Chapter 3197 - Ch: 246-254 (waiting)

Chapter 246: The Three Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Mortal; Cassandra and Zhantai Xue.

At this thought, Darwin's eyes completely lit up.

Plotting against gods—it was truly thrilling.

Yes, deeply thrilling.

Darwin never worried about the might of gods, nor did he ever fear so-called deities.

Perhaps everyone from Blue Star shared this common trait.

They did not dread challenges, nor were they afraid of them; the more difficult the challenge, the more interesting it was to them.

That was precisely what Darwin was thinking right now.

How fascinating was that?

Plotting against gods—a plan that was genuinely challenging, yet capable of bringing him immense satisfaction.

The corners of Darwin's mouth curved upward.

"Gods, is it? I have found your flaw!"

...

Time flew by, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Over these two months, Darwin and Cassandra had also completely integrated into Kunlun Taoist Palace.

Attending classes normally every day, a vast amount of knowledge was mastered by the two of them.

Moreover, their learning speed was vastly faster than anyone else's.

It was worth mentioning that Cassandra and Zhantai Xuewere truly well-matched rivals.

At Kunlun Taoist Palace, a tournament between students was held every half month.

According to what the elders of Kunlun Taoist Palace said,

this was to maintain the students' combat prowess.

The quickest way to boost combat capability was never through mindless, bitter cultivation.

Real battle was the best way to keep one's fighting edge sharp.

This was identical to the earliest days of the European Wizarding World.

Back then, dueling was prevalent throughout the European Wizarding World.

Unfortunately, dueling was later banned.

However, one had to admit that the Wizards of that era possessed the strongest combat prowess.

Their strength was not merely for show.

It was all forged and tempered in battle.

Among the most prominent of them was Professor Flitwick.

Great Xia had always maintained this rule.

Therefore, the students of Great Xia were genuinely formidable in battle.

Darwin had also participated.

He had fought five matches in total, emerging victorious in all five.

It looked like a glorious record.

Yet only Darwin knew what kind of effort he had poured into those five battles.

In all five fights, he had only won by a narrow margin.

The students on Great Xia's side were empowered by spiritual energy, so whenever they struck, it was pure Daoist arts.

Even the weaker ones had touched the threshold of Daoist arts.

Therefore, it was actually quite strenuous for Darwin to defeat them.

Any Spell below God-level mastery was completely ineffective against them.

Naturally, Darwin did not rely solely on Spells to face his opponents either.

Since he had come all the way to Great Xia,

it was only natural to employ Great Xia's methods.

Today was another challenge day.

Kunlun Taoist Palace categorized all students and elders onto rankings.

The Three Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Mortal.

Among them, the Mortal Ranking was for students enrolled for less than three years, while the Earth Ranking was for students enrolled between three and ten years.

The Heaven Ranking was for those enrolled for more than ten years, as well as the battles among the elders.

Both Darwin and Cassandra were assigned to the Earth Ranking.

The battle currently taking place on the arena was also a fight between Earth Ranking contenders.

Soon, the match on the stage concluded.

An elder floated onto the stage.

"Next up, eighteenth on the Earth Ranking, Zhantai Xue, versus nineteenth on the Earth Ranking, Cassandra."

As the announcement fell, Cassandra and Zhantai Xue had already descended onto the stage.

Darwin watched the two with great interest.

Below the stage, a crowd of Kunlun Taoist Palace students gathered together.

"Who do you think will win this match?"

"Who knows? This isn't the first time they've clashed.

The two of them fought their way up from beyond rank one hundred on the Earth Ranking to where they are now, having faced each other seven times in total.

Cassandra won three matches, Zhantai Xue won three matches, and one ended in a draw."

"Vacation is coming up soon, and it seems Darwin and his companion are leaving once the break starts.

This should be the final showdown between Zhantai Xueand Cassandra."

"Indeed. This battle will settle once and for all who is superior."

"Bets are open! I'm putting my money on Cassandra!"

"I'll take Zhantai Xue."

...

Lively chatter rippled through the audience below.

Darwin leaned back against his seat.

These two were indeed rather interesting.

Back at Hogwarts, Darwin had truly never seen Cassandradisplay such fierce fighting spirit.

Even when facing Gemma Farley and the others, she had never shown this kind of intensity.

When dealing with Gemma Farley and her peers, Cassandra had been motivated, but Darwin could sense

Cassandra's true mindset: she had never genuinely viewed them as true equals.

Because she was confident that she could surpass them.

Yet when facing Zhantai Xue,

Cassandra acted as if she were confronting a formidable nemesis.

It was an encounter between fated rivals.

Even someone as proud as Cassandra had no absolute certainty of victory.

Darwin gently tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair.

To be honest, he was also very eager to see the outcome of the battle between the two.

On the arena, Zhantai Xue and Cassandra stood facing each other.

The entire audience held their breath.

Even the elders were watching this battle closely.

Not merely because Cassandra and Darwin were two international exchange students,

but also because the talent displayed by both was truly terrifying.

In the Palace Master Hall of Kunlun Taoist Palace, a gathering of elders watched closely.

Everyone was looking into the mirror before them.

Elder Zhang stroked the beard on his chin. "These two lasses will finally settle the score today."

Elder Liu said, "Both of these children are absolute prodigies; it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious."

"Cassandra should have a slightly higher chance of winning. Although she hasn't studied Daoist arts as long as Zhantai Xue, this child possesses immense talent in other areas as well.

She handles formations and talismans with exceptional mastery.

If she uses every method at her disposal, Zhantai Xue will be no match for her."

At this moment, the sole female elder spoke up.

"However, Cassandra will not resort to those means."

This elder was surnamed Sun, the calligraphy instructor of Kunlun Taoist Palace and also Zhantai Xue's master.

Elder Liu said, "Indeed. This child Cassandra is far too proud.

She wants to surpass Zhantai Xue purely in Daoist arts."

"That will be difficult. After all, Zhantai Xue has studied Daoist arts for many more years than Cassandra."

"Who can say for sure? Let us watch. These two foreign visitors are both monstrously gifted, each more unbelievable than the other."

As the words fell, the elders instinctively turned their gazes toward Darwin in the spectator stands.

They nodded in deep empathy.

It truly was unbelievable.

During Darwin's time at Kunlun Taoist Palace,

they had truly witnessed what a genuine genius looked like, and what terrifying learning ability meant.

Put plainly, what Darwin achieved in two months at Kunlun Taoist Palace rivaled what other students learned in several years.

Like a sponge, he ravenously absorbed all the knowledge of Great Xia.

Moreover, this absorption knew no limit and was utterly tireless.

Even these elders found it chilling.

The crucial part was that Darwin studied everything, yet remarkably, he did not fall behind in a single discipline.

It was as if Darwin had been naturally born to learn these things.

His learning capacity, his comprehension, and even his application of knowledge had definitely reached the utmost limit.

Speaking of which, this was largely thanks to the God-level Quick Memory talent.

Truth be told, Darwin had not taken it seriously at the beginning.

Now, however, he genuinely found it terrifying.

This thing was practically a cheat tool for top scholars.

Any knowledge, once he had seen it, would be permanently stored in his mind.

Whenever he needed it, he could call upon it at will.

Coupled with Darwin's innate power of comprehension,

he truly understood many concepts at a mere glance and could easily apply them by analogy.

This was the primary reason Darwin had been able to reach his current level in such a short period of time.

On the arena stage,

Cassandra and Zhantai Xue met each other's gaze.

Zhantai Xue said, "This is our final battle."

Cassandra nodded. "This match will decide the victor."

Zhantai Xue replied, "My thoughts exactly."

Cassandra raised her hand. "Then spare the idle chatter. Let's begin."

As the words left her mouth, Cassandra raised a finger, and in the next instant, a bolt of lightning shot straight toward Zhantai Xue.

Seeing this, Zhantai Xue raised her right hand, spiritual energy coalescing into an ice shield before her.

The lightning struck the ice shield and dissolved into nothingness.

Zhantai Xue said, "Between us, there is no need for such meaningless probing."

Even as she spoke, the ice shield before Zhantai Xuerapidly disassembled, transforming into a barrage of ice spikes.

Zhantai Xue uttered a soft cry: "Go!"

In the next moment, all the ice spikes shot violently toward Cassandra.

Without the slightest hint of panic on her face, Cassandrareached out and made a grasping motion toward the ground.

Following her gesture, a wall of earth surged upward from the ground.

The ice spikes slammed into the earthen wall, shattering into a flurry of ice crystals across the sky.

Chapter 247: The First Fusion of East and West.

Zhantai Xue's eyes narrowed slightly.

"My attack isn't that easy to block."

As Zhantai Xue spoke, the ice crystals that had previously burst into the air began to melt, turning into droplets of water.

Zhantai Xue formed hand seals.

All the droplets began to converge, and a water Dragonwas slowly taking shape.

The water Dragon roared and surged straight toward Cassandra.

Darwin watched the water Dragon, an admiring look flashing in his eyes.

