Chapter 2: Talent Assessment

The moment he stepped into the Talent Assessment Hall, it felt as though he had entered an entirely different space.

The interior of the hall soared into the clouds, with faint glimmers twinkling on the dome like real stars; the immense sense of space pressed down, making one involuntarily feel one's own insignificance.

The hall was not empty; various strangely shaped devices emitting different energy fluctuations were arranged in an orderly fashion across different areas.

Guided by the academy's staff, the young people split into several lines, each heading toward different testing platforms.

"Spiritual Strength Test, next!"

The low-level wizard in charge of guiding spoke in a deep voice that carried a strange resonance, allowing his words to echo clearly throughout the vast space, audible even from the farthest corners.

Jie Ming advanced with the queue, constantly observing these testing devices he had never seen before.

The first area featured a massive crystal sphere swirling with blue light; examinees needed to place their hands upon it, causing the sphere to glow with varying intensity based on their spiritual strength, finally displaying a specific numerical value on a nearby plaque where runes floated.

He watched as a youth ahead stepped forward and nervously placed his hand on the crystal sphere.

The sphere's glow was so faint it was nearly invisible, and the number that jumped onto the plaque was "2." The youth's face instantly lost all color, and under the staff member's gesture, he departed in a daze.

"Spirit Sea Depth Test, next!"

The second area contained an ancient and heavy-looking stone platform; examinees needed to sit upon it and sink their spiritual sense into it.

The complex runes carved on the surface of the stone platform would light up sequentially; the more layers illuminated, the deeper the spirit sea.

Jie Ming saw a young girl sit upon it; only a shallow layer of runes on the platform lit up, and the plaque displayed "Depth Scale 3."

Biting her lip tightly, she rose and left with slightly reddened eyes.

"Soul Purity Test!"

"Elemental Affinity Test!"

"Spiritual Condensation Test!"

"Willpower Test!"

The test items were far more numerous than what Jie Ming had previously learned from the Lord, covering every dimension required for a wizard's cultivation—strength, depth, and condensation of spiritual sense, purity and resilience of the soul, innate affinity for different elements, and even assessments of willpower and latent potential.

Queues formed before each testing area; the atmosphere was solemn and tense, with almost no one speaking, only the faint humming of operating devices and the deep guiding voices of the wizards.

Jie Ming lined up in the queue for the Spiritual Condensation Test.

This was a metallic device shaped like a complex astrolabe.

The examinee ahead placed his hand on the center of the astrolabe, and light began to diffuse outward from it.

Jie Ming noticed that for most people, the light appeared somewhat scattered, the diffusion speed was not fast, and it ultimately stopped at a low scale.

"Next, Jie Ming!" A cold voice carrying an echo rang out again, calling his name.

Jie Ming perked up and strode quickly to the astrolabe.

The wizard responsible for the test casually glanced at Jie Ming and gestured for him to place his hand on it.

With his mind highly focused, Jie Ming steadily pressed his right hand into the depression at the center of the astrolabe.

He operated the Internal Circulation Method to its utmost limit; in that instant, his entire body became like a self-contained world, cutting off contact with the outside.

But of course, this would not work for the test; feeling the power invading his mind, Jie Ming slowly relaxed his control over his spiritual sense.

The runes at the center of the astrolabe lit up, and the light began to diffuse outward.

Unlike the scattered light of most previous examinees, Jie Ming's light of spiritual sense appeared exceptionally condensed, like a straight beam, climbing rapidly and directly up the astrolabe's scale.

One scale... two scales... three scales... the speed was extremely fast!

A trace of surprise flashed in the eyes of the wizard beside him; this value had already surpassed most of the concurrent examinees.

The light continued to climb, four scales... five scales... upon reaching the fifth scale, the speed slowed slightly, but it still moved forward steadily.

Six scales!

The light finally stabilized at the sixth scale, emitting a restrained yet dazzling glow.

Obvious appreciation flashed in the eyes of the testing wizard; he looked up at Jie Ming, seemingly unexpected that he could reach this level.

"Spiritual Condensation, Level Six." The testing wizard recorded this number and gestured for Jie Ming to proceed to the next testing area.

