After the Third Stage, Wizards withdraw from the virtual room, and silence settles.
Their wills vanish.
Their auras fade.
Their presence dissolves.
To them,
The meeting is over.
The space will close.
The information will be scrubbed.
Nothing will remain.
But,
They are wrong.
The virtual room does not close.
The conversation does not disappear.
Every word.
Every intention.
Every hidden motive,
Remains.
Observed.
Recorded.
Because the Magic Network,
Is not theirs.
At its core,
Lies the Seven Element Tower.
And the one who controls it,
Li Xueyao.
Her authority runs deeper than the Federation.
She does not need permission.
She does not need to follow their rules.
Even orders from the Federation,
Can be overridden.
So from the beginning,
She has been listening.
Not alone.
Another presence exists.
Subtle.
Vast.
Unavoidable.
Isla.
With her Law,
The Magic Network's defences are meaningless.
She does not bypass them.
She simply exists beyond them.
The two are aware of each other.
Neither interferes.
When the room empties,
Their wills appear.
Taking form.
Li Xueyao manifests first.
Graceful.
Composed.
Her figure stands within the virtual room.
Moments later,
Isla appears.
Radiant.
Her presence fills the space without effort.
Li Xueyao bows immediately.
"Goddess."
Isla nods.
Her gaze was calm.
Direct.
"I heard Kaelan sent you a new, improved Wizard Cultivation Technique."
Li Xueyao lifts her hand.
"Yes, Goddess."
"It is here."
A sphere of light forms in her palm.
Condensed knowledge.
Structured law.
The essence of the improved technique.
She sends it forward.
The light drifts through the air.
Toward Isla.
"It is only up to the Third Stage."
Li Xueyao adds quietly.
The light reaches Isla.
Melts into her palm.
Disappears.
In an instant,
The technique unfolds within Isla's mind.
Clear.
Precise.
Complete.
She reads.
Understands.
Analyzes.
The method aligns with her existing path.
It does not elevate her immediately.
But,
It stabilises.
Refines.
Perfects.
A foundation strengthened.
She looks at Li Xueyao.
"In a few years…"
"Kaelan will preach."
A pause.
"I think you should inform everyone."
Her will begins to fade.
Without waiting for a reply,
She withdraws.
Her presence vanishes from the virtual room.
,
Inside her Divine Kingdom,
A world exists.
Not born naturally.
But constructed.
Formed entirely through her Law of Light.
Everything,
From dust to mountains,
From water to flame,
Is derived from light.
She has used light to evolve the fundamental elements.
Earth.
Water.
Fire.
Wind.
Lightning.
A complete system.
A complete world.
Within it,
She begins.
Cultivation.
The improved Wizard Technique unfolds.
She draws.
Origin Runes.
Effortlessly.
Then,
Light Runes.
Her progress is unstoppable.
She passes the Apprentice Stage in moments.
The Official Wizard Stage follows.
Then,
The Shining Moon Stage.
Her Law already stands at the Moon Stage.
There is no resistance.
No delay.
She begins forming her Virtual Skeleton.
Her Law shapes it.
A form emerges.
A creature of light.
A divine being.
Light Divine Bird.
Its body is slender.
Elegant.
Its eyes shine with golden brilliance.
Wings stretch wide.
Feathers radiate golden light.
Its tail flows like a stream of sunlight.
It is not merely a form.
It is her Law made manifest.
When the skeleton completes,
Understanding flows.
From Magic Sun Wizard,
To Demigod,
To Fourth Stage.
Her path unfolds naturally.
Not identical to Kaelan's.
But close.
Close enough that the difference is nearly invisible.
She acts.
Her body melts.
Merges into the skeleton.
Her soul follows.
Enters.
The skeleton becomes real.
Her physical form is replaced.
The Light Divine Bird,
Is now her true body.
For a moment,
A humanoid projection appears.
But she frowns.
That form,
Is a cage.
She abandons it.
Returns to her true form.
The Light Divine Bird spreads its wings.
Power flows freely.
Naturally.
Completely.
She understands.
To advance further,
She must refine this form.
Improve it.
And through it,
Her True Spirit will evolve.
But,
She pauses.
There is a problem.
She has already comprehended the Law of Light fully.
Within this world,
There is nothing more to learn.
To grow further,
She must understand other Laws.
But that path is dangerous.
It could distort her foundation.
Her way.
She hesitates.
Then decides.
"Let's wait…"
"For Kaelan."
Her eyes close.
Within her own world,
She falls asleep.
,
On the surface of the Wizard World,
Time passes.
Three years.
Quietly.
Without disturbance.
Inside Kaelan's Wizard Tower,
Li Xueyao remains in retreat.
Her cultivation reaches its peak.
She stands at the threshold.
The final step.
Within her retreat room,
Energy gathers.
Wood.
Wind.
Water.
Thunder.
They swirl.
Combine.
Merge.
A new Law forms.
Cloud.
Then evolves.
Spring Cloud.
A cloud appears around her.
Soft.
Yet powerful.
Magic energy strikes it.
Again.
And again.
The cloud breaks.
Reforms.
Breaks again.
Reforms again.
The cycle continues.
Until,
It stabilises.
