In the wizarding world, the mental power thresholds for magic apprentices were clearly defined:
Novice Apprentice: 10 pointsLow-level Apprentice: 10–30 pointsMid-level Apprentice: 30–50 pointsSenior Apprentice: 50–70 points- - Mage (Archapprentice): 70–90 points
As for official Mages and above? Their mental power likely soared past 100 points.
Yet mental power alone was never the sole measure of an apprentice's strength.Knowledge—that was the only true gauge of a mage's power. With the magical and elemental wisdom official Mages commanded, even a newly promoted Level 1 Mage could easily overpower and kill three Archapprentices. Beyond the gap in knowledge, Kai had learned from his years in the library that one of the most striking differences between official Mages and apprentices lay in how they cast spells: Mages were no longer limited to channeling only the magic power within their bodies.
Using less mental energy to harness elemental forces from the natural world—or even from other planes—was another mark of an official Mage's might. No wonder the minimum requirement for joining planar wars in the wizarding world was reaching the Level 1 life tier (whether as a Knight or Mage). Not only did Level 1 beings have the resilience to survive harsh planar environments, but their strength had also undergone a qualitative leap compared to those below Level 1.
The wizarding civilization had no use for low-tier Knight or Mage legions as cannon fodder. Their came from other sources: slave beast legions raised by Towers and Knight Orders, or allied creatures from vassal planes under the Wizarding Alliance—all were ideal for throwing into the fray.
At just over thirty, Kai had already reached the Archapprentice tier—a rarity even at Azure Source Tower. Based solely on his age and talent, his odds of advancing to official Mage in the future were at least 60%—an extraordinarily high figure.
After saying goodbye to Glen at the library, Kai carried his newly checked-out tome,Spectra of Light, toward his residence. He hadn't moved in five years. When he first arrived at Azure Source Tower, he'd briefly considered buying a maid to clean his rooms and tend to his daily needs. But that thought faded as his studies grew more intense and his schedule more packed. Kai had never been one to crave others' service.
Of course, back at Count Grant's castle, ten young virgin maids had attended to him—but that, he suspected, was more Count Grant's way of showing care… and perhaps hoping Kai would leave behind an heir or two.
Speaking of which, Kai was no longer young. Over the past five years, he'd maintained a habit of writing to Count Grant once every six months. Sometimes the Count replied; sometimes he didn't. Sending a magic letter inscribed with a high-grade energy crystal was no small expense for the Count—he'd only waste it if something truly urgent arose.
Kai's younger brother, Solon, had married three years ago and fathered a son two years back. The Count had mentioned this in a letter, even including a magical image of the chubby infant. After Solon had an heir, the Count had also broached a sensitive topic: the inheritance of the Count title.
Marrying at twenty was neither early nor late for a noble, but fathering a child just a year later? Solon certainly had a knack for continuing the bloodline.
Kai cared little for the Count title. While the Count was still in good health and far from retiring, it was time to name an heir. In his letter, the Count had confirmed Kai remained the first in line. But after Kai wrote back, stating his resolve to pursue the path of magical truth, both men understood silently: the title would likely pass to Solon.
Solon had decent talent, but he was nowhere near as gifted as Count Grant had been in his youth. The Count, now an Arch-Knight, had a 50–60% chance of advancing to Level 1 Knight. Solon, however, would likely top out at Senior Squire or Arch-Knight— and by the time he reached that tier, he'd be too old to ever aim for Level 1.
Compared to the hundreds or thousands of years a Level 1 being could live, the decades (or at most a century) of a common squire's lifespan seemed fleeting. Passing the title to Solon made perfect sense. In fact, in the wizarding world's secular realms, noble titles almost always went to those below Level 1. What Level 1+ Knight or Mage would waste time managing fiefdoms or worrying about commoners' lives?
The boundless astral sea, countless planes, and infinite unknowns and riches—those were their true pursuits. This was why Level 1+ beings in the wizarding world existed in a realm entirely separate from those below. Differences in values, outlook, and vision split the wizarding world into two distinct societies.
Kai aspired to join the society of Level 1+ beings. Secular noble titles held no allure for him—just as he'd never felt any affection for the maids at the Count's castle.
When Kai reached his residence, a black raven perched on the railing outside his door. At the same time, Owl 小 (Xiao Qi) flew out of Kai's spatial flute. The raven flinched visibly at Xiao Qi's appearance, bowing its head slightly. It was a magical messenger from the academy.
"Is there a letter for me?" Kai asked.
"Caw," the raven croaked, then regurgitated an envelope shimmering with faint elemental energy from its stomach. Using its gut to carry letters was a peculiar trait of these ravens—no wonder these low-tier magical beasts were trained as messengers by the Tower.
