Everyone looked toward the voice in astonishment and discovered that the fellow who had spoken so rudely was a short, wiry mage with hair that had gone half white.
Great Mage Truchi, who was overseeing the Level Eight Mage examination, frowned. He glanced down at the report in his hand and said sternly, "You're Bukales from the Milando Duchy, aren't you? You don't know Xu Yi, so I don't blame you for doubting him. But you actually question the integrity of our Lampari Kingdom Mages' Guild? Who gave you the nerve?"
The wiry mage named Bukales raised his chin slightly and snorted. "What? Does your Lampari Kingdom Mages' Guild forbid people from telling the truth? This kid doesn't look like a mage at all. What right does he have to stand here? This is an insult to the rest of us taking the Mage Qualification Certification Examination!"
The other several dozen mages exchanged looks and rolled their eyes, all finding this rather amusing.
"Hey, didn't Great Mage Truchi just tell you? It's not your fault you don't know Xu Yi, but now that Great Mage Truchi has told you his name, you're still talking like that. I think you're insulting our Lampari Kingdom Mages' Guild!"
"You don't even know who Xu Yi is, yet you have the nerve to spout nonsense here. You really don't know your limits."
"You look down on Xu Yi? He may be young, but he's a genius. You're much older than he is, but your magic might not be as strong as his."
"Exactly. Even I can't guarantee I'm stronger than Xu Yi. What makes you so confident you can mock him?"
"What a joke..."
The surrounding mages chimed in one after another, leaving Bukales's face alternating between livid and pale. For a long