Perfect.
Complete.
The cloud descends.
Enters her body.
Feedback erupts.
Her physical body unlocks.
Transformation begins.
Then,
The Origin of the World responds.
A baptism descends.
But she is not in danger.
She is connected to Kaelan.
The world does not reject her.
Her mind remains clear.
She does not get lost in the endless rule network.
She remains herself.
And steps forward.
Magic Sun Wizard.
She has advanced.
No one notices.
No phenomenon appears.
The Wizard Tower suppresses everything.
The world remains unaware.
She opens her eyes.
Calm.
Steady.
She stands.
Walks out of the retreat room.
She meets her family.
Spends time.
Days pass.
Then,
On a whim,
She leaves.
She goes to the academy.
She stands on the rooftop.
Looking down.
Below,
New students are being tested.
From the rooftop, Li Xueyao watches quietly as lines of children move forward one by one, stepping into the testing formation below.
This is the gateway.
The first step into the Wizard Path.
Not everyone can walk it.
Before anyone can cultivate to become a wizard, they must first pass through selection.
The resources of the world are finite.
Even under the Wizard Federation,
They cannot support everyone.
So a system was established.
Children between twelve and fifteen years of age are tested.
Only those who pass,
Receive resources.
Knowledge.
And entry into a Wizard Academy.
The rest,
Must walk their own path.
Below, the testing continues.
Three tests determine everything.
Mental Activity Test.
Elemental Resonance Test.
Will Power Test.
Each test carries ten points.
A total of twenty points or more,
Is required.
Only then,
Can one become a Wizard Apprentice within the Federation system.
The method is precise.
And effective.
Statistics have proven it.
Those who score below twenty,
Have less than a fifty percent chance of reaching the Official Wizard Stage.
And the value of an Official Wizard,
Far surpasses thousands of Apprentices.
So the Federation chooses carefully.
But,
They do not close the door entirely.
Those who fail are not forbidden.
They can still cultivate.
Still learn.
Still pursue the path.
But,
They must rely on themselves.
Their own resources.
Their own effort.
They become wizards outside the system.
Independent.
Unrecognized,
Until they prove themselves.
If they reach the peak of the Wizard Apprentice Stage,
They can enter the Federation.
The door remains open.
But only for those who show value.
Li Xueyao's gaze softens.
She watches the children below.
Their nervous expressions.
Their excitement.
Their hope.
A faint smile appears on her lips.
For a moment,
Her thoughts drift.
She wonders,
If she will ever stand here again,
With Kaelan's child.
Watching.
Guiding.
Waiting.
She exhales softly.
Then,
Her expression shifts.
She senses something.
A familiar aura.
Her eyes move across the testing ground.
Then stop.
A girl.
Standing among the children.
Talking to a boy beside her.
Li Xueyao's gaze lingers.
She recognizes her immediately.
Her voice carries a trace of surprise.
"Declan…"
A figure appears beside her.
Declan.
Calm.
Respectful.
He follows her gaze.
Li Xueyao continues,
"Why is Olivia here?"
Her tone is not harsh.
But questioning.
She glances at him.
"Don't think I don't like my granddaughter…"
"But shouldn't Olivia be at your Emotion Thunder Tower?"
Declan gives a small, helpless smile.
"First Mother…"
"I wanted her to be."
He looks toward the girl below.
"But you know her."
"She idolizes her grandfather."
A pause.
"And she wants to study at the first Wizard Academy."
Li Xueyao does not reply immediately.
Her gaze returns to the ground.
Olivia steps forward.
The first test begins.
Mental Activity Test.
The formation glows faintly.
Olivia closes her eyes.
Moments pass.
Then,
The result appears.
Nine points.
A high score.
Li Xueyao nods slightly.
Expected.
The second test follows.
Elemental Resonance Test.
Energy flows around Olivia.
Thunder flickers.
Crackling.
Responsive.
The result forms.
Eight points.
Her affinity with the Thunder Element is strong.
The highest among her affinities.
Again,
As expected.
The final test.
Will Power Test.
The atmosphere changes.
Pressure descends.
Invisible.
But heavy.
Olivia's expression tightens.
She stands firm.
Endures.
Time passes.
Then,
The result appears.
Six points.
Her total,
Twenty-three.
She passes easily.
Below,
Olivia smiles brightly.
She cheers.
Turns toward the boy beside her.
Encouraging him.
The boy steps forward.
Nervous.
But determined.
The Mental Activity Test begins.
He scores,
Seven.
Decent.
The Elemental Resonance Test follows.
The energy responds weakly.
The result,
Four.
Li Xueyao shakes her head slightly.
Her eyes narrow.
This is where it becomes difficult.
His total is eleven.
To pass,
He needs at least nine points in Will Power.
But,
That is rare.
Very rare.
For children,
Reaching eight is already difficult.
Reaching nine,
Is nearly impossible.
Still,
The boy steps into the final test.
The pressure descends.
His body stiffens.
His breathing becomes uneven.
Below,
Olivia watches.
Her fists clench.
Her voice rises in encouragement.
But Li Xueyao knows,
This path,
Will not be easy for him.
And from above,
She watches.
Silently.