Chapter 555: Witnessing Legends

Phoenix Arena, Lei En hovered in midair.

He swapped his Titan Power armor for mithril light armor, revealed his face, his expression still calm yet resolute, the thunder hammer gripped in his hand, electric sparks flickering on the hammerhead, a blood‑red great cloak unfurled behind him, rustling.

His invincible bearing seemed to cloak him in an indescribable radiance.

The onlookers were enthralled.

This epic, hero‑like scene was imprinted in their minds, likely never to be forgotten.

"Wow…"

"Lei En, Chairman, invincible under the Holy Soul!"

After a few seconds of silence, the entire arena boiled over. Tens of thousands of spectators surged with emotion, shouting loudly and unabashedly, cheering the young Empire hero with reckless fervor; the roar rose like a tsunami, wave after wave, as if to overturn the arena itself.

On the ten tower platforms, even the legendary figures from the great Fu Kong Chengs and academies revered Lei En's power.

Although Lei En had already claimed to be invincible under the Holy Soul, most legendary Wizards sneered. Ma Erke was indeed a Level‑19 Legendary Peak, but he was merely a giant‑deer warrior, with what right to be compared with a Wizard?

Defeating a single Ma Erke and daring to claim invincibility under the Holy Soul is simply laughable.

Until now, Lei En had consecutively defeated three powerful Naiser Elders, proving his strength, cementing that title, leaving no one to doubt it.

Everything that happened today will surely spread throughout the Empire and be recorded in the annals!

"Ryan Augustus!"

"Ryan Augustus!"

"Ryan Augustus!"

Gradually, the audience shouted Lei En's full name in unison, echoing to the heavens, reaching beyond the arena and academies, even the distant Bruwotz City could hear it, astonishing hundreds of thousands of citizens.

Lei En hovered, spreading his arms, a faint smile on his face, prompting even louder cheers.

He relished the moment of everyone's admiring glory.

In a pit on the ground, Elder Harawa awoke, his head throbbing, hearing countless voices chanting Lei En's name, his vision blurred.

When his sight returned, he looked up and saw Lei En in the sky.

It was noon, the early‑autumn sun still blazing, and Lei En in midair blocked the sun, the backlight making him appear towering, his shadow filling Harawa's view, the echoing roar in his ears leaving him dazed.

"I'm not dead…"

Harawa's headache eased a bit, thinking, "He showed mercy."

After the recent clash, he knew clearly how terrifying Lei En's power was; even with his steel body, Earth Power pulse, and various defenses, his head could not withstand Lei En's legendary force.

If Lei En unleashed his full strength, his head would already have been smashed by the hammer.

Even having prepared for sacrifice, Harawa felt a surge of relief; no one wants to die, the longer one lives, the more one cherishes life.

He had lived over seven hundred years, fully aware of how precious lifespan is; who wouldn't want to live longer?

Lifespan…

Harawa muttered softly, a flash of insight striking his mind, a hint of realization in his eyes, as if everything could now be explained.

"So that's it."

He subtly focused his thoughts, allowing the Gelong Beast King's and Deer‑Head Spirit's demon souls to possess him, the great artery activation taking effect, Earth Power continuously flowing into his back, triggering the Deer‑Head Spirit's eighth‑level self‑healing; the wounds on his head and right leg healed swiftly, the severe injuries restored to pristine condition within seconds.

Harawa slowly rose from the pit, sheathed the black greatsword lying nearby, and flew to Lei En's side.

The crowd's cheers dimmed.

"Thank you." Harawa, while the roar had not fully subsided, raised his hand, pretended to wipe blood from his head, covered his mouth with a wide cuff, and whispered quickly, "I will return to Naiser for covert investigation; once I have news, you need not provoke further."

After speaking, he instantly teleported back to the western tower, soothed two downcast yet relieved Naiser Wizards with a few words, then sat down and fell silent.

The audience couldn't understand why Elder Harawa offered not even a single pleasantry.

Everyone stared eagerly at Lei En, hoping he would continue the challenge; the western tower still housed another Naiser Elder.

Elder Kesi Naide instantly became the focal point of the arena.

Although he had lived for centuries, his strength formidable, his reputation and status high in the Fu Kong Cheng, and he had witnessed countless tempests in his life, being stared at by tens of thousands, with Lei En also casting his gaze, made his scalp tingle and his heart shiver.

