Chapter 357: The Trial Above the Snowy Plains

The next morning, when Luo Yan arrived at the entrance of the "Adventurer's Home," Fenike, Ilala, and Balie were already waiting there.

The sorrow of their friend's departure seemed to have been replaced by a firm expectation for the future. There was less innocence in their eyes and more of a heavy sense of realization, as if they intended to carry the persistence their late friend had laid down, to walk on for him and fulfill the dream of entering the Academy.

Although Luo Yan felt that they were likely just moving themselves; that young lad named Lio had left because he truly saw through things.

"Mr. Kelin, good morning." Fenike took the initiative to step forward, his spirit looking much better than yesterday.

Luo Yan said in a gentle tone.

"Good morning. It seems you have recovered quite well."

Fenike smiled shyly.

"It's alright... This is the final leg of the journey; if we don't pull ourselves together, we won't be able to finish the remaining road. By the way, where is Miss Shala? Is she not with you?"

Luo Yan nodded.

"She is packing her luggage. Let's go first; she will meet us there."

Fenike nodded in understanding and continued.

"By the way, have you eaten? If not, we can wait for you to finish breakfast before setting off. That place is quite remote; there are no places to eat."

Luo Yan declined his kindness.

"I have already had breakfast. If you are ready, let's set off."

"Alright! We'll follow your arrangements."

Fenike led the way with great enthusiasm. The group stopped talking and walked together toward the direction of the Academy.

Passing through the chaotic and noisy traveler camp, they headed east and crossed a hill, and the scene before them suddenly opened up.

This was the east of the Dragon Tooth Mountain Range, the legendary Northern Wasteland. The vast expanse of snow could not be seen to the end, connecting with the marshes in the distance.

And on the edge of the snowy plains was the border of the Luo De Kingdom, as well as the temporary camp set up by the mages of the Academy.

Everything here was completely different from the Eagle Rock Territory.

Dozens of uniform white tents were arranged neatly on the snow. The ground had been cleaned by magic, and not a trace of mud could be seen.

Several apprentices wearing simple gray mage robes were controlling soft light orbs floating in mid-air, providing illumination for the camp in the early morning.

The quill pens in their hands scratched across enchanted paper, registering information for the students who had come to sign up.

The entire process was quiet, efficient, and full of a sense of order.

The style of the Academy could be seen here as the tip of the iceberg; it was a kind of rigor built upon magic, transcendent of the secular world.

"Mr. Kelin! Over here!" Fenike, having found the registration point, waved his hands excitedly, calling Luo Yan and his teammates over.

The group joined the long line, following those pious and anxious faces, slowly moving toward the tent that would decide their fate.

When it was Fenike and the others' turn, a rather serious-looking mage apprentice asked without lifting his head: "Name, origin, intent."

Before Fenike answered, he leaned into Luo Yan's ear and whispered, "Mr. Kelin, this is just filling in an intent; don't take it too seriously. The apprentice assessment is a two-way choice. Even if we pass the written and oral exams, the final admission depends on which adult from which Mage Tower is willing to take us in."

Luo Yan nodded in understanding, signaling him with his eyes to hurry up and register, and not to annoy the mage apprentice in charge by focusing only on himself.

That face was clearly already starting to show impatience.

Fenike puffed out his chest and reported his aspiration at a rapid speed: "Fenike, from Luo De Kingdom, intent: Tower of the Great Sage!"

Ilala, behind him, followed immediately: "Ilala, Luo De Kingdom, intent: Tower of the Star School."

Balie scratched his head in embarrassment and said cautiously: "Balie, Luo De Kingdom, intent... Enchantment School."

The three of them quickly retreated to the side after registering.

Finally, it was Luo Yan's turn. His calm and unhurried demeanor almost immediately caught the attention of an assistant instructor in charge of supervision nearby.

This guy doesn't look like a rookie...

However, the assistant instructor did not have a divine spark after all and could not see exactly how much a person's soul weighed. Thus, he only took two extra looks at Luo Yan and did not write his doubts on his face, let alone say anything more.

It was the apprentices resting nearby who saw this and whispered a few words.

"This guy must be a noble..."

"A noble? How could a noble not have a recommendation letter? Even nobles of a duchy would have one..."

