Schklick!

  The silver spear pierced Monville's heart, pinning him deep into the unyielding stone floor.

  Pierce gazed upon the scene with indifference, his eyes as tranquil as an ancient well.

  In the desperate struggle that preceded this moment, neither he nor Monville had held anything back. Both had fought with the absolute resolve to send the other to the grave.

  Thus, even now that Monville lay defeated and dead, Pierce harbored not a shred of superfluous pity.

  Splash!

  The spear melted instantly, transforming into a sphere of liquid silver that returned to Pierce's side. However, it did not condense into a dormant orb. Instead, it fractured again into countless, densely packed needle-spikes, hovering in the air and pointing uniformly toward the exit of the corridor—poised to strike.

  "Wait! Please, hold your hand!"

  A slightly breathless voice rang out. Cecily stepped from the shadows at the end of the hall, her hands raised high to signal her lack of hostility.

  "Do not attack! I am merely passing through. I have absolutely no intention of making an enemy of you!"

  Cecily looked at Pierce with a bitter smile, though alarms were blaring at maximum intensity in her mind.

  She had been hounded by greedy competitors, fleeing in desperation until she stumbled upon this very spot—just in time to witness the climax of the duel between Pierce and Monville.

  Though she hadn't seen the entire battle, the image of Pierce using that terrifying Arcane Artifact to instantly execute Monville was burned into her retinas.

  Cecily’s mentor was the Dean of the Violet Academy. This privilege granted her access to secrets far beyond the reach of ordinary apprentices.

  Such as—Arcane Artifacts.

  To the uninitiated, that blob of silver liquid was merely a powerful magical item. But she recognized it at a glance: it was the Argent Star, a top-tier First-Order Arcane Artifact.

  Judging by the fluidity of its transformation, it had assimilated at least one rare metal alloy combination. Otherwise, its power could not possibly be so domineering.

  Such a weapon of mass slaughter, wielded by a master as unfathomable as Pierce... if he truly wished to kill her, she wouldn't last three rounds.

  Thinking this, Cecily cast a pitiful glance at Monville's corpse.

  That guy's luck was truly abysmal.

  Of all people, he had chosen to provoke Pierce—a monster wearing human skin.

  Had he targeted her or anyone else, with his strength and his Bloodline Family's trump cards, securing a Prismatic Gem would have been as easy as picking a fruit from a tree.

  Alas, there are no "ifs" in this world.

  "Look, my Prismatic Gem is still with me. I have no reason to act against you, right?"

  Cecily carefully shook the gem in her hand, striving to demonstrate her harmlessness.

  Pierce gave her a deep look. With a thought, the sky full of silver spikes retracted instantly, reforming into a bracer around his wrist.

  Seeing this, Cecily let out a long breath of relief, her back already soaked in cold sweat.

  Had Pierce truly decided to kill, she would have had no choice but to abandon the gem and activate her teleportation ring to flee this accursed maze.

  Just then, the sound of chaotic, hurried footsteps echoed from the distance.

  From the corner at the end of the corridor, a group of aggressive figures burst forth.

  Seven in total, dressed as adventurers with long robes over leather armor.

  Their greedy eyes first swept over Cecily, then landed on Pierce. Their eyes lit up in unison, revealing excited, cruel smiles.

  "An unexpected harvest."

  "Now there are two Prismatic Gems. The gods are truly favoring us."

  "Gentlemen, to the victor go the spoils. No objections, yes?"

  "Of course! Attack!"

  Listening to their foul plotting, Cecily glanced at the impassive Pierce, a strange expression forming on her face.

  Having reached a consensus, a burly, scar-faced man among the seven stepped forward. He pointed his battle axe at Pierce and shouted sternly, "Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over the gem—"

  Before he could finish, a younger companion suddenly lunged forward, clamping a hand firmly over the scar-faced man's mouth, choking back the rest of his words.

  "Mmph! Mmph!"

  The scar-faced man tore his companion's hand away, annoyed. "Have you gone mad?"

  But the young man looked as if he had seen an unspeakable horror. The sneer on his face had vanished, replaced by a terror that drained the blood from his skin.

  His trembling finger pointed at the ground, his voice lowered to a whisper. "Look... look at the corpse!"

  This reaction confused everyone, including the scar-faced man. They subconsciously turned to look at the body at Pierce's feet, only to find the pale, twisted face somewhat familiar.

  It looked like... Monville?

  Monville!

  A collective shudder ran through the group. Their eyes bulged, and a chill shot from their soles to the crowns of their heads.

  Silence.

  A suffocating silence instantly descended upon the corridor.

  After a long while, the scar-faced man struggled to break the silence, squeezing out a stiff smile that was uglier than crying.

