This was an ancient and primitive land, dotted with mountains, streams, valleys, and forests.
Primordial mist rose, and a black, fire-engulfed monstrous bird emerged from a mysterious gorge, tearing through the clouds as it flew at breakneck speed.
As it passed over a range of undulating mountains, the peaks suddenly split open from the base, and a terrifying beast resembling a rock turtle crawled out from beneath the earth. With a roar, it extended its claws and violently dragged the monstrous bird down from the sky.
This was only the beginning.
After the rock turtle beast erupted into action, a dragon that had been lying dormant on a glacier rose, spewing frost as it joined the fray.
The forest pulsed, and an ancient tree-like creature, towering into the sky, emerged from the ground, releasing countless vine-like serpents.
Whether it was the rock turtle, the dragon, or the tree-like creature, their target was solely the black, fire-engulfed monstrous bird.
This was a premeditated ambush, with three colossal beasts ganging up on the black monstrous bird. The four beasts clashed in a chaotic battle, shattering the earth, cutting off rivers, and melting forests. Despite the black bird's extraordinary prowess and strength, which surpassed any of the three beasts individually, it gradually fell into a disadvantage under their combined assault.
At that moment.
"Tao lo—"
A clear, resolute voice, like a heavenly sound, descended from the clouds, accompanied by a complex, flame-like glowing totem.
The totem merged into the body of the black monstrous bird, and the previously weakened bird immediately surged with power. In an instant, it spewed pure black flames, engulfing and consuming the three beasts before it.
The three beasts turned to ashes amidst their unwilling howls, leaving behind no remains. Instead, they transformed into three exquisite cards, each engraved with the images of a "Giant Turtle," "Ice Dragon," and "Ancient Tree Creature," which rose into the air and ascended into the clouds.
Finally, they landed in the hands of three different individuals.
It turned out that all of this had taken place on a specially designed sand table. The four primordial beasts that had fought so fiercely were merely small pieces on the sand table.
"We lost again."
The three wizards standing by the sand table each had youthful and striking appearances, dressed in exquisite and ornate Wizard Robes, exuding the powerful aura of Level Four Dawn. Though their faces bore traces of disappointment, it was hard to conceal their exceptional, prodigious demeanor.
"Misha!"
Someone called out a name, filled with deep admiration.
"In the entire Spirit Lake—no, in the entire Empire of Fate—there's probably no other wizard who surpasses you in the art of Demon Spirit Cards."
"Aside from Misha, who else could bring out such a stunning and unparalleled effect from an ordinary [Black Domain Bird]?"
"Misha..."
Misha! Misha! The three of them continuously praised the same name, their gazes converging in the same direction.
On the other side of the sand table stood a dazzling young man.
The young man was strikingly handsome, with short, blue-gold gradient hair that shimmered like flowing mercury.
He wore an equally blue-gold, magnificent robe, one foot casually resting on the broad, towering metal chair.
He seemed to radiate a certain brilliance, exuding confidence and charisma, with the natural air of a leader. Wherever he went, he would inevitably become the focal point of the space.
"It's just a game to pass the time. Hardly anything to call an 'art' or 'mastery.'"
The young man lounged lazily in his seat, speaking in a calm tone, "But to truly excel, you still need a bit of skill, hard work, and—"
He lightly tapped his temple with his finger.
"Brains."
The smiles on the faces of the three young wizards froze, replaced by a hint of awkwardness.
"Alright."
The young man stood up from his seat, his Wizard Robe brushing lightly against the air. The sand table before him reshaped itself, and amidst the mist, the arrogant cry of a Black Domain Bird echoed.
"Let's play another round."
He glanced down at the three of them, a faint smile playing on his lips as he said, "This time, I'll give you three hourglasses' worth of time."
The three nodded, just as they were summoning their spirit decks and preparing to place them on the sand table, someone appeared, quickly approaching the group and whispering to the young man, "Misha, Sindison of the Sky Weaver is here."
"Oh?"
The young man's eyes flickered slightly. He raised his hand, signaling the other three to put away the sand table, and said indifferently, "Let him in."
"Yes."
Moments later, a middle-aged man in a deep cyan Wizard Robe, exuding an air of detachment, appeared in the room.
"Sindison, you really should switch to the dark side and become a 'Reaper.' I've never seen an 'Agent' as efficient and decisive as you."
Misha, seated on a metal chair, laughed as he spoke to the newcomer. He resembled a youthful king, his flowing blue-gold hair serving as his crown, and he radiated the natural charisma of a born leader.
Misha raised his right hand, a small space ring spinning in his palm.
"Show me the proof of that man's death, and I'll pay you the rest of the reward right now."
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I didn't kill him."
Misha's eyes turned cold, and the smile on his face gradually faded.
"Then why are you back? Don't tell me that you, a late-stage Level Four Dawn of the Sky Weaver, couldn't handle a mere Level Three with a soul aptitude of only three stars—"
Misha clenched the ring in his hand and snorted.
"His combat strength is not weak; it rivals that of a true Dawn Wizard. It took me some effort to subdue him."
The middle-aged man replied expressionlessly, "I came back for another reason."
"Another reason?"
Misha frowned slightly, and the middle-aged man proceeded to take out a few items, speaking slowly as he did so.
As the man spoke, Misha's expression gradually shifted, and by the end, only the flickering blue-gold light in his eyes could be seen.
"He really said that?"
After the middle-aged man finished speaking, Misha, seated on his chair, spoke slowly.
"I've brought the soul contract he personally drafted. You can see for yourself."