"Perhaps he is the descendant of some fallen noble family. There are quite a few such people who always think of relying on a sliver of magical talent to get ahead in the Academy and revitalize their family... Heh, I think they went to the wrong place. If they want to perform meritorious service and get rich, they should go to the New Continent. This is a place for pursuing academics!" one apprentice said mockingly, until the assistant instructor's gaze drifted over, and then he nervously shut his mouth.

Luo Yan smiled in his heart at the sight.

It seems the Academy is also a place with strict hierarchies, no different from the Shengcheng, just wearing a skin that ordinary people cannot recognize.

After registration was completed, the apprentice in charge of writing and registration expressionlessly distributed a wooden plaque engraved with a number to each person.

"The exam is on the morning of the third day. This is your number. Remember to keep it safe; lost ones will not be replaced."

Fenike nodded nervously, said thank you, and then turned and left the registration point with his teammates behind him.

Having obtained the "ticket" for the assessment, the four of them followed the flow of people and the guidance of the light orbs, passed through the camp, and arrived at an incomparably vast snowy plain.

When they arrived, the scene before them made Fenike and the three others gasp.

Thousands of young people from all over the Os Continent had already gathered densely on this snowy plain!

Everyone was waiting with the same nervous and excited mood for the assessment that would decide their fate to begin!

"There are actually so many people..." Ilala's face turned slightly pale, and her right hand, clenched tightly in front of her chest, felt icy cold.

She had thought those guys in the traveler camp were all of them; she didn't expect the real "involution kings" to have been waiting here long ago.

Balie also swallowed his saliva and then looked nervously at Fenike.

"What's next? Do we wait here for three days... or go back first?"

As the leader of the two young people, Fenike frowned and pondered for a while, finally gritting his teeth and making a difficult decision.

"Set up camp here!"

There will likely be even more people here in three days; it's better to take advantage of the fact that there are fewer people now to find a good spot.

It is said that the written exam of the Academy is not just about answering questions. In the last exam, many people lost without even seeing the questions.

While saying this, he secretly glanced at Mr. Kelin.

Luo Yan didn't care much; anyway, he could meditate to pass the time, and three days would pass in a flash for him.

"No rush, it's only three days anyway, let's wait."

Just then, a luxurious carriage stopped by the roadside. Shala, who was driving, wore a black cloak and nodded slightly to him.

Luo Yan nodded to her, and then, amidst the envious gazes of a group of young men and women, stepped into the carriage that looked expensive at a glance.

"Incredible... there isn't even a trace of snow on that carriage." Balie suddenly noticed something unusual and couldn't help but exclaim.

"What did you expect? The wood used for that carriage is more expensive than all the magical equipment on your body combined," Fenike said in a low voice. "This Mr. Kelin's identity is not simple, but since he doesn't intend to tell us, we'd better not ask... Come help, and Ilala, come over too. Let's set up the tent first, while it hasn't started snowing yet."

"Okay." Balie nodded nervously and hurriedly followed Fenike toward the woods to the side.

He wasn't stupid; he had long seen that Mr. Kelin's identity was not simple.

It's just that he didn't know which great family in the Luo De Kingdom this gentleman was a child of, or if he came from an empire outside the Luo De Kingdom.

The three days of waiting were long and agonizing. Without Lio, the three young people couldn't catch wild rabbits on the snowy plains and could only make do with dry bread.

Ilala hesitated more than once whether to go to Mr. Kelin for help, but thinking of that cold and beautiful female guard, she finally dismissed this unrealistic thought.

As time passed, more and more seekers gathered from all directions, completely turning the snowy plains outside the border into a black ocean composed of tents and people.

Fenike's decision was wise.

Although this wasteland was vast enough, not every place was suitable for camping. Those who came late either had to shamelessly squeeze in with others or could only stand very far away.

Some people came to Luo Yan's carriage, trying to seek a place of shelter, but were all persuaded to leave by Shala's cold gaze.

The air was filled with a tense and oppressive silence. Tens of thousands of young people from all over the Os Continent gathered here. No one talked or laughed loudly; there was only the whistling of the wind and snow across the wilderness, and the silent heartbeat collectively composed by people due to excitement and anxiety.

Finally, on the morning of the third day, when everyone's perseverance and patience were almost worn out, the anomaly finally came from the horizon.

First, a sharp cry that pierced the clouds and cracked stones broke the silence of the snowy plains.

Everyone looked up in unison, only to see dozens of black dots appearing from the clouds in the east, descending at an astonishing speed.

"It's a Griffin!!" a young man screamed, and just as his voice fell, there were successive screams from the side.

