Pales in Comparison

“Brother Ye, is this a slime or a Poring?” Lina asked, her eyes full of little stars as she looked at Gujiu on Zhang Ye’s shoulder.

Zhang Ye chuckled. “An Angel Slime. What do you think? Cute, right?”

“So cute!” Lina nodded. “Can I touch it?”

“No. If you want to touch one, go find your own,” Zhang Ye said.

Are you kidding? Even Oscar didn't get to touch it, and you want to? My little angel Gujiu is mine!

Lina nodded in disappointment and then asked, “Then where can I find an Angel Slime?”

Zhang Ye replied, “The Demon Realm.”

Lina: “???”

“An Angel Slime... in the Demon Realm?” Lina asked, looking completely bewildered.

Shouldn't it be in the Divine Realm?

Zhang Ye nodded with a straight face. “Yeah.”

“Well, then I definitely won’t be able to find one. For humans, going to a place like the Demon Realm is a one-way trip to the grave,” Lina said, looking dejected.

However, the girl soon regained her smile, chattering away while she ate like a lively lark.

She was quite the chatterbox, but Zhang Ye just treated it like listening to background music.

“I’m so full...” After finishing her meal, Lina grinned. “Brother Ye, do you want to go for a walk outside? I saw many pretty ladies in Bailing City!”

Zhang Ye looked at her, somewhat speechless. She was clearly a girl, yet she acted like a little boy.

“No, I need to cultivate. I want to see if I can break through to the Tier Seven peak before the exam,” Zhang Ye said, shaking his head.

He was currently at the Tier Seven late stage. One more step and he would reach the Tier Seven peak, which would give him more confidence when dealing with those Tier Nine participants.

Seeing that Zhang Ye wasn't going, Lina nodded. “Then I’ll cultivate too. Brother Ye, I’ll come call you at six ke tomorrow morning?”

Zhang Ye nodded. “Sure.”

After Lina left, Zhang Ye took out magic cores from his ring and tossed them into his mouth.

With his current physique, he only felt saturated after devouring over thirty Tier Eight magic cores.

Perhaps because his mana was extremely pure and massive in quantity, every stage of his advancement required dozens of times more resources than others of the same rank. This was likely the price for being invincible among his peers and for his rapid growth.

After feeding Gujiu a few more magic cores, Zhang Ye closed his eyes and began his meditation.

Time passed, and it was soon the next day.

Lina’s crisp voice came from the door. “Brother Ye, get up! It’s time for the enrollment test!”

Zhang Ye opened his eyes, the mana fluctuations around him fading away.

He was now at the Tier Seven peak.

He stretched and went to open the door, only to see... an armored warrior?

Armor Hero? Is that you, Emperor Man?

“Are you... Lina?” Zhang Ye asked, stunned.

“Yep.” Lina opened her helmet’s visor and smiled. “I prepared this for the enrollment test. Pretty cool, right?”

Zhang Ye could feel the mana fluctuations from the armor; it was indeed not weak. After analyzing it, he found it was a Tier Nine set called the Lionheart Armor.

The Lionheart Armor was a combination of white and gold, with a golden lion’s head on the chest and a helmet shaped like a golden lion’s maw. The shoulder guards had protruding lion claws, making it look incredibly magnificent. At first glance, it really did have the feel of the Emperor Armor—it just lacked a transformation belt.

“Impressive!” Zhang Ye nodded.

“I have more. Do you want one?” Lina laughed.

“More?” Zhang Ye was taken aback.

“Mm-hm,” Lina nodded. “I brought eight spare sets.”

Eight sets...

Alright, this girl is definitely from the Salomon Royal Family. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to produce so many sets of armor capable of withstanding Tier Nine attacks.

And with so many suits of armor, she likely had plenty of other treasures too.

Zhang Ye smiled. “No thanks, I have my Earth Tiger Armor.”

“Earth Tiger Armor?” Lina’s eyes immediately sparkled. “Can I see it?”

Zhang Ye chuckled. “Sure, watch closely.”

“Earth Tiger Armor—Equip!”

A set of armor made of metal and rock instantly attached to his body.

Releasing the Metal Tiger Earth Armor at the Tier Seven peak made it look even more magnificent, and its defensive capabilities were greatly increased. While it couldn't compare to Lina’s armor, its appearance certainly wasn't lacking.

Moreover, this was magic; if it was damaged, it could be repaired or summoned again.

Lina immediately let out a “wow” and circled Zhang Ye, looking him up and down.

“Handsome, right?” Zhang Ye laughed.

“So handsome!” Lina nodded and then burst into laughter. “My armor is called the Lionheart Armor, and yours has a tiger. Why don't we call ourselves the Lion-Tiger Combo!”

This girl was playing a little trick, putting the “Lion” before the “Tiger.”

