Chapter 1603: Section 1604 Success or Failure

“Is Onassis really that strong?”

The door to the inner hall creaked open, and Nausicaa, clad in soft armor, walked out. She was the one who had asked the question, apparently having heard Angel’s words.

Angel nodded: “His strength lies in the fact that no one has yet found a way to decipher his abilities.”

Nausicaa sat opposite Allen, and using the “Sweetfire” burning in Allen’s hand, she lit the tobacco in her pipe and took a deep puff, exhaling smoke that formed shapes like roses. The weariness on her face also dissipated.

“The heavenly taste of Sweetfire combined with Silver Scale Rose tobacco, to experience it today is both fortunate and regrettable,” Nausicaa remarked, turning back to look at Angel: “No way to decipher his abilities? Have you really not seen through his powers?”

Angel: “His abilities are very special, both Greya and I have some guesses, but after all, we haven’t experienced it firsthand, so we can’t be sure.”

Following that, Angel shared his guesses.

Aside from Allen, who was solely focused on roasting meat, everyone else was full of shock and perplexity. Lyon, bewildered for a moment, asked Angel with difficulty: “Philosophy, can it also become a weapon?”

“I don’t know,” Angel paused: “But why not?”

In this fantastically beautiful world, whatever is thought and contemplated, even if just a mysterious concept, as long as there’s a medium to carry it, it can potentially become reality.

Why can’t philosophy?

Of course, this is merely Angel’s speculation, and the medium required to carry philosophy must inevitably be something they have never before understood. Thus, it remains an unknown.

“Whether it’s using philosophy as a weapon or not, is there really no chance of winning at all? If Xiliu turns the water inside Onassis into magma, could he defeat him?” Shan asked from Xiliu’s perspective.

Xiliu’s move is indeed strong, especially against water system wizards, it’s very restrictive. However, most Transcendents are always ready with a defense spell, and as long as it’s a non-water system defense spell, it can briefly resist Xiliu’s abilities.

Just need to find that brief period of time, and Xiliu could be defeated.

Unless, the opponent uses a water system defense spell.

That’s unrealistic, for the new star competition has already reached the semifinals, and every top-ranking contestant has been thoroughly investigated by the media. Even though Xiliu, because of sleeping for a long duration, has refused all interviews from magazines, her abilities have already been exposed. Under such circumstances, any opponent she faces would know better than to use a water system trick against Xiliu, as doing so would be tantamount to suicide.

Angel: “His strength lies also in that you cannot overlook him. Once you acknowledge his presence, he can wield the long sword of philosophy, pulling you into his rhythm.”

Indeed, his strength is not in himself, but in the message he conveys. By recognizing his presence, one could become completely surrounded by pervasive philosophy.

Realizing this, Nausicaa exhaled a puff of smoke, whisperingly sighed: “Hearing you say this, it seems that to defeat him, aside from overpowering him in energy level, we must truly confront him.”

Ignoring Onassis’s existence is unrealistic. Then the only choice is to confront him, and defeat the opponent in his rhythm.

Shan: “You mean… to defeat him in the domain he excels in?”

Nausicaa nodded: “Exactly, perhaps only by engaging in philosophical speculation and counterarguing with thoughts can we have a chance to defeat him.”

That’s the theory, but Onassis has almost turned himself into a living philosophy book; to defeat him in a debate would likely require an enormous accumulation of knowledge and philosophical depth.

“Listening to that, Serum’s Black Classic might just have a chance to out-argue him. One relies purely on rational thinking, while the other views the world through idealistic thoughts. The clashing of their thoughts might truly be a match to watch,” Shan said, but suddenly deflated, “Unfortunately, the opponent in this competition is Xiliu, not the Black Classic.”

A person who spends most of her time sleeping, what kind of essence can she accumulate in her sleep?

Nausicaa also sighed, “We can only see how it goes. If all else fails, losing isn’t the end of the world.”

Angel thought the same. Xiliu managing to get this far was already incredibly impressive. After all, Xiliu has surpassed the recognized strongest apprentices in the Barbarian Cave–Nanaji and Bates. This alone demonstrated her extraordinary abilities.

“This New Star competition has brought out too many monsters. Asaz alone was enough, and now there’s an oddly capable Onassis,” Shan sighed, her gaze suddenly turned to Angel, and her tone shifted, “But even if they’re strong, they are still overshadowed by Angel’s limelight.”

Whether it be forming a bond with Odeclass in the Abyss or advancing to Official Wizard and joining the Research and Development Institute, all these overshadow a mere New Star competition championship.

And Angel was on their side. So, the glory still belonged to the Barbarian Cave!

Thinking this way, Shan’s mood suddenly improved a lot.

Upon mentioning Angel, Allen, who had been focusing on grilling the meat, couldn’t help but join in the conversation. They had left Old Earth Continent together, so why was there such a disparity between them? He was genuinely curious about what Angel had experienced over these years that enabled him to rise so rapidly.

Because of the discussion about Angel, the originally quiet yard became lively.

Angel pinched the bridge of his nose; he didn’t understand how the conversation suddenly shifted to him.

Seeing them getting more and more excited, even Allen started talking about stories of Old Earth Continent and traveling with Angel, Angel couldn’t help but cough, pulling the conversation back: “I just took the first step, when they reach this step, their performance will surely be better than mine.”

Just like Onassis, if he were to advance to Official Wizard, his capabilities might become even more unfathomable. And like Kavoline, as she unlocks more forms of her Shepherd’s Coat, her strength will definitely skyrocket.

Angel actually also enjoyed seeing their growth.

At least, it could be seen that the future of the Southern Domain Wizard World, with these people in it, would be eagerly anticipated.

“You only mentioned them, not what you would be at that time. I think there’s a high possibility that by the time they become Official Wizards and venture into the mountains, you would have already reached the summit, looking for paths to pluck stars,” Shan said. Although it was just her speculation, as long as Angel didn’t fall, this possibility certainly existed, and the chance was substantial.”

Shan’s words made everyone a bit reflective; the gap between them and Angel would only grow wider with time.

Thinking this, no one spoke again.

After a long pause, Shan broke the silence, not continuing with the same topic, but instead shifted the conversation: “By the way, how is Xiliu doing now?”

Nausicaa: “She has already woken up, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to come out. But according to her waking habits, unless there’s something urgent, she’s definitely spacing out, at least for half an hour.”

The time Xiliu stays awake each day is generally four to six hours, excluding the half-hour she spends daydreaming, reducing the effective time she utilizes daily.

Shan jumped off Ganke’s shoulder and walked towards the house: “Since she’s awake, I’ll go in and check on her, and analyze tomorrow’s battle situation for her.”

After Shan left, they stopped discussing Angel and merely chatted about some news before dispersing.