"Could it be that the Headmistress of Glacial Arcana Academy has truly taken a liking to that boy?"

  "Are we about to witness a repeat of the scandal involving the Divine Maiden of Glacial Arcana Academy from back then?"

  Vaelor stared at the empty space where the teleportation array had vanished, his eyes gleaming with gossip.

  A secret involving the Headmistress of a top-tier magical faction was far more entertaining than any advanced magical tome.

  If he could learn what happened next, it would be the most explosive rumor on the continent.

  There was one matter known to no more than ten people on the entire continent, one of the academy's deepest forbidden secrets.

  The world only knew that Glacial Arcana Academy once had a prodigiously gifted Divine Maiden who fell genuinely in love with a man of unknown origin.

  She defied the three Elders, even threatening her own life, and insisted on bringing the man into the academy, even taking him in as her apprentice—an unprecedented act.

  For the first few years, everything seemed calm.

  The man behaved modestly, kept a low profile, and advanced steadily in magic. No one sensed anything wrong.

  But what happened afterward shocked the entire magical world.

  The man turned out to be a hidden dark mage, one who had already reached Archmage level.

  He possessed some unknown treasure that concealed his true magical aura and rank.

  In the end, within the Cursed Hollow, no one knew exactly what he did to the Divine Maiden and her guardian, but he managed to break through to Elder Mage.

  The answer was not hard to guess: he had likely devoured the Divine Maiden's and her guardian's pure magic, perhaps even sacrificed their souls and bloodlines to break through his bottleneck.

  After that incident, both the Divine Maiden and her guardian vanished without a trace.

  Not even their bodies were found.

  Glacial Arcana Academy could only accept the bitter reality.

  Fortunately, that dark mage was eventually slain by Elder Mora—the very one who had just arrived to escort Evelyn.

  Had he survived, the continent would have been plunged into bloodshed, and countless innocent lives would have been lost.

  ......

  The Northern Border Icefield was shrouded in eternal snow, the howling winds carrying pure ice-element magic.

  It was here that Glacial Arcana Academy was located.

  In the Holy Ice Hall at the academy's deepest center, two elderly women in frost-patterned robes stood silently in wait.

  Suddenly, the space before them lit up with a brilliant golden radiance.

  As spatial runes shifted, three figures stepped out: Evelyn, Ryan, and Mora.

  Originally, the two Elders were ready to bow and greet Evelyn with utmost respect.

  But when they saw that one of the three newcomers was a man, their expressions instantly tightened.

  A surge of overwhelming ice-element magic burst forth.

  A chilling killing intent filled the hall without restraint.

  In an instant, the temperature dropped to freezing, and the air crystallized into fine shards of ice.

  "Mora! Have you lost your mind? How dare you bring a man into the Holy Ice Hall—into the academy's core!"

  The leading Elder's furious voice cut through the air, her gaze locked on Ryan with enough coldness to freeze him into a statue.

  "I had no choice!" Mora shot back indignantly from beside Ryan.

  "It was the Headmistress who insisted on bringing him. Do you expect me to disobey the Headmistress' orders?"

  "I brought him here." Evelyn's cool voice echoed through the hall.

  At her words, the three finally ceased their arguing, though their anger subsided only slightly.

  Their respect for Evelyn was absolute.

  She was the academy's brightest star and its greatest foundation.

  When Evelyn was still at the level of Grand Magus, she personally captured several ice-element magic crystal mines for Glacial Arcana Academy, securing immeasurable resources and heritage for the academy.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Even though Evelyn's magic level had fallen, none of them dared to underestimate her. They knew well that the Headmistress must still possess a hidden trump card capable of overturning any dire situation.

  "He may have the potential of a Grand Magus. I brought him back because I want to verify it personally. Besides, he once saved my life," Evelyn said.

  The three Grand Elders were stunned. The anger on their faces faded slightly. They had always trusted Evelyn's judgment. Anyone acknowledged by her could never be ordinary.

  "My magic level has not yet recovered, so I cannot conduct the test myself. I will have to trouble you three," Evelyn continued. She pulled Ryan out from behind her, where he had been trembling like a frightened rabbit, and pushed him toward the Grand Elders.

  Ryan's eyes widened with confusion, though he was already cursing furiously in his heart.

  Damn it! If I had known, I never would have followed Evelyn to Glacial Arcana Academy!

  The three old women looked at him exactly like they had ten thousand years ago, with the same icy hostility, as if he were some heinous dark mage they wished to crush into dust on the spot.

  "Do not be afraid. It will be over soon." Evelyn stepped closer to Ryan and whispered softly, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

  This scene fell sharply into the eyes of the three Grand Elders, nearly making them lose control of their stern expressions.

  Evelyn showing such gentleness to a strange man? Where had the cold, distant woman known as the Icefield Empress gone?

  No. This man must not be allowed to bewitch Evelyn. Either he must be driven out of the Academy, or secretly eliminated at the first opportunity, before disaster could occur.

  The three Grand Elders exchanged a glance, each seeing the same grim resolve reflected in the others' eyes.

  "Do not move." Elder Elara, the leader among them, spoke sharply. She stepped forward and reached out, intending to grasp Ryan's shoulder and probe his magic origin with her spiritual power.

