It had been nearly a month since he reached the level of second-rank mage.
Inside the Wind System first-year classroom.
Lin Lei only attended Earth System classes once every month or so, but he showed up for every Wind System lecture. Today he settled into his usual seat as always.
"Lin Lei, you're here." The moment he sat down, a very cute girl took the seat beside him.
Lin Lei glanced at the girl and said with a smile, "Dilia, you're early — there's still a while before class starts." Sitting next to a pretty girl was genuinely enjoyable, and Lin Lei wasn't about to refuse.
This Dilia was no ordinary person.
Her brother — Dikexi — was currently the number-one genius of Ernst Academy, hailed as a once-in-a-century magical prodigy. He was a dual-element mage whose element affinity was at the superlative level, and his mental power was sixty-eight times that of his peers — an absolute monster.
As Dikexi's sister, Dilia wasn't far behind.
"I knew you'd be early," Dilia said, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
The two chatted away, and time flew by before either of them really noticed. Before they knew it, class had begun. Teacher Terei lectured passionately at the front of the room while Lin Lei listened attentively below. Dilia, for her part, kept sneaking glances at Lin Lei every now and then.
"Alright, that wraps up today's lesson. But before we dismiss, there's something I need to tell everyone," Teacher Terei said with a smile.
The students below immediately began murmuring among themselves.
"The older students should already know this, but Ernst Academy has a tradition: in the last month or two of every year, we hold the 'Grade Competition.' Every year it's the liveliest event in the whole academy, and performing well in it makes it much easier to be recognized as an outstanding student at graduation. By the time you graduate, I'd expect the four great empires to extend you generous invitations," Teacher Terei continued with a grin.
The students below perked up with excitement.
Ernst Academy was a gathering place for geniuses. And geniuses all shared one annoying trait — they had a hard time respecting anyone else!
So every year, the Grade Competition became a chance for them to make a name for themselves. Over ninety percent of the students paid attention to it, and anyone with real ability signed up to compete.
"Of course, our Wind System will be fielding contestants. If you'd like to volunteer, come talk to me," Teacher Terei said, though his gaze drifted pointedly toward Lin Lei.
"I'm in, Teacher!" Several students eagerly stepped forward to register.
"Good." Terei immediately pulled out paper and a quill pen to start recording names. But after noting down a dozen or so students, he noticed that Lin Lei and Dilia down below were still chatting away with no intention of signing up whatsoever.
Terei walked down toward them.
Lin Lei looked up and quickly called out respectfully, "Teacher Terei." Dilia beside him also rose and bowed politely.
Teacher Terei nodded with a smile. "Lin Lei, the Grade Competition is an excellent opportunity for training. I'm sure nearly all the top students in our year will be participating. Why don't you sign up? It's a rare chance."
"I'm not interested," Lin Lei said bluntly.
Teacher Terei was momentarily stunned.
"Lin Lei, you might not know — if you win in the Grade Competition, there are rewards," Terei tried, laying on a bit more temptation.
"Rewards?" Lin Lei could really use the money.
His family's financial situation wasn't great. If he could earn some money on his own, participating in this Grade Competition wouldn't be a problem at all.
"That's right. You should know that ordinary students live in regular dormitories — those single-room units we have. But the top three finishers in each year's competition get to stay in the two-story apartment buildings for an entire year. It's a symbol of status, and the apartments are far more comfortable," Teacher Terei elaborated.
Lin Lei suddenly understood.
The two-story apartments in the residential area were quite limited in number, most of them occupied by seventh-rank and eighth-rank mages and other powerful figures. So it turned out that across all six grades, the top three from each year earned the right to live there for a year.
Better living conditions?
Lin Lei couldn't have cared less.
"I'm not participating," he repeated.
Teacher Terei was getting a bit anxious. In truth, Terei himself was a sixth-year student, and if he could get his students into the top three, it would not only earn him a reward but also bring him considerable face. Young people cared about reputation, after all.
Terei leaned in close to Lin Lei and lowered his voice. "Lin Lei, are you worried about exposing your strength? I already know you've reached the second-rank mage level."
Hearing this, Lin Lei looked up in surprise.
How did Teacher Terei know his level? After all, it was nearly impossible to judge someone's strength just by looking at them.