He dared to attack someone here?!
Everyone stared at Alan in shock.
Caesar, who had just been struck, was equally incredulous.
Did Alan truly not care about his face or that of Mentor Hivrael?
Hivrael was momentarily stunned, but anger quickly flared in his eyes.
He was the admissions mentor, responsible for maintaining order here.
This Alan clearly had no respect for the rules!
Caesar clutched his swollen cheek, glaring at Alan like a rabid dog.
"You hit me! How dare you hit me!"
Alan said nothing. He stepped forward again and delivered another slap.
Smack!
Caesar was sent flying once more, his other cheek now red and swollen.
The surrounding youths were utterly stunned.
Not only did Alan dare to act, but the power he displayed was terrifying!
Caesar was a tier-bronze mage in the late stage, one of the stronger participants here.
Yet, he couldn't even put up a defense and was completely overpowered!
...
"Enough!"
Hivrael's gaze bore into Alan as an oppressive, mountainous aura crashed down on him.
Alan's voice was steady. "Hivrael, targeting me like this won't reflect well on Lioncrest Academy's reputation."
Hivrael scoffed. "Target you? Do you even deserve that? I'm simply enforcing the rules! You haven't reached tier-bronze, so you don't even qualify to participate!"
Glancing at Caesar, who had been struck down again, Hivrael added coldly,
"Lioncrest Academy is a sacred institution. Even if Duke Alice is an honorary mentor, she would never tolerate your reckless behavior here!"
...
Meanwhile, Caesar's face burned with pain, and the piercing gazes of those around him felt like knives.
He glared at Alan with seething rage. "You'll pay for this. You're dead, Alan. Dead!"
As his furious voice echoed, Alan appeared before him once more.
This time, Caesar was prepared.
Clenching his right fist, he channeled a dazzling stream of metal element energy around his arm.
He roared and punched forward.
The sound of metal slicing through the air screeched sharply, and blinding golden light filled the area, forcing many to shield their eyes.
This punch, full of fury, was powerful enough to threaten even a tier-bronze peak mage.
...
Alan, wielding his staff-sword, struck back with a single slash.
Slash!
The sound of flesh being cut rang out. The golden light surrounding Caesar's fist shattered instantly, replaced by blood.
The fierce energy from Alan's slash knocked Caesar backward, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Caesar's arm was fractured, leaving him rolling on the ground in agony.
Alan swung his blood-streaked sword with a cold gaze.
"One more word, and you die!"
With this clown dealt with, Alan turned his attention back to Hivrael.
...
Hivrael snorted.
"You think this place is your home? This is Lioncrest Academy!
Even Duke Alice would side with me here!"
"Kill him!"
At Hivrael's command, the mages who had gathered there immediately activated their magical energy, preparing to strike.
Alan remained calm.
"Mentor Hivrael, it's true that I haven't reached tier-bronze, but you've seen my strength. It's already far beyond that of an ordinary tier-bronze mage."
Hivrael shook his head repeatedly. "What's the point of these excuses? You haven't reached tier-bronze—that's a fact!"
"According to the rules, disrupting the academy's order warrants death!"
...
Two mages surged forward, magical energy radiating around them in waves. The force of their power caused ripples in the air.
Alan felt the suffocating pressure from their killing intent.
He knew there was no way out now.
Gripping his sword tightly, Alan charged directly at the two tier-gold mages.
If things had already come to this, so be it.
Who's afraid of whom?!
...
Alan's body tensed like a drawn bow, propelling him toward the two tier-gold mages.
In an instant, the blade of his staff-sword ignited with a blinding light.
A fierce Blade Spirit erupted as he swung his sword, sweeping through the air like an unstoppable force.
Caught off guard, the two tier-gold mages were pushed back by the sheer force of the attack.
...
What?!
The onlookers stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Alan, a mere tier-iron mage, had just forced back two tier-gold mages?
The gap between tier-iron and tier-gold was two entire levels!
Even Hivrael was momentarily stunned.
He wasn't surprised that Caesar wasn't Alan's match—after all, even Wilson had lost to Alan.
But two tier-gold mages? How could they be repelled by Alan?
Even if they had been caught off guard, this was not something a tier-iron mage should be capable of!
...
Clearly, Alan was an extraordinary genius.
No wonder Duke Alice valued him so highly.
Hivrael hesitated.
Rejecting such a talent would be a tremendous loss for Lioncrest Academy, potentially even jeopardizing his position as a mentor.
Yet admitting Alan after this incident would only deepen the grudge between them.
If Alan grew stronger in the future, this conflict would inevitably become a source of resentment.
...
With the entire crowd watching, Hivrael's choice was clear.
He had already taken action—there was no turning back now.
Although Alan was a genius, wasn't everyone who entered Lioncrest Academy a genius?
In an instant, a murderous aura erupted from Hivrael, enveloping Alan completely.
Alan felt his breathing tighten, as though a heavy weight was pressing down on his chest.
Hivrael might have been domineering, but he had the strength to back it up—he was a mage above tier-gold!
With Alan's current combat ability, even if he gave it his all, he wouldn't be a match.
Alan swung his sword in a flurry, unleashing sharp slashes that shredded the oppressive aura around him.
Without hesitation, he turned and fled.
...
Watching Alan retreat, Hivrael sneered.
"Now you're scared? Too late!"