He is a Level‑19 Wizard, not yet at the peak, far weaker than Elder Harawa, comparable to Kui Tu and Ying Nuo La.

Moreover, he is an ice‑elemental mage, adept at high‑ring powerful spells and control, completely countered by Lei En.

If he entered the field, death would be certain.

But refusing Lei En's challenge would ruin a lifetime of brilliance.

The other three Elders all stepped forward; only he recoiled in cowardice—how will Naiser Wizards and Empire citizens regard him thereafter?

Amid Kesi Naide's hesitation, Lei En suddenly flew out of the inner arena and returned to the eastern tower.

He did not provoke again!

"Huh?"

"Why stop? Naiser still has another Elder!"

Tens of thousands of spectators wore faces of disappointment, whispering to friends in their seats, all unwilling to see this once‑in‑a‑century spectacle end. Some even shouted loudly, hoping Lei En would take the stage again to issue a challenge.

Only Kesi Naide felt ecstatic inside, silently exhaling relief, yet dared not show it.

"Naiser, all are useless!"

Suddenly, a harsh shout rose from the audience below, freezing the faces of Kesi Naide and the Naiser Wizards.

"Naiser, all are useless…"

Unclear who led, a few bold spectators joined the chant; at first it was sporadic amid the noise, then more and more people shouted in unison, each wave louder than the last, amplifying until it drowned out all other sounds.

Eventually, tens of thousands of spectators shouted together, "Naiser, all are useless!"

The Naiser Wizards flushed, unable to lift their heads.

"Damn! These people think they're all Ryan Augustus?" Kesi Naide's face turned ashen; he was ready to strike the ringleaders, but realized tens of thousands were shouting, making it impossible to identify the troublemakers.

He glanced at the other two Elders.

Ying Nuo La had just revived, still not free from the shadow of death, somewhat absent‑minded.

Elder Harawa fell silent again, as if he hadn't heard the insults.

"What should we do?" a legendary beginner wizard leading the team asked, hurried and angry, already stomping his foot from the insults.

The Naiser wizards all looked at Elder Kexnaider; evidently everyone thought of sending him into battle, but dared not speak it, for that would be sending the elder to his death.

Kexnaider opened his mouth but stopped, ultimately lacking the courage to utter the words.

"Alas…" some Naiser wizards let out low sighs.

"Silence!"

A gentle yet authoritative voice rang in everyone's ears, echoing through the arena, drowning out the orderly shouts.

The image above switched to the northern tower, showing the figures of BrewotzAcademy teachers and students.

At the forefront stood Sabbath Dean.

His expression was very solemn as he continued, "Everyone, please give Naiser Fu Kong Cheng and Augulevi Master the respect they deserve. The magical duel has ended; no one may disrupt the proceedings of this exchange tournament. Now I announce…"

Sabbath Dean was still speaking on the stage when a Transcendent below shouted, "Dean, respect is earned through one's own strength, not given by others…"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"Quickly let Speaker Lei En and Elder Naiser onto the field; we want to watch the magical duel, it's far more entertaining than the competition!"

"We want to watch the duel!"

Some excited spectators shouted protests loudly, even inciting nearby viewers to shout together.

"Shut up!"

Sabbath Dean barked, and a flash of magical light swept the arena; tens of thousands of spectators realized they were hit by a silence spell, desperately opening their mouths but no sound came out.

Those protesting Transcendents were engulfed by white light and vanished instantly.

They were all forcibly teleported out of the arena.

The restless audience fell silent at once; no one dared to offend Sabbath Dean again. His slow gaze swept the arena, and many who had been overly aggressive felt a prickling on their backs, lowered their heads and dared not look back, trembling in fear.

"This kind of aura…"

Some perceptive Legendary wizards grew suspicious, sensing that Sabbath Dean was different, his power seemingly exceeding the Legendary Peak.

In the southwestern tower, Heistav suddenly opened his eyes, his dark pupils filled with astonishment and doubt.

His wife Leila also stared at the high platform where BrewotzAcademy stood.

"Has Sabbath Dean ascended?"

Heistav sent a magical message to his wife in his mind, his tone uncertain.

As one of the Legendary Peaks most likely to achieve Holy Soul Ascension in the Empire, he was not unfamiliar with Sabbath Dean, indeed could be said to know him well. Both were deans of the Empire's three great academies and Legendary Peaks, having harbored a subtle rivalry for centuries.

