Sorcerer: I want to be an Academic Prodigy

Besides two apprentices, Ivan met Monde Watkin, who seemed increasingly frail and aged from his appearance and aura; it seemed he was not far from a decline in strength.

“Dean Ivan, you have made quite a name for yourself; I even heard about it at the Mongna Ant Land Cottage.”

“Haha, indeed, some reputation, all thanks to the support of the guild.”

“I too tried to join the Enchanters Guild, but unfortunately, I couldn’t meet the requirements. Unlike you, Dean Ivan, who easily became one of its key elders, making an old man like me blush in shame.”

After the meeting, Monde’s compliments never stopped.

It was no wonder he behaved in such a manner; it had been less than ten years since Ivan left, and everything about him had transformed drastically.

Not to mention his reputation, status, and position that were all respectably imposing, but speaking of strength alone, he subtly felt it might surpass his own—a bewildering yet lively truth.

Monde secretly felt glad, thankful that he hadn’t acted impulsively before; their reconciliation had led them to become allies.

The decision made back then may have caused frustration, but looking at it now, it was undoubtedly the wisest decision of his life. Any previous frustration paled in comparison to this most prudent choice.

“Dean Watkin, surely you haven’t come here just based on gossip about me?” Ivan could tell that Monde’s attitude was highly condescending, probably with some ulterior motives.

“Of course not, I am well aware of the Red Cloud Realm, which only produces items beneficial to insects.” Having spent several hundred years on the Moon Pincer Peninsula, Monde was not misled by rumors.

Furthermore, he was all too clear about how the man before him had become a Level 2 Sorcerer.

“True, the Red Cloud Realm is no secret.”

Ivan nodded in agreement, as that was normal.

In fact, regarding the Red Cloud Realm, Ivan had previously seen some detailed records at the Vernon Millennium Archive, some quite ancient ones.

According to previous discussions, particularly Solomon’s words, the original name of the Red Cloud Realm was ‘Dead Insects Cloud Realm’.

The origin of the Cloud Realm was believably said to be a secret realm formed by coincidence from the carcass of a powerful Black Scythe Lord after its death.

The outputs of the Red Cloud Realm are all related to the power of the Black Scythe Lord, who himself was a member of the insect category.

“People are mostly ignorant and greedy; the Ancient Tree Ridge Academy is doing nothing about it, who knows what chaos will arise this time.” Monde lamented profoundly.

“Has the Ancient Tree Ridge always been like this?” Ivan felt intrigued.

“It used to be okay, but in the last few decades, they have become more conservative. Some suspect they found something valuable at the base of Gangster Rift Valley and had explored it.

However, the clandestine strength of Ancient Tree Ridge is astonishing, and they have deterred coveters with the force of thunder,” Monde casually mentioned.

Listening to his narration and assessment, Ivan realized that in terms of strength, Ancient Tree Ridge should be regarded as the foremost academy on the Moon Pincer Peninsula.

Talking about the level of deans alone, Ancient Tree Ridge had at least four people.

On this note, Ivan couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim, having underestimated Ancient Tree Ridge. Future visits there would require careful planning.

“Dean Ivan, may I ask you a question?”

“Feel free to speak.”

“How do you view sorcerers undergoing bloodline transformation?”

After a long casual talk, Monde finally brought up his intentions, which clearly related to bloodline alteration.

Once this topic emerged, Ivan understood that he was interested in bloodline alteration, hoping to use it to change his aging condition.

“It can change one’s innate qualities and bring various powers. For us sorcerers, it’s certainly an option,” he answered, as he had discussed this issue with numerous sorcerers.

Many sorcerers considered bloodline transformation to be a ‘small and offbeat path.’

“Not hiding anything from you, I hope to undergo a thorough bloodline transformation while I still have time,” Monde continued.

“A good choice,” Ivan affirmed; with Monde approaching the end of his lifespan and his strength nearing decline, using an unconventional approach was not a bad gamble.

“Is there any way I can provide assistance?”

“I heard that at an appraisal contest of the Enchanters Guild, someone brought out a set of runes sorcery array specifically for bloodline transformation, is that true?” Monde followed up, seeing no displeasure in Ivan’s response.

“Indeed, the Bloodline Transformation Array and Bloodline Purification Array were both revealed at the grand competitions of the guilds in the four great capitals.”

“Is it recorded within the Enchanters Guild?”

“Not at all, bloodline alteration has obvious downsides, and the guild does not wish to be seen as an agent pushing for a craze of bloodline alteration.”

Hearing his words, Monde couldn’t help showing his disappointment.

He wanted to proceed with bloodline transformation, and using this runes sorcery array was a good way to do it. Having the assistance of an elder from the Enchanters Guild would make the situation even more perfect.

