"Very good. We have scrutinized your vessel, and it is remarkably suitable for the path of a Body Refinement Wizard. We shall appoint a proper mentor for you."
"Due to the unpleasant incident on the Altar, you will also receive an additional compensation of 10,000 wizard coins."
"Depart now; your new mentor, Guru Wizard, awaits you outside."
Once Li Xi declared he would remain in the Academy, he possessed no further autonomy. Everything had already been orchestrated; the questions were mere formalities. He was ushered out before he could utter a single word.
As Li Xi stepped from the secret room, the Wizard who had remained silent finally spoke: "Dean, the situation aligns with our expectations. We can report unreservedly to the great Purple Flame Saint Mark Wizard."
The one interacting with Li Xi had been the mysterious Dean of the Academy. Almost no Apprentice had ever laid eyes on him, yet Li Xi had failed to glimpse the faces of either Wizard from beginning to end.
"Tell Guru not to let him perish. This boy is specially favored by the Saint Mark Wizard."
"I have already instructed him."
"Excellent. The seed is planted; now we merely await the harvest."
Li Xi was oblivious to the conversation within. Even if he knew, he was powerless. Outside, he met a man with a bare torso covered in shifting, geometric patterns. Standing over two meters tall with explosive muscles, Guru felt like an atavistic beast. The sheer aura radiating from him made Li Xi's scalp tingle; he had no doubt this man could snuff his life out with a flick of a finger.
There was no discourse, only a sharp gesture. Following behind Guru, Li Xi finally observed his environs: soaring spires, flashes of crimson robes, and Apprentices scuttling through the halls. He estimated that the number of Wizards here alone could raze the Earth several times over.
Guru led Li Xi to the jagged edges of the Academy, where the architecture became sparser and more brutal.
"I know your history, but you are ignorant of my identity," Guru stated. His voice carried the weight of iron and blood, making Li Xi's head thrum. Had he still possessed a mundane human constitution, that shout might have shattered his ribs.
"I am a Second-Level Body Refinement Wizard and your dedicated mentor. I guarantee you will not die in my care, and I shall help you ascend to Level One with haste."
Li Xi nodded frantically, terrified to vex the giant.
"Before forging a training regimen, let us gauge your foundations."
Guru moved Li Xi like a marionette. "Mental power 15, acceptable. Stamina 17, mediocre. Strength 19, a promising start. Your talent is a Half-Shadow affinity—a mutation from your bloodline's infection. You will make an excellent assassin."
Without warning, Guru's demeanor shifted from cold analysis to violence. He unleashed a strike that felt like a thunderous mountain collapsing. Before the palm even connected, the air pressure distorted Li Xi's features. He spun through the air like a discarded rag.
"If you wish to avoid torture, show some prowess," Guru barked with heavy derision. He struck again from ten meters away, the wind hitting Li Xi like a serrated blade.
When Li Xi was finally down to his last breath, Guru ceased. "Remember this: if you loathe being beaten, grow up quickly." He tossed a vial of potion onto the floor. "This is a recovery tonic. It costs 500 coins; I expect payment once you mend."
Li Xi offered no defiance. As he swallowed the bitter liquid, he felt the capricious nature of his new life.
"Boy, are you truly this dim? Do you not know how to slip the blow?" A voice echoed—not from the room, but from his own heart.
"Who?" Li Xi sat up, eyes darting.
"I am your aureate mentor—your 'Old Grandpa'."
Li Xi's skin crawled. Had he been a boy from ancient chronicles, he might have believed in a lucky system. But the Wizard World had taught him there are no free gifts.
"What advice do you have then? Can you make me a God in five minutes?"
"Tch. Guru is a Saint-Level lifeform. Without my help, you wouldn't surpass him in centuries."
"I can teach you arcana more advanced than his," the voice continued. "I am a projection of a Time Demigod. I will show you how to master the power in your marrow."
A diaphanous force surged through Li Xi. The static shadow beneath his feet suddenly writhed, spreading across the room like a living inkblot. He felt a visceral connection to the darkness—it was no longer a reflection, but a lethal appendage.
Li Xi stepped into the dark and vanished, sinking as if into deep water, only to emerge silently in the opposite corner. The phenomenon was perfect; to any outside observer, his shadow was once again just a mundane silhouette on the floor.