Chapter 815: The Emperor's Path

"Teacher, I personally disagree."

Lei En's words fell.

The Holy Soul Wizards all turned to look, their expressions vivid as if they had witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world. Even the indifferent PurpleFlameDuke and Black Robe Duke suddenly turned their heads, looking toward Lei En, who stood at the far end of the long table.

"Lei En, do you know what you're saying?" Sabbath Dean said, his face full of disbelief.

He had worked for over four hundred years to enter the Supreme Council, finally fulfilling his lifelong wish, knowing how hard that was. From last night to now, Anxiwodasi has been engaging in several rounds of debate with GreyEagle and Hong Shi in the Supreme Council, expending much thought, and even cast a vote in favor; this resolution was only just passed.

Now Lei En, however, does not cherish it and actually refuses?

Sabbath Dean truly cannot understand.

He has always been deeply grateful for Lei En's life‑saving debt, and quickly urged Lei En to change his words, "Don't miss this rare chance; did you perhaps mishear?"

Sitting opposite Sabbath Dean, Kerlston furrowed his brows, cold‑eyed at Lei En, yet could not fully conceal the surprise in his heart.

Lei En locked eyes with him for a moment.

In that instant, the Soul Eye and the myriad energies of the heart collided, and neither side obtained any useful information.

Kerlston's mouth corner twitched slightly, and his expression returned to indifference and calm.

"Thank you, Sabbath Dean, I did not mishear," Lei En replied, and his gaze returned to the teacher, noticing that the teacher had been watching him all along; those eyes, usually full of wisdom, now looked complicated, as if a hint of helplessness lingered.

"Lei En."

Anxiwodasi let out a sigh and urged, "Consider it carefully again; the Supreme Council can give you three days to respond."

"No need, Teacher," Lei En said without a hint of hesitation, decisively refusing, "I currently do not wish to enter the Supreme Council."

The other Holy Soul Wizards finally caught on.

Anxiwodasi had apparently not communicated with Lei En beforehand; their stances on this matter were completely opposite, and a slight rift seemed to have formed between this empire's most powerful teacher‑student pair.

Suddenly, several Holy Soul Wizards who wanted to speak remained silent, watching the teacher‑student dispute.

Anxiwodasi's expression grew stern: "The resolution passed by the Supreme Council tolerates no opposition. As long as you remain an Empire citizen, you must obey."

Hearing the latter half, Lei En's heart suddenly leapt.

He instantly grasped the teacher's intention, and finally understood why, that day on Getan's walls, after repelling the Catastrophe Brigade, the teacher's trust in him suddenly wavered.

Because the teacher sensed his ambition!

A grand ambition.

Lei En didn't know when it began; perhaps after obtaining the Thunder God's Hammer, perhaps as his strength grew to the point of acting at will, he became interested in the Empire's supreme authority—not just the Consul title, nor the Supreme Council membership could satisfy him; what he desired was the Golden Throne within Rike Palace!

The Golden Throne, unseated for over a thousand years, symbolizes the Empire's imperial power.

I will become Emperor!

I will sit upon the Golden Throne and rule the entire Empire!

I will make the Oriense Empire bow again to the Emperor's hand, from then on there will be only one voice, one command, one Willpower!

Lei En was fully aware of what he was doing; it wasn't solely a fierce craving for power, nor unbridled desire—it was simply a desire to try.

Just as the words he once told the teacher when declaring his intention to run for Consul:

The mountain is there, and I want to summit it.

With his current strength and influence, the Prime Material Plane has few rivals; he can do whatever he wishes, almost at will, whether to lie low, or to indulge in endless pleasure and carefree living for a lifetime.

Even ascension to deity status is no issue!

Lei En felt that this was hardly interesting; if he were to play, he'd play big, the most thrilling kind, to see how far he could go.

In the mortal world, in the Empire, nothing is more exhilarating than becoming Emperor!

It is also the most challenging "mission"!

The Supreme Council is the greatest obstacle on the road to the Empire's pinnacle; the Twelve Holy Soul Wizards, who are now the true rulers of the Empire, have seized the power that originally belonged to the Emperor.

The Holy Soul Wizards would never allow another Emperor to arise in the Empire.

That would damage their vested interests.

To become Emperor, one must overthrow the Supreme Council and wrest power from the Holy Soul Wizards; this may be harder than ascension in the Empire, so hard that no one dares to imagine it, even the Holy Soul Wizards cannot conceive anyone daring enough to plot a usurpation.

Their long‑standing stable rule has subconsciously eliminated that possibility for the Holy Soul Wizards.

Thus, his ambition had never been noticed.

Until now.

