Anecdotes

“Under twenty-five... won't that be a bit of a disadvantage for Starlight?”

Even though she didn't know the specifics of the competition, Moen voiced her concerns.

To the elves, who lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, twenty-five years was but a blink of an eye. For humans, however, it was a completely different story.

Many contestants would likely be right on the edge of the twenty-five-year limit, which would undoubtedly put Starlight at a disadvantage.

“Don't you worry, Moen~ Both my teacher and I are certain Little Star can achieve great results. Otherwise, we wouldn't have specifically asked him to come.”

“But why did Grandmaster choose me? Strictly speaking, I'm not exactly a student of the Central Spiritual Arts Academy, am I?”

Facing Starlight's question, Eventador turned his head and looked at his teacher with an inquiring gaze. Seeing no reaction from Mowei, he continued.

“Well... the academy will naturally send its own contestants; you don't need to worry about that. My teacher simply intends to fulfill a personal wager with someone. After all, nobody likes to lose, right?”

“So the old man's bet is still going on! Hahaha! You mean you want Starlight to go see Senior Badora, right? I wonder how she's doing these days~”

Before Starlight could speak, Noah, hanging from his waist, burst into laughter as if remembering something hilarious.

Eventador gave him a dry look but didn't refute him. Instead, he turned back to explain the situation to Starlight.

It turned out that many years ago, Mowei and the Water Archmage Badora had made a bet to see whose student could achieve a higher rank in the Magic Grand Arena.

Without realizing it, the two had been competing in this tournament for over a century, with wins and losses on both sides.

Twenty years ago, the team led by Eventador and his two companions had shone brilliantly, their fame unmatched. However, after that, the talent from the Central Spiritual Arts Academy seemed to plummet from the peak to the bottom.

Not only did the students' potential fail to reach the level of the Golden Generation, but their luck was also abysmal. They either encountered powerful enemies early on or ended up in internal matches due to the draw. For several consecutive sessions, they had failed to take the top spot.

In contrast, the disciples taught by Badora had achieved excellent results over the years. Consequently, the pressure was now focused on Eventador. However, luck was not something he could change.

Eventador had originally lost hope for next year's competition, but Starlight's appearance immediately reignited his confidence. If nothing else, Starlight's Radiant Elemental Body alone was enough to guarantee him exceptional results.

As for his identity, being Arthur's son and Carlos's disciple gave Starlight enough of a connection to Mowei to represent him.

“Hey, Evan, what's the deal between the old man and Senior Badora anyway? They've been going back and forth for so many years; haven't they settled who's right and who's wrong yet? They're so stubborn...”

Noah floated quietly to Eventador's side and asked in a low voice.

“Shh! Keep your voice down! ...You know how much Teacher cares about his pride... He'd never back down easily on something like this! He hasn't even personally attended the last few tournaments!”

Eventador cast a cautious glance toward Mowei. Seeing that he had walked over to the window on the other side of the room, he lowered his voice to reply.

Despite their efforts to keep quiet, Starlight and the other three, standing just a step away, heard everything clearly.

It wasn't hard to tell from their conversation that there were many hidden details behind this.

Although Starlight and the others didn't know the specifics, the chance to hear gossip about Saint Rank experts was rare. They all turned their eyes toward Eventador in unison.

Feeling their curious gazes, Eventador cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.

“Ahem! In any case, Little Star, you'll represent me and my teacher in the arena this time. If you win, I'll go ask Senior Badora to teach you how to use Ultimate Water. How does that sound?”

Starlight naturally couldn't refuse such an offer. After all, he had been searching for information on Ultimate Water for days without success, and now Eventador had brought it up so easily.

Seeing Starlight nod eagerly, Eventador grinned. He turned to Mowei and said, “Teacher, then it's settled? Teacher? What's wrong?”

Mowei didn't seem to hear Eventador at all. His gaze was fixed solemnly on the low-hanging dark clouds outside the window.

The attention of everyone else in the room was drawn by his unusual behavior, and they followed his gaze outside.

In the next second, bright streaks of lightning flashed across the distant sky, like countless silver swords spanning the heavens and piercing through the barrier of the dark clouds.

“Something is coming... Evan! Get ready!”

Mowei's warning seemed to appear directly in their ears, completely unaffected by the rolling thunder outside, causing everyone to jump in surprise.

In an instant, Eventador reacted. His figure vanished and reappeared in front of the bookshelf behind his desk, placing his hand firmly on a white disc.

As the magic formation began to burst with brilliant light, the sharp-eyed Xia Duo caught sight of something in the distance.

A black dot pierced through the thunderclouds, completely ignoring the silver serpents of lightning, approaching the castle at a terrifying speed.

“Is that... could it be...!? It's a dragon!!” Xia Duo cried out.

“A dragon? How is that possible? Why would a dragon suddenly appear here?”

The other three were also drawn by her cry. They stood up and rushed to the window, looking into the distance.

Just as she said, in the brief moment they moved, a massive gold-and-red figure had already torn through the sky, reaching a point where even humans could see it clearly.

Within a few breaths, the gargantuan creature—over a hundred meters long with a wingspan of several hundred meters—was circling above the academy. It let out a deafening dragon's roar at the panicked students below.

The roar seemed to possess a magical power, making the thunder in the sky pale in comparison. It filled the people on the ground with an unprecedented sense of fear and oppression.

It was a pressure that seemed to come from ancient times, making it hard to breathe, as if the entire world were trembling at that moment.

Just then, a giant magic formation suddenly emerged from the ground, emitting a soft and mysterious light that enveloped the entire academy.