Behind the mountains of Ernst Academy, all was silent.
Lin Lei sat cross-legged by the stream, listening to the gentle burbling of water as he naturally slipped into a meditative state. The earth system and wind system elements around him were so vividly clear—everything within a dozen meters of his body had never been so sharply defined.
Earth system and wind system elements flowed from his limbs and bones into his body, where his muscles, sinews, and even internal organs slowly absorbed their nourishment. His physical constitution was steadily climbing at an exceptionally slow but unwavering pace.
A large quantity of earth system and wind system elements, after being purified and refined, ultimately gathered in the "middle dantian" at the center of his chest.
"Gurgle~~~" The sound of the flowing stream never ceased.
Beside him, the little shadow mouse Bei Bei was gnawing on a wild pheasant—a picture of pure tranquility and peace, a scene fit for a painting.
But while this place was serene, the interior of Ernst Academy was anything but quiet. Thousands of students, numerous magic instructors, and even many prominent figures from outside had all come to Ernst Academy to watch the matches.
The Grade Competition.
Every student at Ernst Academy was a prodigy!
Match after match on the arena stages was spectacular. The first-year competitions saw fireballs, lightning bolts, and wind blades flying back and forth. But the third- and fourth-year matches were truly something—various support magic, area-of-effect spells like Shattering Stone, where dozens upon dozens of massive boulders would crash down from above, and lightning that struck again and again without pause.
As for the fifth- and sixth-year matches, those were even more astonishing.
A dazzling array of magic appeared one after another, and terrifying explosions boomed without interruption. The students watching from below cheered again and again, the atmosphere reaching a fever pitch. The vast majority of the entire academy had gathered there.
……
The Grade Competition lasted nearly a full month, and that month was the liveliest, most frenzied period in all of Ernst Academy. During those exciting days, Lin Lei only occasionally watched the fifth- and sixth-year matches; for the rest of the time, he cultivated quietly on his own.
"This competition even has rules against deliberately killing your opponents. A match where you're this restricted—can it even be called a real match?"
Under Derinkoort's influence, Lin Lei had grown to look down on these showy competitions as well.
"Lin Lei, your task right now is to cultivate diligently and build up your strength. As for battle experience, once you reach the level of a fifth-rank mage, you can enter the outskirts of the Magic Beast Mountain Range for real life-and-death trials and accumulate it then." That was how Derinkoort counseled Lin Lei.
******
Hua Deli Hotel—the most opulent hotel among all the commercial establishments within Ernst Academy. Today Yeru was treating, and the four brothers of Dormitory 1987 were gathering for a meal at this very hotel.
Hua Deli Hotel, first floor.
The hotel's floor was smooth as a mirror, and a row of beautiful female servers stood at attention, ready to attend to any request at a moment's notice.
The hotel was filled with men and women in academy uniforms. Those who could afford to dine here generally had substantial financial means—a single casual meal could easily cost several dozen gold coins. Lin Lei, for instance, would never have been able to afford it.
The Grade Competition had just ended, and most of the students in the hotel were discussing it. The patrons here were mostly young people, but one table stood out—a group of four children.
"This Grade Competition gets me so angry when I think about it. So close—just a little more and I would've made it into the semifinals. Who knows, maybe I could've even snagged one of the top three spots," Rein grumbled. He was the youngest of the four brothers and also the most proud and confident one.
Yeru laughed. "It really is a shame. I didn't expect Land to come out on top in the end."
George smiled and said nothing. George was a good-natured soul who never offended anyone.
"Land? Right, I remember you guys mentioning him—wasn't he the one among our batch of new students with superlative element affinity and mental power?" Lin Lei did recall the name "Land."
George nodded with a smile. "That's the one. His talent was already extraordinary, and before he even started cultivating, his innate mental power had already met the requirements of a second-rank mage. This past year he only needed to accumulate sufficient magic power. With second-rank mage strength, winning the first-year arena tournament wasn't difficult at all."
"What's talent worth on its own? In terms of talent, can he compare with our academy's greatest genius, Dikexi?" Yeru curled his lip. "I really can't stand that Land. He wins first place in the first-year arena tournament, and look at how smug he is. I'd love to see what he'd look like if he won first in the fifth-year or sixth-year tournament."
The higher a mage's rank, the harder cultivation became.
That was why the vast majority of Ernst Academy's thousands of students were in the upper grades, and the higher the grade, the fiercer the arena competitions.
Rein nodded as well. "I can't stand him either. Our academy's number one genius—Dikexi from the third year—do you see how composed he was after winning first place in the third-year tournament? The difference between them is night and day. Besides, first place in our first year didn't even go to Land."