"Oh, come on. What’s there to be worried about?" Xiao Xi pouted playfully, but her expression clearly showed she was happy to see Yuan Meng.

The two beauties, one older and one younger, whispered intimately, a pleasant sight to behold.

However, neither Ai Yuan nor the masked Wizard paid them any mind. The masked Wizard even coldly interrupted their conversation, saying in a deep voice, "It’s getting late. We should be going."

Before anyone could respond, he waved his hand. A vast amount of water vapor instantly materialized, sweeping over the group and submerging the area they were in.

"Relax your bodies. Don’t resist."

The masked Wizard’s indifferent voice echoed in their ears.

Hearing this, Pei Ze and the other two suppressed their confusion and relaxed their tense bodies, allowing the white mist formed from the vapor to envelop them.

Supported by a gentle force, the group slowly floated upward.

The white mist then began to gather and condense beneath their feet and above their heads.

In the blink of an eye, the white mist formed an oval dome, enclosing everyone within. The ground beneath their feet felt solid yet was as soft and resilient as a cloud. All around and above them, the dense fog was so thick they couldn’t see anything outside.

The next second, there was a slight jolt from below, and Pei Ze sharply felt a sense of weightlessness.

He instantly understood. This white, misty dome was their mode of transport.

Beside him, Xiao Xi was quietly asking Yuan Meng a question.

"Teacher, where are we going?"

"To the planar passage of the Turin Plane. The competition venue is set up near there."

"Isn’t that only a hundred-some kilometers away? Why not just use the Teleportation Technique?"

"Silly child, the area around a planar passage is a teleportation-restricted zone. Who knows how many Dimension Anchors and Dimension Exile Spells have been placed there. Unless you’re a Wizard who has mastered Rule Power, no one can cast teleportation-type Magic there."

Realization dawned on Xiao Xi.

Just then, the group felt a sudden drop beneath their feet. The white dome above and around them abruptly dispersed, turning into mist that rapidly vanished into the air, leaving only a carpet-like layer of white mist underfoot.

Pei Ze and the other two apprentices were stunned. Looking around, they were shocked to find themselves high above a forest, with nothing but towering, ancient trees with lush foliage in sight.

’It seems the entrance to the new plane is in a forest.’

Recalling Yuan Meng’s words, Pei Ze was secretly speechless.

’Has it only been four or five breaths? We’re already at our destination?’

’Even a rocket isn’t this fast!’

Pei Ze gained a new appreciation for the power of an Official Wizard.

Just then, Ai Yuan suddenly spoke.

"They’re here."

The moment he spoke, a piercing SHRIEK echoed from the distance.

A pitch-black shadow shot over from the distance, covering several kilometers in the blink of an eye before coming to a sudden stop in front of Pei Ze and the others.

It was a massive bird-like creature.

It looked somewhat like a black eagle, but it was immeasurably larger. Its wingspan exceeded thirty meters, and it was nearly ten meters from head to tail. Its feathers were a glossy black, and its sharp talons glinted menacingly.

Clearly, this was a Magical Creature. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Pei Ze studied it for a few moments and quickly recognized what it was.

A Black Giant Eagle, a Magical Creature from an Otherworld.

It was said that even a juvenile had the strength of a Grand Knight, while the weakest adults possessed power on par with a Tier Two Legendary Knight.

They also had extraordinary endurance and an extremely tenacious life force, which was why many Wizards liked to capture Black Giant Eagles to use as mounts.

And on the back of the Black Giant Eagle, six people were seated.

Two men and one woman were dressed in white Wizard Robes. The other three, who looked much younger, were clearly the participants from Red Lotus City for this competition.

Pei Ze’s gaze swept over a young man of about seventeen or eighteen.

The young man had unremarkable features, the type you wouldn’t notice in a crowd. But if you looked closely, you would find his eyes to be unusually deep.

This was a trait only seen when one’s Spiritual Power reached a certain level.

Pei Ze understood at once. ’This person is most likely the same as Yin Xue, practicing a pinnacle-level Advanced Meditation Technique. His Spiritual Power should be at 120 points. If I’m not mistaken, this must be Gong Xinghe.’

