Chapter 14: Enlightenment?

"You? Surpass my Grandfather and become the new beast emperor? Impossible! Even I don't have a chance of surpassing my old man… When compared to people like us, we are just mortals looking up to a god" Hex said as he remembered watching emperor Fei make a public appearance for the first time in a long while.

His body had aged but his eyes and aura were more majestic than that of any other noble in the courtroom. With each word he spoke, he released waves of power that made weaklings like him want to bow and pray to him. As a man who was currently at the peak tier of the spirit realm, it was safe to say he has long surpassed the limits of mere mortals and that's why no one has ever been able to take his place in the last five centuries!

To Hex, the old man is a god he can never reach, not to talk of surpassing him.

When he heard Lucien's words about surpassing his grandfather and taking his place as the new beast emperor, he felt a bit offended but did well to hide it. As much as he would have loved to rebuke Lucien in a harsher tone, he saw Lucien's performance during the entrance affinity test. Not only was his affinity for both his primary and secondary element at the same level, but they were both so high that they shattered the affinity test orbs! Something like this has never happened before!

Considering that alone, he had already accepted Lucien as one of the peak experts of the academy, and unknown to Lucien, a lot of important individuals in the empire have their eyes on him. After showcasing his strength and strong bloodline by performing the shift at such a young age, he has most likely become one of the most important members of his generation! More important than Hex!

"So what path do you wish to join?" Brian changed the topic in hopes of lightening up the mood.

"War mage and creation path" Hex answered immediately, leaving everyone stunned.

The war mage path focuses on improving the destructive power of spells, turning it into their deadliest form possible. Even a war mage with light magic which is considered a support type element can be transformed into one of the deadliest mages in the empire. Meanwhile, creation magic simply implies, giving life to magic. To be able to grant life to a spell means it has a mind of its own and acts on its own accord but since it sired to the creator, its best interest will always align with that of its creator.

Rumor has it that the Phoenix Emperor, Fei mastered the creation, Slayer, and war mage paths. With the creation path, he could summon a fire construct of a phoenix and give it life while improving its lethality with his knowledge of the war mage path and thanks to the slayer path, everyone who has dared to entertain the thoughts of taking him on in close combat due to his status as a mage has never lived to tell the story. In the eyes of every member of the Fotia empire, Emperor Fei is invincible and as long as he's by their side, they have no reason to be scared of the other empires on the continent.

In their opinion, if Hex can combine the creation path and the war mage path, he will be only one step behind the current emperor Fei. Whether he is able to catch up in strength is purely based on his talent for magic.

"Interesting… Creation path merely gives life to magic… It creates a being with the ability to reason just like any one of us… It grants you a perfect companion in battle, but that's it… War mages on the other hand teach mages ways of bringing out the best in their spell…. How to shape their magic to make it more lethal and powerful… Combing those two will grant you even greater elemental constructs… that's a pretty good combo" Lucien replied dryly as he continued eating.

Seeing Lucien had no intentions of asking him about his path of choice, Brian stuck out his tongue in his direction and felt like giving him a good punch.

"What about you, human… What path do you wish to walk?" Hex caught sight of Brian's funny actions and decided to ask.

"Well… For starters, my name is Brian" Brian was taken aback. He never expected Hex to ask him such a question.

"Sorry, Brian" Hex apologized, catching even Lucien by surprise.

Cough!

Cough!

Lucien grabbed the jug of water with his reddened eyes before and gulped down a mouthful like a savage beast before letting out a deep breath.

"Since when did we beast-men become so soft that we apologize to weak humans?" He asked while gazing at Hex with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

Who would have thought the grandson of the great Phoenix beast emperor would be so kind and weak when dealing with humans?