In a grand stone hall bathed in the radiant glow of countless shimmering crystal stones, over a hundred young men and women, clad in vibrant mage robes of various hues, sat in perfect rows. Before them stood an elevated platform, where three mage instructors were seated on the right.
At this moment, their expressions were diverse. The elderly man in the yellow robe maintained a stern, rigid posture. The middle-aged man in the purple robe wore a kind and gentle smile, while the woman in the blue robe remained cool and composed. All three instructors had their eyes fixed on the student standing on the left side of the platform, who was skillfully brandishing his staff, preparing to cast a spell.
"Wind Spirit Summon!" the young mage intoned softly, completing the basic level-four incantation. With a decisive motion, he swung his staff—topped with a round, egg-sized green gemstone—downward, pointing it forward with a commanding shout.
At once, a soft yet vibrant green mist shimmered into existence at the tip of the staff, swirling in midair before swiftly solidifying into the form of a majestic eagle. The green eagle flapped its wings, trailing a delicate streak of glowing light as it soared in three swift circles around the student, then vanished just as abruptly as it had appeared.
Sweat glistened on the student's forehead, but a gleam of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He exhaled slowly, raised his staff once more, and turned toward the trio of instructors.
"Impressive," remarked the middle-aged instructor, whose gentle smile deepened. His monocle, suspended from a silver chain, gleamed in the light as he nodded in approval.
"Your incantation was completed in under two seconds. The Wind Spirit you summoned was substantial and vivid, its form robust and well-defined, and your control over it was precise… I'll give you a nine out of ten."
As his words echoed through the hall, a murmur of astonished whispers swept through the seated students. Hearing the envy in their hushed voices, the student's sense of pride grew, and a faint, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Not bad…" muttered the elderly instructor in the yellow robe, his voice calm and measured. He made a note on the parchment in front of him but did not reveal his score. Yet, those familiar with his strict demeanor knew that his simple "not bad" was a mark of high praise.
"Tim Schonn, your performance truly befits one of the top ten students of this cohort. With your talent, it's likely you'll surpass the seventh level and achieve the rank of Wind Element Mage before graduation."
In the end, it was the young female instructor in the blue robe who spoke.
She had perfectly arched eyebrows and a pair of emerald green eyes, clear as a pristine spring. They sparkled with a bewitching allure, effortlessly stirring the hearts of those before her. Despite the understated elegance of her blue robe, it couldn't hide her striking figure—her full chest and round hips formed curves that were the subject of many furtive glances from both students and instructors alike.
Receiving praise from the instructor, who was often hailed as the "Ice Goddess" of the academy, Tim raised his chin a little higher, his sense of pride swelling. His gaze, however, betrayed a hint of greed, a subtle flicker that mingled with his self-satisfaction.
"But…"
The instructor's next words froze the smug smile that had just begun to form on Tim's lips, along with the pride and ambition surging within him.
"The way you swung your staff was unnecessarily showy." Her voice remained cool and detached, as if she hadn't noticed the change in his expression. "Casting magic isn't a performance. Both the incantation and the movement should be clean and efficient. While it's clear you've put effort into perfecting the spell, your handling of the staff—something often overlooked by the academy—reveals a certain vanity."
Her words caused the envious murmurs among the students to pause, replaced by puzzled whispers. Tim's expression grew increasingly awkward as the mood shifted.
The male instructor, still seated beside her, offered a resigned smile and spoke. "Shalena, this is merely an end-of-term advancement test. Tim performed brilliantly—surely you don't need to be so strict?"
"I gave him eight points," Instructor Shalena replied coolly. "Based on the test's criteria, he's met the mark, and I haven't docked any points unfairly. My comments were simply a reminder… and there will only be one."
The top student, who had expected to bask in the glory of his performance, returned to his seat with a rather gloomy expression. Some students offered him quiet words of encouragement, while others reveled in his discomfort.
"Next, Chongyang Bright."
The male instructor read aloud the next name, a slight frown appearing on his normally gentle face.
"Chongyang? You mean that guy? The eternal repeater?"
"I heard this is his sixth attempt at the level three to level four advancement test. He's already failed it five times."
"What a disgrace to Prislane! His peers graduated last year, and yet here he is, still lingering."
"Why's he even bothering? It's obvious he's never going to make it."
"Word is, he has some kind of magic deficiency. How did someone like him even get into Prislane? The examiners must've been blind."
The mention of the perpetual repeater sparked a fresh wave of gossip, quickly overshadowing any remaining chatter about Tim's performance.
