Gong Quanhai had clearly done his homework, recounting the details of his strongest rivals’ abilities as if listing his own prized possessions.

Yin Yao nodded inwardly as he listened.

He had done some research himself, and the information Gong Quanhai shared matched what he had learned.

All in all, this year’s Battle of the Holy Ring was a gathering of geniuses, teeming with powerful contenders.

There were no fewer than a hundred Level 3 Crystalized Wizards alone.

After all, the most outstanding members of the younger generation from the entire Star Realm Alliance had turned out for the event.

And among these Level 3 Crystalized Wizards, the most powerful were those like Wen Huachun, Fei Xian, and Ye Sinan—individuals who had either mastered a Heart of Elements or inherited the bloodline of an ancient creature.

Barring any surprises, the final victor of the Battle of the Holy Ring would surely emerge from their ranks.

At this thought, Yin Yao glanced at Gong Quanhai.

Although he and Gong Quanhai were also Level 3 Crystalized Wizards, they didn’t come from Bloodline Clans, nor had they mastered a Heart of Elements. In the grand scheme of this year’s Battle of the Holy Ring, they were second-tier at best. The chances of either of them taking first place by fighting alone were slim to none.

That was why he had agreed to Gong Quanhai’s proposal to team up.

Only by working together would they have any hope of defeating those chosen elites and claiming first place in the Battle of the Holy Ring.

Besides Gong Quanhai and Yin Yao, many others in the crowd were furtively sizing up the trio of Wen Huachun, Fei Xian, and Ye Sinan, whispering amongst themselves.

During this time, a dozen or so more Wizard Towers arrived, and young Wizards materialized on the plain one after another, joining the waiting crowd.

Watching this scene, Gu Yi couldn’t help but remark, "There are quite a few more people participating in the Battle of the Holy Ring this year."

Mo Weng nodded slightly. "Indeed. The last few competitions averaged only six or seven hundred people, but I hear there are over a thousand participants this year. Some Wizard Cities even sent more than ten people at once."

Pei Ze was secretly astonished to hear this.

The Star Realm Alliance had a total of two hundred fifty-six Wizard Cities. With over a thousand people, that averaged out to about four or five participants per Wizard City.

By that measure, Chenxi City was severely below average.

But this was mainly due to the preferences of the Rule Wizards in each Wizard City.

Some Rule Wizards were content with a simple life and disliked the burden of descendants, so they didn’t have any offspring at all—like the several Rule Wizards of Chenxi City, for instance.

As for the resulting gap in the younger generation of talented Wizards due to a lack of "chosen ones," that wasn’t their concern.

On the other hand, some Rule Wizards didn’t object to procreating and even established large families, with more than ten "chosen ones" who inherited their talent among their descendants.

The different approaches of various Rule Wizards had led to the current disparity among the younger generations of the different Wizard Cities.

’It’s not for me to say which approach is better,’ Pei Ze thought. ’After all, I can’t possibly fathom the thoughts of such powerful figures.’

’Perhaps only when I reach that level will I be able to understand their perspective.’

"The competition is especially fierce this year," Gu Yi remarked with a sigh.

Mo Weng gave a slight nod. Just as he was about to say something, his expression shifted, and he looked up at the sky.

At the same time, every Wizard on the plain seemed to sense something, their gazes turning skyward in near-perfect unison.

In that instant, thanks to the keen perception of elemental flows granted by his Heart of Elements, Pei Ze clearly felt an overwhelming and immense power gathering silently in the heavens above.

He looked up at the sky in astonishment. At some point, it had become filled with dark, heavy clouds. Streaks of lightning flickered within as the clouds churned, bizarrely coalescing at a visible speed into a gigantic cloud formation resembling the gaunt, aged face of a human, spanning who knows how many square kilometers.

As the Wizards watched with gazes of awe and shock, the face in the clouds slowly began to speak, accompanied by the silent, darting dance of countless thick bolts of lightning.

"Is everyone here?"

The voice was thunderous, booming like rolling thunder across the entire plain.

Pei Ze’s heart went cold. ’Even without having seen one before,’ he thought, ’I can guess that only a legendary Rule Wizard could possess such incredible power.’

The respectful expressions on the faces of veteran Wizards like Mo Weng and Gu Yi only served to confirm it.

"My Lord," an older Wizard stepped out from the crowd and said respectfully, "all one thousand and sixty-five participants have arrived."