On the very last day, there was an unexpected surprise.
The seventh trial palace began to glow faintly, signaling that his bond with Poppy and Pixie had reached its peak. The competition could begin.
Tom had no choice but to postpone his return to New York by a day.
He prepared an abundance of food and summoned the two little gluttons to feast together.
In truth, it was merely a formality.
He had already mastered a method of rapidly converting food into energy. No matter how much he ate, he could digest it almost instantly. By the end, however, his cheeks felt slightly numb from constant chewing.
After a full day and a half, Poppy finally refused to eat another bite. With a soft thud, it flopped into its nest and began snoring. The trial was complete.
At present, his white magic far surpassed his dark magic. But after acquiring the new talent, learning dark magic felt almost divinely assisted. It was as though Transcendent Mode was permanently switched on. Every second brought improvement.
It would not take long for his dark magic to catch up, achieving a balanced state between the two.
Then the appearance of the ninth trial erased his final concern.
[Ninth Trial: Phoenix]
[Trial Content: In this world, phoenixes are exceptionally skilled at Apparition. The host must compete in a global Apparition race against an adult phoenix. Starting point: the North Pole. Ending point: the South Pole. First to arrive wins.]
[Note: No potion assistance permitted. The opponent must exert full strength.]
[Trial Reward: Detected that the host possesses Thunderbird bloodline. Original reward was Phoenix bloodline. Upon completion, bloodlines may fuse and ascend, granting Ancient Phoenix bloodline.]
[Ancient Phoenix Bloodline: Sacred being. Sovereign of flame. Capable of rebirth through Nirvana. Purifies all negative effects. Immune to dark magic erosion. Immune to curses of equal magical power.]
Having spent so much time befriending Fawkes, Tom knew exactly what abilities a phoenix possessed.
But it was that final line that struck deepest.
Immune to dark magic side effects.
That meant he could push dark magic to its limits without restraint, raising his ceiling as high as possible, then bring white magic up to match.
Left foot stepping on right foot.
One boost upon another.
Ascending straight to the heavens.
As for the race itself, he would need careful study once he returned. He had no idea how powerful Fawkes truly was when exerting full effort in Apparition.
That afternoon, Tom and Fleur returned to New York.
In the evening, Jacob and Queenie came by to see them off. Queenie held Fleur's hands the entire time, chatting warmly. She truly adored the girl. She had even taught Fleur her most prized skill, Legilimency.
Thanks to her Veela bloodline, Fleur had a natural affinity for mental magic. The two had formed an unspoken mentor and student bond, and Fleur treated the older woman with sincere respect and affection.
After dinner, while the women were absorbed in conversation, Tom called Newt into the back garden and explained the new trial.
"Put that aside for a moment," the old magizoologist said, looking at him strangely. "You're telling me you beat a panda in an eating contest?"
Newt was well aware of the previous trial's requirement. It was not enough to tame the pandas. Tom had to out eat them.
"What's so surprising about that?"
Tom shrugged. "I created a spell that rapidly digests food and enhances magical activity."
He smirked lightly.
"It would suit you, actually. At your age, digestion becomes troublesome."
Newt nodded thoughtfully. "Teach it to me later. When I was younger, I could eat quite a bit. Not anymore. A small meal and I'm already stuffed."
Truthfully, the spell would suit Daphne best. With a slimming potion combined with digestive magic, she could eat endlessly all day without consequence.
"Phoenix…" Newt murmured, drifting into contemplation.
"My understanding of them is limited. They're far too rare. But according to what I know, phoenixes surpass wizards in Apparition. They even outmatch house elves. If you want to win, it won't be easy."
He rubbed his chin.
"The longest recorded distance I know of was when Dumbledore used Fawkes to travel from Hogwarts directly to Versailles. That's well over a thousand kilometers."
"That's not even the hardest part. When I perform long distance Apparition, I need time to recover after each jump. Phoenixes do not. They can perform consecutive large scale movements without pause."
Tom nodded.
He could force himself to Apparate a thousand kilometers in one leap, but as Newt said, afterward his brain would feel half stunned, unable to immediately focus on the next destination.
He had never tested how long he would need to recover at his absolute limit.
"One step at a time," Newt said, patting his shoulder. "You've overcome so many obstacles already. I believe you'll succeed this time as well."
Newt had watched Tom grow step by step. Many challenges he had deemed impossible had been conquered nonetheless.
"You have quite a bit of confidence in me."
Tom smiled. There was no worry in his expression. After so many trials, this was simply another mountain to climb.
They did not linger outside long before returning indoors to join Tina and the others in conversation.
Tom had not forgotten President Picquery's hostility toward Tina.
He simply had not found the right opportunity to act. More importantly, it was not suitable for him to intervene personally.
He had already instructed Rouse to investigate the Picquery family's background and residence.
Once he had the necessary information, action could be taken swiftly.
Morning enlightenment.
Evening death.