"Not just Griffins... is that a Dragon!?"

Luo Yan, who was reading, lifted his eyelids slightly, looked at the sky outside the window, and then moved his gaze away.

These ignorant kids clearly hadn't seen a real Dragon; those sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked things that looked like bats were clearly Pterosaurs.

The gap in bloodline between the two was as large as that between the Zeta people and the Ankylosaurus tribe; they were two species that looked similar but were completely different.

Just under the gaze of everyone's astonished eyes, the cavalry team composed of dozens of spirited Griffins and Pterosaurs with astonishing wingspans dived down like sharp swords!

They landed in designated areas around the snowy plains, their sharp claws hitting the ground and kicking up huge waves of snow!

On the back of every giant beast rode a mage wearing gorgeous mage robes of various colors, holding high the flags representing their respective Mage Towers.

This magnificent entrance caused bursts of exclamations from the young people on the snowy plains, exactly the same as the young people cheering at the Royal Arena in the Shengcheng.

However, this was just the beginning!

The earth began to vibrate slightly, at first like distant muffled thunder, then becoming clearer and heavier!

Just see at the end of the snowy plains, giant magic-energy constructs over ten meters high were walking slowly with earth-shaking steps.

These giants made of brass and rock made the earth tremble with every step. The azure magic crystals on their chests flickered with dazzling magical light like stardust!

And on their shoulders also stood mage teams from different schools. What was even more incredible was that they walked on the swampy ground as if it were flat land, without sinking into the mud pits!

Just when everyone was shocked by this steel-flood-like scene, the brilliant dawn suddenly dimmed.

A shadow so huge it was hard to imagine was cast from above the lead-gray clouds, as if to encompass the entire snowy plain!

Thousands of people looked up at the same time, their faces filled with unbelievable horror.

That was an incomparably huge silver-white platform; it was like a sailboat flying in the sky, driving the vast sea of clouds.

The bottom of the platform was engraved with incomparably magnificent magic arrays that flowed slowly like stars, and the strange patterns emitted an energy hum that made people look on with awe!

"Flying Boat... it's actually a Flying Boat!" A young candidate clenched his fists excitedly, as if he had seen a miracle, and spoke its name in a trembling voice. On the platform, thirteen figures stood proudly against the wind.

Their attire was different; some were as simple as priests, some as gorgeous as the stars, but everyone exuded a powerful aura as deep as the abyss and as vast as the sea.

They were the representatives sent by the thirteen core Mage Towers of the Academy!

This scene deeply shocked all the students present, pushing the longing and awe in their hearts to the peak.

Although they were just professors who preached, taught, and resolved doubts, at this moment, in the eyes of tens of thousands of mortals, they were no different from gods walking on the earth.

The power of faith was condensing silently...

Shala's brows frowned slightly, and her hand instinctively pressed against the hilt of the sword under her cloak. The pressure from the sky made her feel an instinctive dread.

Gold Tier?

Perhaps Platinum Tier!

Although that pure power did not surpass the Demon King, it was undoubtedly above her!

Tafu stretched her head out of the carriage to look at the sky, suddenly widened her eyes, and opened her mouth wide.

"Copy..."

"Copy?" Luo Yan flipped the book in his hand and raised his eyebrows.

"I mean copy!! This, this damn thing... is clearly a copy of the Zeta Empire's 'Inspiration'! Wait, how did these idealistic lunatics make this thing fly?! Did they master anti-gravity technology?! No! How could they know about the Zeta Empire's spaceship? Could it be... this is impossible! Absolutely impossible! Do these hairless monkeys deserve it?!"

Tafu seemed to have fallen into a mental breakdown, starting to babble nonsense.

"What are you babbling about? What does this have to do with anti-gravity? Isn't it just a large wind-attribute magic array? However, I admit that the design of this magic array is indeed a bit interesting..."

Luo Yan glanced at the dumbfounded Tafu, cast his gaze toward the sky to examine it for a while, and a moment later touched his chin with interest.

"So that's how it is."

This thing was likely the "Silver Sailboat" mentioned in Hekajelin's notes, but he didn't expect them to have scaled it down and replicated it.

However, they didn't seem to have really understood what it was they saw in the Void Realm, just drawing a gourd according to the ladle to create a "large-sized figure."

Those mages were actually standing on the hull of the boat.

Apart from being able to fly, it didn't seem to have any other functions.