  "A-apologies, my lord... I... I lost my mind for a moment. Please, do not lower yourself to my level."

  The others chimed in, their voices trembling.

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  "We didn't mean it. We're leaving. Rolling away right now."

  "You're busy. We'll vanish."

  "Excuse us. Farewell!"

  Without waiting for Pierce's response, the group turned and fled like stray dogs, wishing they had been born with two extra legs.

  Their wretched appearance would make anyone think an ancient demon was chasing them.

  Cecily watched this scene, a mocking sneer curling her lips.

  A bunch of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong.

  They were ferocious when chasing her, but the moment they faced Pierce, they turned tail and ran, exposing their ugly nature.

  However, she could understand their fear.

  Anyone who saw an apprentice who had solo-killed Monville while remaining unscathed would feel a tremor in the depths of their soul.

  Unless one's brain was waterlogged, the danger Pierce represented was obvious.

  Pierce paid no mind to the clowns. He skillfully looted the Dimension Pouch from Monville's corpse, then turned and walked away indifferently.

  Cecily’s eyes flickered. Gritting her teeth, she followed him.

  The seven pursuers were not weak. She wasn't confident she could keep the gem under their siege. It was safer to follow this god of slaughter.

  As long as Pierce was present, those seven wouldn't dare lift a finger even if given the courage of a hundred lions.

  Pierce glanced back at Cecily coolly. He knew her calculations but didn't drive her away. He simply found a relatively clean room, sat down, and quietly waited for the trial to end.

  Cecily tactfully did not enter the room. Instead, like a dutiful guard, she found a spot in the corridor outside and sat down.

  During the wait, Pierce checked the holographic map in his mind.

  On the vast map, there were still only three golden dots.

  Two, representing him and Cecily, were stationary and close together.

  The third dot maintained high-speed movement, never staying in one place for more than a minute. Clearly, a fierce chase was underway.

  Time passed slowly in silence.

  When the countdown reached the final minute, Pierce slowly stood up and dusted off his robes.

  Moments later, his vision blurred. The fluctuation of spatial laws enveloped him. When he came to, he had left the dark, damp labyrinth and was standing in a spacious, brightly lit hall.

  Appearing with him were Cecily and a slender, tall young man with a somewhat feminine temperament.

  Pierce studied him and recognized the identity—Sutherland, of the Silver Legion, whose fame rivaled Monville and Sanford.

  Sutherland was visibly stunned when he saw Pierce and Cecily. Astonishment flashed in his eyes.

  In his prediction, the holders of the other two gems should have been Monville and Sanford.

  But the reality was diametrically opposed to his deduction.

  Monville and Sanford were out.

  Even more shocking was that the two before him wore the crests of Wizard Academies—The Spire and The Violet Academy.

  What happened?

  Why did the two favorites fail simultaneously, allowing two academy students to claim the quotas?

  Sutherland was full of confusion but couldn't ask directly.

  Just then, ripples appeared in the void nearby. A tall figure wearing a silver half-mask stepped out from the disturbance.

  It was the Masked Wizard—the one who had eliminated hundreds of participants with a Wail of the Banshee-like spell before the trial began.

  His profound gaze swept over Cecily and Pierce, lingering on the latter for a moment. The corner of his mouth under the mask curled into a playful arc.

  "Interesting. This result has completely exceeded my expectations."

  The Masked Wizard withdrew his gaze and announced flatly:

  "The Trial has ended. After the final deliberation of the Council of Dawn, you three shall represent Aurora City in the duel against the apprentices of Crimson Lotus City. Does anyone have objections?"

  Pierce and the others shook their heads.

  They had risked their lives for these spots; now that they had them, they naturally wouldn't raise objections.

  Expectedly, the Masked Wizard continued:

  "Before the formal duel, the Council has decided to grant you some additional resources. Of course, restricted by the contract with Crimson Lotus City, this aid is limited. The cap is 5,000 Merit Points per person. As long as it does not exceed this limit, state your requests, and we will do our best to fulfill them."

  Hearing this, joy lit up the faces of the trio.

  Especially Pierce. Having participated in several suppression missions, he knew the value and purchasing power of Merit Points intimately.

  Five thousand points were enough to exchange for entry into the Realm of Truth twice over.

  The remaining points could even purchase a decent First-Order Arcane Artifact.

  "Now, state your requests," the Masked Wizard said indifferently.

  Cecily’s emerald eyes spun. She asked respectfully, "My lord, do you have any suggestions?"

  Sutherland paused, then realized the opportunity, looking at the Masked Wizard with hopeful eyes.

  Judging by his previous display, this wizard was at least a Rank 3 Official Wizard.