The faint elemental aura on the envelope served two purposes: it protected the letter from damage during transport, and it assured the recipient the letter was confidential and unopened. Any attempt to open it would drain the aura; by checking its brightness, Kai could verify the letter's integrity.
The sender was, of course, Count Grant. Kai had written to him two months earlier—before his breakthrough to Archapprentice—so the Count didn't yet know of his advancement. After a brief update on the Grant family and a question about Kai's life at the Tower, the Count got to the point:
Kai's maternal grandfather had passed away.
As one of Kai's few remaining blood relatives in the wizarding world, his grandfather's death was news he deserved to hear. The old man had truly loved Kai's mother, Catherine—and though Kai had met him only a few times, he held a faint affection for him, especially remembering the way his grandfather had murmured softly at Catherine's tomb.
The news stirred a quiet sadness in Kai, whose heart had grown calm after years of studying at Azure Source Tower. Such was the path of a truth-seeker: to pursue elemental wisdom, one must often let go of things—family ties included.
He wondered: had the Mages of the wizarding world, who lived for hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years, all endured the pain of losing loved ones? A common being's decades of life were so brief. Only truth was eternal.
This was why, as Mages grew stronger and older, they grew emotionally colder—pouring their entire beings into the pursuit of truth.
Kai's grandfather had lived a good life. As a noble, he'd known little hardship, and his death had been peaceful. According to the Count's letter, he'd passed suddenly—just the day before, he'd been chatting over dinner about finding a noble suitor for his granddaughter (Serena), and even talked of holding his great-grandchild someday. He'd smiled in his final moments; no one knew if he'd dreamed of that great-grandchild.
The one who grieved truly, tears streaming, was Serena—Kai's cousin, whom he'd never met. The Count added in his letter that after handling the funeral, Serena would come to Azure Source Tower to seek Kai's care.
Kai knew Serena's decision to come wasn't her own. The Count suspected the Feren family (her maternal line) had urged her. Officially, they claimed Kai's grandfather had wished for Kai to look after Serena before his death—but the old man had died so suddenly, there was no time for a will.
As for how the Feren family knew Kai was at Azure Source Tower? That was the Count's fault. Two years earlier, when he'd celebrated the birth of his grandson, he'd drunk too much aged magical beast wine and let it slip at a banquet. Word had spread to many nobles in the Licia Alliance.
Serena wouldn't arrive anytime soon—the distance between the Licia Alliance and Azure Source Tower was vast. The bigger problem was that the academy wasn't in its enrollment period. If Serena wanted to join, Kai would have to find another way. Should he ask Headmaster Johnny for help? Or Mage Irene?
He could certainly bribe other official Mages with a few Level 1 energy crystals to recommend her, but he didn't want to flaunt his wealth. Asking someone he knew was safer.
Shaking his head, Kai set the matter aside for now. Entering his residence, he headed straight for the meditation room on the second floor. His newly advanced mental power needed stabilizing. He wondered how much more he could (boost) it before the Regional Tower Academy War in five years—could he reach the 90-point limit for apprentices?
Half a year later.
In his laboratory, Kai leaned over an experiment table covered in crystal lenses, observing the phenomena before him and the data feedback with calm focus. He now had six such tables in his lab!
It was only thanks to the vast legacy left by his mentor, Moses, that Kai could attempt such high-difficulty composite experiments as an apprentice. Of course, his own ability and knowledge played a huge role—few Archapprentices could handle experiments this complex.
A beam of golden light suddenly erupted from the table, illuminating the entire lab. It passed through the crystal lenses before it, then shot across the other five tables. The radiance made the room glow like a palace. A closer look revealed a tiny, blazing golden spark at the center of each table.
These sparks were the core of Kai's experiment—and they looked like miniature golden eyes.
Upgrading and reforming the Sun Eye spell had been Kai's long-term goal since he joined Azure Source Tower five years earlier. It took him three years to fill in the gaps in his foundational knowledge, and another year and a half to compile his insights into Light Element magic before finally starting the project. Half a year ago, he'd finally made progress.
Kai realized that to fully upgrade Sun Eye to meet his expectations, relying mainly on Fire Element power (as he had before) was far from enough. He needed to incorporate far more Light Element power—making it account for 50%, or even more, of the spell's energy. Only then would Sun Eye cease to be a pure Fire Element spell and become a hybrid Fire-Light spell, nearly of Kai's own creation.
Its power would likely increase three to six times! This would be the strongest spell an apprentice could master—surpassing even advanced magic and approaching the power of spells only official Mages could wield.
But Kai's ambition didn't stop there. He believed Sun Eye still had room to grow. Like a madman, he delved deeper into the mysteries of Fire and Light Elements, striving to grasp their core secrets and perfect his research.
Every wisp of golden light from the tables carried a wealth of information. Kai's task was to record, discover, and decipher it—for truth lay hidden in this tedious flood of data. A faint, almost maniacal smile tugged at his lips. Only someone as utterly immersed in the pursuit of truth as Kai could find joy in such monotonous experiments.
