The surroundings blurred quickly as he sprinted at full speed across the unobstructed land, leaving the distorted rat behind, eating his dust.
"Can't catch me now, huh? Haha~"
Behind him, the distorted rat creature slowly turned its multiple heads toward the direction where Zhang Wei had used his wind magic to scatter the wolf's remains.
*Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.*
The sound of its six legs hitting the ground echoed strangely in the quiet grassland, like six people walking in perfect rhythm. Each step left deep impressions in the soft earth as the creature moved with surprising determination.
The rat's four heads swiveled independently, sniffing the air and scanning the ground for any trace of the scattered meat. Its red eyes glowed brighter as it followed the scent trails that led in different directions across the hillside.
It searched methodically, moving from spot to spot where pieces of the wolf had landed. But Zhang Wei's wind magic had been thorough - the gore had been scattered so far and wide that most of it was now impossible to find.
After nearly an hour of fruitless searching, the creature found nothing substantial.
*SHRIEK!*
The rat let out a sound of pure frustration that startled birds from trees half a mile away. Like a child denied its favorite toy, the creature began thrashing wildly on the ground.
It rolled back and forth, its six legs kicking at the air, its multiple heads snapping at nothing. Small pits and deep scratches appeared in the earth as its claws tore up grass and dirt in its rampage.
*THUD! SCRATCH! BANG!*
Suddenly, during one particularly violent roll, the creature's claws struck something different beneath the surface.
In one of the newly exposed patches of earth, something green flickered briefly in the sunlight.
Before the rat could even register what it had uncovered, the green lashed out like lightning.
*Puff!*
A sound like a whip cracking through the air rang out across the hillside.
When the sound faded, there was no distorted rat anymore.
Slowly, almost peacefully, the torn earth began to regenerate itself. The pits filled up with fresh soil, and bright green grass began sprouting from the ground.
By the next morning, it would look as though nothing had ever happened there at all.
....
Several days later, the sound of horse hooves echoed through the Vale estate courtyard.
*Clip-clop, clip-clop.*
Viscount Vale smoothed down his finest jacket and put on his most welcoming smile as he walked through the hallway toward the guest waiting room. Today was an important day - the tester from Crimson Academy had finally arrived.
He opened the door to find a young man with flowing red hair and bright red eyes sitting comfortably on the sofa, sipping tea as if he owned the place. The visitor wore simple red robes that somehow managed to look both casual and elegant at the same time.
"Ah, my apologies for keeping you waiting," Viscount Vale said cheerfully. "I hope the refreshments are to your liking?"
"Hmm, the tea is excellent. It has a unique flavor - something that feels like it would grow on a mountaintop. It's fantastic."
The red-haired youth took another sip and smiled, clearly not bothered by the wait.
"It comes from our private garden on the south mountainside. We use the best farmers and the finest tea makers in our humble territory," the Viscount explained, then gestured to a servant beside him to fetch a box of tea.
"Since you enjoy it so much, please consider this box of raw tea leaves as my apology for the earlier delay."
Viscount Vale presented him with a box wrapped in expensive red packaging.
The young man's eyes lit up as he stood to receive it. He opened the box and saw countless tea leaves with distinctive red dots in their centers.
"Not bad at all... I owe you a favor."
"Haha, there's no need to be so formal between friends. It's just tea, nothing more," Viscount Vale replied with an even broader smile, and they continued chatting for a while longer.
After some time, the youth's expression grew more serious.
"This time, the Academy is searching for young people who can perceive the true nature of reality."
He stretched out his hand, and in his palm appeared something that radiated a brilliant white light.
Viscount Vale's demeanor became serious as he studied what the young man held.
"Is this one of the requirements for admission?"
To his eyes, it appeared as nothing more than bright light without any clear shape or form.
Although he suspected the glowing orb wasn't showing its true appearance, he still had to ask.
"This pure white light?"
"It seems your excellency doesn't possess the potential the Academy seeks," the youth said matter-of-factly.
"But that's perfectly normal - only those younger than one-third of their natural lifespan can see this object's true form."
The strange youth explained, then closed his hand, causing the bright light to disappear completely.
