The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 117: Chapter 76: "Cultivation and I Are Not in Conflict

「After the meeting.」

"Everyone, calm down!" Adelf said excitedly. "And listen up! Remember everything Lord Blake said."

Although the 3rd and 4th Floors of the Holy Hall were to be opened, this "opening" didn’t mean completely free access. There were still conditions, they just weren’t as strict as before.

First, the news about the fourth floor was not to be announced publicly for the time being.

The implication was that this was an "exclusive benefit" for the Dawn Council.

From now on, they would be privileged members of the Holy Sanctuary!

Second, the statues on both floors tested one’s "heart and mind."

The 3rd Floor of the Holy Hall, after all, housed the Forbidden Meditation Technique, which could significantly boost a Wizard’s personal combat power. Although it wasn’t a true Forbidden Spell, Sean still didn’t want it falling into enemy hands. This wasn’t a game; who would want to make things harder for themselves for no reason?

Therefore, Sean had modified the original keywords of the statue’s Mind Magic. The test was no longer about one’s understanding of Mysticism, but about one’s attitude toward the world. Anyone who touched the statue and harbored anti-Wizard, or rather, antisocial tendencies would be instantly blown away.

The fourth floor added another condition on top of that.

The Book of Ancient Language on the fourth floor was for a two-person Meditation. To pass the statue’s test, a Wizard needed to be honest with themselves about who they truly wanted to practice Cultivation with.

Preferably someone of the opposite sex.

Sean remembered the administrator at the time muttering that this Meditation Technique actually had no gender requirement. He didn’t know what he had been thinking back then, but before he could figure it out, it was better to stick to the old rule to avoid any problems.

Everyone thought the updated test would be easy, and they all rushed to the statues as soon as the meeting ended.

Everyone wanted to get a look at the upper floors of the Holy Sanctuary as quickly as possible.

But when they got there, they discovered it wasn’t so simple.

The statue on the second floor was indeed easy. Besides Adelf, all twenty Wizards who attended the meeting today passed the test and were teleported to the third floor.

But when they stood before the statue on the third floor, the result was the complete opposite. All twenty Wizards were repelled, and not a single one passed, including old acquaintances like Elvire, Kate, and Sopea.

"Strange," Sopea frowned. "Didn’t they say all you needed was to have someone in mind?"

The two-person Meditation Technique required finding a suitable partner—that was easy enough to understand. But why had he failed the test when he had clearly chosen someone?

He had been thinking of Koni.

There was no doubt that the Hall of Truth was a sacred place in the hearts of all Wizards from the Era of Polymath, and it was also where he had once worked. He understood the Holy Sanctuary; there would never be any improper books here—at least not on display. But why wasn’t Koni an acceptable choice?

’Is the gap between us too wide?’

Elvire, Elise, and Kate were also stumped.

Blake had said it was *preferably* someone of the opposite sex, which implied the same sex wasn’t completely out of the question. Besides, the partner choice should be changeable. So, the two women thought of each other, figuring they’d just get inside first and worry about the rest later, but the statue wouldn’t let them in.

Kate, on the other hand, was thinking of his female secretary.

His secretary was also a Wizard, but clearly, Lord Blake didn’t approve.

’Or... is my secretary not who I truly want?’

Kate scratched his head in frustration.

’Mind Magic is the trickiest to deal with,’ he thought. ’Most of the time, you can’t tell if it’s your own heart’s true answer or the answer the test-setter wants. Everyone thinks they know themselves, but no one really does.’

After a few more failed attempts, many of them gave up.

They figured they might as well look around the third floor first.

It was best not to bite off more than one could chew. Maybe Lord Blake wasn’t letting them pass because they hadn’t finished learning everything on the third floor yet?

Only Elvire and a few others were still trying.

Elvire had little interest in the Forbidden Meditation Technique; she already knew one Forbidden Meditation, and learning another would be useless.

Sopea and Kate, however, were secretly competing with each other.

The two of them had disliked each other since the moment they met offline, and neither could stand the thought of the other getting ahead.

Kate pondered while watching Sopea’s every move, his calm gaze holding a hint of subtle provocation.

Sopea did the same.

Then, at a certain moment,

when their eyes met and they were both "thinking" of each other, the statue lit up.

"You two may act as each other’s partner. Approved."

A majestic voice rang out.

"SWOOSH!"

The two of them vanished on the spot, teleported to the fourth floor.

Sopea: "???"

Kate: "???"

Elvire: "..."

Elise: "..."

She was momentarily speechless. ’That works too??’

Soon, it was their turn.

As administrators of the Dawn Council, Elvire and Elise had quite a few friends. Since it had been proven that same-sex partners were indeed acceptable, their options were even wider—Koni and Yisha were among them. But no matter who they thought of, they still couldn’t pass the "test."

Until both women simultaneously thought of Sean.

Elvire bit her lip slightly. ’It’s just an entry test, why is it so strict?’ she thought.

’Am I really going to let that guy have his way?’

’He hasn’t even tried to sweet-talk me yet!’

Elise, however, suddenly recalled Sean’s words—"Being with him wouldn’t get in the way of my Cultivation."

And so.

"You two sharing the same partner is also approved."

"SWOOSH!"

The two women entered the fourth floor.

Elise: "???"

Elvire: "????"

...