Potter

Magical Beast Mountain Range.

A small valley on the outskirts.

Prequet had already returned to his original size, so the other magical beasts in the vicinity naturally dared not approach this area anymore.

Near the stone wall of the valley, Fang Yun held the battle blade Slaughter and swung it continuously in front of a massive boulder, sending countless stone fragments flying. The hard rock was as fragile as tofu under his hands.

"My lord is truly impressive."

The brothers Doham and Dohar stood not far away, watching as the rough shape of a stone sculpture slowly emerged, and they couldn't help but speak up.

Although Fang Yun's technique could not compare to that of a master sculptor, his high level of cultivation and strong control meant the spirit and charm of his sculpture were exceptional. And spirit, after all, is essential for an excellent sculpture.

Most importantly, Fang Yun did not use specialized tools for the entire process, but rather his battle blade Slaughter. On this point alone, other master sculptors could not keep up.

Of course, given Fang Yun's status, even using the battle blade Slaughter as a sculpting tool did not diminish its value.

"This sculpture gives me a feeling of desolation, as if... autumn winds are sweeping away fallen leaves. Although it doesn't have much power, it feels unstoppable. That feeling... it's too magical."

Dohar was also observing carefully.

Even though the sculpture had not fully emerged, that subtle, unique charm was already present. He did not understand sculpture, but he could still perceive the feeling it evoked. Moreover, this sense of desolation bore a slight resemblance to the killing intent carried by the battle blade Slaughter.

The two brothers could only discern this much.

Prequet, on the other hand, was completely immersed in appreciation; he had started to grow fond of stone sculptures. He particularly liked the sculpture of a Tyrannosaurus, and he was even wondering if he could use his own claws to carve one of himself.

Soon, the carving was finished.

The massive boulder had been transformed into a nesting bird. Although there were no auxiliary carving tools used, the posture of the sculpture was so vivid that it looked as if the giant bird were bracing against a cold wind.

No wind was blowing, yet it gave the impression of wind; one could even seem to feel the state and temperature of the wind. This was a matter of one's realm.

The form of a bird was relatively easy for Fang Yun, so he naturally started with the simplest subject.

"My lord, this sculpture is definitely at a master level."

Doham remarked.

"Master?"

Prequet snapped back to reality, his large eyes filled with admiration. "A master couldn't do what the master has done. These fluid lines, the near-lifelike expression, and even that charm—it would be difficult for a master to achieve this."

Fang Yun was in a good mood and admired his own work; this was his best and most complete piece yet.

At this moment, the sculpture piqued Fang Yun's great interest.

His previous cultivation talent was almost non-existent; to cultivate, he had to wait for his world power to increase so that his talent could be manifested. But this sculpting session made him feel something different.

He seemed to perceive a trace of the rhythm of the wind, and it was precisely by relying on this special rhythm that he had carved the nesting bird in one go.

Although this feeling was very faint, not even enough to cultivate with, it truly stirred some excitement in his heart.

After all, he finally had a direction for his cultivation.

Ernst Institute.

Dean Delante sighed in his heart.

Although Wester Academy was not the most powerful magic academy on the continent, their performance in this year's grade competition was quite unexpected. In fact, if not for Dixie, the first place in the third grade would have been taken by a student from Wester Academy.

Moreover, many instructors noted that while some students from Wester Academy did not have a deep understanding of magic, their perspectives were sometimes quite novel.

This made Dean Delante realize that there were still many geniuses on the continent. Ernst Institute did not necessarily encompass all of them.

It seemed that Ernst Institute also needed to reach out and have more contact with other magic academies.

However, this matter still had to be reported to the Radiant Church. After all, Ernst Institute belonged to the Radiant Church, and he himself was technically a member of the church.

"Dean Delante, there is a letter from a swift hawk."

At this moment, a staff member of the academy walked in with a sealed letter and added, "It is a letter from Wester Academy."

"Hmm, give it to me."

Dean Delante took the letter and then dismissed the staff member.

After opening the letter and reading it for a while, Dean Delante was somewhat surprised. "He actually wants to come to Ernst Institute in person? This Potter..."

It was not that an academy dean could not leave his school, but the distance from Wester Academy to Ernst Institute was vast. Academy exchanges were already rare enough; to actually come in person?

He had thought Potter's mention of visiting him was just a joke, but who knew it was actually true.

Although he was puzzled, Dean Delante did not overthink it and simply informed Edita and her group about the matter.

Upon hearing this news, Edita felt slightly more at ease.

She had been in the Holy Union for some time and had secretly inquired about the news of various experts, but there was no ninth-rank expert who possessed a Blood-Veined Great Ape as a contracted magical beast.

