"The finals are finally here!"

Li Wei had been waiting for this day for a long time.

He could almost see the Elf Spring Water beckoning to him.

’First place has to be mine!’

Li Wei’s eyes were resolute.

He had come here for first place.

If he couldn’t win first place and get the champion’s prize, there would be no point in him competing at all.

The Secret Silver Staff and Secret Silver Magic Robe were nice, too.

They were quite valuable.

But they were nothing compared to the water from the Elf Spring.

Besides, he had already obtained Secret Silver Ore. As long as he could refine the Mithril...

...he could craft his own Secret Silver Staff and Secret Silver Magic Robe.

THUD THUD THUD!

Xiong Er walked over, clapped Li Wei on the shoulder, and said, "I didn’t see you at all during the seven days of the second round. We both got pretty lucky."

The corner of Li Wei’s mouth twitched.

’Good luck?’

He had passed by Xiong Er several times, and after witnessing the man’s "barbaric mage" fighting style, decided not to pick a fight. He even went out of his way to avoid him.

Otherwise, there was no way he wouldn’t have run into Xiong Er on the last day when he was hunting for prey everywhere.

Li Wei replied, "Yeah, but that might not be the case in the finals."

Xiong Er grinned. "Bring it on. I definitely won’t hold back."

"Of course, I’ll still give you a chance to surrender if you want."

"Heh, right back at you."

Li Wei chuckled, accepting Xiong Er’s challenge.

"All contestants, please prepare. The match is about to begin."

Everyone fell silent, their eyes fixed on the Teleportation Gate ahead.

Wicks’s gaze swept over Li Wei’s back, and a vicious glint flashed in his eyes.

’I’ll make you pay for this!’

The competition began. Everyone lined up to enter the Teleportation Gate in order of their rankings from the second round.

Russell went in first, and Li Wei was second.

「In the spectator stands.」

The audience watched as the dark clouds shrouding the center of the island finally dispersed, revealing an active volcano at its core.

Fire Element Magical Beasts were everywhere on the volcano, along with the occasional Fire Elemental Elf.

The ten contestants also began to appear on the volcano one by one.

This time, all ten had been teleported to the same location.

They were so close that they could see one another with just a turn of their heads.

It wasn’t that the volcanic area was too small to separate them.

The Mage Association had done it on purpose.

Next to Li Wei were Savis and Lilith.

The three exchanged a glance, but none of them chose to start a fight. They each scattered and went their separate ways.

The competition had just begun; there was no need to fight yet.

It was better to at least wait until the others had accumulated some Points before trying to plunder them.

Otherwise, it would be pointless.

’Fight over last and second-to-last place?’

RUMBLE RUMBLE! GURGLE GURGLE!

As Li Wei walked across the black volcanic rock, he felt the mountain vibrating beneath his feet.

He heard the sound of lava boiling deep inside the volcano.

’The Mage Association is really playing with fire!’

He looked toward the crater.

’If this volcano erupts, the entire Island Secret Realm will be destroyed.’

The lava would destroy everything on the island.

Not even a creature as powerful as a Hand and Foot Winged Dragon could withstand the force of a volcanic eruption.

The contestants had to collect enough Points and leave the Secret Realm before the volcano erupted.

Anyone left in the Secret Realm after the eruption would face certain death.

Li Wei felt the stirrings within the mountain, worried the volcano might erupt at any second.

First, he summoned his Shadow Attendant and cast a layer of Invisible Armor on it.

The Shadow Attendant was classified as a Summoned Creature, so it could be used in the competition.

"Find prey, hunt on your own, and remember to bring me the spoils."

Li Wei sent the Shadow Attendant on its way.

The Shadow Attendant melted into a black shadow and glided into the distance.

The volcano was covered in exposed black rock, and the Shadow Attendant blended in perfectly.

Without using his Spiritual Sense, even Li Wei had a hard time spotting it.

It was perfect natural camouflage.

Before long, the Shadow Attendant returned with its prey.

"A Fire Rabbit?"

