Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 474 I am the volcano!
As the energy fluctuations of the triple lunar eclipse gradually reached their peak, the entire quicksand region began to resonate.

Deep underground, the dragon bone network, which had been dormant for countless years, awakened as if infused with life.

Every vertebra, every scale, every dragon tooth began to emit a faint glow that echoed the moonlight.

Countless rays of light, like blood vessels, weave a network underground, connecting the entire desert into a giant energy circuit.

Ron and his group of four followed the direction indicated by the dragon bone resonance and could see the pillar of energy shooting into the sky in the distance.

The beam of light was hundreds of meters in diameter, and its interior was a dazzling vortex woven from seven fundamental elements.

Flames and ice dance together, lightning and gentle breezes chase each other, the power of the earth and the light of life merge, and even the most mysterious shadow element appears and disappears within.

"My God..."

Patricia looked down at all of this from the air, her voice filled with deep awe:
"This scale of elemental aggregation... is like the scene when the gods created the world in legends..."

Her wind membrane wings trembled incessantly amidst such intense elemental turbulence, making it impossible for her to maintain stable flight.

Laku pressed his hands to the ground, sensing the vibrations emanating from deep underground through the sand:
"The resonant frequency of the keel network is still rising, and I can feel a clear reaction hundreds of kilometers away."

Edwin's eyes burned with excitement; the molten lava bloodline within him was being activated like never before in this environment.
"This is perfect! This concentration of fire element is like a battlefield tailor-made for us!"

But when they got really close to the eye of the elemental storm, they discovered a peculiar obstacle.

This barrier is not man-made, but a protective mechanism that forms naturally when elements converge.

The barrier will only allow passage when a sufficient number of "elemental resonance factors" are detected.

These resonance factors are the special energies stored in the crystals of various elements.

"It seems the designers had considered this long ago."

Ron examined the crystal collection in his storage bag, performing rapid calculations:
"The total amount of crystals we four have should be enough, but the timing of our entry is crucial."

Several other teams had already gathered outside the barrier.

The trio from the Tree of Life School, like a venomous spider in the center of a spiderweb, silently guarded the entrance to the barrier.

Behind them was a chilling mixed army:

Dozens of plant monsters "cultivated" by Leona herself.

They retain the basic outline of a human, but their skin has become completely woody, and their limbs can twist and extend at will like vines.

Winnie's insect-modified creatures were flying in the air.

Originally human torsos, they now possessed rainbow-colored insect wings, and their composite eyes gleamed with an inhuman rationality.

What's most chilling is Caroline's "children".

Those strange creatures that had hatched inside her.

They have baby-like faces, but multi-legged bodies like arthropods, and what they emit is not the cry of a baby, but some kind of eerie murmur.

"What a perfect ambush position."

Leona gently stroked the head of a plant monster beside her, with a motherly tenderness:

"Any team that wants to enter the barrier must pass our 'inspection'."

Our only testing standard is to produce all the elemental crystals.

Winnie hovered gracefully in the air, her compound eyes scanning her surroundings:

"We've sensed several teams gathering here. It seems the hunting season is about to begin."

Caroline gently stroked her still slightly swollen belly, her eyes shining with anticipation:
"My new batch of children is about to be born, and I hope they can complete their coming-of-age ceremony in a formal battle."

………………

Meanwhile, on the viewing platform outside the arena.

The elders and leaders of the various factions are closely monitoring the changes inside the Eye of the Elemental Storm.

Although the barrier blocked their view, for these high-level superhumans, the energy fluctuations themselves were the best source of information.

Dean Salamanda's expression gradually shifted from initial worry to confusion and surprise:

"This is impossible... How can their magical energy fluctuations still be so stable?"

In his perception, the life signals of the four members of the Sand Sea School not only did not weaken, but were even stronger than when the competition began.

Logically, after such a fierce battle and long journey, even a seasoned Moon-level wizard should show signs of fatigue.

"And the amount of elemental crystals they collected..."

Salamander can vaguely sense the crystal reserves of each team through a special detection spell:
"At least one hundred basic crystals, and nearly ten chaos crystals... This number surpasses that of all other teams!"

Hayek, sitting next to him, also had a furrowed brow:

“Ralph, this young man, always manages to outperform everyone else. But this time, his achievement can no longer be explained simply by talent.”