  "You should know that the potential for a Grand Magus is something rarely seen in ten thousand years, something one encounters only by fate," Evelyn said, her voice drifting in with a quiet warning.

  "During the examination, you must not suppress him on purpose. If his magic foundation is damaged, the consequences will be severe."

  Elara, who had been prepared to use the examination as an excuse to teach this insolent boy a painful lesson, froze mid-motion. Much of her hostility dissipated instantly.

  Her conviction deepened: this boy must be eliminated in secret. If he did not have the potential of a Grand Magus, keeping him would be a threat. If he did, that was even worse. Who could say whether he might become another hidden dark mage?

  With no way around it, Elara pushed down her murderous intentions and released pure detection magic, beginning her probe into Ryan's body.

  But the deeper she probed, the more her expression hardened, and the more turbulent her thoughts became. The nature and fluctuations of this magic were identical to that of the dark Grand Magus from ten thousand years ago.

  That Grand Magus had been slain by Evelyn herself when she was in her prime.

  Yet here stood a boy whose magic felt exactly the same as that wicked Grand Magus.

  If this boy truly possessed such a unique constitution, then it confirmed without doubt that he had the potential of a Grand Magus.

  To be absolutely certain, Elara hesitated no longer and took out a mirror embedded with seven-colored magic crystals.

  Ryan glanced at it and his pupils contracted sharply, shock rippling through his mind.

  You have got to be kidding. This is just a physical aptitude test, and she is using the Myriad Spirit Origin Mirror.

  My Chaosforge Arcana has not yet broken through to the third layer. At most, they can only detect the surface fluctuations of my magic power.

  Ryan silently grumbled to himself. Still, his Chaosforge Arcana was already close to the bottleneck of the second layer. Once he advanced to Senior Mage, he should be able to break through.

  And once he reached Senior Mage, the Chaosforge Overbody would begin its initial awakening. At that point, he would be able to dominate anyone of the same level.

  Unless he encountered an exceptionally gifted prodigy, few would be able to stand against him.

  Elder Elara, standing before Ryan, raised the Myriad Spirit Origin Mirror. The mirror, embedded with seven-colored magic crystals, was aimed directly at him.

  Ice magic surged from her fingertip into the mirror, and a radiant golden light burst forth, shooting straight into Ryan's brow.

  The instant the light touched his body, Ryan felt his dormant magic suddenly stirred and forced into eruption.

  In a single heartbeat, that pure golden light was engulfed by his roiling magic. The originally clear radiance was instantly dyed into a deep, chaotic hue.

  Yet just as that chaotic light was about to rebound and strike the mirror itself, it abruptly dissipated, vanishing without a trace as if it had never existed.

  "It is the same chaotic constitution as that evil Grand Magus from ten thousand years ago. Unfortunately, it has not fully awakened," Elara said slowly, her voice filled with shock and heaviness she could not hide.

  In truth, she did not need to explain it. The other two Elders understood as well. Fortunately, Ryan's chaotic constitution had not completed its evolution. Otherwise, that brief stimulation would have certainly triggered a natural phenomenon.

  The entire Glacial Arcana Academy might have been enveloped by chaotic magic pouring from dimensional fissures for days. It would not cause substantial harm, yet it would undoubtedly alarm every major power on the continent and invite unnecessary trouble.

  The three Grand Elders began to look at Ryan differently. A talent with the potential of a Grand Magus must either be firmly drawn in and nurtured as an asset of the Academy, or eliminated before he grew strong enough to become a threat.

  Elara's icy hostility softened. In her heart, she was already planning to take Ryan under her own tutelage and observe his character over time.

  If his nature proved corrupted, she could cripple his magic and imprison him. Or eliminate him quietly to prevent future danger.

  A genius with the potential of a Grand Magus was enough for the Academy to break tradition and accept a male apprentice, provided he did not possess a twisted heart that would repeat the tragedy of the dark mage from the past.

  "You, would you be willing…" Elara began, ready to extend an offer, but her words were suddenly cut off by Evelyn's cool voice.

  "From this moment on, he is my apprentice. Spread the word. Tomorrow I will bring him to meet the rest of the Academy." Evelyn stepped forward, pulling Ryan behind her with a subtle protective gesture, as if afraid the Elders might steal him away.

  "Headmistress, please reconsider."

  "Your magic has not yet recovered. Restoring it and advancing to Grand Magus must be your highest priority. You cannot divide your focus by teaching a student."

  "Yes, Headmistress. If you devote yourself to your advancement, leave this child to us. We will educate him with utmost care and will never waste his talent. Please think carefully."

  In an instant, the three Grand Elders began earnestly pleading, their voices full of urgency, desperately trying to persuade Evelyn to change her mind and place Ryan under their instruction.

  But Evelyn remained firm. Her expression stayed as cold as ice, completely unmoved by their appeals.

  "I said he is my apprentice. As for my magic level, I know what must be done. He will not hinder me."

  "Headmistress…" The Elders tried again.

  "Hm?" Evelyn gave a faint, cold hum, her brows slightly knitting.

  The three Elders froze, their words stuck in their throats. Faced with Evelyn's unwavering gaze, they finally released a heavy, resigned sigh. None of them dared continue arguing against her will.