This Zhantai Xue truly lived up to her reputation as a talented disciple of the Kunlun Taoist Palace.

Darwin had studied this Spell before as well.

In reality, it was just a basic water-attribute Spell, but Zhantai Xue had incorporated her own comprehension into it.

She had also integrated other Spells.

Turning ice into water, and merging water into a water Dragon.

Though it looked simple, it was enough to demonstrate Zhantai Xue's deep mastery of Spells.

This girl was truly extraordinary.

Zhantai Xue's move was indeed something special.

It sparked quite a stir of discussion, and the elders all nodded in approval.

Everyone was waiting, eager to see how Cassandra would respond.

Darwin was the same.

In truth, Darwin really didn't know what Cassandra's current strength was.

Ever since arriving in Great Xia, besides studying every day, Darwin had spent all his time researching Great Xia's various bizarre fields of knowledge.

And, conveniently, verifying some of his own conjectures.

Though he wasn't sure if his conjectures would actually prove useful, and didn't even know if his experiments would succeed,

the one thing Darwin did not lack was patience.

Therefore, Darwin hadn't paid much attention to Cassandra.

What level of strength Cassandra currently possessed remained a mystery to him as well.

Facing the howling water Dragon charging her way,

Cassandra's expression was icy.

With a wave of Cassandra's hand, the earthen wall before her vanished.

Clearly, the earthen wall couldn't stop Zhantai Xue's water Dragon, so there was no need to keep wasting energy on it.

Cassandra formed hand seals, and the surrounding temperature spiked abruptly.

Then, with a flick of her wrist, her wand appeared in her hand.

Darwin's interest was piqued.

A wand?

Great Xia's Spells didn't require a conduit like a wand.

Thus, he didn't know why Cassandra had suddenly drawn her wand at this moment.

Cassandra waved her wand, and in the next instant, streaks of flame surged up from the ground.

Darwin's eyes lit up.

Fiendfyre?

The surrounding students were also filled with shock.

"These flames are so violent!"

"Yeah, this fire feels incredibly powerful."

"I heard that in the West, there's a Spell that controls fire—it consumes everything and never extinguishes. I think it's called Fiendfyre!"

"Fiendfyre? Isn't this a contest of Eastern Spells? Why did she suddenly use a Western Spell?"

Ordinary students couldn't tell what was happening.

However, the elders and those with sufficient strength, like Darwin, could see through to the essence of it.

A flash of admiration crossed Darwin's eyes.

Interesting. Cassandra was indeed an exceptional genius.

Her mastery of Fiendfyre naturally couldn't compare to Darwin's.

Yet, in such a short period of time, Cassandra had actually developed an alternative method of controlling Fiendfyre.

It couldn't simply be called Fiendfyre control.

It should be called a fusion of Eastern and Western magic.

The Eastern method of fire manipulation was exquisite, yet Eastern philosophy always left room for restraint.

Consequently, their fire control was refined, but they wouldn't let the fire's power become overly rampant; they kept it strictly within a controllable threshold.

That way, if they needed to pull back, they could stop at any moment.

The West was different. To put it bluntly, the FiendfyreSpell was created from its inception purely for destruction and slaughter.

That was precisely why Fiendfyre was so notoriously difficult to control.

Because when you cast Fiendfyre, you didn't need to consider control at all.

You only had one goal: ignite everything before you.

Incinerate everything standing in your way.

Hence, Fiendfyre was exceptionally hard to master.

Because no one had ever designed it with the intention of controlling it.

However, using Eastern techniques to control Western Fiendfyre

would achieve a delicate balance.

A controllable Fiendfyre—and one that didn't require profound mastery of Fiendfyre itself.

All one needed was sufficient attainment in Eastern fire manipulation.

Even Darwin had never considered approaching it from this angle.

Partly because Darwin's own control over Fiendfyre was already sufficient, leaving no need to take such shortcuts,

and partly because Darwin had no time to spare on such redundant research.

He hadn't expected Cassandra to give him such a pleasant surprise.

Cassandra waved her wand with her right hand while forming hand seals with her left.

Streaks of fire converged and swept across the surroundings as the temperature climbed higher and higher.

More and more flames gathered together.

With a roar of a Dragon, a Western Dragon was born from the heart of the inferno.

Dragon scales, Dragon horns, twin wings—its ferocious appearance looked just like a real Dragon.

A dark-red Western Dragon and an azure Eastern divine Dragon.

Two colossal beasts towered in the sky.

Wave after wave of Dragon roars soared into the heavens.

Cassandra and Zhantai Xue exchanged a glance.

The fighting spirit of both girls surged toward the clouds.

As if by unspoken agreement,

both let out a low shout at the exact same moment.

"Go!"

In the next moment, the water Dragon and fire Dragonmoved simultaneously.

Both Dragons roared furiously and lunged toward one another.

With a deafening boom, the two colossal Dragons collided.

Instantly, a massive amount of steam billowed outward.

The entire arena was engulfed in steam.

The temperature grew higher and higher; unable to bear it, some spectators began using cooling Spells.

Under the intense heat, the steam felt like a suffocating sauna.

Darwin waved his hand, and two sheets of yellow talisman paper appeared before him.

His fingers danced across them, guiding the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to fall beneath his fingertips.

Upon the yellow paper, light cyan lines grew increasingly vibrant, and moments later, a cyan glow flashed across the sheets.

Darwin then snapped his fingers, sending the talismans flying forth.

The talismans detonated in midair, transforming into two pale cyan Dragon silhouettes that swept outward, instantly blowing the steam away.

The scene within the arena was revealed once more.

Inside the Palace Master's Hall.

Elder Qin, who was responsible for teaching talisman craft, nodded in approval: "Not bad, not bad. This lad's Wind Dragon Talisman is growing increasingly proficient.

To draw a Wind Dragon Talisman in such a short time, and of such high quality... this talent is truly frightening."

The other elders nodded in agreement.

Darwin's talent was indeed somewhat absurd.

And the most absurd part was that his talent seemed to have no upper limit.

Once again, it was a pity Darwin lived in this era.

If Darwin had been born before Great Xia sealed itself off,

before the immortals departed, and before the Kunlun Taoist Palace lost its heritage,

then Darwin would have inevitably become an immortal!

Still, if Darwin had truly been born in that era, it was the elders who would have been at a complete loss.

Their the Savior would be gone.

Returning to the battle between Cassandra and Zhantai Xue.

As Darwin's two Wind Dragon Talismans displayed their might,

the steam in the arena dispersed.

Everyone could clearly see what was happening inside.

The water Dragon and fire Dragon were clashing in the sky; steam still billowed continuously, but as soon as it appeared, the residual power of the Wind Dragon Talismans blew it away.

The battle was exceptionally brutal. The water Dragon and fire Dragon fought fearlessly without regard for their own destruction, and with every clash, both sustained wear and tear on their forms.

Beyond the duel between the two Dragons, Cassandraand Zhantai Xue were not idle either.

Down on the ground, the two continued their contest of Spells.

Both formed hand seals at blistering speed, Spell after Spell colliding without the slightest pause.

And their faces grew increasingly pale.

A battle of this intensity exacted a tremendous toll on both of them.

The fact that they had held out until now was already astonishing.

Everyone held their breath, awaiting the outcome of the fight.

The students of the Kunlun Taoist Palace were all swallowing hard.

Was this truly a battle between students?

Even more terrifying than Zhantai Xue was Cassandra.

After all, Zhantai Xue had been studying for so long and had always been the peerless genius of the Kunlun Taoist Palace.

Yet what about Cassandra?

How long had she been studying to already be able to fight Zhantai Xue to a standstill?

This made quite a few people feel as though all their years of study had been completely wasted on nothing.

The gap was simply too staggering.

In the sky, the commotion from the clash between the fire Dragon and water Dragon was gradually quieting down.

One could tell both Dragons had reached their limits.

Sure enough, after merely a few more minutes,

the fire Dragon and water Dragon shattered and dissipated almost simultaneously!

Chapter 248: Rivals, Technique Fusion.

At the exact moment the fire Dragon and the water Dragon shattered,

Cassandra and Zhantai Xue both ceased their attacks as well.

The two pulled back from each other, panting heavily.

Both of their faces were paper-white.

Their conditions had deteriorated to the absolute limit.

Yet even so, the fighting spirit in their eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Zhantai Xue said, "Cassandra, I've basically reached my limit, and you're probably about the same."

Cassandra did not speak.

Zhantai Xue smiled. "You're even prouder than me, Cassandra. Before you came, I was just as cold and unyielding toward others.

"Because I believed that among the younger generation, I should stand supreme.

"Only after you and Darwin arrived did I realize that I wasn't the only genius in this world."

Cassandra took a deep breath. "My thoughts were the same as yours."

Zhantai Xue said, "So the two of us are the same kind of person. This clash will be our final battle; I don't know if we will ever have another chance in the future.

"If I cannot determine a victor against you, I think I would regret it for the rest of my life.

"Therefore, today, a victor must be decided between us!"

Cassandra steadied her breathing. "One move. I can still execute one move."