He recalled Professor Utter's special instructions before he left, and a certain guess began to form in his mind:
"Could it be... that he received some special help on this ancient battlefield?"

The atmosphere on the viewing platform of the Burning Scale Clan was completely different.

Several clan elders sat in a circle, their faces ashen.

Surveillance footage shows that their prized elite team is now in a state of unprecedented chaos.

The life signal was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and the magical fluctuations were extremely unstable, as if it had suffered some kind of severe mental trauma.

"In the end what happened?"

An elderly man with white hair gritted his teeth and said:
"Our team is protected by the Ancestral Soul Stone, so how could such an abnormal situation occur?"

"Could it be that we've been attacked by some kind of mental magic?"

Another elder offered a guess:
"I've heard that the Tree of Life school has done considerable research on mental pollution..."

But most of the elders chose to remain silent.

They could sense that this anomaly did not stem from an external attack, but rather from something deeper... self-doubt.

On the platform of the Tree of Life school, Leonardo DiCaprio was adjusting his glasses, his displeasure growing increasingly apparent.

The human skin scroll slowly unfurled in his hand, displaying real-time battle statistics.

"The situation has deviated somewhat from expectations."

He reported to Serafina:
"The performance of the Sand Sea School far exceeded expectations, while our own team... although it collected enough 'experimental materials,' it was clearly lagging behind in the acquisition of elemental crystals."

Serafina's voice came from the crystal:
"It doesn't matter, Leonardo."

Our true purpose has never been to win or lose in the competition, but to collect valuable experimental data through this process.

"Especially that 'resurrection' rule."

There was a certain expectation in her tone:

"Regardless of who ultimately wins, a large number of participants will die in the battle."

Our 'artistic transformation' will take place during the revival process, an opportunity that comes only once in a lifetime.

Leonardo re-examined the battle situation display, a cold calculation flashing in his eyes:

"Indeed, from an academic perspective, a complete life-and-death transition experiment is far more valuable than any competitive champion."

"Especially if we could obtain that young man named Ron as a test subject..."

He pushed up his glasses, the reflection in the lenses concealing his greedy expression:

"That special constitution that can resist pollution is really suitable for in-depth modification research."

Serafina's cheerful laughter came through the communication crystal:

"So you have to be patient; a delicious feast is always worth the wait."

………………

The battle before the barrier has finally begun.

When Ron and his group of four came into view of the Tree of Life School, a tense and dangerous atmosphere immediately filled the air.

"The little mice of the Sand Sea School have finally crawled out of their burrows."

Leona chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in her smile:

"Hand over your elemental crystals, and I can let you die... with some dignity."

The plant army behind her began to wriggle.

Dozens of wooden eyeballs turned towards the Sand Sea School's group at the same time, as if a dead forest had suddenly awakened.

Winnie's insect-modified creatures also began to gather in the air.

The buzzing sound of its wings flapping was as chilling as a death knell.

Caroline stroked her abdomen, where the half-formed "children" were wriggling under her skin, ready to burst out at any moment.

"It seems we have no choice but to break through their blockade head-on."

Ron calmly analyzed the situation:

"While the number of those modified organisms is enormous, their quality varies greatly. As long as we can find the right breakthrough point..."

"Let me clear the way."

Edwin's voice carried a long-suppressed rage:

"From the moment I entered this damn place, I have been suppressed by various factors."

Now I've finally arrived at my most comfortable environment. It's time to show these crazy women what volcanic rage is all about.

He took a deep breath, and the lava dragon bloodline within him began to fully awaken.

Its height increased dramatically, its skin turned into flowing lava, and wings made of pure flames once again stretched out from its back.

But unlike in the past, this change is more thorough and more terrifying.

With the energy boost from the triple lunar eclipse, his lava form reached an unprecedented intensity.

Every breath he takes is accompanied by a burst of white-hot flames, and every drop of sweat that falls to the ground triggers a small explosion.

"This feeling……"

Edwin savored the surging power within him:
"I am a living volcano!"

The trio from the Tree of Life school also sensed this threat and began mobilizing their modified legions for defense.

Leona pressed her hands to the ground, and countless thick vines burst forth from the sand, quickly weaving into green barriers:
"Stop him! Don't let that guy get near the core area!"

But she soon realized that she had made a fatal mistake.

