Chapter 583: Nationwide Shock

Bare Reslin looked exactly the same on the surface as before.

But this death wasn't without cost; he immediately found his power had regressed. Within his soul, the water level of the "Lake of Stars" fell—each strand of lake water represents magical energy, and the deeper and larger the lake, the stronger the power.

He closed his eyes and sensed for a few seconds, then Reslin hummed a discontented sound from his nostrils.

His wizard rank dropped to eighteenth level.

The price wasn't small, but it wasn't heartbreaking either; once the teleportation array inside the pyramid is fully built, he can go hunt demon souls in the dying‑sun desert outside and soon return to the Legendary Peak. Still, dying for no reason once makes no one happy.

Moreover, this delay pushes back the departure to the New Continent.

Legendary High-rank practitioners can wield the Eight-Ring Spell; he has been building cross‑dimensional teleport arrays inside the pyramid, but time is scarce, and he hasn't even constructed a single Eight-Ring Spell prototype yet.

If he doesn't want to die again, he must be fully prepared and can depart even later.

Reslin telekinetically snatched the Nebula Ring from the ground, placed it on his left index finger, pulled out a black magical robe and donned it, and in his other hand grasped the Arcane Torrent Staff.

While dressing, he said, "Leave this to me; you should go back."

Lei En nodded.

The avatar is himself; with no outsiders present, there's no need for courtesy.

He glanced at Thunder God's Hammer, knowing he would see Holy Soul Wizards frequently in the coming days, so he decided to keep it for now.

He then turned, stepped into the teleportation array, and in an instant returned to Glamorgan, spent a few hours handling affairs in his domain, then went to Kin'slan to dine with Emily and her son, played with the child for a while, and that night teleported back to BrewotzAcademy.

The major incident that occurred today did not spread beyond.

Only a few teachers inside the academy knew the dean had disappeared in the projection room for a while; fortunately the dean returned safely soon, causing little stir.

A night passed without word.

The next day the elimination rounds continued, the contests grew ever more exciting, yet rumors began to surface that the Supreme Council had been thrown into turmoil yesterday!

No one knew where the rumors originated.

Nor what exactly transpired; any Fu Kong Cheng or academy with a Holy Soul Wizard background heard some whispers, more or less.

Those who were closer to Holy Soul Wizards, the lofty Legendary Wizards, wore inscrutable expressions when asked for news, yet did not deny the rumors.

Newspapers across the Empire also published some speculative pieces.

Some collectors found that most rumors and newspaper reports pointed to the Naiser Fu Kong Cheng, or rather to its leader—the great Augulevi Master, the founder of the Supreme Council who had guarded the Empire for over two millennia and was the strongest wizard in history!

Augulevi Master has vanished!

The nation was shocked.

Countless people were stunned by the news; whether in bustling cities or remote villages, groups of three or five gathered to debate its veracity and, if true, what impact it would have on the Empire.

Within half a day, human realms beyond the Empire also heard of it.

Even the elven peoples of the Demit Continent caught wind of it, sparking considerable discussion.

Within the Empire, the capital Nuosiruier simmered with undercurrents; people on the streets occasionally looked up at the hovering Naiser Fu Kong Cheng, but the magnificent city suspended overhead remained eerily still, almost too quiet, as if the wizards coming and going had vanished.

The Naiser elders also stayed out of sight.

Some high‑ranking nobles and Imperial councilors petitioned the Consul for an audience to inquire, but the Consul's reply was uniform: do not heed rumors, return and await the official notice.

That was practically a tacit acceptance.

When the response was released, the imperial capital erupted like a boiling pot, waves of magical messages flew to every corner of the world, stirring terrifying surges in countless hearts.

In the afternoon, BrewotzAcademy was still holding the competition.

The Phoenix Arena roared, several pairs of opponents were battling on the field, Lei En was present, watching Peralysis take the stage.

This gifted student displayed astonishing strength and has never been defeated.

Many spectators came to know her, amazed by her formidable power and likely to claim the High‑stage championship, and also admiring her peerless beauty; within a few days she captured the hearts of most male viewers, who continuously cheered for her.

At this moment, Peralysis's opponent was a 9th-level Elementalist from the New Oram Academy of Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng.

