Age of Adepts

Flame Demon Greem had successfully advanced to Second Grade. This news was spreading as fast as a plague.

Adept Sanazar went silent when she received this news. The light in Adept Fügen’s blinked his eyes, shocked and stunned. Adept Keoghan’s jaw even dropped. He had no idea how to react.

Second Grade. That was an actual Second Grade adept!

Put them in any country or any adept organization, and they would still be core, foundational members.

There was no need to look anywhere else. Just look at the Sarubo Clan.

If Greem sincerely wished to stay in the Sarubo Clan, then apart from Third Grade Sanazar, he would likely be the one with the most authority in the clan in the World of Adepts. Even the veteran Adept Fügen might not have an absolute guarantee to stand above him.

Over the past couple of years, the Sarubo Clan’s influence had increased relatively quickly, thanks to the three lesser planes they held in their hands. Excluding the three adepts that had appeared in Fire Throne, seven new adepts had advanced within the Sarubo Clan. Feidnan City had become a lively and bustling place once again.

Yet, at this moment of peak prosperity, Greem had advanced to Second Grade without their knowledge. It was a massive impact for the core members of the clan.

However, the one that had felt most strongly about this incident was Adept Keoghan, who was only First Grade.

He remained on the spot for a long time after hearing news of Greem’s advancement. He couldn’t shake off the shock he felt.

Keoghan bent his fingers and counted. He had advanced to adept approximately a hundred and twenty-odd years ago, but his Spirit had only just reached fourteen points. It would take him another twenty to thirty years of grinding to achieve the sixteen point threshold of an elite adept. And if Keoghan wanted to reach the twenty point limit, initial estimates suggested he would need another hundred years of effort.

In comparison, Greem, despite advancing fifty years after he did, had…

A feeling of irritation gathered in Keoghan’s heart when he thought about the matter. The frustration in his chest was so intense that he almost wanted to tear open his body to let it all out.

Keoghan had diligently and dutifully helped the clan manage all sorts of assets, villas, shops, and resource sites to obtain the full support of the clan.

While others were focusing on their experiments, he was patiently assigning apprentices to various locations.

While others were going to and fro on their adventures, he was carefully rationing the clan’s resources.

While others were working hard on meditation late at night, he was dealing with the clan’s multitude of internal affairs and problems.

It was his massive contribution that allowed the tremendous amounts of resources and manpower to flow in a logical manner that allowed the Sarubo Clan to develop steadily and healthily. Naturally, after giving so much, Keoghan had obtained the whole-hearted cultivation and guidance of the clan. It could be seen in the course of his development.

However, there was a definite trade-off in this!

He had used his efforts and loyalty to obtain the trust and regard of the clan; resources were never a problem. The difficulties he faced in magic research were always aided with the guidance of higher-grade adepts. However, his excessive work on various matters had indirectly slowed down his progress.

Keoghan had never thought of himself as making a mistake in the past. In fact, there were many times when he secretly rejoiced over his own ingenuity. But today…

Adept Keoghan could no longer suppress the rage in his heart when he received news of Greem’s advancement. He calmly returned to his room, activated the magical defenses, and started smashing the things in his room as he cursed and swore loudly.

An expression of sympathy appeared on Fügen’s face as he watched the dejected Keoghan leave.

In the World of Adepts, there were the two most direct manifestations of power.

One was possessing overwhelming strength. That was the most direct way for an adept to acquire resources and respect. The second was to possess authority and influence.

If you couldn’t obtain absolute strength, then you had to think of a way to gather people who could control absolute power.

That was why those possessing authority and status used their influence and resources to attract all sorts of talented individuals. They used those resources and talents at hand to gather even greater authority and influence. It was like rolling a snowball. As long as one was able to construct a healthy cycle and hierarchy using this method, then they could become an extraordinary individual in the World of Adepts.

Judging from the current situation, Greem walked on the first path, running straight ahead on the pursuit of power. During his time as a First Grade adept, he had been able to rid himself of the various distractions of managing his territory. He gave away his authority to a wandering adept he had coincidentally encountered and endured nearly seventy years of loneliness and boredom.

That was undoubtedly the real reason he could rise to prominence in such a dominating fashion!

On the other hand, Keoghan had apparently forgotten that the World of Adepts was a top-tier world that revolved around the strongest individuals. The gravitational pull of power on authority was far more significant than the influence of authority on power. Under ordinary circumstances, authority and resources would naturally accompany the strong. The same situation would hardly ever manifest for the other side.

Still, after sympathizing with Keoghan, Adept Fügen started to be concerned for himself.

The same situation was fairly striking when it came to him as well.

He wasn’t the only Second Grade adept in the clan. The rest had all requested stations in the lesser planes to use the harsh environments of a different world to train themselves. Fügen had instead chosen to stay in the resource-rich homeworld. Even though he had far more authority compared to them, it was evident that he now lagged behind them when it came to sheer strength.

Perhaps it was time for him to make some appropriate choices?

Adept Fügen silently thought to himself.

…………

Fire Throne.

The inside of the tower was currently a sea of joy!

