Passing through the spatial gate, the crowd arrived at a clearing, only to find a mana barrier rising from the surrounding forest. Beyond the barrier stood terrifying magical beasts!
Every single beast radiated mana fluctuations no lower than Tier Four, and some even reached Tier Nine!
These magical beasts didn't attack each other; instead, they relentlessly slammed against the mana barrier, causing ripples to spread across its surface.
Seeing this, the expressions of most people changed instantly. Only a small fraction remained calm, walking steadily toward the testing grounds.
Zhang Ye was one of them.
Lina watched the magical beasts and couldn't help but swallow hard, sticking close behind Zhang Ye.
Seeing how calm he was, Lina couldn't resist asking, “Brother Ye, aren’t you afraid those beasts might suddenly break the barrier and charge out?”
Zhang Ye smiled. “What’s there to be afraid of? There are seven Saint-tier experts standing above us. Would they really let these beasts get to us?”
At this point, he lowered his voice slightly. “Besides, this enrollment test actually began the moment we stepped through that spatial gate.”
“This is the organizers' first test.”
“Because of these magical beasts, many people will be frightened, causing them to perform poorly and be eliminated.”
“If they’re scared into underperforming just by seeing beasts blocked by a barrier, they’ll probably wet themselves during the third test's actual combat, let alone when they have to enter a secret realm to hunt magical beasts.”
Hearing this, Lina looked at the people around them and indeed found that many applicants had turned pale while staring at the beasts. Although the creatures were kept out, their savage appearance as they threw themselves at the barrier was clearly visible, causing many to consider backing out.
“Let’s go. Time for the first test,” Zhang Ye said, and Lina immediately followed.
With over eight thousand candidates and twenty testing stations operating simultaneously, the first test was straightforward. Candidates handed their ID plates to the examiners and placed their hands on a Testing Pillar, injecting mana into it. The color of the light indicated their mana attribute, while the height of the light determined their Tier.
Once a candidate met the requirements, the examiner would inject mana into their ID plate. If they failed, their plate was confiscated on the spot.
“No. 1542, Tier Four peak, Earth-attribute, Pass.”
“No. 3248, Tier Six late stage, Wood-attribute, Great, Pass.”
“No. 2250, Tier Five mid stage, Fire-attribute, Good, Pass.”
Most applicants already knew the rules, so the majority passed. However, some individuals caused quite a stir during the process. For example...
“No. 36, Tier Nine early stage, Wind-attribute, Perfect, Pass!”
“No. 37, Tier Eight mid stage, Wind-attribute, Perfect, Pass!”
“No. 38, Tier Eight late stage, Wind-attribute, Perfect, Pass!”
Three shouts in a row rang out. Even the examiner was clearly shocked, and the crowd gasped as they turned toward that testing station.
Samanra calmly took back her No. 36 ID plate, looking unsurprised, as if this were only natural. The man and woman behind her, however, couldn't hide the pride on their faces.
“She really is at the Tier Nine early stage. So impressive!” Lina remarked.
Zhang Ye chuckled. “You’re at the Tier Seven peak at nineteen. You won’t be any worse than her in the future.”
Lina beamed. “Is that so? Haha!” She gave a brilliant smile, though the stars in her eyes dimmed slightly.
“No. 3, Tier Nine mid stage, Lightning-attribute, Perfect, Pass!” Right then, a voice came from a distant testing station. The examiner’s voice even cracked slightly, clearly stunned beyond belief.
Zhang Ye’s pupils constricted.
Tier Nine mid stage?!
Good grief, there’s even a Tier Nine mid stage participant? This year’s enrollment is truly full of hidden talent!
That testing station was too far away for Zhang Ye to see clearly. Just as he was about to fly up to see who the big shot was, a grand voice echoed from the sky.
“Quiet. Maintain order. Violators will be warned; three warnings will result in expulsion from the testing grounds.”
A Saint-tier expert had spoken. The candidates who were planning to fly up to satisfy their curiosity had no choice but to suppress it and continue their tests.
Soon, it was Zhang Ye’s turn.
