Another World: The Failed Magician

Inside a secret chamber of the Tai Xuan Sect, Zuo Huai slowly pushed open the door.

"How did things go?" Li Zheng asked Zuo Huai from inside the secret room.

"Everything is proceeding according to plan. The demonic seed has successfully recovered to the Martial King level, and as we expected, after the death of its host, Li Mingxu, it has now entered a dormant period, which is the perfect time for us to control it." After saying this, he handed the black box to Zuo Huai.

After taking the box, Li Zheng carefully opened it and, confirming that it contained the Demon Seed, asked Zuo Huai in an icy tone, "And what about that girl with the innate sword physique? I should have told you before you went that her talent is very important to us. If the Demon Seed can absorb her talent, it will advance even further. But according to the report from the Qin elder, he said that you didn't harm that girl during this mission. What's your explanation for that?"

Zuo Huai waved his hand and said, "When we got there, the girl had already broken through to the Martial Master realm, which was completely different from the high-level martial artist mentioned in the initial intelligence. Moreover, there were two peak martial artists, Zhao Qingmei and Lin Yu, present. If they hadn't been unable to deal with the demon seed, we might not have even been able to get it back."

“I don’t believe they weren’t injured after killing Li Mingxu. With you and five of you, can’t a martial arts master take them down?” Li Zheng questioned.

"Based on my observation and judgment, they are all capable of fighting. If a battle breaks out and we lose, we won't even be able to retrieve the Demon Seed. What will we have to tell the King of Zhennan then?" Zuo Huai replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Are you saying my judgment is flawed?"

"The facts are right here. I don't think there was anything wrong with what I did back then. Besides, I asked you to send a Martial King from the beginning, but you disagreed. That led to this result, so you can't blame me alone."

"What do you mean by that, Zuo Huai?" Li Zheng stared at Zuo Huai with displeasure.

"Now that things have come to this, there's no point in arguing with me anymore. Besides, the Demon Seed has successfully recovered to the Martial King level, so whether or not you have that innate sword physique is no longer important. What you need to consider now is how to control this Demon Seed."

"Hmph! You don't need to teach me this kind of thing."

"Alright. Since Sect Master already knows what to do next, I'll take my leave." With that, Zuo Huai prepared to walk out.

"Did I tell you to leave?" As the words fell, a pressure belonging to the Martial King level pressed down on Zuo Huai.

After feeling the pressure, Zuo Huai bent his knees and struggled to keep from kneeling.

Li Zheng walked over to the disheveled Zuo Huai, sneering, "Zuo Huai! Don't think that just because the Prince of Zhennan appreciates you, you can't tell who's in charge of the Tai Xuan Sect. I can crush you like an ant, it's that simple."

"roll!"

As Li Zheng finished speaking, the oppressive aura that had permeated the secret room disappeared, and Zuo Huai took the opportunity to escape from the secret room in a disheveled state.

After escaping the secret chamber, the anger and resentment on Zuo Huai's face vanished instantly. He glanced calmly at the chamber behind him and lightly brushed the dust off his clothes, as if nothing had happened.

……

In a simple room, Carl was busy with his work as usual.

At this time, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in," Carl said, head bowed as he worked.

A simply dressed young man walked in. He had short blond hair, bright blue eyes, a perfect figure, and an elegant demeanor that made him seem like a born aristocrat.

Upon entering, the boy spoke calmly, "Teacher."

"Michael, what brings you here?" Karl still didn't look up.

Michael spoke calmly, "Teacher, there's a question I really don't understand, so I've come to you today to ask for your help."

"You ask."

Michael glanced at Karl, who was still busy with his work, and a flicker of displeasure flashed in his eyes. But he quickly regained his composure.

"Teacher, is the Kahnlai region really that important?"

Carl did not answer.

Michael continued, "The Caenlai region is resource-poor, and its ignorant people are difficult to educate. To send such an important force as Dean White there for such a region, teacher, don't you think it's a pity? Does this region even deserve a force like Dean White? Abandoning the Caenlai region wouldn't have any impact on the entire Loca Federation, would it?"

