Chapter 813: The Teacher‑Student Conflict

Lei En walked out of the projection room but did not leave.

He waited in the grand hall of the Weizelan Tower for a few minutes, and Anxiwodasi also emerged from the projection room, glanced at his student, his expression as solemn as in the meeting, and stepped slowly to sit behind his desk.

"Teacher."

Lei En stood before the desk, as respectfully as always.

Seeing his posture, Anxiwodasi's face softened slightly, and finally nodded, "Don't stand there, sit down."

Lei En sat down as instructed.

Anxiwodasi examined Lei En carefully, as if meeting him for the first time; this student he had watched grow up gave him a feeling both familiar and strange.

He opened his mouth and finally changed the subject: "Lei En, are you really planning to auction the Floating City?"

"Yes, Teacher."

Lei En replied calmly, "Before I conquered the New Xiang Floating City, I told you it didn't meet my requirements, so I intend to build a Floating City according to my own design."

I thought you were joking at the time!

Anxiwodasi felt helpless inside, blaming his own misunderstanding; who could have imagined someone would sell a Floating City? Even though Lei En said it to his face, few believed it now, and before the Supreme Council adjourned, the Holy Soul Wizards were in an uproar.

Such enormous profit and opportunity attracted everyone's attention.

The Holy Soul Wizards no longer cared why Lei En refused to enter the Supreme Council, nor did they ask why he no longer wanted the Floating City.

Lei En's move was truly impressive!

Anxiwodasi rubbed his forehead and complained, "With a matter this big, why didn't you discuss it with me?"

This is a Floating City, after all!

Even if it wasn't his own Floating City, watching it be sold helplessly made Anxiwodasi's heart ache.

Lei En looked up at his teacher but did not answer the question.

Anxiwodasi understood immediately.

He had suddenly pushed Lei En into the Supreme Council without consulting him, which made Lei En strongly resentful. Earlier in the meeting, Lei En had clearly protested and was not forced to obey because of the teacher‑student relationship.

Anxiwodasi knew he was at fault and didn't know how to defend himself.

The room fell silent.

Anxiwodasi felt irritated, turned, stood up, and walked to the floor‑to‑ceiling window, gazing at the rising sun on the horizon; its brilliant light bathed Weizelan, and the magnificent Floating City drifted beneath the clouds. Below, the bustling city revived at dawn, streets teeming with traffic, skyscrapers towering, and millions of Mo Du residents bustled for a living.

From time to time, people lifted their heads to stare at the Floating City, eyes full of yearning and awe.

Weizelan is the most conspicuous building in Mo Du.

And the Weizelan Tower is the tallest structure within the Floating City.

Every time he stood atop the tower and looked down on the Floating City and the myriad lives of Mo Du, Anxiwodasi felt as if he were not at a spatial apex but at the pinnacle of the entire world!

At that moment, his feeling intensified.

Anxiwodasi suddenly turned back, fixed his gaze on Lei En, and asked directly, "Do you want to become the Empire's emperor?"

"Yes."

Lei En admitted it calmly, without any hesitation.

His eyes were extremely steady, showing no sign of wavering; Anxiwodasi knew his student's character well—once he set a goal, he would never change it easily, and even Anxiwodasi could only exert slight influence, not stop him.

Anxiwodasi sighed deeply and shook his head, "What's so good about being emperor?"

Lei En did not reply immediately.

Anxiwodasi continued to persuade, "With your current power and status, what can't you obtain? Beauties, wealth, and authority—things an emperor can enjoy, you can enjoy as well. Lei En, you're not a power‑hungry person; why let a title delay your pursuit of the magical path?"

"As long as you enter the Supreme Council, you essentially wield the emperor's authority."

"Whether I'm emperor or not, what's the difference?"

Anxiwodasi's earnest urging was sincere; he truly hoped Lei En would change his mind and abandon this unrealistic notion.

Yet Lei En was unmoved, speaking softly, "It's different."

"What?" Anxiwodasi was taken aback.

"There's only one emperor, but the Supreme Council has twelve members now and will have more later," Lei En disclosed his view without concealment.

Anxiwodasi furrowed his brows, feeling a surge of anger.