Zhantai Xue nodded. "Me too. Then let us decide the outcome in one move.

"Cassandra, this is something I imitated from Darwin's battle. This move is my final brilliance today. Let us decide the victor with a single strike!"

As Zhantai Xue spoke, she opened her palm. In the next moment, amidst swirling flames, a fiery lotus blossomed within her grasp.

Darwin glanced over.

During his last challenge, when he had fought the number one of the Earth Ranking,

he had used this very technique.

He had secured a hard-fought victory back then, never expecting Zhantai Xue to have copied it today.

Cassandra remarked, "Relying on this move alone isn't enough. You imitated His Eminence's attack form, but lack His Eminence's overbearing might. If this is your final move, Zhantai Xue, I am very disappointed."

Even as Cassandra spoke, dark clouds gathered in the sky above.

Thunder snaked through them.

A Weather Charm?

Not quite.

Darwin looked up at the dark clouds; it bore the silhouette of a Weather Charm, and its form was identical.

Yet there was something extra within it.

Spiritual Qi.

Indeed, it was the fluctuation of spiritual Qi.

Once again, an Eastern technique was fused with a Western Spell.

It possessed traces of a Weather Charm, but also traces of the Eastern Thunder Method.

How many more surprises did Cassandra have in store for him?

Zhantai Xue gazed at the dark clouds in the sky.

"Have you already researched the Thunder Method to such an extent?

"From our previous battle, I knew you were looking into fusing Eastern and Western techniques.

"I originally thought manipulating Western Fiendfyre with Eastern pyrokinesis was already your greatest achievement.

"I never imagined you still had another surprise for me.

"You are right. This fiery lotus alone is indeed not impressive enough. But what if I add this?"

The moment Zhantai Xue finished speaking, an electric spark flickered in her eyes.

The next instant, a sheet of lightning wrapped around the fiery lotus.

The fiery lotus instantly grew wildly berserk, and terrifying waves of power began radiating outward in suffocating ripples.

At once, nobody in the audience could remain seated.

Even Darwin stood up,

looking toward the stage.

Technique fusion—this was technique fusion.

Inside the Palace Master's palace,

the elders were completely stunned.

"Junior Sister Sun, are you insane? You actually let Zhantai Xue research such a thing? That concept was merely a theoretical hypothesis!

"Nowadays, with the heritage of Qi Refinement severed, technique fusion is practically impossible to achieve!

"One careless misstep, and she will die!"

Elder Sun's expression remained stern and cold.

She paid no heed to the interrogations of the others.

Only when the others gradually quieted down

did Elder Sun say, "I never taught her this, nor did I ever instruct her to do so.

"Naturally, I didn't stop her either.

"Everyone, have you not misunderstood something?

"It is true that Zhantai Xue is my disciple, but likewise, she is also the supreme paragon of the Kunlun Taoist Palace.

"What is a paragon? A paragon is a chosen darling of the heavens.

"She has her own pride and her own convictions. She will not simply do whatever I tell her to do.

"She has her own ideas and her own path. I can offer suggestions and help her plan, but they are merely suggestions.

"Today, if she succeeds, she will be an undeniable paragon who achieved what even we old fogies could not.

"If she fails, or even perishes on the spot, that too is her choice. She is Zhantai Xue, the supreme paragon of our Kunlun Taoist Palace!"

When Elder Sun finished speaking, the rest of the elders fell into silence.

Indeed, a paragon. Zhantai Xue was a true paragon.

As mentors, they could advise, dissuade, and instruct, but they could not interfere with the resolute choices these paragons had made.

This was the pride of paragons, and their own path.

The Kunlun Taoist Palace Master spoke up, "Alright, say no more about this. All we can do now is pray that Zhantai Xue succeeds.

"Have faith in our Kunlun Taoist Palace's paragon, everyone. After all, she is the peerless genius we painstakingly selected and nurtured with all our hearts."

The elders nodded and turned their gazes back to Zhantai Xue on the projection.

Darwin stared at the lotus in Zhantai Xue's hand,

his eyes equally brimming with astonishment.

Technique fusion—it truly was technique fusion.

Zhantai Xue genuinely had real skill.

Darwin had certainly experimented with technique fusion before.

Afterward, he had to move to a new courtyard.

His original courtyard had been blown to smithereens.

Had his Shield Charm not already reached the God tier, he would have suffered greatly himself.

Technique fusion was far too terrifying.

Its sheer power was genuinely world-shattering.

Later on, Darwin did not rush to study it any further,

because he felt that his attainment in techniques was still not profound enough.

That had been the reason for his failure.

Yet now, the feat he had failed to accomplish was actually being carried out by Zhantai Xue.

What's more, it seemed to be gradually stabilizing.

How could Darwin not be amazed?

At the center of the arena, Zhantai Xue's face grew increasingly pale, and a streak of blood even seeped from the corner of her lips.

Yet her gaze remained steadfast, and her hands were unbelievably steady.

The chaotic energy within the fiery lotus gradually smoothed out.

The surrounding arcs of electricity slowly ceased wandering, looking as if intricate purple patterns had been carved onto the fiery lotus.

It was breathtakingly beautiful, yet exceedingly perilous.

Darwin could sense the terrifying power contained within it.

If ordinary techniques that mobilized the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth merely touched the threshold of Daoist Laws,

then Zhantai Xue's fused technique had completely crossed that threshold.

Not merely crossed it, but far surpassed it.

It had completely shed the confines of a mere 'technique' and became pure 'Law'—equivalent to Darwin's God-tier Spells.

In fact, an ordinary God-tier Spell might not even compare to this fiery lotus.

Zhantai Xue panted heavily.

Her complexion was ghastly pale, yet her eyes blazed with fanatic fervor.

She had succeeded. She had finally succeeded!

Zhantai Xue looked toward Cassandra. "Cassandra, how is this move?"

Cassandra stared at the lotus in Zhantai Xue's hand for one breath, then two.

Suddenly, Cassandra laughed.

She laughed uproariously.

Even Darwin had never seen Cassandra laugh so heartily and completely unburdened.

Madness danced in Cassandra's eyes.

"Good, good, good! Zhantai Xue, I admit you have surpassed my expectations.

"This lotus is magnificent, truly magnificent!

"Do you know, Zhantai Xue? I have always been lonely.

"Whenever I faced peers of my age, I felt nothing but loneliness, because I knew they would sooner or later be left in my dust.

"They never had a chance to stand on the same step as me. And as for His Eminence, he is too far ahead for me to reach, leaving me trapped in between.

"His Eminence is invincible, so he has no rivals; he stands isolated at the highest peak. And while I stand at his feet, there is likewise no one beside me.

"But it is different now, Zhantai Xue. I acknowledge you.

"In the name of the Worley family, Zhantai Xue, you have my acknowledgment!

"From this day forth, you will become my sole rival; you will walk this path together with me.

"I will no longer be lonely. This is my honor, and my fortune.

"Zhantai Xue, I will not hold back. Facing someone like you, I will also unleash my final brilliance. This is out of respect for you, and respect for my own convictions, Zhantai Xue.

"Let one strike decide the victor!"

Chapter 249: Cassandra is Defeated!

Hearing Cassandra's words,

Zhantai Xue's lips curved into a smile.

"Fine, one strike to decide the victor. This move, I call it: Twin Lotuses of Thunder and Fire."

Cassandra waved her hand.

Dark clouds surged in the sky.

The sea of thunder churned even faster.

The violent power of thunder weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Lightning surged all around Cassandra's body.

Her body slowly floated into the air.

Cassandra raised her hand, her index finger pointing toward the sky.

An electric arc appeared, connecting the dark clouds to Cassandra's fingertip.

As the electric arc leaped,

Cassandra uttered a low shout: "Fall!"

In the next instant, the lightning in the sky seemed to answer her call.

The violent power of thunder began to surge and converge.

Finally, all the power of thunder in the sky gathered together.

As Cassandra's finger dropped, all the lightning in the sky concentrated and struck down toward Zhantai Xue below.

Darwin drew in a sharp breath.

Strong—this move was truly formidable.

Cassandra had actually grown to this extent.

This lightning strike was no ordinary lightning.

The Weather Charm itself originated from ancient Spells.

It was just that later, without the enhancement of spiritual energy, the Weather Charm became increasingly weak.

By the end, it could only alter the weather a bit.

But ever since Cassandra acquired this Spell, it had changed.

Cassandra's Weather Charm was inherently unique.

She had been able to unleash such might with the Weather Charm even without spiritual energy.

On one hand, it was because Cassandra resonated deeply with the Weather Charm; on the other hand, it was because Cassandra's talent was truly terrifying.

If there were an isolated talent specifically for the Weather Charm, without a doubt, Cassandra's talent would definitely reach the God tier.

And now, Cassandra had incorporated Great Xia's techniques into it.

The already ridiculously powerful Weather Charm received the amplification of the world's spiritual energy.

Channeling the power of heaven and earth, the Weather Charm's might became even more dreadful.

The lightning, as thick as a pillar, plunged straight down toward Zhantai Xue.