Carl continued working with his head down, saying, "If this is all you came here for, you can leave now."

"How could that be? I came here today not just to ask you this question, teacher. To be honest, I should thank you now. After all, if you hadn't sent Dean White to the Carnelai region, we really wouldn't have had any way to deal with Dean White."

Karl put down his pen, looked up at his student, and a deep disappointment flashed in his aged eyes.

Karl sighed and said, "Michael, I didn't expect it to be you."

“Teacher, how could you not have thought of that? You have never trusted anyone from the very beginning!” Michael sneered.

“What you said is true, I just don’t want that person to be you. Since you’ve asked me a question, I’ll ask you one too. I’m very curious about why you destroyed the communication array between White and Lu Xuan. I really can’t see what use it was. Since you had a way to infiltrate Frunze Academy, why didn’t you choose to assassinate White, but instead destroyed an array that I can’t think of for any purpose? It really puzzles me.”

"Since you're my teacher, I'll answer your question. Bocanier is indeed an excellent assassin, able to evade Dean White's senses, but Dean White will detect the slightest hint of his killing intent. So even if he came, he wouldn't be able to do anything. But coincidentally, Dean White actually sent that Lu Xuan to the Eastern Dragon Empire."

“I’ve disliked him for a long time. He was clearly on his deathbed, and White and you guys actually went to help him. I just don’t understand it. So since he wants to die, I’ll grant him his wish,” Michael said, laughing loudly.

Karl shook his head and said, "So that's the reason. I really didn't expect it. Now that things have come to this, I still want to ask you what promises the Silver Dragon Empire made to you that led you to betray the Loca Federation."

Hearing this, Michael couldn't help but laugh again: "Teacher! I must say, you people are really too naive. You want to build the Loka Federation into a country where everyone is equal? ​​How is that even possible? People are born unequal. High-level martial artists and mages enjoy privileges. This is a truth that humans have come to understand through cultivation!"

Hearing this, Karl sighed again and said, "So you chose the Silver Dragon Empire?"

"What's wrong with that? The Silver Dragon Empire can provide the treatment you can't, and the Silver Dragon Empire can provide the resources you can't. What do I get here? Not only do I have to listen to your lectures, but I also have to endure the looks from those lowly commoners. Do you think there's any comparison between the two?"

"What a pity, Michael, I really thought highly of you."

"Don't feel sorry for me, teacher. I have a brighter future. On the contrary, you, my teacher, will not only die here today, but your most promising student, Zhao Quan, will also come to join you soon."

As soon as Michael finished speaking, a dagger slashed through the window and flew straight toward Karl's head.

At that moment, a figure flashed from the shadows of the room, knocking the dagger away.

A figure clad in a black robe appeared in Karl's room, just as another person appeared outside the window. That person raised a dagger and lunged at the black-robed figure. The black-robed figure unleashed the power of a Martial King to meet the person rushing in through the window.

The man also unleashed the power of a Martial King. Both of them wielded daggers and clashed at a speed that was difficult to detect with the naked eye.

"I didn't expect you to have a trick up your sleeve, teacher. Bocanir is a renowned expert in the Silver Dragon Empire, ranked second on the assassin list. You think this can't take you down?" With that, Michael removed the pendant from his neck. The instant the pendant was removed, Michael exuded the aura of a martial arts master. Then, he raised his longsword, pointing it at Karl.

Upon seeing this, Karl nodded and said, "To reach the Martial Master realm at only 25 years old is indeed a remarkable talent."

"Then thank you one last time for your praise, teacher." With that, Michael suddenly appeared in front of Karl and thrust his sword at him.

Just then, a staff suddenly appeared in Karl's hand.

A shield made of light-attribute magic blocked Michael's path.

The longsword clashed with the shield. Instead of breaking through the defense, the sword was propelled by a tremendous force from the shield, sending him flying and crashing heavily into the wall.

As soon as Michael stood up, he noticed seven golden spears floating in the air, aimed at him.

