Yulan Calendar, 9993, June.
Ernst Institute welcomed its annual end-of-year tests.
The morning sunlight streamed through the window. I opened my eyes and found myself face-to-face with Bebe's round, black eyes. At some point, the little fellow had left Linley's bed and curled up beside my pillow, watching me with his head tilted.
"Morning." I reached out to pet him.
Bebe sprang away in a flash, scampered back under Linley's covers, and stuck out his little head, still staring at me.
"He's been coming over to your side a lot lately," Linley said from nearby. He was already sitting up. "I don't know why."
"Maybe mice like me," I said offhandedly.
Linley glanced at me. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he said nothing.
A loud shout came from Yale's bed. "Everybody up! It's test day! Quit dawdling!"
Reynolds sat up groggily. "What time is it...?"
"Six thirty!"
"That early...?"
"What do you mean, early? Keep sleeping and you'll be late!"
After a frantic scramble, the five of us finally got ready and headed to the testing grounds.
The end-of-year tests were a big deal at Ernst Institute. You could slack off in class, but your test results directly determined whether you could advance to the next year. Fail two years in a row, and you'd be asked to leave.
The Fire Element testing grounds were in an open area east of the teaching district. By the time I arrived, plenty of people were already lined up.
"Akes!"
Someone called my name. I turned around and saw a few first-year students from the Fire Element department. They waved at me, and I nodded back.
The test was simple: cast the spell you were best at inside the testing magic array. The instructor would then score its power, accuracy, and control.
When my turn came, the test instructor was an old man with white hair. Six gold stripes were embroidered on his cuffs—he was a sixth-level mage.
"Aikesi Yan." He glanced at the register in his hands. "Fire Element, first year. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready."
"Begin."
I took a deep breath and raised my right hand.
The Fallen Heart Flame inside me stirred faintly, and the Five Spirit Wheel began to turn. The fire elements around me surged toward me at once. I deliberately held some back—there was no need to reveal all my strength during a test.
A fire snake shot from my palm.
The second-level Fire Snake Technique.
The fire snake circled once in the air before striking the target thirty meters away. It exploded with a bang, scattering flames everywhere.
A line of figures appeared on the magic sensor attached to the target: Temperature—1,180 degrees.
The instructor froze for a moment. He looked closely at the figures, then at me.
"What was your name again?"
"Aikesi Yan."
He wrote a few words in the register, then looked up and said, "Power exceeded expectations. Accuracy: excellent. Control: excellent. Overall rating: excellent."
"Thank you, instructor."
I turned and left.
As soon as I stepped out of the testing area, I heard a burst of discussion behind me.
"1,180 degrees? A normal second-level Fire Snake Technique only reaches 800, doesn't it?"
"Nearly forty percent higher. Who is that guy?"
"He's a first-year in the Fire Element department. I heard he's always kept a low profile."
"Low profile? You call that low profile?"
I didn't look back. I headed straight for the dormitory.
At noon, the five of us met up in the dining hall.
"Third Bro, you were amazing!" Reynolds started shouting as soon as he sat down. "1,180 degrees! I heard about it! Everyone in the Fire Element department is talking about it!"
"Not bad," I said.
"Not bad?" Reynolds' eyes widened. "You call that not bad? Do you know how hot my Wind Blade was? 380 degrees! That's normal!"
George chimed in with a laugh. "Wind Blade isn't measured by temperature. It's about sharpness and speed. Yours was definitely a little slow."
Reynolds pouted and fell silent.
Yale slapped the table with gusto. "Who cares how many degrees it was? Everyone in Dorm 1987 passed this year! That's what matters! My treat today. Wald!"
"Wald again?" George said helplessly.
"What, too expensive? Then we'll go somewhere cheaper."
"It's not too expensive. We go to the same place every time. Don't you get tired of it?"
"Then where do you want to go?"
The two of them started discussing where to eat that evening, with Reynolds butting in from the side. I turned to look at Linley. He was eating slowly, looking as though he had nothing to do with any of it.
"How did your tests go?" I asked.
Linley swallowed his food and said, "I passed Earth Element and Wind Element. My Wind Blade speed was decent."
"What were your ratings?"
"Excellent on both."
I nodded. Linley had top-tier talent to begin with, and with Grandpa Doehring guiding him, an excellent rating was no surprise.
That afternoon, everyone went to the auditorium for the end-of-year assembly.
The institute's dean spoke onstage for half an hour. His main point was that we were the continent's finest magic prospects and should make the most of our time, cultivate diligently, and live up to the institute's expectations. Then the department heads gave their speeches, followed by the awards for outstanding students.
My name was on the list of outstanding Fire Element students.
Linley's name appeared on both the Earth Element and Wind Element lists.
Dixie's name was on all three lists. He was a dual-element mage, but he also studied Lightning Element, and he'd earned excellent ratings in all of them.
"The Three Prodigies really are something," Yale murmured beside me.
"What Three Prodigies?" I asked.
"You don't know? That's what everyone at the institute calls you now: Dixie, Linley, and you. The Three Prodigies."
"..." I was speechless.
That nickname definitely sounded like something the students had come up with.
After the assembly, the five of us went to the Wald Hotel as planned. Yale waved his hand grandly and ordered a whole tableful of dishes.
"Come on, let's celebrate all of us passing!" He raised his glass.
The five of us clinked our glasses together.
After a few rounds, the conversation got going.
"What are you all doing over summer break?" George asked.
"I'm going home," Reynolds said. "My dad said I have to come back for the summer. There's something important to take care of."
"I'm staying at the institute," Linley said.
"Me too," I said.
Yale looked between us. "You two... Seriously, you're cultivation fanatics. We finally get a break, and you don't want to go out and have some fun?"
