The system’s existence surpassed the Stupa, their differences incomparable. Although Gandulf knew about Lin Ming’s possession of the Stupa, he didn’t have ill intentions. However, Lin Ming was sure that if Gandulf knew about the system, Gandulf wouldn’t have been able to control his state of mind.
“Of all the spells in the world… And you felt a special connection to my teachings?” Gandulf snorted coldly. He didn’t believe what Lin Ming said, naturally. He was a Sage Tier Mage, not a fool.
“Master, do you think it has anything to do with my extraordinary talent?” Lin Ming chuckled.
“Of course, it does,” Gandulf replied grumpily. Lin Ming must be keeping something from him, but he wouldn’t want to press Lin Ming further. After all, Lin Ming was his disciple now. He knew Lin Ming wouldn’t have deserted him should anything happened—this was enough. He didn’t want their master-disciple relationship to be affected because of his pressure. That would’ve been a loss.
“Lin Ming, it is the first time I’ve witnessed such monstrous talent like you. Before this, I’ve never even heard of you.” Gandulf sighed. Lin Ming’s talent was unprecedented. “That is why I firmly believe that your final achievement will not halt at Sage Tier. And you should know that is the highest tier you could reach. It would have been more than enough to have one Sage Tier Mage serving an empire, and the reason why some empires could dominate the continent is that they worship more than one Sage Tier Mage! It becomes a measure of an empire’s strength,” Gandulf words flowed without stopping.
He looked into Lin Ming’s eyes and spoke his following words in a breath. “And the reason why I said all of this is because you bring me to hope that there is a possibility to surpass the Sage Tier. Before I met you, I thought that this was the end. But I instinctively, I know there’s a stronger level above this. As I couldn’t break through my limit, the same goes for the Sage Tier Mages in the other empires. We all stop advancing, stuck with what we currently have. There should be a more powerful realm above the Sage Tier, and I’m not the only one who owns this feeling. Everyone does. And we did find a Juncture, but we couldn’t find any clues in there. Now I finally know—you are the perfect candidate for it!” His eyes glinted with passion, picking his words carefully. “Lin Ming, are you willing to explore the Juncture on my behalf?”
“Of course, Master. But I do have a question.”
“Speak your concerns.”
“As a Sage Tier Mage, aren’t you more likely to find the clues in that Juncture?” That was Lin Ming’s central suspicion—an opportunity like this was what every Sage Tier Mage would be dreaming.
“You might not know, but the maximum tier for entry is Tier 7. Force entry will result in backlash, the consequences more than unbearable even for a Sage Tier Mage.” Gandulf cleared Lin Ming’s doubt.
“The maximum is Tier 7?” Lin Ming frowned. He hadn’t thought about such a restriction.
“That’s right. And we have a rule: every Sage Tier Mage could only send in one disciple of theirs as representatives into the Juncture. Each entry must be four years apart to maintain the balance.” They had drafted a contract to prevent the Juncture from being damaged: any Sage Tier Mage who broke the rules would face besieging from the others. So far, no one had broken the rules.
“Master, did you not participate before?” Lin Ming wondered—he was Gandulf’s first disciple.
“I did. I hired any random mages I could find. No one has found any clues so far. I am starting to get numb.” Gandulf shook his head. “If it weren’t for your appearance, my hopes would have still been down.”
The final answer in the Juncture wasn’t as easy to obtain, and it became the reason why no one had acquired any clues. But Gandulf was excited over Lin Ming’s talents. If someone like Lin Ming couldn’t come back with anything, then Gandulf would finally give up.
While every mage sent in would be a complete Tier 7, Gandulf wasn’t worried about Lin Ming being Tier 6 at all. At Tier 3, Lin Ming could have beaten up a Tier 6 Mage easily, let alone him in Tier 6 now facing a bunch of Tier 7. There was still time, and Gandulf had high hopes for Lin Ming.
“Lin Ming, if you could return with any clues, we would become the world’s new standards in terms of strength,” Gandulf spoke, no longer keeping his cold composure but empowering and intimidating.
“Yes, Master. I will work hard!” Lin Ming nodded. He, too, was invested in the clues—Sage Tier Mage wasn’t his final goal.
“There is still a month, and you will master all your spells in this period. If you break through to Tier 7, you must suppress your advancement. Remember, if you surpass Tier 7, you will not be able to enter the Juncture,” Gandulf instructed.
“Yes. Understood, Master.”
“Come to me if you have any more questions, and I will solve them right away. I will not teach you any new spells for now. What you have learned so far is more than enough for a Tier 6.” Gandulf patted Lin Ming’s shoulder.