Arjun's appearance drew everyone's attention. His steady footsteps, coupled with the decent-looking staff in his hand and the robes he wore, gave him the air of an expert, making the onlookers focus on him even more.
"Lucian lasted over half an hour earlier. I wonder how long this guy can hold out?"
"Let's see. He definitely won't last as long as Lucian."
As Arjun stepped into the Water Dragon Mirror, his figure instantly vanished. The mirror erupted with a dazzling radiance, so intense that no one could look directly at it.
Time passed minute by minute, and the crowd waited eagerly. After about ten minutes, Arjun's figure finally reappeared.
At this moment, Arjun was completely limp, collapsing like a pile of mud. His breathing was ragged, his face drenched in sweat, and he couldn't even speak.
"How was it?" Kael examined Arjun's condition—he was merely exhausted, his spirit seemingly drained, as if he had no strength left at all.
"Damn it, that bastard Water Dragon is way too ruthless!" Arjun gasped several times before finally managing to speak, cursing outright.
"In that damned Water Dragon Mirror, I was tortured by that cursed Water Dragon phantom. I can't even imagine how I endured it!" Arjun said with lingering fear, his eyes still filled with terror, as if the mere thought was unbearable.
Kael recalled Lucian's drenched appearance earlier and now saw Arjun's miserable state. The Water Dragon Mirror was indeed no ordinary trial, which only fueled Kael's interest further.
Soon after, several others took their turns testing their strength inside the Water Dragon Mirror. However, one after another, they performed poorly—some couldn't even last a minute before being expelled.
"Seems like I'm still pretty strong. These guys are just too weak." Seeing their performance, Arjun's mood improved significantly. "Idris, my friend, it's your turn now!"
Arjun was genuinely curious. After witnessing Kael's Aero Flight and lightning magic, just how strong was he? What level could he reach?
Kael smiled and nodded, stepping forward.
Once again, all eyes turned to Kael. At this moment, he was wearing a human skin mask, appearing as an utterly ordinary young man. His low-profile demeanor, along with his seemingly plain staff and robes—though only a discerning eye could spot their true quality—made him blend in.
"Who is this kid? Doesn't seem familiar."
"Who cares? He'll probably be out in no time. Geniuses aren't that common these days!"
"True enough."
The crowd murmured, most of them skeptical about Kael. It wasn't out of prejudice—almost everyone here had struggled to last even five minutes earlier. And Kael, with his unremarkable appearance and nothing particularly striking about him, naturally drew little confidence.
Kael, however, remained unfazed. With a flicker of movement, his figure blurred—so fast that the onlookers barely caught a glimpse before he vanished into the Water Dragon Mirror's space.
Water Dragon Mirror Space.
The environment was a vast, open plain, flat and unobstructed—perfect for a mage's duel.
Kael narrowed his eyes. Before him stood a man clad in feathered robes and a starry crown, strikingly handsome with an air of elegance. This, undoubtedly, was the Water Dragon.
A faint smirk tugged at Kael's lips. He hadn't expected the Water Dragon to be such a dashing figure. He'd imagined someone more along the lines of a white-bearded elder, like Austin or Ethan.
"Young man, your strength is not insignificant. You may challenge me," the Water Dragon said calmly, hands clasped behind his back, exuding an aura of effortless superiority.
A glint flashed in Kael's eyes. With a swift swing of his staff, he launched into battle.
Instantly, the elemental energy in the space seemed to drain away. Freed from restraint, Kael unleashed his full power—simultaneously wielding Thunder Magic and Levitation. Soaring into the sky, he unleashed countless bolts of lightning, crackling through the air like a storm of wrath.
The sky darkened with surging currents, thunderous explosions ringing out as streaks of electricity rained down, bombarding the Water Dragon's position.
The Water Dragon merely raised his staff, instantly conjuring a magic shield. The sheer density of his mana stunned Kael—despite the relentless barrage, not a single bolt pierced the shield.
Worse yet, the Water Dragon's casting speed bordered on terrifying. Spells formed almost the moment he willed them, outpacing even Kael by a hair's breadth.
"Damn it, the Water Dragon is this monstrous? No wonder Arjun couldn't even last ten minutes!" Kael thought grimly, his jaw tightening.
"So what if it's the Water Dragon? I refuse to believe I can't withstand your attacks!"With a snarl, Kael fully unleashed his domain. Mana surged violently, shaking the very fabric of the space around them as if cowering before his overwhelming power.
The battle between Kael and the Water Dragon raged within the illusory realm. Currently, the Water Dragon's strength matched Kael's—both at the mid-tier of the eighth rank. However, the Water Dragon's foundation was far more profound, granting him a clear edge. Yet Kael wasn't without advantages. His mastery of Levitation allowed him to deftly evade the Water Dragon's assaults, weaving through the fight with calculated precision.
Their spells collided in a frenzy. Kael's thunder magic ran wild, its destructive force unleashed without restraint for the first time. Strikes fell upon the Water Dragon like a storm, each blow more devastating than the last.
The clash of their magic grew so intense it seemed to fracture the very space around them. Kael felt an unprecedented exhilaration—his spiritual energy skyrocketed, surging to its peak before erupting past its limits, shattering a long-standing bottleneck!
With a deafening boom, Kael's spiritual sea ascended to an entirely new realm.
Mana resonated across his body, ringing with a crystalline clarity as both his spiritual energy and mana surged exponentially. He had reached the peak of the eighth rank, just a step away from the ninth!
But as Kael's power soared, the Water Dragon's form suddenly radiated a flickering golden light. In an instant, he too advanced to the peak of the eighth rank, matching Kael's newfound strength.
"Damn it, you're relentless… though I owe my breakthrough to you." Kael frowned, then smirked.
Even after their ascension, the battle raged on. The Water Dragon's spiritual energy was terrifying—an endless ocean of pressure that bore down on Kael like a tidal wave.
Now he understood why Arjun and Lucian had emerged from the illusion drenched in sweat. The Water Dragon's spiritual oppression was horrifying—weaker individuals would likely tremble too much to even raise their staff in his presence.
Fortunately, Kael's own spiritual power was equally monstrous, allowing him to endure this prolonged duel.
Time lost all meaning. Kael couldn't spare a thought for anything—not even how long they'd fought. The Water Dragon's onslaught was too ferocious, leaving no room for distraction.
Time had lost all meaning.
With a deafening boom, Kael's figure flashed out of the Water Dragon Mirror—his appearance just as disheveled as Arjun's had been earlier, drenched in sweat from head to toe.
Yet there was one critical difference: Kael's spirit burned brighter than ever. Far from the exhaustion of a grueling battle, he radiated vitality.
This was the result of his monstrously resilient spiritual power, which had withstood the Water Dragon's oppressive force without faltering. Moreover, his breakthrough to the peak of the eighth rank within the mirror had left him brimming with energy.
Kael exhaled deeply, only to notice the crowd staring at him as if he'd grown a second head. Their expressions were frozen—some gaping, others wide-eyed—as though he'd done the impossible.
Arjun, standing closest, looked like his eyes might pop out of their sockets. "What's wrong?" Kael asked, baffled.
"Kael… you—you lasted two full hours inside the Water Dragon Mirror!" Arjun stammered, his voice thick with disbelief.
The revelation hung in the air like a thunderclap. Lucian, hailed as a once-in-a-generation genius, had only endured thirty minutes against the Water Dragon.
But Kael had fought for two hours.
What did that make him?