Chapter 943
You are all old and decrepit, dressed in fine clothes!
Chapter 943 You are all old and decrepit, dressed in fine clothes!
Master Patrick Finch, with a playful expression, stared intently at Wizard Zeno amidst the gazes of the crowd.
Zeno felt his gaze prickling like needles, but he did not back down. He immediately glared at Master Patrick Finch, even though he was a Sun Ring Wizard.
The third-ring wizards didn't react at all. Even Zeno's astonishing words didn't bother them much. Some didn't even look up at him. Only the Green Dragon Witch and the Fisher Wizard glanced at him before continuing to record the data with their magic quills.
Meanwhile, the witch Catherine sat in the audience. She finally put down the magical Ganoderma lucidum in her hand, stopped dealing with her affairs, and looked up at her prized student.
The Sea Queen raised her head and let out a cold laugh.
Meanwhile, the panel of thirty second-ring wizards frowned. The slight goodwill they had felt earlier because of Zeno's impressive qualifications vanished, replaced by deep suspicion.
Can an application written by someone who speaks so unreliably be trusted?
You see, for them, the quality of an application is something that anyone with a bit of skill can tell, but what's more important is the skill level of the person who wrote the application, which is very difficult to discern.
Because in this world, famous people are often lacking in substance; while those with substance are not so good at boasting and making others think they are amazing, and therefore are not so famous.
Those who are famous but lack substance, and those who have substance but lack fame—they have experienced so much of this that they naturally dare not make judgments lightly.
Therefore, in this special grant, every action of every wizard participating in the defense may arouse the praise or doubt of the judges and review panel, who may question his true level and how his past articles and projects were actually accomplished.
A Star Ring Wizard spoke up and asked him.
“You say that crystallized magical plants have no signs of life, but Master Patrick Finch, it was precisely because of his research in this area that he created the miracle of publishing eight first-tier journals in Yunze within a year. I have read these eight articles, and they are truly well written.”
The Star Ring Wizard turned to look at Master Patrick, who smiled and nodded slightly at him.
The Star Ring Wizard looked at Zeno and said, "Currently, Yunze's highest personal publication rate is eight articles a year. This is nothing short of remarkable, and it has even attracted the attention of Third Ring Wizards. Are you saying that this miracle... is fake?"
“Zenor Wizard, you can still take back your words now.”
Not only him, but the second-ring wizards behind and beside him also scrutinized him with icy, blade-like eyes. The suspicious and scrutinizing gazes of so many high-ring wizards made Zeno, who was not good at speaking, feel even more pressured. This pressure made him panic, and in his panic, his stubbornness began to falter.
"No mistake, it's fake."
The Star Ring Wizard gave him a cold glance and said nothing more.
A moon ring wizard behind him sneered.
"Zenor Wizard, were your two previous articles in the Second Ring First District journal also obtained through this kind of deliberately sensational statement?"
"Those eight journal articles were confirmed by multiple wizards from Yunze, and a key laboratory conducted a crucial experiment to verify their authenticity. Are you saying that those high-level wizards aren't as smart as you? That they don't know as much as you?"
The Moon Ring Wizard stood up from the commentary table, looking aggressive and seemingly very averse to Zeno's behavior.
This wizard is from another school in Mount Golden Crown. Mount Golden Crown is so big that these second-circle wizards don't even bump into each other. Zeno wizard also didn't participate in large public events or competitions that would make him easily recognizable due to his social anxiety.
Therefore, he was unfamiliar with the wizard Zeno, and all his knowledge of the wizard Zeno came from this defense.
The Moon Ring Wizard said, "If you were bragging elsewhere, that would be one thing, but these eight articles are unprecedented in Yunze Wetland, and it's unknown when anyone will be able to do it again. You actually dare to brag about this? I think you've lost your mind. You've chosen the wrong target. You've overestimated yourself and underestimated us!"
Master Patrick curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
At this moment, the wizards in the commentary group began to whisper among themselves. Most of them had doubts about Zeno and thought he was absurd.
Patrick the wizard is said to be the second-circle wizard who has come closest to becoming a third-circle wizard in the last thirty years.