Zhantai Xue opened her right hand.

The thunderfire lotus in her palm rose to meet the lightning in the sky.

It felt like an instant, yet also an eternity.

Time seemed to fracture at this moment.

By the time everyone reacted, the lightning had already struck the lotus.

There was no deafening roar, nor any extraordinary boom.

There was only silence—or more accurately, a dead silence.

The lotus and the lightning seemed frozen in place.

Colliding in midair.

No sound, no light, no special effects.

Giving the illusion of a skipped frame.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Yet, perhaps this was the gathering of power, or the calm before the storm.

Suddenly, an explosive boom detonated before anyone could react.

Accompanying the blast were waves of energy rolling outward, sweeping across the surroundings.

Several Kunlun Taoist Palace students standing nearby were blown straight off their feet.

Above the arena, a barrier rose up.

Only then were these students spared from secondary injuries.

However, before they could breathe a sigh of relief,

a crisp crack suddenly rang out from the barrier along the arena's edge.

In the next moment, fissures spiderwebbed across it.

The Kunlun Taoist Palace students were horrified.

"How is this possible?! This is a formation set up personally by an elder, yet it can't even withstand the battle's aftershocks?!"

"This is too absurd!"

"Stop standing there talking and pull back!"

With a loud snap, the barrier shattered.

The crowd of Kunlun Taoist Palace students scrambled to retreat; those who were too slow were sent flying.

Those confident in their own strength stood their ground without budging.

Darwin was one of them.

He stood where he was, a faint film of light shielding his front.

The shockwaves rushing toward him were completely blocked.

Thick smoke and dust filled the arena.

As the tremors of battle gradually subsided,

a crowd of Kunlun Taoist Palace students rushed forward,

wanting to see the final outcome.

The smoke slowly dissipated, revealing the scene on the arena stage.

On opposite sides of the arena,

Zhantai Xue and Cassandra stood.

Both were covered in wounds,

looking thoroughly disheveled.

Their faces lacked any color, and blood trickled from the corners of their mouths.

Suddenly, Cassandra's body tilted, and she fell straight backward.

A flash of light gleamed in the spectator stands.

Darwin's figure vanished, reappearing on the arena stage to catch Cassandra.

Cassandra forced herself to look at Darwin.

"My apologies, Your Grace."

Having said that, Cassandra's head slumped to the side as she passed out.

Zhantai Xue looked at the supported, unconscious Cassandra.

A smile surfaced on her face.

Weakly, she said, "I... won."

After uttering those words, Zhantai Xue collapsed straight onto the ground.

The medical personnel rushed over immediately to take Zhantai Xue and Cassandra away for treatment.

In this battle, the two had fought far too fiercely.

Looking in the direction Cassandra was taken, Darwinshook his head helplessly.

Both of them had pushed themselves to the limit.

Yet, perhaps this was their path: extremely arduous, but immensely effective.

At the very least, after this battle, their strength would increase once again.

Most importantly, both of them had found their path forward!

That was what mattered most.

Darwin stood up and stretched lazily.

His gaze swept over the crowd in the stands.

Finally, he fixed his eyes on the elder in charge of the challenge matches nearby.

Cassandra had already brought a satisfying conclusion to his journey in Great Xia.

Then next, it was his turn.

Darwin cupped his fists toward the elder nearby.

"Elder Wu, this disciple wishes to challenge the Heaven Ranking!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was taken aback.

Although they had known this day would come sooner or later, they had not expected Darwin to issue the challenge right now.

Elder Wu said, "Darwin, you are currently first on the Earth Ranking, so you are eligible to challenge the Heaven Ranking. However, to enter the Heaven Ranking, you must defeat its lowest-ranked member.

I don't know if he is currently at the Kunlun Taoist Palace. Let me contact him."

Darwin nodded.

Just then, a voice called out:

"Elder Wu, this disciple is here."

Elder Wu turned to look as a streak of flowing light traversed the sky.

Then, it touched down on the ground.

The newcomer cast a glance over the battered, devastated arena stage.

"Looks like I missed a magnificent battle."

The crowd of Kunlun Taoist Palace students cried out in shock, "It's Senior Brother Chengfeng!"

"Senior Brother Chengfeng actually came back!"

"Isn't he guarding Shennongjia? Why did he suddenly return?!"

"He must have come for Darwin."

Inside the Palace Master's palace hall,

the elders turned to look at the Palace Master of the Kunlun Taoist Palace.

Elder Zhang said, "Senior Brother, you actually called Chengfeng back?"

The Palace Master of the Kunlun Taoist Palace nodded. "Mm. Darwin would never skip challenging the Heaven Ranking. Since he wants to challenge it, naturally Chengfeng had to be called back!"

"Then what about Shennongjia?"

"I had his junior brothers and sisters head over."

The elders nodded.

Chengfeng looked at Darwin.

He cupped his fists. "Chengfeng of the Kunlun Taoist Palace. Hello, Junior Brother."

Darwin smiled. "Hello, Senior Brother. I am Darwin—Darwin Rosier."

Chengfeng said, "I know. I've heard many legends about you.

Both from abroad and since you arrived at the Kunlun Taoist Palace.

You're already famous. Quite a few senior brothers and sisters are curious about you, but none of them could make it back, so only I could return.

After all, I'm the caboose bringing up the rear."

Hearing Chengfeng speak like this, Darwin did not let his guard down in the slightest.

From Chengfeng, he sensed a feeling of crisis.

A very heavy sense of crisis.

This kind of danger was something he had only ever felt from the elders of the Kunlun Taoist Palace.

In other words, although Chengfeng in front of him was ranked last on the Heaven Ranking,

his strength was perhaps not inferior to that of any elder.

Elder Wu said, "Now that Chengfeng is back, Darwin, you may challenge the Heaven Ranking. Defeat Chengfeng, and you will enter the Heaven Ranking!"

Darwin nodded.

Chengfeng asked, "Junior Brother, do you need time to prepare?"

Darwin shook his head. "No need. I have been preparing all along, since a month ago."

Chengfeng chuckled. "Then I'll look forward to your performance, Junior Brother. I won't go easy on you, nor will I hold back. After all, your strength truly is formidable.

If I were to even consider holding back, I would likely be the one who loses."

Darwin said, "That would be ideal. I hope Senior Brother goes all out. I need a fight—an absolute, thoroughly exhilarating battle."

Chengfeng laughed. "Good! Junior Brother, I like your attitude. Don't worry, I will definitely satisfy you!"

Chapter 250: Heaven Ranking Certification!

The battle between Darwin and Chengfeng drew even more attention than imagined.

Nearly all the students of Kunlun Taoist Palace had gathered.

Even the elders from Beihai Academy had made a special trip to join the elders of Kunlun Taoist Palace to watch.

Each challenge match at Kunlun Taoist Palace was just like a Quidditch match at Hogwarts.

They were grand events capable of drawing everyone's attention.

Only, in the West, it was a sporting event.

While in the East, it was combat.

This was also Great Xia's secret to maintaining its combat strength.

In this regard, the West truly had something to learn.

Fortunately, Darwin had come, and so Darwin learned it.

Later on, the students of Hogwarts would naturally learn it as well.

As for how much the Hogwarts students might suffer, that was none of Darwin's concern.

Of course, if needed, Darwin wouldn't mind piling more pressure onto those Hogwarts students at all.

Leisure? That was reserved for the dead.

Now that they knew what they would face in the future,

whether it proved useful or not, boosting combat strength was always a good thing.

And challenging the Heaven Ranking from the Earth Ranking was also known as the Heaven Ranking Certification.

Every Heaven Ranking Certification was a major event in Great Xia's extraordinary realm.

The last person to succeed was Chengfeng.

And now, it was Darwin's turn.

Darwin took a deep breath, adjusting his condition.

Today was the day he would test what he had learned.

Chengfeng did the same; he didn't underestimate Darwinin the slightest.

He knew more than the other students.

After all, his strength was already evident.

Many things and perceptions were, in fact, limited by one's strength.

When your strength was sufficient, the truth of this world would open its doors to you.

Just like Chengfeng at this very moment.

When his strength was sufficient, he could know more things.

Inside the Palace Master's Main Hall.

A group of white-haired old fogies gathered here.

"Tell me, how strong is this child, Chengfeng, right now?"

"Hard to say. He was assigned to guard Shennongjia.

Shennongjia, as we all know, has wildmen and rare beasts inside, and none of them are weak in combat strength.

Although they've been contained, their combat ability remains sharp.

Chengfeng fights those things every day, so his real combat capabilities shouldn't be weak at all!"

"We all went through that era ourselves, and we know full well how much these perilous lands can bolster one's strength.

Chengfeng was able to stay there for so long, and the higher-ups seem to plan on sending him to Ailao Mountainafter a while.

That in itself speaks volumes of Chengfeng's prowess."

"Just watch. I believe this battle might give us quite a big surprise.

Chengfeng's strength is undeniably great, but we still aren't sure of Darwin's.

That kid hides his depth too well.

