Chapter 90

「Paro, long time no see! 」

The burly man walked to the center of the private room, immediately opened his arms in an embrace, and loudly and warmly greeted Paro the wizard.

「Peter, you're still so ostentatious. 」

Paro the wizard ignored the embrace, gave a faint reply, merely extending his right hand, ready for a brief handshake.

「Hah… who let me be born into the Leonel family? 」

The burly man, Peter as Paro the wizard called him, likewise ignored Paro's outstretched right hand, laughing boorishly, "Born with the power, status, and wealth that most people spend a lifetime striving for and never attain—I'm not ostentatious; who is, if not you?"

By the end of that sentence, Peter Leonel wizard's tone shifted, sounding somewhat sarcastic, revealing obvious contempt and disparagement.

Paro the wizard's expression remained unchanged, responding indifferently: "Before great power, all authority, status, and wealth are like sand-built castles—one wave and nothing remains."

As he spoke, his tone shifted, Paro the wizard smiled at the corner of his mouth and said sarcastically, "The two sages of the Leonel family have been trapped in the Tree Spirit World for thirty years. I heard the academy was preparing an expedition to conquer the Tree Spirit World and rescue Sages Henry Leonel and Elena Leonel, but your family called it off? How ostentatious!"

「Hmph! The affairs of the Leonel family are none of your business. 」

Peter Leonel wizard's face instantly turned grim, his eyes seeming to spit divine fire, scorching everything.

Had it not been for standing behind Paro the wizard, all the pressure emanating from Peter Leonel wizard would have been completely blocked by Paro.

Lin Ke felt that merely meeting that gaze might kill him on the spot.

One who could stand toe‑to‑toe with Paro the wizard, Peter Leonel is naturally a peak third‑tier wizard, on the verge of becoming a sage.

The Leonel family's confidence in defying the academy also comes from Peter Leonel.

The Tree Spirit World is a realm exceptionally suited for water‑ and wood‑affinity wizards to live, develop, and cultivate, with an upper limit of fifth‑tier sages.

The Leonel family's campaign against the Tree Spirit World has lasted thirty years, and progress has actually been smooth.

As soon as Peter Leonel becomes a sage, organizing a third large‑scale coordinated wizard corps and providing timely reinforcements will allow the complete conquest of the Tree Spirit World.

At such a juncture, how could the Leonel family tolerate certain schemers within the academy's influence and some families coming to reap the fruits?

Naturally, the Leonel family spared no effort to stop it, trying every means to call off the expedition.

Paro the wizard hit the nail on the head with just a few words, striking Peter Leonel's sore spot.

After all, the Leonel family's attempt to halt the academy's action cannot come without cost!

「I'm not worried, but…」

Paro the wizard's smile widened: "The one who should be worried isn't worrying at all, yet he has leisure to invite me out for fun. Tsk tsk…"

Lin Ke doesn't know what others thought upon hearing that.

He only knows that his impression of Paro the wizard as aloof and taciturn shattered completely.

It turns out that when Paro the wizard engages in a war of words, he is just as talkative, sharp‑tongued, and biting.

Peter Leonel expelled a turbid breath from his nostrils, suppressing the anger provoked by Paro, and regained composure: "I can come out for leisure because, after my promotion, all the resources I'll need are already ready—unlike certain people who have to scrimp and scrape for every coin."

Paro the wizard felt no sting from the remark; instead, pride showed on his face as he spread his hands, examined them carefully, and then said earnestly, "Earning money with my own two hands—nothing to be ashamed of!"

Peter Leonel wizard was momentarily lost for words.

That line has a source.

The founders of the Rivoroth Biological and Medical College, Great Sages Rivor and Soth, had no family backing or major power training them before establishing the college.

One day, while still a sage‑tier wizard and not yet promoted, Rivor faced mockery from a great‑family enemy and replied in exactly this way.

Peter Leonel realized he had merely intended to mock Paro as a poor, miserable wretch, but the wizard's retort also carried a faint jab at Great Sages Rivor and Soth.

「Hmph! 」

Peter Leonel wizard glared at Paro, annoyed and somewhat embarrassed into anger, snapping, "Just chat properly—stop dragging in unrelated topics!"

Paro the wizard chuckled, not insisting on picking apart every linguistic loophole.

He merely wanted to disgust the other side a little.

A war of words can't kill anyone.

「Alright, let's not talk about this nonsense. 」

Peter Leonel wizard walked to the main seat on the left side of the private room, sat down, waved his right hand, and changed the subject: "I invited you here today for two matters."

The two wizards who followed him each took their own seats, keeping stern, expressionless faces throughout—very cold and hard.

"Your turn."

Paro the wizard also took the main seat on the right side of the private room.

Sage Thryn and Sage Kodi sat just behind and to the side of Paro the wizard.

As for the wizard apprentices of both sides, they naturally stood behind the several wizards.

"First matter,"

Peter Leonel raised his right index finger and said, "We've fought for years with no resolution; now that we're all poised to become sages and will spend decades or centuries campaigning abroad, it's rare to be back—let's settle our grudges once and for all."

"Sure."

Paro the wizard calmly agreed, "How shall we settle it?"

The one who knows you best is often your enemy.

Upon receiving the invitation, Paro the wizard roughly guessed what Peter Leonel intended to do and how.

He not only prepared himself mentally, but also readied his talent pool.

Standing behind him were Antoine Hilton, four core members of the Newblood Mutual Aid Society, and Linke Grand—prepared to counter the duel Peter Leonel was about to propose.

Sure enough, Peter Leonel said, "Our grudge originates from your founding of the Newblood Mutual Aid Society and my founding of the Pureblood Will; it's lasted decades, and both organizations have endured.

Formal duels between wizards are tightly controlled by the academy, making them hard to initiate.

So we'll compare the manpower of our two organizations in the two main campuses of the elementary college.

The specific contest will be based on the results of the Two Districts Grand Comparison held early next summer.

The Two Districts Grand Comparison is not an exam, nor is it a format where one subject is finished before moving to the next,

but rather a comprehensive assessment with diverse formats and randomly drawn topics.

Or give a research topic to the wizard apprentices participating in the grand competition,

Or set up an opponent for the wizard apprentices,

Or throw the wizard apprentices into a specific environment……

In short, what is being compared is the ability of wizard apprentices to develop, based on their own knowledge and magic, the capacity to explore and solve problems.

"Sure, what's the stake?"

(End of chapter)