His act of publishing eight Yunze articles in a single year has long since elevated his status above that of ordinary Sun Ring Wizards.
The magical plant crystallization technology he pioneered attracted the attention of countless wizards. Some tried to prove that this technology was flawed, but they were all met with setbacks.
All his past deeds, Yunze's credibility, the evaluation of him by some high-ring wizards, and Patrick's amazing achievements have led these second-ring wizards below the Sun Ring to regard him as the leader of the new generation in Yunze Wetlands.
Although he is not a third-ring wizard, he already has the reputation of one.
Zeno clenched his fists as the crowd laughed.
Catherine the Witch, meanwhile, sat in the third row of the audience, watching the scene with a blank expression.
The third-ring wizard from the Mystic Heaven remained expressionless, as if no matter what happened, he would not have any emotional changes.
The third-ring wizard from the Starfield Sea watched this scene with great interest.
"This is much more interesting than the show at the Central Grand Theater in Xingyuhai. Our Yunze Wetland is really lively this year."
"What do you say, Wizard Eric Ender?"
Wizard Eric Ender said, "There's no difference; they're all good wizards."
Valeria Kenway, a wizard from the Starfield Sea, laughed.
"That's because your standards are too high. These little guys just don't meet your standards. That's right, to your Heaven, all wizards are wizards of the wizarding civilization."
"So how much difference can there really be?"
"Except for the black wizard."
Eric Ender remained unfazed by the provocation.
"It's not just talent that determines whether a wizard will last."
The wizard Valeria Kenway laughed, her laughter carrying a hidden meaning.
"I told you your standards were high. With just one word, you looked down on all the second-ring wizards below."
"But you can take another look and see how the young people of my Eastern Frontier are different from the young people of other Frontiers?"
The two exchanged a glance. Valeria Kenway, a throne wizard who had been born a child prodigy, was full of vigor. He deliberately looked at Eric Ender provocatively, while Eric Ender remained calm and composed. He picked up a cup of wizard tea from the table beside him and took a sip.
Why say everything?
Valeria Kenway the wizard laughed triumphantly, as if she had succeeded.
"The rule in my Eastern Border District is that I don't like to speak in riddles. If you have something to say, just say it directly. Why be so awkward?"
Eric Ender the Wizard took a sip of tea, extended his right hand to Valeria Kenway the Wizard, and curled three fingers of his right hand.
three!
Witnessing this, the wizard Valeria Kenway scoffed, "Let's get this straight. I don't understand this. Don't expect it to convey any useful information to me. If you have any ideas, just say them. What's the meaning of that gesture? Can you convey your meaning verbally?"
Wizard Eric Ender frowned.
"A thing can be done once, twice, but not three times. Things should not be done more than three times. That's the meaning of what's mentioned above."
The wizard Valeria said, "Let the higher-ups handle it themselves."
At this moment, during the defense, a Moon Ring Wizard cautiously asked Zeno, "Actually, your project is quite good, covering both the hot topics of magical plant crystallization and the Golden Route. However, you say that crystallized magical plants have no vitality. Why do you think that? The evidence for the related experiments you conducted in your application is insufficient."
"These are all minor, insignificant experiments."
"Furthermore, you are a low-level wizard. Many of your ideas are wrong; they reflect a low-level mindset. You may be lacking certain information, which is why you make some incorrect judgments. This is quite normal."
The white-bearded Moon Ring Wizard was intentionally giving Zeno a chance, a way out. He glanced in the direction of the Red Dragon Witch, feeling somewhat intimidated by her formidable reputation.
Patrick the Wizard is, after all, someone else's wizard.
Secondly, even if he becomes a third-ring wizard, he will still be far behind the Red Dragon Witch who once dominated an entire generation of people in Cloudswamp Wetlands when she was advancing to the third ring. Therefore, out of respect for Zeno's mentor, he should try to help Zeno land smoothly.
The Moon Ring Wizard said to Zeno in a kind-hearted tone, "Perhaps you've misunderstood something, which is why you made such a wrong judgment. You should reorganize your project. I think there's still a good chance of getting special funding next year."
