Dean Fu was a very kind and amiable person, and Ding Yumian had clearly already learned about her situation from him.
The young girl looked at the boy, and Ark looked at Ding Yumian as well, the two of them nodding in unison.
In this magical world, none of the famous universities from the Magic City of his past life existed. Instead, Pearl Institute stood alone at the top, arguably second only to the Imperial College in the north within the country, serving as a magical sanctuary of which every mage dreamed.
Had no accidents occurred, both Ark and Ding Yumian would have worked hard toward the goal of entering Pearl Institute. But now, due to an unexpected event, the two of them had been taken away by one of Pearl Institute's deans, bypassing junior high, high school, and the magical college entrance examinations entirely to enter Pearl Institute directly.
Do you have any idea what the gold content of a special admission spot is?
Of course, the two of them had not yet officially entered Pearl Institute; after all, Ding Yumian's situation was special, requiring extra care and observation, a point of which she was acutely aware with her high intelligence.
When Ark woke up, he found himself in a relatively secluded small villa. After a white-eyebrowed doctor personally gave him a comprehensive examination, another bespectacled old professor arrived.
"Old Xiao, you're here," Dean Fu greeted.
"Mhm, I've come to take a look at them." Xiao Bingshen took off his glasses and slowly looked toward the two of them.
"That girl is named Ding Yumian. She's the Calamity Bearer with mind-control abilities that I told you about. I am certain of this; there's no mistake," Dean Fu said.
Dean Fu did not hide anything from Ding Yumian. Speaking plainly was the only way to help her gradually untie the knots in her heart; the more they avoided the topic, the easier it was for problems to arise.
"She awakened the Mind Element on her own, and her spiritual power surpasses that of most Advanced Stage Mages. There's no doubt about it, then. But protecting her won't be easy, you know," Xiao Bingshen said to his old friend.
"I hold the position of Dean at Pearl Institute. As long as we impose certain restrictions, protecting her alone is still manageable." Dean Fu pulled Ark over and continued, "The main reason I called you here is to have you look at this child. His situation is even more peculiar, and I couldn't make a judgment on my own."
Xiao Bingshen's deep gaze fixed upon Ark.
Ark was both surprised and delighted—he hadn't expected to meet Dean Xiao here so soon!
Others might not know, but how could he not? This person was a hidden Forbidden Curse master! If he could latch onto such a massive pillar of support, wouldn't life be peachy?
"Don't be afraid, child. Relax your mind and let me take a look at your Spiritual Universe," Dean Xiao said with a kindly smile.
Ark obediently sat still. In front of a Forbidden Curse master, any concealment was completely meaningless. He was certain that when he was unconscious, Dean Fu had already probed him, yet Dean Fu had evidently not discovered the Ark Core.
*I just hope the Ark Core isn't discovered,* Ark thought to himself. A Forbidden Curse master and a Super-tier Mage were completely different concepts.
A gentle wave of spiritual power entered Ark's Spiritual Universe.
"Oh?"
Dean Xiao looked somewhat surprised. Before ordinary people awakened magic, their Spiritual Universes were completely chaotic and murky, with only the starlight providing a glimmer of illumination.
However, Ark's Spiritual Universe was vastly different. A swarm of faint shimmering mayflies actually illuminated a corner of it.
Dean Xiao cautiously extended his consciousness toward them. At that very moment, those mayflies seemed to have detected his presence and suddenly clustered together, looking uncannily like stars connecting in preparation to cast a spell.
"Buzz~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The mayflies gathered, as if about to converge into something incredible. Ripples suddenly surged within Ark's Spiritual Universe, carrying an unimaginable Power of Purification that completely dispersed even that trace of Dean Xiao's consciousness.
"I felt a unique power carrying a certain mind-force, featuring the traits of the Light Element's purification, and perhaps hints of the Parthenon Temple's blessing magic... yet the power latent within his body likely far surpasses all three!" Dean Xiao made his judgment.
Mind purification, holy light purification, and blessing purification were originally three distinct types of purification power, each with its own strengths. Yet Ark seemed to possess the characteristics of all of them—something unheard of!
Moreover, Ark had not even awakened magic yet; he wasn't even a mage, and yet he wielded such power.
Of course, given the vastness of Dean Xiao's experience, this was nothing to make a fuss about. There were countless talents in the world, and even all sorts of demi-humans, vampires, and werewolves possessing various bizarre abilities.
Ark's eyes darted around. His "Power of Purification" could dissolve literally anything. According to game settings, whatever slowdowns, stuns, knockbacks, freezes, petrifications, or binds there were, he could ignore them all. He could purify and dispel ailments from body to soul, and even his own status conditions—it was simply overpowered beyond reason!
"You're still the one with the sharpest eyes," Dean Fu laughed.
Dean Xiao shook his head and said, "You didn't call me here just for this, did you?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Dean Fu chuckled, refusing to admit it outright.
"Forget it. I'll vouch for this child, then. With mind control and the Power of Purification, as long as they stay together, nothing should go wrong. Old Fu, oh Old Fu, you really know how to find trouble for me," Dean Xiao shook his head and said.
Dean Fu also burst into laughter. Having someone share the pressure with him was truly a pleasant affair.
Ark also wore a smile. Ding Yumian, standing to the side, didn't quite understand, but seeing Ark smile, the corners of her own lips couldn't help curving upward slightly.
Besides, that old gentleman had just said they were going to stay together...
To take care of Ark and Ding Yumian, the two deans of Pearl Institute put aside their respective duties. First, they wrapped up the loose ends of the two youths' departures, admitting them into Pearl Institute through special recruitment, and then guaranteed them in their own names and in the name of Pearl Institute before the highest Adjudication Tribunal. The process involved few outsiders, but Ark was well aware of the hidden troubles, and both he and Ding Yumian felt endlessly grateful to the two deans.
A full month later, the two of them stepped out of the villa for the very first time.
However, Ding Yumian still could not leave the premises; only when both deans were present could she walk a little further away. During this period, her mental state remained unstable. Whenever she thought of her grandmother, or recalled how close she had come to causing a catastrophe that day, the calamity-bearing power inside her would involuntarily begin to permeate outward.
This was when Ark had to step in. Though he was still just an ordinary person, purifying himself required no expenditure, but pulling Ding Yumian back from the brink took quite a bit of energy.
One day, Dean Xiao, returning covered in dust, brought Ark a gift.
"An Awakening Stone?!" Seeing the object in the box, Ark exclaimed with a hint of uncertainty.
"That's right. You haven't awakened your magic yet. Normally, awakening is left until attending a magical high school, but you're special, and your spiritual power far exceeds that of ordinary people, so doing it a bit early is fine. I specifically brought an Awakening Stone for you this time—one that no one else has used yet. Give it a try. No matter what magic you awaken, as long as you work hard at your cultivation, you will shine brightly in the future," Dean Xiao said with a smile.
Ark understood. There were no useless magic elements, only useless mages.
And the facts bore this out; even the Light Element, which lagged the furthest in the early stages, suddenly leaped to become the strongest single-target offensive magic by the Super-tier level. The Judgment Sword was impossibly cool.
Of course, that was assuming one could cultivate to the Super-tier, or at least reach the Advanced Stage; otherwise, it would still lag behind.