Different Growth Paths

Time flies, November has quietly slipped away, and December is more than half over; there is less than half a month left until the New Year.

In the small house where Lynn lives in Blackstone Town.

"Phew, thank goodness I reacted in time, otherwise I would have almost let Mother enter the room and discover the clone." Lynn hugged his quilt, spreading it out in the courtyard to let the sun bake it, feeling a lingering fear as he recalled the scene from this morning.

"With the New Year approaching, the town is gradually becoming lively. If I wait a few more days for the clone to break through to a Level 3 Warrior before leaving, it won't be easy to get him out of town by then." While patting the quilt, Lynn observed the situation in town through the doorway.

As the New Year draws near, the flow of people in town has visibly increased, which adds a touch of worry to Lynn's heart.

As time passed, most of the day went by. Late at night, in an ordinary courtyard in Blackstone Town, a small "click" sound rang out. The tightly shut gate was opened a crack from the inside, and a small head poked out—it was Lynn's gifted clone, Xiao Yan.

"No one around, now is the time."

Under the hazy moonlight, Xiao Yan slipped out of the courtyard. Like a thief, he hugged the wall and carefully made his way toward the edge of town.

"Who's there?" On the other side, Leo, startled awake by the opening of the courtyard gate, rushed out without even having time to put on his clothes.

Having prepared for this, Lynn walked out of the room carrying a bundle of firewood. "Father, it's me. There wasn't enough firewood in the house, so I went to the warehouse outside to get some."

"Oh." Seeing it was Lynn, the vigilant Leo immediately relaxed. "Don't practice too late, get some rest early." Leo muttered, then turned and went back to his room.

The Imperial Capital Magic Academy is located in the Holy Volcano Mountain Range, twenty miles north of Roland City, the capital of the Roland Empire. It was built with funding from the Roland Empire's royal family over the course of twenty years. It covers a vast area, encompassing nearly a dozen peaks of various sizes within the Holy Volcano Mountain Range.

Because of this, some jokingly say, "The Imperial Capital Magic Academy wasn't built in the Holy Volcano Mountain Range; rather, the Holy Volcano Mountain Range grew inside the Imperial Capital Magic Academy."

Inside the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, service industries such as bars, shopping malls, restaurants, and even dance clubs are all available, making it completely self-sufficient.

"Truly magnificent!" Standing at the foot of the Holy Volcano Mountain Range, Lynn couldn't help but exclaim.

It is hard to imagine that the gate of an academy could actually be formed by two peaks over a hundred meters high, and even the six characters for "Imperial Capital Magic Academy" are formed by rocks arranged on the mountains, displaying a towering and majestic atmosphere.

At this moment, the academy entrance is quite bustling. There is a line of staff members, and many youths are holding test certificates, queuing up to handle their enrollment. Lynn, holding the test certificate given to him by the black-robed priest, follows behind the crowd.

The admission requirements for the Imperial Capital Magic Academy are not low; only those whose elemental affinity and spiritual strength both reach the superior level or higher are qualified to enter.

However, because he has the certificate issued by the Church of Light, the enrollment process goes very quickly, and before long, it is Lynn's turn.

The elderly man in charge of recruitment casually takes Lynn's test certificate, then his eyes suddenly widen, and he looks up at Lynn in surprise.

"Lynn, age eight, spiritual strength thirty-seven times that of his peers, super-grade, fire elemental affinity super-grade."

"Who knows that youth? Which family's young master is he?"

"...I didn't expect that besides Kasa, there would actually be another super-grade genius this year. It truly lives up to its name as the cradle of geniuses, the Imperial Capital Magic Academy."

Among the crowd of applicants, the knowledgeable nobles have already begun to think about befriending Lynn, starting to inquire about his background all around.

Perhaps because of Lynn's talent, compared to other successful applicants, the bald old man's attitude toward Lynn is much gentler. He completely sheds his previous indifference, smiling as he stuffs the student ID and dormitory key into Lynn's hand.

"Lynn, I am Drock, a third-year magic teacher at the Imperial Capital Academy, a Level 7 Fire Mage. In the future, if you have any questions about your cultivation, you can come and ask me."

"Thank you, Professor Drock." Lynn scratches his head and smiles.

A quarter of an hour later, at the gate of the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, Leo looks at Lynn, who has finished his enrollment, and nods with relief.

"I'll head back first. You study hard here and strive to graduate early."

Lynn nods, watching Leo walk away until his figure disappears from sight.

"Goodbye, Father."

Walking into the Holy Volcano Mountain Range, Lynn finally truly enters the Imperial Capital Magic Academy. The academy is shaded by green trees, with lakes, stone bridges, and academy buildings full of magical characteristics... all of which impact Lynn's mind.

"This is what you call a foundation. Just an academy alone is almost comparable to Winter City, the largest city in the Lucas Province." Lynn sighs as he walks, soon stepping into the residential area.

Key number: 9527.

Just like the Ernst Institute in the original story, the residences at the Imperial Capital Magic Academy are also four-person suites with individual courtyards. At a glance, ten thousand apartments with individual courtyards are densely distributed across the two mountain peaks.

"9527, 9527..." Reciting the dormitory number in his heart, Lynn passes by one apartment after another, finally stopping beside an apartment located on the mountainside.

On the other side, ten thousand miles away from where Lynn is, having traveled day and night for nearly two months, Xiao Yan has completely left the sphere of influence of the Roland Empire.

Because he has been sleeping in the open and eating in the wind along the way, Xiao Yan's clothes are now tattered, his face is covered in dust and grime, and his hair is a mess, stuck to his cheeks by sweat.

Looking down from the mountain, Xiao Yan sees the towering Gothic architecture in the distance. Under the sunlight, the spires shimmer with silver light, and the streets are bustling with people, with many carriages weaving through them.

Among the countless buildings, Xiao Yan notices at a glance a white church located on the edge of the city. In front of the church stands an eight-winged angel statue, representing that this is a main-city-level branch, which is very rare across the entire continent.

It is second only to the branches in the capitals of the major empires and the headquarters of the Church of Light.

"This must be the capital of the Starfire Kingdom, Starfire City." Confirming the branch of the Church of Light, Xiao Yan knows that he has finally reached his destination.

The Starfire Kingdom is located in the center of the Azeron Continent and belongs to the sphere of influence of the Zhongyuan Empire, naturally standing in opposition to the Roland Empire.

Xiao Yan traveled thousands of miles to get here, firstly because he did not want to have contact with his original self too early, and secondly for the sake of safety. With the original self and the clone growing up in two different spheres of influence, if something goes wrong on one side, there will be an extra path to take.

"Since the original self has entered a magic academy, then this clone will enter a warrior academy. An eight-year-old Level 3 Warrior—I imagine no academy would refuse that." Xiao Yan touches his nose and smiles lightly.