A month later, Jie Ming and his group finally caught sight of the majestic floating city perched at the edge of the planar rift.

After two months, this bastion of wizard civilization seemed to have expanded further.

New towers pierced the clouds like a steel forest, massive runic arrays flowing slowly across the city’s surface, emanating a heart-palpitating energy fluctuation. Read full story at novel-fire.net

Passing through the transformed, bustling yet orderly central square, Jie Ming led his varied group into the affairs center.

The Level 4 wizard, bound by invisible energy shackles, hung his head dejectedly, while the few surviving Level 1 wizards glanced around with a mix of tension and curiosity.

Jie Ming approached the exquisitely crafted alchemical puppet at the front desk, its eyes glinting with rational light.

“Jie Ming, Level 2 wizard, returning from the ‘rescue’ mission. I have critical matters to report to camp leadership regarding Plane Origin and wizard betrayal.”

Jie Ming concisely stated his purpose, handing over his terminal, which recorded the events of the past weeks.

Data streams flashed rapidly in the puppet’s eyes, followed by a pleasant but emotionless voice: “Identity verified. Event level assessment in progress… Assessment passed. Please wait; a high-tier wizard will be notified to handle this.”

The wait was brief. The puppet soon spoke again: “Congratulations, Lord Dionysius Spencer has agreed to meet with you all…”

What?

Who?!

Dionysius Spencer?

The Level 7 wizard leading this expedition?!

Everyone present, including the Level 4 wizard, nearly doubted their ears.

For a fleeting moment, the Level 4 wizard felt as if the sky had collapsed.

Was this a mistake?!

Yes, he’d harbored ill intentions initially, but did it really warrant alerting a Level 7 wizard?!

Jie Ming remained rational, knowing that handling a rule-breaking wizard wouldn’t typically escalate this far.

Still, he was puzzled why Dionysius Spencer would personally meet them.

Moments later, the alchemical puppet led them deeper into the floating city.

The corridor walls transitioned from metal to a jade-like energy substance, and the air grew thick with an astonishing concentration of elements.

The Level 1 wizards trailing Jie Ming unconsciously softened their breathing, their faces etched with awe and unease.

Before a bronze gate inscribed with the orbits of stars, the puppet halted: “Please enter. Lord Dionysius Spencer awaits inside.”

Jie Ming clearly heard the sound of swallowing behind him.

Taking a deep breath to steady his slightly racing heart, he pushed open the heavy door.

The scene beyond was unexpectedly… simple.

Not the lavish palace or cold laboratory he’d imagined, but an elegant, book-scented study.

A strikingly youthful man sat behind a wide desk, toying with a crystalline orb.

He looked up, revealing a near-perfectly handsome face, a gentle smile on his lips.

His presence carried no oppressive aura, a stark contrast to the world-shaking pressure Jie Ming recalled from the planar expedition.

“You’re here? Sit.” The young man—Level 7 wizard Dionysius Spencer—casually gestured to several chairs, his voice warm like a spring breeze.

Jie Ming’s heart tightened, and he respectfully performed a wizard’s salute: “Level 2 wizard Jie Ming greets Lord Spencer.”

The wizards behind him snapped out of their shock, hurriedly following suit with stiff movements and trembling voices.

Even the Level 4 wizard, after a moment of daze, showed a spark of indescribable excitement in his eyes.

Only then did Jie Ming truly grasp how unreachable a Level 7 wizard was to most ordinary wizards.

His relative calm stemmed from Mentor Clark’s daily influence and tales of high-tier wizards’ “ordinary” deeds.

In that moment, he better understood the twisted jealousy Jack had harbored—resources and opportunities Jie Ming took for granted were, for others, once-in-a-lifetime dreams.

Dionysius Spencer seemed unfazed by their nervousness, his gaze calmly sweeping over them before settling on Jie Ming with a measured look.

Jie Ming seized the chance to subtly study this legendary figure.

This was, he realized, his second close encounter with a Level 7 wizard.

His brief interaction with Dean Avery Knight had been minimal.

Though he’d often heard of Level 7 wizards, he’d never truly met one.

