The Odin Empire.

  ?This was one of the most powerful empires of humanity, and the continent-renowned academy for cultivating powerhouses, Valoran Academy, was located right in its capital.

  ?Valoran Academy could be called the cradle of humanity's strong. Graduates from here would all become elites among humans. In just the hundred years since its establishment, dozens of Saint-tier Grand Maguses and Saint-tier Martial Artists had emerged from it.

  ?Loren was also a student at Valoran Academy, and one who had enrolled not too long ago.

  ?However, less than a month into his enrollment, he was already notorious throughout the academy.

  ?The reasons for Loren's notoriety were twofold: first, his strength was simply too low. He was merely a rookie magic apprentice when he enrolled. Second, he was far too arrogant upon entering the school, having bypassed the assessments entirely to directly enter Class A of his respective department!

  ?Right now, First Year Class A of the Elemental Magic Department was conducting a magic power assessment.

  ?Class A was the academy's elite class. The students inside could be considered the elite of the elites, the geniuses among geniuses. Within the academy, they were idolized and looked up to by their peers.

  ?Because of this, the assessment was drawing a lot of attention.

  ?"Now, everyone, please line up in order and get ready for the magic assessment." The homeroom teacher of Class A, a bald mage named Xieleding, looked with satisfaction at his students lining up below, then placed the crystal ball used for testing magic power onto the testing platform.

  ?"According to the order of the last magic power ranking, Princess Ellie, please come up first." Instructor Xieleding looked with a gentle gaze at Princess Ellie at the very front. Her Royal Highness was wearing the academy's standard student uniform. Her upper body featured a dark blue blazer, with her soft chest straining against the metal buttons, making one worry that the buttons might pop off at any moment. Her lower body was clad in a box-pleated skirt of the same color. Her long, fair legs were wrapped in black thigh-high stockings, revealing a breathtaking sliver of "absolute territory" between her skirt and the stockings.

  ?This Princess Ellie was the Emperor's thirteenth daughter. She had tender, fair skin, exquisite features, an adorable face, and smooth, beautifully golden waist-length hair. She possessed extraordinary magical talent, making her a standout even among the elites in Class A of the Elemental Magic Department.

  ?With her youth, beauty, and extraordinary talent, Princess Ellie naturally enjoyed immense popularity among the students. When Instructor Xieleding called her name, the crowd below unconsciously focused their eyes on her.

  ?"Yes, Instructor." Princess Ellie stepped forward under the admiring gazes of the male students and pressed her fair, delicate palm onto the transparent crystal ball on the testing platform.

  ?As a holy light filled the crystal ball, Princess Ellie poured a massive amount of her Light-attribute magic power into it. Soon, three light rings surfaced above the crystal ball. Two of them were fully illuminated, but the third was only half-lit.

  ?"A Mid-Stage Level 3 Light Mage! As expected of Lady Ellie, to have increased your magic power by a stage in just a short month." Instructor Xieleding let out an exclamation of surprise, while the other students revealed looks of admiration. Ellie thoroughly enjoyed this feeling. After a few modest remarks, she left the testing platform with brisk steps.

  ?"Well then... next is Luke."

  ?"Yes, Instructor."

  ?Luke acknowledged the call and stepped forward, injecting his magic into the crystal ball. Three light rings appeared on the crystal ball once again. This student Luke was surprisingly also a Level 3 Mage!

  ?Soon, as the test progressed, the students of Class A took their magic tests one by one. Astonishingly, a total of five Level 3 Mages emerged during this test, and quite a few students demonstrated High-Stage Level 2 strength. Such results left the students in other classes feeling both envious and emotional.

  ?"The last one, Loren."

  ?At the very end of the list, only the transfer student Loren remained. Upon seeing this name, Instructor Xieleding's expression couldn't help but show some hesitation. But as if remembering something, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and call Loren forward.

  ?"Is this guy that arrogant transfer student?"

  ?"Black hair? Is this guy from the Eastern Empire? Damn, just a magic apprentice, yet he managed to sneak into Class A? Are the academy instructors blind?"

  ?The students in Class A were all geniuses among geniuses, and they possessed the best learning resources in the entire school. That was why so many people shot Loren glares of pure jealousy and hatred, especially the Class A reserve students whose spots Loren had taken. They looked at Loren as if they wanted to eat him alive. They had painstakingly cultivated their magic, only to have a useless magic apprentice steal their promotion qualifications.

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  ?"Heh, but this test is open to the whole academy. If this guy tests as a mere magic apprentice, Instructor Xieleding is going to lose all his face, right?"

  ?"A Class A student who is just a magic apprentice—it's enough to make people laugh their teeth out. After this test, that guy will probably be kicked out of Class A."

  ?The students below had absolutely no faith in Loren.

  ?Even Loren's so-called classmates in Class A shot him amused, mocking looks as he walked toward the testing platform.

  ?"After this test, this guy who's been humiliating our class should finally get lost." Luke, the eldest son of the Agada family and a seventeen-year-old Level 3 genius mage, cast a look of disdain toward Loren.

  ?Princess Ellie, the class monitor of Class A, also frowned her pretty eyebrows as she watched Loren walk forward. Yet, in the face of everyone's whispering, the handsome, black-haired youth maintained a remarkably calm demeanor.

