Everyone taking this assessment was a first-year high school student. There weren't many of them, just thirty-two.
Only seventeen needed to attack the wooden dummies. The assessment mainly tested their spellcasting time, accuracy, and power.
The three judges went to assess the non-offensive mages first, so the other seventeen, including Lu Wu, could only wait quietly.
"Have you heard? The three who perform best will go with Hei Guan for some actual combat." Among the seventeen, someone already had inside information.
The moment he said that, he drew everyone's attention.
"Actual combat?" Wu Xiaoxiao walked over to him and asked loudly, "Where are we going for actual combat?"
"Somewhere in the south, apparently. Hei Guan originally came to recruit some outstanding second- and third-year students for this trip, but since he happened to arrive during the first-year assessment, he'll take three of us along to broaden our horizons," the student said clearly. "I heard all this in the academic affairs office."
"There are so many places in the south, and they're so far from here." Wu Xiaoxiao curled her lips at that.
"Do you know exactly where?"
"Apparently, it's some little place. What was it called again? Bo City, I think. Yes, Bo City. I'd never heard of that city before."
The others kept discussing it, and everyone listened.
Not one of the people here was weak. Every one of them was exceptionally talented; these were the few who had emerged from a school of several thousand.
Seeing that some of the others had already started searching for Bo City, Lu Wu turned to Mu Nujiao beside him. "Interested?"
"You just don't want to attend classes again, do you?" Mu Nujiao saw right through him.
Finding his thoughts laid bare, Lu Wu wasn't embarrassed. "I think I should go out and gain some experience now, rather than just cultivate all the time."
"I won't stop you if you want to go, but I want to focus on cultivating." Mu Nujiao herself wasn't particularly interested.
At the Basic Level, her Plant Element magic actually leaned more toward restraint, though it had offensive capabilities too. She had come here this time precisely to prove that.
Hearing this, Lu Wu formed a plan.
Then I'll show a little more of my strength and go take a look at Bo City, gain some experience.
Lu Wu wasn't actually that afraid of demon beasts now. Besides, if he wanted to use the Sacrifice System to improve Little Fire's strength, he couldn't stay at school all the time.
There were only fifteen people being assessed over there, and they finished in less than an hour. One student, whether from nerves or some other reason, used up all three chances without successfully casting a spell.
"Everyone, come draw lots. Of course, you can also volunteer." Cai Jianwen brought Hei Guan and the others over to this training ground.
Cai Jianwen was very pleased with those students' performances.
Although one student hadn't managed to cast a spell, this was already very good. Every year, the school usually had around thirty successful students.
That number already placed them well ahead of the various magic high schools in Magic City.
"The volunteers will go first, and the rest will draw lots afterward. One more reminder: we'll judge you based on your spellcasting time and accuracy. You may choose which wooden dummy to attack."
"I'll go!"
"I can go first too!"
Everyone wanted to show off their strength first. Eight or nine of the seventeen wanted to demonstrate first, and they lined up on their own.
Meanwhile, the remaining students, including Lu Wu and Mu Nujiao, drew lots.
Wu Xiaoxiao had been the first to volunteer, so she was the first to cast a spell.
She walked up to a group of wooden dummies, stopping nearly ten meters away. Taking a deep breath and fixing her gaze on the dummies, Wu Xiaoxiao began preparing her spell.
About two breaths later, a purple Star Path flashed around Wu Xiaoxiao, one of the signs of a spell being cast.
"Thunder Seal: Python Mark!"
Purple lightning appeared over Wu Xiaoxiao's right hand, crackling incessantly. With a sweep of her hand, she sent the Thunder Seal straight at one of the wooden dummies.
Bang!
Before everyone's eyes, the wooden dummy took a direct hit from the raging lightning seal. Before long, it turned completely black, and the smell of charcoal spread across the training ground. A short while later, it exploded.
Black charcoal fragments scattered through the air. Hei Guan raised an eyebrow. "Lightning Element. Very good indeed."
At the Basic Level, the Lightning Element stood at the head of the Elemental Magic System, possessing extremely powerful offensive capabilities.
Wu Xiaoxiao's spellcasting time was actually rather long, but its power was very good.
Between Wu Xiaoxiao and the wooden dummy, the Thunder Seal had left marks all along its path.
Cai Jianwen was equally pleased. The three judges wrote their scores on their respective sheets.
"Next."
Most of those who cast spells next used the Fire Element or Ice Element.
There were only two Lightning Element users in total, but the other one only managed to cast Thunder Seal on his second attempt. Its power wasn't much different from Wu Xiaoxiao's.
Mu Nujiao had drawn the last spot, so after swapping with her, Lu Wu simply kept waiting.
"Why do you want to go last?" After casting her spell, Wu Xiaoxiao watched the others and noticed that Lu Wu and Mu Nujiao had swapped their drawn positions.
The judges didn't interfere with things like this.
But they had certainly seen it too.
Out of thirty people, only two had elements outside the Elemental Magic System: Mu Nujiao with her Plant Element, and one Poison Element user.
Cai Jianwen personally verified the strength of the Poison Element user's spell, then scored it himself.
Mu Nujiao went fourth among those who had drawn lots. She cast her spell relatively quickly.
A blue-green Star Path appeared and vanished around Mu Nujiao in an instant. A vine grew from beneath the wooden dummy's feet, piercing straight through its entire body.
Although the wooden dummy hadn't burst apart, the vine had already pierced through it.
"This Mu Nujiao looks quite strong. She has her own understanding of the Plant Element," the teacher from their sister school said. "Her casting speed is good too. Is she from the Mu Family?"
Spells were mostly much the same, but there were always a few people whose spells differed in small ways.
"That's right." Cai Jianwen nodded. After scoring her, he called out, "Next."
Among the next few students, one Fire Element user stood out, burning the wooden dummy to ashes.
"Lu Wu, right? I saw you swap places with Mu Nujiao earlier. Don't disappoint me."
Naturally, Cai Jianwen knew Lu Wu's name. Jia Wenshang had vouched for him so many times.
He had even been involved in a brawl not long ago.
"So this is Lu Wu?" The teacher from the other school raised an eyebrow. "That boy who likes getting into fights?"
The mention of fighting immediately piqued Hei Guan's interest. "What fights? Tell me more!"
"You're not interested in this fellow, are you? He's a real troublemaker. I heard that before he awakened his magic, he fought both on and off campus in middle school." The teacher seemed to have heard quite a lot about Lu Wu and had no intention of keeping any of it secret.
"That's all in the past." Cai Jianwen felt a little embarrassed. Although it was true, Lu Wu was a student at his school now, after all. "Lu Wu did very well on his high school entrance exam. He was first in his class and ranked near the top of his year."
"That's quite good." Hei Guan nodded. A child like this could easily turn out to be a troublemaker in the Military Department.
"What do you mean, in the past? Just a while ago..."
"Lu Wu, get started." Seeing that the teacher was still talking, Cai Jianwen hurriedly urged Lu Wu on.
Now his only worry was that Lu Wu might fail to cast his spell.
Otherwise, the school's reputation really would suffer.
Even sister schools competed with each other.