Large Energy-Absorbing Ancient Tree

Bella and the other young noblemen and women listened to Gael's introduction, and a trace of yearning appeared on their faces. Ordinary countries could not afford the luxury of casually transplanting precious plants like Sunlight Trees along both sides of their roads.

Aside from the six great Miracle Cities, including Saint High Forest City, and several top Warlock factions, most places on the Durando Subcontinent remained at the level of medieval Western Europe. Bella and the other young nobles had already seen far more than many commoners, but compared to a second-generation Warlock like Gael, they were still country bumpkins.

Order reigned within Saint High Forest City, its roads were smooth and open, and everyone wore magnificent clothes with ruddy complexions. Every building in the city possessed its own distinctive style. Many of the grand structures were filled with artistic beauty. There was none of the mud-covered ground, animal dung everywhere, and filthy water running through the streets found in ordinary cities. It was even more beautiful, clean, bustling, and prosperous than modern European cities on Earth.

Yang Feng's enormous convoy, with two thousand guards, drew countless spectators the moment it entered Saint High Forest City. The Combat Robots, especially the six-meter-tall Mechanical Swordsmen, attracted innumerable gazes.

Mechanical Puppets were not uncommon on the Durando Subcontinent, but most of them were in the hands of official Warlocks. Ordinary people rarely had the chance to see giant combat mechanical puppets like Mechanical Swordsmen.

Although land in Saint High Forest City was worth every inch of gold, after negotiating with Antalya Warlock Academy and spending ten thousand Magic Stones, Yang Feng purchased a small manor within Saint High Forest City in the name of Steel Lord Yang Ye.

After Yang Feng's group entered the small manor and rested for the night, they headed toward Antalya Warlock Academy under Gael's guidance.

Antalya Warlock Academy was located at the center of Saint High Forest City, a city within a city spanning thirty kilometers in diameter. Within a thousand meters of the academy's entrance, lush trees cast deep shade and green grass carpeted the ground, with no trace of human habitation in sight. Beyond that thousand-meter boundary, however, crowds surged around countless shops.

This was the day Antalya Warlock Academy recruited new students, and the road leading to the academy was packed with people.

"Mechanical Puppets!"

"What enormous Mechanical Puppets!"

"Who is that person? He actually has such terrifying Mechanical Puppets serving as his guards!"

"..."

Suddenly, waves of discussion rose from the crowd, and the people parted.

Escorted by eight Level 7 Main Battle Robots, Yang Feng's group arrived at the entrance of Antalya Warlock Academy. The nearby crowd looked at the Main Battle Robots around Yang Feng, and a flash of awe crossed their eyes.

Each of those Level 7 Mechanical Swordsmen stood six meters tall and was equipped with many formidable weapons. One glance was enough to make people understand that unless they possessed Warlock-level combat power, these hulking monsters were utterly unbeatable. Anyone who arrived under the protection of such steel monsters was unquestionably a great figure who could not be offended.

Within the crowd, a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl with golden hair, blue eyes, a full and alluring figure, and breathtaking features glared viciously at Yang Feng and muttered through gritted teeth, "He is Steel Lord's only blood relative!"

A middle-aged man beside the beautiful girl said quietly, "Princess, please do not act rashly! Steel Lord is a madman! If you give him an excuse, our Fein Deluo Family will be in danger."

Confidence flashed through the beautiful Princess's eyes as she said icily, "I know! I will not act rashly, but I absolutely will not let him have an easy time either!"

Escorted by the eight Main Battle Robots, Yang Feng's group stopped only when they reached a point one thousand meters from the entrance of Antalya Warlock Academy.

Antalya Warlock Academy had strict rules. Only young people taking the academy's test could travel the final thousand-meter road. Any servants or guards who set foot on it would face heavy punishment at best, and at worst be directly killed or captured and used as alchemical materials.

Under Gael's lead, Yang Feng followed nearly ten thousand young men and women from the Southern City-State Alliance as they strode toward Antalya Warlock Academy.

"What a huge tree!"

The moment Yang Feng arrived at the gates of Antalya Warlock Academy, he saw a giant tree atop a mountain deep within the academy. It soared into the clouds, possessed countless branches, and radiated threads of rainbow-like light.

Gael said proudly, "That is a Large Energy-Absorbing Ancient Tree, a super ancient tree unique to the Sunlight Tree Plane! It can absorb the free energy in space and condense it into a Magic Crystal Pool. Even on the Main Continent, it would be a rare treasure. If that Large Energy-Absorbing Ancient Tree had not already fused with Antalya Warlock Academy, the powerful experts of the Main Continent would have taken it long ago."

Magic Stones, minerals containing extraordinary energy, were divided into four grades: low grade, Mid Grade, high grade, and Top Grade. The exchange ratio between each grade was one hundred to one. Above Top Grade Magic Stones were treasures known as magic crystals. Since the Large Energy-Absorbing Ancient Tree could absorb free spatial energy and condense it into a Magic Crystal Pool, its immense value was easy to imagine.

There were quite a few factions on the Durando Subcontinent with Great Warlock-level experts, but those factions were far inferior to the six great factions such as Antalya Warlock Academy because their foundations were nowhere near as deep. This Large Energy-Absorbing Ancient Tree was one of Antalya Warlock Academy's foundations.

Ten tables stood at the gates of Antalya Warlock Academy, and before each table sat a Level-1 Warlock radiating powerful life-force fluctuations.

A crystal rested on each table, used to test the Soul Aptitude of the young men and women yearning to enroll.

An old man in a black robe, his face covered in wrinkles, spoke in an indifferent voice. "Fifteen years old. Soul Aptitude: Level 3, lower grade. Unqualified!"

The youth dressed in splendid clothes changed expression slightly, then gritted his teeth and left with a helpless look.

Antalya Warlock Academy's admissions standards were extremely strict. Only those with at least Level 4, lower-grade Soul Aptitude had a chance to enter its gates. Some smaller Warlock factions, however, accepted applicants with merely Level 2, middle-grade Soul Aptitude.

"Fourteen years old. Soul Aptitude: Level 4, lower grade. Qualified!"

"Sixteen years old. Soul Aptitude: Level 4, upper grade. Qualified!"

"Fifteen years old. Soul Aptitude: Level 5, lower grade. Qualified!"

"Fifteen years old. Soul Aptitude: Level 3, upper grade. Unqualified!"

"..."

One voice after another rang out, pronouncing the fates of the young men and women from across the Southern City-State Alliance. Those declared qualified beamed with joy, while those declared unqualified looked as though their parents had died, their faces ashen with despair.