Xia An and Ye Yan rode the large lift platform all the way to floor 9,999.
“Master Xia An, Master Ye Yan.”
Ruiken, who had been waiting there, bowed slightly.
Xia An had wanted to ask about Luo Ya, but considering the timing, he held back, deciding to wait until after the meeting.
“Are we late?”
Ye Yan asked.
“No, you arrived just in time.”
Ruiken smiled.
The entire 9,999th floor was the assembly hall for the Magic Council.
Tens of thousands of stone pillars were arranged in a circle, like a funnel, from high to low.
On each pillar was a throne, and most seats were already occupied.
Every Archmage and Grand Magister had their own seat.
“That’s good to hear.”
Ye Yan nodded and waved at Xia An.
“Little Xia An, I’ll head over first.”
Ye Yan flew to her seat.
Xia An also flew to his seat.
His seat was the Frozen Throne, made of pure ice.
The temperature of the Frozen Throne was extremely low, but Xia An’s body temperature was far lower than normal, so sitting on it caused no discomfort.
[Oh my! Isn’t this our young Future Sage!]
Just after flying to his seat, Xia An received a telepathic communication from several Grand Magisters he was close with.
This one was sent by an alchemist named Dai Anna, and her tone was quite teasing.
Xia An could see Dai Anna, like a tiny dot in the distance, waving at him.
Because the seats were so far apart, the Magic Council was conducted via telepathic communication, like an online meeting.
[Long time no see, Xia An.]
The low voice came from a Grand Magister named Ka Er.
His experience of over five hundred years earned him great respect, and he had once conducted research with Xia An.
[Long time no see, Master Ka Er.]
Xia An replied politely.
[Why does Xia An only greet him and not me!]
Dai Anna sent a dissatisfied protest.
[Don’t you know how annoying you are yourself?]
Ye Yan mocked from the side.
[None of your business!]
Ye Yan, Xia An, Ka Er, and Dai Anna were all familiar with each other and could be considered trustworthy allies.
[Xia An, I heard about your recent situation.]
Ka Er transmitted to Xia An.
[This is your own choice, so I won’t say much.]
[But a few nobles from the Kingdom of Valencia spent a lot of money to hire Grand Magisters they knew, hoping to broker you as their teacher. However, because of the incident with that little girl, things have turned a bit ugly.]
Xia An was puzzled.
[Broker? But no one has come to me. Where does that claim come from?]
[It’s not easy to find you. You’re always holed up on your floor or flipping through materials at Ye Yan’s place. They were probably planning to bring this up during the meeting, but now you’ve already accepted that child as your disciple.]
[Later, they might ask you to accept the ones they recommended as disciples. I suggest you accept them. This isn’t just about disciples; it’s also a gesture of goodwill and investment from those nobles. If you refuse, they might think you deliberately found a refugee to humiliate them.]
[Humiliate them? Why would I humiliate them for no reason? Ridiculous.]
Xia An frowned.
[This really isn’t a joke. Many people are coveting your position and are trying to seize any excuse to antagonize you. Deep Blue is full of factions and conflicts, and you know that. If you end up making too many enemies, it will be troublesome.]
Ka Er advised.
[Thanks for the warning.]
Xia An didn’t respond directly.
[…Sigh.]
Ka Er sighed helplessly.
Right after Ka Er finished speaking, a completely unfamiliar voice sounded in Xia An’s ear.
[Master Xia An, it’s been a long time.]
Xia An looked toward the source of the communication.
A well-dressed Grand Magister sat directly opposite him, smiling.
[…Tch, so fast…]
Ka Er muttered with a frown.
[Hello, may I ask your name?]
Xia An transmitted calmly.
[My name is Yi Sen. I apologize for intruding.]
The other replied.
[However, I am commissioned to introduce several disciples to Master Xia An. Each one has extremely high talent and, naturally, a noble background. I wonder if Master Xia An would do me the honor of coming with me to see them after the meeting? They have all long admired Master Xia An’s reputation and would be honored to become your disciples.]