Jie Ming calmly withdrew his hand, though inwardly he felt a sense of relief.

The effect of the Internal Circulation Method was indeed astonishing; it could completely conceal excess true essence and spiritual sense, so even though the machine's power rummaged around in his mind, it found no flaws.

Choosing to display this level of talent was also the result of Jie Ming's careful deliberation.

The total scale for talent testing in the wizard world was ten levels.

The gap between each level of talent was significant; basically, Level Five was already considered quite excellent in the eyes of ordinary people, while Level Six surpassed ninety percent of the examinees.

However, while Level Six was good, it could not compare to those top-tier monsters.

The world he was currently in was by no means a benign one, and in an environment like the "Academy," talent was basically synonymous with status; if one displayed too mediocre a talent, it would be easy for everyone to step on them.

But if one's talent was too high, it would attract excessive attention, so a level like this, a "little genius" slightly above average, was most appropriate.

It neither drew undue attention nor invited too much trouble, and moreover, if needed in the future, displaying some excellence would be understandable to others.

Jie Ming relaxed his mood somewhat, then felt a bit surprised.

Although he had hidden his strength, he knew clearly in his heart that calculating based on the required increase for each talent level, even if he unleashed his full power without reservation, he could at most reach Level Eight.

He, a cultivator who had painstakingly cultivated for over ten years to reach the first layer of Qi Refining, could only barely reach Level Eight in condensation with full effort...

What kind of monsters were those guys who, without any cultivation, could naturally test at Level Eight, Level Nine, or even Level Ten scales?!

In the subsequent tests, Jie Ming's performance indeed fluctuated, but it basically remained around the Level Six mark.

When he completed all testing procedures, the final result was comprehensively evaluated by a core device at the very center of the hall, and the cold voice responsible for broadcasting rang out, echoing through the entire space:

"Apprentice Jie Ming, Comprehensive Talent Rating... Level Six!"

Immediate exclamations of astonishment arose from the surroundings.

Level Six!

Level Six was sufficient to cross the threshold of "genius," representing that he could easily step into the rank of a formal wizard, enough to garner the appreciation of the academy's upper echelons.

Countless gazes filled with envy, jealousy, or inquiry focused on him once again.

Jie Ming maintained a calm exterior, but deep within his heart, he had indeed relaxed considerably.

This meant he had truly passed this hurdle; at the very least, he need not worry about being treated as an experimental subject strapped to an operating table in the near future.

"Next!" However, the wizard in charge of guiding the candidates seemed unfazed by a tier-six talent; while excellent, such talents were by no means unique.

Just as Jie Ming stepped down from the testing platform and was led toward the next area, he heard a burst of even more intense exclamations erupt from an adjacent zone.

"Good heavens! Spiritual Sea depth... tier eight!"

"Elemental Affinity, Lightning Element, tier nine!"

"Soul Purity, tier nine!"

"Holy crap! What kind of godlike existence is this?!!" Hearing these announcements, even Jie Ming could not help but turn to look.

Several young men and women stood surrounded by a crowd, their faces brimming with barely contained pride.

"A tier-nine talent... it is the Young Lady of the Augusta family! Truly living up to her reputation!"

"And Young Master Horn with a tier-eight talent! He possesses extraordinary affinity for Evocation magic; he is destined to become a powerful spellcaster!"

"As for the one with tier-nine Soul Purity, I hear a Soul-system instructor has already personally reserved a spot for them!"

Exclamations of awe rose and fell in waves; listening to the testing instrument's announcements, Jie Ming felt a slight chill in his heart.

This world truly hid dragons and crouched tigers; his tier-six talent indeed counted for little before such true monsters.

So be it; standing in the shadow of such dazzling brilliance would actually make it easier for him to go unnoticed.

The talent assessment continued, the hall filled with various exclamations of awe as well as the despondent sighs of candidates with lower-tier talents.

Yet, allowing these young people who had completed their tests no extra time to savor their results or mourn their failures, a cold and urgent guiding voice rang out once more, like a assembly horn sounding right beside their ears.

"All apprentices who have completed and passed the talent assessment, proceed immediately to the Central Square! The selection of primary specialization is about to begin!"

The voice echoed through the hall, carrying an air of irresistible authority.