Just when Luo Yan was silently evaluating in his heart, the huge silver-white platform also stopped descending at the same time.

It was like a temple suspended in the air, overlooking the tens of thousands of candidates on the snowy plains below who were as small as ants.

On the platform, the three professors with the most unfathomable auras walked slowly to the edge of the platform.

Seeing those three faces through the monocular telescope, Fenike's excited heart pounded.

Looking at Mr. Kelin who had just stepped out of the carriage, he hurriedly leaned over and said in a deliberately lowered voice.

"It's the chief examiner! The one walking in the middle is Professor Hector Lei En from the Tower of the Great Sage! Saint Xisi above, his expression has always been so dignified! The one on his left is Professor Boris Kelu from the Tower of the Holy Energy School, whose temperament is as compassionate as a priest, and the one on the right is Professor Leo Sterlin from the Element School... Do you need a telescope? I can lend it to you."

"No need, I can see."

Luo Yan's gaze lingered briefly on the professor from the Holy Energy School, estimating that the person should be at the same level as the four Demon Generals under his command.

However, in terms of putting on airs, his four Demon Generals combined were probably no match for this one.

Above the floating platform, the three professors were chatting and laughing as if no one else was around. Their voices were not loud, but they clearly reached the ears of the assistant instructors behind them.

"The little ones this year look more spirited than last year. Hector, it seems we can replenish some fresh blood again." Professor Leo Sterlin of the Element School smiled faintly, electric arcs wandering like snakes between his brows.

"I hope there will be more gold among the stones. The quality of the source of students has been getting worse in the last two years." Hector Lei En's tone was as calm as an ancient well, his sharp gaze scanning the snowy plains, as if he wanted to snatch the "real gold" floating on the snowy plains into his pocket first.

Their relaxed and casual posture formed a world of difference from the tense and oppressive atmosphere of the thousands of people below, and the worshipful gazes of the people made the halo on them even more dazzling.

Finally, Professor Hector Lei En of the Tower of the Great Sage stepped forward.

He did not raise his volume, but that voice that commanded respect without anger was clearly sent into the ears of every candidate on the snowy plains through magic.

"Silence!"

The whole field was instantly silent.

He paused and continued.

"The Academy's winter apprentice assessment, now begins!"

"The assessment is divided into written and oral exams. Today, the written exam first."

As soon as the voice fell, Professor Hector pounded the two-handed staff made of walnut wood in his hand downward, neither lightly nor heavily!

That staff clearly hit the silver-white platform, but what it shook was the snowy plain under everyone's feet. White waves rolled along the ground, as if the earth dragon had turned over!

"Boom—!"

Amidst a deafening roar, a huge, pitch-black stone tablet rose from the ground, pointing straight to the sky!

When the stone tablet stabilized, countless magic characters the size of rice grains, emitting soft light, gathered from all directions like summoned fireflies.

They intertwined and danced, forming symbols, and finally branded themselves on the front of the huge stone tablet, forming dense exam questions.

The candidates subconsciously leaned closer, trying to get closer, but some accidentally stepped into mud pits or screamed and fell into ice holes.

Some were natural.

And some were traps secretly set in advance by dirty-minded candidates to eliminate potential competitors!

Ignoring the commotion in the field, Professor Hector's voice sounded again, announcing the rules of the written exam: "The questions are out. Before dawn tomorrow, just write the answers on your scrolls. Full marks are one hundred; get sixty points to enter the oral exam..."

Speaking of this, his sharp gaze like a falcon scanned the audience, and he said in a cold tone without any emotion.

"By the way, identical answer sheets will be voided. In the Academy, it is not just the exploration and sharing of knowledge; protecting your own achievements from being plagiarized is also part of the assessment. These questions are all subjective questions; I want to see your own thinking."

"If you can't adapt to the rules here, I advise you to leave early and go home to farm."

As soon as this was said, the whole field was in an uproar!

Tens of thousands of candidates looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and vigilance.

The friends beside them had completely become competitors at this moment!

Professor Hector Lei En disappeared from their field of vision, and the silver-white metal platform rose back into the clouds.

As for those Griffin and Pterosaur knights, they went to every corner of the exam site, sealing off this vast snowy plain.

They would not forbid candidates from leaving.

But once they left, don't even think about sneaking back in.

Fenike swallowed his saliva, incomparably glad that he had grabbed a good spot in advance, and even more glad that he had brought the telescope Lio left him.