He even began to suspect he had misread him; Lei En's previously displayed gentleness and humility were a façade, and he had been an ambitious schemer from the start.

"The greater the power, the greater the responsibility," Anxiwodasi said, his tone a bit stiff, "You should understand this principle."

"And being emperor isn't that easy."

"Once you sit on the Golden Throne, you can't step down; the one on the Golden Throne is no longer a mere individual. Absolute power will corrupt your will, making you distrust everyone, even those beside you, and you will guard even your pillow‑mate, unable to sleep."

"All your thoughts will revolve around one core: how to maintain your imperial seat."

"Eventually, you will become a slave to power!"

Apart from teaching magical knowledge, Anxiwodasi had never spoken so much; his emotions grew increasingly intense, and he shouted, "In the first three hundred years of my life, the Empire changed seven emperors; they were all slaves to power, without exception."

"Most emperors met grim ends."

"Each succession shakes the Empire; the best outcome is a purge of nobles and officials, while the worst brings war, with countless innocent Empire subjects perishing in the flames."

Anxiwodasi stared directly into Lei En's eyes.

"For the Empire's greater good, you shouldn't plunge a millennium‑stable empire into turmoil; for your own sake, your talent shouldn't be wasted on power struggles—pursuing the truth of magic is your best choice."

"Lei En, stop!"

Anxiwodasi was almost pleading, breathing rapidly, his snowy white beard a bit disheveled; Lei En had never seen his teacher in such a disordered state.

Lei En knew his teacher meant well, felt moved, and couldn't help wavering a little.

He was silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

"Sorry, Teacher."

Anxiwodasi sank heavily into his chair, hand supporting his forehead, eyes full of disappointment, and asked in a deep voice, "Why? Is the emperor's allure really that great?"

It's not that big.

Lei En answered calmly, "Teacher, do you still remember the story I told at BrewotzAcademy about climbing Zhigao Shan?"

Anxiwodasi nodded expressionlessly, "At the time I thought you only wanted to be a Consul for a term or two, to hone your abilities and secure benefits for the Mo Du faction, so I supported you. Hmph, so you were already planning it then; the Consulship was merely a stepping stone to the Golden Throne."

Lei En smiled.

Then he said seriously, "The mountain is right there; I will climb it."

"Is that your reason for wanting to become emperor?" Anxiwodasi found it incomprehensible. He later checked the entire Weizelan Library and found no record; the climbing story was simply something Lei En had fabricated.

"Yes, but not entirely."

Lei En explained, "I enjoy challenges; ascending the Golden Throne is a great challenge. I relish the process, not the outcome."

To put it bluntly, it's the mindset of a player who has transmigrated.

He treats the Ai Lun E Si world as a virtual game; becoming emperor is one of the main quests, and the harder the mission, the greater the sense of achievement and satisfaction.

Of course, this explanation cannot be spoken aloud; the teacher finds it even harder to understand.

Anxiwodasi was speechless.

He realized his understanding of Lei En was still shallow; if Lei En's abilities weren't far beyond ordinary people, he might even suspect Lei En of being insane!

After a while, Anxiwodasi finally asked, "Why don't you challenge the Ascension to Divinity? Isn't that harder than becoming emperor?"

"Hehe…" Lei En smiled without replying.

Seeing his amused expression, Anxiwodasi understood instantly and was stunned.

At that moment, he felt he no longer knew Lei En at all. He recalled rumors in the Empire that Lei En was a reincarnated deity; he had once dismissed them as laughable rumors fabricated by ignorant mortals, but now he found they might hold some truth.

Lei En's unparalleled talent and his series of heroic deeds, achieved at such a young age, already surpass all predecessors in history.

Even Emperor Erfa, in his youth, was inferior.

Lei En is still far from Augulevi Master's magical achievements, but in other aspects he surpasses Augulevi.

The two represent the pinnacle attainable by mortals, while Lei En is like a fusion of Emperor Erfa and Augulevi.

Apart from the reincarnated deity theory, Anxiwodasi could think of no other explanation.

"Teacher."

Lei En sensed the teacher's emotional shift, guessed he might be misinterpreting, and said solemnly, "I have always been merely mortal. Ascension to Divinity is the ultimate dream of all mortals, and I am working toward that goal. But Ascension is too difficult; it relies on luck, not just effort, and is a long‑term matter, so my current focus remains on the Golden Throne."