Plant-based defenses are practically useless against high-temperature attacks; it's like throwing an egg against a rock.

With a mere wave of his hand, Edwin unleashed a torrent of molten lava that surged toward the vine barrier.

Those plant fibers, as tough as steel in conventional combat, immediately began to carbonize and turn to ash under the extreme heat. "Ouch! My creation..."

As Leona watched her carefully cultivated army of plants struggle in agony amidst the flames, she couldn't help but let out a piercing scream, connected to her creations via a plant network.

Winnie attempts to launch an aerial assault with her army of insects.

However, those modified giant insects also could not withstand such intense heat radiation.

Their wings were scorched as they approached Edwin, and they fell from the sky like raindrops.

"Damn flames, my beautiful work of art..."

In a fit of rage, she manipulated the remaining insects to release a poisonous mist, attempting to weaken Edwin's fighting ability with a chemical attack.

However, the toxins decompose rapidly at such high temperatures, rendering them ineffective.

Caroline is in a slightly better situation; her "children" are more adaptable and able to remain active in extreme environments.

Even so, their numerical advantage proved negligible in the face of Edwin's devastating attack.

But the battle is far from over.

In the lava hell created by Edwin, the three cyborgs revealed their true terrifying power.

Leona's body began to rapidly reconstruct itself, her skin completely peeling away to reveal an internal network of blood vessels that coiled like tree roots.

These blood vessels began to frantically absorb the heat energy from the lava, transforming the fire element into life force.

Her form gradually grew enormous and twisted, like a burning tree of flesh and blood.

Winnie completely abandoned her human form and transformed into a hybrid of some kind of fire insect.

Her wings grew back, but this time they were energy wings made of pure fire.

Caroline's abdomen split open completely, revealing the hellish incubation space inside.

Countless newborn creatures, their bodies engulfed in flames, surged forth from it, their ability to adapt to high temperatures far exceeding that of the previous version.

"I see……"

Ron calmly analyzed the battle situation:

"They have prepared backup plans for extreme environments from the very beginning. The legion just now was just bait. Now is the real battle."

But he wasn't worried at all.

Because in this high-temperature environment, Edwin's combat effectiveness increased exponentially.

While the opponent's adaptive modifications allowed them to survive, they did not give them an advantage.

Of course, the true goal of the Sand Sea School has never been to determine a winner here.

They only need to get through the barrier to enter the final area.

"Edwin, clear the way!"

Ron decisively issued the order:

"Let's not get entangled with them, let's just charge straight at them!"

Edwin smiled knowingly, his fist, which had swelled to the size of a car, swung straight at the Tree of Life School's formation.

But the target of the attack was not the women themselves, but the defensive fortifications behind them.

The Lava Fist struck like a meteor, carving a path through the enemy ranks toward the barrier.

Laku immediately constructed a mobile sand platform, carrying his teammates as they sped toward the barrier.

Patricia provides cover in the air, and wind blades rain down on the pursuing enemies.

Just as the Sand Sea School was about to break through the defenses, Caroline made an unexpected decision.

She stopped the pursuit and instead ordered the remaining modified creatures to make way.

"Let them pass."

Her voice sounded extremely flat amidst the flames:
"The final core area is where the true outcome will be decided. It will not benefit us to expend too much strength now."

Although Winnie and Leona were unwilling, they understood their captain's tactical considerations.

In this environment of multi-party conflict, preserving strength is more important than being aggressive.

The Sand Sea School team successfully passed the barrier detection and disappeared into the dazzling energy light curtain.

Meanwhile, the three-person team from the Tree of Life began preparing new traps for the other teams that were about to arrive.

………………

In another corner of the arena, an even deeper mental breakdown is unfolding.

The captain of the Burning Scale Clan knelt before the Ancestral Soul Stone, his whole body trembling violently.

It wasn't out of fear, but because of those ancient memories that flooded into my consciousness like a torrent.

In a state of extreme anger, humiliation, and confusion, the dragon bloodline within him resonated abnormally.

This resonance triggers "racial memory" buried deep in our genes—painful truths that have been deliberately forgotten and buried layer by layer.

