novelsite Chapter 9: Magic Test
Chapter 9: Magic Test
A month later.
On a crisp autumn morning, just as dawn was breaking, several people were already standing in front of the Baruch Manor.
Hogg, dressed in a faded noble robe, stood on the steps, his gaze complex as he looked at his two sons. His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only sighed.
"Father, we're leaving." Lin Lei carried a small bundle on his back, but his eyes kept drifting towards the backyard.
"Go ahead," Hogg nodded. "When you get to Fenlai, listen to Hillman and don't cause trouble. Come back after the test; I'll be waiting for you at home."
"Understood, Father," Lin Yun said, slung his bag over his shoulder, and stood beside Lin Lei.
Hillman led the two out of Wushan Town. At this moment, as one of only two Devouring God Rats in the Panlong World, Bebe finally signed an equal contract with Linley and Bebe just before they were about to leave, becoming Linley's magical beast!
In the past few months, the two spent their spare time catching various small animals to feed the Shadow Mouse. Finally, their hard work paid off. Before leaving, the little Shadow Mouse took the initiative to sign a contract with Linley, and the trip to Fenlai City gained another member!
The three people and the mouse walked north along the rugged dirt road. On both sides were endless fields and sparse woods. The fields had been harvested in late autumn, leaving only bare stubble and the occasional crow flying by.
Bebe perched on Linley's shoulder, curiously observing the surrounding scenery, occasionally chirping.
"Linley," Delin's voice echoed in Linley's mind, only Linley could hear it, "When we arrive in Fenlai City, during the test, tell Lin Yun to be careful not to reveal his seven elemental talents."
"Your brother's talent is too astonishing. If it were exposed, it would cause unnecessary trouble." Delin's voice was very serious. "Mastering all seven elements is unprecedented in the history of the Yulan Continent. Your Baruch family has long since declined and does not have enough strength to protect such a genius. You should be able to imagine what the consequences would be if someone with ulterior motives found out."
Lin Lei's expression turned serious.
Although he was young, he knew the principle of "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." A child from a declining family possessing the talent for seven types of magic—what would the major powers do if this news got out? Try to win him over? Or... destroy him?
"I understand," Lin Lei said softly. "Then Lin Yun, what about him..."
"I already told him through you before," Delin said. "He understands the implications better than you do. In this test, as long as he manipulates the magical elements as I taught him before, he shouldn't reveal his seven-elemental talent. With his talent, even a slight display would be enough to attract the attention of the magic academy."
Lin Lei nodded and relayed what Delin had said to Lin Yun again.
As evening approached, the outline of Fenlai finally came into view.
Fenlai City is the capital of the Kingdom of Fenlai and one of the most prosperous cities on the entire Yulan Continent. The towering city walls are made of grayish-blue stones and are over ten zhang high. There is an arrow tower every hundred meters on the city walls, and fully armed soldiers patrol and inspect the city gates.
The three of them slowly walked into the city gate, and Lin Lei and Lin Yun couldn't help but look up.
The city was even more prosperous than they had imagined—the wide stone-paved streets were lined with shops and wine flags fluttering in the wind; the streets were teeming with people, including nobles in gorgeous robes, mercenaries carrying weapons, merchants leading camels, and magicians in robes of various colors.
"So many magicians!" Linley exclaimed.
Bebe also peeked out from his shoulder, looking around curiously, his little paws gripping Linley's collar tightly.
The three stopped in front of a small hotel called "Golden Oak Leaf". It was a mid-range hotel, not too expensive, and the environment was fairly clean. Hillman had asked someone to book rooms in advance - a double room for the two brothers and a single room for himself.
"Get a good rest tonight," Hillman said. "We'll go to the Holy See for the test first thing tomorrow morning."
“Yes, Uncle Hillman,” Linley replied.
After dinner, the two brothers returned to their room. Lin Lei leaned against the window, looking at the brightly lit streets outside with curiosity in his eyes. Bei Bei perched on his shoulder, also looking around.
"Lin Yun," Lin Lei suddenly asked, "Are you nervous?"
"A little," Lin Yun said. This was not a lie. Although he knew he was very talented, deliberately hiding his strength was actually more difficult than giving it his all.
