Chinese professors at the Wizarding Academy

"Jim, go and stay over there and practice your meditation. Don't think about anything else for now."

Gu Chen squatted on the ground, looking at Jim.

The dark blue panel had just reappeared before him, and Jim had now activated "Unwavering Will" out of fear and anxiety.

You can meditate a little longer during this time; there's a high chance you'll gain some more analysis points.

Gu Chen and Ken also need to discuss their next steps...

After listening to Gu Chen's words, Jim obediently ran to the corner of the abandoned warehouse and squatted down.

"Um...can you do me a favor?"

"clear."

Ken saw Gu Chen turn to look at him and speak in a deliberately lowered voice, and he immediately realized what was going on.

The green magic flickered slightly, the light barely perceptible.

At this moment, Jim's attention was completely diverted from Gu Chen and Ken.

"Thanks."

Gu Chen certainly didn't want Jim to receive too many more messages; it wouldn't be good and would only increase his stress.

While pressure can inspire resilience, what was about to happen was far too dangerous for a child to know.

Although Ken cannot currently probe Gu Chen's inner thoughts, he can still discern these ideas.

After Gu Chen thanked him, the warmth on his face vanished instantly.

Instead, there was an unprecedented focus and seriousness.

Ken paused for a moment, then spoke:

"Jobeck won't wait for you to come and kill him. I just showed you the layout of his residence."

"Although there are loopholes, it's not something that can be overcome or accomplished just by talking about it."

"Of course not."

Gu Chen stood up, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"The assassins are all wiped out, so the Dark Eroders you mentioned must have been dispatched as well."

Ken continued, "Although there are quite a few people from the Second Ring at Gray Tower Academy, they are definitely not people we can handle."

"The second ring... is different from the first ring. Advancing within the first ring only requires increasing mental strength, but advancing to the second ring requires a very complicated ritual."

A serious expression also appeared on Ken's face.

"If we are still human, then the wizards of the second ring can be considered a different kind of life form."

"Jobeck did indeed send out the Dark Eroder... probably after you killed those two assassins. He's most likely still in the Black Forest right now, because there's a delay in information transmission."

"The entrance to the Gray Tower Academy's Black Forest only opens twice a day, in the morning and evening. The Dark Eroder will most likely not be able to return. This is an ironclad rule."

"We must act quickly..."

"Then let him do it."

Gu Chen grinned, but unlike his gentle smile just now, this time it was a chilling sneer.

"Perfect timing, I'd like to meet him too."

Ken frowned. He had just said that they couldn't deal with the Dark Eroders.

"Teacher, the Second Ring Road is not something we can handle."

"Who said we were going to deal with him?"

Gu Chen looked at Jim, a resolute glint in his eyes. Gray Tower Academy was truly unsafe, but there was a place in his heart where he felt completely safe.

Why not go find Isera? Anyway, he hasn't finished his work yet, and Isera needs him to do it too. Even if Isera threatens him with Jim, it doesn't matter, because if Gu Chen can't complete the task assigned to him, he will most likely lose his life.

If Gu Chen dies, Jim certainly won't survive either, so this is like getting a third-ring wizard to do free work for you.

Free, powerful security.

"Ken, get Jim to a safe place."

"A safe place? Where's there a safe place in Gray Tower Academy—"

"The Black Forest," Gu Chen interrupted him.

"The Black Forest?"

Kenna, who usually maintained a calm expression, twitched.

"Don't joke around, Teacher Gu Chen. There's no safe place in the Black Forest, and the Dark Eroders might follow us..."

"Find Isera."

Ken was stunned by the sudden appearance of the unfamiliar name; he had never heard of it before.

"A third-ring nature wizard, go to the edge of the Black Forest where the outer and middle areas meet, head north, and after reaching the Rocky Slope, follow the main stream that passes by, and then continue until you reach the Golden Oak Forest, he will be there."

Ken was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening.

The territory of a third-circle wizard is indeed the safest refuge.

"I took his job because it's useful to him, so I won't make things difficult for you."

"it is good."

Gu Chen's next words dispelled Ken's last doubts and also surprised him a little.

His teacher, whom he had come to know because of the defeat in the war, always seemed to bring him surprises and... astonishment.