Wizard Zeno stubbornly replied, "No, I did nothing wrong."
“Only crystallized magical plants that are not living beings can be used as raw materials to fill the Golden Path; otherwise, they can only become magical plants planted on the Golden Path. My entire project is based on the conclusion that Patrick Wizard’s crystallized magical plants are definitely not living beings.”
Wizard Zeno said, "Wrong, that's wrong."
The old moon ring wizard patiently asked, "Are you saying that all eight chapters of Yunze are wrong?"
Wizard Zeno shook his head: "No, if they can go to Yunze and pass the repeatable experiments, then there must be something right about them. The problem isn't Yunze, but the definition of life. I think the definition of life by the wizards of Boniface University in Yunze Wetlands appears to be problematic now."
"According to his definition of life, life must simultaneously possess five abilities—the ability to reproduce, the ability to self-replicate, the ability to grow, a complex interaction system, and the ability to adapt to the environment. If these five criteria are met, it can be judged as a life form in the void world. However, after repeated consideration, I have found that his theory is wrong, and therefore it cannot describe crystallized magical plants. Crystallized magical plants are definitely not life forms, but they have the ability to grow on their own, the ability to self-replicate, and even characteristics close to reproduction, as well as a complex interaction system and a response to environmental stimuli."
"These five standards were originally intended to describe the lowest level of life. After all, some primitive life forms are no different from ordinary rocks and water in the eyes of many wizards who do not study them. For example, the lava sphere fluid of the Lava World is the simplest primitive structure discovered so far among elemental life forms—elemental sphere fluid. If a wizard who does not specialize in this area sees it, he will only think that it is ordinary magma."
"But this standard is wrong now. Because Patrick the Wizard has created crystallized magical plants, and I believe he himself knows that crystallized magical plants are not living beings. The evidence is that I found that the auxiliary experiments in some of his published articles are problematic."
Zeno's words sounded so ridiculous and unbelievable to the thirty second-ring reviewers.
They looked at Zeno with suspicion.
Because Zeno has now even dragged a Throne Wizard's important research into this.
In order to prove his conclusion was correct, he actually used the research results of wizards who questioned higher-level wizards as evidence.
His actions drew public criticism and ridicule from the commentators.
A wizard with a white beard and eyebrows suddenly laughed. He leaned back and said, "Although it is said that writing an application is sometimes about making up stories, and you have to make them reasonable and attractive, I never thought that we Zeno wizards would take such an unconventional approach today and actually carry out these other people's jokes to the end."
Many second-ring wizards chuckled.
One of the Moon Ring Wizards spoke up: "Young people are always so arrogant, unaware of the power and wisdom of High Ring Wizards."
He chuckled and said, "He's thinking too far ahead to become famous. Perhaps he'll have his chance in thirty years!"
The second-ring wizards' commentary team chuckled.
Wizard Zeno frowned. He hadn't expected his public questioning to become a laughing stock. No one on the judging panel took his words seriously.
"I did conduct some experiments, and the data proves that crystallized magical plants are not living beings. The problem lies in the fact that the definition of life on the Throne of Mystocles is wrong, which allowed Master Patrick Finch to take advantage of the situation. But he himself knew that many of his experiments were flawed, and he would never dare to conduct more comprehensive and thorough testing."
Master Patrick Fincher let out a soft chuckle.
He did not speak again.
He wanted to use someone else to do his dirty work.
All the mouths of gold, accumulating and destroying bones.
He doesn't need to say a word; someone will refute Zeno's remarks, which is far better than him speaking up himself.
After hearing Zeno's rebuttal, the commentators chuckled softly.
A Star Ring Wizard laughed and said, "Your experiments shouldn't be taken seriously."
Wizard Zeno asked, "Then how do you explain that using crystallized magical plant materials can indeed repair the Golden Channel?"
The Star Ring Wizard said, "Perhaps your experiment was flawed, or perhaps your results are problematic; there are many possibilities. But if we had to choose between you, a Third Ring Throne Wizard, a Sun Ring Wizard who is about to become a Third Ring Wizard, and the results supported by Yunze and numerous journals, we would certainly not choose you."
