Talent Test

The following afternoon.

Abraham returned from Black Flame City and summoned Jonathan to his side.

"I have inquired clearly; in Black Flame City, the church holds two public, unified magic talent tests every year."

"One is in April, and the other is in October."

"If you want to participate, you will have to wait two months; I will accompany you then."

"Thank you, Father."

Abraham smiled slightly and ruffled his hair again.

The longer he spent with Jonathan, the deeper his feelings for him grew, which was actually a major taboo for an assassin.

It is fine; since I have retired, I shall just focus on cultivating Jonathan from now on.

He thought for a moment and said, "Come, spar with me. Let me see the progress you have made during this time."

"Remove your weights first."

Jonathan did not hesitate and immediately complied.

He gripped his Dagger in a reverse hold, his expression instantly turning solemn.

With a flicker of his figure, he vanished from before Abraham. Abraham, also holding a Dagger, jumped to the side, dodging Jonathan's strike.

It was as if he had known exactly where Jonathan would attack from.

However, Jonathan's assault did not end there; he tapped his toes against the ground, exerted sudden force, and shot toward Abraham like a sharp arrow.

Abraham raised his hand.

"Clang!"

The Daggers clashed, sending a shower of sparks flying.

Abraham stomped his right foot back to steady his stance, while Jonathan was sent flying by the impact.

After landing, he did not stop moving, instead shifting his position rapidly.

His speed made Abraham nod slightly.

For an assassin, once you stop moving in battle, the danger increases significantly.

Jonathan used the surrounding boulders and trees as cover to accelerate his offensive.

Although he deliberately suppressed his presence, it still seemed immature to Abraham.

His hands might be crippled, but his assassin experience remained.

He was extremely sensitive to the perception of presence; Jonathan could not hide from him.

A quarter of an hour later.

After blocking one of Jonathan's attacks, Abraham said, "That is enough. I understand your strength now. Let us stop here for today; go rest and recover your battle qi."

Jonathan exhaled a long breath of stale air, then walked to the side, sat on a large boulder, and began to recover his battle qi.

Watching him, Abraham thought to himself, "Jonathan's talent as a warrior is even more outstanding than I imagined. An ordinary level three warrior would likely be no match for him."

"I fear he truly has the potential for the Saint Realm in the future."

"I only hope that after the magic test, he does not abandon the root to pursue the tip!"

Time flowed like water, and youth passed in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the magic talent test at the Black Flame City church arrived.

That day, the father and son carried a bundle and set off before dawn.

By the time they reached Black Flame City, it was nearly 10 o'clock.

"That building is the church."

Jonathan looked toward the tall structure in the distance, which towered significantly over everything else around it.

The church was built by the Dark Church, and no faction in Black Flame City dared to show it disrespect.

In front of it was a vast plaza, currently filled with carriages, and a long line had already formed at the church entrance.

"This is the fee for the test. Go on, don't be nervous; I will wait for you here."

Abraham instructed, tucking the gold coins into Jonathan's pocket.

Jonathan nodded and went to join the queue.

Everyone here was a youth like him; the youngest were seven, and the oldest were no more than ten, varying in height and build.

Glancing ahead, Jonathan estimated there were about one hundred and fifty people left before it would be his turn.

Most of the youths in line wore fine silk garments; there were not many like Jonathan, dressed in simple, coarse linen.

The boy in front of him was one of them.

"Hello, my name is Ford. I am from Moon Mountain Town. Where are you from?"

"Jonathan. I am from Blackstone Town, you could say."

"Blackstone Town? Then you're much closer than I am. You must have arrived today, right? Moon Mountain Town is far from here, so I set out two days early and only arrived yesterday."

"Everything in this city is so expensive. If I stay a few more days, I won't even have enough left for the testing fee."

Jonathan answered sporadically, but Ford didn't seem to mind, chattering away as if he couldn't calm down otherwise.

"Are you very nervous?" Jonathan asked.

"You can tell? I'm incredibly nervous; my palms are sweating. Aren't you nervous at all?"

"I'm alright."

Two or three hours later, it was finally Ford's turn.

"Jonathan, I'm going now. Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

Jonathan smiled faintly; the boy really had a childlike temperament.

As soon as Ford placed his hand on the crystal ball, it immediately emitted a dazzling, fiery red light.

The bald old man in charge of the testing looked surprised; such radiance was definitely top-tier, bordering on super-grade affinity.

He revealed a satisfied smile and wrote on the paper: "Age: eight. Elemental affinity: Fire, top-tier!"

Jonathan was stunned. "Could my blessing have actually worked?"

With this level of elemental affinity, as long as his mental strength wasn't too lackluster, he would definitely be considered a magic genius, drawing the attention of everyone present.

"Young man, step into the magic circle," the bald old man said with a kind expression. "Remember, the longer you hold on, the better."

Ford nodded and stepped into the magic circle.

Inside was a type of Dark Element magic used for intimidation; once activated, it would exert a crushing pressure on the soul of the person inside.

As time passed, the soul pressure gradually increased; the longer one could endure, the stronger their mental strength was.

Only those with mental strength eight times that of an average person were considered qualified.

A while later.

Ford couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to his knees, bracing himself with his hands.

The bald old man deactivated the magic circle and said, "Mental strength is twelve times that of his peers. Average."

The people around them began to whisper, "That boy is not bad. Judging by his clothes, his family background must be ordinary."

"Heh, a phoenix rising from a chicken coop. Just a fluke. Look at the next one, he's dressed even more shabbily. I bet he'll definitely fail the test!"

After Ford left the magic circle, recruiters from magic academies immediately approached him, and not just one.

"Next."

After the bald old man called out, Jonathan stepped forward, bowed politely to the old man, and walked up to the crystal ball.

After taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on it.

In just a moment, two lights—one black and one yellow—shone from the crystal ball, far brighter than when Ford had been tested.

One was as pitch-black as an abyss, while the other was like a small yellow sun.

The bald old man looked at the paper in his hand with trembling hands, confirming that Jonathan was indeed only eight years old.

Everyone else was stunned as well.

Including Abraham.

Does Jonathan really have astonishing magical talent?!

"Jonathan, age eight. Elemental affinity: Earth, Dark, super-grade!"

When the bald old man spoke, his heart was pounding violently; this was the first time in decades he had seen such talent.

Top-tier elemental affinity was already enough to be called a genius.

Dual-element super-grade!

If his mental strength also reached the top-tier or higher, such a genius would definitely attract the attention of the Dark Church.

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