The office’s heavy wooden door closed softly, shutting out the slightly awkward yet determined figure of the young junior brother.
The room returned to its unique atmosphere, a blend of knowledge and solitude.
Mentor Clark’s gaze lingered on the complex energy structure diagram, his quill unconsciously tapping a node, breaking the silence as if in passing. “That Viola girl… it seems she’s taken another step in her mastery of laws.”
Jie Ming paused, setting aside the subtle emotions stirred by the junior brother, and looked at his mentor with curiosity. “Mentor, why do you say that?”
Clark finally raised his eyes slightly, shifting his gaze from the diagram to Jie Ming.
His tone was calm but certain. “She may be playful, but she’s fundamentally efficiency-driven. She rarely engages in pointless pranks.”
“Making you come all this way for nothing was likely her way of testing some new change in her control over her laws through your reaction.”
He paused, then added, “If you’re curious, contact her now and ask. That girl’s probably waiting.”
Jie Ming found this reasonable and reactivated his communicator.
The light screen lit up, and Viola’s figure appeared instantly, her face bearing the familiar sly smile.Before Jie Ming could ask, she spoke first. “Yo, Junior Brother… judging by the background, you’re at Mentor’s place. So, how’s it feel to be toyed with by your Senior Sister, hmm?”
She deliberately dragged out her words, scrutinizing Jie Ming’s expression.
Then she pouted, looking disappointed. “Tch, as expected, still so calm. Not even a hint of pain or anger from being pranked. How boring! I was hoping to collect some data!”
Jie Ming, listening to her words, felt a twinge of confusion.
Viola’s phrasing and tone seemed to suggest she could now actively “control” or “require” others’ anger?
Had her ability to manipulate emotions expanded beyond just pain?
And this time, the effect didn’t seem to require close proximity to take hold?
Mentor Clark, noticing Jie Ming’s confusion, set down his quill and explained in his usual steady, lecturing tone. “For a sixth-grade wizard to advance to seventh grade, the core lies in deeper construction of their mastered laws. There are two main directions.”
“First, expansion.” Clark’s thin finger traced a horizontal line in the air. “This means broadening the scope of the law. For example, someone controlling the ‘temperature’ law might expand to the higher-order ‘energy’ law, or even the ‘fire element’ law.”
“Those who go far can even make their law’s influence more… conceptual and abstract, no longer bound by specific forms.”
“Second, deepening.” His finger moved vertically downward. “This means increasing the depth and precision of control over the law without changing its scope.”
“For instance, instead of directly affecting a target, one might influence a strongly related event, indirectly and more covertly leveraging the law’s effect through the threads of fate.”
Jie Ming’s eyes lit with understanding.
So that was it. Viola’s abilities seemed to show signs of both directions.
“Senior Sister,” Jie Ming turned to the light screen, curious, “which direction did you choose?”
Viola straightened up on the other end, her face practically screaming “praise me,” and declared proudly, “Hmph! As a genius destined to leave her mark in wizard history, I naturally chose—both!”
“Nonsense!” Clark scolded, his tone carrying a hint of severity. “The path of laws requires steady progress, step by step! Do I need to teach you the folly of biting off more than you can chew?”
Yet Jie Ming keenly sensed a faint, almost imperceptible… satisfaction hidden in his mentor’s stern words.
He instantly realized Clark wasn’t truly opposed but was reminding Viola not to be reckless in his own way.
After all, among wizards of the same rank, the difference in strength often lay in the breadth and depth of their understanding of knowledge.
A wizard capable of pursuing both “expansion” and “deepening” of their laws undoubtedly had greater potential and combat power.
“Jie Ming,” Clark’s gaze turned to him, his tone unusually carrying a note of caution. “The wizard’s path values self-awareness. Acting within your means is a virtue.”
“But beware of underestimating yourself or boxing yourself in. Don’t let others’ progress disrupt your own pace. If you have the capacity, push yourself to the limit at every stage, solidifying your foundation… it will greatly benefit your future path.”
His words struck Jie Ming like a morning bell, resonating deeply.
He bowed respectfully, his expression solemn. “This student will heed Mentor’s teachings.”
“As for you…” Clark turned to Viola on the light screen.
“I didn’t expect you to reach this point in under three hundred years. I thought your earlier recklessness would stall you for a long time. It seems… you’re more strategic than I anticipated.”
Viola smugly accepted the praise. “Of course! I told you, I’m a genius!”
“In that case, our genius should be able to quickly settle the debts she owes me, right?”
At Clark’s words, Viola’s face collapsed. “Ahem… uh, I just remembered I have an experiment to finish. Gotta go!”
With that, the light screen dissipated into a faint shimmer, clearly cut off by Viola.
Seeing the conversation seemingly concluded, Jie Ming bid farewell to Mentor Clark, not wanting to disturb his research further.
But as he turned to leave, Clark, without looking up, muttered as if to himself, “Good luck with your new role at the academy.”
Jie Ming froze mid-step, turning back in surprise to look at his mentor, still engrossed in his work.
He wanted to say something, but Clark merely waved a hand.
The office’s pre-set teleportation array activated instantly, a gentle yet irresistible spatial fluctuation enveloping Jie Ming.
In the next moment, his figure vanished from the cluttered office, reappearing on the plaza outside the academy.
Standing before the familiar tower, gazing at its towering spire, Jie Ming stood still for a moment.
Finally, he shook his head with a smile and stepped onto the teleportation array, leaving the place behind.