"Zeno, you've really gone too far."
Zeno took a half step back.
"Am I being unreasonable?"
"I simply disclosed my research findings honestly, and that's considered going too far?"
An old Star Ring Wizard stood up.
"You're honest? You really don't know what you're doing? You're trying to endorse your project by discrediting high-ring wizards, trying to make others believe you. I've seen this kind of trick before. But you've chosen the wrong target."
Another old Star Ring Wizard whispered, "Indeed, this wizard has gone too far. He is unworthy to stand here and waste so many wizards' time. Your Majesties, could you please ask this wizard to leave?"
The old Star Ring Wizard looked toward the Green Dragon Throne.
"Your Majesty, could you please ask him to step down? My ears simply cannot bear his absurd remarks any longer."
The Green Dragon Throne remained silent, head bowed, and said, "Don't interfere, Minks. Just continue with the procedure."
"After this round, there will be more debates among the contestants. Zeno, you can continue. Just perform normally. We will faithfully record your performance and give you an evaluation score."
The second-ring wizards' panel of critics were quite displeased that Zeno wasn't immediately removed.
But this was an order from the Green Dragon Throne, and they had no choice.
These people launched attacks on Wizard Zeno from various angles, while laughter filled the air. Wizard Zeno, under their relentless questioning, actually fell into a logical trap. After giving several contradictory answers, he stepped down from the stage amidst the wizards' mockery.
Zeno the wizard looked at the witch Catherine in the audience. At this moment, after being attacked by thirty wizards for half an hour, Zeno the wizard also began to doubt his own research.
A question arose in his mind—would it have been much better if he hadn't done this research in the first place?
At this moment, he looked at the witch Catherine, but she kept her head down, looking at the Ganoderma lucidum plant, and went to attend to her own affairs.
A flicker of self-doubt crossed Zeno's eyes.
"teacher……"
"Could it be that my own skills are lacking, and my ideas are flawed fallacies?"
He recalled an old astral wizard criticizing him, saying he was just a low-ring wizard and asking how many experiments he had conducted related to life research. The wizard asked if he was confident in his academic abilities, and if he had never made mistakes and mistakenly believed them to be his own original discoveries. Zeno walked off the stage in a daze and sat in the seat of the wizards presenting their defenses.
The brandy wizard beside him looked at him, a smug glint in his eyes.
'Zeno, I never thought you'd end up like this. It seems choices really are more important than effort. I made the right choice, so now I'm even better than Zeno?'
The Brandy Wizard thought of the project Master Patrick had given him and felt a surge of confidence.
At this moment, another wizard went up; this wizard was also a student of Catherine the Witch.
He was also working on the crystallization technique for magical plants. Because of the excellent work of Wizard Zeno, his crystallization project on the Fire Monkey Tree King, a second-ring magical plant, was originally unremarkable. However, in the eyes of the second-ring wizards' review panel, this conventional approach had become an advantage.
This mediocrity, however, was seen as solid and reliable in their eyes, so the panel of thirty second-ring wizards praised him more than anyone else.
Half an hour later, the wizard stepped down from the stage, sat back in his seat, and let out a soft sigh.
"Wow, I'm so lucky. I was so nervous when I went up, but I never expected things to go so smoothly."
"Those wizards weren't too demanding of my speech, but if they asked me anything more in-depth, I wouldn't be able to answer."
The sorceress Zhuoma looked at him with envy. "You're quite lucky."
The brandy wizard chuckled and said, "Everyone has their own destiny. Choice is more important than effort, and even talent."
On the podium, the Green Dragon Throne stood up and said, "Next, Locke Augustine."
After reviewing Locke's information, the panel of thirty wizards became highly interested and their spirits lifted.
"This is the former champion of the Yunze Cup, the Magic Fighting Tournament, the Silent Tournament, the Golden Cup, and the Xiaoxi Cup."
"He has also published three articles in Zone 1 on Yunze and two articles in Zone 1 on Wanxiangjiaojie."
