Robin watched from the side as Bellidanti taught Tia magic. Her role could almost be described as a companion tutor!

“Teacher, can you teach me some stronger magic?” Tia asked, her expressive eyes blinking.

In her heart, she longed to be as formidable as Robin, to be able to strike down any bad people who tried to bully her in just a few moves—that would be so cool, the absolute ideal for her!

“Tia, learning magic requires focus; you mustn’t be too restless. Haste makes waste!” Bellidanti lectured, trying to reason with her.

“But… but none of the magic I’ve learned is any good!” Tia pouted. The spells she currently knew were good for sweeping leaves or playing minor pranks, perhaps, but they were far too inadequate for any real combat situation!

“You must learn magic step by step. Nobody becomes powerful overnight! Once you build a solid foundation, you will learn the more potent magic much faster!” Bellidanti advised again. “But… but why is my sister so good at powerful magic?” Tia glanced back at Robin. The sheer grace Robin displayed at times still frequently haunted her mind. As an older sister, she didn't want to fall too far behind Robin; even children have their pride!

Bellidanti offered an awkward laugh. She truly had no adequate answer for that question. In her eyes, Robin was nothing short of an anomaly—a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, and she still couldn't decipher how Robin achieved such power. She sometimes wished Sister Mercedes were here; she knew so much more and might be able to unravel this mystery.

“Um… Tia, let’s run through that last spell I taught you again.”

Unable to reply, Bellidanti quickly changed the subject.

Fortunately, Luo Ya was not overly persistent and obediently performed a low-level spell she had just learned.

It was at that moment Zhong Shenxiu entered. He made absolutely no sound, moving as silently as a phantom.

“Oh? What are you two doing, playing games?” Zhong Shenxiu asked with curiosity.

Hearing the voice, Bellidanti looked up sharply. This was the first time she had seen Zhong Shenxiu, and she couldn't help but feel suspicious—who was this little boy? Why had she never seen him before?

“Brother Xiu,” Tia called out sweetly when she saw him. Ever since learning that Zhong Shenxiu was Robin’s master, she had started calling him ‘Brother Xiu,’ just like Niuniu did.

Brother Xiu? Bellidanti was momentarily confused, wondering how Tia had just acquired a sister and now had an older brother appearing as well!

“Brother Xiu, Sister Kaine said you were very busy and told me not to bother you,” Tia said with a slight pout, approaching him. “Brother Xiu, could you teach me a slightly more powerful spell?”

She displayed an expression full of eager anticipation. She already knew from Robin that Zhong Shenxiu was incredibly skilled, and she also knew that all of Robin’s abilities were taught by him!

Zhong Shenxiu didn’t find this remarkable, but Bellidanti couldn’t help but burst into soft laughter upon hearing it.

If Tia had been pestering Robin to teach her magic, Bellidanti might not have found it so amusing. After all, Robin’s monstrous talent was undeniable; there were times when Bellidanti herself wished Robin could offer her some pointers. But to relentlessly pursue a boy who looked so utterly young and tender was simply too strange!

However, her laughter quickly died in her throat because Zhong Shenxiu spoke a sentence to her.

“Hey, woman, do you find this so amusing?” Zhong Shenxiu looked Bellidanti over briefly. Although it was just a few glances, he managed to form a preliminary assessment. Based on her demeanor and attire, she was likely from the 'Summer Star Empire' and was a mage specializing in Wind Magic. Although Zhong Shenxiu had never visited the 'Summer Star Empire,' he was somewhat familiar with their customs from reading books describing various empires.

“Woman? Are you talking to me?” Bellidanti stared at Zhong Shenxiu in surprise.

Tia, perhaps finding the situation humorous, couldn't help but giggle, saying, “Teacher Bellidanti, Brother Xiu calls my mother that too, and my mother has the exact same expression as you.”

Zhong Shenxiu ignored the overly dramatic woman and turned to Tia. “Tia, what kind of powerful magic do you wish to learn? I’ll give you three choices: One, offensive type; Two, defensive type; Three, offensive and defensive hybrid!”

Tia chose the third option—'Offensive and Defensive Hybrid'—almost without thinking! She looked at Zhong Shenxiu with those big, watery eyes filled with countless stars, bursting with excitement!

She was clever enough to know that securing a promise from Zhong Shenxiu meant the matter was essentially settled!

Bellidanti wanted to interject, but her curiosity about how Zhong Shenxiu would teach Tia held her back.

Just then, Zhong Shenxiu looked up and said to her, “Hey, woman, move to Robin’s position!”

“Can I?” Bellidanti instinctively asked.