During his time in Kunlun, he appeared unassuming.

Yet the questions he asked in class each time have already surpassed the scope of standard curriculum."

"You mean his learning of Great Xia's various knowledge has already exceeded what a student should master?"

"Exactly. Sounds absurd, doesn't it? I think it's absurd too, but that's just the truth.

His progress is too rapid—so fast that it frightens me.

Not astonished, but frightened.

There seems to be no bottleneck in his learning; any knowledge that reaches him is absorbed directly."

"Terrifying talent."

This sentiment was met with unanimous agreement from all the old fogies.

Indeed, it was a terrifying talent.

And likewise, an enviable one.

On the arena stage.

Darwin and Chengfeng had already prepared themselves.

Meeting each other's eyes, the two suddenly charged forward.

Without any transition or wind-up,

the battle erupted instantly.

Their figures blurred in rapid motion.

Then, they made nearly identical moves.

A punch!

Yes, a straightforward punch.

As their fists collided, Darwin stumbled back several steps.

His fist was already flushed red.

Chengfeng rubbed his wrist.

"Not bad physical body, Darwin. I didn't expect you could temper your flesh to this extent in such a short time."

Darwin stared wide-eyed at Chengfeng,

his heart filled with shock.

Wait, what was going on?

Why was this guy's physical body so absurdly strong?

Darwin had drawn a body-tempering technique from Gryffindor,

so his physical body was actually far from weak.

After arriving in Great Xia,

he had also begun tempering his body according to Great Xia's methods.

Great Xia's body tempering was violent, yet remarkably effective.

Honestly, had it not been for Gryffindor's body-tempering technique serving as a foundation,

he truly wouldn't have been able to endure it.

Just like Cassandra, who couldn't stomach it at all.

For her to temper her body, it would take a prolonged period of polishing and recovery.

But with the body-tempering technique drawn from Gryffindor as his foundation, Darwin had been able to dive straight into Great Xia's body-tempering methods right from the start.

Despite practicing for only a short while,

his talent was formidable.

Therefore, even compared to students in Kunlun Taoist Palace who specialized in body cultivation,

Darwin was confident he wouldn't fall far behind.

Yet after this clash with Chengfeng,

he realized how ridiculous it was.

From his appearance, Chengfeng looked gentle and frail,

exuding the air of an aristocratic young master from ancient times.

Especially clad in a Daoist robe, he carried an otherworldly grace.

And yet, with such a demeanor,

a single punch was all it took for Darwin to see the gap between them.

The contrast was simply jarring.

Most importantly, Chengfeng's physical body—

just how on earth did he train it?

Seeming to discern Darwin's confusion,

Chengfeng said, "When I was at Kunlun Taoist Palace, my physical strength was probably about the same as yours.

I have to admit, Darwin, you truly are a genius.

A bona fide genius.

Hearing all those rumors about you, I overestimated you as much as I could.

Yet I didn't expect that I still ended up underestimating you.

In the face of a talent monster, many things truly defy reason.

However, powerful as your talent may be,

you have simply been cultivating for too short a time.

After leaving Kunlun Taoist Palace, I was assigned to guard Shennongjia.

Do you know Shennongjia? In Great Xia, it's a very famous scenic spot, but only the outer perimeter is open to tourists.

Going deep into Shennongjia is forbidden.

The reason is simple: there are many terrifying things deep within Shennongjia.

For example, the wildmen. No one knows what they truly are, but their physical bodies are exceptionally strong.

They can even withstand spells head-on.

I had to fight them every day, using them to temper my flesh from time to time, which made me who I am today.

Combat is truly the quickest shortcut to increasing one's strength."

Hearing this, Darwin was taken aback.

Shennongjia—of course he knew about it.

The legends of wildmen were something he knew as well.

He hadn't expected such things actually existed.

Darwin cupped his hands. "Thank you, Senior Brother Chengfeng. I have learned much."

Chengfeng smiled. "Alright, you've tested my physical strength. Let's continue. If that's all you've got, you won't be making it onto the Heaven Ranking!"

Darwin nodded.

"As you wish, Senior Brother Chengfeng."

Darwin's combat intellect was far from weak.

The moment he realized his physical body was no match for Chengfeng's,

he abandoned any thought of contesting in pure physical strength.

Pitting one's weakness against another's strength was utter folly.

Darwin formed hand seals, and in the next instant, earth spikes shot across the ground straight toward Chengfeng.

Chengfeng curled his lips into a smirk. "A sneak attack? Junior Brother, you have no martial virtue."

Though Chengfeng said so,

his hands were not idle in the least.

With a wave of his hand, rippling water coalesced as a Water Shield appeared before him.

The earth spikes struck the Water Shield directly, then promptly dissolved into the water.

Darwin blinked.

What happened to earth countering water?

Blocking earth spikes with a Water Shield? Was he so skilled that he feared nothing, or what?

Darwin felt as though he was being underestimated.

Rather than getting angry, Darwin smiled.

Interesting. This was the first time anyone had looked down on him.

So this was what it felt like. Honestly, it was quite irritating.

But it also thrilled him, for he seemed to have found the drive to push forward, and his desire to fight was ablaze.

He was going to pummel Chengfeng into the ground.

Battle intent blazed fiercely in Darwin's eyes.

Chengfeng was slightly startled.

This battle intent... was this the tenacity of a game breaker?

He had not truly looked down on Darwin.

On the contrary, he took Darwin very seriously.

Chapter 251: A Genius? Formations!

Precisely because he took it seriously, he chose a Spell like the Water Shield.

The reason was simple: everyone had their own forte.

And among all of Chengfeng's defensive arts, the Water Shield Art was what he excelled at most.

Thus, far from looking down on Darwin,

he was actually showing his utmost respect and recognition.

Unfortunately, Darwin did not know this.

In Darwin's eyes, earth overcomes water.

He had cast an earth-element Spell, yet this guy used a Water Shield—wasn't that purely looking down on him?

If Chengfeng looked down on him, then Darwin would test whether Chengfeng's strength truly gave him the right to do so.

Darwin's hands formed hand seals, and in the next moment, fiery serpents shot toward Chengfeng one after another.

Not to be outdone, Chengfeng also used Spells to defend himself.

However, Darwin's attacks did not stop.

After one strike, Darwin's offensive pressed on.

Darwin's hands moved without pause, his Spells hurtling toward Chengfeng like rounds from a machine gun.

Chengfeng began to feel the pressure as well.

Darwin's spellcasting speed was simply too fast.

Faster than he had ever anticipated!

Not daring to be careless, Chengfeng began trading Spells with him in kind.

This gave the students of the Kunlun Taoist Palace quite a spectacle.

Spells from both sides cascaded endlessly.

There was no pause between them.

Attacks came one after another, wave after wave.

In the Palace Master's Great Hall, the elders also drew in sharp breaths of cold air.

Ridiculous, it was truly ridiculous.

As for Chengfeng, they already knew his strength, so that was that.

But Darwin—how on earth had he managed to master these Spells to such a degree in such a short time?

In fact, Darwin truly learned these Spells exceptionally fast.

Because after attending his very first Spell class,

he had already understood the fundamental principles behind them.

Daoist arts differed from Spells; Daoist arts purely relied on energy to mobilize heaven and earth.

What was primarily used to attack was the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

It had little to do with oneself.

The greatest difficulty of Spells actually lay in how to communicate with spiritual energy,

and how to make that spiritual energy inflict damage within one's realm of control.

Yet whether it was due to Darwin's uniqueness,

or perhaps because this world had granted Darwin cheats,

Darwin's speed in communicating with spiritual energy was astonishingly fast.

In his hands, this spiritual energy was exceptionally obedient.

As long as he willed it, virtually with a mere thought, he could mobilize it.

All he needed to do was direct this spiritual energy to move according to his ideas and thoughts, producing the desired effect.

This was something other Daxia students could never achieve.

Even the elders couldn't do it.

Thus, Darwin was an absolute genius in Spell arts.

Even more of a genius than Cassandra.

Under the barrage of Darwin's Spell machine gun,

it was clear that Chengfeng was starting to struggle.

Chengfeng did not receive the treatment of being heaven and earth's favored son.

The reason he could keep up with Darwin's offensive rhythm

was purely because he was genuinely strong enough.

Darwin was cheating, and one simply could not compare to a cheater.

While fending off Darwin's attacks,

Chengfeng understood that he could not let things continue like this.

If this dragged on any longer, Darwin might well wear him down to defeat.

Darwin's Spells were just too fast.

Even with all his might poured into defense, he had still taken a couple of hits from Darwin's Spells.

How could he fight like this? It was utterly impossible!

With that in mind, Chengfeng shifted his battle tactics.

Chengfeng cast multiple layers of Water Shields in front of himself, then waved his hand, tearing open space directly.

Following that, Chengfeng plunged straight into the void of space.

Seeing this scene,

Darwin was not panicked in the slightest. This Spell, which resembled Apparition—

Darwin naturally knew of it.

It was just that Daxia's version was far more profound.

