The silence that followed Serena Sutton’s declaration was deafening. Whether it was Ethan Lyle himself, the commentator Vera Lu, or the millions watching the livestream, everyone was frozen.
What the hell did that mean?
Sovereign Academy carried a legendary reputation, sure, but were they really so arrogant that they could simply dismiss a city’s Grand Champion?
Caelum Ashford’s brow furrowed behind his gold-rimmed spectacles. He already sensed the direction this was heading. Meanwhile, Roland Marsh and the other examiners remained impassive—they had clearly been briefed on Serena’s decision long ago.
"Why?" Ethan finally broke the silence. His voice was steady, but the question demanded an answer. A perfect score of 150 and the title of Verdant City's Grand Champion—by any logic, Sovereign Academy should have been fighting over him.
"You know why," Serena replied, her tone as cold as glacial runoff. "Look at your Class: Forbidden Incantator."
She stepped forward, her eyes devoid of any warmth. "Since the first Awakened appeared, there have been exactly eleven recorded Forbidden Incantators. Their average lifespan? Twenty-two years. The longest-lived among them managed to crawl to twenty-four years and ten months."
She let that number hang in the air like a death sentence.
"You have no cultivation value, Ethan. Your current strength isn't a gift; it’s a high-interest loan. You are burning through your future and your very life force to achieve these results. Investing resources in you would be like throwing gold into the ocean. You are a bad investment. Don't take it personally—it’s just a fact."
Across the city, the initial outrage from the viewers shifted into a grim, thoughtful silence. As much as they hated her bluntness, Serena Sutton was right. The curse of the Forbidden Incantator was common knowledge.
The Academy would train an Awakened for four years. Ethan was eighteen. By the time he graduated, he’d be twenty-two—the exact age most of his predecessors had dropped dead. The school would spend millions on a weapon that would shatter the moment it was finally polished.
The gazes directed at Ethan changed in an instant. The envy was gone, replaced by a suffocating, hollow pity. He was a supernova—blindingly bright, but destined to vanish before the night was over.
"I see," Ethan said with a sharp nod.
He felt the sting of disappointment, but he didn't let it show. He had fought for this, and if Serena deemed him unworthy, so be it. He couldn't exactly stand up in front of the world and announce he possessed the Undying Constitution. If he did, he wouldn’t be going to an academy; he’d be going to a vivisection table in some government lab.
A shadow fell over him. Caelum Ashford stepped to his side, his trench coat fluttering slightly. The examiners frowned at the intrusion, but no one dared stop him. Caelum’s name carried too much weight, and with the Grand Trial officially concluded, they chose to look the other way.
When Serena saw Caelum, her expression flickered with a complex web of emotions. Caelum, usually so composed, looked uncharacteristically tense.
"Serena, the problem you're worried about... I might have already solved it," Caelum said, adjusting his glasses. He placed a heavy, warm hand on Ethan’s shoulder.
Suddenly, a surge of Astral Energy flooded Ethan’s body. It was violent and chaotic, tearing through his meridians. Ethan grit his teeth, forcing himself not to flinch. He knew Caelum—the man wouldn't kill him in broad daylight. This was a play.
"Ethan Lyle is my disciple," Caelum announced, his voice carrying across the plaza. "I have developed a method to drastically mitigate the backlash of Forbidden Incantations. If you don't believe me, run a diagnostic on his body right now. You’ll see the difference."
The livestream comments exploded. High-ranking officials in Verdant City—especially those with daughters—suddenly looked at Caelum with predatory interest. There had been rumors that Caelum had taken a student, but this was a public confirmation.
Ethan felt a surge of genuine gratitude. Caelum was painting a target on his own back to protect him. If Ethan lived past twenty-five, people would look for a reason. Caelum was giving them one. He was taking the heat of the world’s curiosity and placing it on his own shoulders.
"Lord Ashford," Serena said, her voice dropping an octave into a dangerous chill. "You might be a master of divination and astrology, but don't pretend you understand Awakened biology better than the professors at Sovereign Academy. You’re telling me you found a cure that our entire research department couldn't? I don't buy it. You want us to waste a slot on a dead man based on your word? If he dies at twenty-five, are you going to reimburse the Academy's losses?"
Caelum sighed, his patience thinning. "Serena, can we keep your personal feelings out of this? Just check his vitals. You’ll see."
He had already used his energy to mask Ethan's true state, creating a "stabilized" reading that he was confident would fool her sensors.
"I am being professional," Serena snapped. "Sovereign Academy will not admit a Forbidden Incantator. Stop being difficult, Caelum."
The crowd was practically vibrating with the urge to gossip. Anyone with eyes could see the history bleeding through their words.
"Forget it, Teacher," Ethan said, stepping in to break the tension. "I don't care about Sovereign Academy. It’s just a school."
"Big words for a dead man. 'Just a school'?"
A new voice, dripping with sarcasm, cut through the air. The cameraman swung the lens toward the source. A young man in white robes was strolling toward them, a mocking smirk etched onto his face. He looked at Ethan like he was something he’d stepped in.
Without warning, the stranger lunged. A massive pressure erupted from him, a physical shockwave that slammed into Ethan’s chest.
Ethan felt like he’d been hit by a freight train. His internal organs screamed, and a spray of blood erupted from his mouth as he was sent reeling. He could feel the power level of this person—this kid was on the same level as Kensen, maybe even higher.