In this assault on the new‑town Fu Kong Cheng, he displayed far too much power; others only saw the surface, thought the Extreme Warrior and Holy Spear Knight Corps were immensely strong, felt shocked and envious, then moved on. Yet the teacher knows more: he knows of Reslin's existence, vaguely guesses the origin of the Thundercast Celestial Soldier, and perceives part of the power Lei En hides beneath the surface—still only the tip of the iceberg, but the teacher has clearly seen his ambition.

The teacher did not expose him, but immediately expressed his stance through action.

He disagreed.

The Empire has an unwritten rule that Holy Soul Wizards of the Supreme Council cannot serve as Consul.

This prevents Holy Soul Wizards from exploiting the Consul position for personal gain and to benefit their own faction.

The reason it is not codified is that Holy Soul Wizards rank far above Consuls; the authority of that office is granted by the Supreme Council, and a Holy Soul Wizard entering the race would be lowering themselves. Holy Soul Wizards are prideful and most have no interest in the Empire's cumbersome administration, as it distracts from their magical research.

For years, the three major factions of the Supreme Council have tacitly agreed to select only proxies to serve as Consul.

Never has a Holy Soul Wizard ever served as Consul.

Lei En knows that once he joins the Supreme Council, his political standing would surpass that of a Consul, causing him to lose eligibility to run.

Although Empire law does not forbid it, and he is not a Holy Soul Wizard, he could still force himself to run, but public opinion would become extremely unfavorable, becoming his Achilles' heel. As soon as a rival seized this weakness and pressed hard, his chances of election would be nearly nil.

He does not rush to ascend to Holy Soul, always waiting for the most suitable magical soul before upgrading, also for this reason.

First become Consul, then scheme for the Emperor's throne.

This is the experience of a short‑statured emperor from a previous life; just follow it.

The teacher, without prior communication, thrust him into the Supreme Council, indicating he had already seen through Lei En's plan and decisively blocked the path.

Lei En's mind raced, and he replied, "Teacher, this resolution concerns me personally; as long as it does not harm anyone's interests, I have the right to refuse."

He did not wait for Anxiwodasi to speak, but turned his gaze toward the other Holy Soul Wizards.

Holy Souls, the Empire has no law mandating that a citizen be forced into the Supreme Council, does it? Do I have the right to refuse?

Tim*Kenan immediately replied: "You have the right to refuse."

KangJieladeGreatSage and Kerlston also nodded slightly in agreement; they still didn't understand what Lei En was up to, but were pleased to see Lei En refuse.

If Lei En entered the Supreme Council, Mo Du would hold six iron‑clad votes.

Anxiwodasi only needs to win over one more person to control the council; lately Ouroin has been getting close to him, so the goal can be achieved easily. By then, even the Naiser faction and the Balance faction combined would not be able to beat Mo Du.

If Lei En and Anxiwodasi get into an internal conflict, that would be even better.

The best part is that Ouroin leans toward the Mo Du faction because of Lei En; if Lei En leaves Weizelan, Mo Du can forget about controlling the Supreme Council.

Lei En naturally understands the thoughts of the two Wizard factions.

He intends to borrow their strength, making them support him against the teacher.

Anxiwodasi gave Lei En a deep look; in matters of the heart, his own student is so formidable that even Kerlston falls short.

He didn't linger on the right to refuse, and said lightly: "You don't enter the Supreme Council yet you possess a Floating City; that will diminish the Supreme Council's prestige. The Empire's eighth Floating City is not under the Supreme Council's control—how will the Empire's billions of people view that?"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Soul Wizards also found it inappropriate.

Especially a few Holy Soul Wizards without a Floating City showed little change on their faces but felt a bit embarrassed inside.

In the eyes of the Empire's people, a Floating City is almost synonymous with a Holy Soul Wizard; every Holy Soul Wizard aspires to own a Floating City.

Currently, five Holy Soul Wizards lack a Floating City.

Among them are those truly indifferent to fame and wealth who disdain a Floating City, such as Ouroin Master.

The rest either desire but cannot obtain it: some, after effort, find the difficulty too great, unable to earn at least one hundred million Gold Shields and lacking skill in managing power, thus forced to give up—such as Prophet Medif and Wantu Sui* Howai Master; others are still constructing a Floating City but have not completed it yet—like the Silver Star Duke; others have just become Holy Soul Ascension Wizards and lack time to build a Floating City—like Sabbath Dean.

When they heard Lei En now controls a Floating City, to claim they aren't envious would be a lie.

Some even felt sour.

Even Holy Soul Wizards who already possess a Floating City lament Lei En's strength and luck; they have endured countless hardships, poured endless resources, and spent long years to obtain a Floating City, yet Lei En became its master at only twenty‑five.

If given a chance, they also wish to obtain a second Floating City.

In short, everyone wants a Floating City!

Anxiwodasi, considering the big picture, forces Lei En to choose between entering the Supreme Council and the Floating City, thereby gaining the support of the Holy Soul Wizards.

No one will abandon a Floating City.