An old Star Ring Wizard exclaimed in astonishment, "Five chapters in one section? It seems the release dates all span within a year. My god, he's released more chapters in one section than I have in my entire life."
An old wizard from the Moon Ring smiled.
"After hearing so many low-level speeches, it's finally time to hear something high-level. I'm really looking forward to hearing what kind of project this wizard Locke Augustine, this genius breeder from our Golden Crown Mountain, no, our Cloud Marsh Wetland, is working on. It doesn't seem to be magical plant crystallization or ancestral evolution? That's a very niche research direction. I guess there's more of this kind of research in the border area between the obscure and the bright."
An old wizard from the Star Ring responded, "That's true. Atavism is something that's hard to control because the atavism results of plant factors are difficult to control. In addition, the plant factors that were eliminated in the past must have had their own reasons, so it has never been a key research direction for magical plant breeding."
"After all, instead of wasting energy trying to revert to outdated plant factors, it's better to cultivate new plant factors through other breeding methods, or select better magical plant traits..."
"Of course, this is, after all, a project application written by the champion of our Silent Holy Grail Tournament. Let's listen carefully; perhaps we'll gain some new insights."
A person's name is like a tree's shadow!
Locke's past participation in so many competitions had now translated into fame, directly earning him favor with the judging panel. The audience's attention was now entirely focused on him.
The two wizards from Mysterious Heaven and Starry Sea also turned their gazes toward him.
Eric Ender, the third-ringed throne wizard from the Mystic Heaven, spoke up, "What, this wizard seems quite famous. I've heard of the Silent Grail too. It's a competition jointly organized by the Truth Wizards of your Starfield Sea and the top academies of Cloud Marsh Wetlands, isn't it?"
Valeria Kenway, a wizard from the Starfield Sea, was also surprised that the champion of the Silent Grail would participate in the debate. He had heard of the Silent Grail's reputation in the Starfield Sea.
That was a competition hosted by the Wizard of Truth, which was of great significance to the Silent Witch.
The Silent Witch holds a rather unique position in the Starfield Sea.
Valeria Kenway, the wizard from the Star Sea, smiled.
"I see. Well, let's see, it looks like we're going to have a very interesting defense."
"Judging from the way this little guy is acting so fiercely, it looks like something interesting is about to happen."
At this moment, the witch Catherine put down the magical Ganoderma lucidum she was holding and stopped dealing with her affairs.
"Locke is much more popular than Zeno because he often participates in popular matches."
She looked toward the Sea Queen.
'That drunkard isn't a wizard from my Eastern District. Judging from her magical pressure and the characteristics of her permanent defensive field, she seems to be from the Southern District. What, does she know Locke?'
At this moment, the Sea Queen also raised her head and looked at Locke.
"Little brat..."
"There are some things I want to confirm. There are different levels even among geniuses. I need to see your potential before I can determine how to teach you potion-making."
Neptune sneered.
"Yunze Wetland is really being incredibly evasive. You'd never see this kind of evasion in our Xiangshan Islands. So many ulterior motives behind a single defense. Mysterious Heaven, Starry Sea—do these participants on stage really know what they're doing?"
'Large places have their advantages and disadvantages. If this were the Xiangshan Islands, there would be no need for such a chaotic battlefield.'
Locke stepped onto the stage. His gaze swept over the audience, the judging panel, the judges, his two mentors in the audience, and the wizard Zeno. His mind raced with his previous doubts about the magical plant crystallization technology. To be honest, Zeno's research, in his opinion, actually made some sense and deserved serious consideration and discussion.
Unexpectedly, the wizards on the review panel not only didn't take it seriously, but instead mocked him.
The role of the judging panel here is not to suppress the participants, but to help them hone their logic and to help the Throne Wizards judge the contestant's worth.
Locke's eyes hardened. He came to his senses, but these things were no longer relevant to him.
As a wizard, his duty is to explain his...things here.
At this moment, this is his only duty.
"Distinguished judges, my project involves the reversion to ancestral evolution of magical plants in order to explore the plant factors of various magical plants that have disappeared throughout history. The reversion magic itself has already been integrated into my ultimate magic and has been applied to some extent, but this project aims to enhance the reversion to ancestral evolution with golden spells to increase its precision. In other words, I am not researching the mechanism, but rather it has already become an applicable study."
