Kaelan does not have to wait long.
A knock sounds at the office door, firm and respectful, and before he answers, the door opens, and Chen Qi steps inside.
This is not the first time Kaelan has seen him since returning.
After the birth of his daughter, Chen Qi personally came to offer congratulations, not out of formality, but because within Kaelan's organisation, Chen Qi oversees dependants, logistics, and the business structure that sustains the Wizard way.
More importantly, Chen Qi was the first to surrender to him.
Chen Qi closes the door behind him, walks forward, and bows deeply.
"Lord."
Kaelan lifts a hand slightly.
"Sit."
Chen Qi nods and takes a seat across the table without hesitation, his posture straight and composed.
Kaelan studies him briefly.
Chen Qi looks calm, controlled, and confident, nothing like the man who was once on the verge of death when he first became a dependent.
Kaelan speaks without preamble.
"Chen Qi, I want you to transfer all your current duties to Chen Wei."
Chen Qi does not ask why.
He does not hesitate.
"Understood, Lord."
This obedience is absolute.
The blood Kaelan placed within Chen Qi binds him completely.
If Kaelan were to command Chen Qi to kill himself, Chen Qi would obey even if every instinct resisted.
The same is true for all of Kaelan's dependents.
Yet the bond is not one-sided.
Their lives are connected to his.
As Kaelan's cultivation rises, their potential rises with it.
When Chen Qi first became a dependent, he was barely alive.
Now, he is a Gold Realm Wizard.
Before turning to the Wizard way, Chen Qi had been a Grand Martial Art Master, equivalent to a peak Silver Wizard.
His foundation was solid.
Combined with Kaelan's blood, a half-step Spiritual Grade Meditation Guide personally created for dependants, and unlimited access to the Wizard Academy's library, his advancement was inevitable.
In six to seven years, he crossed into the Gold Realm.
Kaelan leans forward slightly.
"I want to organise an expeditionary force."
Chen Qi's gaze sharpens.
"Five Gold Realm Wizards."
"Twenty Silver Realm Wizards."
"Fifty Bronze Realm Wizards."
"And one thousand Wizard Apprentices."
Kaelan's voice remains steady.
"They will move to the frontline and engage the Night Dynasty."
Chen Qi absorbs the numbers without visible surprise.
"Understood, Lord."
A moment passes, then Chen Qi speaks again, carefully.
"Lord… may I take the special unit with me?"
Kaelan pauses.
For a brief moment, he does not understand what Chen Qi is referring to.
Then memory surfaces.
The four leaders of the Blood Hunt Bandits.
After becoming dependants, they returned with the rune books.
At Kaelan's instruction, they began training an elite force in secrecy.
Back then, Kaelan had intended to take the Tang Kingdom through war.
He had not anticipated that marriage would accomplish the same goal more cleanly.
After marrying Li Xueyao, the army became unnecessary.
But it was never dismantled.
It was preserved.
For moments like this.
Kaelan nods.
"You may take them."
He adds, "If you are short on personnel, draw from the noble families."
Chen Qi bows slightly.
"I will make the arrangements."
Chen Qi continues, already shifting into operational planning.
"To reach the frontline, we must travel from the Tang Kingdom to the Chen Kingdom, then cross into the Lan Kingdom, and finally pass through the Golden Horde Kingdom to leave human territory."
He pauses.
"We cannot move directly west from the Tang Kingdom."
Kaelan already knows why.
To the west lies the vast Dahe River, too wide and violent for conventional crossings.
Beyond it stretches demon-infested forest territory, unstable and hostile.
Reaching the frontline that way would be slow and costly.
Chen Qi continues.
"From the Golden Horde Kingdom, there is an established route leading directly to the Twilight Race's headquarters at the frontline."
"But even then, travel will take several months."
Kaelan shakes his head slightly.
"Too slow."
He looks up.
"Use the small flying boats."
"And take second-stage crows as mounts to escort them."
Chen Qi's eyes widen briefly, then settle.
Second-stage crows are fast, durable, and capable of long-distance travel without rest.
Combined with flying boats, they can cut months into days.
"Yes, Lord."
Chen Qi rises and bows deeply once more.
"I will depart immediately to prepare."
He turns and leaves the office without another word.
The door closes softly behind him.
Kaelan remains seated.
He picks up the next report and resumes reading, his expression calm but his thoughts already projecting forward.
-------
Two days later, Kaelan enters his office with the intention of finalising the plan to open Wizard Academies across the Tang Kingdom.
He sits down and begins writing, assigning Bronze Realm Wizards as provisional heads of the new academies.
