**Chapter 27: Investigation (Part 2)**

The slightly balding wizard spoke slowly, his voice carrying a trace of profundity:

“I’ve also examined his fate… it’s remarkably clean. Within the traceable span of time, there’s no evidence of any connection to unknown powerful entities.”

At his words, the other wizards couldn’t help but cast envious glances his way.

Whether it was time-related sorcery or fate-related sorcery, both were extraordinarily complex. Such inspections could only be conducted by at least a sixth-level wizard, far more intricate and difficult to falsify than the previous tests.

Even though everyone present was a genius capable of ascending to fifth-level wizardry, there were still disparities among geniuses.

Clearly, this balding wizard was the most gifted among them.

“What about the dean’s side?” a voice raised the final critical question.

After the previous rounds of audits, Jie Ming’s situation was theoretically confirmed, but for absolute certainty, the highest level of verification was still required.

This highest level of confirmation often involved touching the plane’s origin.

And that was something only the dean, who held true mastery over the entire plane, could accomplish.

From the void, a message devoid of any emotional fluctuation, transmitted directly by powerful mental energy, answered the question:

[Plane origin data has been examined. In the past century, no traces of intrusion by external higher lifeforms or higher energies have been detected.]

Hearing this highest-level confirmation, the wizards present nodded in acknowledgment.

The balding wizard then delivered his conclusion: “In that case, we can essentially confirm that this apprentice is neither a spy from another civilization nor a pawn remotely controlled by some unknown powerful entity. Unless, of course, the entity he’s in contact with surpasses a ninth-level wizard…”

At this, the balding wizard remained unfazed, but a few of the other wizards couldn’t help but chuckle.

A ninth-level wizard was a legendary existence, the Speaker who ruled over the entire wizarding civilization, standing at the pinnacle of countless planes.

For certain reasons, a ninth-level wizard’s power was theoretically infinite.

If there truly existed an entity surpassing such comprehension, deigning to manipulate a mere apprentice, even if they found the slightest clue, they’d have to pretend not to notice and perhaps even indulge in the entity’s whimsical game of make-believe.

But unfortunately, based on current theories, it was almost impossible for anything to surpass a ninth-level wizard.

Thus, it was essentially certain that Jie Ming was neither a spy nor a traitor.

However, just as this relatively calm conclusion was reached, a voice broke the silence.

“I heard the properties of this material are quite unique. Even the wizards from the Crimson Court were stirred, willing to spend vast resources to acquire it…”

Though unspoken, the greed in the speaker’s tone betrayed their intentions.

At those words, the atmosphere in the secret chamber plummeted to freezing.

Mentor Clark—the slightly balding wizard—slowly turned around.

Though his face remained shrouded in shadow, his gaze pierced through the obstruction of his robe, like two icy blades stabbing toward the wizard who spoke.

His voice, no longer a low inquiry, now carried undisguised mockery:

“Forcibly seizing the knowledge of a wizard who is neither a spy nor a traitor?”

He spoke slowly, each word striking like ice against the ground: “Do you intend to openly violate the covenant established by the Star Orbit Tribunal? If you’re not afraid of being targeted by the [Dimensional Judgment] of those nine esteemed Speakers, then… be my guest.”

The proposing wizard froze, as if doused with cold water, his fervor instantly extinguished.

The Star Orbit Tribunal, a supreme supervisory body composed of nine ninth-level wizards.

Legend held that they wielded terrifying authority capable of altering reality itself. Combined with the infinite power represented by a ninth-level wizard, they were undeniably the true rulers of the wizarding civilization.

The Tribunal’s purpose, beyond balancing the various factions within the wizarding civilization, was to uphold the right of wizards to possess and study their own knowledge.

In the eyes of the Tribunal’s ninth-level wizards, whether an eighth-level wizard or a wizard apprentice, all were ants that could be crushed with a single hand, ensuring the fairest oversight.

It was precisely because of the Tribunal’s existence that high-tier wizards could not arbitrarily seize the research results or core knowledge of lower-tier wizards.

This fair oversight was the cornerstone of the wizarding world’s continuous emergence of new knowledge, the vitality that propelled its progress, and the fundamental reason it could conquer multiple planes.

Many of the wizards present had, during their apprentice or low-tier days, benefited from the Tribunal’s covenant. They knew full well the consequences of crossing this line.

A voice laced with clear mockery broke the silence: “Don’t act like you’ve uncovered some earth-shattering secret. That material is somewhat special, but it’s only at the level of a fifth-grade material, isn’t it? High corrosion resistance, but pitifully weak in physical and energy resistance.”

His tone shifted, carrying a pride only peers could understand: “Which one of us here wasn’t a genius back in the day? Creating a fifth-grade material is nothing. Besides, doesn’t our Noren Academy have a super genius who crafted a sixth-grade material during their apprentice days?”

At these words, all the wizards instinctively turned their gazes toward Mentor Clark, the slightly balding figure, their eyes filled with awe, curiosity, and a hint of concealed wariness.

Mentor Clark faced their gazes with calm indifference, his shadowed face as expressionless as ever.

He looked at Jie Ming’s image on the light screen, his tone returning to its initial calm and objectivity.

“Since it’s confirmed that this apprentice is a genius, with qualified crisis-handling abilities, demonstrating calm judgment and decisive action, he has shown potential worthy of cultivation.”

He paused briefly: “Therefore, I propose initiating the second-tier cultivation protocol for this apprentice.”

The second-tier cultivation protocol meant the academy would invest more resources, providing better mentorship, superior cultivation environments, and prioritized resource allocation to accelerate the apprentice’s growth.

The other wizards raised no objections.

The threat had been ruled out, and the benefits couldn’t be forcibly taken. What remained was a genius worth investing in.

From the start, their gathering here wasn’t about some trivial material but to determine whether this individual held investment value.

A silent vote took place among the wizards.

The results came quickly, with the proposal passing by an overwhelming majority. Even the wizard who had coveted Jie Ming’s achievements voted in favor.

“The protocol is approved. Notify the relevant departments to allocate resources,” Mentor Clark announced.

The light screen slowly faded, and the chamber fell into darkness as the wizards’ figures gradually dissipated.