Clarence wore black, round-frad glasses and still donned the sa red robe, unchanged for years, with his light brown curly hair looking fluffy and unkempt.
He slightly squinted his eyes and furrowed his brows, gazing at the young wizard before him.
The young wizard’s chestnut curls tumbled down to his shoulders, his smile confident and bright, his body cloaked in a forest green, raincoat-like cape—overly simple and casual for wizard attire.
His skin was etched with black tattoo runes and alchemic arrays, crisscrossing, leaving circular arcs and marks on his body, resembling a stitched teddy bear.
Had an experienced Transmutation Wizard been here, they would have noticed that if the young wizard’s skin were peeled off and stretched out, it could directly transform into seven gear-like, interlocking spell arrays.
"So you’ve... succeeded?"
Clarence asked slowly, "The Pure dium Bernadino?"
"You can actually recognize ."
Bernadino’s mouth curved into a smile, emitting a sowhat affected lodious voice, "Then it seems I haven’t truly succeeded.
"How could that erstwhile decrepit ’shell’ bear any resemblance to my current youthful and healthy body?"
"Of course, I saw it through your heart."
Clarence answered unceremoniously, "Such a cold, viscous, dark, and lightless heart, I’ve only seen in one other person.
"Your body may change, but your heart will not. It’s only that the heavy aura of death has turned into contrived contentnt and arrogance."
He flicked his freshly polished nails, emitting a crisp, low sound.
Accompanied by the crisp sound of bones clashing, his jade-like nails traced a pure white glimr through the air.
In Clarence’s eyes, within the void his nail had skimd, burst many tiny, spark-like black fissures.
These were the severed fragnts of fate.
As the two confronted each other, a new destiny erged between them.
—— Clarence would die here.
This was the future Clarence saw.
—— Bernadino harbored the intent to kill.
This was the heart Clarence saw.
In such proximity, to face a superior Soul Reaping wizard was almost to have no chance of resistance.
Even if Bernadino did not walk the path of Heart-taking, it didn’t an he would lack resistance to spells of the sa school.
Yet he was not the least bit flustered and continued observing the soul-manipulating master who had beco young with calmness.
In his vision, countless souls already swirled around him.
"It looks like you’re quite content with the path you’ve chosen."
Bernadino leaned against the table, reaching to gently grasp his reborn strands of hair, lowering his head to scent the tips of his fingers, and said in a gentle voice, "Have you decided on how to advance? Or should I say... have you got the inheritance?
"Advancing from silver to gold takes more than just lying in a Wizard’s Tower dreaming. Without the innate talent and creativity, one needs a gold-rank legacy."
"No need for you to worry about that."
Clarence paced to his cupboard, rummaging through the shelves of potions, responding indifferently without turning back, "The Tower Master has already agreed to trade with for the Dream Stealer or the Mask Master’s advancent ceremony."
"I rember... the Heath Tower of Black’s legacy profession should be Fla Pilferer, right?"
"That’s reserved for the Tower’s Child, and after all, I am a Soul Reaping Wizard."
Clarence answered calmly, "But there’s a strong chance that I’ll advance to gold, and the Tower Master is willing to help inquire at other Wizard’s Towers. To exchange advancent ceremonies and materials."
The ceremony to advance to gold already belongs to the realm of arcane knowledge, not sothing that can be casually copied, which makes it wholly tradable... or rather, exchangeable for other advancent ceremonies.
Although each Wizard’s Tower has its own legacy... there are also students from other schools.
Even if the chances are slim, there’s still the possibility of birthing a gold-ranked Transcendent from a different school.
The red-robed wizard found a bottle resembling an inkpot among the potions. It was green and transparent, continuing to emit light bubbles even though it was well-sealed.
Clarence opened it, and a rich scent of peppermint gushed out from the bottle.
He tilted his head back and in three gulps, swallowed the cool liquid down his throat.
The sweet, refreshing taste spread on the tongue, sliding from the root of the tongue all the way to the heart. Then, a strong cooling sensation rose from his belly, rushing to the top of his head.
