However, natural division and incubation had significant drawbacks.

A magma giant’s birth took three to five years.

Under natural conditions, the chance of producing high-tier giants was low, with most remaining first-level for life, rarely advancing.

This greatly limited the magma giants’ expansion and strength growth.

The incubation pool was a technology developed to rapidly bolster their forces and quality!

In these artificially constructed, ritually enhanced pools, giants could be born in just one or two months.

More crucially, giants from these pools had a much higher chance of becoming high-tier.

They were born with greater potential, making advancement easier!

Jie Ming closely sensed the energy fluctuations and rune imprints of the blood-red pool, quickly concluding, “This looks like a second-level incubation pool!”

At his words, the other two wizards’ eyes gleamed with greed.

A second-level incubation pool.

This meant giants born here were likely to become second-level in the future!

Their life energy and bloodline potential even increased their odds of reaching third or fourth levels!

This discovery instantly explained the anomalies Jie Ming had noticed!

He recalled the stark difference in strength ratios here compared to typical outposts—nearly one in ten giants here was second-level, unthinkable elsewhere!

So, this was their secret base for mass-producing high-quality troops!

“No wonder…” The second-level wizard stared at the crimson pool, unable to suppress his exclamation.

“The highest incubation pool discovered so far is fourth-level…” Jie Ming mentally reviewed the camp’s public data.

Building a fourth-level pool required astronomical resources and constant energy to maintain.

But its strategic value could shift a local war’s tide.

“This second-level incubation pool’s value surpasses many third-level wizards’ entire fortunes…” Jie Ming’s emotions were complex.

Possessing it meant that with a single living giant core fragment and a suitable energy environment, one could churn out high-quality troops like a production line!

As Jie Ming marveled, battle erupted without warning.

The second-level wizard struck suddenly.

His speed was blinding, two near-tangible energy arrows shooting toward Jie Ming and the weakened first-level wizard beside him!

“You?!” The first-level wizard had no time to defend.

Fresh from death’s door, his minor wounds unhealed and mental energy depleted, he could only let out a shrill scream before the annihilation-laced energy arrow pierced his chest!

Splurch!

The arrow’s momentum didn’t falter, exploding inside, instantly vaporizing his fragile heart and lungs.

His body shuddered, eyes wide with fear and defiance frozen in his pupils.

He collapsed silently, his staff slipping from his hand, clattering to the cold ground as blood pooled beneath him.

A wizard who’d fought desperately for survival fell at the hands of his “ally.”

Simultaneously, the other arrow whistled toward Jie Ming’s back!

His fourth-level shield had timed out, leaving him unprotected.

But the “Five Aggregates Rainbow Mirror” sensed the lethal threat instantly!

The moment the second-level wizard’s killing intent formed and the arrow launched, it seized control of Jie Ming’s remaining defensive rune artifacts and activated them!

Buzz buzz buzz…

Jie Ming’s body was instantly enveloped in layers of glowing defenses.

Not a single shield but multiple, independent energy barriers stacking like a pyramid!

The arrow hit the first shield, screeching as energy clashed, shattering it!

But its force weakened, striking the second, then third layers…

Crisp shattering sounds rang out, energy sparks scattering like broken glass.

Finally, at the cost of multiple shattered shields, the lethal strike was fully blocked!

Jie Ming stood unmoving, the complex emotions in his eyes fading into deep calm.

“As expected…” he sighed inwardly.

He turned slowly to face the second-level wizard in the shadows, his gaze serene, without a ripple.

From the moment he saw the incubation pool, Jie Ming had anticipated this.

Not foresight, but a deep understanding of wizards and “profit.”

Viola had warned him: except for Noren Workshop wizards bound by contracts, others were to be watched in wartime.

Wizards were supremely rational, calculating gains and losses precisely.

Normally, cooperation yielded greater benefits, so they worked together easily.

But when individual gains were vast enough to dwarf cooperative benefits, wizards would, with ruthless rationality, turn on former teammates without hesitation.

The current situation perfectly met all conditions for wizards to “flip”:

First, the environment was safe. The magma giant threat was neutralized, the nest cleared, with no immediate external interference.

Second, the stakes were enormous.

An incubation pool capable of endlessly producing high-quality giants was a treasure even third-level wizards would wage clan wars over.

Such immense personal gain rendered “camaraderie” or “morality” meaningless.

Third, and most critically, all three had crushed their magic network terminals to send distress signals!

This meant whatever happened here would remain unknown to the outside.

Having just survived a “brutal” battle, eliminating witnesses would let the wizard legion assume they “sacrificed” here, leaving the incubation pool a buried secret for its “discoverer” to claim.

Jie Ming’s peripheral vision caught the fallen first-level wizard.

His staff had slipped, but his right hand tightly clutched a shattered crystal artifact.

Even in his final moments, he’d instinctively gripped a tool.

This showed the first-level wizard had the same intent as the second-level wizard!

But his reaction was a step too slow, struck first by the second-level wizard.

Indeed, for wizards, in the face of true profit, everything was disposable baggage.

Seeing his ambush blocked by Jie Ming’s multi-layered defenses, the second-level wizard showed no surprise.

Having witnessed Jie Ming’s unreasonable strength and resilience against the third-level giants, he knew conventional spells wouldn’t work easily.

But he’d acted with his own trump card!

