At this moment, the quarrels upstairs, the dragging of tables and chairs on the floor, and the sound of cars downstairs all assaulted his ears.
It woke him up completely.
After a long while, he finally got used to the rhythm here and sat on the bed calmly.
"The Nine Academies Joint Examination is tomorrow. I'll raise my level to the third ring tonight. After all, it'll be difficult for me to deal with the experts from the other eight schools if I still remained at the second ring."
Looking at the familiar surroundings, Bai Ze muttered to himself.
The next moment, he slowly closed his eyes and began to mobilize the boundless magic energy in his body, preparing to break out the third ring.
Now that he had learned a brand new rule and had achieved the Mastery level as well, it was enough to support him to condense another magic ring. Moreover, the quality of the magic ring would definitely not be weak!
The preparation phase lasted for a few minutes.
When the room gradually quieted down, Bai Ze suddenly opened his eyes.
In the next instant, he activated his power, and the magic power in his body surged out, condensing directly into a sea of luminescent light!
Such an abundant and dense magic power had long exceeded the level of a third ring mage.
If Bai Ze had not deliberately suppressed his power, he could have become a third ring mage a few days ago.
The surging magic power that rose into the air slowly condensed as if it contained some terrifying energy.
This rhythmic fluctuation did not last long.
Suddenly, an invisible cracking sound was heard.
A flash of fire appeared in the cloud of magic power. The light was so bright that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes.
In the next second, the surrounding magic power was instantly absorbed by the fiery light.
When Bai Ze opened his eyes, a blood-red magic ring had appeared in front of him!
The crimson-colored ring hovered in the air silently, as harmless as a sleeping baby.
However, Bai Ze could clearly sense a destructive energy from this magic ring!
He stretched out his hand and touched the magic ring that was glowing with blood-red light.
In the next instant, the magic ring floating in the air seemed to have found its master and immediately rushed up to meet him. It wrapped around Bai Ze, rotating quietly.
He had successfully condensed his third magic ring!
Furthermore, it was of the rare blood red color. Although the quality was not as good as a divine ring, it was several times better than an ordinary magic ring!
He had now condensed three magic rings: gold, dark blue, and blood red.
His strength had also completely stabilized at the realm of the third ring.
[System message: You have successfully formed the Ring of Bloodthirsty Flames and gained the additional ability: Scorching Pain.]
[Scorching Pain: Every time you cast a spell on the target, it will cause some damage to the target's spiritual power. There is a chance to interrupt the target's spell casting.]
Bai Ze raised his eyebrows.
Just as he had expected, every time he successfully condensed a magic ring, he would receive an additional powerful ability.
Moreover, this ability was not given by the system.
It would only miraculously appear each time after the Ethereal Magic Staff emitted a mysterious light.
Now, he possessed three powerful abilities, namely the lightning affinity, Magic Surge, and Scorching Pain.
These extra abilities would be of great help to him in actual combat, just like in the qualification competition last time.
Without the output of immense magic power made possible by the Magic Surge, he would not have been able to fully charge the badge in such a short time.
Moreover, due to his lightning affinity, he was able to cast Storm Thunder Flash more easily and successfully escape from the two fourth ring mages.
This time, before the Nine Academies Joint Examination, he had obtained the Scorching Pain ability, which would certainly catch his opponent off guard, and thus increase the possibility of winning the championship even more.
The Nine Academies Joint Examination was the most important event of the year in Maplewood City.
If he could become the champion in this examination, he would not only become famous, but he would also receive a reward from the Magic Education Association. It was like killing two birds with one stone.
When he thought of this, a sense of anticipation welled up in Bai Ze's heart. His eyes looking out the window took on a faraway look.
Time passed by quietly, and the sun also rose in slow, heavy steps from the horizon.
It was 9 in the morning.
Bai Ze and Wu Feng met at a breakfast shop. The two of them immediately began to discuss the common topic of the Nine Academies Joint Examination endlessly.
"Brother Bai, how did it go at the Preordained Training Camp? The Nine Academies Joint Examination is very tough. Are you confident?"
Wu Feng was sprawled out on the table without any manners, looking at Bai Ze curiously. He felt that his buddy seemed to have changed a lot after having gone away for a day or two.
"It's… okay, I guess."
Bai Ze took a mouthful of beef ramen and mumbled vaguely.
Seeing that Wu Feng was not too satisfied, Bai Ze had to put down the bowl. After swallowing, he explained, "I learned a B-class rule in the Preordained Training Camp. Although I haven't practiced it to the top level yet, it's very powerful. It won't be a problem for me to get into the top ten of the joint examination."
Bai Ze only gave a brief summary. At any rate, he did not like to brag, so he did not reveal that he came back to win the championship.
"Tsk! Last time during our school's mock exam, you also said that you could get into the top ten, but in the end, you got first place. Brother Bai, when have you ever been so humble in front of me?"
Wu Feng rubbed his nose with an expression that said, "As if I don't know you well enough."
"Ahem… This is called strategic modesty, get it?"
Bai Ze glared at him and then continued to eat his noodles calmly.
"Sigh… You're now the representative of Maplewood City's prestige. Now that Jiang Qingyue is at the training camp and isn't coming back, we've lost one more elite."
"Now that there is a missing person in the school's total force, we're already at a disadvantage compared to other schools. We can only rely on you, Lin Xi, and Ling Quan to win glory for the school."
Wu Feng chewed on a toothpick and displayed a helpless expression.
"So many people from our school are taking the joint examination. There are many dark horses and extraordinary geniuses among them. There might even be experts with hidden abilities. When the time comes, they might straightaway win the championship."
Bai Ze wiped his mouth and continued to pour scorn. "Besides, you're also taking the joint examination. It's already good enough if you work hard and don't drag the class down. Besides, you're just some lousy student. Why are you worrying for the school management?"
Wu Feng was rendered speechless by Bai Ze's words. He stood up angrily and walked toward the eatery's owner.
"Hey, don't use your anger as an excuse to foot the bill. You've already used it last time."
Bai Ze stood up and ran after him, but Wu Feng had already taken out his mobile phone that he had gotten ready beforehand and instantly scanned the code to pay in one shot.
Bai Ze didn't even have the chance to stop him.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. You should go back and prepare. I'll give you guys a surprise in the afternoon!"
Wu Feng winked, patted Bai Ze's arm, then broke into a cheeky grin.
"Last time, I got a 10,000 bucks scholarship from the school. It's enough for you to eat noodles until you puke. Don't pay for me next time, do you hear me?"
Bai Ze was still a little bit pissed off and simply ignored the other party's change of topic.
Wu Feng couldn't do anything to Bai Ze, who had always been so serious, and could only agree.
The two parted ways on the road. Bai Ze saw that his destination was not far off and decided to walk back.