I recommend Dai Xiaolou's new work, "Teacher with Blank Eyes." Read the title carefully—if you misread it as "Teacher in Broad Daylight," go sit in the corner and draw circles, hehe. Xiaolou's books are quality guaranteed. Ever read "Great Song Dynasty Weekly"? Hehe. Link:
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"The Ernst Academy—number one magic academy on the continent. Every mage who graduates from there is at least sixth-level, and there are quite a few seventh-level mages too! If just one seventh-level mage came from our Baruch Family, we'd have a real shot at getting back the family heirloom."
Hogg spoke as he looked at Lin Lei with eager expectation.
His father's hope—Lin Lei could feel it.
"The heirloom. The Dragon Blood family's heirloom, lost out in the world. That shame must be wiped clean." Lin Lei felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.
As a child of the Dragon Blood Warrior family, every member took pride in belonging to that ancient, glorious lineage. But the heirloom of that glorious Dragon Blood Warrior family being lost—it was an enormous disgrace. Whether it was Hogg or the ancestors of the past several centuries, every time they thought about it, they were consumed by endless humiliation.
Unfortunately, the family now in possession of the War Blade 'Slaughter' was no ordinary family, and the current Baruch Family was far too weak.
"Ernst? The legendary pope of the Church of Light?" Derinkoort, who was nearby, spoke up in surprise.
"Grandpa Derink, what's wrong?" Lin Lei asked, puzzled. "The legendary pope 'Ernst' of the Church of Light—the hundreds of millions of residents across the six kingdoms and fifteen duchies of the Holy Alliance probably all know about him." Lin Lei himself was quite familiar with the deeds of that legendary pope of the Church of Light.
It was Ernst who had elevated the Church of Light's standing and single-handedly forged the "Holy Alliance."
"I never expected that little Ernst would go on to achieve such greatness, even becoming the legendary pope of the Church of Light," Derinkoort sighed.
"Grandpa Derink, you knew Pope Ernst?" Lin Lei was surprised.
But then he thought about it more carefully.
Of course. Back when the Puan Empire was still unified, the Church of Light, the Church of Darkness, and the Earth Temple—there were quite a few churches and temples throughout the empire. But all of them operated under imperial control.
"Naturally. Ernst was a genius—he entered the Saint Realm before he was even fifty. But in my time, he was considered nothing more than a promising newcomer," Derinkoort said calmly.
When Derinkoort was still alive, Ernst had still been in his growth phase. By the time Ernst had just entered the Saint Realm, Derinkoort had already been standing at the very peak of the Yulan Continent—the apex among even Saint Realm powerhouses.
Derinkoort's standing in the Puan Empire had been extraordinarily high—far beyond anything Ernst could compare to.
Even Ernst himself would have had to bow respectfully upon meeting Derinkoort.
"I never imagined that after my death, Ernst would become so formidable," Derinkoort said with a faint smile.
In that moment, Lin Lei felt his respect for Derinkoort deepen even further. Here was a top-tier Saint Realm powerhouse from the age of the Puan Empire, a peak existence on the Yulan Continent—and now he was patiently teaching Lin Lei himself. What incredible fortune.
At the dinner table, the Baruch Family chatted in high spirits.
"Lin Lei, in a week I'll have your uncle Hillman take you to the royal capital, Fenn City, for the magic academy entrance examination," Hogg said to Lin Lei with a smile.
"Yes, Father."
Lin Lei nodded.
"Young Master Lin Lei, I'm sure you'll get into the very best magic academy," the butler Xili said with a chuckle.
"The best! Oh, the best!" Little Wotton exclaimed, his hands slick with grease, clapping and giggling.
Hogg simply smiled and said, "Becoming a mage isn't so simple. Out of ten thousand people, maybe one has the aptitude. And the requirements for Ernst Academy are even higher—every student there has exceptional magical talent. If Lin Lei can become a mage, I'll already be more than satisfied, no matter which academy he attends."
"Father, I won't let you down." Lin Lei's voice was brimming with confidence.
Because he was already a first-level mage.