"So there's an age limit? May I ask why this is the case?"
Viscount Vale blinked as the white light vanished and posed his question.
"I'd like to explain, but the Academy hasn't given me permission to share those details. So I can only apologize - I cannot tell you what it truly was."
The youth paused thoughtfully.
"However... I do need your assistance with something."
Though disappointed, Viscount Vale kept his expression neutral. He had already expected this outcome; he had only tested to be certain.
"What do you need, my friend? I won't claim I can accomplish anything, but within this territory, I can handle quite a few matters."
"I need you to gather everyone who has awakened their magical abilities and is under twenty years old. Of course, if someone doesn't wish to come, don't force them - our Academy doesn't operate like bandits."
Viscount Vale leaned back in his chair and nodded to show he understood.
"I see. Give me one day to arrange this."
"Tomorrow I'll gather those people in the city square."
"Or would you prefer somewhere more private?"
"No, it's better to do this in full view of everyone. That way, the candidates will feel excited and encouraged by their loved ones," the youth replied.
"Also, I've forgotten to introduce myself properly. I am Bai Chen from Crimson Academy."
He stood up, and they shook hands firmly.
The sound of their continued conversation echoed through the room for quite some time.
---
In one of the private training areas within the manor, a young man sat cross-legged in meditation.
The sky was peaceful and completely cloudless today.
Zhang Wei stared into the empty space before him.
*Ding!*
**[Status Window]**
**Name:** Zhang Wei / Ethan Vale
**Age:** 14
**Realm:** Adept - Minor Realm: Stable Flow
**Techniques/Skills:** Intermediate Swordsmanship (4/10) [+], Language Expert
**Magic Affinities:** Wind (Weak), Earth (Weak)
**Magic:** Azure Wind (Stage: Guiding the Wind) [+]
**Points:** 4 (Points may be used to enhance skills, magic, and knowledge.)
**Missions:**
- Sole Journey [?]
- Road to Extraordinary Strength [?]
He looked at the 4 points displayed in the panel and smiled with satisfaction.
He had asked his mother to provide him with some low-level magic crystals, since medium-grade crystals were quite expensive for regular training.
Each low-grade magic crystal could only give him 0.2 points - at least ten times less than a medium crystal, which provided 2 points each.
But it was sufficient for his current needs.
He mentally selected the Intermediate Swordsmanship option.
"Upgrading Intermediate Swordsmanship requires 4 points."
{Upgrade (yes/no)}?
He had been practicing diligently since then, and the required points had decreased thanks to his hard work and dedication.
His finger hovered over the option for a moment, then he pulled back.
"It's better to save these points for now."
"Who knows? I might need them in some difficult situation where swordsmanship alone won't be enough."
Besides...
He stood up and stretched.
The tester from Crimson Academy should have arrived by now.
He gazed up at the sky with uncertainty flickering in his eyes.
"Can I seize this chance to ride the winds of change toward a better future?"
He wondered to himself.
Although it seemed like nothing would really change even if he attended the Academy - after all, he could still improve using his points and constant training.
But that thinking was wrong and far too arrogant.
He had never underestimated the people of this world. Back in his previous life, in a country with over 4,000 years of recorded history, countless brilliant individuals had emerged. People capable of achieving the impossible and rising to the pinnacle of their fields despite having limited lifespans and energy.
Now, in this world that was far larger than Earth, how many geniuses were being born every second, every day?
How could he, with his modest talents, claim to be the best?
Although his system - this ability to learn by simply clicking - was useful, it was really just another version of being an extremely fast learner.
And it might even be weaker than natural geniuses, because they learned passively while he had to actively work and make choices.
Not to mention he had awakened his abilities later than most.
Being one step behind meant being perpetually slower.
You could even argue that there were people in this world who could leave him far behind, eating their dust forever.
Unless...
He shook his head and dismissed these troubling thoughts.
"Why am I dwelling on this? Anyway, I have faith in my future self."
"You won't disappoint me..."
He headed toward the main path, ready to keep his promise.
He had told those two girls that he would let them know when the tester arrived.