Chapter 30: The First Test

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: The First Test

As the hundred-meter-tall gates swung wide, Aria turned back around and glided into the academy grounds with her friends, disappearing into the vanguard of the crowd.

A moment later, the sea of 25,000 youths at the Eastern Gate rushed forward like a breaking dam.

?Aegon kept a steady pace alongside Clara, Zane, and Marcus.

?The broad boulevard led directly into the Central Testing Plaza, where the crowds from the North, South, and West gates were also converging.

Within twenty minutes, all 100,000 thousand young sorcerers stood assembled across a massive obsidian square capable of holding an entire army.

?At the center of the square stood one thousand crystalline obelisks, each ten meters tall and etched with ancient silver runes that hummed with dormant energy.

These were the Pillars of Solomon.

?Suddenly, the morning sky above the central obelisk darkened as a terrifying wave of mana pressed down on the entire plaza.

Buzz!

Every murmur died in an instant. Even the proudest royal heirs in the front rows stiffened, their knees buckling slightly under the suffocating spiritual aura.

?Very soon, a tall scarred man wearing the black-and-gold robes of an Imperial Grand Magus descended from midair.

He stopped several meters above the tallest crystal pillar.

Behind his shoulder, a radiant S-Rank Grimoire bound in silver dragon scales hovered openly, crackling with arcs of violet lightning.

The man smiled cruelly at waiting participants.

?"Silence, brats! I am Chief Proctor Ronin. Welcome to the Imperial Academy entrance examination, and for ninety-nine thousand of you, welcome to the end of your delusions."

?Proctor Ronin paused for a second, before continuing:

?"The Beliath Empire does not waste its resources on mediocre trash. Regardless of whether your father is a grand duke in the capital or a monarch in the subordinate kingdoms, inside these walls, your surname means nothing. Today, you will be judged solely by your mana, your intellect, and your spine."

?Saying that, he pointed a gloved finger down at the forest of crystal obelisks below him.

?"We will begin with the First Stage: the Mana Aptitude Test. Before you stand one thousand Pillars of Solomon. When the number on your registration badge glows, you will step up to your assigned pillar, place your palm upon the crystal surface, and pour your mana into the core for ten full seconds without stopping."

?Beside Aegon, Marcus gulped loudly.

?"Stop chattering and listen closely, because I will not repeat myself. These pillars do not care about the flashy rank printed on your Grimoire cover. They measure three fundamental truths: your maximum mana capacity, the purity of your mana, and the precision of your output control. As you channel your power, the pillar will illuminate across five tiers of light: White for failure, Green for mediocre, Blue for passable, Red for excellent, and Gold for supreme."

After hearing that, majority of the youths felt tense. But significant amount if them were calm. Because they all knew all these beforehand.

Ronin raised his right hand, then added,

?"Anyone whose pillar fails to reach at least the Blue tier within ten seconds is immediately disqualified and will be escorted out of the academy gates in disgrace. Even among those who reach Blue, only the top thirty thousand highest readings will advance to the Written Test at noon. The rest of you will pack your bags and go home!"

?With a sharp flick of Ronin’s wrist, the S-Rank Grimoire behind him flashed with violet light. Instantly, the numbered badges pinned to the chests of the first thousand examinees lit up with a bright glow.

?"First batch of one thousand applicants, step forward to your pillars now! Show the Empire what you are made of, or crawl back to your families in shame!"

At Proctor Ronin’s command, a wave of movement rippled through the obsidian plaza as one thousand glowing badges separated from the crowd.

?Most of the chosen youths walked forward with stiff legs and pale faces, their boots clicking nervously against the dark stone. Yet, near the very front of the formation, a single figure glided toward the first crystal obelisk with effortless grace, immediately capturing the attention of all one hundred thousand pairs of eyes.

?It was Aria Everlight.

?"Look at Pillar One! Lady Aria is in the very first batch!"

?Whispers of anticipation swept across the massive square. Even the highborn heirs waiting for their own turns craned their necks to watch the famous prodigy of the Grand Duchy of Everlight.

?"Hands on the crystal! Ten seconds, starting now!"

?Instantly, a chaotic symphony of mana erupted across the thousand Pillars of Solomon.

?All across the square, young sorcerers gritted their teeth and poured every drop of energy they possessed into the ancient obelisks. Immediately, the harsh reality of the Imperial Academy’s standards revealed itself. Over four hundred pillars merely flickered with a dull White glow before sputtering out, while another three hundred struggled to climb into a murky Green light.

?Cries of despair echoed across the plaza as dozens of children collapsed to their knees, clutching their heads from mana exhaustion, only for stern academy enforcers to step in and escort them straight toward the exit gates.

?Around two hundred applicants managed to push their pillars to a steady Blue tier, letting out shaky sighs of relief, while fewer than thirty pillars across the entire formation flared with the blazing crimson of the Red tier, belonging to proud noble heirs from great houses.

?However, nobody was paying attention to the Red pillars. Every gaze in the plaza was glued to Pillar Number One.

Standing before the towering ten-meter crystal, Aria did not clench her jaw or strain her muscles like the others. Her expression remained as serene as a quiet morning lake.

Slowly raising her right hand, she pressed her slender, porcelain palm gently against the cold surface of the obelisk.

?Hum!

?Behind her silver-blonde hair, a breathtaking Grimoire materialized in midair. Its cover appeared to be woven from liquid starlight and white gold, inlaid with shifting constellations that chimed softly as the pages fluttered open.

?The instant her mana flowed into the Pillar of Solomon, the ancient silver runes etched into the crystal did not climb step by step.

?White, Green, Blue, and Red flashed past in less than the blink of an eye.

?BOOM!