The sudden commotion drew the attention of everyone around. Almost immediately, many couldn't resist revealing themselves, rushing toward the Starlight Tower.
However, just as they approached the tower's grand entrance, an invisible force blew them back.
"What happened?"
"Why can't we get in?"
"Damn, there's a defensive array!"
Some impatient wizard apprentices couldn't help but cast spells at the door, attempting to break the defensive array.
But the array absorbed their spells without a trace, like stones sinking into the sea.
In the next moment, light flashed from the tower's top, and several beams of light descended, striking the apprentices attacking the door.
They vanished in an instant, without even time for a scream.
Seeing this, the crowd in front of the tower recoiled in panic, retreating to a safer distance.
"What was that?" the Traveler gasped.
Even from hundreds of meters away, he could feel the dense energy emanating from those beams.
It was a terrifying energy strong enough to kill him instantly!
"A spell turret," Sunan explained. "One of the standard combat devices of a wizard's tower, capable of easily annihilating a third-circle legendary knight."
The Staff, Traveler, and Rose looked at Sunan in surprise.
"How do you know that?" Rose asked curiously.
Sunan shrugged but didn't answer.
With the grim fate of those unlucky few as a warning, the surrounding wizard apprentices and legendary knights dared not act rashly.
"Get out of my way!"
A cold shout rang out, followed by a brief scream.
Maevich led the charge toward the Starlight Tower, casually dispatching a wizard apprentice blocking his path with a lightning bolt.
The others quickly moved aside.
None of them had the confidence or strength to face a third-level wizard apprentice.
Ignoring the resentful gazes around them, the members of the Council of Truth kept their eyes fixed on the Starlight Tower, their eyes shining with excitement or elation.
This tower was their hope of advancing to become wizards!
Without hesitation, Megisen and his group took out their sigil stones.
A faint glow spread from the stones, quickly enveloping each of them entirely.
In the next second, the group of over ten people vanished.
This sight caused a stir among the onlookers.
"They're gone—no, they went inside!"
"How did they get in?"
"Is it because of those stones? Do you need a specific medium to enter the tower?"
Realizing this, the crowd's eyes scanned their surroundings.
Among them, there might be others with similar stones!
"Those guys beat us to it," the Traveler clicked his tongue.
Despite his words, there was no panic in his tone.
After all, their group had four third-level wizard apprentices and a third-circle legendary knight, not to mention Sunan. There was no fear of the ragtag crowd around them.
"No time to lose, let's go in."
Sunan rose and headed toward the Starlight Tower.
Seeing him, the others quickly followed.
Their group was already conspicuous, and their movement immediately drew a lot of attention.
When they stopped before the tower and displayed the stones in their palms, someone couldn't hold back any longer.
A wizard apprentice suddenly fired a black beam at Rose.
Almost simultaneously, two legendary knights leaped forward, targeting Kyi and the Traveler, swords slashing through the air.
The three attacks seemed to trigger a switch, prompting dozens of others to join the assault on Sunan's group.
While they recognized the strength of Sunan's group, their greed for the Starlight Tower's secrets overcame their reason.
Moreover, their targets numbered only five—not like the previous Council of Truth's group of over ten. With four or five times their number, they thought they had a chance to seize the stones.
As for dividing the spoils afterward, that was a problem for later.
But in the next moment, they realized their mistake.
As they attacked, Sunan, the Staff, the Traveler, and Rose launched a counterattack.
Centered around the four, dozens of magical missiles erupted, instantly cutting down the seven or eight attackers at the forefront.
These assailants, at most first-circle legendary level, fell with barely a glance!
The display left the remaining attackers frozen, hesitant to advance.
However, Sunan's group wasn't about to let them off. Their spells continued, quickly decimating the would-be attackers.
These second-level wizard apprentices and first-circle legendary knights were nothing more than ants to be crushed before Sunan's group.
Even with a numerical advantage of more than ten to one.
Realizing the vast gap in strength, the crowd around them quickly lost their nerve.
No one dared attack, instead keeping their distance, casting fearful and envious glances.
Sunan's group paid them no mind, treating them like ants.
Their focus was on the sigil stones.
As the sigil stones emitted a faint glow, enveloping their bodies, the five vanished simultaneously.
When Sunan came to, he found himself in a spacious hall.
The hall was made entirely of white jade, its surface engraved with mysterious patterns, exuding a sense of order and strange beauty.
The hall resembled the control center at the top of the Dragon Skeleton Tower but was more spacious. The walls had numerous intersecting grooves, forming outlines of rectangular doors flush with the floor.
The ceiling was at least a hundred meters high, studded with countless precious luminescent pearls, illuminating the hall brightly.
As Sunan surveyed the hall, a voice suddenly echoed from the void.
[Detected entrants, initiating scan!]
[Scan complete. Entrants are third-level wizard apprentices, meeting the inheritance criteria. Initiating inheritance program!]
[Welcome to the Starlight Tower, wizard apprentice!]
A bright light appeared about ten meters in front of Sunan, manifesting a phantom image.
It was a gray-white fleshy orb, covered in numerous mouths, each faintly revealing sharp teeth.
At that moment, hundreds of mouths opened and closed in unison, producing a somewhat mechanical voice.
[I am the tower spirit of the Starlight Tower, and the examiner of the trial.]
[According to the rules of the Starlight Tower, all entrants have the opportunity to challenge the trial. Success grants access to the inheritance reward. Would you like to attempt the challenge?]
Sunan didn't answer immediately, instead examining the fleshy orb with interest.
He didn't need to think hard to know that the so-called tower spirit was likely a fabrication, a boast by its creator.
