"According to the information sent back by the investigation team, there's less than half a month until the opening of the Tower. The list of academies has been finalized—have you all seen it?"
Inside the Headmaster's office at Crossbridge Academy!
Headmaster Catalina, Vice Headmaster Duncan, and the heads of various divisions and mentors were all gathered.
Catalina exhaled deeply, distributing the lists one by one, and said in a solemn tone, "This time, the only academies that pose a threat to our students are Fenrir Academy and Frostbane Academy. Both of these academies are led by diamond-tier leaders, and most of their members are also at the platinum-tier level.
As for the other academies, they are not worth worrying about.
Although their top-tier combat power can't compare to Owen, in team battles, if anyone drags us down, it could mean the loss of the entire match."
As she spoke, Catalina glanced pointedly at Duncan beside her.
The implication was quite clear.
In such an important occasion, where the academy's honor is at stake, how could you, an old fool, push a silver-tier weakling onto the team? What were you thinking?
Duncan could only respond with silence.
In fact, he hadn't initially planned on letting John join the fray—after all, with his current strength, wouldn't he just be a liability?
Look at Catalina's disciple, Owen—so well-rounded!
The youngest and most talented mage in a thousand years!
And then look at John—what would he be other than a burden?
But Duncan had no choice.
Somehow, John had gotten wind of the fact that Duncan's recent experiments with forbidden magic had hit a bottleneck.
John had then brought him a scroll from the gnome race, which contained ancient spells that could greatly aid in perfecting his forbidden magic.
He couldn't refuse, especially since John's only request was to join the Tower team. How could he say no?
Though this move clearly dragged the team down, Duncan was still very confident in Owen.
Even with John as dead weight, Duncan believed Owen could take on six opponents by himself and still come out on top!
It was precisely for this reason that Duncan reluctantly recommended John for the team, despite his distaste.
Duncan's reasoning was simple.
Let John follow Owen into the Tower, get a taste of success, and maybe gain some experience.
At the very least, it would keep him from being such a clueless bumpkin all the time. Frankly, John was an embarrassment, and taking him out in public was humiliating!
The only downside was that his own student, Trisha, lost her spot. Missing out on this experience could put her behind the others in terms of strength.
And it wouldn't be long before the Starlight Duel Tournament began, where every academy headmaster and vice headmaster would bring their students to the council.
The competition among students would directly determine the standing of each academy.
By then, the others wouldn't be bringing diamond-tier mages; even the weakest would be platinum-tier.
At that point, Trisha could easily become the weak link, but sacrifices had to be made for the sake of perfecting his forbidden magic.
After all, who would dare refuse his request?
Being a senior figure in the academy, even Headmaster Catalina had to show him some respect.
"However, although the Tower is filled with countless rare treasures, they hold limited value for those who have already advanced to master-tier. This time, each academy's goal in the Tower is to help their star students gain more combat experience and valuable artifacts.
Therefore, after discussing with the other headmasters, we've agreed that the highest level of participants should not exceed master-tier or twenty-five years of age.
This decision is to give the younger generation a chance to grow, as everyone wants a piece of the pie.
Additionally, once inside the Tower, life and death are irrelevant. Anything that happens within the Tower cannot be used as a reason to start a war once the students leave. This rule ensures that within the Tower, there are no restrictions."
"Regarding this point, make sure the students participating in the Tower are well warned when they return. They must give it their all, even if it means killing someone. There's no need to worry. The path of a mage is always fraught with thorns—not everyone is blessed with the talent to steamroll their way to the top like Owen."
As Catalina spoke, her eyes were full of admiration for Owen.
As her precious disciple, Owen held a special place in Catalina's heart. In the original story, Catalina looked after Owen in every possible way. After Owen was betrayed by John and Emily in a past life, Catalina hunted them down across the world, nearly erasing John several times.
Of course, the most important thing was...
"My mentor is truly beautiful."
In the original story, Catalina was known throughout the entire dimension for her unmatched beauty and immense power.
At under three hundred years old, she had already ascended to sage-tier, and after over forty years of honing her skills, she was now sage-tier level 9, just a step away from reaching god-tier!
Catalina had a cold and aloof personality, with strikingly elegant looks—a true epitome of the "ice queen" archetype, with countless admirers.
However, no matter how powerful a man might be, none had ever caught Catalina's eye.
As she often said, only someone whose talent surpassed hers would be worthy of being her partner.
The problem, though, was that breaking through to sage-tier in three hundred years was an extraordinarily rare talent!
To put it simply, aside from the academy, her practice, and Owen, there was almost nothing else in this world that mattered to her.
"Hehe, my master is so beautiful..."
Owen smirked, hiding in a corner of the room, holding his breath as he eavesdropped on the conversation among the headmasters and mentors.
Indeed, due to sheer boredom, Owen had activated *Absolute Stealth* and sneaked into the headmaster's office to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Even though Owen already knew most of the original storyline, the thrill of eavesdropping gave him a refreshing sense of excitement.
At that moment, Catalina withdrew her gaze, and runes began to float at her fingertips. A light screen appeared behind her, sealing off the entire room.
"The next part of our discussion should not be known by others. I believe you all understand why."
"The Tower itself is not the key; nor are the treasures inside it. The crucial point is that this Tower is a gateway connecting to another dimension!"
As the oldest academy on the continent, once the rulers of dragons a thousand years ago, and the reigning champion of the Starlight Duel Tournament for centuries, Crossbridge Academy held many secrets about the world that others, including other academies, could only dream of knowing.
This Tower was one such secret.
"The loosening of the Tower's seal should be a clear sign to all of us," Catalina said, her words causing the room to fall into an eerie silence.
After a long pause, Wilder, the headmaster of the Earth School, let out a deep sigh, finally breaking the silence.
"Since the Divine Break a thousand years ago, the two dimensions have been completely cut off from each other.
But with the seal on this giant Tower weakening, we've detected chaotic spatial disturbances near the Tower in the far east.
The dimensions, forcibly separated during the Divine Break, are very likely to collide again.
We know nothing about them, and they know nothing about us.
We don't know if their attitude toward us will be hostile or welcoming.
The uncertainty of the situation leaves us in a very precarious position, which worries me greatly."
"I'm afraid that after this journey to the Tower, very few of the students will come out alive..."
"But this is a necessary trial."
At that moment, Felix, the headmaster of the Fire School, took over the conversation and calmly said, "When the two dimensions collide once more, it will be both an opportunity and a danger. There's no more time for them to grow step by step. Only those who survive the danger are worth cultivating."
"Hmm... Felix's thoughts align with mine. However, shouldn't we emphasize that everything should revolve around Owen? If any danger arises, even if it means sacrificing themselves, they must protect Owen at all costs?"
Celine, the headmaster of the Nature School, continued, "My student is also in the team, and I believe everyone here is aware of that. I'm not saying this out of selfishness."
"There's no need for that."
Before Celine could finish, Catalina waved her hand, rejecting the suggestion.
"I trust Owen. No matter what happens, he will definitely bring the students back safely.
However, regarding the secrets of the dimension, none of you are permitted to reveal anything under any circumstances.
If you do, it will be considered a betrayal of the students, and I will personally crush your mana core and expel you from the academy!"