Three days later, Kaelan walks through the long corridor of the Wizard Academy, his steps steady as his thoughts remain buried in planning.
A voice calls from behind him.
"Teacher."
Kaelan stops and turns.
Lu Chen walks toward him at a measured pace, posture straight, eyes bright with restrained excitement.
Kaelan studies him carefully.
Lu Chen's aura is unmistakable.
He has reached the Bronze Realm of Wizardry.
More than that, the faint but distinct pressure of a demon beast lingers within his body.
Lu Chen chose a dangerous path.
He first refined demon beast blood to temper his physique, forcing his body into the threshold of a Bronze Wizard.
Then, using the feedback from the strengthened physical form, he dragged his spirit and mana upward, completing the breakthrough in a single chain reaction.
It is a method with high mortality and irreversible consequences.
But Lu Chen succeeded.
Lu Chen stops in front of him and bows deeply.
"Good morning, Teacher, and congratulations."
Kaelan nods once.
"Do you need anything?"
Kaelan turns and resumes walking down the corridor.
Lu Chen falls in step behind him, half a pace back, respectful and expectant.
"Teacher," Lu Chen says, "Gu Yun went with Master Tang."
Kaelan responds without slowing.
"Yes, and?"
Lu Chen hesitates for a breath, then gathers his courage.
"I want a task like Gu Yun."
Kaelan continues walking as his thoughts shift.
The Wizard Academy in the Chen Kingdom still does not exist.
Without an academy, the Wizard path there remains fragile, dependent on individuals rather than institutions.
More importantly, without a centralised academy, the Chen Kingdom parliament remains unchecked.
An academy must be built.
But not just any academy.
It needs someone strong enough to suppress dissent, experienced enough to guide growth, and loyal enough to uphold the Wizard way.
Lu Chen is suitable as a teacher.
But he is not suitable as the head.
Kaelan considers the six former Divine Mind Qi Refiners who converted to the Wizard path.
They are powerful, but they are still healing from the injuries sustained during their defeat.
For now, they are unusable.
His two clones are stationed here in the Tang Kingdom.
Sending one away would disrupt the academy's functioning, especially with his upcoming deep retreat to reconstruct his magic circuits.
Kaelan searches his mind for someone free.
Veena appears in his thoughts.
She cultivates alone in her wizard tower outside the capital.
She is advancing rapidly, but she contributes nothing to the spread of the Wizard way.
Kaelan's spirit expands silently.
A crow perched somewhere within the capital stiffens as his will descends upon it.
A simple command is transmitted.
Veena is to go to the Chen Kingdom.
Veena is to build the Wizard Academy there.
Kaelan withdraws his spirit and stops in front of a door.
He pushes it open and enters his office within the Wizard Academy.
He walks behind the table and takes his seat.
Lu Chen stands opposite him, hands clenched at his sides.
Kaelan looks at him directly.
"I need you to choose two of your batchmates," Kaelan says, "and together go to the Chen Kingdom."
Lu Chen's eyes widen slightly.
"You will become teachers at the Wizard Academy there."
Joy flashes across Lu Chen's face, followed almost immediately by confusion.
"Teacher," he asks carefully, "is there already a Wizard Academy in the Chen Kingdom?"
Kaelan answers calmly.
"At present, no."
Lu Chen stiffens.
Kaelan continues.
"You and your batchmates will assist Veena in building it."
The weight of the task settles heavily on Lu Chen's shoulders.
This is not a simple assignment.
This is frontier work.
Opposition will be constant.
Failure will be costly.
Lu Chen lowers his gaze, breath steadying as he contemplates the responsibility.
After a long moment, he nods.
"I understand."
He bows deeply.
"Thank you, Teacher, for the task, and I will do my best."
Lu Chen turns to leave.
"Wait."
Lu Chen freezes and turns back.
Kaelan looks at him steadily.
"For many years, you will not meet me again."
Lu Chen's expression tightens.
"So before you go, you may ask me three questions regarding your cultivation."
Shock flickers across Lu Chen's face.
Then joy.
Unrestrained, almost trembling joy.
"Thank you, Teacher."
He opens his mouth to speak, words tumbling against each other.
Kaelan raises a hand.
"Not now."
Lu Chen stops immediately.
"I will give you two days to think carefully about the questions," Kaelan says.
He pauses.
"This opportunity is also for the two batchmates who will go with you."
"Two days," Kaelan continues, "come together and ask your questions at once."
Lu Chen stands motionless for a breath, absorbing the meaning.
Then he bows deeply, almost to the floor.
"Yes, Teacher."
He turns and leaves, closing the door behind him with controlled precision.
Kaelan watches the closed door for a moment.
Three students went with Tang Luyan.
