As Li Wei and Gu Ze talked, the situation on the field had already become grim.
Lair took out a Mana Recovery Potion and took a sip, restoring his spent Mana.
He had already defeated the seventh Mage Apprentice.
With his overwhelming advantage in Casting speed, no amount of trickery could change the outcome.
Seeing Lair's Mana was depleted, El decisively sent his student, Doug, up to the stage.
"Doug, you go."
Upon hearing this, Doug was a little reluctant.
'The Maple City Mage Tower has already lost,' he thought. 'And quite thoroughly at that.'
'Mage Aier's dishonorable war of attrition has made the Maple City Mage Tower lose all face.'
Although reluctant, Doug still nodded and said, "Yes."
'He didn't quite understand. Why was Lair so strong when they were both Mage Apprentices?'
Mage Aier stopped Doug as he was about to go on stage. "Cast a Magic Shield first, then go up."
Doug couldn't help but say, "Master, that's not exactly proper."
Mage Aier said calmly, "It's within the rules of the challenge."
Allen burst out laughing. "Brother, that's just like you! Hahaha..."
The crowd in the stands felt too embarrassed to look at El.
Doug wanted to say more, but after seeing El's stern gaze, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
With a soft sigh, he cast a Tier Zero Magic Shield.
Then, protected by the Magic Shield, he walked into the combat area.
Lair looked at Doug, a smug smile spreading across his face.
"So, you're the last one? The Maple City Mage Tower is nothing special after all!"
With a grave expression, Doug watched his opponent. He ignored the taunt and said, "Doug, Mage Apprentice from the Maple City Mage Tower."
"Lair, Ring Mage Apprentice from the Extreme Night City Mage Tower."
With the introductions made, the battle began.
Doug began Casting at once. He knew his Casting speed was no match for Lair's, but his Magic Shield could withstand at least two Tier Zero Magic attacks.
'This is my chance.'
Lair didn't underestimate Doug. He spent five seconds casting a Magic Shield on himself.
Only then did he cast the Small Fireball Technique to attack Doug.
Lair had already cast two spells in the time it took Doug to barely finish one.
BANG!
The Small Fireball hit Doug, but its power was completely blocked by the Magic Shield.
The Magic Shield thinned.
Doug's spell was finally complete.
"Cloud Mist Technique!"
A dense fog spread out from Doug, enveloping the entire battlefield.
Everyone looked surprised. They hadn't expected Doug to have learned a spell with no Attack Power.
As the Cloud Mist Technique enveloped the battlefield, Lair lost sight of Doug, unable to lock onto him with his spells.
Seeing this, a faint smile finally appeared on El's face.
As his student, Doug naturally had a few tricks up his sleeve.
Lair searched for Doug in the mist, hesitating to launch the Small Fireball in his palm.
Doug kept moving, then suddenly stopped.
"Frozen Rain Skill!"
A dark cloud appeared over Lair's head, and a drizzle of freezing rain began to fall.
As the freezing rain entered the mist, it transformed into icicles several centimeters long, like countless daggers raining down on Lair.
The Magic Shield around Lair flickered continuously under the assault.
His expression changed. Without a second thought, he fired the Small Fireball Technique in a random direction.
The Small Fireball hit the Magic Protection Barrier, failing to hit Doug.
Gu Ze smiled. "Doug might actually have a chance to beat Lair. The combination of the Cloud Mist Technique and the Frozen Rain Skill is actually producing the effect of the Tier Two Spell, Ice and Snow Land."
"Although it's a significantly weaker version of Ice and Snow Land, it should be enough to deal with Lair."
Hearing this, Li Wei's curiosity was piqued.
'The combination of two Tier Zero spells is that powerful?'
'Neither spell has any Attack Power on its own, yet the power they unleash when combined is beyond anyone's expectations.'
Mage Allen glanced at El. "Brother, is this the spell combination you've been researching?"
El was quite satisfied with Allen's surprise.
He chuckled. "Allen, don't underestimate traditional Mages!"
Allen just smiled and didn't respond.
Lair switched tactics. He raised his hand to cast a spell, and a glob of black oil fell from mid-air.
"Greasy Skill!"
The black oil spread quickly across the ground.
Lair ignited the black oil with a Small Fireball, and the battlefield instantly erupted in a raging inferno.
The mist from the Cloud Mist Technique was instantly evaporated by the flames.
Doug was forced out into the open.
Lair raised his hand and shot a Small Fireball at Doug.
Doug desperately tried to dodge but was still hit by the Small Fireball.
BANG!
The Magic Shield shattered, and a white light flashed around Doug's body.
Doug said dejectedly, "I lost."
'I almost won.'
'I never expected Lair to know spell combinations as well.'
El stared at Lair in shock, then whipped his head around to look at Allen.
"You..."
Allen laughed heartily. "Brother, how many times have I told you? Let go of your old-fashioned dogma. Stop clinging so stubbornly to the philosophy of traditional Mages."
"Your so-called spell combinations have been used to death by countless people on the Magic Net."
"You always say the Magic Net is killing the creativity of Mages. But look! Look at how many Mages have used it to create new applications and combinations for their spells."
"Stop being so isolationist and treasuring your own obsolete methods!"
El slumped back into his chair, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
He closed his eyes and said helplessly, "Is there really no future for traditional Mages?"
El had become a Tier Two Mage long before Allen.
But to this day, he was still a Tier Two Mage, while Allen had long since become a Tier Three Mage.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it was only a matter of time before Allen became a Grand Mage.
The path of advancement for a Ring Mage was much easier than that of a traditional Mage.
Gu Ze said with a sigh, "We lost."
"Ah, well. It can't be helped. Low Tier Ring Mages have a major advantage over traditional Mages. Losing was inevitable."
A thought occurred to Li Wei, and he asked with some confusion, "Master, since you haven't broken through to Tier One Mage in all these years, have you never considered becoming a Ring Mage?"
Gu Ze glanced at him. "I've thought about it."
He explained, "However, the path of a Ring Mage is a one-way street. As a traditional Mage, you can choose to put your faith in the Magic Goddess and become a Ring Mage at any time."
"But once you become a Ring Mage, to abandon the Magic Goddess—to disconnect from the Magic Net—means losing your Power."
Gu Ze countered with a question, "Who do you think is stronger: an Apprentice Mage or a Tier One Ring Mage?"
Li Wei thought for a moment before replying, "The Tier One Ring Mage."
Gu Ze shook his head. "They're about equal."
"But a Tier One traditional Mage is absolutely stronger than a Tier One Ring Mage. Ring Mages advance through the Magic Net, so unless they receive a boon from the Magic Goddess, they cannot awaken any Extraordinary Traits."
Li Wei seemed to understand why so many people still insisted on becoming traditional Mages.
'Ring Mages are an early-game build, while traditional Mages are a late-game build.'
'Without a doubt, the higher the tier of a traditional Mage, the more Extraordinary Traits they would obtain, and their power would far surpass that of a Ring Mage of an Equal Tier.'
Considering his own situation, Li Wei felt the path of a traditional Mage was a better fit for him.
Gu Ze smiled. "Do you know what traditional Mages used to be called?"
"What?" Li Wei asked, his curiosity piqued.
Gu Ze said, "Mage-Gods!"