Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems - Chapter 700

Chapter 697 The Silver Lord’s Spiral Ascent

As the Sun Ring Wizard announced the rules of the competition, a magical pressure not belonging to this world was released from the Silent Throne. This magical pressure was roughly at the third ring level, instantly enveloping the entire viewing area.

Locke looked around, sensing the changes in the world’s power. “It’s not just the aberrant magical pressure, but also the peculiar laws of the plane that permeate the air. In other words, this is no longer the Wizarding World for the time being.”

“This is the area influenced by the laws of the Silent Plane, a medium-sized plane locked by the Silent Throne.”

The Sun Ring Wizard host announced, “Thanks to the Cloud Marsh Wetland Ten Shops Alliance for their sponsorship, thank you to the Four Great Academies for their sponsorship, and thank you to the Silent Witch, Truth, for her sponsorship.”

“Now, I declare the 21st Silent Holy Grail War officially open. Please, four contestants and eight assistants, ascend the throne.”

“During the competition, the viewing area will be temporarily located at the intersection of the Wizarding World and the Silent Plane. We will witness a spectacular grand magical modeling competition.”

Twelve steps descended from the Silent Throne, and without hesitation, Wizard Edgar stepped onto one of them.

Then came Wizard Locke, Wizard Smith, then Witch Georgina, and then the other wizards.

For this competition, each of the four contestants had already pushed their magical pressure to its limit and then forcibly entered a period of soul decay, after which their souls had decayed to their limit.

Their intelligence, reflexes, and memory had all reached their weakest point since becoming first-ring wizards. Their

minds were also weakened by the excessive magical pressure and the gaps between their souls; the larger the gaps, the higher the magical pressure, and the more their souls weakened.

At this moment, with each step they took up the stairs, their magical pressure increased, and their soul aura weakened further.

Georgina, wearing a wooden mask, looked down at her feet, clearly hesitant. Her pause immediately drew the attention of the other three. Wizard

Edgar sneered, without hesitation, and continued upwards. The next moment, his soul aura weakened again, and his magical pressure rose once more.

Wizard Smith’s face was grim, but he only hesitated slightly before continuing upwards.

After observing, Locke discovered that the power of the Silent Dimension was continuously flowing into him. Furthermore, with everyone watching, if anything happened to the four of them, a group of wizards who had invested in the Silent Holy Grail Tournament would immediately go bankrupt, and the Silent Witch wouldn’t be able to justify it either. So he continued upwards.

For a white wizard, anything immoral might be possible, but anything that would cause him financial loss would be absolutely unacceptable!

Georgina the Witch gritted her teeth. “Going upwards is like placing one’s soul under a thousand knives.”

At this moment, the magical pressure of the four was infinitely close to the second ring. Locke heard a ‘crack’ sound, and the surface of the bronze magic furnace bound to his soul was covered in cracks, showing signs of shattering.

At the same time, Locke saw something fly down from above the Silent Throne. Four Worldstones, like birds, arced through the sky and descended in front of Locke.

Locke grabbed them.

In an instant, his will, magic power, personality, cognition, knowledge, and emotions uncontrollably flowed into the Worldstone.

In an instant, the originally colorless white Worldstone turned a bluish-silver.

In an instant, Locke felt as if the heavens and earth were united, a continuous stream of power pouring into him.

The Silent Plane was accumulating energy for him, helping him gather magical pressure, propelling him towards the Second Ring in one go.

The Second Ring, the so-called Great Magic, is about using the moment when one’s world merges with oneself, allowing the source of the cyclical magic one creates to become one’s second soul.

A full moon appeared behind Locke, as if it had fallen from the sky and crashed into the earth, shaking the heavens and the earth.

The Worldstone and the Moon of Evolution had become one.

The most orthodox Great Magic was completed at this very moment.

Locke’s magical pressure effortlessly surpassed 9999, soaring directly to 10000, then continued its ascent towards 11000, seemingly poised to reach 12000.

His soul, which had reached its limit, seemed to rebound from rock bottom, reborn from the ashes, its waning vitality erupting with immense power. The exaggerated life force contained within his life magic enveloped the entire arena.

Locke felt as if his aging soul had been completely reborn, like a newborn being nurtured anew.

It was something far superior to the immense magic he had barely managed to conjure twice using the Kingdom Domain.

This was a true breakthrough to the second ring. He

had achieved a rebirth of his soul.

