Second-Class Test

Lili frowned deeply and carefully held the round, plump bird up to her ear, trying to glean more information from its indistinct chirping.

"Say that again. What did you just say? Mushrooms?"

The plump bird tilted its head, its black, beanlike eyes darting about as it let out a string of unintelligible chirps, with a few clear syllables mixed in: "...different colors... garden... battle..."

Surprise flashed in Lili's eyes. She gently put the plump bird down and tapped her fingertips rapidly against the desk, producing a crisp sound.

Before long, a thick volume of General Knowledge of Summoning appeared in her hand.

Lili's fingers fluttered over the pages like butterflies, finally stopping at an exquisite illustration—the detailed section on plant-type summoning.

She read intently for a long while before looking up, her eyes glinting with thought.

"Could it be plant summoning? Where did Chen Chuan get a plant-type summoning anchor?" she murmured to herself.

Then she sighed softly. "It seems his secrets are far more unfathomable than I imagined."

The black plump bird beside her sensed the sudden chill emanating from Lili. Frightened, it flapped its wings and scrambled blindly into the little wooden house behind the bookcase, not daring to poke even its head out again.

After a moment, Lili raised her head and looked through the window, barely able to make out the direction of Chen Chuan's villa in the distance.

"Is it a blessing from the Mother Tree of Life, or the legendary Heart of Plants?"

She murmured to herself, her face still serene, though her deep eyes concealed an indescribable curiosity and contemplation.

Early the next morning, Chen Chuan got up after finishing his meditation, tidied his appearance, and headed straight for the academic affairs center.

Today, he would pass the Second-Class Wizard Apprentice assessment.

He walked down the same familiar corridor, the thick carpet rustling softly underfoot as he made his way toward its far end.

His destination was clear—the Second-Class Wizard Apprentice registration office on the third floor of the academic affairs center. Last time, he had completed his promotion to Third-Class Wizard Apprentice on the second floor.

As Chen Chuan passed the third-class wizard registration office on the second floor, he spotted Carter at work.

Carter was testing a boy, and he visibly froze when he saw Chen Chuan passing by.

This boy had only recently registered as a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice with him. Why was he back today?

Did he need help with something?

Carter couldn't help thinking about it.

After all, he had admired Chen Chuan's talent and background at the time and had specifically told him to come to him whenever he needed help.

But in fact, Carter had long since looked into Chen Chuan's background—a run-of-the-mill apprentice who had only recently enrolled and had no distinguished background.

Still, Chen Chuan's talent for potions and his aptitude for advancing in wizard ranks were quite good. If it was a small matter that took little effort, Carter was happy to help. After all, it never hurt to build goodwill.

He was no shortsighted fool. His predecessor in this position had failed to recognize a wizard's potential and had been transferred to recruit students in a remote duchy. To this day, that man had no hope of promotion and could only while away his days.

Just as Carter thought Chen Chuan would come in to see him, Chen Chuan merely exchanged a brief glance with him and continued straight down the corridor.

Carter was a little baffled. He's not here to see me? Then why is he going farther in? There's nothing in there but the stairs to the third floor and a blank wall.

"Senior, may I begin the Seed of Life resonance test?" A voice interrupted Carter's thoughts.

The boy in front of him looked at him in confusion. Only then did Carter come to his senses and nod awkwardly.

Chen Chuan reached the third floor, which was noticeably more spacious than the floor below.

The corridor was wide and bright. Luminous moss set into the walls on both sides cast a soft glow, lighting the entire space as though it were daytime.

A faint, refreshing scent of plants filled the air. Chen Chuan proceeded along the corridor and soon reached the end.

A massive oak door stood there, carved with intricate plant patterns and set with a green-glowing crystal at its center.

Chen Chuan stopped before the door, took a deep breath, and raised a hand to knock gently.

"Come in." An authoritative voice came from inside.

Chen Chuan pushed the door open and entered, only to pause at the sight inside.

A middle-aged wizard in red robes sat cross-legged in the center of the room. An enormous testing platform stood before him, with a clear crystal floating above it.

"Good day, Senior." Chen Chuan gave the middle-aged man in red a slight bow.

Seeing the First-Class Wizard Apprentice's red robes the man wore, Chen Chuan knew his status.

The middle-aged man in red was a little surprised. New apprentices usually sensed his aura and unconsciously addressed him as "my lord."

He hadn't expected this young-looking boy to remain so composed.

"Interesting." The middle-aged man in red smiled faintly. "Are you here for the Second-Class Wizard Apprentice assessment?"

Without a change in expression, Chen Chuan presented the badge he had prepared. "Yes, Senior. This is my badge. Please check it."

"There's no need to call me Senior. Just call me Aketi."

"All right, Senior Aketi." Chen Chuan did not abandon the proper courtesy just because the man was easygoing.

Aketi nodded and placed the badge into a faintly glowing testing device beside him.

A moment later, he looked up at Chen Chuan in surprise.

So young?

Among Wizard Apprentices, the bottleneck between First-Class and Formal Wizard was the hardest to overcome. As a result, First-Class Wizard Apprentices had the widest age range, from geniuses in their thirties and forties to elderly people nearing two hundred.

For wizards, passing two hundred meant they had essentially lost the chance to attempt a breakthrough to Formal Wizard, with the exception of a very lucky few.

Although second-class wizards were usually young, Aketi still found it somewhat unbelievable to see that Chen Chuan was under twenty in his records.

Aketi's gaze fell on the standard black robes of a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice that Chen Chuan wore. He noticed that Chen Chuan's wrists and fingers were bare, without any magical items or ornaments. It was obvious at a glance that he did not come from a wizard family.

"So you're just a commoner genius? Heh heh heh, how rare."

Smiling, Aketi handed Chen Chuan a crystal ball.

"The first part is a spiritual power test. Don't worry, the procedure is the same as it was for your third-class wizard test."

Chen Chuan nodded, took the crystal ball, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Chen Chuan gripped the crystal ball and focused his spiritual power on it. The ball immediately emitted a soft blue light, and the energy within began to fluctuate.

"The spiritual power test begins." Aketi's voice was calm and authoritative.

Chen Chuan closed his eyes, immersing his consciousness completely in the crystal ball.

His spiritual power erupted like a tide and poured into the crystal ball, sending the numbers on it jumping wildly.