Translator: AnubisTL
Jieming's gaze swept over the scene, and he realized that David wasn't the only one who had arrived.
Standing a short distance away were several figures, both familiar and strange—Seraphina, Kaelen, Anya, and Rex.
Back then, these four had been just as famous as David, recognized as the "new generation" of Tier 10 Talent geniuses of the Noren Workshop, their futures seemingly limitless.
However, in that decisive Elite Trial, they had been utterly overshadowed by the meteoric rise of Jieming.
Only David had performed respectably, saving a sliver of face for their "genius group."
Counting it out, nearly a millennium had passed since the end of the Trial without Jieming seeing Seraphina and the others.
David, however, had maintained some contact with Jieming due to their joint effort in resettling the indigenous people of Elosia (now Noren Plane No. 147).
But in recent centuries, as their respective planar wars and research missions grew more demanding, their contact had gradually dwindled.
This was the norm in the wizard world.
Planar wars could stretch on for centuries, and once wizards immersed themselves in their research, they lost all sense of time. Old friends drifting apart was a common occurrence.
Jieming's mental power stirred, and his perception silently spread outward.
David, Seraphina, Kaelen, Anya, and Rex. The mental power fields emanating from the five were solid and majestic, each bearing its own distinct and potent characteristics.
It was obvious they had all successfully mastered the Rules and stepped into the realm of third-tier wizards.
To be fair, in this conference room—which had gathered the essence of Noren Academy No. 147 over several centuries—the rank of third-tier wizard was not particularly impressive. In fact, it could even be considered somewhat low.
Even without counting the other elites from their same year, there were no shortage of graduates from later classes who had already advanced to the fourth or fifth tier.
These five former super geniuses now appeared rather "unremarkable" in terms of their level.
However, when Seraphina and the others' senses fell upon Jieming and clearly captured the mental power fluctuations that belonged only to a second-tier wizard, their reaction was not one of contempt.
Instead, their eyes widened one by one, their faces filled with astonishment and... undisguised envy.
Whoosh—
Pitch-black energy spread across her body.
Like a shadow slipping through the air, Seraphina's figure vanished from her spot as if by magic, and in the next instant, she materialized out of thin air beside Jieming.
As if witnessing an unbelievable spectacle, Seraphina circled Jieming, scrutinizing him from every angle. Her lively eyes were wide with astonishment and disbelief. "Jieming?! You... how are you still second-tier?! How is this possible?!"
The other three closed in. Kaelen, who always maintained a refined demeanor, now looked completely rattled. His hand trembled slightly as he adjusted his glasses. "Second-tier... You're actually still second-tier... What kind of monster are you?!" he muttered.
Even the usually spirited Anya wore a complex expression.
Though David had mentally prepared himself, he couldn't help but sigh upon seeing the truth with his own eyes. He shook his head, his voice filled with genuine lament. "I thought we had finally caught up to you. But it seems the gap between us hasn't shrunk at all—it's only grown wider."
Kaelen finally steadied his trembling hand, took a deep breath, and looked at Jieming as if he were a walking paradox. "I can't wrap my head around it... Just how much have you accumulated to stay 'stuck' at second-tier for this long?"
Their words and reactions stemmed from the wizard world's unique understanding of advancement.
For ordinary wizards, faster advancement naturally indicated greater innate talent, opportunity, and intelligence.
But for true top-rank geniuses, the standard of judgment was often reversed—the slower the advancement, the more terrifying the potential.
This complete reversal existed because wizards were, at their core, pursuers of knowledge.
To truly wise wizards, the increase in rank and power was merely a natural "byproduct" of their pursuit of truth.
The wizard ranks that ordinary wizards strove so hard to raise were never a challenge for top-rank geniuses.
The reason they delayed their advancement was that there was still a vast ocean of knowledge to uncover at their current rank, countless ideas awaiting verification, and a profound foundation to solidify.
Only when they had truly reached the "end" of their current rank, with nowhere left to go, would they choose to step into the next stage.
That Jieming, possessing such world-shaking innate talent yet "stagnating" at the second-tier for a thousand years as if it were a single day, could only prove one thing: at this second-tier level, he still had an endless stream of inspiration, with unfathomable knowledge to learn and fuse!
This was a state that any wizard aspiring to climb the peak of truth would envy, or even, one could say, be jealous of.
Jieming looked at the mixed expressions of shock, confusion, and envy on his old acquaintances' faces, couldn't help but smile, and said calmly, "I just feel there are still many things I haven't figured out yet, so I'm in no rush for advancement. Long time no see, everyone."
David was the first to break free from his complex emotions. His robust body took a step forward, and he slapped Jieming's shoulder hard with a laugh.
The force was so strong that Jieming wondered if the guy was trying to kill him: "Let's not talk about this. Comparing people will only make you angry. Jieming, for this Elite Combat Unit formation, we'll likely be assigned to the same or adjacent second-line battlefields. When the time comes, I might have to ask for your guidance."
Jieming naturally nodded in agreement: "You're being too polite. Once we're on the battlefield, sharing intelligence and looking out for each other is only right. Perhaps we'll even have the chance to cooperate."
However, his words failed to resonate with the others.
Beside him, Rex, clad in mechanical armor with eerie blue energy arcs flickering at its joints, seemed to suddenly recall a traumatic past. He couldn't help but shudder, his voice from beneath the metal visor tinged with lingering fear:
"Exchanging information and staying in touch? No problem! But collaborating... forget it! Jieming, who knows what kind of earth-shattering 'shenanigans' you'd cook up if we teamed up again? Haven't we suffered enough from your schemes in the last trial?"
At his words, Seraphina, Kaelen, and even Anya instinctively nodded in unison, their faces etched with lingering dread.
Clearly, they were all recalling the "terror" of being subjected to Jieming's "methods."
Jieming stared at his former "genius" teammates, who were reacting far too strongly, and several black lines appeared on his forehead.
"...Just admit my method worked, will you!" he tried to defend himself.
"Yes, yes, stuffing shit in a divine being's mouth right in front of them," Seraphina rolled her eyes and retorted sharply. "If the higher-ups hadn't been watching, we would have been killed long ago."
The group exchanged glances and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
(End of the Chapter)
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