  ?"This guy's skin is incredibly thick."

  ?"If I were up there, I would have smashed my head against the ground and died of shame by now. Does a magic apprentice really need to act so pretentious?"

  ?Even as Loren placed his hand on the crystal ball, people were still mocking him.

  ?Instructor Xieleding coughed and said, "Student Loren, if you are ready, you may begin injecting your magic. Don't feel too much pressure. After all, you've only been enrolled for a month; even if you fail to meet the test requirements, it is excusable."

  ?Instructor Xieleding felt his own face burning after saying this.

  ?The students below were so shocked they could fit eggs in their mouths. Holy crap, was this still the impartial Instructor Xieleding, known as the "Bald Devil"? He had never had such a good temper with the underachievers in Class A before! Hearing Xieleding's words made the students who had previously been kicked out of Class A feel as sick as if they had swallowed a fly.

  ?If they hadn't known that Instructor Xieleding didn't have a girlfriend yet, they would have suspected Loren was his illegitimate son.

  ?Loren smiled: "Don't worry, Instructor. This kind of test is absolutely nothing to me."

  ?He looked utterly unbothered and composed, which almost made Instructor Xieleding choke.

  ?Big bro!

  ?I'm begging you, big bro!

  ?Instructor Xieleding was having a mental breakdown. He felt that Loren probably had no idea what he was saying. The passing mark for this Class A test was Initial-Stage Level 2! Yet this guy actually claimed it was nothing to him??

  ?If Loren had been a High-Stage Level 1 Mage a month ago, Instructor Xieleding might have believed him. But when he enrolled a month ago, he was just a magic apprentice!

  ?From a magic apprentice to a Level 2 Mage in a single month—what kind of aptitude was that? It was practically impossible!

  ?"Is this guy an idiot?"

  ?"Did I hear that right? This guy can really brag."

  ?"Now even Instructor Xieleding won't be able to defend him."

  ?"From a magic apprentice to a Level 2 Mage in a month? This guy probably hasn't woken up yet!"

  ?Instantly, the students were on the verge of dying from laughter.

  ?They thought Loren was absolutely ridiculous.

  ?Instructor Xieleding's face darkened somewhat. However, considering the massive benefits Loren had given him upon enrollment, he could only pretend not to hear the discussions and said in a muffled voice: "Student Loren, please begin your test."

  ?The other students crossed their arms, ready to watch his performance. If Loren couldn't even condense a single light ring later, they would definitely mock him mercilessly.

  ?In truth, the instructors of the other classes were also observing this test. Loren's shameless boasting made them all let out cold sneers.

  ?"This kid really doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth."

  ?"Once the results come out later, let's see what else he has to say."

  ?"If he can condense two light rings, I'll eat the crystal ball raw," another student declared.

  ?No one believed Loren could pass the test.

  ?Loren smiled. The hand that wasn't on the crystal ball suddenly reached into his coat and pulled out a potion.

  ?It was a star-blue potion, held in a crystal test tube of the highest quality. The star-blue liquid inside emitted a dreamlike glow, resembling a galaxy.

  ?"Is this guy... stupid?"

  ?"Taking potions right before a test?"

  ?Seeing his actions, some students nearly died laughing.

  ?"Is that a Magic Amplification Potion? Sure enough, a magic apprentice is just a magic apprentice. Doesn't he know that a Magic Amplification Potion only boosts magic power by fifty percent at most? And the enhancement limit can only reach the peak of one's current level; it can't break through to the next level."

  ?"Does this guy think he's a big deal just because he has some filthy money?"

  ?Most of the students roared with laughter. However, when the instructors saw the potion Loren had taken out, their faces collectively darkened. Princess Ellie's small mouth parted in surprise, her almond eyes widening into a very adorable expression.

  ?Even Luke, who had heavily looked down on Loren, was rubbing his eyes at this moment.

  ?Am I... am I seeing this right? The potion in that nouveau riche's hand... is that the 'Star Potion' that appeared at the auction a few days ago??!

  ?Just two days ago, a super potion excavated from a magical ruin appeared at the imperial capital's auction—the "Star Potion". Its effect was to boost the user's magic level by two whole tiers!! It could raise someone up to the Saint tier at maximum. However, its duration was only five minutes.

  ?And at the auction, that potion sold for a terrifying price of 550,000 gold coins!! It was bought by a mysterious person.

  ?After all, a potion capable of temporarily raising one's magic level by two tiers could directly determine the outcome of a magic battle below the Saint tier! It was the ultimate life-saving potion!

  ?"No, no, I must be dreaming. How could this guy possibly afford the 'Star Potion'? And even if he bought it, he wouldn't use it so casually." Luke swallowed hard. But at that exact moment, Loren had already poured the potion straight down his throat.

  ?A second after drinking the potion, faint starlight surfaced on Loren's body.

  ?And then—

  ?"Boom!!"

  ?Violent magic power fluctuations erupted from Loren's body. Without any hesitation, right when his magic power peaked, Loren injected it directly into the crystal ball. Instantly, three fiery light rings blazed with searing brilliance!

  ?"High-Stage!! Level 3 Fire Mage!!!"