"The land area of
Leilin Farell studied the surrounding architecture and suddenly gained a moment of clarity.
The streets were packed with people. Nearly every race from the Central Continent could be seen, and the wizards not only wore lavish formal attire but also conducted themselves with remarkable gentleness and courtesy, exuding an air of scholarly refinement.
"After being steeped in civilization, the entire demeanor of a city's residents changes…"
Leilin sighed. Presumably only a city sheltered beneath the Sky Throne could produce a scene like this—one that moved him ever so slightly.
Since Leilin had suppressed his aura, he now appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary low-ranked wizard out shopping with his maid, drawing no attention whatsoever.
Leilin walked and observed as he went. He spotted quite a few members of the Winged Race like Yuluo, most dressed in servant's attire, trailing behind some wizard or another.
He glanced at Yuluo, who seemed somewhat ill at ease.
Leilin understood immediately. The talents of the Winged Race counted for little in Sky City. To truly put down roots here, one had to ally with a wizard and become a servant—which was actually considered one of the better outcomes.
Of course, a standout among the Winged Race like Yuluo held a somewhat elevated status, but no matter how vain she might be, in front of her true master she was still just a maidservant. It was only natural that she felt awkward, and perhaps a touch sorrowful seeing her kind living this way.
Boom!
A sudden explosion erupted from the street ahead, sending the flow of people into chaos.
"Hm?" Leilin took a few discreet steps backward while Yuluo looked around warily.
"That energy intensity isn't aimed at me. It seems I've just stumbled into something," Leilin thought calmly. He had retreated simply to avoid trouble and waved a hand to dismiss the visibly tense Yuluo. The scene unfolding before him came into full view.
A group of white-robed wizards wearing gemstone crowns and wielding curved sabers had clashed with another group of wizards.
"Judging by the energy fluctuations, these wizards are Third-rank at most. But their physiques are astonishingly robust—quite impressive!"
At a glance, Leilin saw through their true strength.
Those white-robed wizards clearly possessed extraordinary physiques, moving as swift as wind. The leader in particular brandished a curved saber that erupted with terrifying blade radiance, forcing the several black-robed wizards opposite to retreat step by step.
Anything related to body refinement always piqued Leilin's interest.
"Is this kind of conflict common around here?" Leilin glanced at Yuluo beside him.
"No! I've been here for decades, and this is only the fourth incident I've witnessed!" Yuluo shook her head. "The Council of Sages will respond very quickly!"
"They're already here," Leilin said, looking skyward with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Boom! A flash of white-gold flame surged, and a massive sphere of light coalesced. From within it stepped a young wizard clad in a white-gold wizard's robe. He was very young—his face still bore a trace of youthful innocence.
Yet the moment he appeared, a terrifying wave of energy swept across the street.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two groups of wizards who had been entangled in combat were immediately sent flying. They dropped to one knee, the leader's bones creaking audibly as he was forcefully suppressed, flattened against the ground like a colossal toad.
Morning Star Domain! A genuine Morning Star Domain radiating from this young man! He was also a Morning Star! And when trouble arose in Sky City, the first response was to deploy a Morning Star for suppression!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Even more wizards in Sky City uniforms arrived at the scene, every one of them at the liquefaction stage or above, their bearing filled with iron-blooded ruthlessness and an air of cold indifference.
Above them, a Morning Star pressed down with overwhelming force. Below, this formidable elite unit sealed the deal. The two groups were immediately detained, their seas of consciousness bound, and led away in dejected silence.
"My, my! As expected of Sky City! Such deep reserves—they deploy elite forces like this as a matter of course!" Leilin felt a genuine pang of envy.
His lingering gaze, however, was misunderstood by Yuluo. Seeing the lord watching the direction in which the wizards were being taken, she assumed he was concerned about their fate.
"They're finished! Causing trouble in Sky City—both sides will face severe punishment. Being expelled would be the lightest consequence. They could even be sentenced to hard labor…"
Yuluo explained to Leilin in a low voice.
"Mm. And who were they?" Leilin wasn't particularly interested in their fate. What truly caught his attention was the body-refinement wizardry those wizards had displayed.
Though he had only caught a fleeting glimpse, Leilin could tell their body-refinement system was highly developed. If it included Morning Star-level content, it could prove useful to him as well.
