Opening Space

“Of course he is! How could I not be?”

However, the response did not come from Eventador’s voice. Instead, it was an aged yet resonant voice that rang out abruptly in the room, making Starlight jump in startlement.

Starlight looked around, but there was no one else in the room besides the three of them. No matter how he searched, he couldn't find the source of the voice.

“Stop looking, I'm right here.”

In the blink of an eye, a white-haired old man in a grey robe was suddenly sitting in the chair behind the office desk.

Deep wrinkles lined the old man's face, and he looked so frail that one couldn't help but worry if he could even stand up.

Yet, such an unremarkable-looking old man had appeared before him without any warning. This left Starlight greatly astonished, and he instinctively took two steps back.

Even when the spatial Archmage Eventador cast spells, Starlight believed he could detect some slight traces. But with this old man, he felt nothing at all, as if the man didn't even exist in this world.

“Little Star, don't be alarmed. This is the teacher of Arthur, Eventador, and myself—Master Mowei. It's been a long time, Teacher.”

Noah floated silently to Starlight's side and whispered the reminder. At the same time, the book's cover dipped deeply in the air, as if performing a bow.

“Hmph... You still have the nerve to come back? And appearing in this state, it is truly unpleasant to behold!”

Mowei slightly lifted his wrinkled face, let out a cold snort, and looked at Noah floating in mid-air.

“This... I also...” Noah was like a child who had made a mistake, stammering and not knowing what to say.

“Forget it, don't explain to me. I've already heard everything you said. Challenging the Heavenly Demon was your own choice; you can only blame yourself for not having mastered your skills!”

Mowei waved his hand at Noah with some impatience, signaling him not to repeat himself. Then, he stood up tremulously from his seat and walked over to Starlight.

“Arthur's son, is it? Truly a Radiant Elemental Body. And this sealing technique I've never seen before—is this the method to shield fate that you spoke of, Carlos?”

The old man stared at Starlight for a long time with eyes that seemed capable of seeing through all things in the world. Only then did he look away, asking the question with a sigh of wonder.

Starlight wanted to answer, but he found himself as if bound to the spot, unable to move at all. It wasn't until Mowei approached him that he realized why this unremarkable old man was the teacher of three Saint Rank experts.

Although Mowei didn't release a shred of aura or mana, a daunting sensation emanated from him. If Starlight had to describe it, it was something that could only be felt with a sixth sense.

“I've also heard the plan you mentioned; theoretically, it's feasible. However, in this era of peace, it won't be easy to find all the Grand Archmages. You must be prepared for a long period of wandering.”

As the old man spoke, he reached out and casually patted Starlight. Only then did Starlight feel his body return to his control.

“Alright, since Carlos has already seen me, go ahead and do what you need to do! Evan, you go and help him out.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

After Mowei finished speaking, he walked back behind the desk and sat down. That inexplicable sensation from before had vanished without a trace.

After he was seated, Eventador stepped forward and said to Starlight and Noah, “Come! Little Star, hold out your hand. Noah, you come over here too!”

“Hmm? Aren't you going to teach him how to open a storage space? Why involve me?” Although Noah was somewhat reluctant, he still floated between the two, looking at his old friend in confusion.

“Heh, this has been one of my research directions for a long time. Now that I have such perfect experimental subjects like you, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Don't look at me like that! I can't guarantee anything else, but when it comes to space magic, I am absolutely an expert!” Eventador said with full confidence.

Looking at Eventador’s smiling face, Starlight felt a slight sense of unease, but by then, his hand was already gripped by the other man.

“Little Star, you just need to stay calm and follow my lead. It might be a bit uncomfortable... but it should be... within an acceptable range.”

After Eventador finished speaking, a strange vibration, unlike anything Starlight had ever felt, traveled up his arm.

At first, Starlight only felt as if his entire body were coated in a layer of cool mud. Though the sensation and weight were odd, it was generally acceptable.

But as time passed, that weight began to become increasingly absurd. It started to condense toward his chest, making even his breathing somewhat hurried.

In truth, learning the most basic magic like storage space didn't require such a great effort for Starlight. However, Eventador’s intention was to condense an unprecedented storage space for him all at once.

That suffocating pressure was the manifestation of a spatial Archmage's transcendent ability.

Under this intense pressure, Starlight could feel the mana within his body acting like a hammer under Eventador’s guidance, frantically forging at his chest.

The small space that almost crushed the breath out of him gradually became solid under the output of a massive amount of mana.

After a difficult process lasting over an hour, that originally tiny and fragile space, nourished by a vast sea of mana, gradually solidified into shape. Had it been anyone else, they likely would have fainted during this long and high-intensity process.

But as it happened, the soul link between Starlight and Noah existed, which greatly enhanced his resistance to pressure, allowing him to persevere until now.

Even with mana and mental strength far exceeding those of his peers, the continuous mana output for over an hour left him feeling unprecedentedly exhausted.

Just as he was about to give up, the space located at his chest finally turned into a perfect circle.

As that perfectly circular space solidified, a terrifying spatial ripple erupted uncontrollably from his chest.

The powerful force caused the wooden furniture in the room to crack with ear-piercing creaks, and it looked as though the entire room would turn into ruins.

Mowei, who had been watching the three of them, sighed and reached out an aged hand to snap his fingers. The cracking furniture and floor immediately stopped splintering and even began to slowly restore themselves.

Only then did Eventador satisfyly withdraw his hand, casting a look of praise at the somewhat weakened Starlight.

“It really worked! It seems my research direction hasn't strayed from the right path! Teacher, did you see that?”

“Mm... but we don't yet know if this can be considered an isolated case. After all, the situation with those two is very unique.”

Eventador looked at Mowei with some excitement, as if he had just accomplished something very remarkable.