"Sixteen years old... third tier... invincible!"
"This is too terrifying!"
"I remember just two weeks ago news came out about Sorinus advancing to the second tier... in half a month, he's jumped nearly two tiers... by the magic gods, is he your illegitimate child?!"
The students were so shocked that they didn't know how to describe their feelings.
Complex!
They were about the same age as Sorinus, and many of them were older than him.
But between them and Sorinus...
It was like there was a sky-high gap!
It made them not even want to strive to catch up.
Just deeply... hopeless!
It made people jealous to the point of suffocation of his talent!
Titonrius, the chubby boy, had his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit a duck egg, unable to close it for a long time.
"L-Lin... Sorinus... is too awesome!"
Titonrius jumped up from his seat in excitement.
He now wanted to rush out immediately and tell everyone that Sorinus Alduran was his friend!
Although his performance in this month's test was not ideal, Titonrius was not worried at all.
He was absolutely sure that as long as he told his dad after going home that he had made friends with Sorinus, he wouldn't get a beating.
He might even get praised!
Before coming here, his dad had told him to try to make friends with the outstanding students in the academy.
Because when they graduated and grew up, serving important positions in the military or the court, every one of them would be a contact for the Cambria family.
Titonrius now just wanted to cling to Sorinus's thigh.
This was no longer a description of excellence or outstanding. It could only be described as terrifying, abnormal, and monstrous...
If Sorinus became a super strongman like Glayston in the future, then Titonrius Cambria would truly be outstanding!
It took Valensa quite some time to calm down her inner shock and excitement.
Her voice was still slightly trembling, "Sorinus Alduran, psychic power result... outstanding!"
"Next item."
Even more anticipation.
How far could Sorinus and Teacher Valensa go when they fought?
One minute?
Ten minutes?!
Valensa even felt a hint of nervousness inexplicably.
She knew about Sorinus's terrifying talent in magic learning.
Just by looking at the principles of casting, he could learn without chanting the incantation, even instantaneously!
However, she also wanted to see how far Sorinus's current strength had reached.
A large space was cleared in the test field.
"Let's begin..."
Before Valensa could finish her sentence, fireballs the size of human heads had already appeared in Sorinus's palms, one in each hand.
With his mental control, they shot towards Valensa like meteors.
There was a burst of exclamations from the audience.
"Heaven! Why didn't Sorinus chant the spell?!"
"Instantaneous casting!!"
"He's just promoted to the third tier and he can instantly cast Fireball at the first tier? And he's casting two at the same time?!"
"So amazing!"
Valensa's expression remained unchanged as two water orbs floated up in front of her, quickly intercepting them.
Similarly, they were instantly cast.
As a sixth-tier mage, she could cast low-level magic instantaneously.
She didn't need to chant the spells specifically, and her standards were completely different from those for other people.
It seemed a bit harsh.
Just as the fireballs and water orbs were about to collide, they suddenly exploded, creating two bursts of sparks.
The magic shield around Valensa rippled, dimming slightly.
"!!!"
"It's not Fireball, it's Exploding Fireball?!"
"Sorinus can instantly cast second-level magic, my goodness!"
The students' eyes nearly popped out.
It was too thrilling!
They didn't know what to say.
Valensa began to counterattack.
Sorinus made her feel pressure.
She felt that if she didn't use all her skills and strength, she might even lose!
Valensa lightly chanted, her fingers moving rapidly in the air.
Dozens of water bullets the size of eggs appeared successively, arranged densely in front of her.
Third-level water magic, Water Bullet!
The students' spirits were lifted.
Third-level magic?! Teacher Valensa was taking it seriously now!
However, Sorinus's actions were a bit difficult for people to understand.
Instead of retreating, he advanced.
He actively approached Valensa.
Dozens of water bullets flew towards Sorinus like a swarm of bees.
Each one had the power equivalent to first-level magic.
Sorinus had nowhere to dodge.
"Be careful!"
"Sorinus is in trouble!"
But Sorinus's expression remained as calm as ever, his eyes fixed on Valensa, seemingly ignoring the barrage of water bullets about to hit him.
"Boom..."
Three brilliant red fire rings suddenly burst out around Sorinus's body.
Expanding suddenly, they spread outwards explosively...
The surging flames wiped out most of the water bullets, leaving only a few hitting Sorinus's magic shield.
"It's Fire Ring!"
"Another second-level magic! And it's instant!"
"Damn it! He actually cast three simultaneously, how did he do it?!"
There was a flash of light in Valensa's eyes.
She didn't expect Sorinus to use this method to resist her Water Bullet spell.
It was quite clever, and he also controlled the three Fire Rings quite well.
At this moment, Sorinus was less than five meters away from Valensa.
The scene was very eerie.
It didn't look like a battle between two mages, but more like Sorinus, acting as a warrior, constantly trying to approach the mage Valensa.
Valensa remained calm, chanting.
A shimmering wave appeared in front of her, like a mirror.
Third-level magic, Water Mirror!
It could resist and reflect a certain degree of magical attacks.
Sorinus raised an eyebrow, and a faint red light suddenly appeared all over his body
"Too strong!"
That was the only thought in everyone's mind.
Under equal-level strength, even Teacher Valensa was defeated by Sorinus.
Valensa was a sixth-tier mage!