Three more will leave for the Chen Kingdom.
That leaves six.
Six is enough.
Each of those six can be placed in charge of a new Wizard Academy for one of the six provinces or prefectures within the Tang Kingdom.
The framework is forming.
The Wizard way will no longer depend on him alone.
With the future laid out in his mind, Kaelan lowers his gaze to the documents piled neatly on his desk.
He begins reading the files he left untouched for days, one after another, while the academy outside continues to grow under his silent design.
Reports pile up steadily, detailing expansion, recruitment numbers, resource flow, and resistance from old factions, all of which he processes without pause.
Then one file makes him stop.
A frontline report.
His eyes narrow slightly as he reads.
The war against the Night Dynasty has fully crystallised into clear camps.
Among the three supreme demon forces, positions have been chosen.
The Demon Temple has allied itself with the Night Dynasty.
The Night Council has openly sided with the Twilight Race.
The Demon Palace has declared neutrality and withdrawn to the barren, frozen north, establishing its base amid endless ice and silence.
Among the six royal demon families, divisions are sharp.
The Silver Moon Wolf Clan and the Platinum Tiger Clan have pledged themselves to the Night Dynasty.
The Light Peacock Clan and the Three-Eyed Lion Clan have chosen the Twilight Race.
The Golden-Tailed Fox Clan has moved north and aligned itself with the Demon Palace.
The Thunder Whale Clan has officially declared neutrality, yet its subordinate Lightning Whale Clan has joined the Night Dynasty, making the true stance of the Thunder Whale Clan painfully obvious.
Kaelan exhales slowly.
Neutrality is often the loudest declaration.
He continues reading.
Among the thirteen demon noble families, the fractures deepen.
The Black Tiger Clan, Death Giant Serpent Clan, Bone Mantis Clan, and Giant Shark Clan have chosen the Night Dynasty.
The Horned Serpent Clan, Winged Serpent Clan, Armoured Crocodile Clan, and Blood Hound Clan have sided with the Twilight Race.
The Fire Ant Clan, Thunder Roc Clan, and Blood Eagle Clan have gone north and joined the Demon Palace.
The Sound Dolphin Clan remains neutral.
Kaelan pauses there.
The Sound Dolphin Clan resides in the waters near the Second Wizard Academy, and his third clone is already in discussion with them about allying with the Wizard way.
That, at least, is moving in the right direction.
He shifts his attention to the human side.
Among the human race, the eight human kingdoms and the Silver Treasure House have openly sided with the Twilight Race.
Kaelan himself supports the Twilight Race, not out of loyalty, but out of necessity.
The Divine Puppet Sect has tried to kill him repeatedly.
Now it is clear why.
Nyxarin, the God of Night, is also the god worshipped by the Divine Puppet Sect.
Their alignment was inevitable.
Kaelan's expression darkens as he reads further.
The Nine Gang Qi Martial Art Sects.
His frown becomes unmistakable.
He does not consider the Night Dynasty or the Twilight Race his true competitors.
They are strong now, but their future potential is limited, bound by bloodlines, gods, and rigid paths.
The Nine Gang Qi Martial Art Sects are different.
Like him, they are foreign forces to this world.
They do not belong.
They do not integrate.
They invade.
Their long-term goals mirror his own in structure, if not in intent.
World control.
Dominance over all cultivation systems.
The report states that the Nine Gang Qi Martial Art Sects have gained immense fame on the frontline due to their direct participation in battles.
Their cultivators fight openly, decisively, and without restraint.
The nine sect leaders have become de facto representatives of the human race at the frontline.
More troubling still, many demons with weak or diluted bloodlines have joined the Nine Gang Qi Martial Art Sects, drawn by power that does not judge lineage.
Kaelan leans back slightly.
This is dangerous.
His goal, after fully conquering the human race, is the demon race.
But he has not yet created a cultivation method that can supplement the demons' missing spirituality.
Without that, he cannot properly integrate them into the Wizard way.
For now, nothing can be done on that front.
But allowing the Nine Gang Qi Martial Art Sects to monopolise influence at the frontline is unacceptable.
If the Wizard way does not appear there, it will be seen as weak, passive, or irrelevant.
That cannot be allowed.
He must send a representative of the Wizard way to the frontline.
Someone visible.
Someone powerful.
Someone capable of standing against the Night Dynasty openly.
Kaelan closes the file and makes a decision.
He extends his spirit outward.
A crow perched outside the academy stiffens as his will descends.
A single command passes through the bond.
Inform Chen Qi.
Tell him to come immediately.
Kaelan withdraws his spirit and returns his attention to the remaining files, already calculating how the Wizard Way will step onto the battlefield without exposing its still-growing foundation.