But just as everyone thought Alan would flee down the Sky Ladder, he instead pivoted mid-run.
With a few swift maneuvers, he reached the Fourfold Elemental Array halfway up the mountain!
The crowd was stunned.
From the summit to the base of the mountain, everyone was left speechless.
Even Hivrael, who was preparing to attack again, was taken aback.
"Did he take the wrong path?"
...
Under countless watchful eyes, Alan took a steady step into the glowing array's range.
The moment he stepped in, the array began to tremble violently.
Four beams of colored light shot up into the sky from the array—red, green, blue, and yellow!
Every student of Lioncrest Academy stared in shock.
"Four light beams! Someone's challenging the Fourfold Elemental Array?!"
"Are they insane? The Fourfold Elemental Array is impossible for anyone to clear! Could it be Duke Alice?"
"It's unlikely. There's been no word of Duke Alice attempting the array!"
Driven by curiosity, students from all directions rushed toward the trial peak.
...
Hivrael's expression twisted as he stared at Alan within the glowing array.
He hadn't expected Alan to challenge the Fourfold Elemental Array instead of running away.
"Good, good! Saves me the trouble of acting. He's digging his own grave—no one else to blame!"
To date, no one had ever cleared this magic array.
Most who entered had died within it.
The Fourfold Elemental Array was composed of four elemental spirits, each controlling one of the purest elements.
Together, their synergy was overwhelming—even a tier-gold mage would stand no chance inside.
This array demanded unparalleled mastery of magical elements and an immense reservoir of talent and understanding.
The first headmaster of Lioncrest Academy had created this array to identify only the most exceptional geniuses—the ones they deemed worthy.
...
As the four beams of light soared into the sky, more people gathered.
Harris arrived with Carter and Isabella in tow.
When they saw Alan entering the array, their faces paled.
Harris understood all too well how deadly the magic array was.
Once inside, survival was nearly impossible.
Even Isabella, now looking healthier after taking a mind-soothing potion, instinctively sensed the array's danger.
Her voice trembled with worry.
"Head, you said this array is terrifying… My brother, he…"
Harris, at a loss for words, could only offer a vague reassurance.
"He… he should be fine."
The Fourfold Elemental Array was famous across the Plantagenet Kingdom.
Many had attempted it, but almost all had perished.
While Alan was undoubtedly strong, countless other geniuses had met their end within this array.
...
Meanwhile, the colored beams fully activated the elemental spirits—clay-like figures representing earth, fire, wind, and water.
The spirits' closed eyes opened, and the dense energy of their respective elements locked onto Alan.
Alan's expression turned serious.
Today, all he wanted was to join Lioncrest Academy.
He hadn't expected things to spiral into such chaos.
There was no way he could confront Hivrael directly. Not just because of Hivrael's power, but also his position as a mentor—someone Alan couldn't challenge for now.
With no other option, Alan had chosen to challenge the Fourfold Elemental Array.
If he could clear it, he would be directly accepted as a student under the headmaster.
This was his only path forward.
...
As Alan pondered his situation, the elemental spirits attacked simultaneously.
They felt no emotion, no killing intent, no rage.
Their only focus was the relentless drive to harness elemental energy.
The fire spirit, roaring like a dragon, unleashed a scorching breath of fire.
The crimson flames surged forward, drawing in fire energy from the air around them, causing the blaze to expand violently.
The surrounding temperature skyrocketed, warping the air itself.
The crowd gasped collectively.
"This fire spirit is terrifying! Not only is it comparable to a tier-gold mage, but it can also manipulate fire elements from the air, like a true magus!"
Their gazes shifted to the other spirits, who displayed similar capabilities—manipulating their respective elements from the environment.
"Four magi! It's like fighting four elemental magi!"
"No wonder no one has ever cleared this array!"
"Facing just one elemental spirit would be a nightmare for a tier-gold mage. But four? That's insane!"
Even Hivrael, watching the scene, was visibly shaken.
Although he had known the array was extraordinary, he hadn't expected it to be this horrifying.
Even if he entered, he would likely be obliterated instantly.
It wasn't something a tier-gold mage could contend with.
Even mages above tier-gold would find it an immense challenge.
Among the younger generation of the Plantagenet Kingdom, no one could clear this array.
Only someone as exceptional as Duke Alice might have a chance.
Alan attempting it?
Pure folly.
...
Inside the array, the fire spirit's fiery breath surged toward Alan.
To his surprise, Alan felt something strange—like his spirit recognized the flames as a delicacy.
The sensation was bizarre.
As the crowd either gasped in shock or prepared to look away, expecting Alan's fiery demise, something unexpected happened.
The flames were drawn into Alan's staff-sword, which now gleamed even brighter, exuding a faint, fiery aura.
The other three elemental spirits attacked in turn, their elemental forces converging on Alan.
But each time, their energies were absorbed by Alan's staff-sword.
...
Alan stood there, stunned.
He turned to the black-robed woman beside him and asked, "Why is my staff-sword absorbing elemental energy?"
She replied calmly,
"The Infernal Visualization Technique you practice allows you to absorb pure elements, as long as their mind power is weaker than yours."
Alan was about to ask more, but Hivrael, now infuriated, charged toward him.
"What trickery are you using? Tell the truth!"
Alan turned his sharp gaze on him.
"That's nonsense!"