"I don't know! But judging by their attire, they're probably from the Northern Plains Desert!"
Yuluo explained.
Just then, Yuluo suddenly felt a chill run through her. She looked around in bewilderment and noticed something unusual.
Under the domain of an unfamiliar Morning Star, every wizard and resident nearby was pressed flat against the ground, unable—and in truth, incapable—of moving. Yet she stood there as though nothing were the matter, which made her and Leilin stand out conspicuously.
"This must be the lord's power. After all, he is a Morning Star too!" Yuluo thought to herself.
The anomaly was quickly spotted by the wizard in midair. With a flash of white-gold flame, the youthful Morning Star—his face still faintly boyish—appeared before Leilin.
"I didn't expect to encounter a fellow lord here!" Upon seeing Leilin, the pride in his expression softened somewhat.
He then turned to glance at Yuluo. "I recognize you! You're a maid at Bofiel's Villa!"
"Yes, Lord Wells!" Yuluo knelt respectfully. "This is Lord Leilin Farell, an honored guest of Lord Bofiel, from the Ouroboros Ring!"
She made the introduction first.
"So it's you! I've heard about you! The most powerful Comorin warlock—who even killed the demon hunter Ganliel upon his very first advancement!"
Leilin felt somewhat helpless. Among Morning Stars, there was no clearly defined ranking system, so one's reputation and combat prowess became the primary measures of strength.
His most notable achievement was the battle in which he had slain the demon hunter Ganliel, and somehow the epithet of "the most powerful Comorin warlock in history" had been attached to him—much to his exasperation.
"Lord Wells advanced to Morning Star before the age of a hundred! Even across the entire history of the continent, that places him among the top hundred!" Yuluo's voice was brimming with admiration.
"Under a hundred?" Leilin nodded in understanding.
Every wizard's advancement had the effect of freezing one's original appearance. Wells must have become a formal wizard at a very young age, and each subsequent breakthrough had preserved his youthful look, which was why he still appeared so boyish.
"Judging by this, he must have advanced to formal wizard at around sixteen. A true prodigy!"
Leilin's pupils contracted slightly.
When he was sixteen, he probably didn't even know what a wizard was.
"Reaching this level requires not only monstrous talent, but also a top-tier Meditation Method, vast resources, and guidance from an exceptional teacher. This Wells must have quite the formidable backing!"
Leilin mused to himself, though on his face he put on an expression of genuine astonishment. "Lord Wells is a genius rarely seen on this continent! He puts the rest of us Morning Stars to shame…"
Flattery cost nothing, and he chose his words accordingly. Sure enough, a faint look of self-satisfaction appeared on Wells's face.
As for dignity and pride, Leilin had long since cast them aside. Against a wizard with strength, talent, and powerful connections, if you couldn't crush him in one blow along with his entire faction, then it was best to keep any enmity off your face.
Leilin bore no grudge against Wells, and he estimated that destroying all of Sky City by himself would still be rather difficult. So he showered the young prodigy with free-flowing compliments.
Even flattery depended on who was delivering it.
Wells had been treated as a genius since childhood and had heard his share of such words, but praise from a fellow Morning Star like Leilin clearly put him in an excellent mood.
"Not at all! If I were to face Ganliel now, it would still be a struggle. As for you, Lord Leilin, I have the utmost respect…"
Perhaps geniuses were always lonely. Wells had never had a peer who could speak with him on equal terms. Leilin was older, but belonged to roughly the same era; apart from being a warlock, he also had a solid reputation in the field of magical potions—something of an eccentric talent. As a result, Wells felt he had found a kindred spirit and chatted on with growing enthusiasm.
"…Haha! Once this matter is settled, I absolutely must pay you a visit, Leilin!"
Before long, Wells dropped the formal "lord" address entirely and called Leilin by his name directly—a sign that their relationship had grown closer.
Wells and Leilin conversed at length as though no one else existed. Neither the wizards on the ground nor the security forces dared interrupt, left to wait patiently off to the side.
Of course, due to the nature of the Morning Star Domain, they couldn't hear the具体内容 of what the two discussed. They only noticed that the lord—who always wore a cold expression—seemed to be in remarkably good spirits after emerging.
A wizard whom the lord deemed worthy of his attention was exceedingly rare!
The security guards exchanged secretly astonished glances toward Leilin before following Wells away.