Ryan was startled in his heart. He had never imagined that Evelyn carried such a past.

  He only knew that Evelyn had been abandoned by those closest to her, yet he had never known that she was cast aside in such a way, full of hope that ultimately came to nothing.

  "What secrets are you hiding, and what purpose do you carry? Why are you able to die and revive again and again?"

  Evelyn stood quietly beside the bed, her gaze resting on the clean and delicate face on the bed. Her fingers curled slightly, and there was a faint, barely perceptible tremor in her voice.

  "Why would you endure death so many times, only to approach me again and again?"

  She murmured to herself by the bedside. The only response she received was the rushing sound of wind and snow howling past outside the door, along with the soft tapping of icy crystal windows struck by the cold wind.

  "In this life, do you still want to continue lurking by my side?"

  Evelyn's tone suddenly changed, cool and tinged with probing. It sounded as if she were questioning the soulless Ryan on the bed, yet also as if she were asking herself.

  Naturally, Ryan dared not respond. He continued to maintain an utterly calm demeanor, allowing her to fill in the blanks on her own.

  In any case, his core strategy was to keep pretending with all his might, until she completely let down her guard.

  As for that ultimate ice sword that kept shouting about killing him, he would definitely find a chance in the future to teach it a proper lesson with chaos magic. Its killing intent was far too heavy.

  After asking that question, Evelyn remained motionless beside the bed, and the magic surrounding her grew increasingly gentle.

  With his eyes closed, Ryan would almost have thought she had already left, if not for the clear sense of her presence.

  As for the question of whether to continue lurking by Evelyn's side, Ryan truly thought about it seriously for a moment.

  Yet in his heart, he knew that this ill fated bond spanning nine lives had long become impossible to sever.

  Perhaps he should find an opportunity to leave Glacial Arcana Academy and head to the Central Continent to search for that thing.

  Ryan fell into indecision. Should he stay by Evelyn's side and continue tackling this most difficult stage, or temporarily leave?

  "Grimoire, do you have the ability to detect how much longer it will take before that thing can be unsealed?" Ryan asked.

  "If you cannot do it, that is fine. I was being presumptuous," he added.

  【What do you mean? What do you mean I cannot do it! Just you wait, I will mobilize my magic and scan it right now!】

  Grimoire's voice was filled with indignation, clearly provoked by Ryan's doubt.

  Ryan remained expressionless, quietly waiting for Grimoire's detection result.

  【Detection result shows that the exact time of unsealing cannot be determined, but it can be confirmed that it will take at least another one thousand years!】

  "Damn it," Ryan cursed in his heart.

  "It has already been ten thousand years, and that thing still has not been unsealed! If I had known this back when I advanced to Grand Magus, I should have shattered the seal with one palm. Even if it lost its vitality and turned into Origin Value, that would have been better!"

  His heart was filled with indignation. He had not expected to have to wait another thousand years, which was undoubtedly a massive blow to him.

  【Host, do not panic! We can use Origin Value to accelerate the unsealing process.】 Grimoire's voice carried a hint of slyness.

  Ryan immediately became alert."Be honest with me. Is this another one of your traps? Are you deliberately trying to cheat me out of my Origin Value?"

  Ryan felt more and more that something was off, and Grimoire's next reply made him completely certain of his suspicion.

  【Just tell me whether you want to or not! Anyway, my detection shows at least a thousand years. If you're unhappy about it, that's your problem!】

  "Let me deal with what's in front of me first. You better shut up and go into hibernation!" Ryan retorted in his mind.

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  【You're such a stingy little thing!】 Grimoire muttered, then slightly lowered its voice.

  During the time Evelyn quietly gazed at Ryan, he had already exchanged several rounds of sharp words with Grimoire in his mind, though outwardly he still maintained a vacant, soulless expression.

  Evelyn remained silent for a long while longer, and finally shook her head lightly in disappointment.

  It seemed he truly had temporarily lost his consciousness after being forcibly probed, and when he would wake up remained unpredictable.

  She turned back to her chair and sat down again, while Ryan lay stiffly on the bed not far away, like a finely crafted puppet.

  Yet in Ryan's mind, the verbal sparring never stopped.

  "Grimoire, you trapmaker! I'll dismantle you sooner or later!"

  【You're the real trapmaker. If I hadn't protected you, the three Grand Elders would have already searched your soul!】

  The two of them continued this exchange for three days and three nights with almost no pause.

  Ryan had grown unbearably bored from pretending to be soulless and urgently needed to vent.

  Grimoire, in turn, broke from its usual silence and sparred with him with full force, seemingly afraid he would really develop extreme suicidal thoughts.

  With such a sharp-tongued Grimoire by his side, even the toughest days could squeeze out a bit of amusement.

