The teaching assistants heading out on their missions vanished in the blink of an eye.
In the vast, empty office, aside from the eternally burning torches, only the well-behaved stone statues remained, sitting blankly on their stone seats and staring at the intricate patterns on the carpet before them.
Old Man Ruo Yu stood silently at the top of the steps, leaning on his staff.
Tap, tap, tap.
Unhurried footsteps sounded behind the side door and, a moment later, stopped beside Old Man Ruo Yu.
"There aren't many wizards capable of bypassing the School Guardian Formation, evading the divinations of the university's Grand Diviners, and setting up a secret laboratory to conduct illegal magical experiments right under First University's nose."
Dressed in Jiu You Academy's scarlet robes, Professor Yao followed Old Man Ruo Yu's gaze and said softly, "Even now, I'm not confident I could manage it."
Ruo Yu withdrew his gaze and glanced at the newly ascended Legendary Wizard beside him.
"I know what you're trying to say."
First University's Deputy Headmaster lowered his eyelids, a trace of weariness entering his voice. "You're saying this isn't something one or two wizards could accomplish... but a shared 'enterprise' involving many wizards, correct?"
"Enterprise is an excellent choice of word," Professor Yao complimented him.
That did nothing to improve Ruo Yu's mood.
"You want to root them all out?" the old man asked.
Professor Yao did not deny the old wizard's guess. "Zhang Yu is very reliable, but the Teaching Assistant Group consists of young wizards, after all. They're bound to overlook things from time to time..."
"Their youth is precisely why I chose them," Ruo Yu interrupted. "Youth means a clean slate. It means they still have ideals. It means they won't have any connections to that laboratory in the