Under the priest's watchful gaze, Lynn calmed himself and slowly stepped forward. His palm felt a little stiff as he placed it on the crystal ball, his expression tense as he waited for Fate's verdict.
"Whoosh~"
The moment his palm touched the crystal ball, it radiated a dazzling, pure orange-red light, like the sun.
The brilliant light fell across everyone's astonished faces. As they stared at the crystal ball transformed into a little sun, everyone in the hall froze.
After two or three seconds of silence, the black-robed priest finally came to his senses. His face alight with excitement, he read Lynn's results aloud:
"Age: seven. Elemental affinity: Fire Element, exceptional!"
"Genius!" The black-robed priest could feel his heart pounding.
As everyone knew, in the Coiling Dragon World, most ordinary mages had only average elemental affinity. High affinity was already rare, and exceptional affinity was rarer still.
A genius like Lynn, with exceptional elemental affinity, could reach the rank of Advanced Warrior at an astonishing pace if his mental strength fell short and he instead trained as a warrior—provided his chosen Dou Qi attribute matched. With decent comprehension, he would even have a good chance of becoming a Saint Domain expert!
There were very few geniuses with exceptional elemental affinity in the Roland Empire. Only one appeared every few years, and all the major powers eagerly competed to recruit them. If the black-robed priest could bring Lynn into the Church of Light, he would not only earn rewards from his superiors but also secure a powerful patron for the future.
"Excellent!"
"Next, let's test your mental strength." The black-robed priest looked expectant.
Over in the waiting area, the nobles' initially disdainful gazes changed when Lynn displayed exceptional elemental affinity. Their expressions ranged from astonishment to jealousy and hostility, but above all, they were envious.
Compared with the "ignorant" commoners, the nobles understood better what exceptional elemental affinity meant. It let someone accumulate magic power or Dou Qi in less time, leaving more time to hone their mental strength and body. Whether they pursued the path of a mage or a warrior, their future achievements would be limitless.
Among the crowd in the waiting area, Leo's formerly stooped posture straightened as soon as Lynn's test results came in. When he noticed the envious looks from nobles who had once looked down on him, the corners of his mouth lifted. He raised his head proudly, as if to say, "That's right, this is my precious son."
Inside the magic array, warm white light began to glow. Lynn felt a faint pressure descend deep into his soul.
Light Element magic—Deterrence.
"The pressure's not bad. My verdict: still not as bad as staying up all night." As the test began, Lynn even had enough time to make a snarky remark.
But as time passed, the light in the magic array grew brighter, and the Deterrence grew stronger. The pressure on Lynn gradually increased. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his body began to sway.
Seeing that Lynn was approaching the final stretch, the onlookers held their breath.
Inside the magic array, Lynn stood alone against the Deterrence. His heavy breathing rang out again and again, and the immense pressure weighed down on him like a mountain. His head was spinning, and he could no longer control his body. He swayed from side to side, looking ready to fall at any moment.
Even so, Lynn refused to give up easily. He kept fighting to hold on.
"Hang in there. Just a little longer. The longer I last, the better my chances of getting my tuition reduced. Time is money, and this is the moment to cash in."
"How could a measly magic test stop me from making money?"
Lynn roared inwardly as he struggled to steady himself. But when the pressure of the Deterrence reached a new height, he finally hit his limit. Unable to hold on any longer, he dropped to one knee and braced himself with both hands against the ground.
Everyone turned to look at the black-robed priest.
The priest's face was flushed with excitement as he shouted, "Thirty-seven times! His mental strength is thirty-seven times that of someone his age. Exceptional mental strength!"
"Exceptional in both elemental affinity and mental strength. This child's future is limitless!" one noble exclaimed.
"My son Lynn has the makings of a Saint Domain expert!" Leo cried, gesticulating wildly with excitement.
Before Lynn could react, the black-robed priest hurried over to him. "You're Lynn, right? Would you be willing to join the Church of Light?"
"If you join, I can promise you that, with your talent, you can go straight to the Church headquarters and receive systematic training alongside countless other geniuses. Your instructors will be at least seventh- or eighth-rank grand mages, and there'll be public lectures from ninth-rank grand mages every month. You may even receive guidance from Saint Domain experts from time to time. And if you're lucky, one of them might take you as a disciple!"
Listening to the priest's grand promises, Lynn inwardly scoffed. What a pitch. One promise after another. No wonder he's a priest—he's got a real silver tongue.
The old geezer has said all that and still hasn't mentioned money or resources. What a waste of time. Lynn ranted inwardly, though he showed nothing on the surface.
"I'll listen to my father." Words could get him into trouble. Facing the black-robed priest's invitation, the outwardly seven-year-old Lynn immediately put Leo forward as a shield. He didn't dare say too much, for fear of exposing his secret as a transmigrator.
"Sorry, Your Reverence. Rather than have my child travel a thousand miles to the Church of Light's headquarters, I'd prefer for him to join the Imperial Capital Magic Academy," Leo said, walking over. After hearing what had happened, he politely declined the black-robed priest.
When the priest heard Leo mention the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, his brow furrowed slightly. He knew he probably wouldn't be able to recruit Lynn.
Though the Church of Light behind him held considerable appeal for geniuses, it wasn't the only power on the continent that could rival it. The Imperial Capital Magic Academy, backed by the Roland Empire's Imperial Family, was one such institution. Indeed, within the Roland Empire, the academy was even more attractive to mages than the Church of Light.
Seeing that Leo had made up his mind, the black-robed priest didn't try to persuade him further. He handed Leo a sheet of parchment, then turned to Lynn. "This is proof of your test results. It mainly lists your identity and results, and can be used to apply to the Magic Academy or the Warrior Academy. With your talent, the Imperial Capital Magic Academy will almost certainly accept you."
The black-robed priest paused. After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help adding, "But what if—I mean, is it possible that the people in charge of admissions at the Imperial Capital Magic Academy are idiots and don't accept you? The Church of Light is pretty good too, you know. How about—"
Lynn: ...
What a "what if." I almost believed you.
Under the black-robed priest's reluctant gaze, Lynn and Leo left the Church of Light.
At the end of Holy Radiance Road, two figures, one tall and one short, gradually disappeared.
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