  Evelyn meditated in the room for three days and three nights, checking on Ryan's state multiple times. Her doubts grew heavier: why was there still no sign of him awakening?

  By all logic, he should have woken up in at most five days, especially since he possessed Grand Magus potential.

  On the fourth morning, a low, rumbling surge of magic suddenly sounded.

  A sharp yet restrained magical force erupted from Evelyn, instantly sweeping through the entire room before being reined in just as quickly.

  Evelyn successfully ascended to Ninth-tier Journeyman Mage!

  Since returning to Glacial Arcana Academy in the Northern Border Icefield, her magical power had skyrocketed as if propelled by a rocket.

  The extreme cold magic unique to the Northern Border Icefield made her advancement in magic incredibly efficient.

  For her, promotions below the Grand Magus level were never difficult.

  After her ascension, Evelyn quickly restrained the magic around her, clearly using the corpse power of the Grand Magus in her spiritual domain to suppress her aura.

  If she did not actively release magic, even in front of an Elder Mage, it would be hard to discern her true level.

  This was one of the reasons the three Grand Elders feared her and dared not easily oppose her.

  More importantly, it stemmed from their absolute respect for her as the Headmistress of the academy, as well as her past displays of overwhelming strength and leadership.

  Evelyn slowly stepped barefoot on the icy floor and walked lightly to the edge of the bed.

  "Grimoire, just wait until I wake up…" Ryan was still fiercely arguing with Grimoire in his mind, completely unaware that someone was approaching.

  【Host, you're just bragging again. If you've got the ability, get up now.】

  It was only when a familiar consciousness, like a searchlight, was about to pour into his spiritual sea that Ryan suddenly jolted awake, his heart tightening.

  "Hurry, block her consciousness detection!" His tone shifted abruptly as he shouted to Grimoire in panic.

  Grimoire, reliable as ever, did not wait for him to finish and immediately erected an invisible barrier in his spiritual sea.

  【Now you're scared, huh? In the end, you still have to rely on me!】 Grimoire's voice carried a hint of pride.

  Ryan had no time to respond. His mind was entirely focused, observing the simulated false space in his spiritual sea created by Grimoire, identical to the real spiritual sea.

  As long as Evelyn's consciousness probed it, she would only see a scene of chaotic disorder, finding no flaws whatsoever.

  Evelyn's consciousness paused outside the barrier of Ryan's spiritual sea, not daring to forcefully penetrate it. She likely feared that doing so would cause secondary damage to his already fragile spiritual sea.

  Her consciousness studied the spiritual sea, floating with countless tiny motes of magical energy, seemingly fragmented and chaotic. The last trace of doubt in her heart completely vanished.

  Indeed, he had truly lost his soul due to the psychic shock.

  Evelyn withdrew her consciousness and took from her bosom a transmission crystal engraved with ice patterns.

  She infused a trace of magic into her fingertips, and the crystal emitted a faint blue glow. The cold command was immediately transmitted.

  "Headmistress, I am here." After a moment, Elara's calm voice came from outside the room.

  When Elara pushed the door open, her expression was composed, and her gaze at the bed showed no surprise.

  "He actually allowed someone to be injured so severely." Elara's eyes swept over Ryan, who lay on the bed with his eyes tightly closed and utterly lifeless.

  Yet deep in her heart, a ripple of emotion stirred. The Headmistress had actually allowed a man to lie on the bed she had used for years of rest.

  In the tens of thousands of years of Glacial Arcana Academy's history, there had never been a precedent.

  However, on second thought, it was also unavoidable. Besides, she had already examined his spiritual sea and found nothing abnormal, which was exactly what they wanted to see.

  This boy's spiritual sea was pure, with no traces of shadow magic contamination, and no suspicious forbidden items were found in his storage rings or other artifacts.

  The only point of concern was that the magic crystals and other items originally stored in his rings had disappeared.

  The Headmistress claimed to have personally retrieved and managed them. Whether this was true or not, now was clearly not the time to question it.

  Elara felt a quiet joy in her heart. The Headmistress had indeed recruited a promising candidate this time.

  This youth possessed Grand Magus potential. With proper cultivation and guidance, he would surely secure more magical resources and influence for Glacial Arcana Academy in the future.

  More importantly, he could very likely grow into a Grand Magus himself.

  If the academy had a Grand Magus stationed within, its status would surpass all other powers on the magic continent and might even rival or surpass the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword.

  "Headmistress, please wait. Allow me to examine and treat his injuries." Elara stepped forward and took a crystal vial from her sleeve.

  She poured out a pill that emitted a soft cyan glow, gently placing it into Ryan's mouth.

  The high-level mental enhancement pill dissolved the moment it entered, transforming into a stream of cool, warm magical energy that seeped down his throat into his abdomen.

  In an instant, Ryan clearly felt that his tense spiritual sea was being gently enveloped by the soothing magic.