Chapter Sixty-Six: Master of the Demon

Mulan fulfilled her duties as a professor with competence, imparting her newly gained insights to her students. The students’ progress in their understanding of esoteric knowledge and physical training followed paths Mulan herself had once explored, making it easy for her to help them avoid pitfalls and bypass unnecessary detours.

After finishing her lecture, Mulan turned to face the students below. Each was diligently taking notes, while some had already finished and were now raising questions.

“Professor, we haven’t completed our physical awakening yet, and today’s lesson touched on resonance. Isn’t that too distant for us at this stage?”

Mulan glanced at the others, noticing the "Nia siblings"—who should have been wandering miserably through Digo City—now seated in the hall. Though they had missed many lessons before, their early arrival at the Black Castle, plus their habit of reading miscellaneous books and some extra guidance from Mulan, allowed them to keep up, albeit with difficulty.

“The construction of a world is exceedingly complex. Various elements and worldviews can easily entangle beginners, and getting lost in the spiritual realm is equally perilous. Resonance is a term that appears ambiguously in many magical texts—its importance is repeatedly emphasized, yet few writings explain it clearly.”

“Perhaps not all of you will reach the point of choosing your path, but understanding resonance ahead of time will certainly help you approach that step. Your worry is simply that you can’t grasp its meaning; helping you understand it is my task.”

The students laughed, the atmosphere growing lighter.

“Very well, let me continue. I just mentioned human empathy—dignity, honor, inspiration, compassion, responsibility—all these noble emotions evoke positive empathy and generate powerful positive energy. Energy always has a transmission method; it influences not just the body but also the mind, exerting immense pressure on adversaries.”

“At the level of collective empathy, it is easy to get swept along, assimilated by the emotions of those around us. But with individual resonance, the process is the opposite: you must become a unique presence, distinct from the group, distinct from the world, centered on the self. I do not mean arrogance—this is an academic term.”

The students laughed again, but quickly composed themselves to listen intently.

Mulan raised her cane and struck the blackboard twice.

“Tap, tap.”

The tip pointed to the word “Existence.”

“Pay attention, everyone. I am once again mentioning this crucial term. We humans are sentimental and beautiful, prone to empathy. However, resonance for the extraordinary requires powerful uniqueness. Ultimately, it is the force of existence itself! If your resonance fails to make you a unique presence, then it is a failed resonance.”

“When you become a special extraordinary individual, you may understand the masses rationally and emotionally, but your existence remains unique. Even if your abilities are lacking, imitate, perform, until you become that self, with absolute trust in yourself—such a state of resonance is halfway to success.”

“Professor, only halfway?”

Now Professor Jonester’s lecture had gone beyond the curriculum; many students couldn’t fully absorb such knowledge and could only try to remember and grasp it simply, but that didn’t stop them from imagining its difficulty.

“What did you expect? Is it so easy to become extraordinary? I am only describing the smoothest route, excluding all dangers in between.”

Mulan smiled, but today that smile didn’t comfort the students—it made them feel tremendous pressure.

“What does complete resonance look like?”

Young Benjamin spoke from the front row, having memorized every word Mulan uttered. Mulan took a few steps toward him, glanced at his densely written notes, and nodded in approval.

“Complete resonance not only stabilizes the world you form, but also manifests a true totem. The totem is your self in the extraordinary realm—a powerful self! It appears as a projection of force, as a twisted shadow, as proof of your stage on the path. It is you, and it is your power!”

The content was far beyond the syllabus, but it excited all the students. Though they understood little, it opened a vast space for their imagination.

Crucially, through Professor Jonester’s explanation, everyone now had a basic, correct concept of resonance. Though simple, it would help them avoid mistakes in key directions of study.

With the digression on resonance finished, Mulan checked her pocket watch.

“Oh, time’s about up. That’s all for today’s lesson. Class dismissed.”

Mulan turned to leave, and many students rose from their seats.

“Professor, Professor!” “It’s not even eleven yet!” “Professor, how can we become unique selves?”

“Professor, would you like to join us for lunch? My treat!”

The students clamored enthusiastically, a stark contrast to the quiet that followed other professors’ classes.

“The rest of the content will wait until next time. I have business to attend to. If you have so much energy, go train your bodies—physical awakening is a vital foundation. Next class, we’ll discuss practical skills: how physical development affects your path to the extraordinary.”

Mulan walked quickly, and the students didn’t dare pester him, so he soon returned to the office.

