Age of Adepts

No more than three adepts in the tower could have known about Greem’s premature advancement today.

Things were just like usual. Today was still an ordinary, average day with no anomalies.

However, once it reached a specific hour, everyone suddenly received a message. They all exited their labs, rooms, and lecture halls to hurry to the fourth level of the tower.

Eight tower adepts and twelve staying adepts gathered in the arcane hall, instantly filling the place to the brim.

Most of the adepts still didn’t understand what was happening. They were intimidated by the weighty atmosphere when they arrived at the scene, and they instantly figured out that something important was happening in the tower. These staying adepts were only guests. It was natural that they had no prior knowledge of the strange ongoings of the tower’s leaders.

The adepts gathered together and started talking, trying to ask about what might happen next. Some of the adepts who had been staying for a while, and who had established closer relations with the tower adepts, secretly started to communicate via magical messages.

However, while many adepts had gathered here, only a few knew the inside truth.

The few tower adepts looked at each other ignorantly before finally casting their gazes towards Adept Gargamel, who had gathered everyone here.

Gargamel’s wrinkled old face fell as he raised both of his hands.

"Don’t look at me. I only summoned everyone after receiving a message from Lady Mary!"

Everyone’s gaze then shifted to the crimson-armored Mary, who was casually picking at her fingernails in the corner of the hall.

"Don’t look at me either. I’m also acting according to Greem’s orders to have Gargamel summon you at this time. I have absolutely no idea about anything else."

Such irresponsible words immediately irritated the adepts present.

However, a few people who knew some details vaguely managed to figure out a few things. They lowered their heads and hid their faces under the shadow of their hoods, preventing anyone else from seeing their expressions.

Mary was apathetic, Gargamel was frowning, Meryl was restless, while Sabrina held her arms together and silently looked at everyone else. The rest of the adepts were either confused, betraying expressions of sudden comprehension, or putting on a poker face; no one spoke. Everyone shut their mouths and silently waited for the outcome of the meeting.

Suddenly.

For absolutely no reason, Fire Throne suddenly shook intensely. An unfamiliar mental flux appeared out of nowhere, rapidly and subtly sweeping past all the adepts.

"There’s an enemy."

"The tower’s under attack."

"We must return to our stations, quick!"

The bizarre turn of events instantly caused a riot in the ranks of the staying adepts. They all took out their staffs and gripped scrolls in their hands with faces filled with vigilance, sensing the abnormality in the space.

"Everyone relax! I have something to announce to everyone today." A loud voice that resembled exploding flames boomed in the air. The sound reverberated in the air, and though it was thick and dull, the volume was unexpectedly loud.

Several unprepared adepts even had to clasp their ears to endure that booming voice.

A sharp explosion that sounded like the ripping of parchment echoed through the room. A two-meter long crack had been abruptly split open in the air in the middle of the hall. Blinding and intense red light shone out from within the break.

An opening had torn open in the incomparably tough space right before everyone’s eyes. They could vaguely see the roiling sea of lava on the other side of the crack through a thin layer of an energy barrier. A gigantic flame humanoid stood before the barrier of light, trying its best to enter the tower via the rift.

The flame giant extended two hands made of pure elementium fire and grabbed the uneven edges of the spatial rift. It exerted strength and pulled towards each side of the breach, instantly widening it enough for the being to pass through.

The next second, the flame humanoid’s body turned into a surge of terrifying destructive flames. The flames burned through the barrier and appeared inside the tower.

It was a frightening flame giant that measured seven meters tall when it stood up straight.

The arcane hall would never have been able to hold such a massive being if it hadn’t been constructed to be unusually high.

As the light barrier broke, tremendous heat surged through and caused the hall to become a massive forge. All the adepts could feel the suffocating heat wave pressing against their faces, and the corners of their clothes that were unprotected by magic immediately burned with golden sparks of fire. The streams of flame even forced them to step back.

However, the adepts no longer cared for these minor inconveniences. That was because a more horrifying and gigantic enemy had appeared before them.

Contrary to their expectations, the flame giant hadn’t started its slaughter after making it into the tower. Instead, it turned back and swiped the air with its hand of fire. It managed to use its terrifying strength to flatten out the rift in space. The surging sea of flame was once again sealed on the other side of the light barrier. As the tower’s energies surged into the room, the damaged space was once again mended.

Eh? Why did this flame giant possess the authority to control this tower?

Several smarter adepts immediately noticed this problem. On the other hand, the other staying adepts quickly retreated to a corner of the hall. Their hands, hidden under the sleeves, tightly held onto escape scrolls and pulling scrolls. They had already made up their minds to flee the moment things turned sour.

The tower wasn’t theirs. There was no reason to pay with their lives for a reward of some magical crystals. The invading flame being was obviously no easy opponent. They could sense, just from the opponent’s overwhelming mental flux, that this was definitely a terrifying Second Grade magical creature. If it started going on a rampage, even the combined strength of all the adepts present would not be able to suppress it.

