Land of Magic

7

Mentor Jean was right: Markin didn’t want to waste his precious time on menial work, and neither did dozens of other Mentors and inner circle disciples. That was why the school recruited so many pseudo disciples. They weren’t allowed to attend lectures, visit the libraries, the Treasury, or the Armory. They couldn’t even walk around the School grounds freely. Only a faint hope kept these wretches from abandoning their hopeless pursuit.

Those who became ordinary disciples almost never progressed further. It was impossible for people of their level of power and talent.

Suddenly, several people caught Markin’s eye. Despite the fact that Dalit was already using seventy-five percent of his maximum power, about a dozen examinees were still able to stay on their feet and seemed to be fighting against the pressure.

Every year, some modestly talented people came here, only to perish in the Forest of Shadows or the Valley of Swamps.

“That’s enough, Dalit.”

The personal disciple of one of the School’s Mentors raised his hands. The pressure disappeared and the examinees sucked in air greedily. There were about three hundred of them left in the square now. If Dalit had used even the weakest of his Techniques, nobody knew how many of them would’ve lost their lives after just one attack. 

“May I leave now, Mentor Jean?” The young man’s tone was still bored and annoyed.

“Yes.”

Dalit rose, took a step to the side, and… disappeared into thin air. He moved so quickly that he didn’t disturb the grass or even make a sound.

Hadjar had never seen anything like it. Breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from his brow, he wasn’t discouraged or afraid. On the contrary, he thanked the High Heavens for the opportunity to test himself so completely. The greater the pressure, the stronger the steel became. The same theory applied to cultivators. Only by overcoming the impossible could a person become capable of the unthinkable.

“Congratulations! You’ve passed the first test.” Mentor Jean clapped twice. “Now on to the second part. You need to come up to this ball and touch it. Those who are older than sixteen will also be expelled from our school grounds.”

The examinees lined up without a fuss. One by one, they went over to the ball on the tripod and, upon touching it, tensed in anticipation. If nothing happened for three seconds, one of the Mentors led them over to the prepared circles that were each a different color.

“We came to the right place, my friend.” Einen whispered. “I sense many people here who could defeat me with ease.”

“Yep.” Hadjar agreed.

“We should make the most of this opportunity.”

Einen walked over to the ball. He put his hand on it and waited anxiously. Large drops of sweat rolled down his forehead. A second later, the rainbow haze began to move. The islander held his breath and Hadjar prayed to the High Heavens. The rainbow haze clung to the inside of the ball. It took the shape of Einen’s hand and... moved back.

One of the Mentors led the islander over to the gray circle.

Hadjar came up to the ball after his friend. In his case, the ball held the shape of his palm for a second longer, but also retreated. Another Mentor led him to the black circle.

During the simple procedure, a sizeable number of people were eliminated. Some of them had used artifacts, trying to hide their age. The rainbow haze electrocuted them. Still writhing around on the floor in agony, they were enveloped in green sparks and then disappeared. Others, who’d simply decided to try their luck, were immediately sent back to the city. There were also those whom the haze, stretching out like a snake, would beat with a force comparable to fully-fledged lashes of the whip. Howling in pain, they too disappeared in a shower of sparks.

As a result, after getting acquainted with the ball, only a couple hundred people remained in the exam.

Chapter 428

  

 “I want to congratulate all of you once again on your accomplishments,” Mentor Jean said, applauding. He stood in the black circle, where Hadjar was. The other examiners also walked over to their groups. “You have to pass one last test. After that, you’ll become a part of our School. Who knows, you may even be able to advance and become a fully-fledged disciple, or go even further in the future!”

The bored skepticism on the other examiners’ faces didn’t escape Hadjar’s notice. They clearly didn’t think it possible. Hadjar smiled. So be it. Even if no ordinary disciple had ever become an inner circle disciple before, Hadjar would be the first to reach the top of the ranks from the bottom rungs. It was the only way he could fulfill his vows.

At that moment, Hadjar’s eyes flashed with a determination so strong and sharp that it was able to attract the attention of Examiner Markin. Looking at the ragged man in dirty clothes, he noticed the red tattoo on his arm. His eyes widened in surprise. A Name? Here? Among these incompetents, whose power was barely enough to allow them to be ranked as mere losers?

A moment later, his surprise turned to joy. What luck! He had been searching for a Named One for a long time. However, the stronger a Named One was, the harder it was to strip them of their Name.

I only need sixteen more Names to complete the Hundred Voices pill. With it, I can break through to the next level of Weapon Mastery!

Still looking disinterested, the examiner began to watch the ragged man. He didn’t care whether the man passed the last test or not. The examiner wondered what kind of hardships this ragged man had gone through if he had such a strong heart at such a young age. Unfortunately, his experience wouldn’t help him against Markin. It was sad, though. By harnessing such willpower and talent, he might’ve overcome the shackles of his worthlessness… Such a bright and strong Name would be the perfect ingredient for his Hundred Voices pill. As soon as Markin found the other fifteen Named Ones he needed, he would come for the vagabond. It was unlikely that he would be able to become strong enough to resist the Soul Technique of a cultivator at the initial stage of the Lord level in that time.

“Your last test will be the simplest, and at the same time, the most difficult,” Mentor Jean waved his hand.

Hadjar could only sense a small disturbance in the energy flow, but he didn’t understand what was going on. Prompted by a wave of the examiner’s hand, a tall stele appeared in the center of each circle. They seemed to have grown out of the ground, as if the sand had suddenly compressed into a single stone monolith.