The Council of Saints

The room was still furnished with neatly arranged antique pieces, but Xia Ming had no mind to admire them. His gaze was fixed on the man before him.

Since coming to this world, Xia Ming had never seen anyone so tall and powerfully built.

At least two meters tall, he looked like a little giant. His height alone would have been one thing, but his rugged features, face full of flesh, and, more importantly, those explosively bulging muscles beneath bronze skin—compared to him, the so-called bodybuilding champions Xia Ming had seen on Earth would have been too ashamed to show their faces.

Even Tang Ge, whom Xia Ming considered tall and burly, was at least a head shorter than this man.

The most striking feature of the man before him was his beard!

His beard was an eerie blue. It was not merely a small tuft, either; it had been carefully groomed and grown out in full, making for an exceptionally distinctive sight.

Though extraordinarily tall, the man possessed none of the overbearing air one might expect. He simply sat quietly in his chair, a faint smile playing on his lips as he sized Xia Ming up.

"This man..."

A strange feeling rose within Xia Ming. Something felt wrong, yet he could not put his finger on it.

Anthony shot Xia Ming a meaningful look and introduced him. "Bluebeard, this is the disciple I took in two months ago, Xia Ming. Xia Ming, the man before you is one of the Sacred Council's giants, known as Bluebeard. Just call him Bluebeard!"

The Sacred Council!

Xia Ming froze when he heard those words.

This was not the first time he had heard the term. Since the very first day he came to this world, Anthony had mentioned the Sacred Council several times.

To trace the Sacred Council's origins, one had to begin with an earth-shaking war three thousand years ago.

Three thousand years ago, Canaan Continent was still home to a multitude of races: humans, dwarves, elves, beastmen, goblins, vampires... It was an age when the many races lived in harmony. Though humans were still the most populous race in the world, the other races possessed flourishing civilizations of their own. That era was also the most brilliant and civilized period in the continent's entire history.

It was precisely because civilization had been so highly developed that magical civilization began advancing at a tremendous pace. Humans and elves in particular both possessed exceptional magical talent, and the two races began a fervent contest and pursuit of magic...

Orlando, the strongest God of Magic of the human post-Starlight Era and the legendary Starry Skies mage, and Featherfall, the most powerful Elf King in elven history, were both among the comet-like geniuses who burst onto the scene in that age.

Had things continued along their natural course, it should have been an excellent virtuous cycle—unceasing competition, unceasing growth. Such was the law of heaven and earth.

But there were always exceptions to everything.

A small number of fanatical magic enthusiasts among the elves and humans lost their reason while pursuing great power. In the end, they threw themselves into the arms of demons and brought forth the undead...

The undead descended, and calamity spread. The continent was thrown into chaos. The beastmen and vampires seized the chance to fan the flames, joining forces with the undead legions and launching war against humanity.

Humanity was not to be outdone. The four great empires banded together with the Elven Kingdom of that time to form a united council, also known as the Sacred Council. This was the predecessor of today's Sacred Council.

As for that earth-shaking war, it lasted nearly a hundred years. In the end, after humans and elves paid a grievous price, the undead legions were utterly crushed, the beastmen retreated in defeat, and the vampires were nearly exterminated.

The four great human empires were left in a sorry state as well, on the brink of collapse. Orlando, the God of Magic, vanished without a trace; Featherfall, the great Elf King, fell; and the Elven Kingdom splintered into pieces...

That brutal war was known to history as the [Undead Cataclysm].

Naturally, the Sacred Council endured and continued on to this day.

The Elven Kingdom had long since existed in name only. Today, the Sacred Council was the highest authority jointly established by the four great human empires, standing above every empire. It was no exaggeration to say that the Sacred Council was now the most powerful force on Canaan Continent. Aside from the Holy Temple, whose influence had grown ever more formidable in recent years, it had virtually no rivals.

This man before him was actually from the Sacred Council?

Xia Ming was startled. That was quite an intimidating background.

"Kid, you're Anthony's newly accepted disciple, are you?" The man known as Bluebeard stood up, narrowed his eyes, and revealed a trace of a smile.

Looking at the rugged-faced man, Xia Ming nodded politely. It was best to be careful when dealing with someone from the Sacred Council, lest he be branded a heretic and hauled onto the stake one day without even knowing why.

Bluebeard had no idea that Xia Ming had already labeled him a dangerous individual. As he carefully examined Xia Ming, a strange glint flashed through his eyes.

Bluebeard paused in surprise. "Old Anthony, didn't you say this kid was a third-level mage? Why does he look like he's nearly at the fifth level now?"

Xia Ming's heart stirred. It seemed Anthony had mentioned him to Bluebeard before.

Anthony rubbed his hands smugly, his sparse beard bobbing up and down as he said loudly, "Hmph, of course my disciple is extraordinary! What I told you was this kid's level a month ago. Now? He truly is close to becoming a fifth-level mage!"

Anthony made no attempt to conceal the praise and pride in his voice, chuckling to himself.

Bluebeard snorted, doubt still in his eyes, before turning to Xia Ming. "I heard Anthony say that you had never studied magic before, and only began formally learning it two months ago?"

"That's right. What about it?"

Upon hearing Xia Ming's affirmative reply and seeing that his expression did not seem feigned, Bluebeard gradually grew solemn.

Bluebeard gave Xia Ming a long, deep look and said in a low voice, "Two months of exposure to magic..." His gaze drifted into the distance, as though he had recalled something.

"Kid, let me test your strength."

Bluebeard's words allowed Xia Ming no room to refuse. An invisible field of force surged out around him, his imposing aura terrifyingly intense. In an instant, his entire person became razor-sharp, and Xia Ming actually found it difficult to breathe!

A strong expert! An absolute strong expert!

Xia Ming was inwardly shocked. Anthony had never displayed his strength before him; this was the first time he had witnessed a true powerhouse of this world in action.

Merely under that overwhelming aura, Xia Ming was already drenched in cold sweat, his brows tightly furrowed.

The entire space seemed to belong solely to Bluebeard. With every gesture, even the air appeared to freeze solid!

Bluebeard gave a dark chuckle and snorted. "Kid, I won't bully the young with age. How about this? I'll stand right here. I won't use a weapon, I won't use my hands or feet, and I won't take the initiative to attack! As long as you can use magic to force me back one step, I'll count it as my loss. How about it?"

Xia Ming raised a brow at those words and narrowed his eyes.

"Hmph, I don't care whether you're Bluebeard or Redbeard. You're awfully arrogant. I refuse to believe I can't take you down when you're standing there without moving!"

Xia Ming felt somewhat unconvinced. Gripping the Earthflame Staff tightly, he chanted a string of smooth magical notes, using action to make his stance clear.

Anthony had not said a word from beginning to end. He merely watched the two men with a beaming smile, though the old mage did not think highly of Xia Ming's chances. After all, Bluebeard, [Thunder God's Hammer], was a legendary figure renowned throughout the human realms. Xia Ming certainly could not win—but it would be good to let the kid suffer a little.

"Young people ought to suffer a little. This kid's a little monster; it wouldn't hurt to let him hit a wall now and then," the old mage thought.