The Furnace and the Tower stood in stark opposition to each other. The Tower was the domain of the White Wizards, while the Furnace belonged to the Black Wizards.
In the outer ring of the Furnace, Lynn and dozens of other youths were brought to this place.
Their leader was a cold-faced man with a scar that ran from his brow to the corner of his mouth, exuding an icy aura.
Lynn wore a simple, thin robe that tightly wrapped around his slender frame.
He followed silently in the group, making no effort to stand out, deliberately keeping a low profile.
No one knew that he was not from this world but a transmigrator.
He had crossed over into the legendary world of wizards, and not just any part it was the territory of the Black Wizards.
At this moment, they were newcomers who had just joined the Furnace. After a few days of rough and rudimentary training, they were led away by the scarred man.
As he walked into the group, Lynn's thoughts settled.
As a transmigrator, he naturally possessed a "cheat" like many of his predecessors.
He didn't have a talent panel or a system chip, but he did have an extremely unique ability Heaven Rewards Diligence.
The so-called "Heaven Rewards Diligence" meant that as long as he worked hard, he would inevitably reap rewards.
During the previous training, Lynn had already experienced the power of this ability.
When they first began learning wizardry, everyone found the complex and obscure content overwhelming. Many were frowning, lost and confused.
But Lynn was different.
He discovered that as long as he put in time and effort, the dry and tedious material quickly became clear and understandable.
In just a few days, while his peers were still struggling, Lynn had already mastered the training material.
He realized that this wasn't because he was smarter than the others, but because his "Heaven Rewards Diligence" ability was quietly at work.
Hard work was something anyone could do, but if the effort didn't yield results, many would give up.
Lynn, however, was different. Every ounce of his effort translated into tangible gains!
This ability gave him confidence that, given enough time to grow, he would surely make a name for himself in this world of wizards and even become a powerful wizard!
However, while the ideal was full, reality was bony.
Lynn had assumed that the scarred man would take them to some kind of academy or classroom, where they would begin systematic learning and training.
But the reality completely defied his expectations.
Under the scarred man's lead, the group was brought to a massive beast arena.
The arena was filled with a strong, bloody stench. Iron bars surrounded the area, and inside were strange, monstrous creatures.
These creatures were the very beasts they had heard about during their training Earth Rhinoceros Beasts.
As Lynn and the other youths stood in confusion, the scarred man spoke, his voice cold and devoid of emotion:
"From today onward, your task is to raise these Earth Rhinoceros Beasts."
He paused, his tone growing even colder:
"Remember, their life and death are tied to yours! Every cycle, we will rank the condition of the Earth Rhinoceros Beasts. The ten worst-performing beasts, along with their owners, will be torn to pieces and devoured by the remaining beasts!"
"Sir, isn't this a bit..."
Before he could finish, one of the youths hesitantly spoke up, questioning whether there had been some mistake.
But before he could finish his sentence, the scarred man's eyes turned icy, and with a flick of his finger, a magical halo enveloped the youth.
In the next moment, the youth was transformed into a plump little pig.
Strangely, the pig's face still bore a look of intense human fear and despair.
The scarred man coldly glanced at the pig, his voice as sharp as a blade:
"Was it your turn to speak?"
Without hesitation, he grabbed the pig and threw it into the beast pen.
The Earth Rhinoceros Beasts roared and pounced, tearing the pig apart in a frenzy of blood and flesh.
"Do you understand?!"
The scarred man's gaze swept across the group, as deep and suffocating as an abyss.
Everyone's faces turned pale, and no one dared to breathe too loudly. They stood stiffly, nodding frantically, terrified of becoming the next target.
The scarred man snorted coldly:
"One cycle lasts ten days. From now on, you will live and eat with your Earth Rhinoceros Beasts. In ten days, I will return to see which of you are eliminated."
With that, he turned and left without a backward glance, leaving behind a chilling atmosphere.
After the scarred man left, the youths' eyes turned to the beast arena, the oppressive atmosphere making it hard to breathe.
They swallowed hard, looking at the Earth Rhinoceros Beasts that loomed in the arena.
During their training, they learned about these creatures.
Earth Rhinoceros Beasts were low-level magical beasts, resembling a cross between a crocodile and a wolf.
They had tall, agile limbs, and their bodies were covered in dense black scales that gleamed with a cold light.
It was said that deep within their bloodline lay the heritage of the mid-level magical beast, the Earth Dragon.
If enough powerful Earth Rhinoceros Beasts were gathered, it was even possible to extract the power of the Earth Dragon from their bloodline through special means, thereby breeding even more advanced magical beasts.
These youths had once dreamed of becoming great wizards, imagining they would study in academies or classrooms.
But none of them had expected that they would end up here, raising magical beasts!
And not just any beasts this was a life-or-death situation!
If they failed to raise them properly, the result would be the same as that youth who had been turned into a pig and thrown into the pen, only to be torn apart and devoured by the Earth Rhinoceros Beasts!
Many of the youths turned pale, their bodies trembling. They could still see the bones and flesh of the pig being devoured in the pen.
Some couldn't hold it in and collapsed to the ground, retching.
Lynn, standing among the group, didn't look well either. From what the scarred man had just done, it was clear that they had only one choice.
They had to follow the scarred man's orders, or he truly would turn them into pigs and feed them to the beasts!
According to the scarred man's rules, every evaluation would result in the elimination of ten Earth Rhinoceros Beasts and ten apprentices.
And the consequence of elimination was being turned into a pig and fed to the surviving beasts. Just the thought of it sent chills down their spines.
Lynn glanced around. This was a corner of the Furnace, transformed into a beast arena where the wizards' magical creatures were kept.
Escaping from here was a pipe dream. One wrong move, and they could be eaten by powerful beasts.
Even if by some miracle they managed to escape the arena, there was no way they could flee the vast, labyrinthine Furnace.
Lynn withdrew his gaze. Since escape was impossible, the only option was to obediently follow the scarred man's orders and raise the Earth Rhinoceros Beasts.
His mind raced, trying to figure out how to survive this "life-and-death assessment" and make it to the end.