SUPREME ARCH-MAGUS

Chapter 991: The Watcher in the Mist

The afternoon sun shimmered on the cobbled path as Phillip Salt—no longer the timid shadow he once was—walked back from the Lan family herb garden. The soft clink of his boots echoed between the tall buildings flanking the road, his mind a whirlpool of thoughts.

He smiled to himself, a rare, genuine smile—not of arrogance, but of satisfaction.

“Manuka Lan…” Phillip muttered under his breath, his hand casually brushing the hem of his robe. “You are not a hard target to chase. Just a matter of time, you will be in my hands.”

He had played the gamble well. Dropping a heavy bag of mana crystals for a rare herb that didn’t even grow within the eastern domain? It wasn’t about obtaining the herb. It was bait. And the bait had caught her attention. The elusive Manuka Lan had descended from her secluded world of herbs and spiritual flora. A feat not even the noble lords of the inner family had achieved.

“Three years of living like a joke in this Salt family… this Phillip definitely suffered in life.”

He chuckled inwardly.

“This is only the beginning,” Phillip whispered, confidence surging. “She’s not someone who is swayed by poems or flowers… but curiosity!”

He smiled again.

“Curiosity kills indifference. And right now, Manuka Lan is curious about me.”

But just as he rounded the curve near the Silver Ridge Pavilion, where the trees drooped low and the scent of wild jasmine lingered in the air, a figure in a white robe stepped onto the path—arms folded, lips pressed into a thin, impatient line.

“Returning so soon, Honey Phillip?” said a cold voice, like a blade half-sheathed.

Phillip halted mid-step. His eyes narrowed a fraction, but the grin on his face never vanished.

“Lily White,” he said, his voice smooth as wind over polished glass. “You look like you’ve been waiting.”

Lily’s eyes glinted. She had dressed carefully today: her silver-stitched robes shimmered with tiny light-drawing runes, her long braid lined with sea-blue beads—a signature of the White family’s main line. It was a casual outfit by noble standards, but her presence always carried the pride of her bloodline.

“I was training nearby,” she lied half-heartedly. “And just happened to hear about your little… visit to the Lan Herb Garden.”

Phillip raised a brow. “Ah, the news spreads like wildfire when a Salt family disgrace causes waves in the Lan territory, doesn’t it?”

Her lips twitched, almost smiling, but she swallowed it quickly. “You surprised them. I’ll give you that. Even made Manuka Lan descend from her sacred greenhouse. That’s a rare feat.”

Phillip remained silent, letting the breeze fill the pause.

“But don’t be delusional,” Lily added sharply. “You may have caught her attention… but Manuka Lan is not someone who falls for flashy tricks. She’s—”

“Too intelligent?” Phillip interrupted softly.

Lily blinked.

“Too composed? Too above worldly charms? Perhaps.” He stepped closer, closing the distance. “But that’s what makes it fun.”

She scoffed, but her gaze didn’t waver. “So this is a game to you?”

“No,” Phillip said calmly. “It’s a path. Whether it leads to her heart or something greater… only time will tell.”

Lily folded her arms tighter, tension showing now.

“Don’t forget, Phillip. You and I are still bound by the engagement challenge. Don’t fall for Manuka Lan.”

Phillip leaned in, just enough to make her shoulders tighten. “You brought up the challenge. You asked for a man who could make the Manuka Lan to submit.”

He paused, smiling wider. “But what if I bring Manuka Lan herself to give everything to me like a puppy?”

Lily’s face twitched with something between disbelief and annoyance. “You think she’ll follow you? Fell in deep love just because you talked about some fake herb?”

Phillip shrugged. “We’ll see. Maybe she’ll come out of curiosity. Maybe admiration. Or maybe… just to see how far I’ll go.”

Lily turned, hiding her clenched jaw. She wasn’t used to Phillip speaking with this level of boldness. This wasn’t the boy who used to stammer in her presence, who tried to bribe her servants just to meet her. This Phillip was different—poised, sharp, and dangerous in an entirely new way.

As she took a step away, Phillip spoke again.

“You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you?”

Lily stopped.

“I’ve changed,” he said. “And you… You’re watching that change more closely than anyone.”

The silence stretched between them like a taut string.

She turned her head slightly, enough for him to catch her smirk. “I watch everyone. Especially those who claim they’ll defeat me.”

Then she walked away, her steps elegant, but her fists tight at her sides.

Phillip stood in place, gazing after her.

“She’s threatened,” he thought. “She won’t admit it, but she is.”

The competition between them was no longer a one-sided declaration. It had become a battle of will, wits, and something far more dangerous: intention.

He turned to head home, the light dimming under a sea of red-gold clouds. The game had begun. His schemes were in motion. And between Lily White and Manuka Lan, two women who ruled their respective domains with grace and strength, he stood as a third force—calm, calculating, and ready to turn admiration into belief.

—

Near the ancient well…

Far above in the sky, the air around the Ancient Well had grown still. The same well in which Kent jumped for the Sea God legacy.

And there, the Old Man stood once more—his back slightly hunched, his white beard trailing like sea foam on the stones, and a thick, moth-eaten tome pressed tightly against his chest.

He hadn’t moved since Kent, now Phillip Salt in this strange soul trial, had jumped willingly into the abyss of the well without question.

But now, something flickered across his weathered face.

A twitch.

A subtle lift of his wrinkled lips.

A smirk.

“Interesting…” the old man muttered under his breath, shifting the heavy tome to one hand and tracing a rune glowing faintly in the air with a single crooked finger. A scrying circle shimmered to life before him—like a mirror of soft blue light, revealing a clear image of Kent’s current life as Phillip Salt.

–

Tq for the support guys!