Chapter Five: The Academy of Magic

Dean Yunlan continued, his hands coming together before his chest to form a sphere, then pushing forward. A globe of light, half a meter in diameter, floated up and down in the air, its core alive with two rapidly swirling streams of energy.

Among the new students, a wave of genuine awe rippled, their voices soft but their excitement plain in the shifting crowd. In their eyes, to become a mage of such power was the highest aspiration of a lifetime.

“Now, new students, come forward one by one to test your magical attributes. Your personal information will be recorded in your student file.”

They exchanged glances, and Yi Xin was the first to step out. His stride was decisive, his bearing upright and unstoppable, prompting the crowd to part and make way for him.

“I’ll go.”

He spoke as he mounted the steps. His golden hair stood out among the crowd, like a proud lion’s mane.

“Did you see that? That’s the second son of the Scarlet Flame family—he’s set to inherit the lordship of the city someday…”

“So the rumors were true—seeing is believing.”

The murmurs in the crowd swelled as soon as he took the steps, mostly full of admiration and envy. The Scarlet Flame family, together with the ruling Royal Thunder family, were known as the two most powerful houses on the continent. And here in the Holy City, the city lord and his heir were figures of great respect.

Yi Xin focused entirely on the task before him, raising his palm to gently touch the orb of light. With a resounding boom, a blaze erupted inside the colorless sphere, turning it crimson. The core spun furiously, and the orb instantly expanded to a full meter across, like a rising red sun. Yi Xin stepped back half a pace, but kept his hand steady.

The students at the bottom of the steps, though quite distant, instinctively recoiled, leaning back as the heat from the fireball washed over their faces.

Yi Xin calmed his breath, carefully controlling the force of his magic, gradually pacifying the fireball until it shrank back to its original half-meter size, the edges smoothing out.

“Fire attribute—offensive type, with considerable explosive force. Well done—a rare talent,” Yunlan said with a confirming smile.

Yi Xin let out a long breath; this was his first public display of magic. At the junior academy, he’d only studied basic illusion, concealment, staff handling, and theory—never true elemental manipulation or combat magic.

Beside the dean, an elder with a long beard stroked it with satisfaction and remarked, “A true scion of the Scarlet Flame family—such dazzling fire at the first attempt, and already so controlled.”

After Yi Xin stepped down, several others eagerly took their turn. Their magical attributes varied, reflected in the different hues that blossomed within the sphere. Yet no matter how they tried, none could swell the magic orb to double its size as Yi Xin had.

At that moment, a young woman with pale golden hair walked from the crowd, her movements graceful, her tresses flowing down her back like a waterfall to her heels. Hei Yu felt as if an ethereal vision had drifted past, her presence fragrant with the scent of flowers.

Drawn by that faint aroma, Hei Yu inhaled deeply, savoring the moment as the young lady stepped before the magical orb.

Her profile was exquisitely delicate, as if sculpted from water lilies, her bearing otherworldly and pure. With fair skin and elongated ears, she touched the orb with slender jade fingers, and a dazzling golden light shone forth.

“A Light Elf! She’s a Light Elf… Who would have thought we’d see one here on the Central Continent?”

Her arrival stirred the crowd anew.

Yunlan observed the magical sphere and announced, “Holy Light attribute—well suited for healing magic.”

“With her on a team, fortune smiles—Light Elves are masters of healing and control magic.”

The whispers grew, eyes drifting toward the Light Elf, each hoping she might join their squad.

Ling Xiao Lei, hearing the talk, stole a glance herself. To say she wasn’t envious would be a lie. She too was of elven blood, yet worlds apart. Light Elves were a race universally revered, dwelling in the dense forests of the Western Sea Divine Realm, gentle and withdrawn from worldly strife.

Dark Elves, by contrast, were scorned and shunned, forced into lives of secrecy and fear.

As the number of untested students dwindled, Ling Xiao Lei finally summoned her courage, drew a deep breath, and stepped forward. Her palms were slick with sweat—not just from the anxiety of her first test, but also from the dread of revealing her Dark Elf heritage before so many. She could only guess what thoughts lay behind their gazes.

“Don’t be afraid. Just place your hand on the orb,” Dean Yunlan said gently.

Ling Xiao Lei was startled that someone of such status would speak to her with kindness. Blushing, she found her resolve, placing her hand atop the orb, which flared with a magnificent violet.

Nearby, an elder whose heavy white brows usually hid his eyes now popped them wide open, leaning in for a closer look.

“Mutated dark attribute magic—a very rare affinity. Are you a Dark Elf? I recommend you focus on support magic,” Yunlan advised.

“Thank you, Dean,” Ling Xiao Lei replied quietly, stepping down with some unease.

“A Dark Elf? Is that what a Dark Elf looks like? I’ve never seen one before—her complexion is certainly different from ours.”

She listened intently but heard no one utter the dreaded phrase “cursed race.” Instead, the surrounding students’ eyes were full only of curiosity and kindness, with not a trace of disdain. Relieved, she thought perhaps the rumors had never reached the Holy City as they had in the Western Sea Divine Realm.

Ling Xiao Lei lifted her timid gaze and found Hei Yu, steadying herself as if anchoring to a lifeline.

As Ling Xiao Lei stepped down, Hei Yu passed her on the steps, moving calmly to stand before Dean Yunlan. Composing himself, his expression grave, he placed his palm on the orb and channeled his magic within.

The two streams in the orb’s core spun rapidly, yet after a long moment, the sphere’s color remained unchanged.

“What’s this…” The magic instructors on both sides craned their necks to observe; none had ever witnessed such a phenomenon.

“If the streams are spinning, it means magic is being channeled, but the color remains the same—could it be…” mused a middle-aged teacher with square-framed glasses, pushing them up as he analyzed the scene.