The Tournament Report

Ryan didn't hesitate for a second and immediately agreed. Though it was generally uncommon for elementalist to reveal their talents to others, he had no need to hide it from Silver Moon. Unless he didn't use it, she would eventually find out when he did. Furthermore, he trusted Silver Moon—without her, he wouldn't be where he was today.

Ryan grinned widely, and suddenly, two versions of Silver Moon appeared in the room.

"This..." Silver Moon was taken aback. She had expected Ryan's talent to be about using illusions to induce temporary psychological fear in his enemies, but she never imagined he could actually change his own appearance.

Silver Moon narrowed her eyes, a flicker of green light flashing through them, as she saw through the illusion to Ryan's true form.

"How long can you maintain this state?" she asked.

Ryan thought for a moment. "Well... unless someone forcibly breaks the illusion, I can maintain this as long as I want. Why?"

Silver Moon looked at him like he was an idiot. "From my observation, unless you're being countered, even if your opponent is a whole realm stronger than you, it's hard to see through your illusion. And you're telling me this is weak?"

Ryan sighed, "What's the point? It's just an illusion to confuse people. I can only create illusions within a radius of a few feet around me. It'd be more useful if I could cover a larger area."

Silver Moon snorted, "Hah! You're not greedy enough, are you? You want a few feet? What about an entire world? Wouldn't that be better?"

Ryan fell silent, unable to respond to Silver Moon's teasing.

What Ryan didn't realize was that the effectiveness of the illusion wasn't about the range, but how undetectable it was. An illusion that can't be easily seen through is much more useful than one with a large coverage area.

"Alright, enough about that. Tell me, how did you get out of your consciousness sea?"

Normally, breaking through a realm could only be achieved with one's own strength. But Silver Moon could tell that Ryan had obviously relied on external assistance to make his breakthrough. Even though she had seen some changes, only Ryan could clarify the real situation.

"Well... I'm not really sure," Ryan replied, looking confused as he recounted what happened in the consciousness sea.

"When I was in the consciousness sea, I saw countless versions of myself, but none of them were the version I wanted to be. I ended up feeling lost, unable to find any direction. Gradually, I lost the will to keep going. Just as I was about to give up and get assimilated..."

Suddenly, a gentle voice spoke to him, "Don't give up. You are my hope."

Ryan, somewhat dejected, asked, "Who are you? Why can't I see you?"

The voice responded, "Make seeing me your goal and direction. I believe we will meet one day."

For some reason, Ryan felt deeply connected to the voice and longed to meet this person. This thought gave him the direction he needed.

It was then that he slowly began to pull himself out of the state of confusion. As he regained clarity, he noticed a colorful road beneath his feet. Standing on this path, he finally understood that he had been trapped because he had been too immersed in a single version of himself. It was at that moment he realized that life isn't about just one version or emotion. True self is about embracing all emotions.

Silver Moon just gave a simple "Oh..." in response.

Ryan blinked. "What do you mean by 'oh'? Do you know who that voice was?"

Silver Moon glanced at him and said casually, "I know, but I'm not telling you right now. You'll find out when I feel like it."

With that, Silver Moon vanished, and no matter how Ryan begged, there was no reply.

Frustrated, he could only curse Silver Moon's entire family in his mind.

Just as he was feeling miserable, the sound of Leah's gentle voice came from outside the door. "Ryan, are you in?"

Ryan quickly opened the door and ushered Leah in. "Sis, what brings you here?"

"No particular reason. I just came to check on you," Leah replied, then asked a question that caught Ryan off guard. "Did you hear about the water problem in Sweet Spring Town?"

Ryan feigned calmness. "Oh! I heard the servants talking about it. What happened?"

Leah raised an eyebrow at him. "Why so serious? Your teacher sent someone to inform you that because they couldn't find a suitable water source, the distillery has to stop production. So you won't need to go there for now."

Leah chuckled and continued, "Looks like you might be out of a job for a while."

Ryan, though concerned, responded nonchalantly, "Well, it's fine. I've learned enough there. A little break isn't the worst thing."

At that moment, Ryan realized that Silver Moon had probably planned this all along, ensuring that he didn't quit his distillery job.

Leah thought for a moment before suggesting, "Well, since you have nothing to do, why not come to the academy with me tomorrow?"

"Wait, what? You want me to go to the academy?" Ryan stared at Leah, his expression a mix of disbelief and surprise.

Ryan still vividly remembered everything that happened at Norton Academy. The day he was expelled from its walls, he had no desire to be involved with the place again, let alone anything to do with them.

Leah understood his feelings and explained, "Ah, I know you're not fond of the academy, but tomorrow there's a tournament report at Norton Academy. It's open to the public. You might as well come with me to check it out. Staying here at home is so boring."

"A tournament? Are you participating?" If Leah were participating, Ryan wouldn't mind going to see it, since he had never seen his sister in action before.

"I'm graduating soon. What's the point of me joining now?"

