Testing, Invitation

Time passed second by second, and the queue Green was in moved forward slowly. After waiting for a while, a blond girl with tear stains on her cheeks finally walked out of the tent, and it was Green's turn at last.

"Come in." A voice rang out from inside the tent. It was full-bodied yet somewhat muffled. Judging by the voice, its owner was clearly not young.

There was almost nothing inside the tent. Aside from several oil lamps providing light, there was only a table and a Chair in the middle, with something resembling a Crystal Orb placed on top. A Wizard in a white robe, his hair more than half white, sat in the Chair.

"Come here. Just put your hand on the Crystal Orb." The old man spoke the moment Green entered. Perhaps because he had received too many people, a trace of impatience had already crept into his tone.

Green did not dare delay and hurriedly placed his hand on the surface of the Crystal Orb.

The Crystal Orb quickly began to glow. Green felt a wave surge out from it. The wave soon swept over his entire body, striking at his mind.

[Unknown Force Field detected. Block it?]

[Do not block it for now. Continue monitoring the Unknown Force Field.]

The Chip's voice rang out in his mind. To avoid exposing himself as an oddity, Green chose not to act rashly.

The strange fluctuations continued to intensify, and the light radiating from the Crystal Orb before Green grew brighter and brighter. The impact on Green's mind also grew stronger.

"Very good. Keep holding on!" Seeing the light of the Crystal Orb in Green's hand growing increasingly intense, the elderly Wizard could no longer remain seated. He stood and began instructing Green.

As the impact intensified, the runes in Green's mind began resisting it. The runes started flashing with white light, and Green's Mental Power began spilling outward involuntarily.

"Hmm, this Mental Power is... a Third-Class Apprentice? And this aura of runes... is it the Academy's Basic Meditation Method?" Green's Mental Power quickly spreading outward was discovered. The elderly Wizard stared at him, his eyes already filled with shock.

The old Wizard abruptly interrupted Green's test. He grabbed Green's hand and asked sternly, "How did you learn the Meditation Method?"

A strange fluctuation radiated from the old Wizard and began scanning Green.

[Detection: Unknown Force Field scanning. Block it?]

[Do not block it for now.]

Green was helpless. Looking at the agitated old Wizard, he could only give the Chip that command.

The old Wizard stared at Green in disbelief.

"You're a Grand Knight too?"

Seeing the old Wizard's horrified expression, Green quickly told him what he had discovered about the Meditation Method in the three books.

As the old Wizard listened, a glimmer even appeared in his eyes, as though he were looking at some world-shaking Miraculous Object.

"All right, no need to say more. I understand." The old Wizard pulled Green to his feet and led him straight toward another exit from the tent.

After leaving the tent, the old Wizard took Green through several twists and turns before boarding the vessel belonging to the White House Academy. Still holding Green's hand, he led him inside the ship. After passing through a long, dim corridor, the old Wizard brought Green before a room.

The old Wizard knocked respectfully, then spoke without waiting to see whether anyone inside responded. "Lady Lilian, we found another apprentice who discovered the Academy's Meditation Method hidden in the three books."

The instant he finished speaking, the tightly closed door flew open. A powerful force of attraction immediately sucked Green and the old Wizard inside.

An old grandmother with graying hair and a kindly face sat cross-legged in silence, dressed in a long robe. She appeared before Green's eyes. Green, however, did not dare relax in the slightest. The Chip's warnings had already become a nonstop stream.

"Warning: High-energy object detected. Please move away immediately."

"Warning: High-risk radiation detected. Prolonged exposure has a 72.3% probability of inducing bodily mutation. Please move away immediately."

"Unknown Force Field probing detected. It exceeds the Chip's upper limit; interference is impossible."

"Warning... warning... Activate the Life Guardian and move away from danger."

The Chip's series of warnings pushed Green's vigilance to its highest point. The seemingly harmless Lilian before him was clearly not as simple as she appeared.

"Not bad. It really is our School's Basic Meditation Method. Your Mental Power has already reached the critical state." Lilian opened her eyes and looked at Green, a kindly smile appearing on her face.

"Child, don't be nervous. The fact that you learned the Meditation Method proves that you possess talent far beyond ordinary people. We won't hurt you. We are White Wizards, not Black Wizards!" Lilian had clearly detected the tension in Green's heart and gently comforted him. Perhaps she had a deep grudge against Black Wizards, because she also took an offhand jab at them.

"Come, place your hand on this Crystal Orb. Let's test your aptitude level." The witch stood and took a Crystal Orb from behind her.

Green had been observing the old witch all along and was certain that there had been nothing behind her.

"Spatial equipment?" Green wondered secretly.

"Yes, Lady Lilian."

After hearing Lilian's words, Green still stepped forward and placed his hand on the Crystal Orb.

This time, the sensation was completely different from before. The previous force field had struck him repeatedly, while this one scanned him much more gently.

As the scan deepened, the Crystal Orb's light grew increasingly brilliant, almost illuminating the entire room.

The brighter the Crystal Orb shone, the gentler Lilian's gaze became as she looked at Green. When the Crystal Orb finally illuminated the entire room, Lilian exclaimed in wild delight, "First-Class Aptitude—and a Grand Knight as well! Hahaha, our School is saved."

After her excitement subsided, Lilian pulled Green to his feet.

"What is your name? Are you willing to become my apprentice?"

Hearing Lilian's words, Green's face showed difficulty. He knew nothing about the Wizarding World, and when such an invitation had suddenly appeared before him, he had no idea whether it was a blessing or a trap.

Lilian had not lived all these years for nothing. She naturally saw Green's hesitation. "Child, don't be nervous. I'll explain the reason to you."

"It is like this..."

As Lilian explained, Green finally learned the whole story.

The School Lilian belonged to practiced a Meditation Method called Klow Orus, also known as the Extreme Meditation Method. This Meditation Method could allow a Wizard's Mental Power to reach the upper limit attainable by Wizards at their current level. It offered tremendous benefits for breaking through, and failure was practically impossible.

However, this Meditation Method also had an irreparable flaw: an excessively long cultivation period and painfully slow progress. Only those with First-Class Aptitude could learn it. Those with lower aptitudes would reach the end of their lifespans before reaching their own limits.

Lilian's Extreme School had not recruited a single person for decades. It was not that there were no students with First-Class Aptitude, but such students had an extremely high probability of advancing to become Formal Wizards. Every School treasured them beyond measure—how could they possibly hand them over to the Extreme School?

As for this newly discovered student with First-Class Aptitude, there were still fifty-five competitors outside in the tents. Someone with First-Class Aptitude might not appear even once in more than a decade, and the people of the Extreme School were already so worried that they were nearly tearing their hair out. Moreover, even if a student possessed First-Class Aptitude, they might not be willing to join the School. By practicing another Meditation Method, a student with First-Class Aptitude could also advance to become a Formal Wizard with ease.

By now, although the Extreme School possessed a High-Level Wizard, it was suffering from a lack of successors and struggling to survive.

After hearing Lilian's explanation, Green finally nodded. Their own School was already on the brink of extinction. No wonder she had been so agitated.

"Then, Green, are you willing to become my disciple?" Lilian's eyes were filled with anticipation.

Green lowered his head as though he had begun to ponder, but in truth, he was using the Chip to calculate whether he could break through before the end of his lifespan by practicing the Extreme Meditation Method.