This needs to be made clear.
The topic of atavism is inherently weak, so it's important to clarify whether you're in the theoretical or applied stage.
In the application stage, it can undoubtedly add a lot of points!
At this moment, quite a few second-ring wizards were already nodding in agreement. Although Locke's research topic was not a particularly popular one, his reputation and past experience were the best guarantee. With these guarantees, even the most mediocre research was worth their serious attention in his hands.
To publish five papers in Zone 1 journals in just over a year, especially for an ordinary second-ring wizard, is no easy feat.
Many second-circle wizards nodded repeatedly and whispered among themselves as they listened to Locke's defense.
They whispered among themselves, "No wonder it's Locke Augustine. His chosen topic isn't even a popular one, but this research on atavism is clear, the mechanism is well-defined, and most importantly, it already has a lot of applications. It's truly a solid, down-to-earth approach, and full of brilliant ideas."
"Look, even the Blue Dragon Throne is listening attentively to Wizard Locke Augustine's defense. By the way, the Blue Dragon Throne himself is fond of evolutionary research."
"It's truly melodious, like heavenly music. After hearing so many mediocre defenses, this research is really excellent. It's just a pity he didn't choose a popular research direction, otherwise, would there have been any controversy over the sole spot for the top-tier funding approved by the institute?"
Locke said, "I have achieved breakthroughs in several areas by enhancing my atavistic evolution through the Golden Spell, such as more accurately locating the atavistic golden foxtail grass, and so on..."
At this moment, someone suddenly interrupted Locke's defense.
A Star Ring Wizard, who also seemed to be an old breeder, did not have white hair, but he looked like a middle-aged man. He was definitely not young, probably over two hundred years old. If he were not senior, he would probably have been eliminated by Golden Crown Mountain long ago.
The teaching staff at Yunze Wetland has always followed the old rules for the old and the new rules for the new. That is, the newer the staff, the higher the assessment requirements, and the more senior the staff, the lower the assessment requirements.
Considering the era's dividends, loyalty issues, and the pressure for reform from vested interests, this differential treatment seems to have a reasonable basis.
The Star Ring Wizard said, "Wizard Augustine, what you said is very good, and I have also seen that you have achieved some excellent results."
"But I want to ask you, what advantages do you think your atavistic evolution has compared to those project applications on the research route of magical plant crystallization technology? Or to put it bluntly, why don't you just go straight to the research route of magical plant crystallization technology, but instead start from scratch, not taking shortcuts, but choosing to take the long way?"
Patrick the Wizard also looked at Locke.
The witch Catherine and the Sea Queen both looked at him, and even the wizards of the Starfield Sea and the Mystic Heaven were now focused on Locke.
Locke thought to himself, 'They've come after all.'
He knew this would happen; it was unavoidable.
Unfortunately, if there hadn't been a research route for crystallized magical plants this year, the special grant wouldn't have been so competitive; it's practically become so inefficient that it's not cost-effective at all.
Locke, his eyes calm, looked at the Star Ring Wizard and said, "I'm sorry, but wizard teacher, your question seems to have nothing to do with my defense."
He was neither humble nor arrogant.
The Star Ring Wizard was stunned for a moment.
Locke's performance actually won him the praise of many wizards.
Catherine the witch curled her lips into a smile. In terms of personality, Locke was much more angular than Zeno the wizard.
This is what she is most satisfied with, and it is most like her younger self.
Neptune couldn't help but chuckle.
That brat.
The Star Ring Wizard, after being rebuffed by Locke, had no choice but to explain, "It's not just me who will ask this question. When your application for special funding is sent to the White Wizard Association, the reviewers will also have this thought in their minds: is the research significance of your atavistic evolution direction greater than that of your magical plant crystallization technology direction?"
"Why not invest resources in your research instead of incorporating them into the magical plant crystallization technology? What do you think?"
Locke, with his hands behind his back, said, "Because this is a research direction that I, as a newly promoted second-ring wizard, came up with myself."