Li Wei examined the prey his Shadow Attendant had brought back.

’No Demon Core. What a shame.’

’I’ll skin it. A Fire Rabbit pelt is a good find. It’s like having your own personal heater in the winter.’

Since he could use his Spatial Ring, Li Wei wasn’t about to pass up anything of value.

He skinned the rabbit and tossed the carcass aside.

The meat was useless.

"Keep going."

The number on the Points Card in Li Wei’s hand changed to "10."

For a Tier One Middle Level Fire Rabbit.

He headed toward the crater.

The Fire Element Magical Beasts grew stronger the closer one got to the crater.

Fire Elemental Elves could also be found near the crater.

Li Wei needed a Fire Elemental Crystal Core.

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

To break through from Tier One to Tier Two, he needed a Tier Two Fire Elemental Crystal Core.

He could only get a Tier Two Fire Elemental Crystal Core by killing a Tier Two Fire Elemental Elf.

For Li Wei, this was a rather difficult task.

Tier Two Fire Elemental Elves were immune to damage from Fire Element Magic below Tier Two.

At least Tier Three Fire Element Magic was required to inflict any damage on a Tier Two Fire Elemental Elf.

Using Water Magic was the best option, followed by Ice Magic.

Water Magic directly countered the Fire Element.

Ice Magic and the Fire Element countered one another—whichever was stronger would prevail.

CRACKLE POP! SIZZLE!

Li Wei saw an opening halfway up the mountain that was constantly spitting out lava and showering sparks.

The sparks hit the ground with a sizzling sound.

GURGLE GURGLE!

A Lava Serpent slithered out of the opening, its flaming eyes fixed on Li Wei.

HSSSSSS!

The Lava Serpent flicked its forked tongue, its mouth continuously spewing flames.

Seeing this, Li Wei decided to strike first.

He smashed a Fireball into the Lava Serpent’s face.

WHOOSH! BANG!

The Lava Serpent swayed for a moment before righting itself, appearing to have taken little damage.

Li Wei’s expression tightened; he knew this Lava Serpent must be a Tier Two Magical Beast.

Otherwise, there was no way it could have blocked his Fireball Skill so easily.

HSSSSSS!

The Lava Serpent lunged at Li Wei, spitting a stream of fire at him while still at a distance.

CHHHH!

The flames seared the air, releasing a pungent smell.

Li Wei hastily retreated.

His Invisible Armor materialized as it was struck.

SIZZLE!

The Invisible Armor sizzled under the intense heat.

CRACK!

A layer of the Invisible Armor shattered.

As the torrent of fire ended, the Lava Serpent opened its cavernous mouth and lunged, trying to bite Li Wei.

It intended to swallow him whole.

Li Wei quickly kicked off the ground and shot into the air.

WHOOSH!

The Lava Serpent shot past beneath his feet, carving a trench into the ground.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Triple Ice Arrow Technique!

THWACK!

The Ice Arrows struck the Lava Serpent’s body, inflicting only minor damage.

The Ice Arrows were then vaporized by the Lava Serpent’s intense heat.

Just yesterday, he had grinded his Ice Arrow Skill all the way to the Great Success Level.

The power of his Ice Arrow Skill was not to be underestimated.

Although it couldn’t compare to the Tier One Ice Cone Skill, it was still much more powerful than the Entry Level Ice Arrow Skill.

It was more than enough to injure an ordinary Tier One Fire Element Magical Beast.

But against the Tier Two Lava Serpent, his Ice Arrow Skill was still far too weak.

The Lava Serpent twisted its body, looked up at Li Wei, and seemed to sneer.

Its expression seemed to say, ’Is that all you’ve got? You’re just scratching an itch.’

Li Wei’s eyes narrowed as he shouted, "Shadow Attendant!"

The Shadow Attendant dropped the prey in its grasp and sped back to Li Wei’s side.

WHOOSH!

A Fireball rapidly took shape in Li Wei’s palm, its color deepening as its light grew more brilliant.