Enlightenment, Preparing for Graduation

Black Phoenix City calmed down.

But beneath the calm, undercurrents were surging.

Canina had been restless these past few days, always feeling that something bad was about to happen.

On this day.

He received a summons from the King and entered the royal palace.

"I wonder why Your Majesty has summoned me?"

"I brought you here mainly to have you meet someone. Come in."

Jonathan wore a smile on his lips as he walked from behind Canina to stand level with him, then bowed slightly. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Prell said, "Canina, take a look and see who this is."

Canina turned his head, his eyes suddenly widening like copper bells. With a look of disbelief, he couldn't help but shout, "Big Brother?!"

"No, that's not right. You aren't him! Who exactly are you!"

He quickly regained his composure. The reason he had reacted that way just now was because ever since that incident years ago, he had frequently suffered from nightmares, dreaming that his older brother had come to seek revenge.

"It seems you still remember your brother, Canina. After my investigation, it has been confirmed that you were the mastermind behind the murder of your brother's entire family, correct?"

Canina shook his head repeatedly. "Your Majesty, you cannot say such things lightly. I was also heartbroken when my brother's family was murdered."

"We are blood brothers; how could I ever commit such a beastly act!"

"Sophistry is useless now. As for the person standing before you, his name is now Jonathan Rhode."

"He is Jonathan?!"

Canina had never met him before, but he felt deeply shocked, a faint sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

"Before the age of three, his name was White Bred!"

Canina's eyes were filled with terror; he could not believe it.

"That's right, he is your brother's youngest son, your own nephew!"

"The net of heaven is vast, and though it is wide, nothing escapes it. You sent your own son to capture your niece, and as a result, she fell in love with Jonathan's foster father. It is heaven's will that the tragedy of that year be brought to light."

Prell did not allow Canina to argue any further and immediately ordered, "Guards, throw Canina into the dungeon. His wife, children, and the rest of his household are to be imprisoned as well."

This was the art of kingship.

To win over Jonathan, he disposed of a Marquis directly. As for evidence, so many years had passed—where would one find concrete proof?

Everything happened simply because he wanted it to.

By dealing with Canina swiftly, even if others had their suspicions, the matter would ultimately be left unsettled, and it would not damage his image as a wise and martial King.

Jonathan naturally understood the situation perfectly. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for avenging my murdered family."

Prell said, "Soon, Canina's entire family will be executed, and I will appoint you as the new Marquis of the Bred Family. You will be the head of the house, and you may dispose of everything belonging to the Bred Family as you please."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I, Jonathan, will surely serve you with my life in the future."

Knowing that this was what Prell wanted to hear, Jonathan said it specifically to please him.

It was just empty words; he wouldn't lose anything by saying them, and they held no binding power anyway.

Prell laughed heartily upon hearing this, his voice resonant and stirring. "You are the greatest genius of my Bandas Kingdom. I have high hopes for your future. Work hard, and if you ever have any needs, you may come directly to the palace to find me."

After Jonathan left, he returned to the Rhode Mansion to continue contemplating the technique of Heavy as Light, then practiced and engraved miniature magic arrays.

A few days later, Canina's family was executed, sparking intense discussion throughout Black Phoenix City. The revelation of Jonathan's background—that he was the youngest son of the Bred Family's eldest branch, who had died over a decade ago—truly gave everyone a grand spectacle to watch.

For half a month, people continued to discuss the matter.

A few days after Canina's family died, Jonathan officially moved into the Bred Mansion.

Jonathan kept the original guards and maids, telling them to continue with their duties as before. Hilton became the butler of the Bred Family, his status and position rising significantly.

Many families came to offer gifts; since it was the first time, Jonathan found it difficult to refuse.

Since he was now part of this circle, he had to observe certain rules.

Duke Hanna, in particular, treated Jonathan with an almost fawning attitude and had prepared generous gifts, a completely different attitude from how he had treated Canina in the past.

The reason he acted this way was because he had received a warning from Prell. It didn't matter that he had coveted Sanita before, but now that Sanita was his stepmother, if he dared to act that way again, he would be severely punished by Prell.

Hanna was very fearful of his older brother, so he had no choice but to comply.

Most of these gifts were meant as apologies.

"Jonathan, I have offended you many times in the past. I hope we can let bygones be bygones. By the way, since you have taken over the Bred Family, why don't you take over the Water Jade Ore Vein business?"

Jonathan smiled slightly. "Duke Hanna, wouldn't that be inappropriate? Isn't there supposed to be a public bidding process?"

Hanna said, "It's really just a formality. I can give it to whoever I want. Of course, if I give it to you, my brother certainly won't have any objections."

"Then I shall accept without modesty."

"Let's just keep in touch more often in the future."

Those were just polite pleasantries; after that banquet, Jonathan had barely stepped outside, focusing entirely on his cultivation while leaving the management of the Bred Family business to Hilton.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another month and a half had passed.

It was now the second half of the year.

At this time last year, he had entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range for his first trial.

The entire backyard of the Bred Mansion had been declared a restricted area, and no one was permitted to enter without authorization.

Even if there was an urgent matter, they were only allowed to deliver the message from the outside.

Inside the courtyard, Jonathan's fingers were embedded into a massive boulder, swinging it around recklessly as if this multi-thousand-pound rock were merely a weapon weighing a few dozen pounds.

With every swing, a terrifying gale whistled through the air, sending sand and stones flying across the ground while the trees shook violently.

After Jonathan stopped and set the boulder down, the ground let out a sudden, explosive thud.

"After comprehending Heavy as Light, the most suitable weapon for me would be something like a greatsword, but such weapons aren't easy to find. If I were to look for the materials..."

"Forget it, those materials are also hard to come by. I'll talk about it when I have a chance. At worst, I'll just study the Gravity Spell first; if I can develop a micro-magic array for the Gravity Spell..."

"Even a weapon weighing a few hundred pounds could meet my requirements once inscribed."

Following this, Jonathan sat cross-legged and began to inscribe micro-magic arrays to train his spiritual power.

Even though Jonathan was now a late-stage seventh-rank mage, inscribing micro-magic arrays still consumed a significant amount of spiritual power.

After five or six magic arrays, he had exhausted his spiritual power and was forced to stop to recover.

Repeating this cycle, his spiritual power was increasing steadily and rapidly, bringing him ever closer to the peak of the seventh rank.

"Ulada Magic Academy is of no use to me anymore; I might as well just apply for graduation."

After thinking it over and making his decision, Jonathan went to Ulada Magic Academy the next day and submitted his graduation application to the instructors.

"You want to graduate? Isn't that a bit too hasty? You could easily cultivate for another four or five years; I believe you would certainly become a seventh-rank mage by then, so it wouldn't be too late to graduate at that time."

The academy's vice-principal looked at Jonathan and offered his advice.