Vale then continued receiving advice from his seniors.

It was Cassie who was mostly giving advice. She informed him that his Spectral Hands and Corrupted Chains could be fused to create a new Spell called Chain of Souls. She further explained that it was a spell that conjures chains of dark metal that wrap around and pierce the enemy. Then, darkness would emerge from the chains and attack the enemy's soul, weakening and paralyzing them.

It was such a powerful Spell, but Vale only has one Spectral Hands Spell!

Apparently, he also likes the last Fusion Spell that Cassie recommended.

It was the Ghost Hands, Spectral Hands, and Moonlight Curse that could actually be fused to create a Moonlight Specter!

"Right! This Moonlight Specter Spell is really powerful. Unfortunately, no one learns this Fusion Spell since the Ghost Hands and Spectral Hands had to reach the Advanced Realm before you can fuse them with the Intermediate Moonlight Curse. It would take you years for that to happen." Cassie added, expressing her opinion on this difficult Fusion Spell.

"Indeed. Most of the Spell can be fused with only Elementary Realm or Intermediate Realm mastery, but some spells require Advanced Realm mastery If you think about it, it would feel like it would be a waste since an Advanced Realm Spell is already a strong spell, even without any fusion. Removing two Advanced Realm Spell will require a dedication and a strong heart." Thelma commented with a chuckle.

Normally, it would take at least five or more years to get an Advanced Realm Spell. In normal cases, it would certainly feel bad if you had to give up two of them.

"What about me, Senior? Aside from the Spirit Shatter and the Academy-Exclusive Spells, I currently have Dark Nova, Spirit Hand, and Dark Claw What do you think I should record next for a better fusion? Right, I also have 29 Spirit Strands at the moment, so I can record Tier 2 Spells already." Maya asked with excitement.

"Well I'm sure you can ask your older sister for advice, but I can also help you" Anderson replied as their discussion lasted for another half an hour before they separated.

Vale and Maya felt really thankful to the three as they didn't just learn about the Twelve Academies Competition but also the future that was awaiting them.

"Vale What do you think about the Fusion Spells of the other Academies? Do you think we can deal with that if we face them in the duel tournaments?" Maya asked seriously as they walked in the hallway leading to the student dormitories.

She may not have done her best in the duel against Thelma, but she could tell that even if she used her Featherstar Physique's ability, she would struggle to defeat the Senior with those two Fusion Spells.

Vale simply smiled at this as he recalled the pieces of advice they received a while ago.

"It doesn't matter Just like what they told us, the fusion spells of other Paths weren't that great since they had it easy. Senior Anderson even mentioned that Elementalist's Fusion Spell was something like Frosty Gale A fusion of Ice Wall and Wind Blade Spell They're not as scary as the fusion of our Dark Spells." Vale replied with confidence. They even heard that the Fusion Spells of most Holy Arts Practitioners weren't meant for battle.

"Don't think too much of it. Just think of them using a stronger spell. If we have better Spells, we don't have to worry."

Maya wryly smiled at this, but she understood what Vale was trying to tell her.

"Alright. Let's do our best in the competition."

***

Avery's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunlight filtered through his window.

It was the day he had been eagerly anticipating for months - the start of the Twelve Academies Competition.

"Are we finally at the summit?" Avery muttered to himself as he stretched his limbs.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement as he realized that it's already morning. Today marked the beginning of a grand event that would test the skills and abilities of young arcane practitioners from all over the kingdom.

Avery, a young man with blond hair and piercing blue eyes, was a fourth-year student at Lakrine, the prestigious Academy of Summoning Arts.

Among his peers, he held the esteemed reputation of being the best in his batch. What set him apart was the extraordinary nature of his summoning abilities. While most students could summon objects like swords, shields, or everyday items, Avery had managed to summon something far more remarkable - a Silver-Haired Ape. This impressive feat had earned him recognition and admiration among his fellow students and teachers.

As he rose from his bed and wore his academy uniform, Avery couldn't help but hold his Grimoire and pose like he was about to summon his Silver-Haired Ape...

"Kekeke This is awesome." Avery tried suppressing his laugh as he felt really cool doing this.

After appreciating his elegance, he then stepped out of his cabin to visit the deck of their Airship.

They were headed to the Roaring Summit, the majestic location where the Twelve Academies Competition would take place.

In this Airship, he was together with all the other students from Lakrine who will be participating in the event.

As he stood outside, Avery soon caught sight of the island where the competition would unfold. It was a breathtaking sight.

"Awesome I'm so lucky that the competition rules have changed. It's perfect." Avery muttered as he saw a huge city perched atop a lofty plateau.

As their Airship got near, they could see that the city bustled with activity, its streets filled with visitors, patrolling guards, and practitioners of arcane arts from all walks of life.

However, as their Airship was about to descend, a sudden shift in the atmosphere caught his attention. The once bustling streets had also fell into a hushed silence, and a sense of unease hung in the air.

"What's this Aura?" Avery muttered as his gaze shifted towards the sky, where a dark airship emerged from the horizon, casting an ominous shadow over the city below.