From a seat in the far corner of the room, a student stood up. Taller and more mature than the thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds around him, he rose to his feet, enduring the sneers and jeers with quiet composure.
He had black hair and black eyes, dressed in a dark red robe, holding a staff as tall as himself topped with a crescent-shaped head. The red gemstone embedded at the top signified that he was a fire mage.
Amidst the almost unabashed disdain from the crowd, this young man—who was already on the brink of adulthood—walked up to the platform with a thick-headed smile on his face. He faced the three instructors, bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, and when he lifted his head, his silly grin bore an extra touch of sycophantic charm.
The male instructor sighed inwardly; his initial annoyance at this shameless, older repeat student dissipated instantly. He felt a mix of amusement and a tinge of sorrow at the student's smile. Compassion flickered in his eyes as he looked at the boy.
The elderly instructor merely glanced at the student named Chongyang, then snorted coldly, closing his eyes. Clearly, he lacked the sympathy that the male instructor had. He regarded the defective repeat student with disdain.
Instructor Shalena, however, stared intently at Chongyang for a long moment. Her beautiful eyes fluttered like a butterfly, and her delicate, pale fingers gently twisted a few strands of her silky hair that hung straight down.
This was a small habit she had when deep in thought. When she engaged in this gesture while observing someone, it signified that she was scrutinizing the person with utmost seriousness, aiming to see through the mask they presented and get to their true essence.
Chongyang simply met her gaze with an expression of utmost sincerity, perfectly blending a hint of reverence and flattery.
"Quiet!" The male instructor expressed his impatience at the ongoing chatter from below.
Seeing the instructor's anger, the students finally hushed their incessant chatter, yet their eyes still conveyed disdain towards the person on the stage.
"You may begin," the male instructor said, turning to Chongyang.
Chongyang nodded, maintaining his goofy smile, though a sense of helplessness lingered in his heart. Aware of his own limitations, he understood that he would likely fail this test of magical aptitude once again. However, due to the academy's regulations, he had no choice but to participate in the exam alongside the other students, enduring this annual ordeal.
"Fire Spirit Summon!" Chongyang chanted the incantation for a level-four fire spell, waving his staff to point it forward. From the tip of the staff, a murky red mist began to materialize. Compared to the wind spirit summoned by Tim earlier, this one was lacking in both appearance and quality.
Upon seeing the quality of the mist, Professor Sid frowned. Could it be that this year would be the same as the last? The incantation and staff movements were fine, but the magic still failed to manifest. The defect in his magical ability was ultimately unbridgeable.
But just as he thought this, the red murky mist conjured by Chongyang suddenly coalesced and transformed into a dark red flame at the moment it seemed on the verge of disappearing! Within the flickering flames or smoke, a horrifying face that resembled a demon with a grotesque grin flashed briefly!
"What?!"
Professor Sid was startled, feeling an unprecedented chill enveloping him. Meanwhile, the elderly instructor, Salson, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide. He extended his hand and summoned his twisted vine staff from the magical space, gripping it tightly, his expression fierce as if facing a formidable enemy!
And the female instructor, who had been observing most intently, paled instantly, the strands of hair she had been idly twisting breaking in her grasp.
"Huh? What just happened?" Chongyang himself was a bit surprised and confused. He couldn't understand why what seemed like yet another failed spell had suddenly taken such a bizarre turn.
From the students in the audience, who were sitting farther away, all they saw was Chongyang summoning a rather sloppy mist, which looked like it would evaporate at any second. But then, unexpectedly, that mist gathered into a floating flame, only to vanish into thin air just as suddenly. Meanwhile, the three Archmage instructors—one appeared stunned, another had entered a battle-ready stance, while all three were staring at the clueless, wide-eyed repeat student.
"What's going on?"
"Did that loser just pull a trick to piss off Master Salson?"
There were plenty of speculations, but none were even close to the truth. Even Chongyang himself had no idea what had just transpired. After a moment, the three instructors began to calm down, exchanging puzzled glances.
"A fire elemental summon with mental interference effects, perhaps?" Instructor Sid frowned as he tried to make sense of the situation. "I wasn't paying attention for a moment, but it seems like it almost worked on me."
Chongyang blinked, staying silent, while his usual goofy grin crept back onto his face.
"No, that wasn't just a simple mental attack," Instructor Shalena said slowly as she regained her composure. Her expression softened, and she spoke thoughtfully. "I believe… this must have been some kind of magical mutation."
Instructor Salson, who had been the calmest and yet the most visibly alarmed of the three, finally lowered his staff. His initial disdain for Chongyang had now transformed into a focused glare, as if he was searching for some hidden clue in the boy's face or eyes.
