The scene shifted. It was now the next day.
After taking a bath and getting a good night's rest, Huo Yuhao looked handsome again, just like before.
He had changed into a uniform like the Temple Mages wore. Its blue-gray color and the mysterious runes covering it lent him an air of mystery.
He came to the center of the Sacred Hall, where Master Mordo stood with his hands behind his back, studying the Douluo Star Projection suspended in midair.
"Looks like you've made your choice." Mordo turned and saw Huo Yuhao in the mage's uniform. He smiled faintly. "Welcome aboard."
Huo Yuhao bowed slightly to show his respect, then asked, "Master Mordo, what should I do next? What should I learn?"
"Come with me." Mordo didn't answer right away. Instead, he led Huo Yuhao down a passage deep within the Sacred Hall. They eventually reached its end, where three transparent Crystal Doors stood. Yet the view beyond each door was completely different.
Beyond the door on the left, waves churned across the sea. Beyond the middle door stretched a vast grassland, while beyond the door on the right lay golden dunes.
In front of each of the three doors stood a Spherical Device.
Huo Yuhao gazed through the three transparent Crystal Doors at the utterly different landscapes. A flicker of amazement crossed his eyes, but he said nothing.
Master Mordo approached the doors and turned the round devices in front of them. The scenes beyond the doors shifted, then transformed into a hazy light that converged toward the middle.
At the same time, a passage formed from Seven-Colored Radiance slowly appeared across the surface of the middle door.
"Go on. This passage will take you to the Core Sacred Hall. You'll receive your training there until you become a qualified mage."
Huo Yuhao watched the Seven-Colored Passage swirl like a vortex. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
The next moment, the scene shifted again.
On a small plaza among a group of buildings steeped in ancient charm, an intricate magic array suddenly lit up across the ground.
Then a torrent of seven-colored light poured down from the sky, its immense energy spilling outward before being blocked by the magic arrays that lit up around the plaza.
When the torrent faded, Huo Yuhao's figure emerged from within it.
"Is this... the Core Sacred Hall?" Huo Yuhao looked around, slightly bewildered.
"Don't linger on the Teleportation Plaza. Come over here." A warm, strong voice sounded beside Huo Yuhao's ear. He turned toward it and saw a bald old man in a mage's uniform beckoning him over.
Huo Yuhao hurried over. The old man looked him up and down, then turned away. "Come on. I'll take you to register, then bring you to meet the Ancient One."
"Thank you!" Huo Yuhao followed the old mage along the way. From time to time, they passed mages in uniform, who nodded to the old man escorting Huo Yuhao. The old man returned each greeting.
"Who is this Ancient One you mentioned?" Huo Yuhao asked.
The old mage glanced at him. "Venerable Gu Yi is the leader of all the mages in the Sacred Hall, and the current Supreme Mage."
"The Supreme Mage?! She wants to meet someone as insignificant as me?" Huo Yuhao looked bewildered.
The old mage smiled faintly. "In the Sacred Hall, every mage is equal. The Supreme Mage doesn't stand above everyone else. Just show her the respect she's due."
The old mage then explained some things new arrivals needed to know. They soon reached an ornate hall at the heart of the buildings, where they met the legendary Supreme Mage.
Her presence was serene and detached, and her age was impossible to discern. She wore simple, understated clothes with no unnecessary adornments, yet seeing her made one feel as though one were gazing up at a towering mountain.
"Sorry for the trouble, Master Ryze." Venerable Gu Yi nodded to the old mage. He bowed slightly, then stepped aside.
Huo Yuhao's lips moved as he tried to speak. Gu Yi smiled and handed him a cup of tea. "You lost someone important to you, and you hope to find a way to save her through the power of magic?"
Huo Yuyao froze and was about to speak, but Gu Yi continued, "Relax, I can't read minds, and I haven't seen your deepest secrets. But what we're about to discuss may not be suitable for your companions to hear."
"What?" Huo Yuhao's eyes widened. Before he could react, a slender finger touched his forehead.
"Buzz!" Space trembled!
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's golden phantom was wrenched out with a shriek. Ice Empress, transformed into a jade-green streak of light, slammed into an invisible barrier. A silvery-white Immortal Herb and a hazy beast soul scattered like falling leaves. Deep within, the soul-shadows of a sleeping gray-robed old man and a golden Auspicious Beast slowly emerged.
"My companions!" Huo Yuhao's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. His Spiritual Power erupted like a storm as he tried to pull them back!
"Be still." Gu Yi's voice washed over his mind like spring water melting from a snowy peak.
Seven copper coins flew from her sleeve and landed, transforming into a cage of starlight around all the Soul Spirits. "Kamar-Taj's dimensional laws can nourish spirit bodies. There's no need to worry."
"But the path of magic requires a pure soul vessel. Your Soul Ring system is incompatible with it. Since you've chosen to become a mage, they can't remain inside your mind."
At that, Huo Yuhao let down his guard a little. Then he thought of something and was about to speak, but Gu Yi once again spoke first. "In truth, I can't enter the underworld, nor can I bring her soul here."
Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. He gave Gu Yi a strange look. "I thought you couldn't read minds?"
"Your thoughts were written all over your face," Gu Yi said calmly. "Magic can create miracles, but learning it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."
"I know you want to say you'd pay any price for it... But every mage you've met came here because of some deep regret they couldn't let go of."
"Besides, casting most spells comes at a cost... Anyone unwilling to pay the price couldn't walk this path."
Huo Yuhao asked, "Then what price would it take to bring someone back to life?"
"That depends on the type of magic involved." Gu Yi patiently explained, "Some spells can be cast using the Mana you cultivate yourself. The spell I used to separate them from your mind is one such example."
"Others can draw upon Cosmic Energy. As guardians of this Universe, we can use its energy to cast certain spells with almost no cost."
"For example, the Dimensional Gate, which makes travel easier, and the Illusion Space, which separates one part of reality from another."
Master Gu Yi continued explaining as she took out an unusual ring, two bands connected by a chain, and handed it to him.
"But unlike your own energy, which you can control completely, you need a Suspension Ring to wield Cosmic Energy."
As she spoke, Gu Yi raised the hand wearing the Suspension Ring and pointed to one side. A mirror-like refraction appeared in the air two meters away.