Suddenly, a vibration from his crystal orb—followed by a loud voice—made Kai's hand jerk. The golden light on his table winked out instantly, and the sparks on the other five tables vanished too. The room dimmed, and Kai's expression turned dark—dark enough to kill. If an Arch-Magical Beast had appeared before him then, he would've torn it apart without hesitation.
"Kai, someone's here to see you—they say they're your relative!"
The voice came from Official Mage Irene. Kai took a deep breath, forcing down his rage and impulse. "I see," he replied.
Seething with anger at the ruined experiment, Kai walked out of the academy. To his surprise, Irene— the one who'd interrupted him—looked just as furious.
"What's the big idea? I messaged you several times, and you never replied!" she snapped. "I had to use my instructor's authority to force your crystal orb online just to reach you."
Irene had been waiting outside for half a day—nearly the entire morning.
"I was conducting a magical experiment," Kai said after a brief pause.
"Did you shield your crystal orb?" Irene asked.
Kai nodded.
Irene rolled her eyes. In truth, Kai had modified both his crystal orb and his Azure Source Tower badge long ago—a habit of any alchemist. Few people ever contacted him, but he hated being interrupted mid-experiment or study. Before starting his Sun Eye research, he'd set his crystal orb to silent mode. He hadn't expected Irene to bypass it using her instructor's internal authority.
Of course, the orb had been issued by the academy when he enrolled. Compared to the low-tier crystal orb his senior brother Zoro had made for him years ago, this one was higher-grade and more functional. Kai had grown used to using it—though even after his modifications, he suspected there were deeper settings he hadn't uncovered yet.
He made a mental note to take the orb apart and rebuild it once he got back. He couldn't risk another interruption during an experiment.
Irene raised an eyebrow at Kai's ability to shield his orb, but quickly got down to business. She was swamped lately, and she wasn't even on duty outside the academy. That morning, a mid-level female apprentice had arrived, claiming to be Kai's cousin. The on-duty Mages had messaged Kai first, but with his orb shielded, he'd received nothing. When they couldn't reach him, they'd checked the academy's records and found Irene had helped Kai enroll. Assuming she was his sponsor, they'd called her out. No wonder she'd been fuming when she saw Kai—it was all a hassle she didn't need.
"Is this your cousin?!" Irene turned, pointing to a green-haired female apprentice standing behind her, who was around 1.6 meters tall.
Kai finally noticed the girl. The mid-level apprentice looked to be about twenty, with wavy green hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore a black-and-white skirt—popular among noble ladies—paired with a brown cloak. She looked travel-worn, as if she'd journeyed a long way to reach Azure Source Tower.
Kai had never met Serena, nor had he seen a magical image of her. Serena, too, only knew Kai from her family's descriptions: blond hair, blue-black eyes, tall, and aloof. Both fell into a momentary daze when they saw each other.
Thankfully, Kai knew the Blood Tracing Spell his mentor Moses had taught him. Serena was his blood relative—her mother and Kai's mother were sisters—and the spell would react.
Serena, still flustered, soon remembered the tokens she carried: the Feren family crest, a handwritten letter from Count Grant, and her grandfather's walking cane. The cane was her most cherished possession; holding it made her feel her grandfather was still with her.
At the sight of the cane, Kai's anger at the ruined experiment melted away, replaced by a quiet sadness and nostalgia.
"Looks like she is. I'm leaving," Irene said, shaking her head and turning to go. But Kai called out to her before she could take a step.
"Wait, Mage. There's something I need to ask of you," he said quickly.
Irene sighed. "What now?"
"Could you help recommend her for enrollment at the academy?" Kai asked, gesturing to Serena.
Serena's face lit up with a mix of joy, hope, anxiety, and excitement. She was shy and terrible at asking favors—even with family, she rarely spoke up unless prompted. When her family had urged her to seek Kai's help, she'd been unsure if she could even bring herself to ask. To hear Kai speak up for her, directly asking an official Mage, filled her with gratitude. She stared at Irene anxiously, afraid the Mage would shake her head.
Irene was actually quite easygoing—and she knew Kai was on good terms with Headmaster Johnny. She sighed, glaring at Kai. "Just what I needed—more trouble. Come on."
With that, she strode into the academy. Kai followed. Serena, unused to traveling alone, stood frozen for a moment before realizing they'd walked away. She hurried to catch up.
Entering the academy from the outer area meant crossing the turquoise plant bridge spanning the sea. The breathtaking scenery left Serena wide-eyed with wonder. Even the towering turquoise Azure Source Tower in the center of the academy filled her with awe and longing.
In some ways, Serena and Kai were alike. Their eye colors differed, but their eye shapes were similar, and both had pale skin.