Chapter 6 – The Teacher from the Astrology Tower

The next morning after breakfast, the three of them arrived at the central lake, where the academy would conduct a more detailed classification and testing of their talents.

According to common knowledge, there are many types of magic elements on the continent, with the majority being water, fire, metal, light, wind, and earth. The less abundant ones are special elements like lightning. Each element has its specific carrier, but there is one carrier that stands out as an anomaly—crystal.

Even without having lived in the magic world, Lin Wei knew the saying, “Crystal is the lover of mages.”

Crystal has a great affinity and capacity for all magic elements. Mages often rely on crystals engraved with special magic arrays to activate and store various elements.

However, although crystal is not rare on the continent, most of the mined crystal ore is in small, fragmented pieces, so they are usually polished into the shape of crystal balls.

A thousand years ago, during the peak of magic, a genius alchemist discovered a method to fuse crystals. Unfortunately, the technique has been lost to time. The crystal pillars surrounding the magic academy are the products of that era of crystal fusion, and the dense magic elements in the academy are also related to these pillars.

At that moment, two mages were waiting for them under one of the crystal pillars.

The one in a brown robe was a stern middle-aged man, while the one in a deep blue robe was a female mage with flaxen hair. She looked young, around the age of an ordinary person in their thirties. Upon closer inspection, her deep blue robe was adorned with tiny points of light, resembling the vast night sky.

Haitie let out a soft “Oh” when she saw the female mage.

The two teachers introduced themselves. The male mage was named Althos, and the female mage was named Adele.

Adele’s gaze swept over the three of them, and she asked, “Which one is Lin Wei?”

Lin Wei replied, “That’s me.”

“Only a spiritual talent was detected?”

“Yes.”

Adele smiled gently and said to Lin Wei, “Come with me.”

With that, Adele turned and headed toward the Central Castle. Lin Wei glanced at Haitie and Duan Yu before following.

After passing through winding stairs and corridors, Adele led Lin Wei to a fairly large room.

The room was very dim, with all four walls covered by shelves filled with crystal balls of various sizes. Inside each crystal ball floated a small, colored light.

As the door closed, the last ray of sunlight disappeared, leaving only the faint glow from the small lights, making the room appear deep and mysterious.

Lin Wei didn’t know what Adele intended to do, but the calm and peaceful expression on the female mage’s face showed no hint of malice.

In the darkness, Adele’s voice echoed, carrying a special allure that resonated in Lin Wei’s ears.

“Do you see those lights?”

“Choose one and talk to it.”

“Then tell me what you hear.”

At first, Lin Wei didn’t recognize what these lights were, but as he got closer, countless whispers surged toward him like a tidal wave. The mixed voices created a cacophony, making it impossible to discern any single sentence.

Ah, he knew what these were, though he had never seen them inside crystal balls before.

—These were souls.

To become a summoner, one must be able to establish a connection with summoned beings, as he had known in his previous life.

This connection was different from the direct communication that Ansel, the “Beast Speaker,” had with other races. It was a temporary contractual relationship on a soul level, where the summoned being obeyed the summoner and faithfully executed their every command.

Thus, a summoner’s power was not only related to their spiritual strength but also greatly tied to the strength of the soul contracts they could establish.

Although Lin Wei’s body had returned to its youthful state, his soul power as a summoner from his past life still remained. Therefore, it took no effort—it was almost instinctive—for him to connect with the souls within these crystals.

However, Lin Wei had no intention of hiding the fact that he could hear these voices. Since he had come to the magic academy, he could not afford to settle for mediocrity. He didn’t want to pretend to be an ordinary beginner and repeat what he already knew from his past life.

—As for whether Teacher Adele could teach him, that would depend on her abilities.

So, after standing in front of the shelf for a while, Lin Wei said without hesitation, “I can hear many voices.”

“Oh?” Footsteps sounded as Adele approached him. “What are they saying?”

In the darkness, Lin Wei’s lips curled into a confident and mischievous smile as he said, “Too many. I can’t make them out.”

Adele pondered for a long time before finally saying, “Then, you will undoubtedly become a summoner.”

Having only a spiritual talent meant one could only choose to become an alchemist or a summoner. However, alchemists only needed spiritual strength to distinguish and control magical substances, while summoners required more than that.

After a pause, she added, “Moreover, you seem to possess an extraordinary talent.”