Darwin's magic power circulated around him,

carefully observing space.

Right at that moment,

Darwin's gaze focused slightly.

"Found you!"

As he spoke, Darwin's body had already vacated his position.

In passing, he flung several small objects, which landed right where he had stood.

Just as Darwin moved away, a spatial rift appeared.

Chengfeng emerged from within the spatial rift.

A Spell crashed directly onto the ground.

Seeing his attack miss, Chengfeng was noticeably startled.

"You can actually sense spatial fluctuations."

Chengfeng was genuinely shocked.

He had spent a long time studying how to lock onto spatial fluctuations.

But space itself was obscure and profound.

Doing so was extremely difficult.

He had only barely managed to lock onto spatial fluctuations after spending many years in Shennongjia.

Darwin said nothing.

In this regard, Wizards had a natural advantage over the supernaturals in Daxia.

Apparition, to put it plainly, was also a means of utilizing space.

Therefore, in the West, Wizards consciously sensed shifts in space.

After all, Apparition was frequently used in combat.

But here in Daxia, battles relied on Spell clashes and physical collisions.

Spatial power was rarely used.

Moreover, Daxia's methods of spatial teleportation had far more restrictions compared to Apparition.

Because Daxia possessed spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy also had its drawbacks.

Due to the presence of spiritual energy, the space in Daxia was far sturdier than in the West.

Tearing open space during combat for frequent spatial shifts was utterly impossible.

As such, people in Daxia never specifically trained in this.

After his amazement, Chengfeng suddenly felt something was amiss.

Looking down,

Chengfeng's pupils contracted. "Formation Flags? When did..."

Chengfeng instinctively tried to pull back.

However, he was a step too slow.

The corners of Darwin's mouth curved upward. "Noticed it? Too late!"

Darwin pinched another hand seal.

The next moment, the Formation Flags beneath Chengfeng's feet shone with faint light.

Chengfeng felt the surrounding space solidify once more.

Even if he wanted to tear it open, he could no longer do so.

Yet, none of this was over.

Darwin's hands moved without ceasing as a protective barrier of light enveloped the area.

Then, pillars of fire erupted from the ground, soaring toward the sky.

Chengfeng was shocked. "You laid down more than one set of Formation Flags?"

Chengfeng naturally knew how formations were used in combat.

After all, his formation grades were quite good.

But seeing someone nest formations within formations like Darwin did was truly a first for him.

Chengfeng's interest was piqued.

While dodging the fire pillars, he asked, "How did you do it? Nesting a formation within another without damaging the original one?"

Darwin smiled. "Once you manage to escape, I'll tell you!"

Chengfeng replied, "Then let me break your formation."

As Chengfeng spoke, he held his fingers together like a sword.

While his figure flickered about, his fingers traced across the ground.

His sword fingers turned golden, drawing lines across the ground.

But soon, Chengfeng's confident expression froze.

"How is this possible? There's no Formation Eye?"

Formations had Formation Eyes; this was common knowledge.

Every student in Kunlun knew it.

Moreover, when they took formation classes,

the elders taught this as well.

To break a formation, the best way was to locate the Formation Eye,

and then destroy it.

Once the Formation Eye was destroyed,

the formation would naturally collapse.

This was something everyone knew.

Yet Chengfeng now discovered that this formation had no Formation Eye?

How was that possible?

Without a Formation Eye, how could it sustain itself?

Inside the Kunlun Taoist Palace's Palace Master's Great Hall,

the elders watched Chengfeng and that peculiar formation on the screen,

expressions of contemplation on their faces.

After a moment,

looks of realization appeared on their faces.

"So that's how it is. Quite an ingenious idea."

"This Darwin's battle awareness is genuinely ridiculous. How did he think of this?"

Elder Wu, who was in charge of formations, said, "It appears to be a dual formation, but it is actually a triple formation. He actually used one layer of the formation to directly envelop the Formation Eye within.

This is truly interesting—an ingenious concept.

With three formations nested together, their Formation Eyes conceal one another. Even if Chengfeng manages to discover a Formation Eye and destroy it, two more are waiting for him.

Such methods are truly worthy of being called innate combat genius."

"That may be so, but what I'm more curious about is how on earth he managed to nest formations within formations. Old Wu, did you develop this?"

Elder Wu said, "How could that be? If I had developed this, the other students of the Kunlun Taoist Palace would have learned it long ago. How could they all be completely baffled right now!"

Chapter 252: Darwin, the Heaven Ranking!

Darwin's fingers rapidly formed hand seals.

The attacks within the array grew even fiercer.

It worked; it really worked.

As expected, his conjecture had not been mistaken.

Daxia's greatest strength was actually its arrays.

It was just that the people here had their imaginations constrained.

No, one couldn't say their imagination was constrained; rather, they simply hadn't read enough novels.

When Darwin first came into contact with arrays, a question had crossed his mind.

Why did the novels always claim that arrays could be nested inside one another?

Take the sect-protecting grand arrays in those novels, for example.

Trapping arrays, killing arrays, all sorts of varied arrays were layered together.

Yet when arrays were taught in Daxia, there was no such concept.

This felt very wrong.

And utterly unreasonable.

So, Darwin began researching the matter.

Then, he discovered a problem.

The primary reason arrays couldn't be nested within arrays was...

The issue of materials!

What was an array? It used a specific arrangement to stir the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

And differences in materials determined differences in the spiritual energy drawn forth.

That was the true essence of an array.

If your materials were entirely different, how could you nest the arrays together?

It was fundamentally a paradox.

Even a three-year-old knew that fusing substances made of different materials would inevitably trigger changes.

Even when elements combined, it was called a chemical reaction.

Mixing plain water with sugar water reduced the sweetness, but it still altered the state of the plain water.

Therefore, the main reason these arrays couldn't be nested together was that their fundamentals differed.

Thus, Darwin began his experiments.

He used identical materials to craft array flags, yet in this world, there could never be two completely identical leaves.

This was an ironclad rule; any minute deviation, once placed within an array, would be magnified, leading to variations in both the quantity and quality of spiritual energy stirred.

Therefore, Darwin's very first experiment ended in failure.

So, he changed his approach.

Using his Fantasizer talent, he created materials that were truly identical in every way.

Then, he discovered to his dismay that although the arrays merged and could be nested together...

...completely identical materials stirred up the exact same spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

He had merely made a single array bigger.

That was right—just bigger.

An originally small trapping array had simply expanded after stacking several times the amount of identical materials.

Evidently, Darwin's experiment had failed once more.

Darwin's breakthrough actually originated from a sudden flash of inspiration not long ago.

Bored that day, he had been studying energy magic circles.

Then, a thought crossed his mind.

Did a magic circle and an Eastern array share anything in common?

With that, Darwin embarked on a new round of research.

Just two days prior, Darwin made a bold attempt.

Deploying an array using the methods of laying a magic circle.

How was a magic circle laid? By using magic power to trace runes; runes imbued with magic power remained etched upon a medium.

Furthermore, they remained effective until that magic power dissipated.

He had been looking for identical mediums, identical carriers.

Well, wasn't magic power itself an identical medium?

He only needed to solve one thing: using the same magic power to stir different spiritual energies of heaven and earth.

For anyone else, this was impossible.

Darwin, however, was different.

As noted before, Darwin was practically the favorite child of heaven and earth.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was outrageously obedient in his hands.

Thus, what others could never achieve, he could pull off.

As a result, he succeeded in laying down a fused array.

Or to be precise, he had perhaps revived the Western legacy of magic circles.

It was just that the West lacked spiritual energy, so whether it could function there still required further testing.

On the arena stage, the corner of Chengfeng's Daoist robe had already been burned away.

He looked considerably more battered.

Faced with the overwhelming onslaught of this array...

...Chengfeng was truly going numb.

This was getting rather tricky.

He had practically traversed every inch of this array, yet he couldn't find the array core.

Did this array have no core?

Yet how could an array possibly function without an array core?

Suddenly, a suspicion dawned upon Chengfeng.

"You don't just have two arrays here—you have three! You incorporated an illusion array as well, using it to conceal the array core!"

The corners of Darwin's mouth curved upward. So he figured it out?

Even so, would figuring it out allow him to find the flaw?

Chengfeng felt utterly helpless.

This guy was cheating—seriously, he was definitely cheating.

Prior to Darwin, Daxia had never possessed fused arrays.

This was simply an unsolvable puzzle.

Chengfeng clenched his fists.

"Since I can't find it, I'll destroy your array flags! I refuse to believe your array flags can withstand my attacks."

As he spoke, Chengfeng unleashed all his might against one of the array flags.

However, something he never anticipated occurred.

Under his attack, the array flag shattered instantly without putting up the slightest resistance.

This unexpected twist left Chengfeng stunned for a few seconds.

He was almost hit by a pillar of fire.

How could this be right?

Anyone who set up arrays knew...

...array flags were vital and had to be heavily shielded.

In fact, in a grand array, up to sixty percent of its core defenses were dedicated to protecting the array flags.