The middle-aged man casually tossed a parchment scroll toward Misha. The scroll unfurled in mid-air and, just as it was about to reach Misha, spontaneously ignited, leaving behind a series of sharp, flame-like characters in the void.
Misha narrowed his eyes, reading each word carefully, then glanced to the side and said indifferently, "Zorn, I recall your authority in the Spirit Contract Hall is quite high—"
One of the three young wizards who had been playing the spirit deck with Misha immediately understood his meaning. He quickly retrieved a fist-sized crystal ball from his space ring.
He stared at the crystal ball, chanting a specific incantation, his eyes rapidly scanning the surface of the ball as if flipping through pages.
A moment later, the young wizard raised his head and nodded, saying, "That's right. The aura of soul power is completely consistent with the two contracts he signed when he first joined. It was personally written by Ronan Damien."
Misha withdrew her gaze, squinting her eyes as she looked past the soul contract in the void toward the middle-aged man not far away.
"To risk violating the agreement by informing him of my existence, and even willingly come forward to act as a messenger, Sindison, it seems he has offered you quite a lot of benefits."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man did not respond, only his eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly.
"The soul aura and the content of the contract are both fine, but..."
Misha reached out to stroke her smooth, sharp chin, thoughtfully saying, "This Ronan Damien so readily offering his loyalty, expressing complete submission to me, feels a bit off."
"Of course, there are conditions."
The middle-aged man took out a rune stone and tossed it to Misha.
Misha caught it, her mental power seeping in to investigate. Her eyes flickered, and after a moment, she slowly nodded.
"That makes more sense."
Misha casually threw the rune stone to the three wizards beside her.
The three took turns examining it, and soon someone voiced their dissatisfaction.
"He's just a small-time third-level wizard. Who does he think he is? How dare he ask for so much from us?"
"It looks like the materials needed to construct the Dawn Ascension Array, but the resources required are way too much, nearly seven or eight times the usual amount."
"Selling oneself, it's normal to ask for a higher price."
Sitting at the head, Misha lightly tapped the armrest of her chair with her fingertips, calmly saying, "The bigger his appetite, the more at ease I feel about him."
"Misha, you're not really thinking of signing this contract, are you?"
A young wizard frowned as he asked.
"Why not?"
Misha tugged at the corner of her mouth, smiling to herself, "To achieve an unprecedented ten-star evaluation in the knowledge trial, even surpassing Juventus who carries the bloodline of the Black Witch King, he must possess some extraordinary talent that ordinary people can't reach. It would be a shame to crush him like this. If he can be of use to me, all the better.
Once Ronan Damien grows, my grasp on the Deep Sea's Child will be even firmer.
Moreover, I will soon be competing for the position of the Spirit Lake Saint. With the strength I currently have, it's still too thin."
Misha calmly raised a finger, using her own soul power as ink, and decisively signed her name on the soul contract before her.
As the contract was completed, all the text turned into flames and burned. From the flames, two butterfly-like ashes flew out, one disappearing into the void, the other gently hiding itself under one of Misha's fingernails.
"However, his soul aptitude is indeed a big problem. Asking for so many resources from me is probably to make more preparations for his ascension."
After a brief thought, Misha quickly spoke to one person, "Calculate the time. The Silent Corridor should be opening soon. Allocate a spot for him. Zorn, you will deliver the resources to him along with it."
"Yes."
After giving a series of instructions, Misha's gaze finally returned to Sindison.
He casually tossed the ring he had been holding to the other person and spoke with a smile, "You did a great job this time, Sindison. I'll come to you again for similar matters in the future."
Sindison snorted lightly, pocketed the ring, and turned to leave without hesitation.
Only after completely exiting the Spirit Lake Secret Realm did a trace of bewilderment appear on Sindison's icy-cold face.
"It actually turned out exactly as he predicted."
In fact, the final outcome of the matter didn't surprise Sindison much, given the conditions on the table. Even if he were Misha, he would most likely have signed the contract.
What truly astonished Sindison was Ronan's actions and decisions.
Despite possessing such terrifying combat power that he could easily crush a late-stage fourth-level wizard like Sindison, Ronan had so readily and easily handed over his soul to Misha! "If he didn't hide a trap in the contract that's hard for ordinary people to detect, then he must have some special means to circumvent the constraints of the soul contract."
Thinking of the three bizarre soul nails deeply embedded in him, Sindison felt the second possibility was more likely.
But regardless of which it was, he was certain of one thing—Misha, who foolishly believed he had everything under control and signed the contract, was definitely in for trouble! "A tiger's true nature, cloaked in a sheep's guise, with a mind as deep as the Spirit Lake."
"That guy probably just needs a bit more time and one soaring opportunity."
Sindison muttered to himself, shook his head, and quickly left with a grim expression.
That guy had said the soul nail's restriction would naturally be lifted three months after the matter was fully settled. Three months was too long, and he didn't entirely trust the other's promise. Before then, he had to figure out if he could remove the "nails" in his soul by his own means.
The excruciating pain that penetrated his soul was something he never wanted to experience again in this lifetime.
Among the undulating mountain ranges, Ronan flew calmly through the air.
Suddenly, he paused, watching as a soul mark, resembling ashes, slowly drifted down from the void before him and merged into his body, gently landing on a beautiful golden ladybug within his consciousness space.
"The contract is complete."
Ronan blinked, and at the same time, he received a message from Sindison, the fourth-level wizard of the Sky Weavers.
"Kid."
The cold voice of Alazan echoed in his mind.
"I've shouldered another burden for you."
"Debts don't weigh you down, my dear Alazan."
Ronan said casually, "This kind of contract has no effect on you whatsoever."
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!