Deep Crimson Fallen Land.
Outskirts.
"Jiabai Lawrence."
The Wizard wore a faint smile, but the confidence radiating from him seemed ready to overflow.
He looked at Ian.
As though he had known him for a long time.
"Ian Green, do we know each other?"
Sensing the subtle air of superiority emanating from the Wizard before him, Ian could not help but frown.
He was certain.
He did not know this Wizard.
"No, we don't. This is our first meeting. But I heard your name at the Academy. I'd wanted to get to know you for a long time, but before I reached the late second ring, my teacher wouldn't allow me to go out. This time, too, was a rare opportunity—only then did my teacher permit me to come."
Jiabai spoke with feeling.
As though he had not gone out for a very long time.
"Late second ring?"
Ian gave the Wizard before him another thorough look, only then realizing in surprise—
this Wizard was at the mid second ring.
Though his aura was nearly comparable to that of a late second-ring Wizard, it lacked the powerful suppression of high-level elementalization.
It felt more like...
"A top-tier extraordinary physique?"
Ian's pupils gradually widened.
"Sharp eyes. As expected of the Academy's most outstanding genius scholar in recent years. Teacher Aaron and Lord Simon were right about you."
Jiabai said slowly.
Teacher Aaron?
Ian finally understood who this Wizard was.
He was actually a student of the Academy's dean. The man actually had students. Only then did Ian suddenly recall that the Academy seemed to possess another inheritance of a top-tier physique.
He also thought of something else.
The White Stone Essence used for advancement back then had originally yielded three portions, yet only one had remained at the time.
"The White