The male wizard was powerful, specializing in wind and fire element spells, merging fire's explosive damage with wind's control and binding flawlessly; beneath the Legendary tier he was a rare opponent, but he faced Peralysis, a perfect Soul Transformation 9th-level Arcane mage.

Peralysis was not a typical Mo Du wizard; she resembled the Naiser faction more, bearing some similarity to Elder Yingnora of Naiser.

She mastered teleportation and battlefield control, layered protective spells upon herself, and concealed her form.

She then primarily attacked with "Mayoof Micro Meteor".

The male wizard could not see through her invisibility, could not locate a target, and was extremely passive from the start; tiny meteors bombarded his shield one after another, occasional disruptive Arcane bursts fell overhead, leaving him in a sorry state, while he also had to guard against his shield being broken, plunging him into frantic confusion.

Meteors streaked, spells flew, and the duel was truly spectacular,

The scales of victory tipped toward Peralysis.

Lei En couldn't help but cheer a few times.

Peralysis cast spells at lightning speed; below the Legendary tier, few wizards could keep up with her. Her boundless Arcane combined offense, defense, crowd control, and anti‑magic, honed by years of magical duels in Weizelan, giving her rich combat experience and superb casting technique, and her cautious, steady temperament left her virtually without weakness.

Lei En couldn't help but think that if he faced Peralysis before ascending to Legendary, he would certainly win, but not easily.

It would at least require some effort!

Even he felt it was a bit tricky, showing how strong Peralysis truly is.

The arena spectators were thrilled; even though most couldn't see where Peralysis was, it didn't stop them from waving flags and shouting, the roar rising wave after wave.

The deafening shouts rattled the Elementalist's spirit.

Victory or defeat would soon be decided.

"Lei En, you student are truly impressive—strong, popular, surpassing the other contestants," Speaker Ronnie withdrew his gaze, knowing the duel was now a foregone conclusion, his face full of envy.

He also mentored a few students, but none could match Peralysis; only one barely held on in the elimination rounds.

"Hehe…"

Lei En felt a great sense of achievement; this was even more satisfying than fighting an opponent himself.

He smiled proudly, "I have seven students as talented as she is!"

Speaker Ronnie's gaze swept over behind Lei En—high elf Dalama, Half-elf Anweila—who were hardly any less impressive than Peralysis on the field. There was also half-orc Jia Lu, who, though only a sixth‑level wizard, was the top favorite to win the Mid-stage division, equally promising.

He had also heard of a few absent students, all of whom were highly promising young wizards.

I have to say, Lei En's eye for selecting students is extremely sharp.

A few years ago, during that student recruitment, the most gifted and promising new Wizards of Weizelan were all captured by Lei En in one sweep, and the remaining ones were far behind.

Of course, talent alone is insufficient; Lei En inevitably poured a great amount of resources and effort into his students.

Roni was sincerely admiring and was about to ask Lei En for advice on cultivating students when, suddenly, a commotion broke out in the arena's spectator stands; the enthusiastic cheers dwindled to sparse murmurs, and many seemed to instantly lose interest in the magical duel on the field.

The Wizards on the ten tower stands were also whispering to each other, their discussions bustling.

"What's wrong?"

Just as Roni asked, a Weizelan Wizard teleported onto the stand, his face pale with alarm, hurriedly handing over several newspapers.

It was the freshly printed "Orienser Times," one of the Empire's highest‑circulation newspapers, its authority second only to the official mouthpiece, the "Empire Daily."

The ink on the paper was still wet, emitting a faint scent of fresh ink.

The two‑page paper was light and brief, clearly a rushed, emergency print, yet the bold headline on it made Roni feel the newspaper in his hands weighed over a thousand pounds, his hands trembling lightly.

"Augulevi Master missing!"

The deliberately bold black font, with its explosive significance, left the Wizards on the stands stunned.

Roni took a deep breath and quickly skimmed the contents.

The few hundred‑word news piece had a single focus: according to multiple reliable sources, Augulevi Master disappeared not long ago, and Consul Gneus has not denied it.

The Orienser Times enjoys a solid reputation; it is far from a unscrupulous tabloid. Their daring to print it means they have verified the news's accuracy. In the arena, most high‑ranking spectators who saw the paper rose and left at once.

At this moment, no one cared about the magical duel on the field.

"The goddess above!"

"I don't believe it! Augulevi Master is the strongest wizard in history; how could he disappear?"