It's one thing to pick up a piece of trash and end up with the heir to the royal family, but to kill a mid-level first-ring cultivator, defeat himself (a high-level first-ring cultivator), and instantly kill two mid-level first-ring cultivators lying in ambush, he not only returned unscathed from his first trip into the Black Forest, but also dealt with the assassins following him cleanly.

Now he's even gotten involved with a third-ring wizard?

That's truly...terrifying.

Ken thought to himself, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"And what about you?" He quickly concealed his emotions and asked in a deep voice.

Gu Chen looked out the window. The buildings of Gray Tower Academy cast shadows in the morning light, and further away, in the direction of the Black Forest.

"I'm going to find Joe Baker," he said softly.

"Isn't the hunt supposed to start on Sunday? He must have already set a trap."

That's why I need to bring it up in advance.

Gu Chen turned around, and the dark gold patterns on the Grip of Life and Death shimmered faintly in the morning light.

"...I did show you the defenses of Joebeck's residence, but not so you could go and die right now."

"A lone soldier infiltrating a fortress protected by a family in an unfamiliar environment?"

Ken raised an objection, saying the idea was too audacious, launching an operation without any prior investigation.

"You don't need to worry about that, I have my own methods of investigation."

"...Okay, then look here."

Ken looked at Gu Chen, whose expression was serious and whose attitude was resolute. It seemed that he was not joking, and Ken was truly willing to risk his life to accompany him.

"We need the perfect timing."

"Teacher, I cannot explore your mind, but I can transmit a memory into it."

"bring it on."

"relax."

Ken closed his eyes, and Gu Chen closed his eyes as well. A flash of green magic appeared, and some memories instantly surfaced in his mind.

The materials used in the brick walls, the building's weak points, the escape routes...

"Heh...you're not exactly honest either."

After examining these memories, Gu Chen smiled.

This is a complete defense map of Joe Beck's residence. Knowing these memories, it's no exaggeration to say that one could even sneak out of the toilet while Joe Beck is using it and give him a good stab.

This seemingly harmless bald Ken is actually full of wicked schemes.

Everything has been investigated; all that's left is to take action.

"Hehehe..."

Perhaps influenced by him, Ken, like Gu Chen, also let out a strange laugh without saying a word...

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"It's early morning now, and there's still half a wizard's hour before Grey Tower Academy opens the gates to the Black Forest."

A glint of light flashed in Gu Chen's eyes:

"That's enough for us to move around."

"...There really isn't any more time."

Gu Chen and Ken both understood that if they didn't act now to bring the second-ring wizard back from the Black Forest, they would have little chance of survival.

"Set off."

As night fell, Gray Tower Academy was shrouded in a crimson twilight. Gu Chen, draped in his black robe, quietly approached the abandoned watchtower on the west side of the academy.

Joebeck’s residence is a three-story tower made of black stone, hidden deep within Grey Tower College.

Gu Chen's figure swept through the shadows like a ghost, the soul-corroding death aura of the Grip of Life and Death silently covering his entire body, making him blend into the night like a wisp of gray mist. His mental power, through the "Star Gazing Technique," locked onto every magical node within the tower.

There were three hidden sentries, three alarm runes, the magical energy fluctuations of two mid-level first-ring wizards, four low-level first-ring wizards, and one high-level first-ring wizard...

It's not particularly tricky; the most difficult part is dealing with the first-level high-ranking one, as there's not much information available.

Even Ken didn't know where this person came from, and Gu Chen couldn't get any information out of him.

"Remember," Ken's telepathic voice echoed in his mind, "the illusion I create can only last seven minutes. You must break through three layers of defense within that time."

Gu Chen did not answer. His Grip of Life and Death had completely turned grayish-white, and the Soul-Eating Death Qi coiled around his fingertips like a living thing.

At that very moment, on the road leading to the Black Forest, in a direction completely different from Chobeck's residence, a person who looked exactly like Gu Chen suddenly appeared, wearing the same black robe and the same blood droplet-shaped blood wizard badge...

It looks like one person.

"Hehe...that's quite vivid."

"Thank you for the compliment. Once their attention is diverted, that will be your opportunity to assassinate them."

"And I will take this opportunity to take Jim to the Black Forest. The Dark Eroder will definitely sense your presence. If your strength matches your confidence, then Joebeck will most likely use some means to make the Dark Eroder return quickly."

"Remember, you only have half an hour."

