Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 427 Face it

"You've arrived."

Having removed his wizard's robes and donned a royal crown, Celestial Master Michel smiled gently at Link.

He appeared very detached and otherworldly.

"Um."

Link nodded slightly.

It turns out that the place that Medici, the sixth-level sage, and his team secretly brought Link to was the current residence of Celestial Master Michel.

Or rather, the sixth-level sage Linktomedich and the elemental saint behind him facilitated this meeting.

Link wanted to see Master Michel, to see the "shell" of the second ray of light that bound Master Michel's destiny.

"Are you surprised to see me like this?"

The Celestial Master Michel, his eyes no longer clouded, now clear and full of wisdom, saw Link's confusion and asked with a smile.

"Um."

Link nodded again.

After thinking for a moment, Link said, "Before I came, I imagined what your state of mind would be like, but I never expected you to be so peaceful."

"Oh?"

Grandmaster Michelle seemed intrigued by Link's explanation. "Explain in detail why you feel my mindset is unsettled?"

Link didn't hold back and said directly, "Judging from your past behavior, you should be someone who won't give up until you achieve your goal, and someone who always puts himself in charge."

"so?"

Celestial Master Michel raised an eyebrow, becoming even more curious.

"Therefore, I believe that even if you successfully change your major and get promoted, thus resolving the crisis of your lifespan running out, you will have lost your freedom. You are very likely to feel resentment and anger, and spend your days thinking about how to break free from your constraints and regain your freedom."

Link continued the conversation, truthfully expressing his thoughts.

"ha!"

Michelle suddenly chuckled and said, "How do you know I'm not thinking about how to break free and regain my freedom all day? Maybe my calmness is just a facade. Playing the fool isn't difficult; anyone can do it."

Link remained silent.

It wasn't that he was speechless, but rather that he felt such a response was unnecessary.

Why is the "transformation period" from a level 3 wizard to a level 4 sage so demanding in the path of wizards?

Why can a human immortal martial artist in the Divine Realm attain enlightenment and see their true nature?

For the same reason.

Only when one understands their own heart can one go further and climb higher.

Master Michel has now gone the furthest and climbed the highest, and must have already attained enlightenment.

When his lifespan was about to end, Michel did not want to die, so he tried every means to prolong his life and get promoted.

Now, from Link's perspective, if Michelle wanted to do something, she certainly wouldn't pretend.

Because Celestial Master Michel wanted to break free from constraints and regain his freedom, he was facing the same celestial beings/gods and saints.

When he was a ninth-level Great Sage, he didn't need to pretend. Now that he has become a Celestial Venerable, does he still need to pretend? Isn't his advancement a waste?

You're oversimplifying things.

Celestial Master Michelle seemed to see through Link's thoughts and laughed, "Times have changed. In the past, I could reveal my intentions without restraint because even if I didn't, everyone could guess. What's the point of a dying person pretending? But things are different now..."

With that, Celestial Master Michel sighed and fell silent.

The atmosphere between the two suddenly turned silent.

Link didn't let the silence last long. He changed the subject and brought up the important matter he had come to see Celestial Master Michel: "Celestial Master, there's a question that's been on my mind for a long time, and I'd like to ask it if I may be so bold."

"Ask away."

Celestial Master Michel smiled, revealing a very peaceful demeanor.

After gathering his thoughts, Link asked, "The reincarnation of the Saint, Lotesno, told me that you yourself said you never wanted to possess Link Grand. If that's the case, why has the Great Sage's Tower of Michelle targeted me time and again?"

"That's a problem..."

Upon hearing this, Celestial Master Michel's smile widened, and he said, "You can't ask me this question; you should ask the reincarnation of the saint."

Why?

Link was very puzzled and filled with confusion.

Why are you asking the reincarnation of the saint when it's clearly the actions of the Great Sage Tower under your command, Michel?

That doesn't make sense.

Celestial Master Michel didn't let Link guess wildly, directly stating the reason: "Who told the reincarnated saint to make a prophecy of a cataclysmic change unprecedented in thousands of years before his reincarnation? At that time, your name, Link Grand Wizard, was quite renowned. Even Iris Clark, the special 'outsider' whose prophecy came true, wasn't as prominent as you. In every respect, you should be the special 'outsider' in the prophecy!"