Chongyang just smiled innocently, offering no explanation. He had cast his spell, and whatever judgment was to be made was now in the hands of the instructors.
For a long moment, the instructors kept their stern expressions, occasionally glancing at each other before silently jotting down their evaluations.
"Well, whatever it was, you definitely gave me a scare with that spell. This time… I'll give you an eight," Instructor Sid said, though there was no smile on his face. As a teacher, even the most patient among them would feel slightly offended after being caught off guard by a student's spell. Still, giving an eight was a fair and generous score.
Chongyang was briefly taken aback but quickly beamed with delight, though his familiar grin remained unchanged.
The reaction among the students was instant. After a brief stunned silence, an uproar erupted.
"Eight points! The eternal failure actually scored an eight!? How is that possible!?" Among the students, Tim's response was the most dramatic, his face contorted in disbelief. Eight points? That meant the failure everyone looked down on with utter contempt had scored just one point lower than him! The proud and arrogant Tim found this impossible to accept, especially after he had just sneered at the "worthless" student moments earlier.
"I give him… nine points." Shalena's delicate brow furrowed slightly as she spoke, her expression complex but tinged with a trace of admiration. "Such an extraordinary spell… no matter how it came about, I find it fascinating. That's rare. And the spell's finer details were executed flawlessly. For me, there's hardly anything to criticize."
Boom! It was as if a fireball had exploded in the hall.
If Sid's score could have been written off as sympathy or kindness, Shalena's praise—coming from the revered and often idolized female instructor—completely rocked the student body, particularly the male students.
"Shalena gave him a nine…"
"Oh my god, I must be dreaming!"
"There has to be some mistake!"
Tim, who had received an eight from the very same instructor, now stood in stunned disbelief. His eight had come with a heavy dose of criticism, while the repeat student's nine came with high praise. The massive gap in their evaluations struck a devastating blow to his pride.
As the sound of shattering fragile egos filled the air, over a hundred pairs of eyes—sharp as swords—were now directed at Chongyang, filled with confusion, resentment, and hatred. Yet all of it was met with Chongyang's unchanging, innocent smile.
Finally, it was Instructor Salson's turn. He didn't say a word about his score, and Chongyang couldn't see what he wrote.
Still carrying the weight of curiosity about the final score and the mysterious smirk on his face, Chongyang descended from the platform and returned to his usual corner.
The hall was still abuzz with heated discussion. Most of the students believed that the eternal failure had managed to pull off some clever trick this time, catching the instructors off guard, which forced them to give him such high marks.
"Nine points… so what! In the end, what really matters for a magician is strength. Fancy tricks are useless." Tim's face was dark as he spoke, and his words were quite representative.
As the students discussed, they expressed disdain towards the black-haired young man with a silly smile, justifying their superiority by saying that flashy tricks were of no use, thus preserving their self-esteem in the face of his high score.
"Silence! Next, Freya Hawarson." Regardless of what the students thought, Professor Xide wiped his glasses and announced loudly.
The call for "silence" didn't have much effect; after all, the news of the repeat student getting a high score was too shocking, and most of the boys and girls couldn't immediately adjust their mindset. However, when the name of the next test-taker was announced, the crowd fell silent, and nearly all students turned their gazes in a remarkably synchronized motion towards the graceful girl standing up.
This girl wore a long robe with intertwined yellow and green stripes, her face adorned with a warm smile that felt like a gentle spring breeze. Her elegant and noble aura was reminiscent of a tulip about to bloom.
At just thirteen or fourteen years of age, she already possessed such charm and grace, so it was easy to imagine that she would be breathtakingly beautiful in the future.
Tim, like most of the boys, looked at Freya with a burning gaze, but her robe, which signified her identity as a magician, prevented any lewd thoughts from arising, leaving them only with awe and respect.
Yellow—earth magic; green—wind magic.
She was a dual-system magician of Earth and Wind!
Since Master Lin Qi hundreds of years ago, the dual-system magicians of Earth and Wind had been the strongest among the magician classes on the continent!
Master Lin Qi's famous saying was, "Humans live on the earth and walk in the wind, so earth magic is the root, and wind magic is the supplement. The dual-system magician of Earth and Wind is the strongest." Every child with magical talent was familiar with this saying before attending their first official magic class.
Anyone who possessed the talent for Earth and Wind dual-system magic was viewed as having a broad path toward becoming a legendary magician!
As Freya gracefully moved forward, smiling as she stepped onto the platform, all eyes followed her delicate figure… except for one person.