Chapter 587: Scaling the Summit, I Am the Peak

Lei En turned his head to look at Roni.

The teacher also cast a glance, waiting for his answer.

This time, Lei En showed no hesitation, his expression calm as he replied, "Yes, I wish to become the Empire Consul."

Anxiwodasi nodded with satisfaction.

Roni, however, showed a hint of puzzlement and a trace of disappointment in his eyes, and couldn't help asking, "Why?"

Without waiting for Lei En's reply, he solemnly said, "The Consul position may be an unattainable supreme honor for most people, but for you, Lei En, it is not worth your attention; it will distract you."

"We are Wizards, not politicians."

"In the past thousand years, Weizelan has placed only seven or eight Consuls, bringing little benefit. This position is merely a puppet of the Supreme Council; you should not waste decades serving as Consul."

"You should devote your energy to the path of magic, striving to become a Holy Soul Ascension Wizard soon."

"GrandSpeaker, you should persuade Lei En; Weizelan needs a second Holy Soul Wizard, not a Consul."

Roni did see Anxiwodasi's attitude, yet still spoke frankly and even directly rebuked the leader of Fu Kong Cheng.

Anxiwodasi smiled lightly, without blaming Roni.

He knew this was Roni's nature, never hiding his thoughts for fear of offending others; often his view is correct.

"Roni, I will not interfere with Lei En's choice," Anxiwodasi said slowly, "Earlier, I already let him decide for himself."

"GrandSpeaker…" Roni became a bit anxious.

Lei En finally spoke, "Speaker Ronnie, I have heard a story and hope you will listen."

Roni had no mood to hear a story, but since Lei En's words likely concerned the Consul matter, he patiently nodded, "Go ahead."

Anxiwodasi also became interested.

"In the Second Era, Ai Lun E Si was a world ruled by dragons and giants; humans were merely slaves of the two great races, weak, with only a few possessing extraordinary power," Lei En said passionately, "At that time there was a mountaineer named GeorgeMarlowe, an ordinary man without any extraordinary ability, whose life's goal was to reach the summit of the world's highest peak, Zhigao Shan."

The two gradually became drawn to Lei En's story.

An ordinary person attempting Zhigao Shan is obviously difficult, let alone in the Second Era when Zhigao Shan lay at the heart of the dragon realm, where even approaching its base was perilous for humans.

Lei En continued, "He prepared for years, gave his all, but failed the first two attempts. He did not give up; a few years later he tried a third time, traveling to raise funds and gear, even at the cost of his life."

"Unfortunately, this time he vanished on Zhigao Shan, never returned, and no one knows whether he succeeded."

"Before departing, someone asked him, 'Why do you climb Zhigao Shan?'"

Lei En paused there.

Roni had been to Zhigao Shan and knew its harsh conditions; not only ordinary people, even legendary extraordinary beings tremble at the climb. He couldn't help admiring the mountaineer's courage and was curious about his answer.

"Why did he climb Zhigao Shan?" Roni couldn't help asking again.

Lei En replied, "Because the mountain is right there."

Roni was instantly stunned.

Because the mountain is right there… the answer was unexpected yet logical, also explaining why Lei En wanted to become Consul.

Roni's expression shifted, and he sighed, "I understand."

Clap clap!

"What a splendid story!"

Anxiwodasi applauded, laughing, "Lei En, you could become a speaker. But I have a question: why have we never heard of the mountaineer named GeorgeMarlowe before? With such an answer, he shouldn't have been obscure; where did you see his story?"

"Um…" Lei En was a bit embarrassed; the story is true but occurred in another world.

He improvised, "Teacher, I saw it on a fragment of an ancient biography book a few years ago; I don't know if it's true, but it left a deep impression, so I remembered it."

Anxiwodasi chuckled twice, without asking further.

Roni also came back to himself; eight or nine times out of ten the story was Lei En's own invention, with no real mountaineer, yet its core was very real.

Lei En cleared his throat and said seriously, "The mountaineer conquers not Zhigao Shan, but himself."