As the “Grand Radiance Form” runes began glowing for a counterattack, Jie Ming was shocked to find…

The rune artifacts forming it dimmed rapidly, as if their core energy was drained!

Their surface runes extinguished, energy circuits halted!

Even the spell energy stabilizing their flight failed!

Jie Ming clearly felt an invisible force interfering with all his spell and energy connections!

Crack, crack…

With crisp sounds, many rune artifacts and the metal floating cannons behind him lost power, clattering to the ground by the magma pool!

Their energy cores were locked, unactivatable.

“Forbidden magic…” Jie Ming’s face grew grave, his voice hoarse as he named the cause.

“Correct,” the second-level wizard replied calmly.

His face was expressionless, his eyes devoid of killing intent or greed, only a cold, ruthless calculation.

This spoke volumes.

This wizard had made up his mind.

His actions weren’t impulsive but the result of careful, repeated weighing of pros and cons.

He’d accounted for all possibilities, leaving no room for reconciliation!

He opened his hand, revealing an irregularly shaped energy crystal previously hidden in his palm.

It glowed faintly, slowly fading.

This was clearly a rare tool that, when activated, unleashed a forbidden magic field!

Jie Ming instantly understood his plan.

This second-level wizard wasn’t foolish.

Having seen Jie Ming eliminate two third-level giants, he knew from his unreasonable defense and firepower that direct spell combat was unwinnable!

So, he chose the most extreme measure—forbidden magic!

This device hadn’t been used against the giants due to its fatal flaw.

Its forbidden field affected even the user!

Using it against elemental giants was tantamount to suicide.

But in a wizard-on-wizard fight, it was devastatingly effective.

With both sides’ spells sealed, the fight would revert to primal physical combat!

As Jie Ming knew early on, while wizards primarily fought with spells, their bodies weren’t necessarily weak.

Combat wizards, especially, enhanced their bodies with runes and potions for extreme situations, greatly boosting physical strength.

Normally, a second-level wizard’s physical strength surpassed a first-level wizard’s.

Thus, this second-level wizard was brimming with confidence.

He casually tossed the fading crystal aside, smoothly assuming a standard close-combat stance.

His face was calm, his eyes coldly indifferent, devoid of emotion.

With a sudden push off the ground, he charged at Jie Ming with astonishing speed!

But seeing the wizard’s textbook stance and speed, Jie Ming flashed a meaningful smile!

“Hmph, competing in close combat…” he sneered inwardly.

In a flash, the two wizards clashed fiercely in the chamber’s center!

The second-level wizard clearly had rich melee experience, his fists lightning-fast, aiming for Jie Ming’s face.

Each punch carried a whistling force capable of shattering stone!

But the moment they clashed, the second-level wizard’s face changed, a surge of indescribable regret welling up!

The one-sided beatdown he’d envisioned didn’t happen!

Jie Ming didn’t dodge but met him with a punch!

The physical strength and explosive acceleration of Jie Ming’s punch defied the wizard’s understanding!

Bang!

Their fists collided, a dull thud of flesh resounding!

The second-level wizard felt a shockwave from his fist, spreading through his arm, muscles trembling, forcing him back half a step, while Jie Ming stood unmoved!

“His physical condition… is stronger than mine?!” The wizard’s heart shook, incredulous.

He was a second-level wizard!

Specially enhanced physically!

His strength far exceeded mortals—how could a first-level wizard outmatch him?!

Jie Ming gave no time for thought, stepping forward faster than before.

The wizard saw a blur as Jie Ming’s fist struck again!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jie Ming’s attacks were blisteringly fast, each punch whistling, fierce yet controlled, precisely targeting the wizard’s joints, ribs, and head.

The wizard could only raise his arms to block, but Jie Ming held a clear edge in speed and strength, plus combat skills (exclusive to body cultivators) the wizard couldn’t fathom.

Each strike flowed with all his body’s power through subcutaneous vessels, each move heavy as if drawing earth vein force!

Each punch the wizard blocked forced him back, his once-tight defense growing ragged.

He tried to counter, aiming for Jie Ming’s vitals with his modified arm muscles.

But Jie Ming’s dodges were exquisite, evading by mere fractions!

His fists fell again, relentless, like a storm!

“What kind of body art is this?! What kind of monster is this guy!” the wizard roared inwardly.

He’d thought melee was his advantage, yet he was utterly crushed by a supposed “first-level wizard”!

Jie Ming remained silent, attacking with seemingly simple but refined techniques.

His legs rooted to the ground, each step erupting with staggering force.

His fists arced through the air, carrying an invisible pressure, faintly shaking the air with a low “whoosh.”

The wizard barely blocked a whip-like leg strike, but the impact staggered him, his arm going numb!

Suddenly, Jie Ming sidestepped, landing a powerful collapsing fist on the wizard’s ribs!

Crack!

The crisp sound of breaking bones echoed clearly in the silent chamber.

The wizard froze for an instant, a pained grunt escaping him.

Despair flashed in his eyes; he knew he’d lost.

Jie Ming gave no respite, grabbing his collar, yanking him close.

A knee strike slammed into the wizard’s chest.

“Pfft!” The wizard spewed blood, mixed with organ fragments.

His body lost all resistance, collapsing like mud in Jie Ming’s hands.

His eyes bulged, filled with regret and confusion, unable to fathom how his prized calculations had gone so wrong.

Jie Ming tossed him to the ground, shaking his head regretfully.

The fight was decided in mere dozens of seconds!