"Graduating?" Ryan asked in surprise.

"Yes," Leah replied. "I've been at Norton Academy for over six years now. Soon, I'll be heading to Cain Academy in the Ole Province to continue my studies. After all, Norton is just a beginner's academy for elemental mages. If I want to become stronger, I need to leave. Once I go, I don't know when I'll be able to come back."

Hearing Leah's words, Ryan felt a deep sense of reluctance. He wanted to say something, but he held back and simply nodded. "Alright, then. I'll go with you tomorrow and take a look around."

As the two siblings grew older, although they had shared the same roof, their busy schedules meant they didn't spend much time together. Now, with some free time, it was a good opportunity for Ryan to spend more time with Leah, the one who had always cared for him.

Leah beamed with joy. "Great! I'll come by tomorrow to pick you up." Seeing Ryan slowly rise from the struggles of his past, a sense of comfort and pride filled her face.

After Leah left, Ryan sat alone in his room, deep in thought. He then sent a message to Silver Moon.

"What's the matter? The little girl is leaving, and you're going to miss her?" Silver Moon teased.

Ryan ignored the sarcasm and replied, "I want to give her the 'demonic energy' in the pendant."

"What? The eighth-tier demonic energy? Do you think it's cheap? Just give it away like that?" Silver Moon exclaimed.

"She's always been so good to me, sometimes even better than my parents. What's the worth of a 'demonic energy' compared to that?" Ryan explained.

In his eyes, Leah would be traveling alone, and having an eighth-tier 'demonic energy' as protection would ease his worries.

Seeing that Ryan was resolute, Silver Moon didn't try to change his mind. "Fine, it's yours, do what you want. But you know, such a complete demonic beast corpse… It's a pity to just take the 'demonic energy' out like that. Besides, I doubt anyone in this little place could refine an eighth-tier 'demonic energy'. Let me handle it."

Ryan was overjoyed at Silver Moon's willingness to help.

"Kid, don't get too excited," Silver Moon warned. "I can refine it for you, but it's going to cost a lot of materials. Roughly speaking, without several thousand gold coins, don't even think about it. Originally, I was planning to leave the demonic beast corpse for you as a last resort, but since you've made up your mind, I won't say more. Just remember, if you end up dead, don't say I didn't help you."

Silver Moon's words moved Ryan. It seemed she wasn't entirely without sentiment.

"Don't worry, I'm not that easy to kill," Ryan said with a chuckle.

Despite his casual words, the mention of several thousand gold coins made Ryan uneasy. He could only take things one step at a time, especially since Leah's departure was still some time away.

"So, what exactly are you planning to refine?" Ryan asked curiously.

The 'demonic energy' could be used to craft various items, such as weapons, wands, or jewelry, each with different properties depending on the crafter's skill.

Ryan didn't doubt Silver Moon's ability, but he worried that, given her lack of care, she might end up crafting something impractical, like a pair of awkward battle axes, which wouldn't be ideal for Leah, who was a girl and valued appearance as much as utility.

"Why ask so many questions? Haven't I disappointed you since the day we met?" Silver Moon scolded.

Ryan, with a sheepish grin, quickly apologized. "Yes, yes, it's my fault. I was thinking too much."

Given how much he relied on Silver Moon now, Ryan didn't dare anger her.

The next morning, Leah pulled Ryan out of bed early. After breakfast, the two of them hurried out the door.

Since it was still early, they decided not to take the family carriage but to walk to Norton Academy instead, enjoying the walk and sightseeing along the way.

On their way, Ryan tried to coax Silver Moon out to enjoy the scene, but she was unimpressed. "I have no interest in watching ants squabble."

Ryan had no choice but to let it go. After spending so much time with Silver Moon, it was a bit unsettling when she suddenly went quiet.

The two siblings arrived at the entrance of the academy. Looking at the large "Norton Academy" sign, Ryan couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. After all, it was here that his fate had been changed.

Leah gave his arm a gentle tug. "What are you thinking? Don't overthink it. I'll always have your back."

Leah knew how Ryan felt about the academy, and she understood that he didn't want anything to do with it. That was why she had never mentioned it before. But this time, since she was leaving, she decided to bring him along to the academy's martial arts competition.

Ryan snapped back to attention and grinned. "Heh, maybe one day, I'll be the one watching your back."

Leah laughed heartily, playfully patting Ryan on the shoulder. "Alright, I'll be waiting for the day you'll protect me."

Hand in hand, the two of them walked to the academy's square, chatting and laughing.

When they arrived, the large square was already crowded with people. Leah led Ryan to a high platform reserved for family members of the students and the wealthy. Since she knew Ryan was coming, she had arranged for a good spot.

After settling Ryan in, Leah said, "Wait here for a bit. I need to go greet some of the teachers and students."

Ryan nodded, "Alright, go ahead. Don't worry about me."

Leah affectionately patted his head before heading off.