Chapter 67: The Authority of the Inner Sect Steward

The students from the Academy of Fire Magic were not particularly fortunate; the other end of the teleportation array opened onto a dense forest. Several low-level beasts managed to scramble out of the vast clearing, only to be surrounded by a swarm of fire magic students, leaving no room for escape. The creatures let out plaintive whimpers, trembling as they crouched on the ground, too terrified to lift their heads and meet the gaze of these formidable humans.

Xu Wen and his companions stood at the edge of the teleportation array, scanning their surroundings. Once they confirmed it was safe, they slipped away from the crowd and settled together off to the side.

“Brother Xie, you’ve met the other members of our clan, haven't you?” Xu Wen asked as soon as he stepped down. Xie Zhan nodded.

“I’ve met most of them.”

“Good. I feel more at ease with our clan together. If you find them, bring them here,” Xu Wen said with such resolute authority that Xie Zhan and the girls with him paused, then quickly realized that Xu Wen’s current status was far from ordinary. Not only was he the adopted grandson of Elder Xu, but he was also the only inner sect steward among the inner disciples, granting him genuine command over peers a year or two their senior.

“Alright!” Xie Zhan replied and departed. Xu Wen immediately took off his outer robe and donned the ‘Flame Wisteria Robe’ stored in his ring.

In such extraordinary times, no one minded these changes; most of the students in the crowd were also swapping out their gear for whatever would boost their power, except those whose resources were scant.

Clad in the Flame Wisteria Robe, Xu Wen’s entire appearance transformed. He seemed enveloped in a flowing blaze, his bearing noble and refined, and the silver wisteria patterns lent him an air of dignified authority.

By the time Xie Zhan returned with several seventeen- and eighteen-year-old boys and girls, the faint discontent in their eyes vanished immediately; they started to believe Xie Zhan’s words.

“Please sit,” Xu Wen said, knowing this was no time for formalities. He spoke concisely: “Senior brothers and sisters, I’ve been closed off training in Dean Harman’s chamber until just now, when Instructor Dre summoned me. There are several things I haven’t yet understood, and since there’s little time for explanation, I’ll invoke my rights as an inner sect steward. I hope you’ll forgive me! Does anyone know what has happened? What is the Empire’s current situation? How did the Dark Empire’s undead army suddenly invade the imperial capital?”

With these words, he not only emphasized his unique status among the fire magic students but also exercised his steward authority. The youths of the Hortonklin family dared not show any disrespect.

To Xu Wen’s disappointment, however:

“We’re sorry, Steward, but events unfolded too suddenly. We’re not sure either.”

“…Our teachers said the Dark Empire’s assault is real.”

“The academy’s semiannual tournament is imminent, so we’ve all been secluded in training…” The Hortonklin disciples spoke in turn, yet none truly knew how things had happened. This only confirmed Xu Wen’s suspicions.

The attack must have begun today!

For the imperial capital to be swept up so swiftly, the Dark Empire must have prepared extensively for this day; the betrayal of the Ayer and Salem families was likely true as well.

Apart from the eight major houses, who else could transport so many necromancers to the capital of the Azure Cloud Empire without detection?

All that remained was to hope the strong within the capital and royal palace could withstand the Dark Empire’s assault…

Xu Wen sighed inwardly, his heart heavy.

According to the chronicles, the Dark Empire was defeated only through the joint forces of the Behemoth Dynasty, the Azure Cloud Empire, and the Blood Alliance—and never did they invade the Dark Empire’s own territory.

The Dark Empire’s overwhelming strength was clear for all to see…

No wonder the Azure Cloud Academy had so swiftly decided to evacuate its students.

They must have realized that, faced with the Dark Empire’s sudden offensive, Azure Cloud City would be hard to preserve.

Xu Wen furrowed his brows and made a decision:

“Let’s prepare to head to the nearest town and hire carriages, and return to the clan as quickly as possible… Hopefully, the flames of war won’t reach the Hortonklin family so soon.”

Most were members of the Hortonklin clan, their parents still within the family. Though Xu Wen was young, he made his decision without hesitation, and everyone agreed.

Only a fire magic student who had not yet reached the third-star fifth rank showed signs of panic, hesitantly pointing to the large group gathered nearby: “Wait… Shouldn’t we go with them?”

Xu Wen understood his concern. In the face of such upheaval, most people would feel safer joining the main group.

But these circumstances were different.

The assault had only just begun, the flames of war had not yet spread; now was not the time to huddle together and hide.

Even the mighty Dark Empire could not afford to scatter their strength to attack all surrounding towns, thereby weakening their own forces. There was still time to leave; once the situation was settled, the Azure Cloud Academy—being the empire’s greatest magic martial institution, cradle of countless elites and powerful figures—would surely become the primary target.

Such a large group could not hope to escape notice.

After Xu Wen explained, the student who had planned to join the main group fell silent. At Xu Wen’s urging, the group changed out of their academy uniforms; Xu Wen layered a loose robe over his Flame Wisteria Robe. Though the ensemble looked odd, no one was in the mood to joke.

Everyone knew that the teleportation array’s range could not be far…

This mountainous area must be close to the Azure Cloud capital, and it was uncertain whether the Dark Empire had eyes and ears nearby.

At the same time, the Ayer and Salem families must be watched as well!

Once preparations were made, Xu Wen counted heads: there were eleven inner disciples of the Hortonklin family; others had clearly missed the transfer from the Fire Magic division.

The strongest among them was ‘Phili’, a nineteen-year-old inner disciple of the First Fire Magic Peak, who had entered the academy last year and was now at the third-star eighth rank.

The weakest were the four who had just enrolled this year—Xie Zhan and three girls. ‘Xie Zhan’ and ‘Jin Yu’ had barely reached the third-star second rank, while Xiang Nan and Shi Ya had also entered the third-star tier.

“Where are you headed?” The group had barely walked fifty meters when a cold voice called from behind.

Turning, Xu Wen stared at the handsome youth in white who had caught up.

“The academy has arranged our evacuation so we can inform the clan of what’s happened in the capital and help them prepare. In times of national crisis, do you expect us to stay here and chat with you?”

“You—” The youth in white, intending to reprimand the Hortonklin clan group for acting on their own, found himself stung by Xu Wen’s sharp retort and his face flushed with anger.

Just then, another person placed a hand on his shoulder and stepped forward. “This brother makes a valid point… However, Instructor Long has already gone to the nearby town to gather information. To ensure our movements aren’t exposed, we ask that you all wait until the instructor returns before leaving.”