He had no time to think further, as the ice spear in his hand suddenly thrust out, the tip bursting with a dark blue arc of light. The force of the ice rules and the fire rules collided fiercely in the depths of the magma.
The interface between ice and fire erupted with a dazzling white light, the energy impact spreading outward, pushing away all the magma within hundreds of meters, forming a temporary vacuum zone.
However, the ice spear only blocked part of the fire spears. More fire spears bypassed the interception of the ice spear from both sides, attacking towards Mateo’s body.
Mateo abruptly slapped his chest with his left hand, and a translucent silver shield expanded from his body.
This was the soul barrier, a defensive magic constructed with rule fragments as its framework, a self-created magic he spent thirty years perfecting during his demigod stage.
The fire spears crashed into the silver shield, releasing a piercing shriek, each impact causing dense cracks to appear on the shield’s surface, but the shield never shattered.
Jin Mo’s differently colored pupils flashed with a hint of surprise, but it was fleeting.
The reputation of the "Ember One" circulated among the lower realms of the fire spirit warriors, the troubles he single-handedly resolved at the edges of the four-element territories, the precision and effectiveness with which he dealt with the most challenging enemies without leaving his name, all provided him with a ruthlessly precise judgment of an opponent’s strength.
The opponent’s defense being able to withstand his fire spears indicated that this demigod-level mage had at least crossed the second of the three thresholds in rule power usage.
It’s not easy for a demigod-level mage to reach this stage, but this was the Four Spirits Elemental Plane.
Here, it was his home ground, and Mateo’s power was somewhat restricted.
Mateo, too, made a judgment at the same moment.
In that round of exchanges, he had managed to defend, but he also saw clearly the opponent’s level of rule power mastery.
He had lived for over two hundred years and had experienced countless battles; the judgment of power systems was ingrained in his instincts.
Meanwhile, Jin Mo’s next wave of attack was taking shape.
The reason demigod-level mages are demigods is due to their power far exceeding that of ordinary Level 3 mages, enabling them to have some chance even against Level 4 mages.
The mastery level of rule power is the fundamental standard for distinguishing the strength of mages Level 3 and above, and it was Mateo’s reference in assessing the gap between himself and Jin Mo.
At Level 3, the essence of extraordinary power boils down to the understanding and application of rules.
The core of the Level 1 and Level 2 mage stages is building magic models, accumulating magic power, and refining spiritual power.
The essence of magic models is a simplified simulation of derived rule power, using only the free energy particles derived from rules, akin to constructing a rough, scaled-down house from building blocks.
Being able to construct it indicates learning has occurred, constructing it proficiently indicates mastery, but what is constructed remains just building blocks, not a real house.
Upon reaching Level 2 peak, a mage’s spiritual power has become sufficiently strong, allowing them to vaguely perceive the presence of rule power in their surroundings.
It’s not a concrete energy fluctuation, but rather a more essential, underlying logic hidden behind the operation of all things.
Like an apprentice who has watched a master craftsman at work for ten years in a workshop, suddenly having a "eureka" moment, vaguely understanding why a hammer was struck that way or why a cut was made like that.
Being able to perceive the existence of rule power means touching the threshold of a Level 3 mage.
But this is just the threshold; there is a deep abyss between perceiving rules and being able to actively invoke rules.
Crossing that abyss marks one as a Level 3 Junior Mage.
In the formal grading system of mages, this stage is known as the "Rule Enlightenment" level.
Mages at this level can invoke a trace of rule power during casting to enhance the effects of magic.
The same fireball technique cast by a mage at the rule enlightenment level, results in temperature and destructive power several times greater than those at Level 2 peak.
However, this is merely invoking, like drawing a ladle of water from a river, where the water belongs to the river, not to you.
Level 3 Middle Stage Mages go a step further, reaching the "Rule Mastery" level.
Mages at this stage can stably use rule power in combat, not just borrowing it bit by bit, but continuously and consciously mobilizing rules to support their magic system.
The ice spear in Mateo’s hand was a creation of the rule mastery level, allowing him to gather enough ice rules power deep within this magma to counter the flame rules, relying on his deep mastery of ice rules.
Ordinarily, this environment is very lacking in water attribute energy particles, making it difficult for average elemental mages to cast such magic.
At this stage, rules are no longer the river’s water but an irrigation channel introduced into one’s land, available at any time.
Level 3 High Stage Mages represent the "Rule Transformation" level, and upon reaching this point, mages can utilize rule power even more deeply.
Some Level 3 High Stage Mages can even temporarily create small-scale independent rule domains of their own, though far less stable than the divine status of Level 4 beings, capable of bursting with far above normal combat strength in an instant.
The last layer among Level 3, demigod-level mages, is the "Rule Fusion" stage.
Demigod-level mages have touched the threshold of Level 4 Divine Status, able to fuse multiple rule fragments into their spiritual power, forming the so-called rule spark.
The rule spark is the embryo of divine status; possessing a rule spark means the demigod-level mage can kindle and condense the spark into a complete divine status at the right moment, thus advancing to Level 4.
Mateo is a demigod-level mage at the rule fusion stage; his water rules spark has been refined to a very pure level, considered above average even among demigod-level powerhouses in the Wizard Council.
But Jin Mo is not a mage.
In the Four Spirits Elemental Plane’s system, rule mastery also has different levels.
Level 4 Life corresponds to divine status consolidation, thoroughly integrating one or more rules into oneself, forming a stable divine core.
At this level, power no longer involves borrowing rules, utilizing rules, or transforming rules, but becoming a part of the rules themselves.
It’s not like drawing water from the river, nor channeling water through a canal, but becoming a well, producing one’s own water.
Jin Mo has consolidated divine statuses of four attributes, which is an extremely rare existence.
But the number of divine statuses is not all of strength; the refinement depth of divine statuses is equally important.
And Jin Mo’s four-attribute divine status of earth, water, fire, and wind have been refined to the Level 4 Middle Tier, slowly advancing toward the next realm.
Above Level 4 is Level 5.
The rule level corresponding to a Level 5 Mage is "Rule Domain," using divine status as the core to construct an independent space governed by one’s own rule will.
Within this domain, the mage becomes the embodiment of the rules; all non-aligned powers will be greatly suppressed or even entirely repelled.
The rule domain is the sign of a Level 5 Mage, and also the fundamental distinction between Level 5 and Level 4.
In the grading of the Wizard Council, Level 5 also has divisions of initial, middle, and high stages.
A Level 5 Initial Stage can unfold a domain prototype, with limited domain range and relatively weak rule suppression; Level 5 Middle Stage’s domain is stable and can cover the entire battlefield during a fight; Level 5 High Stage’s domain approaches perfection, with rule power cycling ceaselessly within, even resisting plane-originating rule suppression.
And above Level 5, there are legendary Level 6 beings, such as the chairman of the Wizard Council, Albert.
The rule level of a Level 6 Mage is called "Proof of Rules," which is not simply domain unfolding but a more essential transformation in quality.
It’s said that strong individuals at this level, their very existence is proof of rules, their words and actions are laws, and the rules of the entire plane would actively give way.
The Book of Truth in Albert’s hands is said to be an external manifestation of the proof of rules level.
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