The full moon behind Locke hung in mid-air, still slowly rotating, its golden branches resembling a divine tree in the moon, moonlight illuminating the earth, its magical pressure vast and mysterious.

The judges of the Silent Holy Grail tournament immediately began to whisper among themselves. “This time, the ultimate spell from Mount Golden Crown is a spell that hasn’t been recorded before.”

“Not recorded? This level of perfection is extremely rare. It’s like a true lunar plane descending. This level of perfection… it’s unbelievable that a single first-ring wizard could create it.”

“The Ultimate Spell Modeling Competition is getting more and more interesting. This year, Mount Golden Crown produced an ultimate spell completely unlike any of their previous entries. We can’t even learn from their experience now. I wonder what the specific effects will be.”

“I saw traces of Void Beasts on it, and… the magical techniques of many academies. Hmm, could there be traces of Nexus magic in it? Am I seeing things?”

In the audience, the witch Camilla covered her face, utterly defeated.

She secretly glanced at her teacher, whose eyes flashed with doubt, as if trying to confirm something but unsure.

Camilla secretly glanced at her teacher; thankfully, her teacher didn’t seem entirely certain that the ultimate spell used Nexus technology.

Camilla the witch whispered, “Golden Crown Mountain, when did they develop such advanced porcelain-making technology? Teacher, did Golden Crown Mountain steal our porcelain-making technology?”

She was anxious, but her teacher’s face was grim. “Very likely. And it’s quite possible that Golden Crown Mountain has gained a certain advantage in this part of the technology. This is definitely theft, theft!”

Camilla the witch breathed a sigh of relief.

Great, at least she had steered the conversation astray from the start. Next, she might actually have a chance to fish in troubled waters.

The people of Nexus City are opportunists; for them, if there’s even the slightest possibility, they’ll try to do it.

Most wizards might not be able to so effortlessly and casually fool others’ intelligence like Camilla, but she instinctively wanted to try.

Camilla looked at the full moon over Locke, a strange glint in her eyes. ‘Is our Nexus’s natal magic porcelain really that powerful? It can actually create such immense magical pressure with its natal magic porcelain. Just the moment it was initially completed, the magical pressure reached 12,000.’

‘He hasn’t even truly constructed the energy cycle system for the immense magic. If he completes it, won’t the magical pressure continue to rise?’

‘What exactly are the effects of this immense magic? What will they be like?’

Camilla’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Meanwhile, atop the Heavenly Ladder, Georgina flipped her left hand, and a spinning wheel appeared in her palm.

The spinning wheel had three seats, all of which were currently empty.

The spinning wheel was working; despite the lack of raw materials, the machine continued to turn, producing strands of golden thread.

Georgina the witch took a cane-like wand from her astral ring and tapped it three times on the steps.

The spinning wheel whirred, and soon a golden robe appeared on her body.

Her magical pressure reached nearly 12,000.

On the judging panel of the Grand Magic Modeling Competition, the seven Sun Ring Wizards whispered among themselves.

“It’s rare to see magic weavers participating in the Silent Grail War. In the past, Boniface University’s participants were usually breeders or wizards from the Evocation School, including weather masters and storm masters. But this is the first time a magic weaver has participated. Has the magic weaver solved the problem of not being good at direct combat?”

“If I’m not mistaken, that ultimate magic has a characteristic: it can quickly weave magical garments. I checked this contestant’s records; she’s a famous magical garment designer, a well-known first-ring magical garment fashion designer in Cloudze Wetlands.”

“No, I have a question. Her ultimate magic’s ability to accelerate the weaving of magical garments is good, but the problem is, wouldn’t the instantaneous increase in magical pressure be a huge disadvantage? And this is our Silent Grail War. In such a high-intensity combat environment, wouldn’t this kind of ultimate magic be a bit of a disadvantage?”

“Let’s see. This is Boniface University’s magic weaver’s first battle in our Silent Grail War to improve the status of textile science.”

“That’s true. The Department of Textiles recently produced three Third Ring Thrones. Their academic standing has improved, but current resources don’t match the number of high-ring wizards they have. Therefore, their entire department is striving to become a first-level discipline.”

“They are working hard in various fields, aiming for honors in various directions.”

“Without a Truth Wizard, just having many Third Ring Thrones and trying to become a first-level discipline would be very difficult. Of course, the Department of Textiles currently has one Truth Wizard. It’s just that the number is still not enough.”