After all, this is the headquarters of the Holy See of Light. You should know that he not only possesses light-type talent, but also dark-type talent. If he accidentally exposes his dark-type talent during the test, he will be in big trouble. The Holy See of Darkness and the Holy See of Light are mortal enemies!
"I'm nervous too," Linley said honestly. "What if my talent isn't good enough and I can't get into magic academy?"
"No, that won't happen," Lin Yun said confidently. "You have great talent; even Grandpa Delin said you're a genius."
Lin Lei smiled and reached out to pat Bei Bei on his shoulder: "That's good."
As night deepened, the hustle and bustle of Fenlai City gradually subsided. Lin Yun lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep. His consciousness swayed gently between two worlds—in the world of Swallowing the Stars, his other body was sleeping soundly in a low-rent apartment in Yangzhou City, and he had to go to school the next day.
He closed his eyes and quickly entered a meditative state.
Greenleaf Road in the eastern part of Fenlai is one of the main thoroughfares of the city. The buildings lining both sides of Greenleaf Road are mostly luxurious mansions, as well as some buildings belonging to the kingdom. The tallest building among them is the Church of the Holy See.
The Holy Alliance comprises six kingdoms and fifteen principalities, with the Holy See controlling the entire alliance.
The Pope of Light holds the highest position and has the power to depose the king of a kingdom! Therefore, even in the eastern part of Fenlai City, the tallest building is the church of the Church of Light.
This morning, a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the Church of Light. The vast majority of the people there were nobles dressed in fine clothes. The empty square in front of the church was almost completely filled with carriages, and the nobles were exchanging pleasantries with each other.
Hillman and his two brothers arrived here early.
Hundreds of people had gathered in the square, mostly children like Lin Lei and Lin Yun, who were brought by their parents or teachers to test their talents. Their ages ranged from seven or eight to teenagers, some looking nervous and others eager to try.
Soon, the test began. The test location was in the center of the church hall. Only those who were going to take the test could enter; everyone else had to wait outside the hall. Lin Yun and his companion took the test fee and their identification documents and went to queue up. Bei Bei stayed with Hillman for the time being.
The magic test consisted of two parts: elemental affinity and mental strength. Neither of them posed a significant challenge. Elemental affinity was self-evident. As for mental strength, when Lin Lei first encountered magic six months ago, it was about ten times that of his peers. Now, after more than six months of meditation, it had reached seventeen or eighteen times that of his peers, far exceeding the average. Lin Yun, needless to say, had already reached the mental strength of a fourth-level mage six months ago. In the past six months, although he had mainly focused on refining magical power, his mental strength had also improved to some extent.
The tests proceeded smoothly, with dozens of people tested. Only one girl barely reached the level required to become a magician; the others' mental strength failed to meet the passing grade.
Soon it was Linley's turn. He calmed himself down and stepped inside, while Delinkovo was still by Linley's side. In Delinkovo's view, only Saint-level experts could barely sense his presence, while these ordinary mages could not sense him at all.
Lin Lei placed his hand on the crystal ball.
Suddenly—like the sun—the entire crystal ball shone brightly, its earthy yellow and cyan light intermingling, with even the occasional tiny speck of fiery red mixed in. The dazzling light even caused those who approached to squint.
Everyone in the hall was stunned when they saw the crystal ball that shone as brightly as the sun.
The bald old man looked at the paper in his hand with trembling hands. It was written very clearly that Lin Lei was only eight years old.
"Age eight, elemental affinity: superb in earth and wind! medium in fire." The bald old man felt his heart pounding. The elemental affinity of a normal mage is medium, slightly above average is very rare, and superb... is extremely rare.
In other words, while others spend ten hours refining magical power, Linley estimates he can achieve the same effect in just one hour.
"Whoosh!" The entire hall gasped in surprise. The elemental affinity was actually super-grade, and it was even dual-elemental. This was terrifying.
After testing elemental affinity, it's time to test mental strength! As expected, Lin Lei's mental strength is nineteen times that of his peers, even slightly stronger than in the original story—a superior level mental strength!
Admissions officers from several academies extended offers to Linley, promising various attractive conditions—full scholarships, individual guidance, and recommendations for joining the Kingdom's Mage Order upon graduation…
Lin Lei declined all offers, saying he would make a decision after his younger brother finished his tests.