"Once the Dark Eroder's attention is diverted, I will quickly take Jim into the Black Forest."

"Bon Voyage."

The telepathic communication ended, and the figure in the distance that looked exactly like Gu Chen suddenly unleashed a noticeable surge of magical power.

A sudden burst of magical energy in the distance signaled the start of Ken's operation; an illusion identical to Gu Chen was rushing madly toward the Black Forest.

This is a very obvious way to use magic to speed up one's actions. It's very simple, and almost every wizard knows it. Some apprentices can even learn it.

However, the downside is that it causes significant magical fluctuations.

However, this weakness naturally corresponds to Gu Chen's apparent strength at this moment.

"..."

The outpost was silent under the cover of night; there were no piercing alarms that echoed throughout the academy, and everything happened quietly.

Gu Chen saw three dark figures leap out of Qiaobeike's residence and rush towards the direction of the illusion.

"Let me think of a way to break the runes..."

He glided toward the target building like a ghost, the warning runes revealing bright red veins in his mental probing enhanced by the Stargazing Technique.

Gu Chen observed the rune, silently reminding himself of the consequences of this failed operation.

For example, he himself was certain to die, his student Jim was doomed to die, and Ken was also doomed to perish...

After a round of intense self-pressure, "tenacious will" was activated.

"I understand."

The enhanced mental processing gave Gu Chen the ability to quickly spot vulnerabilities and process information at a faster pace. The previously difficult-to-crack warning runes were now crystal clear to him.

It's actually very easy to handle; you just need to use Soul-Eating Death Energy to corrupt the entire Warning Rune.

The essence of the warning rune is actually to sense abnormal biological fluctuations, that is, to detect life energy. All life has its own life energy, but the degree and quality will differ.

Some might ask, if it's about detecting life energy, wouldn't it trigger an alarm whenever a living thing appears?

No, that's not the case. These runes usually have a lower limit set for triggering alerts. A wizard's life energy is many times stronger than that of a mortal.

Therefore, when faced with such a simple warning rune, Gu Chen only needs to ensure that the warning rune cannot sense any life energy.

"Corrosion takes three seconds..." Blood wrapped in the soul-corroding death aura dripped onto the array node, and the warning runes immediately emitted blue smoke as if corroded by acid.

At the same time, two almost imperceptible lines appeared in the previously empty air; these were Gu Chen's magical energy lines. Guided by his enhanced mental power through the Star Gazing Technique, they bypassed the guards' mental detection.

As Gu Chen slid sideways into the courtyard, the two guards' corpses were slowly falling, the blood from their throats not even having a chance to spurt out.

For Gu Chen, dealing with ordinary mid-level first-stage opponents was no problem at all. As long as the opponent didn't get close, he could kill them instantly!

If you cannot detect the danger in the darkness, then death will visit you at any time.

The first layer of defense has been breached.

A bone snake sculpture was coiled on the door of the inner room. Just as Gu Chen was about to raise his hand, the bone snake suddenly opened its empty eye sockets!

"mouth..."

"for you."

The life-or-death grip swiftly pierced the snake's mouth, instantly infusing it with soul-corroding death energy!

The bone snake stiffened for a moment, then obediently lowered its head. The door lock made a soft "click".

Gu Chen had become accustomed to operating in the shadows and taking the lives of others.

The infiltration went very smoothly and was extremely quick!

The alarm stopped working after five seconds.

Ten seconds later, the sentry inside the tower was drained of blood and collapsed silently to the ground.

Fifteen seconds later, he was already standing in front of Joe Baker's study door.

Low voices could be heard coming from under the door:

"...The royal bloodline of Lorian must die."

A cold, sinister voice rang out.

"Otherwise, Antinoya's secret will be exposed."

"I have prepared enough manpower for the hunting party."

Joe Baker's voice was tinged with impatience.

"You mean the enemy, a low-level first-ring cultivator, killed four of you mid-level first-ring cultivators, and your solution was to send three more mid-level first-ring cultivators to try and surround and kill them? Are you confident you can kill them? Can you afford the consequences? Is the enemy too strong, or are you just too useless, young master?"

"……hehe."

The cold voice was full of mockery.

"You have no right to point fingers at me... You're nothing but a dog."

These words seemed to anger Joe Baker, who looked up, his bloodshot eyes revealing undisguised murderous intent.

"Useless." A cold voice sneered.