Upon entering, the old wizard was reading, while another professor was shrouded entirely in a red robe, even her face hidden except for two eyeholes—or holes in her mask.

Mulan also spotted a familiar face he hadn’t seen in ages.

“Lord Owen! You’re back?”

Owen was standing by the window, smoking a cigarette and watching the students leave the main building, some heading to dormitories, others to the cafeteria or library.

He turned when Mulan spoke.

“Mulan, you’re remarkable! Black Castle has never been so lively!”

“All for the Empire,” Mulan replied with a smile, taking his seat and producing a box of candies, offering one to Owen as he approached.

“A student gave these. They taste quite good.”

Owen looked at the strange items on Mulan’s desk, clearly gifts from students. By contrast, other professors’ desks were bare, some even covered in dust, showing their absenteeism and how long it had been since anyone sat there.

“Thank you.” Owen pocketed the candy and dragged over a chair to sit.

“I never expected you to achieve this in just a few months. It’s incredible.”

“It’s all only theory. What Professor Mongley and the others demonstrate is true magic.”

The old wizard looked up.

“Professor Jonester, I can’t accept that. I’ve listened to your lectures from outside several times—deeply humbling. Why not substitute a few classes for me? Lately, I’m teaching potion-making, and I think you’d excel. I have research to do and can’t spare time for teaching.”

Mulan considered it and didn’t immediately refuse.

“In that case, you’ll have to pay me. Cross-disciplinary teaching is exhausting.”

“Haha, as long as you can name it and I own it, it’s yours.”

The old wizard was shrewd. His personal belongings, even Walton might not be able to name. He expected Mulan would ask for a magic book; books were the least of his concerns.

“I want the bottle containing the demon.”

“Alright, just the… wait, what did you say?”

The old wizard was momentarily stunned. Mulan repeated himself with a smile.

“I want the bottle containing the demon.”

“Just the bottle?”

“No, with everything inside. You know what I mean.”

The old wizard removed his glasses, closed his book, and his expression grew more serious.

“Professor Jonester, that is a dangerous object. True, it couldn’t harm you then, but it’s actually more troublesome now than before. If it escapes, it would be disastrous.”

Mulan’s smile remained unchanged. He nodded.

“Just lend it to me for a few days. I’ve always wanted to study it thoroughly. Don’t worry, I won’t open the bottle.”

The old wizard glanced at Owen, then at Mulan, hesitated for a moment, and then produced the bottle from inside his robe—who knows where he had kept it.

“I trust you are not foolhardy. Return it when my research is done. Oh, wait.”

Before handing it over, he extended his long, withered finger, quickly drawing a magical sigil on the stopper. The sigil flashed and vanished.

“There, now it’s safe.”

Mulan accepted the bottle without concern; he had no intention of opening it anyway. The old wizard was overly cautious, and who could say if the sigil would interfere with his research into the demon’s pure obsession and evil.

“Alright, I need to find Walton. I’ll come to you next time. By the way, I’m sorry about Dolly. I’m sure you’ll find someone better.”

Owen stood up as he spoke, causing Mulan to frown.

“Dolly and I are not acquainted!”

“Oh, I see!” Owen nodded in surprise and left the office. Soon after, the old wizard left as well, leaving only Mulan and the professor in the red robe—Sabastina, as Mulan recalled, a woman known only by her voice, never seen.

“Professor Sabastina, I have matters to attend to. Excuse me.”

She nodded to Mulan without a word, and after he left, only she remained in the office.

Mulan disliked being alone with her. Prolonged solitude with her brought a faint sense of decay and oppressive gloom.

With the demon’s bottle in hand, Mulan walked the main corridor. The demon’s voice was already whispering in his mind.

“Accept my proposal, Mulan Jonester. We will become a perfect existence. If you fear being devoured, I can swear allegiance to you, obey your every command!”

“Isn’t Professor Mongley your master?”

Mulan’s gaze swept the corridor, noting rooms either cluttered with junk or left empty, and he asked the question casually.

“Him? A decaying wizard, vile magic, a low creature lingering on. He relies on spells to direct me, but still cannot fully control me.”

“Are demons trustworthy?”

Mulan asked teasingly. The demon within the bottle answered with a sinister laugh.

“Hehehehehe... True, I am not, but I am sincere. I wish to serve you as master. As you perceive me, I perceive you. You are more terrifying than I imagined. Accept me, I promise…”

Mulan shook the bottle vigorously, making the demon inside dizzy and disoriented.

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