The tentacle wrapped in black hellfire tried to lash out a second time, but the rift in the void rapidly closed under the force of the surrounding chaos.

  It could only retreat unwillingly, shrinking back and disappearing into the endless nothingness.

  "Ah! When I ascend to godhood, I will reduce you to ashes and scatter your remains to the wind!"

  When the rift finally shut and that terrifying pressure faded, the old man suddenly grew bold again. Clutching his bleeding chest, he roared in fury, his voice dripping with venom.

  Another space shattering noise echoed through the void, deeper and heavier than before, carrying an unquestionable threat as if responding to his arrogant declaration.

  The old man's face drained of color. He no longer dared to linger. His magic surged and wrapped around him, transforming into a streak of light as he fled at full speed, not daring to utter another word.

  ...

  Glacial Arcana Academy.

  Inside Ryan's room, a flash of silver light appeared. His right arm suddenly transformed into a long enchanted sword with a cold metallic sheen. Faint threads of chaotic energy lingered along the blade.

  With another thought, the sword instantly shifted into a heavy warblade. Its patterns were sharp and imposing, radiating sheer force.

  Ryan stared at the weapon formed from his own arm. The blade was seamless in shape, perfectly aligned with the contours of his arm as though it were naturally part of his body. His eyes shone with shock and exhilaration.

  "So Arcane Enchantment can transform parts of the body into magical weapons!"

  He finally understood the essence of this Arcane Arts. With a thought, the warblade reverted into a normal arm. The touch and movement felt exactly the same as before.

  At that moment, Ryan grasped the key: the stronger his physical body became, the sturdier and sharper the transformed magical weapon would be.

  For someone like him, who cultivated Chaosforge Arcana and possessed the Chaos Overlord Body, this was nothing short of a blessing crafted specifically for him.

  Before, even with his physical strength alone, he could only send enemies flying with a punch.

  But now, with his arm transformed into a razor sharp blade, a single strike could cleave an enemy cleanly in half. The increase in lethality was geometric.

  Thrilled, Ryan tried transforming his arm into various weapons. Longswords, warblades, daggers, spears each one was lifelike, brimming with powerful magic.

  Growing more playful, he attempted to transform other parts of his body, only to discover that not every part could undergo Arcane Enchantment.

  He tried channeling the art into his legs. His feet instantly became sharp short spears, stabbing straight into the room's foundation and piercing several meters deep.

  "This Arcane Arts is actually pretty amazing."

  Ryan quickly restored his feet, checking carefully to ensure the sensation and movement were perfectly normal before finally relaxing.

  After enjoying his new Arcane Arts to his heart's content, Ryan calmed down and focused on sensing his newly gained strength.

  He clenched his fist tightly. His bones crackled, magic surged through his body, and the power brought by the Chaos Overlord Body felt fuller than ever.

  Without realizing it, he threw a punch toward the wall before him.

  The wall exploded instantly. The entire building collapsed with a thunderous crash, and Ryan was buried beneath a shower of ice, snow, and shattered stone.

  At the same time, Evelyn was sitting on her bed, meditating. Pure ice magic swirled around her, and a thoughtful expression rested on her face.

  The sudden explosion shattered the serenity. Her eyes snapped open, a flicker of surprise glinting within them.

  Evelyn's figure blurred into an afterimage, instantly flying toward the source of the loud noise.

  When she arrived, she saw Ryan completely covered in snow and debris. His hair was messy, his face smudged with dust, looking as if he had just crawled out of the ruins.

  "What did you do?" Evelyn's gaze swept across the residence, now reduced to a heap of rubble.

  "Evelyn, I swear it wasn't on purpose! You have to believe me!" Ryan struggled to crawl out of the wreckage. Dust choked him, making him cough repeatedly. His voice was hoarse, and his face full of innocence and embarrassment.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "You will handle this matter yourself." Magic surged around Evelyn as she turned and returned to her residence, leaving Ryan alone in place, questioning his entire existence.

  No way. What just happened? Why did she suddenly become so cold again?

  Did she discover that I possess the Grimoire, or sense the secret of my Chaos Tyrant Body?

  Ryan lay face-down on the icy snow, momentarily forgetting to get up. He stared blankly at Evelyn's departing figure, filled with confusion and unease.

  Impossible. If she knew my true identity, or suspected my connection to the crisis ten thousand years ago, she would have drawn her sword and killed me already. How could she act like this?

  Her sudden change… could it be that she has lost patience with me, or changed her mind? Then where am I supposed to sleep tonight? I can't seriously stay next to this pile of ruins, can I?

  Ryan grimaced, struggling to pull himself upright. Fine, he had no choice. Light snowflakes drifted down, settling on his dust-covered head, making the scene feel even more desolate.

  At that moment, three powerful auras suddenly descended. The three Grand Elders flashed into view, appearing directly in front of Ryan.

  The shock from their sudden presence made Ryan's knees nearly buckle.

  "Greetings, Grand Elders!" Ryan quickly steadied himself.

  No matter what, he was now an apprentice of the Glacial Arcana Academy. Basic etiquette still applied.

  The three Grand Elders responded with a faint hum, their eyes first scanning the ruined mess, then locking onto Ryan.

  "You actually advanced to Senior Mage?"

