Chapter 816: Teacher-Student Conflict

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

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

"Teacher."

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

Anxiwodasi saw his posture, his face softened slightly, and finally nodded, "Stop standing, 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, then changed the subject, "Lei En, are you really planning to auction the Fu Kong Cheng?"

"Yes, Teacher."

Lei En replied calmly, "Before conquering the new village Fu Kong Cheng, I told you it didn't meet my requirements; I intend to build the Fu Kong Cheng according to my own design."

"I thought you were joking back then!"

Anxiwodasi felt helpless, blaming his own misunderstanding; who could have imagined someone would sell a Fu Kong Cheng? Even though Lei En said it outright, 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 wish to ask why he no longer wanted the Fu Kong Cheng.

Lei En's move was truly impressive!

Anxiwodasi pressed his forehead and couldn't help complaining, "With something this big, why didn't you discuss it with me?"

It's a Fu Kong Cheng, after all!

Even though it wasn't his own Fu Kong Cheng, watching it being sold helplessly made Anxiwodasi feel heartache.

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 caused Lei En's strong displeasure toward him. Earlier in the meeting, Lei En had clearly voiced his protest and was not forced to obey because of the teacher‑student relationship.

Anxiwodasi knew he was in the wrong and didn't know how to defend himself.

The room fell into silence.

Anxiwodasi grew restless, turned, stood up, and walked to the floor‑to‑ceiling window, gazing at the rising sun on the horizon; its brilliant rays bathed Weizelan, and the magnificent Fu Kong Cheng drifted beneath the clouds. Below, the bustling city revived at dawn, streets teeming with traffic, skyscrapers towering, and millions of Mo Du residents hustling for a living.

From time to time, people looked up at the Fu Kong Cheng, their eyes full of yearning and awe.

Weizelan is the most conspicuous structure in Mo Du.

And the Weizelan High Tower is the tallest building within the Fu Kong Cheng.

Each time he stood atop the tower, looking down on the Fu Kong Cheng and the myriad lives of Mo Du, Anxiwodasi felt as if he were not merely at a spatial apex but at the pinnacle of the entire world!

At that moment, his feeling intensified.

Anxiwodasi suddenly turned back, stared at Lei En, and asked directly, "Do you want to become the Empire's emperor?"

"Yes."

Lei En admitted calmly, without any hesitation.

His gaze was extremely steadfast, showing no sign of wavering; Anxiwodasi knew his student's temperament well—once he set a goal, he would not change it easily, and even Anxiwodasi could only exert slight influence, not stop him.

Anxiwodasi let out a long sigh and shook his head, "What's good about being emperor?"

Lei En did not respond immediately.

Anxiwodasi continued urging, "With your current strength and status, what can you not obtain? Beauties, wealth, and power—things an emperor can enjoy—you can enjoy as well. Lei En, you are 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 effectively hold the emperor's authority."

"What's the difference between being emperor or not?"

Anxiwodasi's earnest pleading showed he truly hoped Lei En would change his mind and abandon this unrealistic notion.

However, Lei En was unmoved and said softly, "It's different."

"What?" Anxiwodasi was taken aback.

"There is only one emperor, but the Supreme Council has twelve members, and will have even more later," Lei En bluntly expressed his view.

Anxiwodasi furrowed his brows, feeling a surge of anger.

He even began to suspect he had misread him; Lei En's previous 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 becoming somewhat stiff, "You should understand this principle."

"And being emperor isn't that easy either."

"Once you sit in that position you can't step down; the one on the Golden Throne is no longer a pure individual. Absolute power will corrupt your will, causing you to trust no one, to suspect everyone around you, even a bedside companion, and you won't even be able to sleep."

"All your thoughts revolve around a single focus: how to maintain your imperial seat."

"By then, you will become a slave to power!"

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

"Most emperors met bad ends."

"Each succession shakes the Empire; at best it purges a batch of nobles and officials, at worst it leads to war, with countless innocent imperial subjects dying in the flames."