Otherwise, let alone passing the exam, they, who were not yet proficient in the use of transcendent power, would probably not even be able to see the questions!

Of course, from another perspective, those who could use transcendent power to improve their vision would basically be able to get those sixty points steadily.

Unlike Fenike and the others, Luo Yan, who was observing in secret, couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.

"A bit interesting."

The mages of the Academy were harvesting the faith of these seekers on one hand, and on the other hand, they were pushing these young people full of ideals into a cruel jungle in the way of raising poisonous insects.

This exam was not only a test of their knowledge and talent, but also a screening of their character and willpower.

He naturally saw at a glance that this set of rules was not just to select apprentices suitable for learning magic, but to select the most "smart people" worth cultivating from those gifted apprentices.

They must be absolutely cold to those around them, absolutely loyal to the Academy's system, use any means to achieve their goals, and after burning themselves, vanish like charcoal ash in a corner that no one cares about—at least not hurting their own people when they die.

Or to summarize in one sentence, Hekajelin was the gold they wanted to screen out, while young lads like Lio were the dregs they wanted to comb out.

Idealists?

Saint Xisi above, there probably wasn't anyone in the entire empire more materialistic than these mages. They believed in nothing and were uninhibited, practicing the coldest jungle law!

Of course, the above only applied to ordinary imperial citizens; nobles who entered the Academy through recommendation letters were not included. If he had taken out Count Silfen's recommendation letter from the beginning, he probably wouldn't have had to wait here for three days; he would have been sitting in the Mage Tower he wanted to go to three days ago.

However, wouldn't that have been much less fun?

He wasn't here to experience campus life.

The harsh trial had already begun, and Luo Yan noticed that conflicts had begun to breed in the crowd and were spreading toward the young people beside him.

With the disappearance of Professor Hector, the fragile order on the snowy plains instantly collapsed!

"Get lost! This spot is mine!"

"What right do you have? I saw it first!"

In the area closest to the stone tablet, the most primitive conflict broke out first.

A tall candidate rudely pushed a thin young man to the ground, seizing the spot he had worked so hard to find.

The thin young man struggled to reason, but was scared into silence by the other's fierce gaze, and could only climb up unwillingly to find opportunities further away.

Similar scenes were constantly being staged in every corner of the snowy plains.

However, no one without eyes came to trouble Luo Yan. After all, these people were not stupid; they were just here to take the exam, not to risk their lives... That carriage didn't look simple at all.

The crowd quickly differentiated.

Some candidates who were well-prepared or from wealthy families took out portable telescopes. Some geniuses who had awakened transcendent power early tried to urge magic power to gather in their eyes to make their vision clearer. But more ordinary geniuses whose awakening was not yet stable could only push and run in the crowded crowd like headless flies, vainly trying to get closer to that unreachable stone tablet.

The three young people looked at each other, their gazes falling on the telescope in Fenike's hand, letting time flow in silence.

They had probably used the same set of textbooks along the way, and hadn't communicated less about their understanding of magic; it was still a bit difficult to write completely different things.

Balie said in a low voice.

"Sixty points is enough. We can discuss and deliberately make mistakes in different places."

"But, what about those identical questions?" Ilala looked worried. "Honestly, I'm not afraid that our correct answers will be different, I'm afraid that our wrong answers will be identical..."

Fenike gripped the telescope tightly and gritted his teeth.

"Forget it, let's copy the questions down first. I don't believe they look that carefully! We'll answer the questions based on our own abilities later; as long as we don't copy from each other, it should be fine... And I think you guys shouldn't worry about whether they are different or not, get the sixty points first."

He looked at the questions; those questions were not simple.

The two nodded tacitly and began to cooperate, copying the questions on the stone tablet. It was just that those two pairs of eyes were both flickering involuntarily.

And at this very moment on the other side, a certain excellent graduate from the Demon King Academy had already put away the quill pen and letter paper floating in the air, having finished writing the questions along with the answers.

Although the empire's knowledge system was different from the Underworld's, these questions couldn't stump the well-read Demon King.

Especially after studying the notes of another "excellent graduate," Hekajelin.

"I wonder how many points the Academy's examiners will give me." Looking at the more than six thousand words of the answer sheet, Luo Yan nodded with satisfaction.

Count Silfen's recommendation letter was too unfair to these students who were taking the exam seriously.

As a Prince who valued fairness, he decided not to take it out until the results of the written and oral exams came out.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 358 =====