Chapter 153


    The war de hummed, its energy chilling to the bone. It took quite some time before Cedrick could


    reel it back under his control.


    Adirich exhaled deeply, already wounded, and having been cleaved by two blows, he nearly lost


    consciousness as he rxed.


    "Get out!!" Cedrick had no stomach for such underhanded tactics, and with a thud, he mmed the


    door shut, unwilling to spare a nce at Adirich.


    "Bastard!" Adirich''s face twisted in fury as he clenched his fists and pounded the floor.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    "Disgraceful." Myke snorted and returned to his chamber.


    Balder watched Cedrick return, his small eyes spinning with curiosity. Hey, what was going on, had


    Cedrick befriended vin? Otherwise, why would he act like this? "Cedrick, have you just returned


    from the training grounds?"


    "What are you doing here?" Cedrick nced at Balder indifferently before checking on vin''s


    condition by the bed.


    "I arrived today to support you all. Cedrick... did you win?" Balder probed.


    "Mhm, cleaved three down," Cedrick replied simply.


    Whoa!! Balder''s eyes twitched. Three?! A formidable fellow indeed.


    "Watch over him!" Cedrick, ensuring vin''s life was not in danger, sat down to meditate and heal.


    He tore open his shirt, revealing a ghastly wound.


    The atmosphere in the training ground had been heated to its peak. After a fierce battle by vin,


    Cedrick stepped up to challenge the Ster Precepts, facing three at once and powerfully advancing


    into the top ten.


    Both vin and Cedrick set the arena aze, bringing great honor to the Cobalt Strike. After being


    quiet for three terms, Cobalt Strike had once again proven itself at the championship.


    Yet Commander Kashann couldn''t quite feel joyous, as neither vin nor Cedrick was truly a


    traditional Protégé of the Cobalt Strike. His much-hoped-for Golden Protégés had been whittled


    down to just Roald and Felis.


    The second round of the tournament began, and thanks to the eye-catching performances of vin


    and Cedrick, the third, fourth, and fifth matches all featured challengers seeking to advance to the


    top ten by fighting two opponents at once.


    They all suffered crushing defeats!


    The bloody lessons curbed this abnormal trend, and from the sixth fight on, the tournament returned


    to the proper path of one-on-one challenges.


    Mari stepped up in the seventh battle, facing a Floral Enchantress Protégée, and emerged


    victorious!


    Felis fought in the tenth match against a Bloodlore Protégé and imed victory.


    Both were traditional Protégés of Cobalt Strike and brought further glory to their faction.


    The Novice Mage tournament continued until noon, with the intensity not waning from the first


    round. Out of twenty-seven who took to the stage, only ten, including vin and Cedrick, were


    victorious; the others were either defeated or mutually vanquished.


    The afternoon saw the much-anticipated Advanced Mage matches.


    Roald was the first to take the stage, receiving the challenge from the captain of the Earthbound


    Spirits, Ond, in The sh of Eight Orders'' first Advanced Mage tier showdown. The result was


    Ond redeeming the Spirits'' honor that was lost in vin''s fight, by sting Roald off the tform


    in less than a candle''s burning time, firmly securing victory!


    Afterward, two Advanced Mage Protégés from Bloodlore each challenged the Floral Enchantress


    and the Ster Precepts.


    In the fourth fight, Darron of the Ster Precepts, a prodigy, was set to take the stage but was


    unanimously decided by the Eight Orders Commander to advance by default, as he was already a


    famed figure in the Eight Orders, known as the strongest.


    The fifth match saw the captain of the Starlit Echoes challenge the leader of the Hidden Essence.


    In the sixth, another Advanced Mage Protégé from the Ster Precepts faced off against the


    Skyborne Rivers.


    The oues of the Advanced Mage battles were almost without suspense, aligning with


    expectations.


    Out of eleven Advanced Mage Protégés, five were eliminated, leaving six. ording to the rules,


    the victorious Advanced Mages advanced to the top ten and wouldpete in the fourth round for


    the first three of the top five spots. The winning Novice Mages would continue to the third round of


    the tournament the next day, determining four winners to join the ranks of the top ten.


    With vin and Cedrick having secured their spots in the top ten early, the rules were adjusted to


    have eight Novice Mages vie for the remaining two ces.


    ...


    vin''s injuries were grave, but his unique constitution saw him awake by evening. Upon opening


    his eyes, he was surprised to find three people in the room, Balder, Cedrick, and Mari.


    “How did you get here?” vin asked, surprised to see Balder.


    “I came to cheer you on,” Balder said, grinning so wide his eyes nearly disappeared in his chubby


    face.


    “My ce in the top ten isn’t being questioned, is it?” vin propped himself up, concerned that


    there might’ve been disputes that would nullify his spot.


    "Who would dare to question it? It’s settled, all confirmed,” Balder beamed like a blooming flower,


    delighted beyond measure. To think the Mollen family had invested in a Protégé destined for the top


    ten of The sh of Eight Orders, and likely the one with the most potential. With earnest nurturing,


    vin’s future growth was limitless. He could almost envision his fatherughing heartily upon


    hearing the news.