The little girl stared blankly at Thunder for a moment, then quickly buried her head in Thunder's embrace, not daring to say another word.

　　Thump, thump, thump, thump! Thunder could clearly hear the sound coming from Tiffany's chest, and the delicate body in his arms was becoming more and more tense, and increasingly warm.

　　The Dragon Tiger Sect didn't shy away from matters between men and women, but the other party was only fifteen, just a child. Thunder simply couldn't have any beastly thoughts.

　　In just a few steps, he sent Tiffany into her room, tucked her in, and then turned to leave. From start to finish, the little girl kept her head buried, not daring to look at Thunder directly.

　　"Young master..." Tiffany called out from behind.

　　"What is it?" Thunder turned his head, just in time to see Tiffany secretly peeking out with her two eyes, looking at him timidly.

　　"There's still some meat soup in the pot, you can heat it up yourself."

　　"Okay."

Chapter Fourteen: Enrollment

　　Thunder's life had always been very disciplined, a habit developed over many years in the Dragon Tiger Sect. He would get up before dawn as usual, practice his footwork, go through a few sets of martial arts, and breathe in the fresh morning air, instantly feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

　　The servants gradually got up, and the sounds of busy activity drifted in from the courtyard.

　　Sitting on a chair, Thunder pondered about the future.

　　The only thing he could be sure of now was that he could use the method of inscribing talismans to create magic scrolls. With the powerful auxiliary technique of the Celestial Master's Eye, inscribing magic scrolls seemed tailor-made for Thunder.

　　However, most of the magic scrolls circulating on the market were only level one or two, which were of little use to Thunder now. Moreover, despite having so much magical power, he couldn't cast even a single spell. If he were to encounter a strong enemy in the future, he would have no means of protecting himself. After thinking it over for a long time, Thunder finally decided to go to the Fael Magic and Martial Academy.

　　Fael City was a second-tier city, and naturally the Ceylon Duchy had established a magic and martial academy here. Thunder could learn magic up to the intermediate mage level there. He could also find some methods for inscribing magic scrolls.

　　When he shared his idea with Uncle Oak, the uncle was very supportive. After all, their home wasn't far from Fael City, so Thunder could come back whenever he wanted.

　　The tuition wasn't expensive either—only a hundred gold coins per year, which was no problem for Thunder now.

　　No time like the present. Since he had made up his mind, Thunder hurried to Fael City right after breakfast. To his surprise, the ever-present Tiffany, who usually followed him around like a shadow, didn't come along today.

　　After asking a few people along the way and traveling for quite a while, Thunder finally arrived at the gates of the Fael Magic and Martial Academy.

　　Although there was such an academy in Colin's memories, this was his first time actually coming here.

　　The academy's main gate was huge, built with an imposing grandeur, magnificent and stately, with green bricks and glazed tiles, exuding an ancient and elegant charm. Looking around, the trees lining the academy's pathways were neatly trimmed, creating a beautiful and harmonious scene. A massive arched gate stood atop the pillars at the entrance, inscribed with "Fael Magic and Martial Academy."

　　As soon as Thunder stepped through the gate, a voice sounded in his ear.

　　"Stop! No unauthorized persons allowed inside the academy!"

　　Turning his head, Thunder saw a middle-aged man standing nearby, dressed in a black mage's robe with three stars embroidered on his chest.

　　"I'm here to enroll. Could you tell me where to sign up?" Thunder asked politely.

　　"Enroll?" The middle-aged man walked up to Thunder, scrutinized him for a moment, then nodded. "Hmm, you want to study magic? The elemental fluctuations on you aren't bad."

　　"Yes." Thunder could also sense the magical aura coming from the other party—he was likely a fellow mage.

　　"Come with me." The middle-aged man nodded and led Thunder inside.

　　The registration office was in a room to the left of the main gate. The middle-aged man brought Thunder to the door. "Here it is, go in yourself."

　　After expressing his thanks, Thunder turned and entered the room. Inside, there was only an old man sleeping on the desk. Thunder called out a few times before the old man opened his sleepy eyes.

　　"Here to enroll?" the old man asked.

　　"Yes."

　　"Release your magic power and touch this." The old man pushed a crystal ball on the desk toward Thunder.

　　Thunder recognized this device—he'd seen it in a magic supplies shop a few days ago, so he knew it was an alchemical tool for testing magical power.

　　He placed his hand on it, deliberately putting on a determined expression, veins bulging on his forehead, and released just a bit of his magic power.

　　The crystal shone brightly.

　　A glimmer finally appeared in the old man's sleepy eyes. Thunder withdrew his hand, thinking the old man would praise his talent and outstanding physique, but unexpectedly, the old man slammed the table in anger and said, "You're already an intermediate mage, and you still want to enroll? Go home and have your mentor teach you!"

　　"I don't have a mentor!" Thunder protested innocently.

　　"What?" The old man was extremely surprised. How could an intermediate mage not have a mentor?

　　In the duchy's academies, they only taught mages up to the intermediate level. Beyond that, mages had to find suitable mentors on their own. After all, mages varied greatly in quality, making large-scale instruction very difficult.