Yet in Darwin's grand array, an array flag was so easily destroyed?

Soon, though, Chengfeng realized the problem.

Wait, why hadn't the grand array collapsed despite the flag being destroyed?

Chengfeng's eyes widened. "You actually put out decoy array flags?! Your array isn't powered by array flags at all!"

Darwin smiled. "Clever. You guessed right, but unfortunately, there's no prize. Rise!"

Following Darwin's low shout...

...the grand array operated at peak capacity the very next moment.

The number of flame pillars instantly doubled, their speed accelerating as well.

Looking at the sky-covering pillars of flame, Chengfenggave a wry smile.

He raised his head. "I surrender!"

Chengfeng had no choice; he couldn't dismantle this array.

Moreover, going all out to strike the array flag just now had consumed too much of his energy.

At this moment, he was feeling quite weak.

Continuing the fight was virtually impossible.

Besides, even if he persevered...

...without breaking the array, he would only be ground down and exhausted to defeat.

Hearing Chengfeng concede...

...Darwin let out a sigh of relief.

With a wave of his hand, the array dissipated.

The students of Kunlun Taoist Palace exchanged stunned glances.

Incredulity filled their eyes. Chengfeng had lost?

The strongest among the younger generation of Kunlun Taoist Palace had actually lost?

He had lost to Darwin.

What was more, Darwin hadn't even relied on Western Wizard methods.

He had purely applied what he learned in Daxia.

The elder overseeing the challenge matches stepped onto the stage.

"Heaven Ranking certification: Darwin passes!"

As soon as the elder spoke...

...cheers erupted instantly.

All the students of Kunlun Taoist Palace were beside themselves with excitement.

Never mind that Darwin was a foreigner.

To them, a successful challenge to the Heaven Ranking was enough to make them temporarily put aside nationality.

Chengfeng walked up to Darwin.

He gave a thumbs-up. "Incredible, junior brother."

Darwin replied, "Thank you, senior brother."

Chengfeng smiled and said, "No need to thank me. If you ever have the chance, teach me that array-laying technique of yours.

Of course, forget it if it's inconvenient.

Still, that technique is truly phenomenal. I have no idea how you managed to figure it out.

You are a genuine genius."

Darwin met Chengfeng's sincere gaze.

He couldn't help but wonder if his earlier suspicion that Chengfeng looked down on him had merely been his own misconception.

Before Darwin could dwell on it any longer...

...the elder managing the challenge matches chimed in.

"A banquet tonight! A feast before the vacation begins, and a celebration for Darwin's successful Heaven Ranking certification!"

At that, the cheers of the Kunlun Taoist Palace students grew even more enthusiastic.

No one could resist the temptation of delicious food.

Darwin was no exception.

...

Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, at the Capital Airport.

When he had arrived, Elder Zhang and Minister Liu Fenghad picked him up.

When he departed, it was the exact same.

Darwin cupped his hands. "Elder Zhang, Minister Liu, until we meet again."

Elder Zhang smiled and nodded.

Minister Liu Feng said, "Darwin, you're welcome to visit Daxia anytime. I've heard all about what happened at Kunlun Taoist Palace. Incredible! The Heaven Ranking—you fulfilled a dream I had back when I was a student."

Darwin smiled. "It was just good luck."

Minister Liu Feng replied, "That certainly wasn't luck."

Beside them, Elder Zhang said, "All right, enough with the formalities; time is running short. Darwin, thank you very much for leaving your array-laying methods with Kunlun."

Darwin said, "This was taught by Kunlun in the first place; I'm just fairly good at research.

However, I'm not sure if this can be widely applied. If it cannot, I just hope Kunlun won't blame me!"

Elder Zhang waved his hand. "Not at all. Well then, you're always welcome back to Daxia, Darwin!"

Chapter 253: The Suffering Hogwarts Duo!

Britain, Diagon Alley, inside the Rosier Building.

Gemma Farley and Penelope sat in the office.

Their desks were piled high with thick stacks of documents and accounts.

To one side stood Daniel and Robins.

Both held ice cream in their hands, savoring the rare treat.

Daniel took a large bite of his ice cream.

"Robins, you've been back for so long and aren't hurrying to work. Aren't you afraid the young master will discipline you when he returns?"

Robins chuckled. "I am working. How am I not working?"

"Didn't the young master place these two young ladies here precisely to train them?"

"My only responsibility is to teach them so they can grow quickly enough to be of help to the young master."

Daniel scratched his head; it seemed to make sense.

Robins smiled and said nothing.

He had been back for some time now, and throughout this period, he had been instructing Gemma Farley and Penelope.

These two were quite remarkable.

At least in Robins' eyes, if these two were unleashed upon the Wizarding World in the future, they would definitely become prominent figures.

And now, both had been brought into the Rosier camp a step ahead by his young master.

Whether in strength or intellect, both far surpassed their peers.

They were exceptionally worth cultivating and could fully become the premier workhorses of the Rosier family in the future.

Just like him and Daniel.

Robins firmly remembered what Vinda had told him.

The future belongs to the young.

As they grew older, there would come a day when their strength failed them.

Therefore, if the Rosier family wished to continue prospering, it needed young blood.

For the leader of the Rosier family was still far too young.

Naturally, it was necessary to cultivate tools that Darwincould rely on indefinitely.

Gemma Farley and Penelope were, without a doubt, the best tools.

At first, the two struggled to adapt during their training, but they soon eased into their roles.

Their progress could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds.

Robins pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time.

"It's about time. We should go pick up the young master."

Daniel stuffed the rest of his ice cream into his mouth in two bites.

Excitement filled his eyes.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go! I haven't seen the young master in so long."

Robins said, "I suggest you go change your clothes and take a shower first."

"With the young master away, you've gotten sloppier and sloppier. You haven't showered in days."

"If the young master catches a whiff of your stench, he might just reward you with an Killing Curse."

Hearing this, Daniel shuddered and trotted away.

Robins watched Daniel's retreating back and shook his head helplessly.

He walked over to the desk.

Gemma Farley and Penelope looked up.

Heavy dark circles hung beneath both of their eyes.

It was evident that they had been working under an extreme workload.

Gemma Farley asked weakly, "So, Mr. Robins, is there more work?"

Gemma Farley was truly at her wit's end.

She and Penelope had initially joined the Rosier Buildingfull of confidence and vitality.

They had planned to work hard and complete an early internship so they could start working right after graduation.

As it turned out, they had indeed enjoyed an easy and carefree life in the beginning.

However, ever since Robins returned a month ago...

...everything changed.

Every day, they had endless things to learn and endless tasks to complete.

Most importantly, they couldn't refuse.

Because they were genuinely learning.

And the knowledge was extraordinarily useful.

At the very least, they could never have learned it at school.

Above all, the balances on their Energy Cards kept steadily increasing.

This kept both of them persevering despite the exhaustion.

Of course, money was a minor matter; the key was that they were truly gaining practical knowledge.

Robins' teaching method was simple and straightforward.

It was practice—practicing over and over again, for practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.

Robins firmly believed that only continuous learning and relentless practice would allow them to truly master what they were taught.

And indeed, the results proved him right.

Now, Gemma Farley and Penelope could handle these tasks with ease.

Of course, it was still exhausting.

Whenever their working speed picked up, Robins would assign them even more work.

It was like an endless loop.

Robins said, "Today, I have no extra work to assign to you. Besides..."

Robins glanced at the mountain of documents and invoices piled on Gemma Farley and Penelope's desks.

"You haven't finished these yet, so there shouldn't be any need to assign you more."

Gemma Farley rolled her eyes.

"Aren't you just generous!"

Robins spread his hands. "Thank you for the compliment. Now, ladies, please go take a shower and freshen yourselves up."

"The young master is returning. We're going to pick him up together!"

Penelope and Gemma Farley were startled. "His Eminence is back?"

Robins nodded. "Yes. So, are you coming?"

Penelope and Gemma Farley exchanged a glance.

They waved their hands to stop the quills that were automatically taking notes beside them.

"Of course we're going."

...

Five in the afternoon, London Airport.

Darwin and Cassandra stepped off the airplane.

Beneath the plane, Robins, Daniel, and the others were already waiting with two cars.

For the Rosier family of today, such privileges were trivial.

Although the Wizarding World remained hidden in the shadows...

...the high-ranking officials of a nation were actually aware that on the other side of this world lay an unknown, mystical realm.

Back in the day, an ancestor of the Malfoy family had tried to use this status to court the Queen of England.

Unfortunately, he failed. Later, the Queen of England even wished to send her descendant to Hogwarts...

...and into this world.

Yet regrettably, that descendant possessed no magical talent.

In the end, the matter was dropped.

Darwin spotted Robins at first glance.

"Robins, you're back."

Robins bowed. "Yes, Young Master. I returned a month ago."

Darwin nodded. "Good. It's good to have you back."

Darwin looked toward Gemma Farley and Penelopenearby.

The two bowed. "Your Eminence."

Darwin smiled. "You don't seem to have gotten much rest, but compared to when you were at school, there's something more to you."

