The next morning, more than thirty magic instructors gathered on an open field where the Ernst Institute often tested magic. In truth, only four mages were needed for a graduation assessment, but the instructors at the Ernst Institute rarely had much to do. When they heard Lin Feng had applied to graduate, they came along to see the excitement.
After all, most students applied to graduate only after reaching Level Six and spending some time in their sixth year. In that situation, there was no need for further testing, so graduation assessments were quite rare.
There were more than thirty magic instructors, along with three students: Yale, George, and Reynolds.
Among the instructors was the institute's vice dean, Delante, who had come over out of boredom. As Delante put it, "One of the two great geniuses at our institute is applying to graduate. Of course I want to see."
"Lin Feng, cast an Earth Element spell—the Earth Spike Array. We can determine your magic level from the size of the Earth Spikes and the range of the array," one of the mages conducting the assessment said.
If Lin Feng had reached Level Six, he would naturally be deemed eligible to graduate.
Lin Feng shook his head slightly.
The magic instructors watching looked confused. Vice Dean Delante urged him, "Lin Feng, didn't you apply to graduate? What's going on?"
"I want to use a wind magic spell," Lin Feng said with a smile.
Vice Dean Delante and the others laughed. They all knew Lin Feng had dual Earth and Wind affinities, but a mage's strength was primarily assessed by measuring their spiritual force. It made no difference which element he used; either would show the strength of his spiritual force.
"Go ahead, then," Vice Dean Delante said, smiling along with the more than thirty magic instructors.
Lin Feng immediately began silently reciting the incantation for the Level 7 Flight Technique. After a short while, currents of air began to swirl around him. Suddenly, he rose into the air and flew freely, gliding this way and that—turning, diving, and speeding along.
"F-Flight Technique?"
The more than thirty magic instructors were stunned. They knew exactly what level the Flight Technique was.
"A seventeen-year-old dual-element Level Seven Mage... This..." Vice Dean Delante understood at once. The Ernst Institute, so long accustomed to peace and quiet, was about to be anything but peaceful for some time.
A dual-element Level Seven Mage was already among the strong across the entire Yulan continent.
But add "seventeen-year-old" in front of "dual-element Level Seven Mage," and the significance changed completely. The Radiant Church would hardly care about an ordinary dual-element Level Seven Mage; after all, there were plenty of powerful people across Yulan.
But a seventeen-year-old dual-element Level Seven Mage would make any faction across Yulan—and certainly the Radiant Church behind it—green with envy.
"A genius, a genius!" Vice Dean Delante, an eighth-level mage, grew visibly excited.
The magic instructors around him were all astonished. They understood what a seventeen-year-old dual-element Level Seven Mage represented. It was a miracle—at least, a miracle for the Ernst Institute!
"Heh." Yale, Reynolds, and George all grinned.
They'd been looking forward to seeing the instructors' expressions, and they were every bit as spectacular as they'd hoped.
Though Vice Dean Delante wasn't among the top three in strength at the Ernst Institute, he'd weathered plenty of storms. He quickly reined in his excitement and was the first to approach Lin Feng. "Lin Feng, do you know what it means to be a Level Seven Mage at seventeen?"
"Seventeen years old..." Delante sighed. "In the entire history of the Ernst Institute, among all the students who have reached Level Seven, you're the youngest by far. You rank first! The genius who previously held that record reached Level Seven at nineteen and later became a Saint-level Magus."
An elderly man with silver hair stepped forward beside him. "Forget the history of the Ernst Institute. Even across all recorded history on Yulan, ranked by the age at which they became Level Seven Mages, you'd place second."
Yulan's history spanned far longer and covered a much wider area. The Ernst Institute's history couldn't compare.
"Second in strength?" Lin Feng smiled to himself, unconcerned. He didn't care about a hollow title like that. If he revealed that he'd already reached the Saint Realm, the more than thirty instructors before him would probably be so ashamed they'd take their own lives.
"The top-ranked figure in Yulan's history became a Level Seven Mage at sixteen, more than eight thousand years ago. The one who used to rank second, and now ranks third, reached Level Seven at eighteen. He ultimately only became a Level 9 Great Mage. That was related to a later setback that dramatically changed his temperament. You could say that, excluding you, six of the ten greatest geniuses in history became Saint-level Magi, while the other four became Level 9 Great Mages."
Level Seven Mages were generally honored as Great Mages.
Level Eight Mages were honored as Magi.
Level Nine Mages were honored as Great Magi.
Saint-level mages were also known as Saint-level Magi, or Saint Magi.
"With your talent, you're certain to become at least a Level 9 Great Mage. All you need is time. And if you keep training hard, you have a very good chance of reaching the Saint Realm as well. After all, you're now the second-youngest person in history to become a Level Seven Mage," the silver-haired elder said gravely.
"Lin Feng, you're the most successful student in our institute's history. Please stay at the institute for the next couple of days. I'll hire the finest portrait artist and sculptor to make a portrait and statue of you, so that your likeness can remain here forever," Vice Dean Delante said at once.
A genius who ranked second in all of Yulan's history was certainly an honor for the institute.
Lin Feng knew this was the "treatment" he deserved—or perhaps it was his "duty."
The astonishing news—that Lin Feng, the greatest genius in the history of the Ernst Institute and the second-greatest in all of Yulan's history, had become a dual-element Level Seven Mage at just seventeen—spread through the entire Ernst Institute at an incredible speed.
"A dual-element Level Seven Mage? At just seventeen? How is that possible?"
"Of course it's true! So many instructors were there, and Vice Dean Delante has already hired an artist to paint Lin Feng's portrait so his likeness can remain at the institute forever."
"Good heavens, a Level Seven Mage at seventeen! At this rate, he'll reach Level Eight in ten years and Level Nine in twenty. By his forties, he'll be a Level 9 Great Mage. I bet he'll become a Saint-level Magus before he's a hundred."
"I just checked some books in the library. Of the ten greatest geniuses in history besides Lin Feng, six became Saint Magi, and four became Level 9 Great Mages. Lin Feng is incredible!"
Discussions like these spread throughout the entire Ernst Institute. If a student did a little better than everyone else, the others might feel jealous. But when someone achieved so much that everyone could only look up to him—ranking second in the history of all Yulan—they felt nothing but reverence and admiration.
In their hearts, Lin Feng's future achievements were boundless. There was no way they could compare.
There had once been people who called Dixie the institute's number-one genius, but no one said that anymore.
Lin Feng was unquestionably the institute's number-one genius—and the greatest genius in the Ernst Institute's more than five-thousand-year history. Dixie was only a Level Six Mage. Who knew when he'd reach Level Seven?
Before you continue