After a pause, Celestial Master Michel asked in return, "Do you remember what I was doing back then?"

"Remember."

"Which ones?"

Without thinking, Link said, "Prolong life, and seize the position of the Holy Wizard of the Mystic School."

"Yes."

Celestial Master Michel nodded. "Whether it's extending one's lifespan or seizing the position of the Saint of Mystic Wizardry, one must deal with the contingency plans laid out by the Saint of Nostrodam before his reincarnation. So, guess what? Has that so-called 'pay-to-win gacha system' of yours been exposed to me?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to guess."

Link shook his head and truthfully expressed his thoughts.

But he already had the answer in his heart.

Looking back at the last clash between Rivosos Academy and the Tower of the Great Sage Michelle in the Wizarding Civilization universe, it is quite clear that both the Great Sage Michelle and the Tower of the Great Sage Michelle were severely suppressed at that time.

Not only did it allow the Rivos Academy to make full preparations in all aspects and give them enough time to develop, but it also prevented them from going all out immediately after the battle began.

The Great Sage Michel and the Tower of the Great Sage Michel have other concerns and precautions.

As it turns out, the concerns and precautions taken by the Great Sage Michel and the Tower of the Great Sage Michel were not in vain.

Not only did the High Council intervene in that confrontation and take sides, but the will of the Wizarding World did the same.

Perhaps the great sage Michel had already foreseen this outcome before the conflict even began.

After all, he was a ruthless person who dared to plot to seize the position of the Holy Master of the Mystic Wizards. Who would believe that the Great Sage Michelle had no expertise or insufficient expertise in the two major branches of the Mystic Wizards: curses and prophecies?

Based on this, even if the Great Sage Michelle did not foresee Link's existence, he could still discover Link's "gacha system" by meticulously analyzing the various contingencies laid out in the Nostrovo universe.

Therefore, Link sincerely believes that Celestial Michel had long ago discovered the existence of the "pay-to-win gacha system".

"what!"

Celestial Master Michel sighed, looking somewhat bored, and said, "This is no fun, believing so quickly."

"We have no choice but to believe it."

Link replied calmly.

"hehe……"

With a few light laughs, Celestial Michel continued the topic he hadn't finished earlier, "At the time, I thought that extending lifespan and ascension were two sides of the same coin, but there was actually another path to take. This path was extremely rugged and risky, and could easily lead to utter annihilation. Then one day, I realized that whether it was extending lifespan, ascension, or that rugged path—reincarnation—it all revolved around one person: Saint Nostrodam! Tell me, should I grab the wizard Link Grand, who clearly carries a very important contingency plan for Saint Nostrodam, and study him carefully? Or…"

"Or what?"

Link keenly sensed that the unspoken "or" from the Celestial Master Michel was the true motive behind the Tower of Great Sage Michel's repeated attacks on him.

Celestial Master Michel's smile widened: "Or perhaps it's like a cat playing with a mouse, using you to draw out more of Saint Nostrodam's tricks, and... to allow me to glimpse more opportunities for advancement."

Link remained silent upon hearing this.

As the saying goes, "beat the grass to scare the snake," or "throw a stone to test the waters."

It turns out that in Michelangelo's eyes, Link Grand was nothing more than a blade of grass that had been knocked down and a stone that had been thrown around.

The purpose was to test Saint Nostrodam and others, and also to find a new path.

Having figured this out, Link felt no discomfort or offense whatsoever.

People are not afraid of being seen as useful by others; they are afraid of not being seen as useful by others.

Bustling crowds, people coming and going for profit.

Regardless of civilization or world, everything ultimately boils down to interests.

Driven by self-interest, the dominant dynamic is one of exploitation and being exploited.

After a moment, Link broke the silence and said in a deep voice, "So, in his actions against me, the Celestial Venerable found the true opportunity for advancement, and that opportunity lies in this universe?"

"This is an insight I gained from your decisive abandonment of the 'gacha system' that greatly helped you and could even be considered the foundation of your success."

With a smile, Celestial Master Michel said something that shocked and surprised Link greatly.

"What makes you say that?"

If you have any doubts, then don't hesitate to ask.

