News

Time slipped through his fingers like sand, and in the blink of an eye, three years had hurried by.

The attempt to combine wizard runes with Cultivation talisman techniques was far more difficult than Benjamin had initially imagined.

It required a deep understanding of the different ways the two civilizations perceived and applied "runes," "energy," and "concepts," finding common ground in their underlying logic, and rebuilding an entirely new system of theory and practice.

With Benjamin's current knowledge, this was simply impossible. He could only imitate the patterns by rote, constantly trying different combinations of talisman seals and runes in search of their underlying laws.

Over these three years, Benjamin had spent most of his time immersed in his laboratory. Like the most devout ascetic, he struggled onward through the ocean of knowledge.

A year ago, Benjamin's wizard Meditation Method had already steadily reached the peak of Level 3 Wizard Apprentice.

His Spirit Sea was vast and stable. Nine core Truth Runes—Alchemy Studies' foundational runes of "transformation," "fusion," and "refinement"; the Potions Department's core runes of "stability," "catalysis," and "creation"; and Runology's core runes of "resonance," "circulation," and "connection"—formed a complete and powerful rune array within his Spirit Sea, radiating a profound light.

However, after reaching the peak of Level 3 Apprentice, he had stopped further raising the level of his Meditation Method and had not attempted to advance to Level 1 Formal Wizard.

In fact, it was not just Benjamin. Many gifted peers who had long since reached the Level 3 Wizard Apprentice realm had tacitly chosen to hit this "pause button" as well.

The reason was simple—the contract.

The contract they had signed upon entering the Academy clearly stipulated that once they advanced to Level 1 Formal Wizard, they would have to serve on the front lines of the Plane Battlefield under Noren Workshop's control.

After spending so much time at the Academy and gaining access to more information, everyone understood the dangers of the Plane Battlefield.

Even if newcomers like them were assigned only relatively peripheral work, the mortality rate was still quite high.

The best choice was to continuously improve their strength during the ten-year apprenticeship period imposed by the contract, learning every piece of knowledge they could and strengthening every foundation they could improve.

Then, when the ten-year term arrived, they could build up for a long time before bursting forth in one stroke, advancing to Level 1 Wizard and heading to the front lines only after gaining sufficient means to protect themselves.

For that reason, Benjamin had redirected all the elemental power he absorbed into Spiritual Power to fuel his Qi Refining cultivation.

Thanks to the Wizard World's dense elemental environment, the conversion efficiency was extremely high. In the short span of a year, his Qi Refining cultivation had risen several levels in succession, steadily reaching the sixth layer of Qi Refining. He was only one step away from the seventh layer, which marked the late stage of Qi Refining.

At the sixth layer of Qi Refining, True Essence was like an endless sea, surging without rest!

The strengthening of his soul brought about by his cultivation also continued expanding the scope of his Spirit Sea. Even his physical body had become strong enough to withstand attacks from certain low-level spells head-on.

That afternoon, Benjamin had just finished a Runology elective taught by a rune grandmaster-level professor. As usual, he was planning to return to his intermediate laboratory and continue his research into talisman-rune fusion.

Amy, who had taken the elective alongside him, caught up with him. A trace of gravity showed on her face; she had clearly heard some unusual news.

"Benjamin!" Amy hurried closer and lowered her voice. "Have you heard? The Academy is going to hold a major examination!"

"A major examination?" Benjamin was somewhat puzzled.

The Academy held final assessments every year, but hardly anyone paid much attention to those. The gravity in Amy's tone clearly did not refer to that kind of routine examination.

"Not that kind of test!" Amy shook her head. "A real trial!"

She looked around, making sure no one was paying attention before continuing. "I heard that this trial will conduct a comprehensive examination of the learning results of apprentices like us. And... I heard it may allow for a certain degree of fatalities!"

Fatalities?!

Benjamin's heart gave a violent jolt.

Although the Academy's assessments were strict, they usually placed apprentice safety first. Fatal risks were exceedingly rare.

"Do you know the specifics?" Benjamin pressed.

"I don't." Amy shook her head. "The news has been spreading very mysteriously. All I know is that it will probably take place in half a year. Honestly, what is this? Why spring something like this on us all of a sudden?"

She sighed, concern in her eyes.

Benjamin thanked Amy for the information, his mind swiftly calculating.

After returning to his laboratory, he logged into the Magic Network and searched for related information, but found nothing.

It seemed the news truly had not been officially announced yet.

After giving it some thought, Benjamin decided to ask Mentor Clark.

As one of the people in charge of the Level Two Training Agreement, Mentor Clark should know more of the inside story.

He sent a communication request through the Magic Network Terminal. Before long, the other side answered the "video call," revealing Mentor Clark's distinctive bald head and the neat, chilly laboratory behind him.

When Benjamin explained the matter, an almost imperceptible seriousness appeared on Mentor Clark's usually expressionless face.

"The news is true." Clark went straight to the point. "Strictly speaking, it is not an examination, but a trial. The location is a savage minor plane that our Noren Academy has only recently taken over. The environment is complicated, the danger level is fairly high, and there also seem to be Natives attempting to resist."

A trial?

"Why conduct a trial like this?" Benjamin asked.

Mentor Clark fell silent for a moment, as though choosing his words carefully. "This trial is in preparation for a comprehensive assessment five years from now."

"A comprehensive assessment?"

"Yes. Five years from now, Noren Workshop will conduct a comprehensive assessment of learning outcomes and talent reserves across all of its more than one hundred Noren Academies. Apprentices from every Academy will participate. This internal Noren Academy trial can be regarded as a rehearsal and selection process for that large-scale assessment five years from now."

Five years from now, more than a hundred Academies would undergo assessment at once?!

It was not merely a matter of scale. The timing was strange as well.

"Five years from now... wouldn't there be only one year left before we head to the front lines?! An assessment before going to the front lines? Has the Workshop gone mad?" Benjamin could not help voicing the question in his heart.

The resources and effort such an assessment would consume had to be astronomical. Its impact on the apprentices' condition would also be considerable, and it might even affect Noren Workshop's battle situation on the front lines.

Mentor Clark shook his head slightly. "I do not know the specifics very clearly either. After all, I left the front lines more than a hundred years ago."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the wall and look toward the distant front lines. A barely perceptible complexity flickered in his eyes.

"I heard... it was requested by the Star Ring Federation."

The Star Ring Federation?

One of Wizard Civilization's major factions. Noren Workshop was merely an inconspicuous wizard force under its command, and Benjamin's own Level Two Training Agreement had come from this Federation.

Benjamin was deeply shaken.

This meant that deeper reasons might be hidden behind this large-scale assessment and trial—reasons that might even concern the strategic adjustments of the entire Wizard Civilization!

Mentor Clark withdrew his gaze and looked at Benjamin. "So, work hard to improve your results. Performing outstandingly in that comprehensive assessment will certainly do you no harm."

Watching the call disconnect, Benjamin blinked.

This sudden news carried an unusual air, leaving him unable to help feeling somewhat lost.

Although he knew nothing about the future, deep down, Benjamin did not feel much fear.

Because his research—his talisman-rune fusion technique—was on the verge of succeeding after three years of tireless effort!

"A trial... huh? It's a good opportunity to verify my research!"