Each golden spear emanated an incredibly terrifying magical aura, enough to easily destroy Michael.

Michael looked at Karl, who had stood up from his office seat, the staff in his hand radiating the magical aura of a Grand Magister.

"Cough...cough cough, I thought I was already quite advanced, but I didn't expect I'm still far behind you, teacher." Michael said between coughs.

"There's nothing I can do. It was meant for the enemy, but I used it on you."

Upon realizing something was amiss, Bocanier immediately abandoned his attempt to engage the figure in black robes and fled swiftly into the distance.

Suddenly, a scroll appeared beside Michael, emitting a dazzling light and forming a magic circle beneath Michael's feet.

“Teacher, I’ll have to take your life next time we meet,” Michael mocked.

Karl, however, looked at him calmly.

Just then, the magic circle that had been emitting light suddenly went out.

Michael's mockery came to an abrupt halt.

A mocking look appeared on Karl's aged face: "Michael, didn't you set up a spatial sealing scroll while you were talking to me? What a coincidence, your idea is the same as mine. It's just that your trump card is a bit disappointing."

After saying that, Karl waved his staff, and a golden rope appeared out of thin air, binding Michael firmly to the spot.

At that moment, the figure in the black robe returned to the room. The figure looked at Karl.

Karl said to the shadowy figure, "Hand him over to Paul. I'm sure Paul has a way of getting him to talk."

Upon hearing the name Paul, Michael's face suddenly turned pale.

Michael knew Paul. In his youth, Paul was a member of the Burialers. In his old age, he took up intelligence work. Later, due to injuries, he retired to the small town of Carlos. But Paul's most outstanding skill was extracting information through torture. Rumor had it that his methods were extremely cruel. No one could survive three days under his control.

So when Michael heard Paul's name, he panicked and said, "Teacher! It was those people from the Silver Dragon Empire who bewitched me. I was confused for a moment. I will tell you everything I know. Please don't send me to Paul."

At this moment, the shadowy figure looked at Karl and asked a question.

Karl waved his hand and said, "Leave his matter to Paul."

After saying that, the shadowy figure dragged Mikael out of the room, and Mikael's curses echoed in the corridor.

Karl selected the most prominent of the several communication arrays on his workbench. It was the communication array specifically for him and Dean White.

Karl poured his magic into it, but the communication array remained completely unresponsive.

……

At this moment, in a small restaurant at the mouth of the Eastern Dragon Empire, a man and a woman were sitting in an inconspicuous corner.

Li Mengyu glanced at Lu Xuan sitting opposite her and found that he was eating with his head down.

Li Mengyu was caught in a dilemma. She actually wanted to say something, but she was afraid to.

Meanwhile, Lu Xuan, who was eating with his head down, wasn't as calm as he appeared. He had already noticed Li Mengyu staring at him.

Could it be that Li Mengyu dislikes him and doesn't actually want to go to the Loca Federation with him, but just didn't want to say it before because of Zhang Yu's feelings?

Lu Xuan thought to himself.

After a long silence, Li Mengyu finally spoke, "Mr. Lu Xuan! I'm so sorry! It was wrong of me to leave without saying goodbye. I'm really sorry!"

Li Mengyu's sudden voice startled Lu Xuan, causing him to tremble involuntarily.

Seeing Lu Xuan's reaction, Li Mengyu subconsciously assumed that Lu Xuan disliked her.

"Mr. Lu Xuan, if you really hate me, you don't have to include me. You really don't have to force yourself." Li Mengyu's voice was trembling with tears. Her eyes were also reddening.

Seeing this, Lu Xuan quickly waved his hand and said, "No! I... I don't hate you, it's just that so many things have happened recently, I... I don't know what to say for a moment."

Lu Xuan's tone was actually a little stuttering.

Lu Xuan's flustered appearance didn't seem fake.

Li Mengyu asked softly, "Really?"

"Really!" Lu Xuan quickly and loudly affirmed.

Upon hearing this, Li Mengyu couldn't help but smile sweetly.

Lu Xuan was stunned for a moment.