To Gong Xinghe’s right was a tall, slender young man with a somewhat gloomy disposition.

His narrow eyes held a cold gleam, involuntarily reminding anyone who saw them of a venomous snake.

This was clearly Xu Ke, the one who inherited the Angry Python bloodline.

And the remaining young man, with a burly physique that made him look more like a Knight than a Wizard, was in all likelihood Yang Xu.

While Pei Ze and his companions were sizing up the trio, the three on the other side were also scrutinizing them.

"Ai Yuan, long time no see."

A Wizard with a weathered face, who appeared to be the leader, laughed heartily from the eagle’s back. He seemed to be very familiar with Ai Yuan.

However, Ai Yuan merely gave him a slight nod in acknowledgment, his expression indifferent.

The weathered Wizard didn’t seem to mind. His gaze shifted to Pei Ze and the others as he smiled. "Are these the Wizard Apprentices from Chenxi City? Judging by their spiritual fluctuations, they seem quite decent."

Xiao Xi and Su Shouhai exchanged glances, unsure for a moment whether the Wizard was being sarcastic or genuinely praising them.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Meng let out a soft snort and said indifferently, "Enough with the pleasantries, Zhuang Li. Where is the adjudicator from the Star Realm Alliance?"

Zhuang Li chuckled and shook his head. "I don’t know the whereabouts of His Excellency either."

Just as he finished speaking, the expressions of the six Wizards present all shifted, as if they had all received some kind of message.

After a moment, a strange look appeared on Zhuang Li’s face. He chuckled lowly and said, "A single-elimination tournament? What a simple and unadorned format for a competition."

At his words, the six Wizard Apprentices were all taken aback.

Xiao Xi couldn’t help but ask in surprise, "One-on-one duels, and the loser is eliminated? The format is that simple?"

Pei Ze was also a little surprised.

’I’d guessed at so many different competition formats beforehand, but I never imagined it would be this straightforward.’

’Don’t high-level Wizards usually dislike this sort of thing?’

"Enough," the masked Wizard said suddenly. "Since this is the format decided by His Excellency, we can only abide by it."

He turned to look at the three apprentices and said in a deep voice, "According to the rules, our side sends someone out first. Who’s going?"

The three of them looked at one another.

After a few seconds of silence, Su Shouhai stepped forward and said solemnly, "I’ll go first."

The masked Wizard glanced at him, nodded, and with a wave of his robed sleeve, there was a loud BUZZ. The countless towering trees below were instantly and silently annihilated, clearing out a flat, open space a kilometer in diameter.

"This is the dueling ground," the masked Wizard said, pointing down.

Su Shouhai nodded to show he understood.

Pei Ze came to his side, patted his shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Be careful."

Xiao Xi also gave him an encouraging look.

Su Shouhai nodded firmly, then walked to the edge of the white mist and leaped down without hesitation.

In mid-air, his descent abruptly slowed, and he drifted to the ground as lightly as a feather.

At the same time, on the giant eagle’s back, Gong Xinghe and the other two withdrew their gazes from Su Shouhai. After a brief, quiet discussion, their first contender stepped forward.

To Pei Ze and Xiao Xi’s surprise, the first one to go up was actually Gong Xinghe.

They had originally thought Yang Xu or Xu Ke would be the first to go.

Although it wasn’t an unwritten rule, it was common practice to save your ace for last.

Su Shouhai was also startled, but he quickly composed himself, watching the slowly descending Gong Xinghe with a wary expression.

The two faced each other from a hundred meters apart, showing no intention of introducing themselves.

Both of them knew perfectly well that the other side had already gathered intelligence on them; there was no need to waste time.

Besides, they weren’t here today to make friends. They were here to fight.

This competition had no rule against killing your opponent!

After a standoff of several seconds, Su Shouhai’s and Gong Xinghe’s gazes turned cold, and they attacked at almost the exact same moment.

Accompanied by the piercing sound of rending air, the dazzling light of Magic flared to life in an instant.

From within the light, two figures shot out like cannonballs from the left and right, viciously charging toward each other.