So that's how it is.

Acosta seemed to have completely understood.

Yet, this emperor, who had lived for nearly two centuries and single-handedly created the mightiest empire on the entire plane – the most legendary mage – still felt as if he were in a dream at this very moment.

Since when did becoming a Divine Spirit turn into merely a step along the way?

But as he truly accepted all of this, joy surged ever stronger within him.

And it burned ever hotter.

He even felt a sudden urge to laugh out loud.

It was not only because, in face of the dreadful and seemingly senseless divine punishment from the gods, they now had hope to resist.

Even more so, what Wizard Shen Yu had said perfectly matched what they believed deep in their hearts.

Gods are not invincible, and humans, too, might become divine!

"Your presence will give every mage immense courage," Acosta looked at Wizard Shen Yu, his gaze actually holding gratitude, "We may still dread the power of the gods, but we shall no longer fear the gods themselves. And now we know we journey upon the right path."

It was imaginable. Without the intellectual shackles imposed by the Divine Spirit, mages would surely unleash far greater potential!

But Wizard Shen Yu shook his head.

"Just mages alone—it's far from enough."

Acosta was stunned.

"My trial," Wizard Shen Yu spoke slowly, "is not truly about opposing or defeating the divine. The actual trial is to save humanity."

"Save humanity?" Acosta was stunned again.

"As I've said, in our perspective, humanity—even the weakest of humans—harbors boundless potential. Moreover, we ourselves are human," Wizard Shen Yu smiled, "Look at me, is there any part of me that doesn't resemble a human? I even have my own fiancée. So, saving the weak, saving humanity in its most vulnerable hour from destruction—is the essence of this trial."

"I see." Acosta looked deeply at Wizard Shen Yu.

It was indeed as he said.

He didn't recall every student, but he certainly remembered Wizard Shen Yu to some extent.

This was a student whose magical talent was not regarded as exceptional, yet was extremely active, always brimming with ideas beyond the ordinary.

Beyond that, he truly was like everyone else—full of emotion.

"Your fiancée is the Violet Kingdom's Third Princess, isn't she?" Acosta sighed, "I recall, once the news got out, the young men in the academy were all jealous for quite some time. The princess truly is an exceptional beauty."

"In fact, Aivlette is one of the main reasons I accepted this trial," Wizard Shen Yu showed no embarrassment; instead, he grew more solemn. "Compared to my other 'companions', the trial I face isn't easy at all. The greatest barrier is that people generally lack the courage to oppose the Divine Spirit. As the saying goes, 'one who wholeheartedly seeks death cannot be saved.' If people willingly accept their doom, then there's nothing I can do."

Indeed, that was what worried Wizard Shen Yu the most.

For now, the situation in the Violet Kingdom was still manageable.

The Magic Empire was faring even better.

After all, the Violet Kingdom was never a place heavily influenced by the Divine Spirit; it seemed that the gods of this world didn't care all that much about believers and faith—so not everyone was a believer.

But in some places, the power of the Divine Spirit was much graver.

Especially in regions directly governed by the church.

Those fanatic believers who kept their eyes closed, faithful, and even joyfully awaited the coming of divine punishment surely existed—and were not few.

Thus, Wizard Shen Yu had to disperse the burden.

He understood well: sometimes, the more you try to save others, the less they appreciate it. In contrast, if you act more detached, those with a will to survive will fight to grasp hope themselves.

Moreover, what Wizard Shen Yu said was the truth.

He looked extremely serious at Acosta and continued, "I do not have to accept the trial; admitting failure is not something I find hard to accept. I could even simply take Aivlette away."

That was genuine.

Acosta possessed enough wisdom to discern the honesty in Wizard Shen Yu's words.

Now, the pressure shifted onto his own shoulders.

Perhaps, to Wizard Shen Yu, the gods were not insurmountable foes.

But to them, a mere plague could wipe out half the population in just a few short days.

What about the next divine punishment?

What if a god intervened directly?

"There is hope," Acosta took a deep breath and looked sincerely at Wizard Shen Yu, "The will of the people can be influenced. I believe most people's faith will never surpass the instinctual urge to survive. At the very least, us mages will do everything in our power to live."

"I'll see how things go. Passing the trial would be best," Wizard Shen Yu nodded.

He knew that today's meeting had essentially achieved its aim.

Not only had he established contact with the faction most capable of resisting this plane, but he had also claimed the initiative.

The initiative means a great deal.

The amount of Gray Mist he could acquire depended on the impact his actions had.

For example, resolving the plague—even though it had currently infected tens of millions, perhaps not even a hundred million—if Wizard Shen Yu eradicated it now, he could still earn all the future Gray Mist that the plague would have claimed from its victims.

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