Case 12: All hail master Kierra!
The Crimson Tower had been long known as the best in the world.
With the most extensive collection of magic-related books and documentaries, coupled with the best wizard in the world as the tower master, it was a dream for every aspiring wizard to join this place.
As the tower master, Kierra had always maintained a certain level of attention to teaching talents. She would personally inspect the teaching qualities, the infrastructure, the curriculums, etc. To make sure that her disciples always had the best... or at least everyone thought so.
In reality, she was just bored. But this gave Kierra a general idea of how to teach students efficiently.
White Lotus Sect, Crimson Tower V2.0.
It had been a few days since Kierra captured the Lightning Tiger Sect. During those days, she primarily worked on the device that could awaken mana perception for her new disciples, and she cultivated on the side as well.
''Hm... this should do it.''
Kierra got bored quickly, so she spent way more time on this one than she needed, but now, it was finally completed. The device came in the shape of a circular pad that would allow mana to flow from an integrated battery to the user's body, allowing them to gain mana sight slowly. It was barebone at best, but it worked, and that was all that mattered.
Now, it was time to call in her disciples.
''Sylph, go get them.''
[Kyu!]
The blob of wind flew out the window, delivering the calling order from Kierra.
The archwizard's mana reserve had now reached a comfortable forty percent after a few days of rest, and she felt like she could properly use magic again.
Kierra looked out the window, reminiscing.
Back then, she didn't even think about becoming a wizard. She was just a plain commoner girl with an ordinary dream of spending her life leisurely. Now, she found herself on top of everything. If it wasn't for that woman who discovered her talent...
''...Tch.''
Thinking about that woman gave Kierra a headache.
'Why do I feel like she's going to chase me even here...'
Kierra had a bad premonition. But now wasn't the time for that. Just in time, her disciples had arrived.
''It's late.'' Kierra turned around.
''Hah... hah... why is it so heavy...?!''
An exhausted Tian Yun was there. Together with her, around a dozen more people could be seen trailing behind. Yu Chen and Bai Qing were among them.
''Hm...'' Kierra pondered. ''This should be good enough for warmup from now on.''
The archwizard was lazy. That also meant she was surprisingly efficient. She had set up gravity magic all over the tower's stairs so that everyone climbing it would have a significantly harder time. And this was floor one hundred.
With this, she didn't need to bother warming them up anymore. Kierra felt proud of her own wit.
Meanwhile, everyone else:
╭(°A°)╮ ╭(°A°)╮ ╭(°A°)╮
They had to do this every time?!?!
Before they could complain, Kierra had already sat down on her chair. The sunlight pouring in from the large window fell onto her backside, making her face seem dimmer, accentuating her vivid red eyes.
''First of all, sit down.''
The already tired disciples of Kierra didn't feel like complaining anymore. They obediently sat down on the ground.
''As per the agreement, I will personally teach you lot magic from now on.'' Kierra began. ''Be honored.''
It didn't take long for Yu Chen to convince Tian Yun to follow her plan, especially with the seal of the Lightning Tiger sect leader's seal in hand. So, the whole sect joined under Kierra's magic tower.
This first batch of the archwizard's disciples were the ones perceived by Kierra to have the most talent in magic. The most notable one should be the white lotus herself—Tian Yun. Kierra looked forward to seeing her grow.
''Now.'' Kierra continued. ''Excluding Yu Chen and Tian Yun, everybody takes turns standing on this pad.''
The disciples nodded like chickens. Kierra found this to be quite unsettling. Back in her world, every single wizard was in some way eccentric; the ones with common sense were actually rare.
'Well, I guess they have good discipline.'
Just like that, the lesson from the archwizard began. Kierra first guided Tian Yun and Yu Chen through some basic spells before moving on to monitor the other disciples. The pad worked as intended. The ten or so girls were amazed at what they felt after getting a basic mana circle.
''Hm?''
Kierra suddenly had a question in her mind.
''Why are there not a lot of men in this sect?''
''Erm... the cultivation methods of our sect are generally more suited for women.'' Tian Yun replied.
''...I see.''
The lesson continued.
After around an hour, every disciple was able to chant at least one elementary spell of their element. In the space of wizards, how many elements one could wield entirely depended on their talent.
Tian Yun was able to wield ice, wind, and lightning on top of her light roots, while Yu Chen was capable of fire and darkness on top of her dark roots. The rest were all one-element holders.
''Well done, disciples.'' Kierra sat back on her wooden chair. ''Now, let me ask you a question.''
Everyone waited with bated breaths.
''Tian Yun. Tell me how you would start a fight.''
''Well, I would first release my qi...''
Tian Yun trailed off, mostly because she saw Kierra's eyes change. A hint of anger could be seen in the archwizard's calm pupils.
''This is the problem,'' Kierra spoke up after a brief silence. ''You lot think you have spare energy to waste.''
No one dared to speak. There was a certain tone in Kierra's steady voice that made them infinitely nervous.
Kierra continued. ''Here is a tip to consider. Efficiency is top when it comes to controlling energies.''
The disciples nodded like chickens.
''Good. Rest time is over. Let us continue.''
The disciples:
(「 ⊙Д⊙)「 (「 ⊙Д⊙)「 (「 ⊙Д⊙)「
That was a break?!?!
Roughly ninety minutes later, everyone came out of the Crimson Tower absolutely fried. Kierra looked out the window once again, admiring the sunset and her incredible teaching capabilities.
''Why are you still here?''
When Kierra turned around, she saw a young girl with black hair and black eyes. It was Bai Qing, the eldest martial sister of Qinling Peak.
''Master Kierra, I have something to ask you.''
''Speak.''
''...Could you train me more?''
''Reason?''
''There is a tournament for disciples of various sects coming up shortly. I want to ace it.''
Looking at Bai Qing's determined eyes, Kierra was moved. But she also couldn't outright agree to it; she needed to maintain her image!
So Kierra replied. ''You don't think you can endure my training for longer, do you?''
''I can! This I swear with my honor!'' Bai Qing lowered her head. ''Please teach me, master Kierra!''
''Hm...'' Kierra pretended to think for a moment. ''Good. Let us see how you hold up.''
Kierra was determined to make Bai Qing the champion of this tournament. Flexing her skills through her disciples was always a refined hobby of the archwizard.