Everyone on the Magic Continent knew about the traditional crystal ball test for spiritual power. The higher the spiritual power, the stronger the reaction from the crystal ball.
The intensity of the reaction just now was something Nolan had never seen, even during his own spiritual power test.
He stared at Ye Shaohua, who remained calm and composed, in shock. “You’re the S-rank spiritual power monster?”
Not just him, but everyone else in the room was also staring at Ye Shaohua in awe.
“No,” Ye Shaohua didn’t speak. Instead, the teacher in charge of the recheck answered.
“No?” Nolan felt a wave of relief wash over him. Though he was puzzled, the pressure he felt earlier lessened significantly. Good, she’s not the one. I knew her talent couldn’t be that high.
The others also chuckled, about to comment on how intense the reaction had been.
But before they could say anything, the teacher spoke again, “Not S-rank. She’s 3S-rank, a triple-element mage.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Nolan’s relieved smile froze on his face.
The entire testing hall fell silent.
What did 3S-rank spiritual power mean?
Aileen, who was only S-rank, had climbed to second place on the rankings in just three years. Though she was only a fourth-year student, as a fourth-tier mage, she could already compete with fifth-tier mages.
Because she practiced both magic and martial arts, most fifth-tier mages were no match for her.
“Alright, I’ll now distribute your number plates. From today onward, you are officially members of Lien Academy. You can check your rankings on the Magic Tower leaderboard,” the teacher in charge of enrollment said as he handed out their uniforms and room assignment cards.
When he faced Ye Shaohua, his expression was particularly kind.
“I know you’re all geniuses, but Lien Academy is never short of geniuses. How far you go depends entirely on your own efforts. Whether you’re A-rank or B-rank, you’ll all start in the first-year classes. Here, everyone starts from the same point.”
The moment the teacher handed out the uniforms and ID number plates, the twelve new students saw the rankings on the Magic Tower change.
489—Ye Shaohua.
490—Nolan.
…
The teacher led them to the new students’ dormitory. Along the way, they encountered many senior students.
Some were carrying the corpses of third-tier magical beasts, while others were hauling large bags of magic cores.
The aura emanating from each of them was stronger than the last.
“Teacher Linxia, this year’s new students seem quite talented,” one of the seniors remarked.
“Of course. Among them is a 3S-rank individual,” Teacher Linxia replied with a smile.
This statement made the senior students gasp. A 3S-rank spiritual power was awe-inspiring no matter where you were.
After finishing his conversation, Teacher Linxia led the twelve students to the outermost dormitory area.
“At Lien Academy, everything is based on strength. If you lack strength, you’ll only receive the lowest level of treatment,” Teacher Linxia said as he opened the gate to the courtyard. “This is the E-rank dormitory for new students. It will be your home for the next year. Those ranked 400 to 500 can only live in the E-rank dormitory. If you manage to break into the top 400, you can move to the D-rank dormitory. One of your peers, Ye Jin, has already moved to the D-rank dormitory. Of course, if you can break into the top 20, you’ll gain access to the academy’s core facilities. Everyone in the top 20 has the ability to fight against sixth-tier mages.”
“Good luck, new students,” Teacher Linxia said, giving them one last look before leaving.
“I’m planning to challenge the Magic Tower. Anyone want to join me?” Nolan’s eyes burned with determination as he looked at the Magic Tower, glancing at the others.
Everyone here was proud and ambitious. No one wanted to be left behind.
Except for Ye Shaohua, everyone else expressed their desire to challenge the Magic Tower.
“Shaohua, aren’t you coming?” Nolan was most curious about Ye Shaohua’s strength.
Ye Shaohua shook her head. “You go ahead. I’m going to take a bath and rest.”
For the past two months in the Demon Beast Forest, she had barely rested. Even when she closed her eyes at night, she had to stay alert for potential beast attacks. Now that she finally had a safe place to stay, all she wanted was to find a bed and sleep.
Among the twelve of them, there were four girls and eight boys, all living in the E-rank dormitory. The courtyard had twenty rooms, and Ye Shaohua picked one to get some proper sleep.
By the time she woke up and went to eat, Nolan and the others had just returned from outside.
The atmosphere was heavy.
“How did it go?” she asked.
One of the boys, Gu Yan, who was also from the Canglang Kingdom and had C-rank talent, stepped forward. “Aside from Nolan, no one made any progress.”
Ye Shaohua went outside to check the Magic Tower rankings. Sure enough, only Nolan’s rank had improved, moving from 490th to 478th.
The others had only moved up one spot, and that was only because Ye Shaohua, who was ranked 489th, hadn’t challenged the Magic Tower yet. Once she did, their rankings would revert to what they were before.
The change was minimal, almost negligible, which explained why Nolan and the others felt so disheartened.
After all, this was Lien Academy. Every student here was a genius. How could they, as new students, compare to seniors who had been here for at least half a year?
“The challenges in the Magic Tower are just too tough. I don’t know how Ye Jin managed to reach 399th,” Nolan said with a bitter smile after a while.
As an A-rank dual-element mage, he was unmatched among first-tier mages. Yet, even after giving it his all, he could only reach 478th.
Gu Yan nodded. “I asked around. In the history of Lien Academy, the number of students who’ve broken into the top 400 within two months can be counted on one hand. Ye Jin is truly exceptional.”
As he said this, he glanced at Ye Shaohua.
The group of new students ate their meal in low spirits. Throughout the afternoon, several groups of E-rank students came by, all wanting to catch a glimpse of Ye Shaohua.
After Teacher Linxia’s announcement earlier, everyone knew that this year’s new students included a 3S-rank monster.
Over the next three days, all the new students, including Ye Shaohua, attended classes diligently. Since Ye Jin was already ranked 399th, she had skipped ahead to the second year and wasn’t in the same class as them.
By the time Ye Shaohua finished absorbing the foundational knowledge taught in the first-year classes, half a month had passed.
During this time, her ranking remained at 500th.
Today, she was finally ready to challenge the Magic Tower for the first time.
As a 3S-rank individual making her first attempt, many of the E-rank students came to watch, curious to see how far she could go.
“Good luck,” Nolan said, glancing at her.
Ye Shaohua nodded slightly. “Thanks.”
She turned and entered the Magic Tower.