Mages' understanding of low-level magic was not something ordinary people could compare to.
But Sorinus still won.
And he won decisively! Beautifully!
"Sorinus Alduran, magic control result... outstanding!"
Two outstanding assessment scores, a total of four credits!
Valensa looked at Sorinus with a complex expression.
There was joy, surprise, shock... and a hint of faint disappointment.
Being a teacher to a genius wasn't that easy, was it?
It was quite discouraging.
And... you never knew when he would suddenly surpass you.
The test ended with Sorinus's dazzling performance.
"Your combat awareness is excellent..."
Valensa's eyes showed admiration.
Sorinus obviously understood that even though Valensa suppressed his strength, he couldn't compare to a sixth-tier mage in terms of magical power.
The only way to win was to end the battle as quickly as possible.
"However..."
Valensa said, "Your handling of details is still quite rough, and a lot of magical power has been wasted... In real combat, a bit of magical power or mental strength is enough to decide life or death... Hmm, you'll understand this when you participate in the trial."
Sorinus nodded.
Indeed, if he couldn't cast magic instantaneously, he had no chance of winning.
Although he won in the end, it was also quite difficult.
His magic shield shattered, his magical power was almost depleted, and his mental strength was almost exhausted.
In such a state on the battlefield, just one arrow could easily take his life.
The Dragon Blood Potion... must be prepared as soon as possible.
That way, even if his magical power was depleted, he could still protect himself with the skills of a warrior.
Of course, the combat skills of a mage also needed to be improved.
"You have enviable talent..."
Valensa was referring to Sorinus's ability to cast magic instantaneously at the same level.
"Don't waste it. Make good use of it."
"Yeah."
Sorinus nodded and asked, "Teacher Valensa, can you conduct individual combat training with me every week in the future?"
"Of course."
Valensa readily agreed and smiled, "However, I have a better suggestion."
"What is it?"
"The Mage Trial Tower."
"The Mage Trial Tower?!"
Sorinus was taken aback. What was that?
"It's located in the center of the inner courtyard, a masterpiece by Dean Glayston..."
"Only by reaching the standard levels of the Mage Trial Tower can students qualify to participate in the graduation trial. Otherwise, going to the Trial Forest is just going to die in vain!"
Valensa's eyes flashed with a strange light as she stared at Sorinus, "Sorinus, that's the place where you can quickly improve your magical combat abilities..."
"And, by completing the Trial Tower, you can earn credits. Dean Glayston has also put many interesting little things in there as rewards to motivate the students... I see you seem to lack a suitable wand, maybe you can get one made by the dean himself..."
Sorinus listened, his heart pounding.
It was the first time he had heard of the Mage Trial Tower's existence.
"Augusta..."
Valensa suddenly mentioned a name.
"He participated in the Trial Tower test when he was at the first tier, reaching the third level on his first attempt... Last week, he broke through to the third tier, and it's said that he has already passed the eleventh level of the trial... It's really amazing!"
Valensa's face showed some admiration, "He was praised as the first genius before you, Yageshtra, because of this. I'm afraid that even three mages of the same level might not be his match..."
Sorinus narrowed his eyes slightly.
He didn't expect Valensa to hold Augusta in such high regard.
"However..."
Valensa smiled at Sorinus, "You can definitely do better than him! Sorinus, you are the most outstanding student I've ever seen, without exception!"
"Thank you for your affirmation, Teacher Valensa."
Sorinus bid farewell to Valensa.
The inner courtyard was the activity area for senior students of Yageshtra.
From afar, a gray, castle-like building stood in the center of the inner courtyard.
You could enter with a student badge.
But Sorinus just glanced at it from a distance and didn't step in.
It wasn't time yet.
Afterwards, he went to the library. Without Valselaria, Sorinus felt that something was missing. Her clear, bright emerald-like eyes kept flashing in his mind, and he couldn't concentrate on anything, so he returned to his residence early.
"The cheese crackers tonight were really good, and the mushroom soup was delicious too."
Sorinus wiped his lips slowly with a napkin and smiled at Elara.
"Really?"
Elara seemed very happy to receive Sorinus's praise, her eyes shining as if they were glowing.
Elara had recently become obsessed with cooking.
She learned by herself from cooking books borrowed by Sorinus from the library.
She had a talent for it. In just a few days, the dishes she cooked were quite delicious.
"Yeah!"
Sorinus smiled at her, "I'm going to be busy. Get some rest early."
Sorinus walked into the magic laboratory alone and called out softly, "Return to Pasture!"
The scene before his eyes instantly changed from the dim basement to a floating island with blue skies, white clouds, green grass, and fragrant flowers.
A fiery red figure rushed over with a swish.
The fifth-tier Iya was already as big as a truck, with a length of over ten meters. Standing, it looked like a small hill... No, it was a small volcano that could spew fire.
It was entering its adolescence.
"Damn it! Are you planning to swallow me whole?"
Sorinus scolded with a smile, pushing away Iya's constantly approaching big head.
Suddenly, he looked serious at Iya, "You need to learn how to fight as a dragon!"
Iya was at a loss and didn't understand what Sorinus was saying.
Sorinus opened the system panel and found a certain building he had been wanting to unlock.
"Are you sure you want to unlock the Dragon God Arena?"
"Yes."
"The Dragon God Arena is under construction..."