Under the combined efforts of the tower adepts and staying adepts to drum up anticipation, the mysterious owner of the tower that always hid at the top of the tower had finally appeared before the apprentices once more. Moreover, it was a dramatic entrance with him being a Second Grade adept.

Even though Sir Greem still needed to stabilize his Spirit, and hadn’t actually shown up at the celebration in the second floor’s arcane hall, the atmosphere at the scene still ignited the emotions of every single adept.

The World of Adepts was a world that chased after powerful individuals!

What could be more exhilarating than following a prominently rising adept?

Every adept and apprentice that belonged to Fire Throne would receive two to three times more resources than they currently had in the foreseeable future. That was what they valued the most!

While everyone was rejoicing and celebrating, Billis had been summoned by Greem to the fifth level of the tower and disappeared into a teleportation array.

…………

The Tower of Fate.

When the brilliant white light dispersed from in front of him, Billis endured the immense pressure from the shift in space and opened his eyes to assess the strange tiny lifeform near the teleportation array.

It was a teenage human girl the size of a palm. She had thin wings that resembled those of dragonflies behind her back. Specks of light would drop from her body as she danced in the air.

An elementium fairy?

Billis couldn’t help but lick his lips. His pale-green compound eyes lit up with a greedy green light from under the shadow of his hood.

”Follow me, big bug!” Elementium Fairy Helen, who was holding her magic wand in her hand, obviously didn’t like this strange fellow shrouded in his cloak. Her tone when speaking was exceptionally sharp.

Helen beat her wings and flew away having said that.

”Damned bastard. I will eat you one day!” Billis cursed wickedly before stumbling after that foul-mouthed fairy.

A male and a female adept were already waiting inside the astrology platform at the top of the Tower of Fate.

The male adept was a strange humanoid made of flames. Judging by its brow, the silhouette, and the mental flux radiating from it, it was Billis’ master– Second Grade Fire Adept Greem.

The female adept had a slender figure. She wore a purple starry robe as the ethereal radiance of stars shone down upon her, putting yet another intangible, mysterious, and beautiful coat on her shoulders.

She was young, and her face was gentle and soft. Her bright blue eyes, paired with their inclined corners, gave her a mysterious and seductive look.

Billis froze for an instant.

His master Greem had just sent him into the teleportation array back in Fire Throne. How did he run into another Greem here? He could tell from Greem’s aura that it didn’t possess that terrifying spiritual pressure that Second Grade adepts possessed.

”Come here, Billis!” The flame human seemed to have seen through Billis’ doubts, ”This isn’t my actual body; it is only a spiritual projection. The matter we need to perform today is far too important. My true body can’t leave Fire Throne, so I had no choice but to use my spiritual projection to talk with you.”

After sensing the contract powers radiating from the depths of the flame being’s soul, Billis obediently walked up to the two of them and waited for orders.

”My actual self has already explained to you what you need to know. I have something here. Keep it with you always!” The flame humanoid opened his hand. Two strange objects rested in his scarlet, fiery palm.

A black orb the size of a pigeon’s egg.

A fist-sized metal ball radiating an intense spatial flux.

”The black orb is the Orb of Deception. Keep it with you once you reach the other side. It will hide your identity as an invader. The metal ball is a simplified teleportation array. It can only teleport two people at once and will take approximately five days for a complete charge of energy.”

”The spatial energy within it has been emptied to avoid the spatial flux from affecting its teleportation precision during the interplanar teleportation. That means that you will have to survive alone for five days once you reach the other side. You will have to find a safe spot to activate the metal ball once it charges up with energy. Then you will be able to receive reinforcements from us!”

Billis listened respectfully to Greem’s words, not daring to miss any critical information. Even though this was his first time experiencing a planar invasion, he knew very well the potential dangers in a different world.

Billis kept the two objects in his spatial ring, then swallowed the ring. He made a last careful check of everything he had on him before nodding at the flame being.

”Stand in the black circle!” The beautiful witch that had been bustling about the hall stopped everything she was doing and coldly spoke to Billis.

Billis stood in the circle as he was ordered.

The witch then started to perform an unusual dance around the array, chanting odd notes as she did so.

Immense magical energies surged continuously into the array under Alice’s guidance. Brilliant light enveloped the astrology platform.

The light persisted for seven minutes or so.

When the light finally started to dim, and it became possible to see on the platform, Billis’ silhouette had vanished entirely.

Only a solemn-looking flame humanoid and an exhausted Alice remained.

”Say, do you think we will succeed this time?” Greem sighed softly.

”There’s only a twenty-three percent chance of this interplanar teleportation failing with my spacestone as a spatial anchor. If this fellow is truly that unfortunate, then we can try a second time one month from.” Alice spoke in an unconcerned manner.

Er…

Greem’s projection was speechless.

Try a second time? Where am I supposed to find another piece of spacestone?!

As for Billis’ fate if he failed the teleportation... Greem hesitated for a moment and didn’t ask.

He was afraid some more terrifying words would come out of Alice’s mouth.

So, Billis; good luck!