Awakening Two Top-Tier Talents

With so many people watching, it would have been a lie to say he was not nervous.

After all,

he had sweated nervously while giving speeches in front of hundreds of people in his previous life. How could he remain calm now, before not merely thousands of people?

But as the saying went,

the world belonged to the brave, and this was just such a moment.

Sure enough,

Anne Hathaway revealed a faint smile, and her cool voice carried a hint of satisfaction.

"Good. Worthy of Xun Lie's descendant."

As soon as the praise was spoken,

the gazes of those present ranged from envy to admiration,

with jealousy mixed in as well.

There was no need to dwell on it.

At the same time, other descendants of Xun Lie began stepping forward. The reason they had not gone first

was because of past lessons.

The first person to undergo a talent test was often subjected to countless stares. If their talent was good, that was one thing,

but if it was poor,

tsk tsk, that would be rather hard to bear.

Yet Wayne knew this and had still stepped forward first because he had confidence.

Whether his talents were good

or poor,

it would not matter much to him. Compared with the consequences of poor talent, the benefits of stepping forward first,

combined with top-tier talent,

would naturally be greater. This concerned his plans going forward,

just like a saying from competitive sports in his previous life:

"No one remembers second place."

Though it was not entirely appropriate, it applied here as well.

Wayne naturally stood at the front. Once all five hundred-plus descendants of Xun Lie had lined up,

the wizards and knights on both sides

turned sideways,

leaving an open passage in the middle. The Rose Marquis, along with the wizards and knights representing the Awakening Hall,

then turned around

and headed into the Awakening Hall. Wayne and the others naturally followed behind.

A moment later,

the group entered the Awakening Hall, which covered an area roughly the size of a standard football stadium. Wayne looked around curiously.

After all,

this was his first time entering the place. Previously, he had only watched from outside the square.

At the center of the vast space stood two crystal balls, one on each side, each three meters in diameter.

Meanwhile,

knights and wizards stood beside both crystal balls. They were clearly responsible for testing and recordkeeping.

At the front of the hall, high above,

was a massive viewing platform. The Rose Marquis and two others stood there. With a word from the Rose Marquis,

"Begin. Go to the crystal balls on either side in order and awaken your talents."

As her words fell,

Wayne, guided by a wizard, walked toward the crystal ball on the right. When he arrived beneath it,

he placed his hand on the crystal ball.

The crystal ball began to glow,

until the radiance became so dazzling that no one could keep their eyes open.

At that moment,

a voice rang out.

"Top-tier mental talent, high-grade physical talent."

As the words fell,

delight appeared on Wayne's face. There was no other reason: more than half of his plan had already succeeded.

There were three kinds of talent in this world:

mental talent, physical talent, and elemental talent.

Mental talent corresponded to wizards,

while physical talent corresponded to knights.

Talents were divided into four grades: low, medium, high, and top-tier.

To study at the highest academy located in the Imperial Capital,

among the three talents,

one needed at least one high-grade talent.

At this moment, the wizard conducting the test looked at him with admiration and envy.

"Congratulations, child.

You possess the finest wizard talent. What is your name?"

Hearing the familiar voice,

Wayne looked toward the Rose Marquis standing on the platform

and stated his name firmly.

"Wayne."

The Rose Marquis nodded slightly. "Go test your elemental talent,

child. May your talent remain just as exceptional."

Wayne nodded slightly and walked toward the next crystal ball. Along the way, as he saw the five hundred-plus peers watching him intently,

Wayne felt as refreshed as if he had eaten an ice cream in the scorching summer.

He admitted there had been an element of gambling involved,

but he had won, had he not?

After all, what washed-up author nowadays would start a story with a useless protagonist?

When he arrived before the next crystal ball,

everyone watched with curiosity in their eyes.

When Wayne placed his hand on it, a golden light burst forth, carrying a blindingly sharp aura.

"Top-tier metal elemental affinity."

As the talent assessment was announced, Wayne's suspended heart finally settled.

The opening stage of his plan

had been fully completed. All that remained was for things to proceed naturally.

At that moment,

Wayne began floating into the air uncontrollably. He was initially somewhat panicked, but when he saw that he was flying toward the platform,

he relaxed.

When he landed again, he was already standing before the Rose Marquis.

"Child, congratulations. You have gained the qualifications to study at the supreme academy in the heart of the Imperial Capital. Your talents will accompany you

as you walk the path of a wizard,

taking you farther and more smoothly!"

Wayne gave a slight bow. "Wayne

thanks you for your blessing."

The Rose Marquis nodded in satisfaction. "Stand to the side for now

and wait until Awakening Day concludes."

Wayne nodded, stepped aside, and watched the awakenings that followed.

"High-grade mental talent, low-grade physical talent, top-tier elemental talent!"

The next one...

As time passed, including Wayne, only seven people awakened top-tier talents.

The remaining thirty-six people awakened high-grade talents.

Moreover,

Wayne was the only one to awaken two top-tier talents.

The others

either possessed top-tier physical talent

or top-tier elemental talent. Only one person besides Wayne possessed top-tier mental talent.

At this moment,

all the descendants of Xun Lie had completed their awakenings. The Rose Marquis looked at the other awakened children and said,

"Those who have awakened at least one high-grade talent, remain.

Everyone else,

leave the Awakening Hall. Your arrangements will be delivered to your homes within the next three days.

Additionally, arrange for the next batch to awaken."

After they had left, the wizard in charge of the Awakening Hall sighed softly. "I never expected this year's awakened children

to have so many exceptionally gifted individuals."

The knight in charge looked at the Rose Marquis and laughed heartily.

"Rose Marquis,

congratulations. Sending this batch of children to the academies in the Imperial Capital will earn you even more resources."

The Rose Marquis smiled.

"Yes, I never expected such a bountiful harvest this year."

As they spoke,

Wayne listened to their conversation and felt somewhat puzzled, so he asked curiously.

"Marquis, more than five hundred people only produced forty-some high-talent individuals.

Is that really a lot?"

As soon as he said this, the Rose Marquis' smile faded, and she gave him a calm answer.

"A lot?

Remove the word 'really.' Is it a lot?

It is a lot.

In previous years, among roughly the same number of descendants of Xun Lie, having twenty would already have been quite good.

This year is considered a bumper year.

The entire Rose Territory has a population of roughly one billion,

and it is a region with vast land and sparse population.

Among the entire population of Rose Territory, only around thirty to fifty thousand people awaken talents each year.

Of those who can attend Imperial Capital Academy, there are only around three hundred to five hundred,

and most of them possess high-grade talents.

If top-tier talents account for even one-tenth of that number, it is already a blessing from heaven."

She paused before continuing.

"Every person who can awaken a talent, even someone with the lowest-grade talent, is outstanding among tens of thousands. That is the importance of talent.

You think the number is small

because more than five hundred of you produced over forty people with high-grade talents, and not a single one of the rest failed to awaken.

But that is an exception.

It is because you are descendants of Xun Lie, or rather, because your parents are wizards or knights,

that none of you failed to awaken.

The true reality

is something you can now see for yourself."