[Thank you for your kindness. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble. But I already have a disciple, and I’m not planning to take on new ones in the near future. I’m sorry, but I must decline your offer.]
Xia An deadpanned.
[I am deeply ashamed, but I have already promised others. And it’s normal to take on over a dozen disciples at once. Will you not reconsider? If you agree, even if you only teach symbolically, you can immediately gain the friendship of several nobles. They can provide great help with magical materials.]
[Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t need it.]
[Is it because of the child you just accepted?]
[You don’t need to worry. You can continue to give her the title of disciple. The children I recommend are all virtuous and can tolerate being disciples of the same master alongside a commoner.]
[Tolerate a… commoner?]
Xia An’s expression turned cold.
[To be frank, I really can’t understand what you’re trying to do. How can someone so lowly be worthy of staying by your side? What can she give you? She…]
[Are you done?]
Xia An said calmly.
[If you’re done, you can get lost.]
[…Master Xia An, what are you doing?]
[Your arrogance disgusts me. I don’t want to see you again.]
Xia An said.
[…Let me remind you, you are rejecting the goodwill of several major nobles.]
[If they really wanted to show goodwill, they wouldn’t have sent an idiot like you as their mouthpiece.]
Yi Sen’s expression also turned cold.
[Am I to interpret that as a provocation?]
[And what if you are?]
[I had no ill intent. I simply believe that being with that talentless commoner brings you no benefit…]
Boom!
Xia An lightly tapped the armrest.
A huge ice dragon condensed around Xia An’s Frozen Throne and charged straight at Yi Sen’s seat opposite.
Yi Sen’s stone pillar was instantly shattered.
Yi Sen was forced to hover in midair, his face ashen.
“Master Xia An! Are you trying to duel me?!”
Enraged, Yi Sen shouted directly with Compressed Mana, his voice loud enough to be heard throughout the floor.
[Huh? Another fight about to break out?]
[This is going to be good.]
[Fight, fight!]
The surrounding Grand Magisters all looked like they were enjoying the show.
“I warned you, but you still used that arrogant speech to insult my disciple.”
Xia An said.
“If you want to duel, I wouldn’t mind twisting your head off and flushing it down the toilet.”
“Good! Good! Good!”
Yi Sen took out his staff.
“A brat who just entered the Peak! I’ve already shown you enough respect!”
Hundreds of magic circles unfolded behind Yi Sen.
Xia An stood up from the Frozen Throne, no longer suppressing the Cold Calamity within him.
The marble floor cracked under the low temperature.
“Stop this now!”
A woman’s irritated voice sounded.
The mana gathered by Xia An and Yi Sen dissolved instantly at her words.
It was clearly a Sage intervening.
Xia An said nothing more.
His actions today had already made his stance toward Luo Ya clear.
“Oh my, no need to be so hot-tempered.”
Another Sage teased.
“Lian Shan is in a bad mood right now. Don’t provoke her. If she starts a fight with you, I won’t be able to stop her.”
Yet another Sage shrugged.
“Hmph! No matter how much you protect that commoner, it won’t matter! She’ll just be trampled underfoot during the Proficiency Assessment!”
Yi Sen left a harsh remark and didn’t continue the fight.
Several dozen Sages arrived one after another.
The scene quieted down.
“Everyone, before the meeting begins, I have something to say.”
Lian Shan’s voice was clear in the spacious hall.
“We are mages. A group of selfish individuals gathered together to use each other.”
“No profit means no cooperation. That’s only natural for mages.”
“But even so, there are unwritten rules among mages. A mage’s research subject is their life’s work, sacred and inviolable.”
“Half a month ago, my experimental subject escaped.”
“Her appearance is that of a fourteen-year-old girl with white hair. She is currently hiding somewhere in Deep Blue, carrying my latest research results.”
“If anyone captures her and turns her over to me, I will reward you generously.”
“But if I find out that someone is hiding her…”
Lian Shan gave a cold smile.
“Then expect a fight to the death with me.”
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