"Life is like climbing; not everyone can reach the summit…"

"For us Wizards, the pursuit of magical truth is also a climb. On the ascent we encounter countless hardships, dangers, and pain; some travel together, some alone, and the routes differ."

"We might occasionally pause to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way; even if we ultimately fail, it won't waste this splendid life."

"Speaker Ronnie, what do you think?"

Lei En's face was sincere; he had grown weary of this chicken‑soup rhetoric in his past life, having written several themed essays at school, yet this truly reflects his genuine thoughts.

In his previous life, he only wanted to be a librarian, living peacefully, eating and waiting for death.

Those grand ideals and ambitions could only be dreamed of occasionally; the peaceful era of reality did not provide conditions to forge heroes. Some things, if not present at birth, are unlikely to be obtained in a lifetime.

Yet after crossing into Ai Lun E Si, the MutatedPhone, a god‑like cheat, gave him an unimaginable advantage.

With it came swelling ambition.

Describing it as "ambition" is not quite accurate; Lei En does not crave power greatly, he simply feels that, having arrived in this world, he should live brilliantly, experience what his past life could never offer, and live carefree.

Power is a man's finest garment; once worn, it shines brilliantly and exudes endless charm.

Lei En's own understanding is that power in the Ai Lun E Si world can be seen as "influence" and "strength"; he already possesses some strength and now wishes to taste the flavor of influence.

Perhaps for others, one must focus on one and abandon the other; after all, human time and energy are limited, and merely pursuing strength is already hard, with few reaching the summit.

But he is different; MutatedPhone, infinite possibilities!

Whether "influence" or "strength," Lei En will not give up; he wants it all! Moreover, he wants to master both to the extreme!

This is his first time voicing his heart.

Anxiwodasi and Roni were moved, beginning to understand Lei En's thoughts. Roni no longer urged, and Anxiwodasi gave Lei En a deep look; the Consul position was clearly not Lei En's Zhigao Shan, at most a precarious peak.

So, what is the "Zhigao Shan" Lei En truly wishes to conquer?

The answer is self‑evident.

Anxiwodasi's spirit trembled, his lips moved but he did not ask Lei En, his brows showing a complex, troubled expression.

Lei En noticed the teacher's mood shift, gave him a sincere smile and softly said, "Teacher, we should go attend the Sabbath Dean's investiture ceremony."

Roni glanced at the time and stood up.

Then he saw Anxiwodasi still sitting there, as if distracted, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "GrandSpeaker?"

"Oh, it's fine," Anxiwodasi said calmly, "Let's go."

He didn't look at Lei En again, opened a portal, and led the way inside. The Weizelan Wizards downstairs, who were not permitted to enter the temple for the ceremony, had already gone to the Phoenix Arena and were watching the rites remotely via a projected screen.

Stepping out of the portal led directly to the temple's main gate.

It was one of BrewotzAcademy's most magnificent structures, the temple of the God of Magic, climbed via a hundred steps, its dome supported by hundreds of round columns, grand and unforgettable.

Today, the temple was repeatedly cleansed by spells, and from the dome hung massive banners bearing countless magical runes and the goddess's holy seal, the Empire's double‑headed eagle flag, the insignia of BrewotzAcademy's various branches, the emblems of the Twelve Holy Soul Wizards; each banner radiated a vast magical aura.

Two rows of Imperial Knights stood at the temple entrance.

They were all members of the Consul's Imperial Guard, equipped with fine arms, each possessing the power of a high‑rank transcendent.

Above the sky, griffin riders from the elite GriffinLegion were circling.

As hosts, BrewotzAcademy's faculty and students organized a Wizard Corps of over two hundred members, divided into squads stationed around the temple.

Lei En and Roni followed Anxiwodasi, step by step climbing the stairs.

He sensed multiple strong auras emanating from the temple.

Several Holy Soul Wizards had already arrived.