  Their eyes widened in disbelief as they circled Ryan again and again.

  To cross an entire major rank in a single night, this was talent on par with a Grand Magus.

  The three Grand Elders secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they had not forced him away earlier. Otherwise, they would have lost such a prodigy.

  But in the next moment, their smiles vanished.

  Memories surged from the past, of the Divine Maiden who had accepted an outsider male and nearly caused the academy to collapse ten thousand years ago.

  And now this boy's bizarrely rapid advancement, far beyond normal logic… it was indeed suspicious.

  "Hand over your storage ring, storage pouch, and all other storage tools. We need to conduct an inspection!"

  The three Grand Elders' faces darkened. Their tone turned stern, and the magic around them shifted, carrying an oppressive aura that allowed no refusal.

  Ryan froze.

  Not possible. What is wrong with these old women?

  One second they were laughing like madmen, the next they were terrifyingly serious. How could someone change faces so quickly?

  "Why do you need to inspect my belongings?" Ryan tried to keep a calm facade, but panic churned wildly inside him.

  Everything he owned was either inside the Grimoire's exclusive storage space or already converted into Origin Value.

  The ordinary storage tools on him were completely empty. If they checked… he would definitely be exposed!

  "Stop talking. Hand them over. We will return them once the inspection is complete!"

  Thinking of the ancient disaster, the three Grand Elders' expressions grew even harsher. Their eyes were filled with suspicion, as if Ryan were some dangerous magical beast.

  Seeing their manic readiness to act, Ryan quickly pulled out his storage ring and storage pouch, handing them over with both hands.

  He truly feared that these three Grand Elders might cast an ice-based forbidden spell on him at the slightest provocation, and he wouldn't survive it.

  Elara first picked up the storage ring. A faint trace of detection magic swirled around her fingertips as she carefully examined it. After a moment, she slightly nodded.

  The style of the ring and its magical fluctuations matched exactly the one Evelyn had given him. There was nothing unusual.

  She then took the storage pouch, opening it wide and releasing stronger detection magic to scan it thoroughly. Yet again, it revealed nothing; the pouch was completely empty.

  "Wait a moment! What about the items in the storage ring?" Elara suddenly raised her eyes, staring fixedly at Ryan.

  Ryan remained calm, his expression unchanged. He spoke in a level tone:"Those resources were all taken back by my Mentor. He said they would be redistributed once my magical foundation stabilizes."

  At this point, he could only shift the blame onto Evelyn.

  Elara raised an eyebrow, glancing toward Ryan's back."Headmistress, is that so?"

  Ryan followed her gaze and froze when he saw who it was. He nearly lost control of the magic surging inside him.

  Evelyn was standing not far away, quietly observing them.

  This is bad! The Grand Elders is doing a surprise inspection, and Evelyn just happened to see it!

  A chill ran down Ryan's spine. He could already imagine himself hung in the icy cells of Glacial Arcana Academy, forced under soul-searching magic for questioning.

  It seemed he had no choice but to use the Card of Supreme Luck, combined with some of Grimoire's spatial teleportation functions, to make a run for it.

  Just as Ryan thought he was doomed, Evelyn's cold voice carried over, implicitly confirming his statement.

  "I knew it, the three Grand Elders just wouldn't believe me." Ryan showed a trace of grievance on his face, quietly grateful that Evelyn, for some reason, was willing to cover for him.

  Elara, however, did not give up. Her gaze suddenly sharpened, a glow appearing between her brows as she prepared to personally probe Ryan's Spiritual Sea.

  Ryan felt a powerful consciousness surge into his mind and instinctively tried to deploy his mental energy to resist.

  But the thought was immediately suppressed. Elara was an Elder Mage.

  With his current Senior Mage-level mental power, resisting her would be like an egg hitting a stone, and it would only expose more of his secrets.

  Maybe he could pretend to be mentally injured, eyes vacant and dull?

  After all, a Senior Mage forcibly probed by an Elder Mage's consciousness usually shows such symptoms. Ryan quickly calculated a strategy.

  Elara's consciousness slowly drifted through his Spiritual Sea but found nothing. It was as if she were probing not his mind, but an empty, independent space.

  【Once again I had to save you, deducting 50000 Origin Value. No negotiation, directly deducted!】

  Grimoire's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a hint of self-commendation.

  "Deduct it, just take it and go!" Ryan silently exhaled in relief.

  Thankfully, Grimoire had acted, using special magic to shield his true Spiritual Sea. Otherwise, he could not have hidden from an Elder Mage's probe.

  As for the 50000 Origin Value deduction, Ryan had no complaints.

  Fortunately, Elara had only forcibly probed his Spiritual Sea, not applied the cruel soul-searching magic. Otherwise, the deduction might not have been 50000, but 500000 or more.

  "Indeed, everything is fine!" Elara withdrew her consciousness, a satisfied smile on her wrinkled face.

  She raised her gnarled hand and patted Ryan's shoulder, her tone full of relief."We worried too much. You truly are a gifted and exceptional talent!"

  But Ryan looked like a fool, his eyes hollow, gaze vacant, perfectly playing the part of someone mentally injured.

  Evelyn, seeing this, lightly leapt to land beside him.

  She looked at Ryan's blank stare, and a subtle flicker of emotion crossed her eyes part concern, part confusion.