"We can have fun anytime," I said. "Cultivation can't stop."
Linley nodded and, for once, agreed with me. "Yeah."
Yale shook his head with a sigh. "Fine, fine. You two go practice. I'm going home to enjoy myself."
George added, "I'm going back to the Yulan Empire too. I have some family matters to deal with."
"Then I'll see you all when classes start again." Reynolds raised his glass. "Wishing you all the best with your cultivation!"
"Cheers!"
When we got back to the dormitory that night, the five of us didn't go straight to bed for once. Instead, we sat in the courtyard and chatted.
The summer night breeze felt wonderful, cool against our faces. Stars dotted the sky, and every now and then a shooting star streaked across it.
After a while, Bebe wriggled out of Linley's arms and came over to curl up beside my feet. I looked down at him, and he looked up at me. His round, black eyes glimmered faintly in the night.
"He really likes you," Linley said.
"Maybe it's because I've roasted meat for him a few times," I said.
"Just because of that?"
"What else?"
Linley thought about it, then nodded. "Fair enough. That's all it takes to win him over."
We both laughed.
Yale and Reynolds' bickering drifted over from farther away—they were arguing about what to have for breakfast the next day. George was trying to mediate, speaking in his usual mild voice.
I leaned back in my chair and looked up at the night sky. Suddenly, I felt that life like this was pretty good.
No scheming, no life-or-death crises. Just five boys spending time together—cultivating, eating, chatting, arguing, and making up.
Simple, but real.
"Third Bro," Linley said again.
"Yeah?"
"What do you think we'll be like in the future?"
I turned to look at him. Under the moonlight, a hint of uncertainty showed on the boy's face. Sixteen-year-old Linley hadn't yet gone through everything that lay ahead. He didn't know what was waiting for him.
"We'll get stronger," I said. "Much stronger."
Linley was silent for a while, then gave a small nod. "Yeah."
"Fourth Bro." I stood and patted his shoulder. "Whatever happens in the future, remember the five of us."
Linley looked up at me, a complicated glimmer in his eyes.
"Yeah."
He gave a quiet reply.
The next morning, Reynolds was the first to leave. His carriage was waiting at the institute gates. Before climbing aboard, he turned back and waved to us. "See you when classes start!"
George left next. His convoy was more impressive, as befitted someone from a prominent Yulan Empire family. Before he went, he was unusually talkative. "You two, don't push yourselves too hard. Remember to rest."
Yale left in the afternoon. Before he went, he draped an arm around both our necks and said, "If you run short on money, write me a letter. I'll have someone bring some over. Don't be shy."
At last, only Linley and I remained.
The institute was quiet over summer break. Only one serving window was open in the dining hall, and we occasionally spotted a few students who had stayed behind. Linley and I cultivated separately, but every evening we went to the dining hall together and talked about how our day had gone.
Bebe grew closer to me during that time. Sometimes, when Linley was meditating, he would come over to find me and doze beside me. He never bothered me while I cultivated, just watched quietly.
"Do you think Bebe's accepted you as his second master?" Linley asked one day.
"Maybe." I smiled and rubbed Bebe's head. The little fellow contentedly narrowed his eyes.
One day in late July, I was cultivating in the back hills when I suddenly felt the Fallen Heart Flame stir faintly.
It was hungry.
More precisely, it had sensed the presence of fire elements somewhere deeper in the back hills—a natural gathering point for fire elements.
Without hesitation, I followed the sensation.
After walking for more than half an hour and passing through a dense forest, the view suddenly opened up.
It was a hollow between the hills. Dark red rocks lay exposed on the ground, and the air smelled of sulfur. A crack in the center of the hollow glowed faintly red.
The Earth Fire Fissure.
I walked up to the crack and looked down. It was about ten meters deep, with magma flowing along the bottom. The concentration of fire elements in the surrounding area was five or six times higher than outside.
"Great spot." I was secretly delighted.
I sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.
The Fallen Heart Flame and the Five Spirit Wheel turned together, and fire elements surged madly into my body. It felt... like parched earth finally receiving rain—pure, unrestrained relief.
I stayed there for three days.
I barely moved during those three days. When I got hungry, I ate the dried food I'd brought. When I got thirsty, I drank from a mountain spring. When I got tired, I closed my eyes for a little while. Then I woke up and continued cultivating.
On the morning of the fourth day, I opened my eyes.
The magic power inside me was far richer than it had been three days earlier. I was just one step away from becoming a fourth-level mage.
"Almost there." I stood and stretched my stiff body.
When I returned to the dormitory, Linley was having breakfast in the courtyard. He froze when he saw me. "You've been gone for three days. I thought something had happened to you."
"I found a good place to cultivate in the back hills." I sat down and picked up a piece of bread.
Linley nodded and didn't ask any more.
That was just the way he was. Whatever I did, he never pressed me for details. He simply trusted me in silence.
That kind of understanding was better than any explanation.
[Ding—The host has been detected cultivating in seclusion for the first time over an extended period.] [Hidden condition triggered. Sign in?]
The system's voice suddenly rang out.
I froze for a moment, then silently thought, Sign in.
[Sign-in successful.] [Reward acquired: Azeroth Mana Source (fragment)—permanently increases magic power recovery speed by 20%.]
A warm current flowed into my body. It lingered in my chest for a moment, then spread throughout me. I could clearly feel my depleted magic power recovering faster.
"Good stuff." I was secretly delighted.
A faster recovery rate meant I'd be better at prolonged battles, and it also meant my cultivation could advance even faster.
"Third Bro?" Linley's voice came from nearby. "What are you smiling about?"
"Nothing." I snapped out of it. "Just thought of something good."
Before you continue