"Steady"

"???"

"What moved?"

"The statue, the statue moved!"

The middle-aged man's startled reaction startled everyone.

It also startled Sean.

He instinctively held his breath, tensed his muscles, and remained completely still.

Elvily and the others looked towards the statue at this moment.

"It didn't move?"

"It did!"

The man was convinced he hadn't seen wrong: "It's not moving now, but it definitely moved just now!"

The elder, Adeph, frowned slightly: "Kate, control your emotions."

The man called Kate remained agitated: "Teacher, please believe me, it just blinked!"

Adeph looked at the statue for a while, then shook his head and sighed: "Kate, we all know you admire Lord Black, but that's all in the past. People need to look forward. You're a grown man in your fifties, don't act like a child every time you mention Lord Black. You need to learn to be steady."

No one here didn't revere Karl Black. Adeph also missed the old Scholar Era. Back then, the Hall of Truth not only existed in the Void Arts Space but also in the real world. It was once the empire's greatest academy, nurturing countless Archmages and Mystics. Even the Holy See, which held supreme authority, had to treat the Sanctuary with respect.

Not to mention Karl Black, the founder of the Sanctuary. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the spiritual leader of all Wizards.

If Black were still alive, who would dare call them heretics? Who would dare launch a Witch Hunt?

Above the tenth tier was no trifling matter; a wave of his hand could turn those witch hunters to dust.

Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs'.

Elvily and the others fell silent.

The already solemn atmosphere of the meeting became even heavier with the mention of a departed name.

Adeph, being the eldest present, saw things more clearly than these youngsters. Having faith is good, but one cannot go to pointless extremes and deceive oneself with unrealistic fantasies.

"As you all know, our current situation is more difficult than ever. But no matter how difficult, we cannot give up."

Adeph's eyes, framed by wrinkles, were filled with seriousness. He looked at everyone and said, "Without Lord Black, we rely on ourselves."

"We can admire him, we can mourn him, but we cannot live in the past."

"The deceased are gone, and the living carry on. We must face reality. The crueler the world, the more resilient we must be. What doesn't kill us will only make us stronger."

"We must inherit his will. If one Lord Black falls, a thousand, ten thousand Lord Blacks will rise!"

"Do you understand?"

Everyone: "Understood!"

Sean: "?"

Wait a minute, he didn't quite understand.

At first, he thought it was good when the old man spoke of the Hall of Truth's past. It seemed their predecessors were indeed powerful. The title 'spiritual leader' wasn't something anyone could claim. But as he listened, he felt something was off. How could he go from being an overlord above the tenth tier one moment to being carried away the next?

Kate felt wronged: "I really saw the statue move, why don't you believe me?"

"Even if it did move, so what?" Adeph reprimanded sternly, "A qualified Wizard, even facing the gallows, should remain unfazed and steadfast."

This referred not only to a strong will but also to the control of Magic, as the most basic application of one's energy is "emotion."

If a person is in a good mood, everyone around them can feel it. Similarly, if someone is down, others can sense it, including so-called "killing intent," "pressure," "aura of authority," and so on. These are all manifestations of energy released through one's mental state. In the eyes of ordinary people, it's called "presence."

Therefore--

"Let alone a statue moving, even if Lord Karl Black himself appeared before you, you must maintain the composure expected of you!"

"The same goes for all of you."

Adeph was not only Kate's teacher but also an elder to the others. Since the topic had come up, he decided to give them a lesson. A Wizard's cultivation was multifaceted, and every detail could affect the height they could reach in the future.

And he led by example at every Dawn Meeting.

No matter how cruel, oppressive, exciting, or joyful the meeting's content was, he always maintained a calm heart. After all, an elderly Wizard elder should maintain a dignified, stern image in front of his juniors.

"I believe if Lord Black were still here, he would want to see you all mature."

As Adeph spoke, he stood up and walked to the tall statue, gazing up at its indistinct face. A look of reminiscence flickered in his aged eyes. He looked at the statue, as if transported back to the prosperous Scholar Era.

Until the statue moved again.

The stone eyes, which should have been gray and white, suddenly turned into a pair of deep, black human eyes, carrying a hint of unspoken resentment. They stared at him, quietly, directly.

Adeph blurted out: "Oh my f*ck!"

Everyone: "???"

Sean: "..."

What happened to being steady?

Kate, who had finally calmed down after being lectured by Adeph, became agitated again. "It moved, it moved! Did you see it?"

Of course, they saw it.

Not only did they see it, they saw it very clearly.

Everyone's gaze had already fallen on the statue following Adeph's movements. Sean had deliberately made it move this time – since they were here, he had to do something.

Even though there were some things Sean didn't understand yet, it didn't stop him from reminding these guys – he wasn't dead yet!

The Hall of Truth had seven floors, and each floor had an identical statue. Several hundred years had passed since the Scholar Era. Apart from allowing Wizards to enter the Sanctuary, these statues had never moved again. Tonight was the first time!

"It really moved?!"

"Am I seeing things? Its eyes... turned into human eyes?"

Everyone exclaimed, disbelief flooding their eyes.

Elvily's delicate lips parted slightly, her deer-like eyes widening, her tender face filled with astonishment.

"How is that possible?"

These statues were personally crafted by Karl Black and were connected to his soul. No one could control them except Karl Black himself. Even her mother, as powerful as she was, couldn't... Could that man really be alive?

"Lord Black, can you hear me?"

While the Flame Crow Girl and the others were still immersed in shock and hadn't recovered, Kate was beyond excited. Despite his age, he acted like a young fanboy who had just met his idol, completely forgetting Adeph's words from just now.

Even Adeph himself lost control of his emotions. His thick white beard trembled slightly, and his eyes even became a little moist.

"Lord Black... is it really you?"