“You’re in the way,” Zhong Shenxiu replied curtly.

Speechless and irritated, Bellidanti never imagined she would be spoken to this way by a little boy—it felt as though he categorized her as one of those 'all beauty, no brains' types!

Thankfully, Bellidanti's disposition was rather yielding, and she didn't press the issue with Zhong Shenxiu, though she didn't move either.

“Teacher Bellidanti, you should listen to Brother Xiu. Brother Xiu is very powerful; he’s worried he might accidentally hurt you,” Tia’s voice drifted over.

Very powerful? Him??

Bellidanti’s expression clearly showed disbelief, but what Tia said next nearly stunned her into silence.

“Teacher Bellidanti, you might not know this, but my sister’s strength was all taught by Brother Xiu. Brother Xiu is even stronger than my sister,” Tia stated seriously, clearly convinced of this fact!

“What?” Bellidanti couldn't help but gasp.

Stronger than Robin? How was that possible? If that were true, then he must be…

To verify Tia’s claim, Bellidanti walked over to Robin and whispered, “Robin, is what Tia is saying true?”

Robin glanced at her expressionlessly but uttered a sentence that shocked her even more: “My Master is the strongest person in the world.”

Bellidanti stared blankly at Robin, unsure why another title, 'Master,' had suddenly appeared. Just as she was about to ask for details, Zhong Shenxiu began his movements, drawing her attention away.

Zhong Shenxiu instructed Tia to hold her hands out flat, palms up, while he placed his own hands, palms down, over hers. Then, he told Tia to close her eyes and not to open them or speak, no matter what she heard or felt, unless he gave permission.

Once everything was set, the transmission finally began.

In an instant, it felt as though massive amounts of high-purity Wind Elemental energy were converging at an astonishing speed, terrifying Bellidanti into immobility.

What… what was this? How could there be Wind Elemental energy of such purity?

She glanced sideways at Robin, finally confirming this wasn't his doing. Then who—who else possessed such incredible power?

Her gaze finally settled on the calm face of Zhong Shenxiu. Could it truly be him?

As she stood there momentarily lost in thought, a bizarre spectacle unfolded in the courtyard: the fallen leaves on the ground began to move in an orderly fashion, fluttering like agile little sprites.

Stranger still, each leaf was encased in a sheath of Wind Elemental energy; when the sunlight reflected off them, one could even glimpse a blade-like sharpness along the edges of the leaves.

Bellidanti was utterly mesmerized by the scene. She could vaguely sense the profound mystery within it, feeling as though something was summoning her, stirring excitement and agitation within her.

At that moment, the dancing leaves in the air suddenly stopped their motion, and the presence of the wind vanished.

However, a tremendously terrifying power radiated from those very leaves.

To use a crude analogy, these leaves were like bullets loaded into a chamber, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any second!

Yet, bafflingly, this phenomenon didn't last long. Many of the leaves seemed to lose their support and drifted down, until finally, fewer than twenty or so leaves remained tenuously suspended.

What happened? Did Zhong Shenxiu fail?

No. This was because Zhong Shenxiu had withdrawn his power; this meant the one currently controlling those leaves was Tia.

Indeed, Zhong Shenxiu slowly drew his hands back, while Tia remained motionless in her posture, stiff as a wooden doll.

Tia had entered a state of trance. She didn't even notice that Zhong Shenxiu had moved away from her side toward Robin.

Bellidanti desperately wanted to ask Tia what was wrong, why she was unmoving.

But Zhong Shenxiu spoke first: “Don't disturb her. Let her wake up naturally!”

Then, Zhong Shenxiu exchanged a look with Robin, and the two of them left the courtyard under Bellidanti’s bewildered, vacant stare.

Inside the "Nanyu Palace," Brenda had meticulously prepared what she considered an inescapable net to deal with the impending arrival of Zhong Shenxiu.

She had just finished conferring with several masters. Zhong Shenxiu's inexplicable disappearance was identified as a form of 'Space Magic,' mirroring the technique Robin had used previously.

After rigorous investigation and discussion by the 'Leadership Committee,' they concluded there was a way to solve this: they simply needed to set up an enchantment that restricted space magic, which would surely trap him when he arrived!

It was laughable that the implement they used to set this restriction was merchandise from the 'Dark Commerce Guild'!

To think they were attempting to use items developed by Zhong Shenxiu against him—one could only wonder what they were thinking! Well, just wait; the time would come for them to be shocked and filled with regret! If you wish to know what happens next, please log on to Sichuan for more chapters, support the author, and read legitimate content! B