Handing his ID plate to the examiner, Zhang Ye stepped forward and placed his hand on the Testing Pillar, injecting his mana.
In the next moment, the pillar burst into a kaleidoscope of colors, leaving the examiner completely bewildered.
What in the world is this?
What attribute is this mana?
The light on the pillar stopped at the very end of the seventh mark, nearly reaching the eighth.
The examiner didn't announce the result immediately. Instead, he fell silent for a moment before flying up to consult with the Saint-tier experts in the sky. Many candidates noticed this and felt confused, their gazes landing on Zhang Ye with scrutiny.
A moment later, the examiner flew back and injected mana into the ID plate, signaling that Zhang Ye had passed the first test. Then, he announced:
“No. 6666, Tier Seven peak, Metal-Fire dual-attribute, Perfect, Pass!”
Zhang Ye was stunned.
Metal-Fire dual-attribute?
And a Perfect pass?
He had observed the others: Tier Four mid stage was a Pass, Tier Five mid stage was Good, Tier Six mid stage was Great, and Tier Seven mid stage was Excellent. Only Tier Eight mid stage and above received a Perfect. Why did he get a Perfect at the Tier Seven peak?
Was it because of the dual attributes?
Seeing Leona nod to him from the sky, Zhang Ye understood. Leona had helped him hide his null-attribute constitution. This would boost his rating and gain him attention without being too world-shaking. After all, in his case, a null-attribute constitution meant Full Attribute Compatibility!
That was something unheard of across the entire continent.
Next was Lina.
“No. 6667, Tier Seven peak, Light-attribute, Perfect, Pass!”
This girl also received a Perfect. Clearly, the rating didn't just look at mana tier but also attributes. Elements like Light, Dark, and Lightning were considered powerful and rare, which boosted the evaluation. This rating wasn't the final one; it would likely be adjusted later based on age. The younger the candidate, the higher their potential, and thus the higher their final rating would be.
“That’s great! It’s a Perfect!” Lina said excitedly.
Zhang Ye asked curiously, “What’s so special about a Perfect?”
“If you can get a Perfect in all three tests and pass the enrollment exam, you’ll enter All Souls Academy in at least the Blue Class!” Lina explained. “All Souls Academy classes are divided into eight levels: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Purple, and Rainbow. The Red Class is the worst, while the Rainbow Class is the best. The better the class, the better the cultivation resources and teaching quality!”
Zhang Ye nodded. It was essentially like the difference between a standard class and an elite honors class. One could say that besides the actual exams, these test ratings heavily influenced subsequent class placement.
A few hours later, the first test concluded. Over seven thousand candidates remained; fewer than a thousand had been eliminated.
Next was the second test.
This time, everyone would be tested together!
A Saint-tier expert in the sky waved a hand, and neat mana squares appeared on the ground.
“Everyone, take a seat in a square. Once you are ready, the second test will begin.”
Everyone immediately found the nearest square and sat down. Soon, they were ready.
Three Saint-tier experts raised their hands simultaneously, and a winding mana channel appeared before every candidate. The channel looked like a narrow tunnel, with a small mana bead placed at the start.
“Wrap the mana bead with your own mana and guide it through the mana channel. Each person has five chances. If the mana bead touches the walls of the channel, you will lose a chance and must start over from the beginning. You only pass if the bead reaches the end. The time limit is half a silverglass. Raise your hand once you have finished.”
“Now, begin.”
Zhang Ye nodded. Five chances corresponded to five rating levels.
Observing the mana channel and the bead before him, Zhang Ye looked relaxed.
The mana channel was 11 millimeters wide, while the mana bead was exactly 10 millimeters in diameter. In other words, the margin of error for the bead was only 1 millimeter!
The channel was winding and three meters long. For most people, guiding the bead through the entire length without touching the walls even once was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
No wonder Leona said the second test would eliminate most people. Looking up, some impatient candidates had already used up two of their chances.
However, for Zhang Ye, this was no challenge at all.
By now, he could simultaneously control hundreds of mana threads to draw circles with a margin of error of less than 0.1 millimeters!
...
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