The witch Georgina said to the three contestants, “Gentlemen, this is my ultimate magic—the Loom of Destiny.”

Locke nodded and smiled, “This is my ultimate magic—Moon of Evolution.”

Wizard Smith, standing nearby, didn’t look too good, because his ultimate magic, [Meteor from Outer Space], only had a magic pressure of around 10,500 after its initial construction.

There was no way around it; [Meteor from Outer Space] heavily relied on its construction. Currently, it was only in the initial framework, so the increase in magic pressure wasn’t very significant.

This made Wizard Smith’s expression quite unpleasant.

In his eyes, this was simply a lack of initial momentum, but the problem wasn’t a lack of ability; it was just that the Ultimate Spell – Celestial Meteor was a Ultimate Spell that developed in the mid-stage.

Therefore, he remained silent, only saying, “Ultimate Spell – Celestial Meteor.”

Wizard Smith stood with his hands behind his back, brimming with confidence. ‘Once we enter the Silent Dimension and begin constructing Ultimate Spells, my magical pressure will undoubtedly be higher than yours.’

Locke and the witch Georgina immediately looked at Wizard Edgar.

Wizard Edgar frowned, clutching a World Stone, seemingly hesitating about something.

He glanced back at the arena, then made his choice, combining the World Stone with his [Timeshade Fern].

Instantly, a five-story-tall fern appeared behind him.

This magical fern had seven leaves arranged in a spiral, with deep purple veins, thin as cicada wings, and fine, reverse-serrated edges. It would tremble slightly when touched.

Therefore, as soon as the Timeshade Fern appeared, in the breeze caused by the chaotic magical pressure, the leaves collided with each other, producing a ‘click’ sound like clockwork.

It was as if a clock was ticking there.

Edgar seemed somewhat sullen. “This is the ultimate magic I’ll be using in this competition—Timeshade Fern,”

Locke said, looking at Edgar with a puzzled expression. “I thought it would be a powerful spell related to treants, especially the Tree of Life. Isn’t that your specialty? Why did you suddenly change course and use this kind of spell?”

Wizard Edgar said. “This kind of competition doesn’t require my true powerful spell. So I just casually picked a casual powerful spell to participate in this competition.” Locke

smiled. “You’re quite casual.”

Wizard Smith’s face darkened even more, because after Edgar constructed the powerful spell, his magic pressure actually reached 13,000!

Overpowering everyone else!

So, he was the only one present who looked like a weakling, and there wasn’t even a wizard sitting on the floor with him.

This made him feel very embarrassed.

However, among the three powerful spells that the Smith family mainly invested in researching, only the Celestial Meteor spell was particularly focused on construction, so the starting magic pressure of the Celestial Meteor spell must be the lowest, only around 10,500.

Wizard Smith thought to himself, “Don’t take the initial magic pressure too seriously. The real test will be when I construct my ultimate spells.”

…

The seven judges discussed amongst themselves.

“Of the four contestants, besides Smith, the other three have all brought out ultimate spells that haven’t been recorded before. Truly remarkable, an unprecedented event.”

“The Starfield Sea’s Ascension Plan has a significant impact, but the timing is indeed excellent. Currently, the Eastern Region is at its strongest, with countless geniuses emerging everywhere. This is the era when the Ascension Plan is most likely to succeed.” “

Actually, we don’t need to underestimate ‘Meteor from Beyond the Heavens.’ Although the Smith family’s ‘Meteor from Beyond the Heavens’ is a regular in our competition, it’s very special—it’s a combination-type ultimate spell. It heavily relies on the level of construction ability. So, it’s normal for the initial magic pressure to be lower. Moreover, although ‘Meteor from Beyond the Heavens’ is an old spell, it’s easy to create something new with it.”

In the spectator area, many wizards watched the four ultimate spells with utmost seriousness.

Wizard Mike and his teacher were watching the Silent Grail War for the first time, so they were just there for the spectacle.

Hussein and Daniel, also visiting wizards, didn’t notice anything unusual at the start of the match.

However, many wizards who had watched numerous Silent Grail Wars—such as the wizards from Little Rest Mountain, the wizards from the four major academies, the wizards from the Tower of Transmutation, and other native wizards—smelled something unusual from the very beginning.

Three of the participants had brought out entirely new, powerful spells.

This was unthinkable in past competitions.

Innovation meant risk; it didn’t guarantee progress, and many innovations were actually regression.

Beneath the Silent Throne, Locke heard a call from the Silent Dimension, as if a million people were whispering in his ears.