"Well……"

Grandmaster Michel paused for a moment, seemingly considering his words, before saying, "Perhaps I realized it myself, perhaps the will of the wizarding world intervened in secret, or perhaps those five cunning old foxes did something. In any case, when I saw you willing to abandon your principles, I was moved and realized, or rather, I remembered, the principle of living through death and the revival of life. Thus, whether by choice or by force, I forced myself and the Tower of the Great Sage Michel into a desperate situation, and had no choice but to relocate my entire family to this desolate corner of the universe."

"Understood."

Link nodded.

This is perhaps the reason behind fighting with one's back to the wall.

How can you unleash your last bit of strength if you don't push yourself to the brink?

"So, the fact that the Great Sage's Tower of Michel sent two fleets recently—one to attack the advance team of Rivosos Academy and the other to besiege me—was also one of the Celestial Venerable's actions, whether proactive or reactive?"

Link then asked the question he had only half-answered with the Elemental Saint.

"Perhaps."

However, Master Michel did not give Link a direct answer to his question, but instead gave a vague and perfunctory reply.

This made Link think a little more.

Could there be another story behind this?

Is it a pledge of allegiance, or is it truly as Lotte Snow suggests, something that goes according to his wishes?

Link quickly racked his brains for a moment, but couldn't come up with anything useful. He decisively suppressed these random thoughts and didn't pursue the matter further.

Michael's stance was clear: he did not want to answer the question directly.

Pressing for answers is pointless and may even annoy the other person.

Don't be fooled by how peaceful and responsive Master Michel is now, answering almost every question, into thinking he'll be the same next time.

People's minds are fickle; who knows what will happen next?

So, taking advantage of the present opportunity, Link plans to bring up the real reason for his visit to see Celestial Master Michel.

"Heavenly Venerable One, I think..."

Just as Link opened his mouth to make a request to see the light that bound the fate of Celestial Master Michel, Celestial Master Michel raised his right hand, stopping him from speaking.

Celestial Master Michel remained calm, but the smile on his face faded. He said indifferently, "I know what you want to see. I can only tell you that it's not that I don't want to show it to you, but that I can't. Whether you can see it or not depends on whether you can summon it yourself."

After a pause, Celestial Master Michel smiled again and joked:

"To be honest, I really hope you can bring it out."

Because I've only seen it once, right when I was promoted to Celestial Venerable, right when my fate was bound by it.

However, at that time, I was in a very special state and could not be distracted by anything else. I had to do my best to maintain my newly promoted but still unstable state, so I didn't pay attention to it.

Otherwise, how could a mere beam of light, even with the combined efforts of the five cunning old men of the Supreme Council and the several cunning old men of the Heavenly Court, possibly bind the fate of a Heavenly Venerable?

I hope you can bring it out so I can take a good look at it.

Perhaps soon I will be able to shatter it!

Although Michelle said it with a smile, Link could still detect the resentment in her voice.

It seems that what Celestial Master Michel said earlier was true; he was indeed thinking about how to break free of his shackles and regain his freedom.

It's probably not to the point where I think about it every day.

As for Michel's mention of "those five old bastards in the Supreme Council" and "a few old bastards in the Heavenly Court," Link pretended not to hear it.

Haha ...

To calm his mind and stop his thoughts from wandering, Link took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and began to ponder.

How can he summon the light that binds the Celestial Master Michel, the "shell" of the second ray of light?

A moment later, perhaps inspired by a sudden inspiration, or perhaps already having the answer, Link came up with a solution.

It is still the method used by human immortals and martial artists to "break through the void and see the gods" in the realm of seeing the gods, and to stimulate their own life light in the way of "enlightening the mind and seeing the nature".

Link thought that since his life light could resonate with the special ruined world inside the second beam of light, it should also resonate with the "shell" of the second beam of light.

Once a connection is established, there is a chance to find or fix the "shell" of the second beam of light.

Even if Link Grand's methods weren't enough to accomplish this, the Celestial Master Michelle beside him could certainly do it.

And they would be more than happy to do it, without Link even having to ask.

Because it wasn't just Link who wanted to break free from the "shell" of light that bound or confined his destiny; Celestial Master Michel also wanted to.

The pursuit of freedom is in a wizard's nature!

(End of this chapter)