Gemma Farley said, "Mr. Leslie taught us a great deal. What you're seeing in us might just be our growth during this period."

Darwin nodded. "Very good. Alright, let's head back to Diagon Alley first."

Robins nodded.

Then, everyone got into the cars.

The vehicles drove toward Diagon Alley.

Robins reported to Darwin about the Rozier Group's affairs during Darwin's absence.

Robins omitted detailed report figures and statistics.

For he knew his young master had little interest in hearing them.

Robins went straight to the key points.

A moment later, Darwin said, "It seems development has been going quite well during this time."

Robins said, "You already set the main direction, and everything is proceeding along the path you intended beforehand, so naturally no disruptions occurred."

Darwin nodded. "Some things cannot be rushed. They require taking things one step at a time, bit by bit."

Robins nodded. "I understand, Young Master."

Darwin leaned back in his seat and looked out the car window.

The car turned onto a completely unfamiliar road.

Robins took the initiative to explain, "Your Eminence, I had this road constructed not long ago. It connects directly to the Muggle streets."

"A Muggle-Repelling Charm has been cast on the outside, so it cannot be found on Muggle maps. It leads straight to Diagon Alley, as many of our businesses have been growing larger."

"We need to transport substantial quantities of goods, and relying solely on bags with Undetectable Extension Charms proved somewhat inconvenient."

"Thus, we built this road for vehicular traffic."

Darwin nodded. "How is the usage of the Energy Cards going now?"

Robins said, "Throughout Britain, all magical items have begun using Energy Cards for transactions."

"The shops in Diagon Alley can also accept Energy Cards."

"In addition, Germany and France are roughly the same."

"It's just that over in France, due to the French Pure-bloods, things have run into some resistance. It's as if those French Pure-bloods' heads are stuffed with roses."

Chapter 254: The Previous Darwin?

Darwin said, "No rush. Energy Cards are a major trend, and for many things, it's not a matter of whether they want to change.

"Rather, the world needs them to change.

"We just need to watch and wait. How are things on Gringotts' end?"

Robins said, "Gringotts has taken the hardest hit. Now, Gringotts in Britain and Germany exist in name only.

"Calbi, the head of Gringotts here in Britain, has looked for you several times.

"However, I hadn't returned yet at the time, and Danieldidn't meet with him either.

"After I came back, he came knocking twice more.

"I had a talk with him."

Darwin nodded. "What are his demands?"

Robins said, "Gringotts wants to completely withdraw from both the British and German markets.

"However, building Gringotts back then cost a great deal of money.

"So the Goblins want to see if the Rosier family can take over Gringotts."

Darwin chuckled. "You mean they're planning to sell off Gringotts' assets?"

Robins nodded. "Yes, Young Master. They can't hold out any longer.

"Right now, there are definitely no more than thirty vaults still in use in the British Gringotts.

"Most of them belong to low-tier Wizards."

Darwin nodded. "Very good. That's even faster than I expected.

"Like I said, with brains barely bigger than walnuts, how could Goblins possibly do business?"

Robins smiled and said, "You're right, Young Master.

"So, are we going to take it over?"

Darwin said, "We definitely have to take it over. A property as massive as Gringotts can't just be left there to rot."

Robins asked, "Then how much should we offer?"

Darwin turned to Robins. "Offer money? Why should we pay?"

Robins froze.

Darwin said, "Robins, you've made progress, but you still haven't broken free from rigid thinking.

"Right now, it's not that we want to buy Gringotts—it's that Gringotts can't hold out and desperately needs us to take over."

Robins said, "Still, getting those Goblins to hand Gringottsover to us for free seems rather impossible."

Darwin said, "Of course it's impossible. Goblins are stupid, but they aren't complete fools. Giving Gringotts away for free is something they would never do.

"However, Robins, sometimes you need to think differently. If they don't want to give it away, we force them into a position where they have no choice."

Robins asked, "Slaughter all the Goblins?"

Darwin shook his head. "No, no, no, Robins. We are Wizards—kind-hearted Wizards.

"We can't engage in all that violent bloodshed. We stand on the side of justice.

"At least in the eyes of everyone, we are righteous. We exposed the truth about Gringotts.

"We bring blessings to all Wizards, so how could we possibly commit Goblin slaughter now?

"If we did that, what would everything we did before amount to?

"However, Robins, just because we can't do it doesn't mean others can't.

"Under Gringotts' current circumstances, what do you think happened to the wealth in the vaults belonging to pure-blood families whose lines have ended, and Wizards who have died?

"Where is all that wealth now?"

Robins was stunned.

Darwin said, "Think carefully. Sometimes, we don't need to lift a finger.

"We only need to lay the facts out before everyone, and greedy jackals will naturally tear into them.

"Once they finish tearing and reap massive spoils,

"we step in to eliminate the jackals. Jackals are naturally despised by the public.

"And we will become the heroes who eradicated the beasts!"

As Darwin finished speaking, the car happened to pull up in front of the building.

Daniel jogged over and opened the car door.

Darwin straightened his clothes and stepped out of the vehicle.

Darwin's appearance instantly drew everyone's attention.

"Is that Darwin?"

"My god, he's back! I heard he went traveling."

"The holidays are almost over, and he only just returned."

"I heard he went to Great Xia."

"What? Great Xia? That mysterious Great Xia?"

"I'm so jealous. Doesn't Great Xia forbid foreign Wizards from entering?"

"Are you really comparing yourself to him?"

Ignoring the chatter around him, Darwin walked straight into the building.

No one knew what Darwin was busy with.

Not even Cassandra knew.

It wasn't until midnight that Darwin finally emerged from his office.

Exhaustion covered his face.

Yet his eyes held an excitement he could hardly conceal.

He succeeded. He had finally succeeded.

All of his conjectures, upon arriving in Britain,

had been thoroughly verified.

Formations could indeed be used in the West.

However, they lacked certain special traits,

as well as part of their power.

That was because there was no spiritual energy in the West.

Still, it didn't matter; he had found a substitute.

He had to admit, that ancient Wizard's tomb from before had been of immense help to him.

Especially the magic circle that produced energy.

That thing was simply too practical.

In the past, Darwin had been too timid and far too conservative,

causing him to miss out on many opportunities to utilize it.

Now, however, he had found a way.

Of course, testing still had to continue, as did research.

Even the current Darwin had not thoroughly grasped many things.

He needed time, and he needed attempt after attempt.

As for how far he could take it in the end and to what extent, Darwin wasn't sure either.

The next day, Darwin brought Cassandra back to Germany.

Cassandra also needed to make a trip home.

As for Darwin, he was going home to see his grandmother.

Inside Rosier Manor.

Vinda sat at the head of the table, elegantly cutting into her steak.

Darwin sat to her left.

Neither of them spoke.

Yet a faint smile flickered across Vinda's face from time to time.

Clearly, Vinda was very pleased by Darwin's return.

Dinner came to an end.

Rand brought Darwin a glass of warm milk and poured Vinda a glass of red wine,

before quietly taking his leave.

Holding the stem of the goblet, Vinda gently swirled the red wine in her glass.

Watching the crimson residue cling to the inside of the glass,

she casually asked, "How were your gains from going to Great Xia?"

Darwin replied, "Pretty good. I learned a lot of things and discovered quite a bit."

Vinda let out a soft sound of curiosity. "Oh? What did you discover?"

Darwin said, "The Resets."

Vinda's hand paused abruptly.

Darwin looked at Vinda. "So, Grandmother, in the other resets you've experienced... was I there?"

Vinda hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding. "Yes. Ever since I regained memories of the resets, I have lived through seven more resets. You were present in three of them."

Darwin was taken aback. "Three?"

Vinda nodded. "That's right, three. The other four times, I went looking for you, but couldn't find you.

"At the exact same time and place, you weren't there.

"Moreover, you were very special, Darwin.

"In the three resets after I met you, your behavior was different every time.

"The only common trait was that in every one, you were a prodigy—a terrifyingly brilliant genius.

"Yet this time alone, you are the most special of all. It's as though you gathered every single strength and discarded every single flaw.

"In fact, I once felt that this version of you was like the optimal solution left after countless selections."

Darwin swirled his glass of milk.

He said nonchalantly, "Perhaps it's because this version of me is the true me. Or perhaps... this version of me is no longer me at all."

Vinda fell silent for a moment.

Then, she set down the wine glass.

"Darwin, truthfully, there isn't much that I know.

"I don't even know where you came from.

"Everyone, Darwin—mark my words, I mean everyone—"

"in reset after reset, those without memories of the resets act almost identically.

"Do you understand? It's like a movie; they have all been scripted beforehand.

"They don't change in the slightest.

"Only you, Darwin. Every single time, you behave differently.

"Vastly different, even.

"Your bizarre variability and starkly contrasting demeanor made us believe that you might be the one to break the deadlock.

"However, we tried, Darwin.

"You were special, but you never once made it to the end.

"We sent you to Hogwarts, and we sent you to Durmstrang.

"Yet each time, you met a bizarre Death before graduation."