Zhang Ye didn't mind; he just thought it was amusing and nodded. “Fine.”

He glanced at the water-drop clock in the room and said, “Let’s go. We’ll grab some breakfast and then head to the enrollment test.”

“Okay!”

When they arrived at the plaza again, they found that many people had arrived early.

The two of them chatted while waiting idly.

For this enrollment, many people had put on their best gear. After all, one’s background was also a part of their strength. While the enrollment exam prohibited the use of scrolls, combat puppets, and combat golems, it did not forbid candidates from using armor and weapons provided by their families.

You could even bring a Saint-tier artifact if you wanted.

Of course, those below the Saint-tier generally couldn't use Saint-tier artifacts. Even if they could, they would have to pay a heavy price.

Equipment and weapons weren't necessarily better just because their tier was higher. If the tier was too high and one’s own mana couldn't drive it, it would be difficult to utilize its functions.

However, most people’s equipment was around Tier Seven or Tier Eight; Tier Nine was very rare. Thus, Lina’s Lionheart Armor definitely made her the most eye-catching person in the plaza.

Zhang Ye had deactivated his armor while eating breakfast, but this girl hadn't. She was currently enjoying the envious gazes of the crowd.

Time passed minute by minute, and the crowd in the plaza grew larger. Soon, a flying carriage arrived, and a beautiful woman stepped down.

It was Samanra. However, Samanra had also changed into a set of Tier Nine light armor called Wind Spirit. The azure light armor fit her body perfectly, accentuating her tall figure and making her look incredibly glamorous.

Behind her followed a man and a woman from the same clan. One was at the Tier Eight late stage and the other at the Tier Eight mid stage. Their cultivation wasn't as strong as Samanra’s, but they weren't weak either. They were also wearing Wind Spirit armor, though theirs were Tier Eight versions with different styles.

As soon as the members of the Wind Spirit family arrived, they immediately drew a wave of gasps. Samanra was simply too beautiful; even Lina was staring with stars in her eyes, her helmet barely hiding her excitement.

As soon as it struck seven, several figures appeared above the plaza, each radiating a powerful aura. There were seven Saint-tier experts in total!

Leona was among them!

After the seven descended, another stir rippled through the plaza. Everyone looked at the seven people in the sky with gazes of awe.

Saint-tier powerhouses! As long as one could become a Saint-tier, they would be respected wherever they went. The strongest individuals in many small kingdoms were merely at the Saint-tier.

It could be said that the Saint-tier was the lifelong goal for many people present.

Following the seven, many Tier Nine and Tier Ten experts also appeared, but their radiance was overshadowed by the seven Saint-tier experts.

Upon landing, Leona locked her gaze onto Zhang Ye and gave him a bold, hearty smile.

Confident, powerful, and dashing—with this smile, everything else paled in comparison. Countless people were left dazed by the sight.

Even Samanra felt she couldn't compare.

This woman was too powerful and too beautiful.

Both were daughters of patriarchs from great families, yet Leona was a Three-star Saint-tier while she was only at the Tier Nine early stage.

At her age, her cultivation was already considered top-tier, but Samanra knew she was far behind Leona.

She was twenty-three and Leona was twenty-six, but she knew that by the time she reached twenty-six, it would be impossible for her to achieve the same level as Leona.

Even her elder brother, who was four years older than her, was currently only a Two-star Saint-tier...

Seeing Leona smile at him, Zhang Ye returned the smile.

Big Nana is so cool and beautiful!

“Brother Ye! Brother Ye! Her! That’s Leona! Leona Salomon of the Flame Lion family! The Red Lotus Lion! Oh my god!” Lina was already so excited she could hardly contain herself. “She’s smiling at me... she’s really... too beautiful. I feel like I can’t breathe!”

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes, not having the heart to tell her the truth.

Wake up, girl. Leona is a woman you’ll never have.

“The All Souls Magic Academy enrollment test officially begins.” At that moment, the leading Saint-tier elder spoke, his voice echoing in all directions.

“Will all applicants please move to the testing grounds.” As soon as he finished speaking, the elder waved his hand, and a massive spatial gate opened at the front of the plaza. On the other side of the gate was an open field surrounded by forest. It seemed this testing ground was located within the All Souls Mountain Range.

Zhang Ye looked at the spatial gate and immediately performed an analysis. It would be a waste not to learn it.

【Large-scale Spatial Gate: A Tier Ten space-attribute spell. Capable of opening a spatial gate for traversal. Can open a large-scale gate of 100*100 units.】

Good heavens, a Tier Ten space-attribute spell. Copy and Analyze!

“Let’s go, Brother Ye,” Lina said, her voice full of excitement. “All Souls Academy, here we come!”

Zhang Ye smiled and followed her.

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