Among the academy that houses his original twelve students, five others have already advanced into official wizard realms.
He does not consider sending those five away, because this central academy requires experienced instructors to stabilise its growth.
For now, he decides to open six Wizard Academies.
Each academy will specialise according to the strengths and paths of one of his remaining six original students.
They will not teach every subject.
They will focus.
Senior Wizard Apprentices will assist by teaching entry-level and foundational classes.
This system already functions here, as teaching earns academic points for senior apprentices and forces them to repeatedly review and refine their own understanding.
Kaelan takes out a list of senior Wizard Apprentices and studies it carefully, selecting names that show both discipline and patience.
At that moment, a knock sounds at the door.
The door opens slightly, and Lu Chen peeks inside.
"Teacher, can we come in now?"
Kaelan nods without looking up.
"Come in."
Lu Chen opens the door wider, allowing He Shoumei and Mu Yue to step inside with him.
Kaelan is not surprised by Lu Chen's choices.
All three stand before his desk, their postures straight and expressions tense.
Kaelan sets the document aside and looks at them.
"Have you prepared your questions?"
They nod.
Kaelan says, "Lu Chen, you may begin."
Lu Chen takes a deep breath, steadying himself.
"Teacher, given my current situation, what path should I take in the future?"
Lu Chen's path is already clear in Kaelan's mind.
Through spells and techniques learned from the Life Engineering course, Lu Chen infused Demon Beast Blood into his body.
With that bloodline support, he advanced into the official Wizard stage as a Bronze Wizard.
Kaelan asks, "Which Demon Beast Blood did you use?"
Lu Chen answers immediately.
"Lightning Fox."
Kaelan recalls the Lightning Fox clearly.
It is a Second Stage Demon Beast capable of cultivating to the peak of the Second Stage, equivalent to the Golden Wizard Realm.
Kaelan nods.
"If you continue to deepen the Lightning Fox bloodline, you can rely on it to advance to the Golden Wizard Realm."
Lu Chen's eyes brighten slightly.
Kaelan continues, "To dig deeper into that bloodline, you must first refine what you already gained."
He explains, "Take the innate abilities extracted from the Lightning Fox blood and turn them into structured wizard spells."
He adds, "After that, refine and improve those spells."
"You should also learn the new Thunder Path spells I placed in the library."
Lu Chen nods seriously.
He then asks two more questions, one about stabilising his magic circuit under bloodline pressure and another about refining mana to better harmonise with lightning attributes.
Kaelan answers both without hesitation, giving precise adjustments rather than broad theory.
Kaelan then looks to the side.
"He Shoumei, you are next."
He Shoumei steps forward.
She chose the elemental path and successfully formed an alien elemental energy aligned with the Water Element.
Her energy carries both cold and healing properties.
She asks her first question.
"How should I further develop the alien elemental energy I created?"
Kaelan answers, "Learn the new Water Path spells I designed."
He explains that those spells are not meant only for casting, but for refining control, flow, and stability of Water Elemental Energy.
Her second question concerns her magic circuit, similar to Lu Chen's, focusing on balance rather than expansion.
Kaelan adjusts her approach, emphasising containment and cyclical reinforcement.
Her third question is whether she should take another subject to support her future growth.
Kaelan answers without hesitation.
"No."
He explains, "Knowledge without direction becomes weight."
He pauses and adds, "However, you should take the advanced Illusion subject."
He clarifies that illusion will not change her path, but will greatly improve her combat survivability and battlefield control.
He Shoumei bows deeply.
Then Mu Yue steps forward.
Mu Yue chose the Rune path combined with Wooden Elemental Energy.
She advanced to Bronze Wizard by constructing a First-Tier Spell, using the spell's feedback to elevate her realm.
Her questions mirror the others in structure, but not in nature.
She asks about long-term rune stability, mana consumption, and expansion of spell arrays.
Kaelan listens and then answers carefully.
"You should focus on Rune Arrangement."
He explains that single runes have limits, but structured rune systems do not.
He then adds, "You should also study Life Engineering."
Mu Yue looks surprised.
Kaelan explains that Wood Elemental Energy and runes intersect naturally through growth, reinforcement, and adaptive structures.
Life Engineering will allow her to design living rune frameworks rather than static ones.
Mu Yue bows deeply, her expression resolved.
After all questions are answered, the three students leave quietly.
Kaelan returns his attention to the academy structure.
He assigns each of the remaining six original students to one of the six provinces.
To each group, he attaches several senior Wizard Apprentices chosen earlier.
Their task is clear.
Build the Wizard Academy.
With the final assignments written, Kaelan sets the document aside.
The framework is complete.