Anxiwodasi stared directly into Lei En's eyes.

"Considering the Empire's grand strategy, you should not let an empire that has developed peacefully for over a thousand years fall into turmoil; for your own sake, your talent should not be wasted on power struggles—pursuing the truth of magic is your best choice."

"Lei En, stop this!"

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

Lei En knew his teacher was acting for his own good, felt moved, and couldn't help being somewhat shaken.

He remained silent for a while, then finally gave a slight shake of his head.

"Sorry, Teacher."

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

It's not very big.

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

Anxiwodasi nodded expressionlessly, "At that 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, which is why I supported you. Hmph, so you were already planning it then; the Consul position is 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 the reason you want 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 fabricated.

"Yes, but not entirely."

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

To put it bluntly, it's the player mindset of a transmigrator.

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, and 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 would even suspect Lei En of being a lunatic!

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

"Hehe…" Lei En smiled without replying.

Anxiwodasi understood at a glance from his amused expression and was instantly dumbfounded.

At that moment, he felt he no longer knew Lei En at all. He recalled some rumors in the Empire that claimed Lei En was a reincarnated deity; he had previously found it laughable, thinking they were mere rumors fabricated by ignorant mortals. He had dismissed them, but now found there might be some truth.

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

Even Emperor Alfa in his youth was inferior.

Augulevi Master's achievements in magic are still far beyond Lei En, but in other aspects Lei En surpasses Augulevi.

The two are already the pinnacle attainable by mortals, and Lei En is like a combination of Emperor Alfa 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 misunderstanding, and said solemnly, "I have always been just a mortal; Ascension to Divinity is the ultimate dream of all mortals, and I am working toward that goal. But Ascension is too difficult, relying on luck; effort alone cannot achieve it. It's a long‑term matter, so my current focus remains on the Golden Throne."

Anxiwodasi came to his senses, 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 over command of the major legions, win over various Imperial factions, exchange benefits, and earn their loyalty."

Lei En disclosed his plan without concealment, "The second step, during my tenure as Consul, accomplish several major deeds that have a huge positive impact on the entire Empire, elevating my personal prestige to its peak, surpassing all previous Consuls."

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

"The fourth step, this is the final and most difficult step…"

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. Although I personally do not seek the throne, for the sake of better benefiting the Empire's people I must completely abandon my selfishness, assume responsibility, and accept the request to become emperor."

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

He couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, and patiently listened to the subsequent steps.

"Your plan is good."

Anxiwodasi evaluated in a deep voice, "If I hadn't detected your ambition in the earlier steps, perhaps you could 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 a pipe dream.

Even Augulevi, the strongest Holy Soul Wizard in history, perished under the Supreme Council's siege. No matter how high Lei En's talent, even with the Reslin duplicate, he could not surpass Augulevi without the entire Supreme Council acting; he could not resolve it alone.

"Teacher, I only intend to overthrow the Supreme Council, not to eliminate all Holy Soul Wizards," Lei En smiled, "Besides, the Supreme Council is not a solid slab."

"As long as they're human, everyone has weaknesses and a price; Holy Soul Wizards are no exception."

"Who is my enemy, who is my friend—that's the primary issue of struggle. After distinguishing allies from foes, clarify their 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, suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

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, you are magnanimous and benevolent, beloved by all; everyone admires such a leader. However, 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 will lead them to further development and reach a higher pinnacle."

"However, when you abandoned your fief that year, it showed you preferred studying magic over managing power and governing lands. Yet the whole 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 have often thought that, if possible, you might rather abandon the Fu Kong Cheng, like Howai Master of Wantu Sui, who retired to a valley to devote himself to magic."

"Teacher, am I right?"

Every sentence Lei En uttered struck Anxiwodasi to the core. He couldn't help but show emotion, feeling Lei En was his confidant, and sighed, "You truly can read people's hearts. Indeed, that's my weakness, but how do you plan to exploit it?"

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

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

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

(End of Chapter)