Anxiwodasi thought he had a firm grip on Lei En's seven inches, yet when he saw a playful smile on Lei En's face, his heart suddenly tightened, silently warning of trouble.

He knows Lei En too well.

Whenever Lei En is confident of victory, this expression appears; in the past few years, he has never disappointed himself.

"Teacher, and the Holy Souls."

Lei En looked at the Wizards on both sides of the long table and shouted: "I have an announcement. In three days, I will hold an auction at Gramo... Castle; the only item up for auction is the New Village Floating City, and I sincerely invite everyone to attend…"

Before he finished speaking, the Supreme Palace erupted like a bomb.

Half of the Holy Soul Wizards could no longer sit, nearly leapt up; they stared at Lei En at the far end of the long table, hardly daring to believe what they heard.

"What?"

"Lei En, are you crazy!" Sabbath Dean shouted in panic.

Prophet Medif cast aside his usual composed demeanor and urgently asked, "Are you serious? You're not joking, right?"

The Silver Star Duke sat there, his gaze vacant and his expression bewildered.

Storm Queen remained silent, but her eyes shone as she looked at Lei En.

Every Holy Soul Wizard reacted similarly—gaping, shocked; even KangJieladeGreatSage and Kerlston were flustered, opening their mouths but unable to speak a word.

Anxiwodasi was even more taken aback.

Before the assault on the New Village Floating City, Lei En said it was too ugly and despised it; at the time they thought Lei En was joking. When Lei En said he would build the Floating City according to his own ideas, they interpreted it as a renovation, not abandonment.

Now they realize Lei En wasn't kidding; he truly intends to sell the Floating City!

This news, if spread, would shock the Empire and even the whole world.

Perhaps no one would dare to believe it.

But Anxiwodasi knew Lei En would indeed do this; he abruptly stood, stared at Lei En for a few seconds, then sat down again without a word.

In the end, Lei En steadfastly walked that path.

"Sigh…"

Anxiwodasi rubbed his forehead and let out a low sigh.

At this point, the other Holy Soul Wizards no longer cared about Anxiwodasi's situation; their attention was wholly on Lei En.

The Silver Star Duke snapped back to his senses, gritting his teeth as he asked, "Lei En, are you really going to auction the Floating City?"

"Yes." Lei En nodded.

"Why?"

"There's no reason." Lei En shrugged, his face indifferent, and replied: "I find it unsightly, I don't like it, so I'll just sell it."

The Silver Star Duke was speechless.

She at that moment felt only one thing: absurdity. This is a Floating City, which she had struggled for over three hundred years to build, exploiting territories and descendants, plundering countless resources, yet still unfinished, and Lei En actually wants to sell it!

Other Holy Soul Wizards also found it incomprehensible.

But this is a good thing!

Lei En is being foolish, which gives me a chance to obtain a Floating City.

Storm Queen waved her hand, her voice soaring, and said: "Lei En, cancel this auction. Name your price now, and I'll buy it."

The Holy Soul Wizards glared at her.

Storm Queen, who sits atop the Empire's wealthiest Hohawen Kingdom, is so rich that she may be the richest person in the world.

"Ellsran!"

Silver Star Duke loudly called out the Storm Queen's true name, "Get lost!"

Storm Queen gave a cold laugh: "On what basis?"

The two sisters sat side by side, turned their heads and glared at each other; the atmosphere was tense, as if they were about to tear into each other at any moment.

"Please, ladies, calm down."

Lei En didn't want to watch the sisters fight and cause unnecessary trouble, so he hurriedly said: "The auction will be held as a secret bid; the highest bidder does not necessarily win Fu Kong Cheng. Each person has three chances to offer something in exchange for Fu Kong Cheng—Gold Shield, magic items, alchemical materials, etc., including anything you deem valuable, a promise, or even a show of hands—can be added, and I will ultimately choose a buyer to complete the transaction."

Holy Soul wizards listened attentively to the auction rules.

The secret bid is easy to understand.

It means each person bids individually to Lei En; competitors don't know each other's bids, which increases the difficulty of the bidding, and the situation is entirely under Lei En's control, allowing him to easily manipulate the behind-the-scenes deal.

"Isn't this unfair?" Kaiserton said in a deep voice.

Lei En remained unmoved, firmly replying: "My Fu Kong Cheng, I decide; if the Hong Shi Duke feels it's unfair, he can choose not to participate."

Kaiserton was left speechless by the retort, having no choice but to stay silent.

Lei En ignored him, continuing: "This auction is open to everyone in the Empire; members of the Supreme Council may participate directly. Participants other than Holy Soul wizards must deposit five million Gold Shield as a guarantee, to be refunded afterward."

"Holy Souls, see you in three days."

"Please allow me to take my leave first."

After saying that, Lei En gave a fist‑over‑heart salute to the Holy Soul wizards and withdrew from the Supreme Council's projection.

(End of chapter)