For instance, the dean of Noren Academy No. 13 seemed to live only in his mentor’s stories.

His closest prior encounter was a distant glimpse in the Elosia plane.

The man’s youthful, handsome appearance wasn’t surprising.

Wizards could freely adjust their physical age, and beauty was a natural optimization of their evolved life essence.

But the profound wisdom and weariness in those deep eyes clearly marked him as no youth, his gaze toward Jie Ming and the others carrying the faint appreciation of an elder for promising juniors.

“The situation was clearly detailed in your transmitted report,” Dionysius Spencer said, cutting to the chase.

He glanced casually at the Level 4 wizard and waved a hand.

From the study’s shadowed corner, two alchemical puppets with obscure auras emerged silently.

“Take him for ‘review.’”

The Level 4 wizard paled but dared not resist, obediently following the puppets.

Dionysius Spencer then smiled at Jie Ming: “You did well, Jie Ming. Rational, restrained, and you upheld the camp’s rules and this plane’s stability. As a reward, if he passes review, 85% of all proceeds from his trial will go to you.”

The Level 1 wizards gasped, their gazes toward Jie Ming filled with envy and even jealousy, while Jie Ming himself felt a flicker of surprise.

This allocation was extraordinarily high, nearly all net proceeds from exploiting the Level 4 wizard, minus costs.

He bowed immediately: “Thank you, Lord!”

“It’s what you deserve,” Dionysius Spencer said evenly.

He then signaled the puppet to lead the other Level 1 wizards to collect their mission rewards.

Amid their reluctant, envious glances, Jie Ming grew curious why the lord had kept him alone.

Soon, only Jie Ming and Dionysius remained in the study.

“Regarding the spatial distortion zone and Levin Mills’ specific actions, do you have more detailed records?” Dionysius asked directly.

Jie Ming thought briefly, then touched his temple, extracting a glowing memory fragment and offering it: “Lord, this is a replica of my experiences during that time, perhaps more vivid.”

Dionysius took the memory orb, a flicker of light at his fingertips as he absorbed it.

He nodded, satisfied: “Clear and concise. Few wizards your age show such composure and foresight. Facing the lure of Plane Origin, even many veterans might not resist such greed.”

Jie Ming replied humbly: “Perhaps because I’ve accumulated decent merits so far, I had no need to take such risks.”

Dionysius chuckled softly: “For wizards, the ability to acquire resources is itself a core part of strength. No need for modesty.”

He paused, his tone turning casual, as if mentioning a trifle: “Though this void plane is merely an ‘appetizer’ for young ones like you, your initiative in protecting my property is appreciated. I can’t be too stingy.”

Jie Ming’s eyes twitched, sensing something monumental in the casual remark.

But his attention was soon diverted.

As Dionysius spoke, an alchemical puppet approached with a silver tray.

On it were twenty crystal vials, each containing a radiant, liquid-emerald glow, their pure energy so potent it soothed the soul despite the crystal barrier.

“This is…” Jie Ming’s pupils constricted.

“Twenty strands of wind element rule-related Plane Origin,” Dionysius said calmly. “I just probed that zone; its core can yield roughly this amount, but it’s riddled with impurities. These were personally refined by me from various wind element planes, flawless and pure. You can use them for advancement without any risk.”

Jie Ming’s heart leapt, a surge of joy flooding him!

Twenty strands of pure origin, refined by a Level 7 wizard!

Their value far surpassed the twenty impure strands from the distortion zone.

Natural origins might retain 50% effective rule information at best, but these were 100% essence!

More crucially, wind element rules were a higher-tier rule above spatial rules, making these strands’ value exponentially greater!

“Thank you for your generous gift, Lord!” Jie Ming suppressed his excitement, bowing deeply again.

This time, his gratitude was far more heartfelt.

This reward exceeded all his expectations.

Dionysius waved a hand, his gaze seeming to pierce the study’s walls into the distant plane: “Go, make good use of them. The road ahead is long.”

Jie Ming carefully stored the priceless tray, bowed again, and exited the study.