Chapter 528
by fanqienovelChapter 528: Ascending All the Way
Shelly had exhausted most of her magic and bloodline power. Her Ice Shields shattered effortlessly, and with Midi’s terrifying instant teleportation abilities, the battle’s outcome became clear.
From pure defense at the start to a prolonged stalemate, then rising mid-battle by seizing the Devouring Sound Orb to gain control, Midi finally broke through his opponent’s defenses with a thunderous assault.
When this hours-long clash ended, Midi stood as the victor.
Having reached peak-level 65, he advanced to level 66’s small success stage and defeated a level 68 expert bearing the Ice Dragon Bloodline.
Most Black Dragon warriors watched in awe and admiration.
For the Children of the Dragon—geniuses perched atop the Shaded Realm who’d never known "overcoming the strong despite being weak"—Midi’s triumph sparked bewildered amazement.
Yet in the end, the relentless Midi unexpectedly showed mercy.
He spared Shelly’s life, leaving her unharmed save for the Horn King Greatsword at her throat to force surrender.
This time, he reclaimed the Devouring Sound Orb.
"Hmph. In the end, that guy still fears striking the Eastern Temple’s people," Ingman muttered, disappointment flashing in his eyes.
Had Midi killed Shelly, it would’ve sparked endless vengeance—potentially dragging Mososbury City and the Eastern Temple into post-Black Dragon Conference strife. By showing leniency, Midi contained the conflict.
The Eastern Temple’s head wouldn’t intervene over a mere fighter’s defeat. Mososbury’s factions remained unscathed.
Watching Shelly depart alive, the Death Scorpion family along with Thor and Alexis breathed easier. Had the opposition retaliated, all Mososbury warriors might’ve faced targeting.
Facing level 68 foes was daunting enough—how could they withstand the Ice Queen Catherine herself?
Midi’s measured action contrasted sharply with the Eastern Temple’s unreasonable initial demands.
Truthfully, Midi spared Shelly because she mattered little—a mere pawn obeying Catherine’s orders. Killing her wouldn’t grant full Dragon Energy from the silver token anyway. Beyond his rightful third, the rest would disperse among Arena 3’s warriors.
No gain meant no reason for bloodshed. Letting Shelly live sowed discord within the Eastern Temple.
Midi harbored no illusions—Catherine wouldn’t reciprocate this mercy. While their factions might maintain peace, he and the Ice Queen now stood as fire and water. Their clash was inevitable.
"Still far from gold token status," Midi thought, examining his glowing silver Dragon Energy token. Absorbing a third of Shelly’s energy brightened its brilliance but showed no golden shift. Several more silver token holders needed defeating before nearing gold-tier advancement.
And the premise was that he could not lose a single battle throughout the entire process.
Going from a silver token to a gold token was one thing—but how many battles would it take to climb from a gold token to the Dragon’s Tooth token?
Even a Child of the Dragon would likely need an immense amount of time.
The longer it took, the higher the chance Midi would encounter the Ice Queen Catherine in Arena 3.
He knew that when that moment came, she wouldn’t rely on something like the Devouring Sound Orb to silence him again. She’d use other methods.
For this reason, Midi prepared himself for a life-or-death battle with no retreat.
Though he’d defeated a level 68 opponent, Midi didn’t grow complacent. He understood his easy victory stemmed from his opponent’s weak offense and his own advantage over her.
The Death Ice River’s cold had little effect on his Black Iron Dragon Flame.
Shelly’s defense and control were also riddled with flaws in the eyes of a seasoned commander like Midi.
This allowed him to win effortlessly, even using her power to fuel his own growth.
But next time, against a high-level opponent or an eastern temple fighter, luck might not favor him. It could become a true bloodbath.
Before that, Midi needed to strengthen himself as much as possible.
Strength alone was the ultimate truth.
Midi had reached level 66 small success, and after consolidating his cultivation, there were no instabilities.
With sufficient resources, he could swiftly advance to level 66 mastery or even peak.
Resources weren’t an issue for Midi, the Crystal Dragon Fortress trial’s greatest beneficiary.
He still had leftover Illusory God Wine and Awakening Dragon Stones purchased with Black Flame Coins, along with numerous Grade Nine and Ten Potions.
Most crucially, the fifth level’s dense magic and Dragon Breath environment perfectly complemented his True Dragon dual methods.
He trained relentlessly overnight at the camp.
By the next day’s Black Dragon Conference, his aura had edged past level 66 small success, nearing mastery.
“Battling to level up combined with the Shaded Realm’s fifth layer… This seems to maximize the True Dragon dual methods’ efficiency,” Midi mused, fatigue from yesterday’s fight gone as power surged within him.
“He crossed level 66 small success in one night?”
“This human’s advancement speed is unnatural.”
“What kind of Dragon’s Bloodline and heritage does he have?”
Midi’s stunning victory had drawn the Black Dragon warriors’ attention, but now they stared in renewed shock.
Yesterday, he’d been peak level 65. After one battle and a night’s rest, he’d surpassed level 66 small success!
Not even the Children of the Dragon could progress this swiftly.
Many had assumed his victory came at great cost.
But Midi’s displayed level today proved yesterday’s battle had been entirely under his control.
Though he’d taken deliberate injuries to stimulate potential, his actual attrition was zero.
Defeating a level 68 foe at level 66 without losses—how many trump cards did he hide?
The warriors’ gazes turned wary.
Midi maintained his winning streak that day, even crushing a level 67 expert from a western major family who wielded a silver token.
He seized a third of the man’s Dragon Energy without effort.
By the third day, Midi dominated every match, unstoppable.
He revived his Wolfspider tribe strategy—direct assaults.
Each battle ignited his potential, accelerating his growth.
While others gambled lives for victory, Midi transformed the brutal conference into a training ground, honing himself through combat.
His power climbed steadily higher.
On the fourth day, he faced another eastern temple fighter—a level 68 Ice Mage stronger than Shelly, wielding devastating ice magic and frigid winds instead of simple weapons.
But to Midi, now closer in level, the mage still fell short.
Hours later, the eastern temple warrior knelt defeated. Midi claimed a third of the quasi-gold token’s accumulated Dragon Energy.
Once again, he harnessed his foe’s power to break through—from level 66 small success to mastery!
Turning the Black Dragon Conference into a training ground—Midi alone achieved this.
As warriors watched him with awe, fear, and envy, a clear voice cut through the arena:
“I issue a Named Challenge against Midi Asreks.”
The voice chimed like silver yet chilled like the north wind.
Its owner was none other than the Ice Queen Catherine.