The Star Ring Wizard laughed.
“I admire your confidence. You young people do think differently from us.”
"But you can't convince the people who review those manuscripts."
"They couldn't even convince me."
Locke nodded. There was nothing he could do; that's just how it is when you go for the popular direction.
In particular, these second-circle wizards almost genuinely regard the research on magical plant crystallization as the future.
Other research directions seem unremarkable to them.
The main problem is that the current methods of spreading the Magic Plant Crystallization technology in Yunze Wetland rely on anxiety.
Anxiety can control others, and it can make people insecure and feel insignificant. As a result, they can only rely on the person who spreads the anxiety. So, over time, Locke could guess why the person behind it was spreading this anxiety.
Because that person wants to use this anxiety-inducing information to control others. That's right, those who spread information can influence other people's choices through this information. I only realized this after experiencing so much myself.
These anxiety-inducing messages spread through so-called inner circles, indirectly affecting countless people.
The closer the news is to the circle, the more likely it is to contain anxiety-inducing information, because only anxiety can weaken a person's ambition and make him feel that he is nothing without this circle.
However, Locke could more or less guess why the high-ring wizards didn't stop them.
Because if someone can't even overcome these mixed feelings of anxiety, how can he possibly pursue the truth?
How ridiculous! He achieves nothing.
In other words, the world is full of fake news, and high-ranking wizards don't need to pay attention to these semi-fraudulent messages. Because if someone can be fooled by even this kind of information and become despondent afterward, their own beliefs are insufficient to pursue the truth!
Locke glanced at the second-ring wizards in front of him, but this kind of assessment actually had very high requirements. Many people knew that this was anxiety-inducing control information, but they still fell for it.
Anxiety is the most terrifying thing.
Even knowing that something is fake, you can still feel anxious.
Those who can overcome anxiety are probably exceptional individuals, but the problem is that this is a necessary step on the path to truth.
Those who seek the path to truth are unlikely to be careless. They are often sensitive and good at reasoning, but once they get involved, they are prone to being manipulated by anxiety.
Locke looked at the thirty wizards. He knew that he was probably not facing thirty predecessors who stood at the forefront of the path of truth, but thirty wizards who had been misled by Patrick's anxious messages and manipulated by anxiety.
Next, I either perform poorly and they immediately seize the opportunity, or they take advantage of my anxiety to beat me up, or I perform too well and directly provoke them.
What stands in his way now is the anxiety deliberately scattered throughout the circles of Yunze Wetland.
Locke's eyes hardened.
At this moment, there is only one thing I need to do—that is, I must not let anxiety affect my emotions, and I just need to give full play to what I should have given.
That's it.
Locke nodded to the Star Ring Wizard and said, "My lord, then I can tell you that in the process of the evolution of magical plants, many plant factors will disappear due to environmental changes, but plant factors that were not suitable at the time may not be unsuitable now."
"This is like having a huge treasure trove waiting for us, and my research is the key for us breeders to unlock that treasure trove..."
Many of the wizards present nodded in agreement.
Locke's arguments were reasonable and well-founded, and his approach of speaking without confrontation rather than arrogance won him the favor of many commentators.
Locke said, "My atavism can provide us with a huge treasure trove of plant factors. I believe the significance of this research is no less than that of the magical plant crystallization technology."
Many wizards raised their eyebrows. They initially thought Locke's words made a lot of sense, but once the topic turned to the crystallization technology route for magical plants, the anxious thoughts that many of their colleagues had been reinforcing in their minds during this period immediately surfaced.
The Magic Plant Crystallization Technology Route is the future!
It's an unchangeable future!
A Moon Ring Wizard said, "Your analogy of a treasure vault and a key is quite good. But a past plant factor vault is far inferior to the magical plant crystallization technology route."
Locke raised an eyebrow and continued to increase the stakes.
"It's not just about acquiring a treasure trove of plant factors. Many errors occur during the evolutionary process, and many valuable plant factors have disappeared into history."
"Atavism can reduce evolutionary errors..."
Many breeders, whether on the judging panel or in the audience, nodded in agreement. They understood Locke's thoughts and knew what he was talking about.
