"One hundred seventeen years and four months."
Lady Allen replied coldly, "Ever since you took away the Dark Sun promotion that was rightfully mine."
Valen shook his head, "You know it wasn’t theft; it was the result of fair competition."
"Fair?" Lady Allen let out a cold laugh:
"If I were willing to sign that Soul Contract like you, binding my life to the chariot of the Crystal Tower, do you think I would have lost to you?"
The magic power in the air grew more tense, and the atmosphere between them was like a volcano about to erupt.
"It’s a responsibility every Promoter must bear, Allen."
Valen sighed, "Even after all these years, you’re still so stubborn. The Crystal Tower raised us, provided us with resources and knowledge, and we are naturally expected to repay it."
"Repay?" A hint of ridicule flashed in Lady Allen’s eyes:
"Or become puppets? We both know that the old ones behind those families are becoming increasingly demanding of newcomers. It’s not just the Soul Contract anymore, but also forced marriages, bloodline propagation duties, even memory imprints! This isn’t repayment; it’s enslavement!"
Valen was silent for a moment, clearly unable to refute this point.
"Regardless, you shouldn’t have left the Herb Store on your own."
He finally spoke, "You know the regulation, without upper-level permission, you’re not allowed to leave the designated area."
"I am merely fulfilling my primary duty as an Instructor to help my students," Lady Allen said without backing down.
"Don’t play dumb, Allen." Valen frowned, "You’re not thinking of sneaking away during the chaos of the Bloodline Altar opening, are you?"
Lady Allen was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting Valen to think she intended to escape.
Then she rolled her eyes and retorted:
"If you were imprisoned for over a hundred years, do you think you wouldn’t try every means of escape?"
"This isn’t imprisonment; it’s for your own good." Valen said helplessly:
"You know how severe your injuries were back then, if it weren’t for the personal intervention of the President of the Alchemist Association, you might already..."
"Already what? Dead?" Lady Allen let out a cold laugh:
"Living like this, trapped in a corner of the Black Mist Jungle, regarded as a harmless old woman, I might as well have died back then!"
Her emotions were visibly agitated, causing the surrounding air temperature to suddenly rise.
A powerful wave of magic power burst forth from her body, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
"Calm down, Allen."
Valen cautiously took a step back, his right hand already on an Alchemy Device at his waist:
"I don’t want to fight you."
"Of course, you don’t." Lady Allen said harshly:
"Because you know even a Dark Sun Level Wizard can’t guarantee victory over a Moon Level backed into a corner, especially when that Moon Level is a Magic Potion Professor."
As she spoke, she pulled out a delicate Crystal Bottle from the inside of her robe, containing a liquid that shimmered with rainbow-colored light.
Valen’s pupils suddenly contracted, "No...that’s...the ’Seven-Colored Star Dew’ on the forbidden list? How did you get that?"
"A hundred seventeen years of imprisonment gave me plenty of time to research and prepare."
A decisive light flickered in Lady Allen’s eyes, "I will no longer be controlled by anyone, even the Great Wizard of the Crystal Tower!"
As she spoke, she drank the liquid in the bottle in one gulp.
In an instant, her entire body was enveloped in a layer of rainbow-colored light, and her aura soared.
In the blink of an eye, she reached the peak of the Moon Level Wizard and even showed faint signs of breaking through.
Valen’s expression changed, and he immediately unleashed his full power, forming a defense while retrieving several pieces of Alchemy Equipment from his Spatial Bag.
"Allen, you know the side effects of the ’Seven-Colored Star Dew’! After using it, your Spiritual Contamination will accelerate several times, possibly reaching a Critical Point of collapse within a few days!"
Contrary to what Valen expected, Lady Allen felt the rising Spiritual Contamination on her was swiftly being erased by the massive stored grace.
"Of course, I know."
The corners of Lady Allen’s mouth began to bloom with a triumphant smile as the rainbow light around her grew even stronger:
"But for freedom, it’s a price worth paying."
The two terrifying forces confronted each other in the open space, the air twisting and deforming from the dense energy, and the surrounding trees couldn’t bear the burden, collapsing or catching fire.
"The Crystal Tower is no longer the cradle of countless talents it once was, Valen."
Lady Allen’s voice carried a note of empathetic sorrow:
"It has been hollowed out by those so-called Wizard Clans, who only care about maintaining their privileges, monopolizing knowledge and resources, and bringing every emerging wild talent under their control."
Valen remained silent, clearly aware of this fact.
"They even began forcing those talents to marry family members, ’purifying’ the bloodline, as if we were livestock."
Lady Allen continued, her voice filled with a calm fury:
"This practice completely contradicts the original ideals of the ’Ancestor’ — that everyone is equal before knowledge, and those with talent have the right to freely develop."
Valen finally spoke, "I can’t deny what you’re saying...but it’s the trend of the time, Allen. It’s not something I can change alone."
"Indeed, because you’re now a beneficiary too." Lady Allen continued with sarcasm:
"You married the Master’s grandniece, and now you’re completely tied to that family’s chariot. You’re benefiting from what they give you, so naturally, you don’t want to change a thing."
Valen’s expression grew increasingly complex, "Allen, things aren’t that simple..."
"Yes, they are."
Lady Allen interrupted him, continuing to probe with words while quickly adapting to the powerful magic power that had surged to the Dark Sun Level:
"If I hadn’t refused to sign that servitude contract, how could the promotion have fallen to you? In what way are you stronger than me? Talent, strength, research accomplishments, which aspect can you even come a little close to matching me?"
Valen was speechless because all of what Allen said were facts.
Allen back then was a recognized genius, a rare prodigy in the Crystal Tower once in several hundred years.
Valen, as the second seat, could at best be considered ordinarily excellent among the many apprentices of the Crystal Tower, with Allen, the chief of the sequence, leaving a chasm-like gap between them.
If Allen hadn’t refused to sign the Soul Contract, causing her promotion eligibility to be revoked, Valen wouldn’t have had a chance at all.
Just as the two were at daggers drawn, ready for a showdown.
Valen suddenly frowned, taking out a small leather-bound book from his Spatial Bag.
The cover of the book was engraved with the emblem of the Crystal Tower, each page had tiny flame icons, representing the Life Energy of each Crystal Tower apprentice.
At this moment, three of the flames had already extinguished, turning gray.
The remaining flames flickered unsteadily, as if they might extinguish at any moment.
Only the flame representing Eliot remained relatively stable, though dimmer than before.
"Something happened..." Valen’s expression grew grave, "Damn, usually the most casualties are two, I must go see."
"Looks like your precious apprentices have encountered trouble."
Lady Allen said coldly, but a hint of concern flickered in her eyes, "What’s going on?"
"I don’t know." Valen frowned and stared at the Life Book:
"In theory, although there’s some danger with the Bloodline Altar, it shouldn’t lead to deaths so quickly, and so many in critical condition at the same time. Unless..."