Sabbath Dean is a shapeshifting wizard, and shapeshifting wizards have never attained a Holy Soul; this is a path uncharted by predecessors.

Therefore, Heistav always believed his chance of ascension was greater, at least earlier than Sabbath Dean's.

But now the situation seemed to have changed.

"He should have ascended, even if not yet, he's certainly close," Leila observed for a few seconds, feeling a tinge of envy, and replied in her mind, "The Empire will soon produce its thirteenth Holy Soul wizard!"

She too is one of the Empire's most promising Legendary wizards for Holy Soul Ascension, having progressed farther than her husband, and being a Chosen One of the goddess; she hadn't expected Sabbath Dean to leap ahead.

Heistav let out a sigh, laden with complex emotions.

Other Legendary wizards on the stands of the towers also, though very few, noticed Sabbath Dean's abnormality, their expressions turning somewhat odd.

On the eastern tower, Speaker Ronnie withdrew his gaze from Sabbath Dean, turned to Lei En, and gave a questioning look.

Lei En gave a slight nod, indicating confirmation.

Speaker Ronnie's whole body quivered lightly, both envious and admiring, then quickly regained calm and confidence.

Sabbath Dean displayed a hint of his power, instantly stunning everyone; satisfied, he nodded and proclaimed loudly, "Now, the exchange tournament officially begins. For the first day's schedule, wizards drawn into the first group of the beginner division, please prepare to take the field; you have five minutes to ready yourselves, and exceeding the time will be considered a forfeit."

As soon as his words ended, the aerial display listed the names of the wizards about to appear.

The rules of each exchange tournament are roughly the same.

Based on the participants' strength, they are divided into beginner, Mid-stage, and high-level groups. The beginner group has the most members, Mid-stage follows, and the high-level group the fewest.

Each group holds a draw, randomly splitting the wizard-sorcerers into eight subgroups.

Then participants within each subgroup take turns battling; the winner earns three points, the loser none, a draw gives each one point. After ten rounds, the eight highest-scoring individuals advance to the knockout stage.

In the knockout stage, there are no subgroups; another draw randomly assigns opponents.

Between two opponents, three matches are fought; the first to win two advances to the next round, the loser is eliminated, continuing until the group's top four and champion are decided.

One exchange tournament yields three champions.

Today the beginner division's matches are held first; because the beginner division has the most participants—over a thousand signed up—the first three days are all beginner matches, interspersed with some Mid-stage and high-level bouts. It takes about ten days total before the knockout stage, and the competition becomes more exciting.

At Sabbath Dean's command, intersecting curtains of light fell across the arena, dividing the field into nine sections to serve as battle platforms.

For beginner wizards and sorcerers, a large space isn't needed; a platform of 788 square meters is more than sufficient.

Under the inner arena's protective shield, four entrances were opened.

Over a thousand beginner wizards and sorcerers entered, gathering beneath their assigned platforms, eyeing the opponents beside them.

Each platform had a Legendary wizard stationed as judge, also ensuring safety.

With the support of BrewotzAcademy teachers, students, and Holy Swordsmen, the arena remained orderly, and the young casters quickly took the field.

On the platforms, spells flew back and forth, the battle lively and enjoyable.

The scene looked quite lively.

Some of the more spectacular fights were projected onto the aerial display, allowing the entire audience to see them more clearly.

However, having just watched three magical duels between Legendary Peaks—where the highest-level casters were only third-tier—the fights felt like child's play. Beginner casters can only wield first- and second-ring spells; after fumbling for ages, they merely launch an ice spear or a hypnosis, leaving everyone disappointed.

Without contrast, there is no disparity.

Recalling those three battles—the scenes, the momentum, the spell clashes, the collision of power—audiences instantly felt a sense of emptiness.

Many spectators were absent-minded, yawning repeatedly, and some even left early.

The time of legends is precious; the battles of these novice spellcasters are not worth a glance. On the tower, aside from the leading legend, everyone else left after just a brief look.

Four Nisir elders vanished one after another via teleportation, leaving two novice legends to look after.

Lei En saw this, stood up and greeted Speaker Ronnie, then opened a portal and walked in. As soon as he left, more spectators could not stay seated; soon a large crowd exited, eager to go home and boast to their families and friends about the legendary tale they had witnessed firsthand.

(End of chapter)