Anxiwodasi snapped back to reality, let out a long sigh, his mood extremely complicated.

"How do you plan to proceed?" he asked.

"The first step is to become Consul, seize the Empire's administrative power, take command of the major legions, win over various Imperial factions, trade benefits, and earn their loyalty."

Lei En disclosed his plan without concealment, "The second step, while serving as Consul, is to accomplish several major deeds that significantly impact the entire Empire—of course positively—so that my personal prestige reaches its peak, surpassing all previous Consuls."

"The third step is to weaken the Supreme Council's prestige, stir and control public opinion, shift the Empire's perception of the Supreme Council from positive to negative, and provoke a personal conflict with the Council."

"The fourth step, the final and most difficult one…"

Lei En looked at the old Anxiwodasi and said calmly, "Overthrow the Supreme Council."

"The rest is straightforward: find a trusted ally in the Imperial Parliament to propose a bill, amend Imperial law, and enthrone me as emperor. Though I do not seek the throne personally, for the sake of better serving the Imperial people I must abandon my selfishness, assume responsibility, and accept the imperial ascension request."

Throughout the explanation of the plan, Anxiwodasi's expression remained calm.

However, when Lei En mentioned overthrowing the Supreme Council, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, then patiently listened to the subsequent steps.

"Your plan is good."

Anxiwodasi said in a deep voice, "If I hadn't noticed your ambition in the earlier steps, perhaps you would have succeeded. But the final step—do you think you have the ability to overthrow the Supreme Council?"

Lei En, neither confirming nor denying, spread his hands, "How would I know unless I try?"

Anxiwodasi hummed, deeming Lei En's notion fanciful.

Even Augulevi, the strongest Holy Soul Wizard in history, perished, his soul extinguished, under the Supreme Council's siege. No matter how great Lei En's talent is, even possessing the clone Lei Silin, he cannot surpass Augulevi without the entire Supreme Council's involvement; he could not handle it alone.

"Teacher, I only intend to overthrow the Supreme Council, not to eradicate all Holy Soul Wizards," Lei En smiled, "Moreover, the Supreme Council is not a monolith."

"Any person has weaknesses and a price; Holy Soul Wizards are no exception."

"Identifying who is my enemy and who is my friend is the primary issue of struggle. Once the sides are distinguished, we clarify interests: who can be won over, who must be suppressed, who must be eliminated. Then overthrowing the Supreme Council shouldn't be that difficult."

Anxiwodasi, listening to these words, felt a sudden clarity.

He realized he had still underestimated Lei En.

After a long silence, Anxiwodasi finally asked, "You said everyone has a weakness, Holy Soul Wizards included. Then, what is my weakness?"

"Weizelan."

Lei En replied with a smile, "Teacher, your character is generous and compassionate, beloved by all; everyone admires such a leader. Yet that temperament is unsuitable for governing a Fu Kong Cheng, and unfit for leading the Mo Du faction. Only because your power is unrivaled does no one dare to question you."

"Teacher bears the pressure of the entire Weizelan and Mo Du faction; everyone hopes you can lead them to further development and reach a higher pinnacle."

"However, when you abandoned your fief years ago, it showed you prefer studying magic over managing power or governing lands. Yet the entire Weizelan places its hope on you, pushing you forward; you fear disappointing so many, so you have stubbornly persisted until now."

"Weizelan's debt issue is precisely the product of this contradiction."

"I've been thinking that, if possible, you might rather abandon the Fu Kong Cheng, like Howai Master, who lives in seclusion in a valley to focus on magical research."

"Teacher, am I right?"

Every sentence Lei En uttered struck Anxiwodasi's heart. He couldn't help but be moved, feeling Lei En was his confidant, and sighed, "You truly can read people's hearts. Indeed, that's my weakness, but how do you intend to use it?"

Lei En had long been confident, yet he said nothing.

He shifted the topic, "Teacher, have you ever considered a question: my desire to become emperor is essentially a contest for control of the Empire's power with you?"

"Teacher is the one closest to the Golden Throne!"

(End of Chapter)