A visually stunning architectural complex came into view. The central building consisted of seven white spires spiraling upwards. At the peak where the seven spires converged, a gigantic magic crystal hovered, looking like seven silver dragons fighting over a rare treasure with their fangs.
Beneath the giant towers, tall buildings stood in great numbers everywhere else. The outer walls were constructed from matte silver stone, which could block magical probing, while sturdy mage towers built from starlight rock were neatly arranged inside.
Profound runes floated on every mage tower, surging with powerful magic.
"Identity verified... Supreme Authority, Lady Aina... Access granted..." The tall golem guard at the entrance emitted a cold, mechanical voice.
Xia Lun took a few extra glances at the golem guard. It wore a full suit of armor, and if one didn't look closely, they might mistake it for a living person.
Aside from a normal pair of hands, the golem guard had four additional mechanical arms on its back, which were folded and retracted under normal circumstances. Various weapons hung at its waist, making it look quite formidable.
However, in terms of intelligence, it was clearly far inferior to Serry.
"This golem is the latest work of the Truth Magic Academy. If placed on the outside market, it could probably sell for hundreds of thousands of gold coins," Aina said indifferently. "Ordinary high-tier warriors wouldn't be a match for it."
"Is that so?"
Xia Lun couldn't help but look at it a few more times. Just from its design, this golem was quite attractive. The silver armor, the tall stature, the gleaming swords... It indeed gave people a strong sense of security.
But Aina seemed somewhat dissatisfied with it. "However, the guys in the Golem Development Department still have somewhat limited thinking."
"How so?"
"Making a golem humanoid doesn't provide any benefits for combat," Aina explained to Xia Lun. "Making a golem stand upright like a human while maintaining balance is a very difficult task... If it were made into other, more stable forms, its combat power could be elevated by several levels. This golem looks majestic, but in reality, it is no match for Serry."
Aina glanced at the swords equipped at the golem's waist again. "Furthermore, there is absolutely no need to use these weapons. It could easily be equipped with more lethal magic firearms... I think I told them about these things last time, yet they still haven't improved it."
"Aina," Xia Lun interrupted her and patted her head. "Let me guess... the people in that Golem Development Department are probably all men, right?"
Aina was slightly taken aback. "How did you know?"
"It's nothing. Just let them be; don't interfere anymore," Xia Lun said with a smiling face. "This is a man's romance."
"Incomprehensible," Aina muttered in a low voice, furrowing her brows slightly, clearly baffled by this romance that couldn't be explained by logic and efficiency.
Xia Lun reached out and pinched Aina's cheek.
Smack—
Xia Lun's hand was slapped away mercilessly by Aina.
Such a nostalgic feeling... Xia Lun looked at his slapped hand thoughtfully.
"Don't get handsy outside. What if someone sees us?" Aina warned Xia Lun. "The people here are all top-tier mages in the world."
"Yes, yes, yes, Lord Demon King."
Xia Lun took the initiative to fall half a step behind Aina.
Xia Lun followed Aina all the way to the Round Table Council Chamber at the very top.
Aina walked up to the main doors. As if sensing her, the doors engraved with magic circuits automatically slid open to the sides.
In front of them was a giant round table large enough to seat dozens of people. It was already fully occupied, but upon entering, one could see an empty seat on the outermost edge, clearly reserved for Aina.
There was no extra seat for Xia Lun.
Xia Lun didn't feel awkward at all. After Aina took her seat, he stood behind her.
Fortunately, he wasn't the only one standing. Behind many mages' seats stood several young faces, likely their respective students.
The seated mages suddenly revealed expressions of sudden realization.
So that was it.
Where had their minds wandered earlier? This man was actually Aina's newly accepted student!
Exactly, how could Lady Aina be that kind of person?
The few mages who had been gossiping earlier looked at each other, seeing the embarrassment in one another's eyes.
Others cast envious glances at Xia Lun.
To be able to study and research by her side was such a fortunate thing.
"Let's begin."
Aina spoke coldly, and subsequently, stacks of materials and blueprints were handed to her.
Aina's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear it clearly.
The massive round table venue was very quiet. Only Aina's clear and crisp voice flowed like an icy spring, elaborating on profound magical constructs and theoretical breakthroughs. Her speech was well-organized and logically rigorous; every point she made was like a massive boulder thrown into a lake, stirring up stormy waves in the hearts of the attendees.
From time to time, gasps of astonishment could be heard across the room.
Xia Lun stood behind Aina, his gaze lingering on her smooth silver hair for a long time.
It was a bit of a pity. He should have conveniently tied her hair up before the meeting so he could see her side profile and swan-like neck... Now he could only see the back of her head.
Whatever, the back of her head looked nice too.
Professional magical academic terms tumbled from Aina's lips one after another. The surrounding archmages listened with rapt attention, unwilling to miss a single word... Many even had recording magic devices placed in front of them.
What Aina was saying... Xia Lun couldn't understand at all.
When it came to magic, Xia Lun couldn't even be said to have scratched the surface; he was completely clueless.
Xia Lun had never formally studied any magical knowledge. The few most basic low-tier spells he knew were forcefully condensed through sheer magic power, such as conjuring a flame to light a fire... He was entirely self-taught in an unorthodox way, entirely inadequate in front of proper mages.
Back in Olifendo, Xia Lun had absolutely been an out-and-out bad student. He didn't study properly, and instead, in the washroom with his female classmate Aina... ahem.
Xia Lun looked up at his surroundings and couldn't help but chuckle. He wasn't the only one who didn't understand. The young faces standing behind the seats like him also had bewilderment in their eyes.
Professor Manrid's eyes shone brightly the whole time, and he occasionally spoke up to discuss a point or two with Aina.
Aina spoke in one breath for nearly three hours before letting out a long sigh of relief.
A round of applause erupted in the room.
"Next, please discuss among yourselves." Aina took a sip of the clear tea that a servant had handed to Xia Lun, who then brought it to her.
"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Aina," Xia Lun said with a beaming smile.
Hearing Xia Lun's form of address, Aina's hand paused slightly. What novel game did this guy want to play with her tonight?
The surrounding archmages, meanwhile, wore expressions of as expected.

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"