That was why it was best to flee as far as possible before the fight started.

While the adepts were in a panicked frenzy, Mary casually walked up to the flame giant. She walked around the giant twice.

Mary had a tall and slim figure. However, she only reached up to the knees of the flame giant. If the giant opened its palm, any one of its fingers would be as thick as Mary’s waist. As the flame giant stood there proudly, all the adepts couldn’t help but feel the heat and lack of moisture around them. They didn’t even dare to stare into the brilliant sun-like eyes of the giant.

After making two rounds around the giant, Mary could no longer suppress her curiosity. She extended a hand and touched the flames on the flame giant’s thick leg.

Sizzle. Green smoke rose to the air. Mary’s right hand had been singed black by the fires protecting the flame giant’s body, and she exclaimed in pain.

"What’s the matter? You still can’t control the fires inside your body?" Mary hurriedly retracted her right hand.

As blood energy gathered there, the charcoal remnants of her palm fell to the ground, revealing red and smooth skin below.

"I can’t help it. The amount of fire I absorbed this time was too rich. It will take me a few days to completely digest it." The flame giant replied with his echoing voice.

"Teacher, is that you? You...you advanced to Second Grade?" Meryl stepped forward in excitement and stuttered as she asked.

Teacher? Advanced?

If the audience still couldn’t understand the situation at this moment, then they would have no right to be known as an always wise and knowledgeable adept.

The adepts present couldn’t help but hold their breaths as they silently waited for the giant’s reply.

"Hurhur! Meryl. Very fortunately for me, I succeeded in advancing this time!" The flame giant raised its head and let out a joyous laugh that resembled the roar of a tsunami. However, it then lowered its head and looked at its huge body. The giant sighed, "Still, the fire I absorbed during the advancement ceremony is a little too much. I’ll probably need two weeks to digest it and return to my original form completely."

The flame giant Greem had transformed into started muttering to himself. However, all the adepts had selectively ignored his comments. All their focus and attention was on the first sentence.

He succeeded!

The owner of Fire Throne had become a Second Grade adept!

This kind of explosive news blew everyone away. Their mouths were opened wide, and their arms hung slack at their sides. They could only stare at the towering giant in a daze.

The path of an adept was so treacherous that most of the adepts present had never actually hoped to make it past that threshold of rising from a First Grade adept to a high-grade adept.

They had dreamt of the moment they would achieve such glorious heights countless times, but their calm and collected adept minds would remind them that this would always remain only a dream!

For these people, just being able to sense the aura of a Second Grade adept at close range was already an invaluable experience. However, they had now personally witnessed the rise of a powerful Second Grade adept!

If they recalled correctly, the owner of the tower, the legendary Flame Demon, seemed to have advanced to adept less than a hundred years ago. Lord Greem had used iron proof to demonstrate that he possessed extraordinary talent and potential by advancing to Second Grade at such a shocking speed.

If he continued at this rate, Third Grade and even Fourth Grade didn’t seem to be that out of reach!

The adepts grew more excited the more they thought about it. The eyes with which they glanced at the flame giant started to possess a trace of respect.

They had become blessed individuals and spoiled children of the plane after they became adepts.

However, only the adepts themselves knew that they were only minor characters in the massive group that was the adepts. No one would truly place significance on them or care for them.

It was this terrifying reality that bred the prideful, extreme, twisted, and resentful personalities of the adepts.

With such emotions bottled in them, the only things that could make them submit, apart from absolute strength and profound knowledge, would be the respect and envy of powerful individuals!

They might have been disdainful towards the idea of being a loyal dog following behind a Second Grade adept. But if it was following a future Great Adept rising to prominence, it was certain that everyone present would beg for the chance to do it.

Unlike these staying adepts, Mary and the other eight tower adepts couldn’t help but gather around Greem. They closed their eyes and silently felt the unique and powerful soul flux belonging to Second Grade adepts. Greem had only just advanced. His Spirit had yet to solidify completely. That was why the phenomenon of his soul’s aura leaking was happening.

Such a rare experience was the experience of a lifetime. If Greem had another two weeks to settle down, the other adepts would have no chance to investigate the secrets of Second Grade adepts.

The staying adepts had no choice but to watch enviously from afar. No one dared to try and get close to Greem like the tower adepts were doing.

After all, no Second Grade adept would allow outsiders to investigate their secrets so freely!

Not even if those people would not be of any threat to them.

In truth, even from a distance, the staying adepts could still vaguely sense Greem’s terrifying and bottomless mental flux, along with that indescribably strange aura.

That was the taste of the planar laws!

The aura of planar laws on a Second Grade adept was undoubtedly denser when compared to them.

In fact, one could even say that a Second Grade adept was no longer the same type of existence as a First Grade adept.