The Vice-Principal was still explaining the Transmutation Tower to Anaxa when an Old Wizard in a white Wizard Robe, his beard and hair completely white, approached them. Stroking his beard with a smile, he asked, "Is this the freshman who just completed the assessment? Would you be interested in becoming my student?"
The Vice-Principal wore a bewildered expression. What?
Seriously? She had just said Anaxa's talent was too low, and he might not find a teacher anytime soon, and now this? Instant karma, right?
However, after a moment's thought, the Vice-Principal realized that while Anaxa's assessed talent was low, the hat might have malfunctioned. His true potential remained unknown. Moreover, Anaxa possessed the groundbreaking "Magic Power Loss Reduction" technique.
Especially the latter. If Anaxa were to publish a research paper on it, he would quickly become the most sought-after figure in the Arcane Federation, and countless wizards would clamor to take him as their apprentice.
The problem was, the paper hadn't even been published yet! This wizard had rushed over so quickly, he might as well have camped at the Arcane Gate's exit. The most likely explanation was that the bespectacled teacher had informed the White-Bearded Wizard about this development!
The two were likely friends, or perhaps shared some other close relationship, so it's probable that the Teacher immediately used magic to relay this information after the Vice-Principal and Anaxa left.
The Vice-Principal sighed. While this action didn't technically violate any rules, being so quickly proven wrong was rather embarrassing. She turned to Anaxa and said, "Alright, now we have a Wizard willing to be your Teacher. If..."
Before she could finish, Anaxa interrupted, "On the condition that you're qualified to be my Teacher."
This statement stunned both the Vice-Principal and the White-Bearded Wizard. After a moment, the White-Bearded Wizard burst into hearty laughter. "Excellent! I admire such confident, even arrogant students. How do you want me to prove my qualifications? Shall we have a duel?"
Anaxa crossed his arms and retorted, "Since this is the Arcane Federation, the sanctuary of scholars, let's discuss magical knowledge. Show me the depth of your erudition."
The White-Bearded Wizard stroked his beard again and said, "Very well, let's discuss magical knowledge!"
In the White-Bearded Wizard's view, Anaxa was clearly nervous. After all, he was just a freshman. Even if he had mastered a powerful spell like Disintegrate, what did that matter? As a seasoned veteran wizard, defeating a mere freshman would be child's play.
However, the reality was quite the opposite. Anaxa was terrified of accidentally killing the old man. In a battle between warriors, one could always pull back to avoid bloodshed, but wizards didn't have that luxury!
Once a Fireball was cast, it couldn't be canceled mid-air and made to vanish!
"Ahem," the White-Bearded Wizard cleared his throat and produced an oval-shaped silver stone from his robes. Intricate patterns etched its surface, and faint blue light flickered along the grooves.
"This is one of the Transmutation School's greatest achievements—the Philosopher's Stone! Let's discuss this."
The White-Bearded Wizard launched into a lengthy lecture, elaborating on the immense difficulty of creating the Philosopher's Stone and detailing its various remarkable effects.
Though his tone was grave and serious, it was obvious he was showing off. Look, this is the Philosopher's Stone! Something that countless wizards from the Transmutation School have pursued their entire lives without success. And here I have one! Impressive, isn't it? You should beg me to be your master!
However, just as the wizard was getting into his stride, Anaxa suddenly interrupted, "Hold on a moment."
The White-Bearded Wizard blinked in surprise. "What is it?"
He'd even thought Anaxa was about to be convinced and pledge his apprenticeship. Instead, Anaxa calmly pointed out, "The production method you mentioned has a flaw."
"In the third step, when mixing the Fire Elemental and Earth Element, the ratio shouldn't be 4:6, but rather 3.61:6.39. Finally, you need to add some pure Liquid Mithril during the final mixing phase to achieve optimal results."
"Based on your recent crafting method, the Philosopher's Stone's effectiveness has been reduced by at least forty percent. What a terrible waste!"
"Ah... ah?" The White-Bearded Wizard was stunned. "No, how can you possibly determine..."
Before he could finish, Anaxa interrupted again, "When you were mixing the elements, did the Philosopher's Stone emit a rhythmic hum? Did it last for about two to three minutes, only to vanish as a large amount of Magic Power dissipated?"
"This..." The White-Bearded Wizard's eyes widened. "How did you know that?!"
Anaxa replied, "Because that's a clear sign of a failed crafting attempt. Wasting such high-quality materials on your methods is practically sacrilege! In my opinion, your technique is no different from how Goblins in caves brew their stews!"
As he spoke, Anaxa produced a fist-sized 'stone' from his robes. It appeared unremarkable, like a pebble picked up at random, but in reality, it was a Philosopher's Stone of far superior quality!
It was something Anaxa had casually created out of boredom while studying magic from the Transmutation School. Remarkably, he hadn't used any materials at all; instead, he relied solely on his divine power, using it as an equivalent exchange to obtain the Philosopher's Stone.
When Anaxa produced the Philosopher's Stone, the White-Bearded Wizard froze in shock. His lips trembled slightly as he glanced down at the results of his decades-long research, then back at Anaxa's nearly perfect creation. "You... this... I..."
Anaxa continued, "You still think you can teach me? Go back and practice some more! Come back when your technique surpasses even the goblins at my doorstep!"
"Hah—!" The White-Bearded Wizard gasped, his eyes rolling back before he collapsed stiffly to the ground, falling into a deep, high-quality slumber on the spot.
Seeing this, the Vice-Principal couldn't help but glance at the unconscious Wizard on the floor, then at Anaxa's expressionless face. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
To verbally knock out a seasoned Old Wizard without uttering a single curse word... isn't that a bit much?