Adele murmured a short incantation, and Lin Wei keenly sensed a ripple of soul energy in the room.

A cluster of deep purple vines spread across the ceiling, their faint, mysterious glow illuminating the room.

Adele looked at Lin Wei and said, “Before entering the Astrology Tower, I was also a summoner. Lin Wei, would you like to be my student?”

In Xipo’s description, the magic academy was not a tightly structured organization. For the teachers, it was a place where they could come and go freely, so it wasn’t surprising to have teachers from various backgrounds.

Even knowing this, Lin Wei hadn’t expected that this Teacher Adele, like Haitie, was from the same place—the Astrology Tower, which had mysteriously disappeared and was known for its powerful prophecy magic.

Lin Wei looked up, meeting Adele’s calm and deep sea-blue eyes, then bent slightly and said, “I am willing, Teacher.”

Adele seemed to have anticipated Lin Wei’s affirmative answer. After a soft smile, she picked up a crystal ball containing a greenish light from the shelf. “I like to use plants as summoned beings. This is the soul of a Raber Vine I collected. Consider it a gift for you.”

After Lin Wei accepted it, Adele continued, “From now on, you will come here every morning to learn summoning magic.”

And so, that morning, Lin Wei began his studies.

He had to admit that his teacher was indeed extraordinary, showing him a completely different side of summoning magic that he had only used as an offensive tool in his past life.

“Summoning magic, in ancient texts, is often referred to as ‘spirit communication magic.’ A summoner can not only command souls but also resonate with souls from different locations, even different dimensions. If a summoner masters this, they need only touch a soul to know everything about it.”

When the morning was over, Lin Wei walked out of the Central Castle, pondering Adele’s words.

At the crystal pillar, Haitie, Duan Yu, and Teacher Althos were no longer there, so Lin Wei casually made his way back to the house.

The house was empty. After a while, Haitie and Duan Yu returned.

Seeing Lin Wei sitting leisurely, Haitie groaned, “Lin Wei, you got taken away by that gentle and beautiful sister, but the two of us fell into the hands of that dreadful Althos!”

Lin Wei looked at the panting Haitie and then at Duan Yu, who seemed unfazed, and asked, “What did he make you do?”

Haitie coughed a few times and began imitating the stern Teacher Althos: “You two, since you have the talent to communicate with elements, don’t expect to be coddled! Ever since the decline of the knights, mages have had to protect themselves! A strong and agile body not only allows you to contain more magic elements but also helps you save your life! Only when your bodies pass the test can you start learning magic!”

And so, under Teacher Althos’s strict demands, the two of them endured a long and arduous morning…

Duan Yu seemed fine, but Haitie was truly struggling.

After resting through noon, the three of them followed Xipo’s instructions from the previous day and found Teacher Ansel, who flew them to a floating island above the main island.

Waiting for them was a white-bearded old mage. Ansel greeted him with a hearty laugh, “Hey, old Anuo with the bad hearing! I’ve brought the three little ones to you!”

Ansel’s voice was even louder than the day before, likely because this Teacher Anuo was hard of hearing.

Teacher Anuo laughed and replied, “Thanks for the trouble, old Ansel!”

Well… Anuo’s voice was even louder than Ansel’s, probably also due to his hearing.

The three of them followed Old Anuo into the building on the island, where they were met with rows upon rows of towering bookshelves that seemed endless. The shelves were filled with thick books.

Old Anuo’s booming voice echoed through the shelves: “Here, you’ll find the most comprehensive collection of magic texts and historical records. The ones with black seals are forbidden books. Other than those, you’re free to read anything!”

Just as Lin Wei thought their afternoon would be spent leisurely reading, Old Anuo pointed to several shelves and said, “Here, here, and here—the books on the golden shelves. This year, you must memorize them all, not a single word wrong!”

The three of them: “…”

Haitie looked troubled. “There’s so much. How are we supposed to memorize it all?”

Old Anuo glared at her. “What’s your spiritual strength for? These books are nothing!”

It was Duan Yu who spoke next. “Teacher Anuo, I can’t see.”

“Oh?” Old Anuo placed his right hand over Duan Yu’s eyes and closed his own. After a moment, he said, “That’s indeed a problem.”

However, the wise and experienced Old Anuo, who had lived for over two hundred years, quickly found a good solution to this issue.

Pointing at Lin Wei, he said, “You, young man, read to him!”