  Guidance from a powerhouse of this tier was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

  The Masked Wizard glanced at Cecily with a faint smile. He didn't refuse, speaking leisurely: "For apprentices like you, to increase combat power in a short time, you cannot bypass the three dimensions: Spiritual Power, Spell Models, and Magical Items."

  "With only twenty days remaining, learning new spells is too late. You can only focus on Spirit and external objects."

  He looked at Cecily, blue data streams flashing in his eyes. After a few seconds, he said slowly:

  "Your Will Rune has reached a bottleneck, but your total Spiritual Power lacks a bit of fire. Consider exchanging for some Phantasmal Elixirs to push your Spirit to the apprentice limit, then acquire a suitable First-Order Arcane Artifact."

  "Additionally, you can further augment your physical modifications. Your mentor is more proficient in this than I. Consult her for the specific materials needed."

  Cecily nodded repeatedly, delighted. "Thank you for your guidance, my lord!"

  "As for you." The wizard turned to Sutherland. "You practice the Military's General Meditation Technique, correct?"

  Seeing Sutherland nod, he continued, "Though your Will Rune and Spirit have reached the cap, the General Technique's ceiling is too low. I suggest you exchange for a High-Grade Meditation Technique. Combined with Transcendence Draughts and Phantasmal Elixirs, twenty days is enough to increase your Spirit capacity by another thirty or forty percent."

  "Furthermore, you should acquire a defensive First-Order Arcane Artifact."

  "Yes, my lord!" Sutherland couldn't suppress his joy.

  With a High-Grade Meditation Technique, even if he failed to advance later, his strength could continue to climb in the apprentice stage. This was a foundation money couldn't buy.

  After guiding Cecily and Sutherland, the Masked Wizard turned his gaze to Pierce. He paused, a flash of confusion passing through his eyes.

  Seeing the mysterious wizard fall into a strange silence, Cecily and Sutherland were bewildered, glancing at Pierce with suspicion.

  After a long while, the Masked Wizard shook his head gently and said with profound meaning:

  "Apologies. I cannot offer you suitable counsel."

  Cecily and Sutherland froze.

  What does that mean?

  Pierce remained calm, not surprised in the least.

  He already possessed the Argent Star, a top-tier artifact; he didn't need to waste points on lesser goods.

  As for Will Runes and Spiritual Power, with the aid of the Eye of Omniscience, he had long reached the absolute limit where no further progress was possible.

  Regarding spells, twenty days was enough for him to master several powerful ones, but the Masked Wizard didn't know he possessed the cheat-like Eye of Omniscience.

  Thus, in the wizard's eyes, all three paths of improvement for Pierce were blocked. Naturally, he could offer no constructive advice.

  However, Pierce had his own plans. He stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "My lord, can I use Merit Points to exchange for Spirit Surrogates and Heart-Glass Water?"

  The Masked Wizard raised an eyebrow, looking at him with slight surprise. "The Council indeed has not restricted the specific use of points, but are you certain?"

  Cecily and Sutherland looked at Pierce with incomprehension.

  The resources were meant to boost immediate combat power to defeat Crimson Lotus City.

  From a long-term perspective, winning the duel would yield benefits far exceeding these measly 5,000 points.

  It made sense to spend resources on immediate power, not on auxiliary resources for advancing to Official Wizard.

  That would help nothing in the current war; it was a shortsighted waste.

  Yet Pierce held his ground. "I am certain."

  The Masked Wizard gave him a deep look. He didn't persuade him further, nodding gently. "Very well. However, 5,000 points is insufficient for the expensive Spirit Surrogate. You can only exchange for Heart-Glass Water. How much do you require?"

  Pierce frowned slightly but soon relaxed. He pondered for a moment, then raised four fingers. "I want four standard doses of Heart-Glass Water."

  This statement drew shocked looks from the others again.

  Ordinary apprentices used two doses at most to stabilize their minds during a breakthrough. Who needed four? That was excessive.

  But on second thought, they assumed the extra two were reserves in case of failure, and so they understood.

  The Masked Wizard said flatly, "Each standard dose costs 700 Merit Points."

  Pierce's mouth twitched.

  Too damn expensive!

  No wonder so many talented apprentices were stuck at this hurdle, hopeless to advance for life.

  Four doses cost 2,800 points, leaving 2,200 in his account.

  Pierce hesitated, then said cautiously, "My lord, regarding the remaining points, I wish to consider my options before deciding."

  The Masked Wizard nodded. With a wave of his hand, three thumb-sized purple crystals emitting faint mana fluctuations flew into their hands.

  "These are Communication Crystals. Once you decide on your exchange list, send a message directly through the crystal."

  "Any other questions?"

  The three exchanged glances and shook their heads.

  In the next second, their vision twisted and blurred.

  When clarity returned, the cold wind hit their faces—they were back on the familiar mountaintop.