Not even the ninth-rank experts within the Radiant Church had one. After all, the strength of an eighth-rank Blood-Veined Great Ape was quite formidable.

The Holy Union was, after all, a power equal to the Rhine Empire, and during this time, she had already attracted the attention of the Radiant Church.

Her identity was somewhat special, and although no one knew she had already reached the level of a ninth-rank mage, an eighth-rank magus was still a powerful presence in Fenlai City, naturally drawing attention.

Furthermore, because she was inquiring about ninth-rank experts, the Radiant Church could not help but take notice.

It was only because the Radiant Church and the Rhine Empire did not have much interaction that they had not yet directly sent a red-robed High Priest to capture her.

"Could it be that he hasn't arrived in the Holy Union yet?"

Edita was lost in thought at this moment.

Powerful experts would not stoop to lying. Therefore, perhaps that person simply hadn't arrived yet; after all, he had spoken of a timeframe of a few years.

"Forget it, I'll just wait for now."

The Radiant Church had taken notice, and Edita had no choice but to pause for the time being and wait until Dean Potter arrived.

Even though she had reached the realm of a ninth-rank mage, she was still extremely insignificant when facing the Radiant Church. Ordinary people might not know it, but any warrior or mage with some strength was well aware that the Radiant Church possessed many powerful Saint-level experts.

Even the Rhine Empire and the Luoao Empire could be considered the weaker side when compared to the Radiant Church. This showed just how powerful the Radiant Church was.

"I wonder if Dean Potter managed to find another interspatial ring from the empire."

Edita sighed.

Even if she found that person, it wouldn't be an easy task to retrieve the Ring of Feilan. Although the imperial royal family possessed interspatial rings, it was basically impossible for them to give one to her.

If there was truly no other way, she would have no choice but to trade her own scepter.

As for the scepter she had accidentally obtained in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Edita only realized its power after binding it to herself. Its value far exceeded that of an interspatial ring.

Yet, even so, she was willing to trade it for the Ring of Feilan. This was an item belonging to her mentor Cherifet, and no matter the cost, she had to get it back.

Fenlai City, Radiant Church.

As the entity that controlled the Holy Union, the Radiant Church naturally had its own intelligence-gathering agency. However, this intelligence agency was primarily focused on the Dark Alliance.

Of course, since Fenlai City was the "Holy Capital" of the Radiant Church, any major events that occurred generally could not be hidden from them.

However, as long as it wasn't someone from the Dark Alliance, they often didn't pay much special attention.

"Your Eminence, we have received news that Dean Potter of the Wester Academy in the Rhine Empire will be arriving at the Ernst Institute soon."

A white-robed priest spoke to the Cardinal Gilmer.

If it were an ordinary ninth-rank expert, it wouldn't matter even if they were traveling through the Holy Union. But some special experts required more attention.

Take someone like Potter, for instance; not only was he very strong among ninth-rank experts—it was estimated that only a Saint-level expert could defeat him—but he also had the backing of the Rhine Empire's royal family. After all, the Wester Academy was supported by the Rhine Empire.

"Potter?"

Gilmer looked at the letter in his hand and couldn't help but frown.

The behavior of that Wester Academy instructor from before had already been somewhat abnormal, and now Potter was coming in person.

After pondering for a moment, Gilmer spoke, "I understand. You may leave."

"Yes."

The white-robed priest carefully retreated.

Once the white-robed priest had left, Gilmer continued to look over the letter. "I wonder what the Rhine Empire is planning."

The influence of the Radiant Church was almost entirely unable to penetrate the four great empires. The Yulan Empire and the O'Brien Empire were off-limits because they had God-level experts guarding them, so they dared not intrude.

As for the Rhine Empire and the Luoao Empire, they were too far away, with the Yulan Empire and the O'Brien Empire lying in between, making it impossible to infiltrate. Of course, these two great empires were not weak, so invading them would not be easy either.

This resulted in the Radiant Church finding it difficult to know the thoughts of the high-ranking officials in the four great empires.

Perhaps Potter's arrival in the Holy Union was at the behest of the Rhine Empire's royal family.

Gilmer narrowed his eyes. "It seems I must go and meet this Edita first."

Although he was only a ninth-rank expert, the status of a Cardinal was second only to the Pope in the eyes of ordinary people. Therefore, in terms of status and strength, he was not inferior to Potter.

A month later, Dean Potter of the Wester Academy arrived in the Holy Union.

Potter was not only the dean of the Wester Academy but also a member of the Rhine Empire's royal family, so the Radiant Church had to treat him with importance.

Therefore, it wasn't just Dean Delante who appeared. Cardinal Gilmer of the Radiant Church and King Clayde of the Fenlai Kingdom had both arrived at the Ernst Institute.