After receiving an affirmative response from Starlight and the others, Eventador prepared to turn and leave. However, as if suddenly remembering something, he paused mid-step, then turned back toward Starlight with a smile.
“Hmm... I’ve thought it over, and the title of ‘Principal’ seems a bit too stiff. Little Star, from now on, just call me Uncle Evan! Actually, since I’m older than both Arthur and Carlos, it’s only right that you address me as Uncle!”
Without waiting for a reaction from the group, he strode into the sun-drenched open space and vanished into thin air.
“Is this another one of that guy’s strange competitive streaks? Trying to use his age to get one over on us... how childish. But whatever, let him be...”
Noah muttered with a hint of disdain, looking at the spot where Eventador had disappeared, before finally returning to Starlight’s hand.
Not long after the busy principal left, Po Kong and Xia Duo returned, laden with bags and parcels.
After all, the Central Spiritual Arts Academy occupied a massive area with a large resident population, so it naturally had its own commercial districts. Although it was quite a distance from their small house, it wasn't a problem for the two of them given their considerable strength.
Ever since he learned that Starlight possessed a vast storage space, Po Kong had been hatching his own little schemes. On this trip, the two of them had practically brought back half a store’s worth of goods.
Watching them place over a dozen bundles on the ground and unpack them one by one, Starlight couldn't help but feel speechless.
“This BBQ grill... Po Kong, are you sure you’re not joking? You could fit half a cow in there! And that bag—don't tell me you actually packed a furnace? What exactly do you plan to do with all this?”
Starlight felt a headache coming on as he looked at the items Po Kong was unpacking, which included a BBQ grill clearly meant for a street stall and even a small furnace for smelting metal.
Fortunately, his storage space was large enough that storing these things wasn't a problem, but the question remained: why buy them in the first place?
Faced with Starlight’s confusion, Po Kong quickly waved his hands and pointed to Xia Duo beside him. “Little Shadow bought all of this. I was only responsible for the food part!”
“Huh?”
Hearing this, Starlight and Moen turned to Xia Duo in unison, their eyes filled with a silent, questioning soul-search.
Xia Duo felt embarrassed under their gaze, a faint blush creeping across her face.
“Well... isn't this so we can have better supplies during our travels? Besides, it wasn't expensive... Ah! Right, were there always this many flowers here?”
To break the awkwardness, she hastily changed the subject, asking how Starlight and Moen’s morning had gone and inquiring about the flower field outside.
Seeing the look of innocence on her sister’s face, Moen could only offer a helpless smile before recounting Eventador’s visit earlier that morning.
Xia Duo’s expression immediately shifted to one of surprise when she heard that the principal, an Archmage, was willing to personally guide the two of them.
After all, it was one thing for Starlight, given his connections. But as elves, their status was somewhat unique. She had initially thought Eventador’s words yesterday were just polite formalities.
“If that’s the case, then it’s wonderful. Sister, you two can focus on your studies with peace of mind. While Po Kong and I were out, we managed to find a potential lead for information. Hopefully, we can gather some useful news here at the academy.”
“Then we’ll leave that to you~ Since classes start tomorrow, let’s have a few good meals together today! But we can’t let Starlight do all the work by himself again~”
After a brief discussion, the four of them successfully mapped out their schedule for the coming days.
It seemed their lives would be exceptionally busy for the foreseeable future.
...
Early the next morning, after a simple breakfast, Starlight and Moen left the house and headed for the tower where Eventador resided.
After exchanging greetings, Eventador skipped the small talk and dove straight into the day’s lesson.
“Before we officially begin, I want to know your perspective. How do you view the ‘Saint’ in ‘Saint Rank’? Especially you, Little Star.”
For the sake of teaching, Eventador had placed a massive blackboard in his office.
With a flick of his hand, the chalk below the board rose as if guided by an invisible hand, writing several large characters across the surface in a fluid motion.
“According to Noah, Carlos never explained this to you, did he?”
Faced with Eventador’s question, Starlight immediately began to ponder deeply.
As Eventador had said, to prevent Starlight from growing too rapidly, Carlos had deliberately downplayed the use of magic over the past decade. Even Carlos himself rarely used magic in his daily life, which was the complete opposite of what Starlight had encountered since entering the outside world.
To Starlight, the term “Saint Rank” had always been a vague concept, treated more as a benchmark for strength.
To be honest, he had never truly considered the meaning behind the word, let alone how to reach that realm.
Until now, even the goals Noah set for him were relatively vague directions. Now that Eventador had pointed it out directly, Starlight fell into a whirlpool of contemplation.
Compared to the inexperienced Starlight, Moen’s understanding of the world was clearly more defined and profound. She quickly voiced her insight:
“In my view, ‘Saint’ represents a qualitative leap in the level of life. It is like a shackle above the heads of mortals; only by breaking this shackle can a being reach a higher existence.”
Eventador nodded at Moen with satisfaction. Her answer was as precise as a textbook definition. He then followed up with another question.
“Then, how do we break this so-called shackle? You must understand, this isn't something that can be achieved just by talking about it. After all, the known Saint Rank powerhouses on the Leon Continent only number a few dozen in total.”
This question reminded Starlight of a lesson Carlos had given him long ago. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke slowly, sharing his thoughts.
“It is either quantitative change... or qualitative change. My master once said that all accumulation before stepping into the Saint Rank can be seen as the scope of quantitative change. I suspect that when the accumulation of quantity reaches a certain threshold, it will inevitably trigger the opportunity for qualitative change.”
“Hmm, indeed, that certainly fits Carlos’s logic. But Little Star, you seem to have fallen into a misconception. The quantitative and qualitative changes your master mentioned are actually two completely different paths.”
Eventador smiled and tapped the blackboard behind him, causing the chalk to continue writing.
It is true that the vast majority of Saint Rank powerhouses achieve their status through long-term quantitative accumulation of strength, eventually realizing a qualitative change to transcend mortal limits. However, this process is far too long and arduous; many spend their entire lives without ever touching this realm.
For someone like Starlight, whose time is particularly precious, this was clearly not a reasonable path.
Under these circumstances, if Starlight wanted to reach this realm in the shortest time possible, he would need to seek direct qualitative change.
“The ultimate form of elements and mana—Ultimate Power.”
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