Tower spirits are incredibly valuable, and even a thousand years ago, a wizard leaving an inheritance wouldn't casually leave a tower spirit behind.
Moreover, the orb's speech was mechanical and dull, its intelligence clearly limited, perhaps only slightly better than Dragon Forest's Butler No. 1.
Still, the taste of the Starlight Tower's creator was questionable, designing an auxiliary intelligence with such a grotesque appearance.
After a moment of silent critique, Sunan replied loudly:
"Challenge!"
The fleshy orb was silent for a second or two, then its mouths opened and closed again.
[Commencing trial matching!]
[Match successful. Based on the challenger's age and realm, the trial difficulty is set to the highest level!]
[Note: The trial consists of three stages. You must complete them within ninety days, or you will be deemed to have failed!]
[Now commencing the first stage, Knowledge Assessment!]
As the voice fell silent, ten phantom images appeared before Sunan.
[Select three of the following ten materials and provide detailed information on their names, effects, and growth environments. The density and accuracy of the information must meet certain standards.]
Listening to the voice and looking at the phantoms, Sunan felt a wave of nostalgia.
In his past life at the wizard academy, exams had a similar setup.
"Didn't expect to take a test here too."
After a moment of reminiscence, Sunan focused on the assessment before him.
Among the ten materials were magical plants, rare metals, and various other peculiar items.
A glance was all Sunan needed to understand.
These materials, while not extinct, were exceedingly rare on the current Starlight Continent.
They were likely only found in ancient texts.
For other wizard apprentices, this might pose a challenge, but for him, it was simple.
Without hesitation, Sunan pointed to the unassuming yellowed grass on the far right and began his answer.
"Resurrection Grass, a highly cold-resistant magical plant, typically grows in harsh environments like glaciers, volcanic regions, and miasma swamps. Its most renowned ability is to 'come back to life,' able to revive from near-total desiccation. It possesses strong mutation capabilities, often undergoing certain mutations to adapt to harsh environments, resulting in many variants."
"Resurrection Grass contains potent life force, slightly extending lifespan when consumed. It's also a key ingredient in potions, notably the Dawn Potion."
[Passed.]
Unsurprised, Sunan shifted his finger to the second material.
This was a small sapling resembling silver-white metal.
Its leaf-shaped metal surface glistened with starlight, appearing exceptionally beautiful.
"Star Silver Essence, a rare metal, requires two conditions for growth: proximity to a mineral vein and exposure to moonlight, with stringent requirements for energy particle concentration."
"Star Silver Essence's ductility and magical conductivity surpass Mithril, making it suitable for crafting magical items or puppets."
Before the fleshy orb could respond, Sunan pointed to the third material, a crystalline, irregular gem.
"Dragon Crystal, a unique gem occasionally formed from the remains of deceased dragons, containing the essence of the entire dragon corpse. It has extensive applications in nurturing magical pets, bioengineering, crafting magical items, or making puppets."
[Passed.]
A smile appeared on Sunan's face. This material identification test posed no challenge to him.
Buzz!
Ten more phantoms appeared, this time depicting ten strange creatures.
[Select three of the following ten creatures and provide detailed information on their names, habitats, and biological characteristics. The density and accuracy of the information must meet certain standards.]
"Identifying creatures this time, is it?"
Sunan remained composed, focusing on the first creature on the left—a jellyfish emitting a faint blue glow.
The jellyfish had a white umbrella-shaped body with numerous tiny eyes, about 24 in total, scattered across its head, creating an unsettling sight.
"Umbrella Jellyfish, a social creature typically found in deep-sea waters. It's highly venomous, with internal organs usable for potions and venom suitable for enchantment."
Sunan then chose the second creature, a demonized eel, and a throat-locking beast, describing each in turn.
Unsurprisingly, the fleshy orb responded with a [Passed].
Another easy pass.
"What's next for identification? Bring it on."
Sunan smiled confidently.
But the next phantom surprised him; it was a book.
[Master the spell contained within and successfully cast it.]
Learning a spell?
Sunan raised an eyebrow in surprise, then quickly understood.
A spell often encompasses ten to several dozen fields of knowledge, with many spells having overlapping concepts.
Generally speaking, the more knowledgeable a wizard (apprentice) is, the easier it is to learn spells.
High-level wizards can quickly master a low-circle spell not just because of their higher mental energy, but because their depth and breadth of knowledge far exceed that of wizard apprentices.
It's like a Ph.D. solving a grade-school problem—effortless.
Sunan skimmed through the book, which described a zero-circle spell called 'Bone Arrow.'
He recalled that he hadn't encountered this spell in his collected spellbooks.
It was likely a creation by the Starlight Tower's builder.
It made sense; for a fair assessment, they had to provide spells not available elsewhere to prevent challengers from already knowing them.
"A zero-circle spell."
Sunan smiled.
Ordinarily, a third-level wizard apprentice would take twenty to thirty days to master a zero-circle spell.
But he was different. With his unique advantage, anything over three days would be excessive.
Clearing his mind, Sunan began studying the book.
[Reading "Bone Arrow Spell Model," 'Bone Arrow' learning progress +0.15%]
The spell learning progressed even faster than Sunan anticipated, with progress notifications popping up every few minutes.
In just two days, Sunan successfully mastered the zero-circle spell called Bone Arrow.
As soon as the notification appeared, he closed the book and pointed a finger, conjuring a sharp, pale bone arrow that shot into the wall at the far end.
With a clang, the bone arrow shattered, leaving the wall unscathed.
[Passed.]
[Successfully completed the first stage.]
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