Unfortunately, he misjudged the attitude of the Enchanters Guild.

“Actually, you don’t need to worry, the guild hasn’t taken any repressive measures; bloodline alteration has spread widely, so it’s not hard to find someone to ask.

“Dean Ivan, could you please ask for me?” Monde requested.

“No problem, I’ll deal with it when I return to East Capital, and you’ll hear news soon,” Ivan did not refuse.

Going back and inquiring through the Five Leaves Spear was a minor effort for him.

“Thank you.” Monde knew his current status was extraordinary; hearing this reassured him.

The two talked for a while longer, and Monde subtly expressed an intention that whether it was Mongna Ant Land Cottage or people from the Three Great Families abroad, they were all willing to honor and follow his commands.

Ivan directly declined.

He was considering advancing to a Level 3 Sorcerer, so the Mongna Ant Land Cottage was one thing, but what value did the people from the Blood Plains have for him? They were not worth mentioning at all.

At the Mongna Ant Land Cottage, he was already one of the deans; his strength and status spoke for themselves, and he needed no promises from Monde.

Soon, Monde left the valley with regrets; he was not an Insect Control Master who had come specifically for Ivan and chose to stay far from Descending Clouds City to avoid its troubles.

The day after Monde left, Ivan also met with Gina and Mieyan.

After becoming an official sorcerer, Gina had grown significantly stronger.

Mieyan’s situation was dimmer, like many apprentices who, after one failure, had experienced a second failed promotion, now carrying an indelible gloom between his brows.

“Gina, has Randall had any form of contact with you?”

“At first, there was some; the mentor said he would go to the southern region of the Chanay Continent, to a place called ‘Pengdala City,’ to look for the Insect Control Master organization he had mentioned before. After he went there, there was no more contact.”

Speaking of mentor Randall, both Ivan and Gina were a bit worried.

From the changing phenomena, it wasn’t hard to tell that the Red Cloud Realm would open in about three or four days, but so far, Randall still hadn’t contacted them, not even sending a few Nine-Colored Bugs back to the academy.

Their messages all sank like stones in the sea, naturally leading them to overthink.

“Southern region Pengdala City? I’ve noted it down, leave it to me to handle; perhaps he’s just immersed in some research,” various pieces of information flashed through Ivan’s mind, with no specific recollections of Pengdala City.

The Chanay Continent was vast and boundless, with countless cities, so it was normal not to know some.

“Hopefully,” Gina sighed with worry.

Randall had always been a good mentor, taking great care of every apprentice under him, which Ivan, somewhat lackadaisical in his responsibilities, couldn’t match.

Ivan clearly remembered all the help and guidance he had received from his mentor; without that support, his progress wouldn’t have been so swift. Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire

If anything had happened to Randall, Ivan wouldn’t mind heading to that Insect Control Master organization to cause a significant disturbance.

“Mieyan, after the Red Cloud Realm ends, I will help you become an official sorcerer; don’t go too far recently.” Lastly, he gave a word of advice to his fellow apprentice Mieyan.

“Come on, thank Ivan senior,” reminded by Gina, a stunned Mieyan quickly expressed his thanks.

Mieyan decided, for the coming days, he would stay in the valley, even if just enduring in some random cave.

Ivan didn’t pay much attention to him; he turned and instructed Locke to take Silkworm Queen for a walk around Descending Clouds City, to see if they could find someone with the air of the Black Beard Chapter, similar to the method Randall used.

Two days later, Randall still hadn’t appeared.

Ivan specifically sought out the mentor’s close friends, Molly and Brandt, who had lost contact with Randall even longer ago and knew nothing of his recent situation.

…

Not far from Descending Clouds City, in a mountain forest, there existed a temporary stepping point.

Compared to other places’ noise, the atmosphere in the forest was exceptionally grave, with the red haze that emerged at noon in the sky, some people had a fierce murderous intent in their eyes.

“The target is challenging; none like Robert and the others have escaped; we must give our all this time,” these individuals were indeed from the Thunder tribe, but had thoroughly disguised themselves.

The failure at Lightning Cliff Slit of Sky made the remaining assassins realize the strength of their target, regretting not having acted sooner.

Actually, it wasn’t their fault; the target had always hidden within East Capital, at places like the Enchanters Guild, which left them helpless; now, the other party had obviously grown.

Therefore, the first squad had to be even more cautious.

“Even if it means a complete wipeout, we must leave the target there.”

“Exactly, sorcerers have only appeared for a few thousand years, they cannot compare with us; they know nothing of our methods.”

The number of people in the first squad, like the group led by Robert, was smaller, but the few were quite confident; thinking of the Thunder tribe’s fifty thousand years of history, their methods were countless, beyond what mere human sorcerers could understand.