"I remember hearing from my elders that Master Ancient One is an ancient being who has lived for thousands of years. Judging by this display, it might actually be true."
Ignoring everything around him, Master Ancient One clasped her hands together and thrust them forward, conjuring a massive orange spiral that materialized before the assembled group.
"Enter," she said, waving a hand as she stepped aside. "This portal connects to another dimension, the site of your trials. The Three Great Demon Gods await you there."
The orange-yellow sky was dotted with white clouds, and two crescent-shaped celestial bodies hung overhead. The area was dense with purple vegetation, except for a striking region covered in bizarrely shaped boulders. These stones were arranged in a chaotic circle, with a forest bordering the outer edge of the rocky expanse.
The forest stopped abruptly at the edge of the boulder field, allowing the light from the sky to pour unobstructed onto the ground. The warmth was like sunlight, making everyone feel utterly comfortable.
At the center of the chaotic rock field lay a raised hillside, dotted with irregularly shaped boulders. Crowds of people, both seated and standing, clustered around these rocks and along the slope.
Their attire, adorned with diverse cultural embellishments, faintly shimmered with magical energy, revealing their extraordinary status. Behind them, orange spiral portals floated in the air. These were Chen Chen and the group of Sorcerers.
After passing through the Kamar-Taj portal, they were immediately transported to this unfamiliar dimension by the Three Great Ancient Demon Gods.
At the summit of the hillside stood a platform constructed from black, hardened material. Three figures sat upon this platform, surrounded by countless dazzling points of light that danced around them like fireflies.
One was a woman with luminous eyes, another a bald man resembling a monk, and the third a creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a man.
These three were the Three Great Ancient Demon Gods, embodiments of white magic.
The woman with radiant eyes was Oshmatur, the first Demon God of the Vishanti and the source of light magic.
The bald, composed man was Agamotto, formed from a single tear of Oshtur and the first Supreme Mage. It was from him that the Ancient One had obtained the Eye of Agamotto.
The last being, a creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a man, was Hoggoth, the source of Order Magic and Oshmatur's companion during her cosmic travels.
"I never expected so many young ones would compete for the Supreme Mage title this time. What a grand display," Agamotto remarked in surprise as he surveyed the sorcerers gathered below the black platform.
The previous Supreme Mage Competition, the one that had brought forth the Ancient One, had occurred over five hundred years ago. Back then, the ritual had been dominated by ancient mages and venerable monsters. Tracing further back would only reveal even older entities. The presence of so many young candidates was truly rare.
"After all these years, times have changed," a voice of elegant charm drifted from beside him. Oshmatur spoke slowly, "But the essence of the ritual remains the same. Our standards for evaluation will not be lowered."
Beside her, Hoggoth, who had remained silent, nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, let's greet these young ones." With a smile, Agamotto waved his hand casually, instantly teleporting all the arriving Sorcerers to the base of the black platform. They looked around in confusion.
"Let's get straight to the point. I am Agamotto, a deity. You're all here today because you understand what we're about to do."
Agamotto cut to the chase: "The Supreme Mage Competition is about to begin."
The many Sorcerers present snapped back to attention at his words, excitement surging through them. A deity! Another dimension! These were completely new concepts to most of them.
"Hmm?" Agamotto observed the varying degrees of excitement on the faces of the young Sorcerers below and suddenly noticed Chen Chen's expressionless face. As if struck by an idea, he addressed Chen Chen directly: "You must be Chen Chen, young one."
"You know me?"
"After all, you're the first person I've ever seen make Ancient One so eager to pass on her mantle. I'm curious what special abilities you possess that have earned her such high regard." Agamotto narrowed his eyes, his tone probing.
"Maybe it's because I'm handsome," Chen Chen said, raising an eyebrow with a playful smile.
The surrounding people heard his answer, and their hearts raced. *Is this guy crazy?* they thought. *He's facing a cosmic-level Demon God! We're nothing but ants to him. What if he gets annoyed and wipes us out?*
Even Agamotto couldn't help but smirk at Chen Chen's completely absurd answer. "What an amusing little fellow."
He couldn't sense even a trace of energy from Chen Chen, as if he were standing before an ordinary person.
What intrigued Agamotto even more was that he couldn't sense Chen Chen's aura at all. If Chen Chen weren't standing right in front of him, he might not have noticed his presence at all. This was an incredibly advanced technique for concealing one's aura.
Without asking Chen Chen any further questions, Agamotto turned to address the assembled Sorcerers below. "Your participation in this selection process isn't limited to simple arena matches. There are three assessment phases, with the final stage being the arena combat."
"Only those who remain until the end will be eligible to become Supreme Mages and receive Vishanti's Power."
"Of course, we won't neglect the others. All Sorcerers who reach the final third stage of the selection will receive a small token of our appreciation."
Hearing this, the Sorcerers below erupted in excited murmurs. These were gifts from the Three Great Ancient Demon Gods, cosmic-level beings. Even a small token from them would significantly enhance one's power or aid in exploring the universe's truths. Such an opportunity was truly rare.
Kagetsuki Kazusa, standing beside Chen Chen, also brightened. Though she had come primarily out of concern for him, now that she knew he was safe, she was eager to improve her own strength, lest she hold him back.
Kagetsuki Kazusa remained stubborn. She knew her skills were top-tier among the younger generation of Japanese Sorcerers, but compared to the world stage or the older generation, the gap in power remained vast.
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