My physics masters couldn't possibly be grand mages.

It was almost dark when the three of them left the library.

Although they didn't have enough points, they still spent a few hours in the public reading area.

The mist began to rise from the valley.

Dusk dyed everything an unreal deep blue.

Char walked at the front, holding a flashlight he had taken out of his storage space.

Just as I was about to open it, I stopped.

Something was glowing in the canopy of the trees and the grass all around.

Like fireflies.

The light spots were pale green, appearing particularly cold and serene in the twilight.

As time passed, these points of light multiplied, like stars falling from the sky, adorning the place like a fairyland.

Einstein walked up to him without saying a word.

"What is this?" Tesla asked curiously.

Char didn't answer, because he didn't know what had happened either.

During their time at the Tower of Truth, they had never encountered anything like this before.

The wind rustled through the woods, bringing with it the sound of leaves.

The points of light swayed gently in the wind, as if responding to something.

Then, they started moving.

The points of light slowly converged towards one spot. Like a luminous stream, they gathered from all corners of the open space, forming a thin band of light.

Char tilted his head back.

Einstein and Tesla followed his gaze and looked up at the sky.

The bands of light converged hundreds of meters in the air, growing denser and brighter, like waves of light rising and falling.

Then--

A huge shadow came riding on waves of light.

Like the keel of a ship's bow.

Then comes the sturdy hull, long and sleek, exuding an elegance that seems out of place in this era.

That was a ship.

Unlike airships with their massive airbags, this is a true celestial ship floating above a band of light.

There were no sails, no oars, no steam, and no roar of the ether furnace.

It simply floated there quietly, exuding an ancient majesty.

It was slowly moving towards the Tower of Truth. So slowly that it was almost imperceptible. But Char could feel the oppressive atmosphere.

It's like a mountain collapsing towards you.

Char saw a person at the bow of the ship.

He estimated it to be about two meters tall, maybe even taller.

He was a tall, bald old man.

Time has etched deep marks on his face, especially his nasolabial folds, which are particularly prominent, extending from the sides of his nose to the corners of his mouth, but he has no beard.

His skin was dark, with a rough texture from long-term sun exposure, and his eyebrows were sparse and almost white.

He was draped in a coarse, off-white linen garment and wore straw sandals. His demeanor was calm and solemn, like a deity emerging from an ancient civilization.

Seemingly sensing Xia's gaze, he lowered his eyes slightly, his eyes devoid of any emotion, like a god looking down indifferently at the mortal world.

Xia Yang felt like the hairs on his body were about to stand on end, and he almost instinctively looked away.

Fortunately, he didn't linger on Xia for long before the giant ship moved towards the main tower.

"Who is that?" Tesla asked.

"I don't know." Einstein watched the giant ship sail away, his deep eyes concealing unspoken emotions. "But for us, it's not a good thing..."

He turned and walked toward the villa, with Xia Ya following closely behind. Tesla, gazing at the giant ship in the distance, followed without lingering.

The bow of the ship stopped in front of the tallest, pure white tower, level with the balcony on the top floor.

The bald old man took a small step forward, and the giant ship behind him automatically flew away into the distance as he disembarked...

Meredith was already waiting on the balcony; he seemed to have known all along that the person in front of him would return today.

"How's it going, Monla?"

"After making my rounds, I found everyone stirring, including the powerful families behind them." A hint of weariness flickered in Monra's eyes. "Just one spark away from igniting the whole world."

"I told you," Meredith said, "this is not a good thing."

"Everyone benefited at the time," Monla said in a low voice. "We overestimated human nature, and we overestimated ourselves."

Meredith fell silent. He asked, "What about Gaius? Is he still looking for him?"

"He'll come back on his own once he gives up." Monra walked into the tower, with Meredith following behind him.

"I saw that person."

Meredith was taken aback, but he quickly realized who he was talking about. "Did you figure something out?"

"His magical power is between the third and fourth tiers."

Meredith frowned. "Even you couldn't figure it out?"

"This kind of person is either a liar or..." Monla didn't continue speaking.

Meredith said, "I tested him, and he's got something going on. He said... light is both a wave and a particle."

Monra stopped and turned to Meredith. "What do you mean? Aren't these two things contradictory?"

Meredith shook his head. "He didn't explain it to me. You'll probably have to ask him yourself."

He paused, then added, "His student improved the Burning Hand yesterday and has already uploaded it to the patent system."

"What grade is his student?"

"Second order".

"Second tier!?" Monra frowned slightly. He raised his hand, used the badge to open the patent system, and quickly found the Burning Hand uploaded by Xia, then clicked to purchase it.

As the design unfolded before his eyes, he frowned slightly.

When he raised his hand again, a phantom image of "Gas Manipulation" and "Circulation" appeared on his hand.

With the infusion of magic, a certain gas in the surrounding air was separated and condensed in his palm under his magical control.

"Phew~"

A spark suddenly burst in the air, and a ball of blazing fire shot into the sky, illuminating the dim tower and reflecting the firelight onto their faces.

"That kid named the gas oxygen," Meredith said. "Remember that research group's project in Baudrillard?"

Phosphorus fuel?

"If there really is such a thing as phlogiston in this world, it must be this oxygen," Meredith said.

"So, his previous experiment where the flame went out quickly in a confined space wasn't because the air was saturated with phlogiston?"

Meredith nodded. "I suspect it's because this gas called 'oxygen' was burned up."

He paused, then continued, "If this were written as a paper, it would deserve an A grade in the Tower of Truth. The configuration itself might have been created by that child, but the discovery of 'oxygen' was probably taught to him by his teacher."

Monla remained silent, saying nothing.

"I thought you'd see through him once you got back," Meredith said, frowning slightly. "If he wasn't after the throne, then what was he after?"

Monla did not answer him, but simply continued walking forward in silence.

"How long until this year's preliminary exams?"

"About thirty or forty days."

"Change the exam content," Monla said. "Let's set the location as The Eye of the Abyss."

Meredith's expression changed. "Isn't that too harsh?"

"They have a harsher future ahead of them," Monla said dismissively. "If they don't bleed now, they'll only die faster later."

He paused, then continued, "Let's have Einstein as the chief proctor and see what he's capable of."

He paused for a moment. "Right, have everyone in Bodelis's research group buy one and take a look. Even a second-tier kid knows more than them; what a waste of the Tower of Truth's research funds!"

.......