At this moment, the temple might be the Prime Material Plane's most dangerous yet safest place: the twelve Holy Soul Wizards gathered in person, dozens of legendary wizards were present, a massive transcendent legion stood ready, and a goddess incarnation could descend later!

When three wizards walked onto the long red carpet, the guards on either side saluted in unison, crossing their enchanted spears in pairs to form a solemn archway.

Anxiwodasi kept his gaze steady and entered the temple.

Inside, the hall spread out fan‑shaped with rows of seats rising in tiers; the space could have held one or two thousand, but the seats were replaced with wider ones, totaling fewer than three hundred, all facing the same direction where a towering statue of the God of Magic VijesCui stood.

By now, over a hundred people were seated, the atmosphere solemn, and no one spoke.

When Anxiwodasi appeared, all eyes turned to him; aside from a few Holy Soul Wizards, everyone rose and saluted him.

Lei En's gaze swept over the guests.

Legendary wizards, great nobles, cabinet ministers, provincial governors, legion commanders, imperial senators, high‑ranking clergy, tycoons, and the like were all eminent figures of the Empire. Their invitation to the temple itself reflected their power and status.

Yet before Anxiwodasi, none dared show even the slightest disrespect, nor could they meet his gaze.

Anxiwodasi walked step by step toward the front row, with Lei En and Roni behind him.

As they passed through the middle, the guests on both sides bowed one by one, respectfully saying, "We have seen Master Anxiwodasi."

"Hmm."

Anxiwodasi nodded in acknowledgment, occasionally giving a faint reply to a few of them. Those people looked astonished by the favor, as if they had received supreme honor.

Lei En had been in Weizelan for several years and knew some of the situation.

The reason the teacher is one of the Empire's three giants is that his forces extend far beyond a single floating city; he has gathered a large number of the Empire's upper echelons, most of whom are imperial senators, occupying roughly a quarter of the seats in the imperial council.

Those guests who received the teacher's response were all vassal senators of Weizelan.

He who aspires to become Consul in the future cannot do so without the support of these imperial senators; whether for nomination campaigning or governance after election, he must rely on these prominent figures.

Lei En silently memorized their faces.

In the front seats, several Holy Soul Wizards were already seated: TimKainanMaster, Silver Star Duke, Storm Queen, Ouroin Master, Howai Master, Prophet Medif, KangJieladeGreatSage; they only rose to welcome when Anxiwodasi arrived.

"Anxiwodasi."

"GreyEagle."

The two giants first exchanged greetings; Anxiwodasi then greeted the highly respected GrandSage, asking, "Has Kelsong not arrived yet?"

"Unclear; perhaps something delayed him," the GrandSage said, shaking his head, his expression a bit troubled.

Generally, the later one arrives, the higher the status.

PurpleFlameDuke and Black Robe Duke ignore worldly affairs, come and go alone; arriving later is no issue, as they have always been that way.

But Hong Shi's absence seemed deliberate.

All three giants had arrived except him, making it seem as if he were the highest‑ranking giant; in the past, only Augulevi Master had been entitled to do so.

The GrandSage's reasoning was unconvincing.

Anxiwodasi hummed, somewhat displeased. Though his nature usually didn't care about such matters, Hong Shi's actions were excessive, playing worldly tricks on the Supreme Council, truly unbecoming of a Holy Soul Wizard.

"Hey, what an arrogant stance," TimKainanMaster added, also very displeased.

"Please sit down first."

Anxiwodasi said lightly, taking the central seat in the front row; Lei En and Roni sat behind him, and the temple hall fell silent again.

The guests heard their conversation, exchanging glances, yet daring not to speak.

It wasn't until over ten minutes later that a dense thudding of footsteps came from outside.

Lei En and the others turned to see Hong Shi finally arrive, fashionably late.

The new giant, full of vigor, was followed by a large crowd, all legendary wizards identified by the badges on their chests; half came from ParrasFloatingCity, and the other half, surprisingly, were legendary wizards from Naiser Floating City!

(End of Chapter)