In the final moments, the frenzied Hand and Foot Winged Dragon left many contestants’ hearts pounding in terror.

Once it went berserk, the Hand and Foot Winged Dragon attacked any human on sight.

Everyone scrambled to get away.

Li Wei looked up at the sky. The Hand and Foot Winged Dragon was still soaring through the air, roaring and bellowing.

"Time’s up."

An announcement signaling the end of the competition rang in his ears.

A moment later, everyone was teleported out of the Island Secret Realm.

After leaving the Secret Realm, the contestants returned to their designated area beneath the Beast Fighting Arena.

Wicks, Meryl, and the others all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why did the Hand and Foot Winged Dragon suddenly go berserk?"

"Who knows? Something must have provoked it."

"The Hand and Foot Winged Dragon almost got me. Good thing time ran out."

Wicks looked toward Li Wei, a glint in his eye.

"Armor, was it something you did that made the Hand and Foot Winged Dragon go berserk?" Wicks demanded.

At his words, everyone turned to look at Li Wei, their expressions curious.

Wicks continued, "You were carried off by the Hand and Foot Winged Dragon earlier. How did you survive? What did you do?"

He was trying to shift the blame onto Li Wei.

His plan was to turn everyone against Li Wei, then rally them to eliminate him first in the third round.

Wicks had it in for Li Wei for a while now.

Li Wei glanced at him. "You really will stop at nothing to get my Magic Model, won’t you? Finding any excuse to frame me."

As soon as he said this, everyone turned to Wicks, giving him odd looks.

Some even looked at him with disdain.

A Magic Model was one of the things a Mage valued most.

Stealing a Mage’s Magic Model was an offense on par with murdering their family.

In fact, to some Mages, a Magic Model was even more important than their own family.

Wicks’s expression changed. "You!"

"Hmph! Just you wait!"

Wicks turned and left, too embarrassed to stay any longer.

He didn’t want to endure their judgmental stares.

Back in his room, Wicks slammed a fist on the table.

"Damn that Armor!"

His eyes flashed. ’I will make you pay for this!’

Li Wei had embarrassed him in front of everyone, and he now held a deep grudge.

The Mage Association announced the list of participants for the third round of the exchange tournament.

Russell, Armor, Willie, Savis, Lilith, Xiong Er, Meryl, Wicks, Nick, and Wilder.

Ten people had entered the final round.

"The third round of the competition will begin tomorrow. All contestants, please be prepared."

"For the third round, contestants are permitted to use one piece of Tier One Magic Equipment or one Magic Item. Space Items are also allowed."

"The use of high-potency single-use Magic Items, Magic Scrolls, and prohibited Magic Potions is forbidden. Contestants are barred from bringing pets, servants, attendants, mounts, or similar companions into the competition area (Summoned Creatures are excluded from this rule)."

"The third round will use a points-based system. Please refer to the scoring rules below for details."

"Defeating a Tier One Magical Beast (Low, Middle, High, or Peak Level) will award 5, 10, 15, or 20 Points, respectively."

"Defeating a Tier One Fire Elemental Elf will award 30 Points."

"Defeating a Tier Two Magical Beast (Low, Middle, High, or Peak Level) will award 40, 60, 80, or 100 Points, respectively."

"Defeating a Tier Two Fire Elemental Elf will award 200 Points."

"Defeating a Lava Giant will award 1,000 Points."

"Defeating another contestant allows you to claim all the Points from their Points Card."

"The final round is expected to last for one day. In the final stage of the match, the island’s volcano will erupt."

"Contestants who voluntarily withdraw from the Secret Realm will retain their Points. Those who are forced to withdraw due to life-threatening danger will have their Points reset to zero."

"Once all contestants have left the Secret Realm, the person with the most Points will be declared the champion, followed by the runner-up and third-place winner."

"The champion of this exchange tournament will receive one bottle of Elf Spring Water."

"The runner-up will receive a Secret Silver Staff."

"The third-place winner will receive a Secret Silver Magic Robe."

"All contestants who have reached the finals will receive a commemorative Gold Medal for the 28th Young Mage Exchange Tournament."

"The top thirty contestants will receive a commemorative Silver Medal for the 28th Young Mage Exchange Tournament."

"All participants will receive a commemorative Copper Medal for the 28th Young Mage Exchange Tournament."

It was all about participation; everyone got a prize.

"To all spectators and contestants, we eagerly await the upcoming finals!"

Li Wei returned to the spectator stands, and his Illusory Body dissipated.

Gu Ze said enviously, "Even a commemorative Copper Medal is a great prize!"

Li Wei asked, a little confused, "A Copper Medal isn’t valuable. What’s so great about it?"

Gu Ze explained, "The Copper Medal represents that you became an Official Mage before the age of twenty-five."

"It’s a professional certification from the Mage Association! It represents your talent and future potential!"

"Anyone who can become an Official Mage before twenty-five has a good chance of becoming a Tier Three Mage, with the potential to one day become a Grand Mage."

"You’ll be treated well anywhere you go with that medal."

Gu Ze sighed. He was exactly twenty-six this year, just over the age limit to compete.

Otherwise, he might have had a chance to snag a commemorative Silver Medal himself.

Li Wei nodded, beginning to understand.

What Gu Ze was referring to only applied to traditional Mages.

There were actually quite a few Tier One Ring Mages under the age of twenty-five.

Three-quarters of the one hundred and thirty contestants were Tier One Ring Mages under twenty-five.

However, the vast majority of them were eliminated in the first round.

Very few Tier One Ring Mages made it to the second round.

In the final circle of ten, only Wilder remained as a Ring Mage.

And he had barely scraped his way into the finals at that.

Ring Mages had clear advantages, but their disadvantages were just as stark.

In an arena-style, one-on-one duel, a Ring Mage’s superior casting speed gave them a decent chance of winning against a traditional Mage.

But in a complex environment, their weaknesses were laid bare: inflexible spells, a limited number of Spell Slots, and weaker spell control.

A Tier One Ring Mage had only seven Spell Slots in total.

Three Tier One Spell Slots and four Tier Zero Spell Slots.

Magic Shield was a mandatory spell, leaving only two Tier One Spell Slots with very little choice.

They could choose one Attack Magic and one Control Spell, or go with two Attack Magics.

Choosing only Control Spells would make them useless without teammates.

As for Tier Zero Magic, its proficiency was usually too low to be of much use against traditional Mages or Magical Beasts of the same tier.

Li Wei’s Small Fireball Technique could instantly kill Low and Middle Level Tier One Magical Beasts.

That was due to the bonus from his Extraordinary Traits and the high base power of his Perfection Level Small Fireball Technique.

A Ring Mage’s Entry Level Small Fireball Technique could, at best, only damage a Tier One Magical Beast with weak Defense Power.

A traditional Mage’s casting speed was a serious weakness. However, as long as their repertoire of spells was wide enough, they would at least never find themselves with no magic to use.

Casting speed could also be improved by increasing spell proficiency or by having the Quick Casting Extraordinary Trait.

The second round of the competition, which had lasted seven days, was over.

Li Wei could finally have a decent meal.

Inside the Island Secret Realm, Li Wei had survived on either wild fruit or flavorless roasted meat.

Life had been tough.

Especially during the days he spent hiding in the Hand and Foot Winged Dragon’s nest, he could only rely on his Shadow Attendant to venture out and gather wild fruit.

He didn’t even have roasted meat to eat.