A flash of fire suddenly erupted from a cave halfway up the mountain, attracting the attention of many people.

People began rushing toward the cave.

In the spectator stands, Gu Ze watched the Mages from all over gather, a look on his face as if he were about to enjoy a good show.

"The Armored Man is indeed powerful. There’s no doubt he’s a Tier Two Mage."

"But now that he’s attracted so many people, he might not be the one to have the last laugh."

The crowd in the spectator stands was buzzing with discussion.

Watching from a distance, the crowd didn’t notice Li Wei’s instantaneous Casting.

Li Wei’s Illusory Body gazed down at the island below, the image transmitting to his main body’s mind.

Li Wei’s expression grew a little grim.

He walked deeper into the cave and saw that the wall at the back had collapsed, revealing a cavern filled with flames.

He walked to the edge of the collapsed wall and peered inside.

Scorching magma flowed within the cavern, and the thick stench of sulfur made it hard to even open his eyes.

The magma burst periodically, splattering in all directions.

It was incredibly dangerous.

’Hm? A Fire Lotus!’

Li Wei looked into the depths of the Lava Cave and saw a Fire Lotus, burning like a real flame, growing upon the Magma River.

The Fire Lotus was one of the materials required for the Fire Spirit Ceremony advancement ritual.

It only grows in areas with a high concentration of the Fire Element.

It was considered a relatively rare Treasure of Heaven and Earth.

Seeing this, Li Wei didn’t hesitate to cast his Object Control Skill and fly into the Lava Cave.

He flew toward the Fire Lotus.

POP!

A magma bubble burst, sending scalding liquid flying.

The Invisible Armor blocked the magma and the choking sulfurous fumes.

Li Wei didn’t have much time. Once the Invisible Armor was fully sealed, air could no longer flow in or out.

While it kept out the sulfurous fumes, it also meant Li Wei couldn’t breathe the outside air.

He hurried, flying toward the Fire Lotus.

GURGLE GURGLE!

The Magma River bubbled, and a jet of magma shot toward Li Wei.

Li Wei hastily dodged but was still hit.

The attack shattered one layer of his Invisible Armor before it was stopped.

He looked down and saw a Magic Beast hidden within the magma.

If one wasn’t paying close attention, it could easily be mistaken for a rock in the Magma River.

’A Lava Giant Lizard!’

Li Wei recognized the Magic Beast.

After launching its attack, the Lava Giant Lizard slowly surfaced from the magma.

Its entire body resembled mottled, cracked stone, with scorching magma still dripping from its hide.

Living in the lava, the Lava Giant Lizard could ignore its searing heat of hundreds, or even thousands, of degrees.

Furthermore, it could use the lava as a weapon.

The Lava Giant Lizard raised its head and spat magma at Li Wei.

Li Wei quickly retreated, moving out of the Lava Giant Lizard’s attack range.

He tossed down a Fireball.

BANG!

The Fireball landed on the Lava Giant Lizard and exploded.

The explosion sent a large amount of magma flying, which splashed back toward him.

Li Wei retreated again and looked at the Lava Giant Lizard.

The Fireball Skill was ineffective.

The Lava Giant Lizard appeared unharmed. It slowly sank back into the magma and began to swim toward Li Wei.

’The Lava Giant Lizard’s Fire Resistance is too high. A normal Fireball Skill is useless against it.’

Li Wei thought to himself.

Seeing the Lava Giant Lizard swim closer, Li Wei had no choice but to retreat again.

He felt at a loss for how to proceed.

In truth, Li Wei had the ability to kill the Lava Giant Lizard.

No matter how high its Fire Resistance, it wasn’t completely immune to Fire Element damage.

Besides, the explosive damage was a form of physical damage.

As long as the firepower was strong enough, the Lava Giant Lizard could still be blown to pieces.

But the question was, was it worth it?

Killing the Lava Giant Lizard would consume most of Li Wei’s Mana.

Not to mention, there was no telling if this was the only Lava Giant Lizard in the Lava Cave.

With other Mages arriving soon, Li Wei didn’t dare expend too much Mana right now.

Otherwise, it would be easy for someone else to swoop in and reap the rewards.

