After Su Mian failed to tell William anything about his army, the latter didn't ask any further questions. Su Mian quietly searched for escape opportunities, sensing that his time was limited.

Su Mian's Cultivation had been sealed and his Space Ring taken, along with the other valuables on his person. His Tier 8 Array-Reinforced clothes were traded with a set of linen cloths, making the "peerless genius" look more like a beggar on the street.

Across the room, William contemplated his earlier thoughts and planned out his next move. For the nth time since arriving at the Ascended Realms, William found more to add to his to-do list.

This is more realistic, to be honest. How can William linearly progress through the Ascended Realms like some sort of robot? Things aren't as simple as "fight, gather, grow, and fight some more."

Yes, William can most definitely grow stronger than others simply by killing Magical Beasts and slowly comprehending his Magic Affinities, but then he'd be missing out on other opportunities.

For example, had he spent all of his time slowly clearing the Quake Dungeon, he might reach the 40th Floor easily, but what about the Realm of Ice? By the time he clears the Dungeon, the Realm might be closed again.

Elemental Realms are opening, the Quake Dungeon can be explored, and there's a Cultivation Competition coming up. I can explore the Plane, fight Magical Beasts to earn Ascended Points, earn Spirit Jades, or improve my Mana Circuits...

This is just the tip of the iceberg! William had many plans for the future, and if he wants all of the loot he must be prepared to tackle many challenges at once!

To a loot goblin like himself, gaining some while losing others is a criminal offense!

He muttered aloud, "Hmm... First order of business... you."

Su Mian shivered, bracing himself for another flashbang.

The expected flash of light didn't come, instead finding his body lifted a few meters by Wind Mana. William precisely controlled Su Mian to float behind him. At the rear, Atticus received a set of telepathic instructions, transforming into Mole Form and diving underground.

"Put me down! Where are you taking me?" Su Mian spat in annoyance, finding his situation highly embarrassing.

"Shut up." William said.

"Make me!"

"Okay." William channeled Sound Mana, sealing Su Mian's voice in an instant.

Su Mian saw a way out of his predicament. He and William had clashed not long ago, and the boy even used several Primary Laws at once. Now he had to use the Seal Element to block his Cultivation, the Wind Element to carry him, and the Sound Element to silence him.

Channeling three Elements at the same time must be exhausting!

He became excited, but couldn't show it outwardly, instead allowing himself to float aimlessly behind his captor while they moved to an unknown location.

William conjured portal after portal to speed up their movement, though he wasn't nearly as fast as the group of assassins that Su Mian led. This was one major difference between himself and higher Realm Cultivators, and carrying Su Mian didn't help the situation.

Four hours passed. Su Mian continued to wait.

Eight hours. William passed the Quake Dungeon, but didn't stop. Su Mian nearly fell asleep from boredom. He waited for William to fall from exhaustion, but there were no signs of Mana Sickness, nor had he taken a single Mana Pill.

After examining William's back for a long time, Su Mian noticed a few peculiar things about William's equipment. Thousands of various stealth-based Arrays prevented Su Mian from seeing this before, but he started to develop a new understanding of the young man from the Mortal Realms.

William's shirt, the cloak that covered it, his pants, the metallic boxes concealed beneath everything. Even his shoes! Not only was everything surprisingly high-quality and Mana-rich, but...

Thousands, tens of thousands... maybe even hundreds of thousands of Arrays! Tier 4, 5, and 6! Individual Runes with hidden purposes, the Arrays they connected to, and the Array Formations piecing everything together neatly.

If Su Mian were an Array Master, he'd realize that this was merely a fraction of the real situation. William has been maintaining and improving his equipment for several years, and he'd even inscribed Runes on the opposite side of his clothes!

Even if Su Mian was an Array Master of the Seventh or even Eighth Tier, it didn't matter. He'd never be able to discern all the functions of his equipment, unless he had X-Ray vision or a level of perception that exceeds the stealth capabilities of his gear.

While floating behind William, Su Mian started to believe that this equipment was the reason for William's strength and inexhaustible Mana Reserves. He wasn't correct in this thinking, but to say it didn't assist would also be false.

Eleven hours passed. William stopped at Great Rouge, hauling Su Mian behind him amidst the gazes of many locals. He explained Su Mian's identity to the guards, but he didn't explain the circumstances of the boy's capture.

Per William's request, the guards allowed him to bring Su Mian into the City, where Professor Tenningbrew and Vice Principal Kenny were already waiting.

"This is him?" Kenny eyed both William and Su Mian weirdly.

This kid really has a unique way of handling things.

Professor Tenningbrew thought the same, "You could have waited outside. The whole City is going to know what happened here today."

William shrugged, "He deserves it for targeting me."

At the same time, he leaned in and whispered to the two Filem staff members, "Can you take credit for this?"

"No problem." The Vice Principal nodded assuredly. "as long as you follow-up on what we discussed before."

William responded with a nod of his own, following the pair back to the Filem Academy where a secure room was already prepared. They discussed a few matters related to Su Mian, his Order Element, and the Riverveil Family. Lastly, he shared information regarding Su Mian's army and their plans to invade the Realm of Ice.

Neither Tenningbrew nor Kenny asked about how William was able to deal with such a group of assassins, acknowledging that the boy has an Order Element of his own, even comprehended to the level of Primary Laws.

"Do you know where they are?" Kenny wondered how five thousand Cultivators could bypass the detection methods of the Slightwing Family. If the Riverveil Family was truly capable of this, the Big Earth Zone could be in trouble.

William shook his head, "I only know they're near the border."

"You did the right thing by telling us." Tenningbrew spoke. "What will you do now?"

"The Realm of Ice." William responded vaguely.

"You can't!" they spoke in unison. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Five thousand is too many, even for you!"

"Heh. I'll leave them to you. That's not what I'm after."

Tenningbrew's eyes widened, "Then...?"

Before William said it, Tenningbrew already knew. Not only he, but the Vice Principal thought of the third and fourth-year students in vicinity of the Realm of Ice that may have to deal with a new troublemaker.

"Do you even have to ask? I want the Roots of the Secondary Law of Ice!"