Chapter 1132: Third Layer Closure (Part 2)

Chapter 1132: Chapter 908: Third Layer Closure (Part 2)

Duke spends most of his days in his room, repeatedly honing the Light and Earth Rules with those two Rule Fragments.

Vera occasionally visits, and they sit in the courtyard for a while, chatting about the auction and the Divine Fragment, so quietly that it’s almost as if the Path of Divine Revelation hasn’t ended yet.

Leon arrived earlier than expected, wearing the silver-white armor he brought from the battlefield when led into the banquet hall. Though the armor had some scratches, the Elf Attendants had carefully polished it.

Spotting Duke and Vera, he strode over and slapped Duke on the shoulder loudly, as if in a tavern: “I knew you two would definitely arrive at the fourth layer already, Duke, your points are unbelievable!”

This slap made several contestants who were whispering nearby turn their heads.

Leon didn’t care, pulled a chair to sit down, downed a whole glass of iced wine, and then started sharing his experiences from the past days.

He was transported to a very desolate area on the north side of the third layer around the fifth day, encountering several demigod-level demons along the way, barely escaping with the Holy Silver Incarnation.

Later, he found a few treasure chests and survived two rounds of gray fog, accumulating enough points to reach the fourth layer, patting his chest: “At least I survived and made it here.”

A few days later, Edmond arrived too.

He was thinner than before, paler, but seemed quite spirited, still walking with a straight posture.

After greeting Duke and Vera, he went to check with Leon about the situation.

From Edmond, Duke heard news about Adrian.

Adrian had terrible luck, encountering Rodrick in the third layer.

After just a few rounds of combat, Adrian’s Water and Fire Elemental Spirit was suppressed by Rodrick’s Flesh Rules, leaving Adrian heavily injured and forced to activate the Divine Revelation Mark to withdraw.

“Rodrick was extremely ruthless, as if venting,” Edmond said in a low voice, with a trace of anger.

Edmond continued, stating he had seen Morris before coming to the fourth layer, but Morris ignored him, disappearing in the black fog.

Morris indeed appeared on the last day, at the banquet on the eve of the third layer closing.

Morning Star Manor added two more side halls, doubling the size of the banquet.

Seventy-two Wizards, the final ones to reach the fourth layer, filed in, with Elf Attendants flitting among the long tables like butterflies.

The hall was buzzing with voices, forks clinking, glasses toasting, high talk mingling with whispers.

Since they had all passed through three layers and rested in the manor for a while, most people’s expressions were not as tense as initially.

Morris was the last to enter the hall. His gray robe was cleaner, but he was thinner to the point of distortion, with his eye sockets sunken.

He still disliked speaking, choosing a seat at the very edge, like a half-dry shadow.

Yet Duke could sense the aura of death around him had thickened, seemingly instinctively repelling people even without actively releasing it.

Vera softly remarked, “He’s stronger now.”

Duke agreed.

After Morris sat down, Duke glanced at Morris’s points from the Divine Revelation Mark. They weren’t high, clearly accumulated with minimal resources.

Morris had gained enormous benefits from the gray fog, though this advantage couldn’t be reflected through points.

To him, it seemed like he’d feasted in the third layer.

That aura didn’t deceive; for Morris, this month in the gray fog was not survival but an ideal opportunity for cultivation.

He’s now at Tier Three High Stage, subtly seeming to have half a foot stepping even higher.

The candlelight in the banquet hall was brighter than the night Duke arrived, with seventy-two Wizards spread around long tables pieced together, even round tables placed next to the gallery on the second level.

Elf Attendants glided silently among the crowd with silver plates, their skirts floating like petals.

Leon sat on Duke’s left side, quietly cutting the roast in front of him while talking low with Edmond about who snatched whose treasure chest in the third layer.

Vera remained silently seated on Duke’s right side, gently swaying her cup of fruit wine.

When Noah took the main seat, the noise in the hall naturally quieted.

Tonight he wore the same dark gray robe, with no extra decorations, only a simple silver clasp at the front.

His hair was silver-white as before, and his dark golden pupils in the candlelight were like two unfathomable ancient wells.

He raised his hand to stop the music, the Elf Musicians ceased their strings, bringing silence to the hall.

Outside the windows, the night was pitch-black, only the silver water screen in the courtyard shone brightly like an inverted river.

“Your presence here signifies you have passed the most difficult segment of the Path of Divine Revelation.” Noah’s voice wasn’t loud, but clearly reached every ear, “The third layer is closed; those who didn’t reach here have been returned to their origins by the Divine Revelation Mark. Congratulations, you’ve truly reached the end of this trial.”

Murmured laughter arose, with most people intently listening.

“Now comes the matter of most interest,” Noah paused, slowly sweeping the hall with his gaze, “Starting tomorrow night, Morning Star Manor will officially host the auction. Then, items from the list will be open for bidding in batches, with only your current points being the bidding currency. Remember, points spent during the auction won’t affect your final ranking.”

He raised his wine cup lightly toward the crowd: “The auction will last several nights, allowing ample rest and preparation time between. Go back and review the list, consider carefully what you truly need. For tonight, rest well.”

With that, he drank half his wine, signaling the musicians to resume playing.

The music restarted, and the hall’s atmosphere gradually relaxed.

Duke rotated his cup halfway, whispering to Vera, “We don’t start until tomorrow night; let’s reconsider the items we want to bid on tonight.”

Vera nodded, eyes involuntarily scanning several competitors sitting in different directions.

The auction hadn’t yet begun, but varying flames had kindled within these individuals’ eyes.

After the banquet, Duke, Vera, and Leon didn’t return to their rooms.

They moved through the courtyard, to a side hall lit by the silver water screen.

This place was much quieter than the main hall, with only two Elf Attendants cleaning glasses in the distance.

Just as the trio chose a round table by the window, Edmond and Morris arrived, one after the other.

Edmond maintained his calm and restrained manner, first pouring a cup of warm water before taking out the auction list.

Morris still chose the outermost seat, half his face hidden in the column shadow, as if just passing through.

Duke spread the auction list on the table, where several folded corners were already densely marked.

Vera took a hand-copied booklet from her sleeve, turned to a page, and pointed at a faintly annotated line, reading aloud: “Ancient Vine Marrow, sourced from the juice of the Demigod-level Ancient Vine Sacred Heart, naturally merges with the Wood and Water Dual Rules, greatly enhancing the activations of Plant Element Rules temporarily. It can also act as the main ingredient for top-tier auxiliary Magic Potions, starting price one million points.”

“That’s the one.” Vera closed the booklet, speaking calmly, “If my Thorn Domain continues advancing, ordinary Third-Level Potions and Rule Crystals don’t help much. Ancient Vine Marrow can bridge the most difficult level. If used to concoct a potion, perhaps I could reconstruct the core of my domain once more.”

Duke nodded and turned to Leon.

Leon placed his ever-present silver-white short sword at the table’s edge, arms crossed on the chair back, uncharacteristically serious: “There’s a piece on the list for me too.”

He pointed at a specific page of the auction list, “The core fragment of a Level 5 Abyss Demon, containing a trace of complete Dark and Fire Attribute composite rules. Our Holy Silver Breathing Technique breakthroughs can’t rely solely on Fighting Spirit; we must refine the core using Demon Power sourced during our ancestors’ battles, and this fragment is the one thing in the whole auction I can’t miss.”