Locke said, "Therefore, I can use atavism to reduce the errors of magical plants, create more powerful magical plants, or even create perfect second-ring magical plants."
As soon as he said this, all the wizards on the commentary team turned to look at him.
Locke frowned, wondering if he had said something wrong. He had been slowly changing their stubborn belief that the magic plant crystallization technology was the best.
But when he finished speaking, all the second-ring wizards on the review panel looked at him with disbelief, as if he had said something wrong.
The brandy wizard in the audience stared wide-eyed, completely bewildered by what had happened.
Meanwhile, Patrick, the master judge, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
Locke is finished.
They're still young after all.
His preparations were insufficient; lacking the wisdom accumulated over the years, he was indeed unlikely to be aware of many hidden pitfalls.
One hundred and fifty years ago, Jinmian Mountain experienced a huge experimental accident in pursuit of the perfect second-ring magical plant. The incident caused significant losses to Jinmian Mountain. It was a minor incident that many people had forgotten, but most of the members of this review group knew about it.
So this "perfect magical plant" term is a trap.
At this moment, the wizards in the commentary team became furious.
A Star Ring Wizard slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
"Another Zeno. Why do we keep seeing these arrogant young people today? Perfect? You think you can even use the word 'perfect'?"
"Who do you think you are?"
Locke glanced at him sideways, put his hands behind his back, and said calmly, "Speak properly."
The roaring Star Ring Wizard felt as if he had punched a cotton ball.
"you you……"
Another old Star Ring Wizard explained, "Perfect magical plants don't exist; this is the consensus among the older generation of breeders in Cloud Marsh Wetlands. You young people may not know much about this unless your teachers have emphasized it."
Locke frowned; so that's how it is.
"That was a slip of the tongue. I can remove the word 'perfect' without affecting the result. In short, atavism can keep magical plants in their most promising state, adding more possibilities to our breeding science and making a magical plant as powerful as possible."
The wizards on the panel all gave a cold laugh.
They let out the same soft laughter they had given to the wizard Zeno.
"But isn't that another way of saying it, perfect? As expected, this young man's thinking is wrong. We can't let him get this kind of top-tier funding. Even if it were approved, it wouldn't be approved by the White Wizard Association."
“Young man, your pursuit of perfection and possibility is wrong. There was once a sorcerer who conducted similar research, and the results were disastrous. He was wrong about the sorcery, so you should be more careful.”
An old Star Ring Breeder stood up and said to him in a lecturing tone, "The process of evolution is the process of reducing possibilities. The higher the level of evolution, the more difficult it is to change or degenerate the magical plant's traits. So evolution is the process of reducing possibilities; as it evolves, the possibilities decrease. This is the most basic thing, isn't it? Haven't you taken any courses on imaginary roots or read any related articles?"
Another veteran star ring breeder laughed and said, "If the root of your idea is wrong, then everything that follows will be wrong."
Locke looked up at them and raised an eyebrow.
"What are you laughing at? What's so funny? I don't even know what you're laughing at."
All thirty wizards on the review panel were stunned.
Locke said calmly, "Are you all judging who should pass the application and who shouldn't based on your emotions? First, you think that Wizard Zeno is just an ordinary second-ring wizard, and his research must not be as good as that of a sun-ring or third-ring wizard, so you judge him to be wrong without even looking at his arguments."
"Then I misused a word, and you all assumed that evolution always reduces the probability, and that evolution that increases the probability doesn't exist. Are you giving a thesis critique or just telling a story? Are you saying that the quality of a thesis is judged by magic level and authority, rather than the specific content?"
The entire audience was shocked.
Many of the thirty members of the review panel stood up.
"Young man, you are arrogant..."
Locke looked up at the thirty members of the review panel and said, "You thirty second-ring wizards on the review panel are all old men!"
"You're all old and useless; you can't even imagine evolution that could increase possibilities. This is my defense. What I need to do is explain what kind of research I'm doing, so I'll just show you what evolution that increases possibilities really means!"
Locke immediately produced a plant of Lygodium japonicum.
(End of this chapter)