‘This is… a ritual spell?’

Locke, now a second-circle wizard, could see the dimensional power in the air and its flow. He

saw countless dimensional forces converging towards him.

“Someone is performing a ritual on me. If I accept this dimensional power, I’ll be instantly pulled there. A normal second-circle wizard could refuse, but now, thanks to the World Stone lent to me by the Silent Dimension, I’ve become a second-circle wizard, so I can’t refuse.”

“So, ritual magic can gather dimensional power towards a being, and then suddenly pull them there after they receive that power.”

Now, Locke’s understanding of ritual magic had deepened because he was a second-circle wizard.

He chose to accept.

The dimensional power converged towards him.

The next moment, Locke’s figure vanished.

At the same time, all the other participants disappeared.

On the Silent Throne, four landing points for entering the Silent Dimension were projected.

…

The Silent Dimension.

A thick curtain of light gray clouds hung in the air.

Occasionally, a ray of sunlight would manage to penetrate, but it was stained a sickly orange-red by coal dust, like diluted blood plasma splattered on the rooftops.

Towering steam chimneys and brass and lead pipes crisscross the city’s spires, like its veins.

The river beside the city floats with bloated parchment and various kinds of garbage.

The inhabitants of the Silent Dimension are silent, save for the deafening roar of machinery.

In this industrial city, a train traverses its streets.

In the third carriage, a group of women in whalebone crinolines and metal corsets, adorned with various metal ornaments, and men in sleek suits supported by wire frames, are conducting a sacrificial ceremony. The

one performing the ceremony is a sixteen-year-old girl; her metal corset makes her appear slender, her exaggerated skirt and two metal earrings dangling from her ears.

At this moment, she is performing the ritual.

A burly man in a white vest and black overalls pulled out a flintlock pistol, whistled, stared at the girl’s forehead, and chuckled, “Holy Maiden, stop playing tricks. Your god doesn’t exist.”

“His Majesty the Emperor sent me to kill you. You said you’d demonstrate miracles before me, prove your cult isn’t a cult, prove His Majesty the Emperor is a fraud, deceiving the world. I listened to you, I let you prove it. But your god seems to be ignoring you. Since he won’t appear, let me take your head and present it to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Inside the carriage, the man and woman were furious at the gunman’s rudeness.

However, they seemed particularly afraid of him.

So, even though they were also armed and outnumbered, not one of them dared to fire.

The girl gritted her teeth. “I’m telling the truth. Aren’t you curious why you gunslingers are born with gun-fighting skills? Why are you the only gunslingers with superpowers and able to kill those monsters?”

“Let me tell you, a long, long time ago, everyone could have the same abilities as you gunslingers through their own efforts. Your emperor was one of those who worked hard. Later, he became emperor, and he broke everyone’s backs.”

“He boarded the train and closed the doors. He hid true knowledge, preventing anyone from learning superpowers for his eternal rule and to maintain his own absolute power. You gunslingers are just born with superpowers, the lowest level of abilities, so the emperor recruited you to be his henchmen.”

The girl sneered. “Does he really need you? No, he needs no one. He’s a tyrant.”

“All those monsters in our civilization, maybe they were all created by the emperor.”

The gunslinger whistled. “It’s because of your foolish story that I’ve wasted so much time. And the miracle you spoke of never happened.”

“You’ve wasted my time. With your utterly deceptive words, it’s no wonder the Emperor wants to kill you.”

“What you say is all unreliable. Because you have no access to information about the higher-ups. You’re just an ordinary girl spouting nonsense and lying.”

The girl looked at the musket pressed against her forehead, then at the small altar at her feet, displaying a sacred artifact—a Holy Grail.

It was the Grail

of Silence. But the next moment, the Grail of Silence vanished, replaced by a full moon and rock.

The girl’s intended address to the Silent Witch instantly changed to that of the Moon of Evolution, completely oblivious, as if she had no idea that her perception had been permanently altered.

“Spiral-ascending Lord of Silver Radiance, Eternal Witness of All Things. I beseech your grace, that your radiance may tear the sky apart, that your will may reshape reality.”

“I call upon you once more, that your spiraling moon may transform into your sacred body at this moment.”

The girl looked around nervously.

These were the words the goddess had taught her in a dream, words said to summon deities. The

girl frowned. Goddess?

She remembered it as a god.

One memory was being replaced by another.

(End of Chapter)