Entering the Academy

"These trees are so strange!" The moment they disembarked, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.

As far as the eye could see stretched an endless white forest. Every tree was completely white; even the low shrubs and grass clinging to the ground were no exception. Every corner of the forest looked as though it had been soaked in white dye.

"No wonder it's called the Pale Forest. The name really fits," Green said calmly.

"All right, stop staring. Everyone, follow me." Bru tapped the ground with his staff, signaling everyone to keep up.

"Listen up! Don't fall behind. Although most of the magical creatures in the Pale Forest are regularly cleared out by academy apprentices, the forest constantly emits radiation. Every now and then, it causes an animal or two to mutate. If you get separated and run into one of those mutated animals, you'll probably end up in a graveyard before you ever reach the academy."

Bru's warning was highly effective. None of the apprentices dared look around anymore, and they stayed close to the group.

As for Green, he used the Chip to scan the forest.

Most of the trees in this forest looked no different from ordinary ones. Yet among them, there were always a few distinctly unusual trees. Their trunks twisted like braided rope, their branches clawed wildly through the air as if hunting prey, and their surfaces bore all kinds of human and animal faces. The one thing they had in common was that every face looked as though it were screaming in agony.

"Chip, scan the surrounding environment."

[Command confirmed. Scanning.]

[Unknown high-energy plant 1! Estimated radiation output: 2.4 units per hour.]

[Unknown high-energy plant 2! Estimated radiation output: 3.3 units per hour.]

[The forest has remained in a high-radiation state for a long time. Ordinary people exposed to this environment for a short period will experience dizziness and headaches. Prolonged exposure will cause irreversible genetic damage.]

Green frowned at the Chip's results. This environment was far from friendly. Anyone with even slightly poor physical health who wandered in here by accident would likely die quickly.

But this forest is located on the academy's outskirts. It was meant to keep ordinary people out. Anyone with half a brain would see this white forest and avoid barging in.

But those strange-looking trees emit even stronger radiation. Why is that? What caused it? Green looked curiously at the twisted trees with human faces.

Green quickened his pace, walked over to Bru's side, and asked softly, "Senior, what is the difference between the twisted trees in the Pale Forest and ordinary trees?"

Bru looked at Green in surprise. He had not expected Green to notice the problem before he mentioned it.

"These pale trees are not as simple as they look. They eat people. If you enter the Pale Forest at night and remain beneath a tree, it will begin hunting. The tree will wrap around its prey and devour it. Those extremely twisted trees are signs that they have consumed some kind of animal or human."

Green nodded after hearing Bru's explanation. He had known there was something wrong with the forest, but he had not expected it to be this. Then his eyes lit up with excitement. Giant plants similar to pitcher plants? They were worth studying.

Bru had not lowered his voice, so everyone heard his answer. Those on the outer edges immediately pressed inward, doing their best to avoid touching the white trees. For a moment, the entire group became a little more compact.

The group continued deeper into the forest. The white trees grew taller and taller, and the radiation became stronger. Green could clearly feel the temperature in the woods dropping.

Green raised his head toward the trees overhead. Countless white leaves blocked out the sky. Their white surfaces reflected light well, and the irregular leaves kept the path from becoming too dark. The trees' efficiency at absorbing sunlight has increased, causing the temperature inside the forest to fall!

After advancing for about another half hour, the trees gradually began to shrink in height. Through the gaps, Green saw an enormous white city wall.

The trees continued to grow shorter until they vanished entirely. An enormous white city wall entered everyone's view.

The moment they emerged from the forest, they heard Bru say, "Finally back. Finally, I can restore my youth."

Bru led everyone to the foot of the city wall.

A giant human face appeared on the wall and said expressionlessly, "Please enter the password."

Bru had clearly gone through this many times. He waved his staff, and a white rune floated out of it before slowly landing on the white face's forehead.

"Password correct!" After saying that, the white face slowly disappeared. In its place, an N-shaped passage appeared in the wall. The passage shimmered with white light, making it impossible to see what lay inside.

"Let's go!" Bru took the lead and stepped into the opening. Green, following behind him, did not hesitate and stepped inside as well.

A jumble of noise instantly reached them, like the sounds of a harbor. Before Green lay a huge open space with several tents in the middle. Two tables stood in front of the tents, and many groups similar to Green's were lining up there.

"All right, new students, go line up in front of those tents. Your information will be registered there, your Elemental Affinity will be tested, and then teachers will be assigned to you." Once everyone had passed through the passage, Bru turned around and shouted. He did not care whether they had heard him clearly.

"Green, new student registration is mandatory. Go register first. I'm going back to work on my youth potion. I'm sick of looking like this. I'll come find you later." Bru gave Green an impatient instruction, then immediately left.

It seemed Bru had not lied to him. Perhaps before the accident in his experiment, he really had been handsome.

Watching Bru hurry away, everyone present was confused for a moment. Then, according to their respective factions, they headed toward different tents.

Green looked toward the tents. After each apprentice finished registering, they entered a tent and were assigned to different areas. Every so often, someone would take away the students from those areas.

"Elemental Affinity testing and assignment... it looks like I only need to register." Green did not need to be tested or assigned; he had already completed both.

Green casually found a line and joined the back of it.

At the table sat an apprentice about Green's age. His hair was a complete mess, as though he had not tended it in a long time. Without raising his head, he placed his hand on a crystal ball. Upon closer inspection, information was flashing across its surface.

"Answer my questions truthfully. Don't even think about lying. The academy will verify your information, and hiding anything will not benefit you," the apprentice said without looking up.

"Name."

"Green."

"Age."

"Eighteen."

"Where are you from?"

"The Maslow Alliance."

"What class is your aptitude?"

"First-Class Aptitude."

Upon hearing that, the apprentice, who had kept his head lowered all this time, could not help looking up at Green.

"Truly First-Class Aptitude?" The apprentice's tone was full of disbelief.

Green did not answer. He merely nodded.

"All right, go in." After hearing about Green's First-Class Aptitude, the apprentice's tone became much gentler.

"I've already undergone an Elemental Affinity test, and I'm a Second-Class Apprentice. My mentor is Lilian. Where should I wait?"

Green's quiet words drew the attention of the entire area.

"A... a Second-Class Apprentice? You're not joking, are you?" The apprentice in front of Green sprang to his feet and asked in disbelief.

The other testers also turned their eyes toward Green. Before even enrolling, he was already a Second-Class Apprentice. Combined with his First-Class Aptitude and his young age, he was practically guaranteed to become a Formal Wizard in the future.

Green smiled without speaking, but his actions had already proven his words.

Green caused a brief commotion at the site. In the end, the apprentice in front of him designated a waiting area for him.

However, those testers kept glancing toward Green from time to time.