Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 145: Conflict

Flanking the red-robed initiate were two senior initiates, one on each side. It remained unclear whether they were his lackeys or companions.

Upon their entrance, the attention of the entire room shifted toward the three senior initiates.

Having studied at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy for over two years, Sein clearly knew how things worked in the academy even though he had always maintained a low profile.

In Divine Tower Academy, there was no concept of assigned seating. Yet, this red-robed youth was claiming that Sein was sitting in his spot.

In response to the demand, Sein did not bother lifting his gaze and continued flipping through the magic notes before him calmly.

The magic notes entrusted to him by Master Morsidor, contained valuable insights into the pyro elemental spells.

Over time, Sein had contributed significantly to these notes, reflecting his understanding and experiences with pyro magic spells during his extended studies at Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy over the past two years.

The knowledge passed down within the academy on pyro magic spells had evidently surpassed what was documented in Master Morsidor\'s notes.

From this alone, Sein could tell that his late mentor was unlikely a student of the divine tower academy back then.

Sein’s apparent apathy irked the senior initiate in front of him, who began gathering a subtle yet discernible surge of pyro elemental energy between his hands.

Despite this display, Sein remained as unmoving as a mountain.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy strictly forbade initiates from engaging in physical confrontations, especially within the confines of a classroom.

Sein doubted the senior initiate would dare to cross that line by starting a fight with him in here.

Even if it were to happen, Sein was confident that he could defend himself, potentially even against all three opponents.

For settling disputes, the divine tower academy actually provided an arena stage on the east side.

By paying a magicoin, initiates could engage in duels under the watchful eye of full-fledged mages, ensuring the prevention of serious injuries or fatalities.

The arena stage also served the purpose of ranking the top twenty experts in the academy.

The power ranking was updated every two months, likely a measure devised by the full-fledged mages to motivate initiates in their academic pursuits.

Achieving a place in the top twenty not only bestowed recognition within the academy but also entitled individuals to rewards from the academy.

There were rumors about the top three rankings offering coveted rewards, including rare potions beneficial for an initiate’s journey toward becoming a full-fledged mage.

Sein, who had spent more than two years at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, had heard discussions about the arena stage and the power rankings on numerous occasions.

Despite this, Sein had never set foot in the arena stage because it was far from his dormitory and not on his usual way to the library or academy building.

Nevertheless, he had heard that all of those in the top ten power rankings were Quasi Mages.

Even among those ranked from ten to twenty were mostly Quasi Mages, with only a handful of senior initiates.

Interestingly, the senior initiate confronting Sein happened to be Mark the Fiery Hand, holding the 17th position on the academy’s power rankings.

There should be more than twenty Quasi Mages in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

While not all of them excelled in combat, Mark’s abilities still stood out among his fellow senior initiates in the divine tower.

It was evident that he possessed a unique talent that allowed him to secure the 17th rank, surpassing Quasi Mages with higher mental focus and mana.

Even so, Sein had never heard anything about Mark the Fiery Hand, let alone acquainted with him.

Despite this, the senior initiate’s aggressive demeanor reminded Sein of his days at the black magic academy.

A radiant, blazing light unexpectedly bloomed in his dark blue eyes.

As he lifted his head to gaze at the rather loud senior initiate, an instant release of a blazing orange beam of light caused the other party to take a step back.

This was the manifestation of an advanced magic spell, Solar Eye, within Sein’s sea of consciousness.

Throughout his two years of academy life, Sein consistently worked on improving the Solar Eye spell.

The interaction between Sein and the senior initiate did not escalate into a full-blown battle.

The subtle exchange of elemental energies only served to elevate the room temperature of the medium-sized classroom, without causing any damage.

Nevertheless, the sudden outburst of aura from both individuals startled every initiate present in the room.

Those were the auras expected of powerful individuals who were the best among the initiates in the academy.

Many of the initiates in the divine tower academy lived in relative comfort, with limited exposure to genuine challenges.

Despite its two-century history, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had consistently ranked at the bottom in the past four Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy Wars.

This was partly attributed to a lack of experienced instructors and initiates in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring compared to other older divine towers.

The full-fledged mages who conducted classes in this divine tower undoubtedly possessed commendable teaching abilities.

However, certain aspects went beyond the scope of textbooks and classroom knowledge.

The fierce and brutal interplanar wars were far more complex than what was portrayed in books.

The Magus Civilization’s dominance over countless planes in nearby star domains required more than mere textbook knowledge.

“Why am I not aware that this is your seat? I sit here every time I attend classes. Perhaps you should find another spot,” Sein remarked, his eyes faintly glowing as he cast a glance at the senior initiate.

Sein was not lying; every time he attended a public class, he claimed the center seat of the first row.

The only difference was among the presence of one to two hundred initiates in the public classroom, the majority were intermediate and junior initiates. Senior initiates were rarely seen in attendance.

Sein, an unapproachable senior initiate with an ice-cold demeanor, had occupied that spot for a long time, and no other initiates dared to make any comments about it.

This was likely an unspoken rule subtly beneath the surface of the seemingly fair and welcoming atmosphere of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy.

Sein’s firm response enraged the red-robed senior initiate. “How dare you!” he exclaimed.

Aside from being irritated by Sein’s audacity, the red-robed initiate was particularly irked by the golden light in Sein’s eyes moments ago.

Shrinking away now would inevitably impact his reputation among the initiates of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy!

“Face me on the arena stage if you’ve got the balls! We’ll spar!” the red-robed initiate challenged.

Sein merely looked at the red-robed initiate with an expressionless face.

Clack, clack, clack!

Before the red-robed initiate could say anything else, the rhythmic sound of crystal heels approached.

In the next second, Eileen entered the classroom, holding a floating crystal ball and other instruments needed for her class today.

She was none other than the primary instructor for the Pyro Elemental Transformation course.