"The Orienser Times has printed it; could it be false? Only if they abandon centuries of credibility and no longer wish to survive in the Empire."

"Indeed..."

"Sigh, where did Augulevi Master go?" someone guessed, "The strongest wizard in history couldn't just leave without cause; did something happen? Or perhaps he's dead, maybe slain by a terrifying enemy..."

"Shut up!" a terrified bystander interrupted, "Do you have no sense of self‑preservation?"

"Whether he truly vanished, the Orienser Times is only speculating; they claim over ninety percent confidence, yet they could be wrong! We shouldn't guess wildly; let's wait for the Supreme Council and the Consul to announce."

Waves of discussion rose from various parts of the arena's spectator seats.

The Wizards on the towers also looked at each other in bewilderment.

For ordinary citizens, they have no direct contact with Augulevi Master; he's too distant, so even a big news story merely adds another topic for after‑dinner chat. Yet for Wizards, as members of the Empire's ruling class, the impact hits harder, as it concerns them directly.

Augulevi Master was a lighthouse on the path of magic, guiding countless Wizards forward.

Now, that lighthouse has been extinguished.

More concretely, the Empire has lost its strongest guardian, the Supreme Council its founder, Naiser Floating City its leader, and the Naiser doctrine its great symbol.

The Empire's structure will inevitably be affected; a reshuffle of power distribution may be required.

Some see crisis, others see opportunity.

Roni looked toward the surrounding towers of the arena; Wizards from various Floating Cities and academies, the vast majority were shocked, a few wore thoughtful expressions. Lei En beside him seemed unusually composed, far calmer than everyone else, and recalling the GrandSpeaker's secret plan with Lei En, it was clearly related.

He shook the newspaper and whispered, "Lei En, is this true?"

"Yes."

Lei En nodded.

He surveyed the surrounding Weizelan Wizards, each face full of shock and curiosity, then added, "In a few days, at Sabbath Dean's investiture ceremony, Consul will formally announce this news."

"Sss..." the Wizards erupted in a clamor.

However, a few Wizards thought quickly: Naiser Floating City lacks a Holy Soul Wizard to preside, their faction will lose influence, and how can they contend with the ever‑stronger Weizelan in the future?

Thinking of this, someone felt a secret joy but dared not show it.

Roni's eyes widened; the GrandSpeaker's and Lei En's plan indeed involved Augulevi Master, they must have known something long ago, and it wouldn't be as simple as a disappearance.

Although he was very curious, seeing Lei En unwilling to elaborate, he did not press further.

All along, Roni could discern what he should know; if something was meant for him, the GrandSpeaker and Lei En would tell him even without asking; matters not meant to be asked would yield no answer.

The audience thinned further.

The magical duel on the field concluded with Polalaisi winning.

When she ended her invisibility and appeared, about to receive the crowd's cheers, she found most of the audience had already left, her face instantly filled with shock.

In the following days, the elimination rounds proceeded as scheduled.

But the audience was sparse; it was rare for the seats to be filled. Even when people came, they discussed the Augulevi Master disappearance with those beside them, clapped occasionally, each seeming absent‑minded.

Even on the final day of the championship contest, the situation did not improve much.

Only Anweila's unexpected defeat of Polalaisi, winning the high‑tier group championship, slightly drew the audience's attention. Jialu's mid‑tier group victory sparked no discussion, and nobody knew who won the low‑tier group.

This may be the most memorable wizard exchange tournament in history, yet the competition was merely a footnote, like a backdrop, and few truly paid attention to it.

People instead thought, the competition finally ended.

The award ceremony, also Sabbath Dean's investiture, gathered the Holy Soul Wizards of the Supreme Council at BrewotzAcademy, with tens of thousands of spectators to watch the ceremony in the Phoenix Arena.

Three days later, the ceremony date arrived.

A few hours before the ceremony, Lei En waited in a garden villa room of the academy; a flame‑filled corridor opened before him, and Anxiwodasi's figure stepped out.

"Teacher," Lei En rose and called.

Anxiwodasi gave a slight nod, took out a soul stone and handed it over, saying, "Take a look, does this magic soul suit you?"

Today I had the last meeting with a few authors before the year's end, which delayed me a few hours... tomorrow two more!

(End of Chapter)