448 How about that student called William?
Ares was astonished that Astraeus actually suggested he kill the envoys of the Divine Realm!
Throughout history, countless Soulmancers have yearned to enter the Divine Realm, as the secrets to enhancing one’s strength in the Prime World are incomplete. To truly gain access to greater mystical arts, the Divine Realm seemed the only other option.
Similarly, when Soulmancers in the Prime World reach the Quasi-Deity level, envoys from the Divine Realm typically seek them out, often urging or leading them to the Divine Realm. It’s commonly understood that only those who have attained the Quasi-Deity level know that the first requirement to enter the Divine Realm is to abandon their current physical form, entering in a soul state to then reconstruct their body through the power of the soul.
The true nature of the Divine Realm remains a mystery.
Having already been at the Quasi-Deity level before taking the Serenity Elixir, Ares’s strength, after regaining his sanity, far exceeded any Quasi-Deity level Soulmancer.
To slay a god? It wasn’t impossible!
But what about the consequences? Wouldn’t slaying a god provoke retribution from the deities of the Divine Realm?
Even if Ares felt invincible in this world, he wasn’t so arrogant as to believe he would remain unbeatable in the Divine Realm.
“Elder guild leader, who exactly was that person?” Ares asked worriedly. “If I truly kill an envoy from the Divine Realm, will that person from before really help me?”
Astraeus responded, “Whether that person will help you, I don’t know. I just feel that something might have gone wrong in the Divine Realm. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid going there.”
Other Soulmancers might not understand what it means to enter the Divine Realm in a soul state.
But Astraeus was all too aware.
He was nearing the end of his life, with only a sliver of his original life force remaining. Entering the Divine Realm in a soul state meant his strength would likely be much diminished, and he would probably have to start over. However, possessing a soul that wielded great power in this life could mean a faster ascent in strength if he had to start anew.
The conclusion he reached was that the gods of the Divine Realm might not necessarily be stronger than a Quasi-Deity level Soulmancer.
Does Astraeus not understand this reasoning?
The most crucial point for him was the recent arrival of a parallel dimension, which made him suspect that something significant had happened in the Divine Realm. Given the terrifying power displayed by William, instead of entering the Divine Realm in a soul state, it seemed wiser to stay with William.
“I will venture into the world of ordinary people tomorrow for my training,” Ares decided.
Ares was no novice,he had been approached by envoys from the Divine Realm when he had attained the Quasi-Deity level, informing him that he could then enter the Divine Realm. He had scrutinized the two envoys from the Divine Realm at that time. To his judgment, their strength was just satisfactory. Back then, he couldn’t have taken on both at once, but with his current strength, dealing with those two…
Easy!
After all, envoys from the Divine Realm are mostly Soulmancers who have reshaped their bodies, and their strength is generally at the Mortal Deity level. As the guild leader of Pantheon Guild, Ares had access to powerful secret techniques for enhancing his strength. Just with the might of his physical form, defeating these so-called envoys from the Divine Realm would be a piece of cake.
While Ares pondered over entering the world of ordinary people for training, William returned to his villa and began refining the Golden Magic Sand. With his speed, turning half a mountain of Golden Magic Sand Mine into pure Golden Magic Sand overnight wasn’t difficult at all.
The next day, as classes resumed at the Soulmancer school, William, being a student, naturally attended. Most notably, Zoey still thought of William as a novice Soulmancer and had kicked his door in early in the morning to drag him to school.
“Mr. Johnson, you’re here for a lecture? What are you listening to?” Luna, naturally accompanying William, nearly fell asleep listening to lessons about constellations, celestial houses, and directions.
Basic astrology!
Did someone of William’s caliber need to learn this?
The teacher on the podium is just a mid-level Soulmancer. Luna, let alone a slap, could wipe out the teacher with a sneeze. .𝒎
Yet William is so bored that he listens to his lectures.
And looking at William, he’s even seriously taking notes, looking diligent and tireless.
“You don’t understand.” William couldn’t be bothered to explain to Luna.
The secret techniques he was using now were far too terrifying, making William feel out of place in the current Soulmancer world. His pursuit was to deliberately weaken himself.
As a novice Soulmancer, it seemed excessive to create gusts of wind that could pulverize people into dust.
Sitting in a large classroom, William noticed that Evelyn was also present. They exchanged glances, and William just smiled. Evelyn, however, was expressionless and said to a man beside her, “See him? Kill him, and I’ll marry with you.”
Although William was some distance away, he could still hear clearly what Evelyn said. He believed the teacher at the podium could hear her as well. Was this what they call plotting loudly?
In addition, Lila and Bella were also in the classroom. These two women had passed the Soulmancer test and successfully enrolled in the school. However, before William entered the classroom, the two had already sat down, so it wasn’t appropriate for them to specifically move to sit next to William.
The instructor for the second class turned out to be Garen.
“I’m going to teach you the most basic swordsmanship,” Garen announced as he walked into the classroom and saw William. He smiled at William and then led the students out of the room.
Teaching swordsmanship? With William as his student? Garen was actually more interested in observing William’s swordsmanship. The last time he saw William use his sword, he gained substantial insights. Witnessing William’s swordplay again might even help him break through to a higher level of strength.
“The techniques of swordsmanship primarily include slashing, thrusting, tapping, shaving, sprinting, scraping, piercing, re-stabbing, lifting, drawing the sword, and sweeping. Students, let’s go to the outdoor arena where I will personally demonstrate these skills.”
Garen’s current desire was to showcase his swordsmanship skills in front of William.
After arriving at the arena, every move he made was incredibly simple, devoid of any unnecessary flamboyance, yet each technique was executed to perfection.
This was why even those who had never wielded a sword felt that swordsmanship seemed quite simple. It appeared easy enough to them.
“Would any student like to come up and give it a try?” After demonstrating, Garen encouraged the students to come forward and try for themselves.
These are all the most basic sword techniques. He thought that, with William sitting below, if William wanted to offer guidance, he should come up to the stage to do so.
However, William showed no intention of joining. Instead, the man sitting next to Evelyn loudly said, “Teacher, I would like to try, but I also want to practice with a fellow student.”
Garen felt a bit disappointed. This way, he was just playing swords with a bunch of kids.
“Sure, is there another student willing to give it a try?” Garen had lost interest by then. William didn’t want to participate, and he didn’t dare to call on William directly. Watching other students practice swordsmanship was like watching children fight.
The man next to Evelyn pointed at William and loudly said, “How about that student called William?”
𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