The silver-haired girl turo look at the boy behihinking he was just pulling her leg. “How you e all this way for a test and not know anything?”

  “I e from a poor family. I don’t have access to the same information the kids from bigger families have.” Ace shrugged.

  Havihe files oargets, she knew Ace wasn’t lying, but from the versation they’d had before, Ace acted nothing like a-year-old child from a small family. In fact, he acted nothing like a child.

  “When you go up, you give your hen the examiner will tell you to stand atop the magiation drawn on the floor. When it lights up, it’ll s your body, telling him ye and warrior cultivation.”

  Almost as if it were fate, the examiner’s voice rang through the hall, “Phillip Vetar, age 10, early rank one warrior.”

  “, you step onto the sed formation. When it lights up, you’ll be subjected to the ever-increasing pressure of the light elemental spell – Overaell desigo put pressure oarget’s spirit; the longer you remain standing, the better you score.” She said whilst watg the boy oage.

  Ten seds ter, the boy on stage fell to his knees, huffing and puffing. The lights of the formation immediately dimmed, relieving the boy of the pressure of the spell.

  “Spiritual Essewo times strohan someo the same age.” The examiner coldly stated aloud. “Unqualified for the final test. !”

  “Why doesn’t he qualify?” Ace asked in fusion as he watched the dejected boy leave the stage as a new child went up.

  “To pass the spiritual test, you o achieve a spiritual essence of at least five times someo the same age.” She replied indifferently.

  “Is the spiritual test really that hard?” Ace asked after spending the st 15 minutes watg as dozens of kids went up with not one passing.

  “The spiritual test is really just a test on your mental stamina. There are two main ways to increase your mental stamina; The first is through meditation which requires oo empty their minds of all distrag thoughts over long periods of time. Most children would struggle to stay still for that long, let aloer a true meditative state.

  The sed way is trauma. Traumatic experiences have the effect of pressuring you mentally, strengthening your mental stamina, also known as your spiritual essence.”

  “Wharton Baruch, age 6, early rank one warrior.” Ace looked towards the stage only to see Wharton staring down at him with pride as he bathed in the crowd’s awe-filled gazes.

  , he stepped into the Overawe formation uhe curious and expet eyes of the crowd. Managing to st a full two mihe invigitor smiled warmly as he read the results. “Spiritual essence 11x strohan those at the same age. High-level spiritual essence.”

  The crowd was in an uproar when they heard that.

  Ace turo his silver-haired diary at that point.

  “Anything under five times is regarded as inferior Spiritual Essence. Between five and nine is superior, 10 to 19 is high level, 20 to 49 is Rare, and 50 to 99 is exceptional.” She expined, uanding what that look meant.

  “What about if your spiritual essence surpasses 99?” Ace asked.

  “The Overawe formation is desigo only go up to 99 regardless of ye. Even if it did go past 100, there hasn’t been anyone recorded in history that has passed 95, let alone 100+.” She replied.

  Looking at the crowd's reas, Ace turned back to the silver-haired girl. “If there are so many levels above high level, why did they make such a big fuss about Linley?”

  “First, you’ve seen yourself how difficult it is to find someoh superior spiritual essence, so you imagine how hard it is to find someone who reaches the high levels.

  Sedly, although that Linley’s high-level spiritual essence was impressive, the thing that made him so remarkable was his exceptional affio Earth and Wind. He’s definitely going to be an incredibly powerful mage one day.” She expined slowly.

  Aodded in uanding before zily watg from his p the queue.

  “Even though it’s not quite at the same level as his brother’s, 11x still makes him a rare talent.”

  “He’s also a true blue Dragonblood Warrior!”

  “He will have his pick of both Warrior and Magus Academies as long as his elemental affinity isn’t too low.”

  Ace was her surprised nor ied in his results. As far as he was ed, Wharton was nothing but a child undeserving of his attention. What he was ied in, though, was the elemental affinity test.

  As if to clear his doubts, he witnessed Wharton pg his hands on a head-sized crystal ball. Almost immediately, the crystal shone a deep red in colour.

  “gratutions.” The examiner said to Wharton before turning to the audience. “High affinity to the element of fire.”

  “Wharton, I represent the Saltier Magus Academy. I wish to offer you a full schorship to join us.”

  “Don’t listen to him; I represent the Knights Way Warrior Academy, and we would like to offer you a full schorship as well as 10,000 gold s to join us.”

  Wharton was bombarded with offer after offer, but none seemed to grab his attention.

  “gratutions, Wharton. You and your brother will undoubtedly bring the glory of the Baru back to what it once was!” An older man said with a warm smile. “I am an instructor from the Ernst Institute; I would like to formally offer you a pce so you study alongside your older br…”

  “Hmph, stop selling dreams to the poor boy Peter. Wharton was made to be a Warrior; how could he possibly waste his time with your little magic spells when he could be tempering his body to make the most of his incredible bloodline.” A t man donning crimson armour stood tall as his booming voice projected through the hall. “Wharton, if you join us at the War God’s Academy, I promise that with your bloodline, you will be taken as a personal disciple by a warrior of AT LEAST the ninth rank.”

  Everyone present was taken aback by his offer. A rank nine warrior already stood at the apex of the mortal world, and he said, “at least” someohat strong. The only ones above those incredible rank nine warriors were those lofty saints.

  Wharton, too was shocked by that sudden offer. “Thank you, sir. I would like to ask a question first. If I was to join you, could you make me strohan him?”

  Everyone followed the dire of Wharton’s finger only to see him pointing at an indifferent bck-haired boy looking zily around the room as though he hadn’t heard the young Dragonblood warrior’s question.

  “Haha, young Wharton, you still have a lot to learn. How some unknown brat possibly pete with someoh one of the four supreme warrior bloodlines? You’ll soon fet trash like him as you get exposed to a wider world.” The seven-foot titan from the War God’s Academy gnced disdainfully at Ace as he tinued, “But to answer your question, yes, as long as you are willing to put the effort in, I guarahat within four years, you will have long since surpassed that brat.”

  Aced disdainfully at Wharton, then back at the giant warrior, and smirked.