He would end up with nothing to show for his efforts, like trying to carry water in a bamboo basket.

After careful consideration, Li Wei finally chose to retreat.

He quickly retreated, then activated his Invisibility Cloak and vanished from the Lava Giant Lizard’s sight.

After its enemy disappeared, the Lava Giant Lizard turned and swam back.

TAP TAP TAP!

The sound of footsteps rang out.

Hunter and his three companions appeared at the entrance to the Lava Cave.

Sarah was the first to spot the Fire Lotus. She exclaimed, "A Fire Lotus!"

The others all turned to look, spotting the Fire Lotus upstream on the Magma River.

A look of desire flashed in Hunter’s eyes.

The Fire Lotus was immensely tempting to any Fire Element Mage.

The group looked down at the scalding Magma River, then glanced at one another.

"How do we get across?"

"And where’s the Armored Man?"

They looked all around but saw no sign of Li Wei.

"Strange. We clearly saw him come in, but now he’s gone."

Li Wei headed in the opposite direction.

While invisible, he followed the Magma River downstream and discovered a massive Lava Lake.

Just as he was about to enter, BANG! He was stopped by a wall of air.

Li Wei froze for a moment before he realized what was happening.

The area ahead was the arena for the third round, which was temporarily inaccessible.

’So this is the end of the line?’

Li Wei peered forward, trying his best to see the scene within the Lava Lake clearly.

The area ahead was blocked by a Barrier, making everything blurry and indistinct.

He could only faintly make out a massive Lava Lake.

Suddenly, he saw a few sparks of fire appear in mid-air.

The fiery motes slowly drifted down toward the Lava Lake, disappearing once they reached a certain altitude.

’What is that?’

A thoughtful expression crossed Li Wei’s face.

Even through the Barrier, he could sense the dense Fire Element on the other side.

Those shimmering sparks were Fire Element so dense it had begun to crystallize.

Tiny Fire Element Crystals.

And something was eating them.

Li Wei guessed that there must be some kind of Fire Element Treasure of Heaven and Earth in the Lava Lake.

Lava Giants didn’t absorb Fire Element Crystals.

Lava Giants preferred to eat magma.

It could also be some mysterious Fire Element Magical Beast.

He was incredibly curious.

GURGLE GURGLE!

The magma beneath him suddenly began to bubble.

Li Wei quickly flew higher.

He spotted two Lava Giant Lizards surfacing from the magma and swimming upstream.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Muffled explosions echoed from upstream.

Seeing this, Li Wei knew that someone had started fighting the Lava Giant Lizards.

He quickly rushed upstream.

He wanted to fish in troubled waters.

Dealing with the Lava Giant Lizards was not easy. However, by relying on his Invisibility Cloak and the Flying from his Object Control Skill, he had a good chance of taking advantage of the chaos to snatch the Fire Lotus.

As he passed the entrance to the Lava Cave, Li Wei saw some familiar figures.

’Lilith and Wilder... Why are those two together?’

Li Wei wondered.

’Those two have nothing to do with each other. How did they end up together?’

Wilder waved his hand, and several stone pillars extended from the cave wall, forming a makeshift bridge.

Li Wei was surprised. ’The Earth Spike Technique can be used like that?’

Seeing Wilder’s move, Li Wei realized that unlike ordinary Ring Mages, he hadn’t completely given up on his Magic Cultivation.

To have this degree of Control Power, Wilder’s Earth Spike Technique must have at least reached the Small Success Level.

For a Ring Mage, this was extremely rare.

Wilder gestured and said, "Ladies first."

Lilith didn’t even glance at him. Shadows enveloped her body, and she transformed into a silhouette that sped across the wall.

Seeing this, Wilder’s mouth twitched, and he felt extremely annoyed.

He saw that Lilith was young, beautiful, and powerful.

He wanted to start something with her.

Unfortunately, Lilith was cold and aloof and couldn’t be bothered with him at all.

"Hmph!"

Wilder stepped onto the stone walkway and headed forward.

Li Wei quietly flew past them.

Wilder subconsciously glanced back, feeling as if something had just passed by.