Amidst everyone's anticipation, Lin Yun walked towards the testing platform.
With a touch of trepidation, he placed his hand on the crystal ball and closed his eyes. Following the method taught by Delin, he carefully guided his mental energy—allowing only the light and lightning elements to flow into the crystal ball, while suppressing the other four elements with all his might.
But manipulating magical elements is easier said than done.
Instantly, the entire crystal ball shone as brightly as the sun once more. White and purple light intertwined, the dazzling brilliance causing those around to squint.
However, to Lin Yun's surprise, there was a tiny trace of fiery red and light blue mixed in!
I still couldn't control it.
He sighed inwardly, but could only maintain the status quo and dared not make any further adjustments, lest he expose more.
Upon seeing the crystal ball that shone as brightly as the sun, everyone in the hall was stunned once again.
The bald old man's hands were now trembling uncontrollably. He looked at the paper in his hand, on which it was clearly written—Lin Yun, eight years old, is the twin brother of Lin Lei, who just took the test.
"Age eight, elemental affinity—superior in light and lightning, moderate in fire and water." The bald old man felt his heart almost stop beating.
Two geniuses with exceptional charisma, and twin brothers at that. Judging from the introduction, they are clearly from a small noble family in the countryside—this little family is going to be something special in the future!
Lin Yun felt a lingering fear. He had clearly followed Delin's method, only absorbing light and lightning elements, but unexpectedly, other elements had still managed to get in. Fortunately, the test results were only average; if they had been all four elements at a super-grade level, it would have been quite troublesome.
This was also something Delin had strictly instructed him to do before—his talent, while strong, wasn't enough to cause a frenzy among various factions. A genius with two super-level attributes and two average attributes, while rare in the history of the Yulan Continent, wasn't without precedent.
"Please come into the magic circle," the bald old man said kindly, even more so than he had been to Linley earlier.
Lin Yun stepped into the magic circle. A warm white light shone from the magic circle, and a sense of oppression directly impacted his soul.
Light magic - Intimidation.
"As expected, I felt nothing at all," Lin Yun thought to himself. This level of magical intimidation had almost no effect on him. His soul, accumulated over three lifetimes and tempered by the small cauldron, was far more powerful than ordinary people could imagine.
But he couldn't show it.
As time passed, the light from the magic circle grew brighter and its power increased. Lin Yun gradually showed signs of weakness—his brows furrowed slightly, his breathing became heavier, and his body swayed slightly.
He silently calculated the timing in his mind. Collapsing too early would arouse suspicion, collapsing too late would also attract attention. He needed just the right moment.
Finally, when the intensity of the deterrence reached a considerably high level, Lin Yun pretended to be unable to hold on and knelt down on one knee.
At the same time, everyone's attention was once again drawn to the bald old man.
The bald old man took a deep breath and said loudly, "Mental strength—twenty-four times that of his peers, is top-tier! Top-tier mental strength, super-tier elemental affinity."
The crowd in the main hall erupted in noise again.
Two geniuses with superior mental strength and exceptional interpersonal skills, and they're even twin brothers—this has everyone envious. With such talent, they're destined to become high-level mages! Many are already eager to try their luck and make their acquaintances beforehand.
Admissions officers from several colleges surrounded them again, offering even more favorable terms than before.
But Lin Lei and Lin Yun had already made up their minds.
"We choose Ernst College," Linley said on behalf of the two.
This choice is not surprising—Ernst Academy, as the number one magic academy in the entire Yulan Continent, has a faculty and foundation that other magic academies cannot match.
The bald old man nodded and stamped Ernst Academy's seal on the two people's test results: "You can go directly to the academy to register next spring."
After the test, Hillman took his two brothers and set off directly back to Wushan Town. Linley couldn't wait to share the joy with his father!
In the world of Swallowed Star, Lin Yun's other body is attending classes at a school in Yangzhou City. In a few years, he will join the Limit Martial Arts Academy and begin his martial arts training. Meanwhile, in the world of Panlong, he and Lin Lei are about to enter Ernst Magic Academy and embark on the path of magic.
The test in Fenlai City was just the beginning. The real journey lies ahead.
Before that, he had six months to continue accumulating power in both worlds.