Clarence’s expression, akin to having tasted a spoonful of wasabi, imdiately contorted as he shuddered.
It took a while before he slowly recovered.
"Heart-cleansing Potion?"
Bernadino cocked his head, his mouth slightly curved, "Drinking too much of that can be bad for the stomach."
"If the stomach is damaged, I’ll use another potion to recover."
Clarence said flatly.
He turned back, fixing his gaze on Bernadino, "But you staying here, refusing to leave... wouldn’t I be disrespecting you if I faced you unprepared?"
After drinking the potion, Clarence’s eyes flickered with a faint white halo—an evidence that his perception and will attributes were temporarily enhanced by the potion, sowhat beyond his control.
Upon hearing this, Bernadino let out a light chuckle, "Sorry, Clarence. I don’t an to be too rude ... but if you want to challenge , you’d better drink the ’Heart-taking Catalyst’ and ’Swift Spirit Elixir’ beside you as well."
Clarence didn’t reply, simply maintaining a stern face, without saying a word.
He downed the two bottles of potion Bernadino ntioned, and took out a small bottle of translucent red potion that resembled a sample of perfu, hesitating slightly. After pondering for a mont, he gritted his teeth and drank it down.
He shuddered as if an invisible force had punched him hard in the abdon, and he slowly bent over, nearly vomiting.
"Are you ready, Savior of the Heath Tower of Black?"
Watching this scene, Bernadino spoke in a gentle voice.
Clarence’s voice was hoarse, "Have you admitted it, you bastard?
"—Did you really co here to start trouble?!"
"Unfortunately, that’s fate."
Bernadino sighed, "If you had said at the ti that you planned to advance to the Spirit Initiate... maybe I would have changed my mind."
"Maybe?"
Clarence snorted.
He slowly raised his head, his eyes now completely blood-red.
Bernadino smiled faintly, "Hmm, maybe.
"...But in the end, I’d rather expand my collection."
"What exactly are you here for?"
"I am here to seek...the soul of Hugo Blacktower."
In the mont that Bernadino’s words fell, the runes on his skin lit up instantly.
They were treasures tailor-made for him by the legacy of the Jade Tower—the great alchemist Isaac Flal of yesteryears.
—The moving Philosopher’s Stone transmutation array.
The next instant, the world around Clarence transford into the [Otherworld].
A black, greasy liquid started to spread quickly from under Bernadino’s feet.
In the blink of an eye, it had covered the entire room, passing through the walls. Like veins, the patterns climbed slowly upwards from near the wall surfaces.
Upon seeing this, Clarence showed no hint of anger.
That was because of the power of the last potion he consud, the "Blood of Quenched Wrath."
His anger would be constantly converted into chaotic, twisted spell energy... and if his anger was insufficient, the potion would instead burn his blood.
"How is my student doing?"
Clarence leaped high, dodging the black mire that lunged at him.
He landed on the shelf behind him, asking in a low voice.
At the mont of asking, he had already received the answer from Bernadino’s mind.
—This black sludge was the manifestation of Bernadino’s Elental Power.
The wizards dragged into the marshland would be directly refined into the Philosopher’s Stone.
And his next move was...
Clarence read Bernadino’s heart.
Without hesitation, he clapped his hands together.
With the crisp sound of his clapping, an invisible ring of light, centered on Clarence, suddenly spread outwards.
In his office, those books, docunts, newspapers.
As they were swept by the ring of light, they seed to co alive all at once and started to riot.
At the sa ti, Clarence drove his sharp fingernails directly into his own temples.
And at that mont, Bernadino’s gem-like eyes had only just begun to light up.
A thrill surged in Clarence’s heart.
He made it in ti!
The magical eye capable of instantly reaping Clarence’s soul was disrupted by the severe pain in Bernadino’s mind just before activation, delayed by a fraction of a second.
The next mont, countless glyphs transford into streams of light, and tightly woven chains of light from all directions swept over, binding Bernadino instantly!
—Idol School, Pain Synchronization!
—Decree School, Bookbind Shackles!
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