Just as he was about to greet a few familiar faces, Joelson suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Teacher."

Harriet Terrence came to Joelson's side, his expression filled with relief.

"Your improvement speed is too fast. Even I didn't expect it."

Joelson made up a lie and said, "I don't know why, but practicing both water and fire magic at the same time has allowed my spiritual power to grow much faster."

Harriet Terrence showed a surprised expression and said, "I've never seen a person who can perfectly combine the water and fire elements. Unfortunately, I can't answer this question for you. Perhaps this is the most suitable path of cultivation for you."

"And, Joelson."

Harriet Terrence said to Joelson seriously, "I hope you can slow down your cultivation speed as much as possible. The heights you can reach in the future will be unimaginable to everyone. I don't want your foundation to be unstable and make you regret it in the end."

Joelson nodded solemnly.

His spiritual power had suddenly increased by two levels. He could already feel that his magic control had decreased.

If it was a normal upgrade, the final blow during the duel with Don Quixote would not have caused him to faint.

The magic elements that had spread out had already exceeded his control.

Before he completely stabilized his power of level 6, Joelson would not proceed with the upgrade for the time being.

"Oh right, teacher."

He recalled what Don Quixote had said to him before he collapsed on the dueling platform.

"What is the trial of the four great empires?"

"With your power as a tier 6 mage, you should understand these things."

Harriet hesitated for a moment, he explained to him, "To be honest, a small country like Alcott, which is at the border, is basically beautiful and is called an empire by the system. At most, it is only the size of a kingdom. His Majesty is at most a king."

"The Kingdom of Yheng is adjacent to the Kingdom of Alcott. Further away are the kingdom of the blazing sun and the Kingdom of the Brightmoon. These two kingdoms are subordinate kingdoms of the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness respectively. Their divine authority is higher than the royal authority, and their strength is also much stronger than that of Yheng and Alcott."

"The Church of light and the Church of Darkness."

"Yes, the two churches have been trying to annex Alcott and Yheng, but because of the checks and balances between them, as well as the existence of Fred and I, they have been unable to succeed."

"The trials of the four nations were also proposed by the two Holy Sees. At first, the two Holy See Kingdoms would send their most outstanding young geniuses to participate in the hunting competition in the magical beast forest every year."

Joelson frowned and said, "Hunting competition?"

Harriet Terrence glanced at him indifferently and said, "It is to hunt the opponent's camp and judge the outcome based on the number of heads that the camp has obtained."

Joelson was surprised.

A head competition?!

He could imagine what a bloody and cruel scene it was.

"The winner can obtain the right to preach in Alcott and Yheng for a year. Later, Fred and I appeared and joined forces to resist, trying to change the situation that was controlled by others."

"After countless battles, the people of the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness finally compromised and agreed to withdraw their forces from the two kingdoms. However, they proposed a four-kingdom trial and requested the two kingdoms to send the best young experts to participate in the trial every year. Although the rules are not as bloody as before, they are equally cruel."

"And..."

Harriet sighed and said with a desolate expression, "After the trial is over, the two Holy Sees can recruit people with outstanding performances."

A cold chill rose in Joelson's heart.

This move was simply too vicious.

It seemed like he was giving in, but in reality, he was cutting off the flesh of the two great kingdoms. He was plundering the foundations of the two great kingdoms.

Those who could participate in the trial and successfully pass it would definitely be the most outstanding geniuses. Once they were recruited by the two great Holy Sees.

The two great kingdoms were nurturing experts for their opponents.

"Why didn't you refuse?!"

Joelson asked in a low voice.

"The Kingdom of Blazing Sun and the Kingdom of Brightmoon both have three saint-level experts. When Fred and I joined forces, we barely managed to obtain the right to speak. It's impossible for us to resist."

Joelson suddenly realized that Harriet had suffered a lot more than he had imagined.

"So, Joelson Edward."

Harriet glanced at Don Quixote, who was not far away, he said to Joelson calmly, "The purpose of the exchange match is not only to stimulate your mutual improvement but also to hint that you might be allies fighting together in the future and not enemies who hate each other."

"I understand."

"I'm very glad that you held back on the duel stage."

Harriet Terrence looked at Joelson with praise.

"There's one more thing I want to tell you."

Joelson raised his head and looked at Harriet Terrence with puzzlement.

"Actually, Ulysses is not dead."

What?!

Joelson was suddenly surprised. Harriet Terrence looked at him deeply and then said, "He just chose to join the Dark Church after the trial ended."

Joelson was stunned.

It turned out that the news of Ulysses' death was fake.

He actually chose to join the dark church.

Joelson understood the hint in Harriets' words.

His feelings for himself must be very complicated.

On one hand, he was proud and happy to have such a disciple. On the other hand, he was worried that he would be like Ulysses in the future, standing on the opposite side of him.

"Teacher."

Joelson looked into Harriet's eyes and said very seriously, "Perhaps I can't be like you, but I promise you that within my ability, I will not let anyone harm the Alcott Empire."

Because in Alcott, there was also something that Joelson wanted to protect.

The father of the Baron, Tulip Academy of Magic, Harriet or perhaps, Dayshannon.

Harriet Terrence nodded in satisfaction.

He could see the sincerity and determination in Joelson's eyes.

This disciple was different from Ulysses.

He was more outstanding than Ulysses, and his heart was purer.

"Joelson, you still have a long way to go. Alcott is just your starting point. Even if you made a choice that disappointed me, it was the best choice for you. I will never blame you."

Harriet Terrence looked at Joelson and said seriously.

Harriet Terrence would always respect Joelson's choice, just like how he treated Ulysses.

If he had resentment in his heart, he would never say that Ulysses was dead. Instead, he would portray him as a traitor.

Declaring that Ulysses was dead seemed to be the teacher's last defense for his disciple.

Joelson did not say much. Harriet Terrence was a worthy teacher.