Hearing Antinoa's tone, Zhao Xu slowly realized that what had just happened might not have been as simple as he had thought.
He hurriedly recounted everything he had seen, starting from the succubus who had transformed into a female Wizard to seduce him, all the way to how he had steadfastly chanted his spells at the end.
"Pfft."
Zhao Xu was interrupted by Antinoa's suppressed laughter.
"Let me warn you first: you'd better never tell anyone about what happened today. Otherwise, even after becoming a Legendary Mage, you'll never live down this dark chapter of your past. Hahaha..." By the end, Antinoa could no longer hold back her laughter.
"Hey, hey, self-esteem is a player's right too, okay?" Zhao Xu protested.
"First, without Spell Slots, chanting spells has no effect whatsoever. If you really encounter a succubus someday, even if you can't do anything else, you should at least run for your life instead of sitting there chanting useless spells."
Zhao Xu was instantly mortified. So those spells had merely been moving himself.
"Still, you haven't acquired any relevant knowledge about demons these past few days, yet your instinctive reaction was not to let the succubus kiss you. Your intuition is quite sharp."
Zhao Xu could only take that as praise, salvaging a little of his dignity.
"However, in the place you saw back then, was there a massive circular wheel on the ceiling, something like a mechanical pocket watch?"
Hearing Antinoa's question, Zhao Xu fell into deep thought. At the time, all his attention had been drawn to that female Wizard.
Under the intense impact of seeing her for the first time, an image flashed through Zhao Xu's mind, and the light in his eyes suddenly narrowed.
"That's right. It wasn't an open starry sky, but a disc. The outer ring seemed to have markings like a clock face. I can't remember the rest."
Antinoa nearly raised a hand to her forehead upon hearing that.
She directly swung her arm into position while chanting an incantation.
Zhao Xu widened his eyes and stared intently at her.
This was the first time Antinoa had cast a spell so visibly before him.
The last time she had cast the ninth-level spell Wish Spell, it had been completely silent, leaving him unable to tell what she was doing.
Now that she was casting with such solemn preparation, could it be a Legendary Spell?
After Zhao Xu silently counted for more than six seconds, a mysterious ball of light emerged from Antinoa's fingertip.
The ball of light gently fell from her fingertip to the ground, turning into floating dust.
The entire floor of the spire scattered apart like kicked building blocks. Zhao Xu's heart lurched. He had recklessly neglected to learn the first-level Feather Fall, thinking he would never be unlucky enough to fall from a great height.
And Fly was a third-level Arcane Spell, beyond his current reach.
Even worse, Antinoa was still maintaining the spell with hand signs, showing no intention of coming over to help him.
Yet after that critical instant passed—
Zhao Xu realized that he was still standing where he had been, as if invisible glass were supporting him.
The ground, however, continued changing. After splitting apart, it fused back together, while the surrounding space likewise shattered, tore apart, and reassembled anew.
After half a month of instruction, Zhao Xu had already realized that this was an illusion Antinoa had cast.
She had not actually blown apart this land.
The illusion's transformation gradually took shape.
Zhao Xu's mouth fell open. Before him was exactly what he had seen earlier: countless books stacked against each other all the way to the sky, towering bookshelves interwoven layer upon layer, and flights of stairs spiraling upward.
And above them was that immense wheel. Looking closely this time, Zhao Xu finally understood that it was a map of the Arthurian World's twenty-seven major planes.
From the Ysgard in the Heroic Domains, to Hades in the Gray Wastes, and then to the Howling Abyss of Pandemonium, all were situated upon it.
It signified how this world operated.
Suddenly, as though a dream had shattered, the false illusory curtain around them ceased to hold together and was torn away bit by bit.
Like dust and mist filling the sky, washed utterly clean by a sudden midsummer downpour.
The illusion ended. Antinoa stood in the place where the female Wizard had originally stood, looking at him.
Zhao Xu now understood that what had just happened was absolutely not some trial for him.
Nor had that female Wizard been a succubus in disguise.
A deep gravity appeared on Zhao Xu's face.
"Fifth-level Arcane Spell, Mirage Arcana. It seems the recreated scene turned out well and matched what you saw just now."
Zhao Xu nodded, indicating that she was correct.
"That lady was...?" Zhao Xu's tone became several degrees more respectful.
He was already faintly worried that a bolt of divine lightning might suddenly descend.
"Lady Sisylvina, a Legendary Mage."
Zhao Xu froze. So it really was as he had thought.
Sisylvina, the Goddess of Magic and Knowledge.
But at that time, her title had only been Legendary Mage?
Wasn't she supposed to be a trinity?
"That throne is the Archmage Throne, created with the countless resources of the ancient Arcane Empire. The seat you saw was merely one part of it. More than eighty percent of its mass is buried beneath the platform, and that is also the core of the Mythal."
"Therefore, the Mithral you saw on the platform was merely its least valuable outer material. Those suited to becoming Wizards, upon sitting on it, would have their Arcane circuits activated through it and thereby condense Spell Slots."
"However, those with special talents would display different extraordinary powers upon sitting on it. We use that to arrange their future studies and advancement paths."
At this point, Antinoa paused. She gazed deeply at Zhao Xu, trying to read something from his face.
"You have Potential Points, so you are different from the ordinary people below."
"When I, who also possess Potential Points, sat upon it, every Wizard present automatically recovered one Spell Slot, including the apprentices."
"Today, I had you go up because I wanted you to reenact that same experience, making this class of Mage Apprentices submit to you and become your trusted followers in the future."
Zhao Xu had not expected that to be the reason.
He did not even have time to exclaim over the fact that Antinoa also possessed Potential Points.
"But do you know what happened when you sat on it?"
"Hm?"
"You disappeared."
After freezing for a moment, Zhao Xu immediately pinched his thigh and regained his composure.
"You mean I vanished? But I didn't feel anything like teleportation."
"It wasn't teleportation. You crossed the river of time and returned to before the Third Sisylvina became a god. In the Temple of Truth of the Final Scroll, you saw her."
"When she walked over, she was naturally curious about someone like you who had traveled back against the river of time. It was not because some succubus wanted to kiss you. You had better forget that idea too, or you can forget about ever becoming even a first-level Cleric."
"So I'm very curious. Even Potential Points aren't your greatest distinguishing trait. Then what exactly is your greatest trait?"
Antinoa looked at him, her words filled with amusement.
Zhao Xu met her gaze with a calm expression.
The reason was simple: he had been reborn.
Thanks to Mo Shang Ren R Yu, Xue Lao Fei, Tian Zhen Yu Pian Cha, Wang, Duskofdawn, HYTU, Shuai De Jing Dong Dang Zu Zhi, He Bi Pei He, Alexander Caesar, Ling Yun 789, ld Youling, Xing Ye Xia De Zhan Wang, Xie Ge, Na Er Xin, Xian Ji, Qin Ling Mu Xi, Zhao Yang Ming Yue, Zhu Lin Cha Hui, Da Da De Yi Tou, Mo Shang~~, Meng Meng Ning Meng, Yue Ting Shu Shang, Xue Xiao Lin, Can Xiao Xi Xi, khvarenah, Book Friend 20190621195616014, Book Friend 161118122711098, Book Friend 20180510211319189, Book Friend 20190701153336626, Book Friend 20200117110520427, Book Friend 20190621195616014, Book Friend 20180503215222539, Book Friend 20190623222308937, and others for their recommendation votes. Thank you all so much for your encouragement.
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