Images from his memory flashed through his mind like movie clips:

The night sky of the mother planet was suddenly torn apart, revealing an endless abyss of nothingness below;

Countless dragons looked up in terror, their eyes filled with despair at the impending doom;

The "Annihilation Monarch" surged out of the crack like a black tide, and everything in its path was reduced to annihilation;
The Dragon Kings hastily opened a portal, leading their people in a desperate escape;

The disarray and fear upon arriving in the main world, the humiliating feeling of being dependent on others...

"No...impossible..."

The captain buried his head in his hands and wept bitterly, his voice trembling with despair.
“We are not conquerors…we are fugitives…refugees of the universe…”

These memories cut through his mental world like sharp blades, completely destroying the value system he had built up from childhood.

In the official history of the Burningscale Clan, dragons are noble conquerors who came to the Overworld in search of a wider territory.

They possess the purest bloodline and the greatest power, and deserve the respect and obedience of all races.

But now, all those proud lies crumble in the face of the truth.

“The purer the bloodline, the more obvious the mark… We have been evading the pursuit of that being…”

More fragments of memory emerge, revealing the true reasons behind the dilution of bloodlines.

Those dragons who intermarry with humans or other races do so not for love or political alliance, but to dilute the "tracking mark" in their bloodline.

The purer the bloodline, the easier it is to be targeted by the power of the "Annihilation Monarch".

In order to survive safely in this new world, the dragons had to deliberately reduce the purity of their bloodline and use generations of reproduction to blur their identity markers.

"That bloodline dilution wasn't for assimilation into human society... but for... survival..."

The captain finally understood the hardships hidden behind the choices of those ancestors who were defined as "traitors" in the clan history books.

They are not betraying the honor of their race, but protecting the future of their descendants in the most painful way.

This kind of cognitive upheaval is more deadly than any physical attack.

The captain felt his entire worldview collapsing, and those beliefs he once held firmly to had turned into laughable fantasies.

Just then, Baroque, who had rushed over, overheard these desperate confessions:
"What are you talking about?!"

He rushed forward angrily, grabbed the captain's shoulder, and shook him violently:

"Dragons are the noblest race! We possess the purest bloodline! How could you utter such blasphemous words?!"

But the captain just looked at him with empty eyes, his voice filled with a deathly despair:

"Noble? Pure? We are just a group of wanderers who can never go home..."

"Our bloodline is not a symbol of glory, but a mark of death..."

"That being still awaits in the depths of the universe, awaiting the call of our bloodline..."

These words, like venomous snakes, burrowed into Baroque's ears, planting seeds of doubt in his heart.

If the dragons are indeed fugitives, then their constant pursuit of "pure bloodline" actually increases their risk of being hunted down.
If the glorious history of the dragon race is all a fabricated lie.

Then wouldn't all his efforts to maintain this honor have become a joke?

"No...this is impossible..."

Baroque took a few steps back, his face turning ashen.
"You've been bewitched by something... These are all illusions..."

But the truth is like Pandora's box; once opened, it can never be closed again.

The seeds of doubt had already taken root in his heart, and began to frantically draw upon the unease and fear deep within him.

The firm belief in "purity of bloodline" began to show its first fatal crack.

But the captain just looked at him sadly, his eyes full of pity:

"Although there are different social classes based on bloodline, we are all surprisingly consistent in that we are all refugees."

These words struck Baroque's heart like a heavy hammer.

He wanted to argue, to roar, to use anger to dispel this unease.

But a deeper instinct told him that what the captain said might be true.

Why would dragons choose to interbreed with "inferior" races?

Why are those ancient dragon-blood families so keen on diluting the concentration of their bloodline?
Why are purebred dragons more prone to "accidents"?
If the dragons are truly the rulers, these phenomena are completely inexplicable.

But if they are fugitives, then everything makes sense.

"No"

Baroque collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in his hands:

"This is impossible. This is absolutely impossible."

But the seed has already been planted.

The perfect belief in "purity of bloodline" began to crack, and countless previously overlooked doubts surfaced like a flood.

Cecilia stood aside, coldly observing the collapse of faith.

She did not offer any words of comfort or mockery.

As someone who shares the same obsessive nature, she understands the pain of shattered beliefs.

Moreover, the weight of this truth made her begin to re-examine her pursuit of "perfection".

If even the glory of the dragon race is false, then is her insistence on "absolute aesthetics" also built on some kind of illusion?

(End of this chapter)