"Hmph. A Forbidden Incantator is just a firework—flashy for a second, then nothing but ash," the young man sneered. "You win one local trial and think you're a god? Everyone at Sovereign Academy has the talent of a Grand Champion."
He stepped closer, looming over the kneeling Ethan. "Remember the man who put you in your place. Gareth Voss, sophomore at Sovereign Academy."
Silence.
From the Ashstone Plaza to the furthest corners of Verdant City, not a soul spoke.
The viewers were stunned. They had heard Vera Lu talk about how powerful the Academy was, but they hadn't really felt it until now.
Gareth Voss was only a sophomore. He had only one year of training at the Academy. And yet, with a single casual strike, he had laid waste to the Grand Champion of their city—a man who had just dominated a Forbidden-tier trial.
It was terrifying. It was clear now why Caelum had fought so hard to get Ethan in. A single year at Sovereign was worth a decade elsewhere.
"Gareth! If you pull a stunt like that again, you're writing a formal apology when we get back!" Serena said, her voice sounding entirely performative and lacking any real heat.
"My bad, Serena. I didn't mean to hurt him," Gareth chuckled, not even looking at her. "I just wanted to say hello. Who knew he was that fragile?"
Ethan pushed himself up from the pavement, wiping the blood from his chin with the back of his hand. He stared at Gareth, his eyes cold and depthless. If he let go of his restraints and went all-out, he didn't know who would win—but right now, in this moment, he was outmatched.
Gareth’s eyes narrowed at the lack of fear in Ethan’s gaze. "What? Don't like it? Feel free to challenge me anytime."
"I will," Ethan said. "I’ll remember today, Gareth Voss."
Gareth threw his head back and laughed. "Listen to this trash! I give you a polite out and you actually think you have a chance? You’re a bottom-feeder, Ethan. You'll never close the gap. You're a joke."
He glanced at Caelum Ashford with pure contempt. "Is this where your confidence comes from? This old man? In this backwater city, people call him 'Lord Ashford' out of pity. In the rest of the Daxia Dominion, he’s a nobody."
Ethan’s expression didn't change when he was insulted. But when Gareth spat on Caelum’s reputation, something in his gaze shifted.
"Since you're so confident," Ethan said quietly, "how about a wager?"
Gareth grinned. "Oh? I’m listening."
"One year from today, I will come to Sovereign Academy and challenge you. Let’s see if the students there are truly invincible."
Gareth laughed so hard tears pricked his eyes. "You? Challenge me at the Academy? You’re a clown."
"Yes," Ethan said, his voice dropping into a deadly serious register. "A duel to the finish. High stakes. Life or death."
The plaza erupted in a roar of shock. A Death Pact.
Everyone knew how terrifying a Forbidden Incantator could be when they stopped caring about their lifespan.
"Ethan, don't be stupid!" Caelum grabbed Ethan’s arm. Gareth was nearly Level 45. In a year, he’d be pushing Level 60.
"Don't worry, Teacher," Ethan said, giving Caelum a look that told him everything he needed to know.
Caelum frowned. He wasn't worried about Ethan losing; he was worried about Ethan being forced to reveal the Undying Constitution to win.
"Life or death?" Gareth’s smirk turned predatory. "Fine. You want to die early? I’ll help you. I accept your wager!"
The cameras caught every second. The city was in a frenzy. Ethan Lyle had just signed his own death warrant. He was already dying from his class—why speed up the process by challenging a monster like Gareth?
"Since Sovereign Academy has made its choice, we won't overstay our welcome," Caelum said coldly. He gestured to Ethan and Nira. "Let’s go."
"Caelum!" Serena shouted as they turned to leave. "You have nothing else to say to me?"
Caelum didn't even break his stride. "Nothing."
Serena’s face went pale, her composure finally shattering for a split second.
Ethan followed Caelum, but his mind was racing. The tension between those two was thick enough to cut with a blade. What the hell was their story?
Even Nira, usually eager to snap at Ethan, remained silent. She was just as curious.
They finally made it back to Caelum’s private courtyard, away from the prying eyes of the city. Before they even got inside, a roar of cheers greeted them. Victor Gao and a horde of students from Verdant High came rushing out, their faces flushed with pride.
"The Grand Champion is back!"
"I knew he had it in him! Taking out a loan for the ritual—the balls on this kid!"
Ethan was hoisted into the air, tossed up by a crowd of shouting teachers and students.
"Grand Champion!"
"Grand Champion!"
Ethan felt a bizarre mix of awkwardness and a strange, budding warmth. For seventeen years, he had been a ghost in The Hollow, an outcast with no one to talk to. This level of attention felt like being a sewer rat suddenly thrust into the midday sun.
After finally escaping the celebration, Ethan sat down across from Caelum in the quiet of the inner garden. He knew Caelum had things to discuss—plans for his future now that the Academy was off the table.
But Ethan beat him to it.
"Teacher, I know you have a lot to tell me. But first... what is the deal with you and Serena Sutton?"
The question had been eating at him for miles. If anyone else had been the recruiter, he’d probably be packing for Sovereign right now.
Caelum let out a long, weary sigh and rubbed his temples. Beside them, Nira leaned in, her ears practically twitching with interest.
"Fine," Caelum muttered. "I suppose there's no harm in it. Serena Sutton... was my first love."