Translator: AnubisTL
While the high-rank wizards deliberated in the secret chamber, activity stirred at the teleportation plaza.
Teleportation beams flashed one after another across the vast plaza of Noren Academy.
Like awakening from a nightmare, waves of wizard apprentices, battered and exhausted from their near-death experiences, were deposited onto the familiar, safe ground.
The air no longer carried the acrid stench of burnt earth and blood from the Greyrock Realm, replaced by the academy's signature cold, faintly mana-infused scent.
Above the plaza, a massive luminous screen slowly unfurled, shimmering with brilliant light. It displayed the final evaluation results of the trial—the merit point rankings.
Every apprentice's gaze, regardless of their injuries or mental exhaustion, was instantly drawn to the screen.
This was the ultimate culmination of their desperate struggles, their life-threatening risks, and the glory and rewards they had fought so hard to attain.
The rankings on the screen rapidly refreshed, and the names at the top drew gasps of astonishment from the crowd.
First Place: Berta Vera Augusta - Merit Points: 23,541
Many were unsurprised to see this name.
Miss Augusta, as formidable as a thunder god, had indeed dominated the Greyrock Realm, relentlessly breaking through the indigenous forces' encirclements and crushing powerful enemies.
Her offensive drive and destructive power were utterly incongruous with her delicate appearance. She had shattered the most traps, slain the most magical beasts, and undoubtedly earned the most merit tokens.
However, when the second-place name appeared, many apprentices murmured in confusion.
Second Place: Bill L. Black—Merit Points: 21,965
This name was unfamiliar to most. He was neither from a prestigious noble family nor a renowned genius within the academy.
Jieming frowned slightly as he studied the name, racking his memory before finally recalling who it was—the frail-looking fellow who had vanished into the crowd after the innate talent assessment ceremony.
After much effort, others also remembered that during the entrance examination, there had been an apprentice who had displayed ninth-tier soul purity.
But immediately after the assessment, the apprentice had been taken as a disciple by a wizard and disappeared from the apprentices' sight. Over the years, many had even forgotten his existence.
The problem was that even for a genius like this, who rarely made public appearances, they shouldn't have faded from people's minds so quickly.
It wasn't until today that the wizards suddenly realized they had unconsciously overlooked the existence of such a prodigy.
Ninth-tier soul purity... A flicker of understanding flashed in Jieming's eyes.
With such innate talent, combined with the right spells, one could indeed achieve unimaginable feats in detection, concealment, and mental manipulation.
The fact that this individual had vanished from everyone's memories was itself proof of their mastery in soul studies.
Jieming faintly guessed how they had secured second place: by avoiding the bloody battles altogether, relying instead on their innate talent to slip past all eyes and ears and infiltrate the core of the Indigenous Allied Forces.
Then, at the critical moment, they had swept clean the merit tokens collected from the "dead" apprentices in the indigenous warehouses.
This was a method entirely different from Augusta's brute-force approach.
If we were to face them on the battlefield, they would be a truly formidable opponent...
Deep within Noren Academy, in a secluded chamber, Oswald, the high-level wizard who played the role of "Priest Oswald" in the Greyrock Realm, lounged lazily on a comfortable sofa.
While half-heartedly listening to the other wizards discuss the academy's upcoming policies, his attention drifted elsewhere. Before him, a luminous screen displayed the real-time rankings of the ongoing trial.
When Bill L. Black's name suddenly surged to second place, Oswald's face lit up with a smug grin.
"See that? That's my student!" he couldn't resist boasting to the other high-level wizards in the chamber. "I told you all along that the Soul Branch's innate talent has the highest potential for growth! Silent until now, but now he's making a thunderous impact!"
The other high-level wizards merely glanced at him, offering no response.
They were long accustomed to Oswald's eccentric personality. Moreover, while his methods might have been somewhat opportunistic, achieving such heights through soul-based talent was undeniably commendable.
Their primary concern lay with other data points, such as the average survival rate of wizard apprentices during the trial, the weaknesses exposed, and other strategic insights.
On the teleportation plaza, the leaderboard continued to scroll, revealing few surprises in the lower ranks.
Most of the apprentices who had survived the valley earned some merit points through last-minute pursuits and battlefield cleanup, but their final rankings couldn't compare to those at the top.
Jieming's name appeared in thirty-sixth place.
For him, this ranking was satisfactory.
He hadn't deliberately collected merit tokens, focusing instead on gathering materials and "clearing" any obstacles in his path.
Being in the 30 something ranking was good enough, as securing a spot within the top 10% guaranteed participation in the Noren Workshop's upcoming academy-wide assessment.
What surprised him was Amy and Victor's decent performance. Amy ranked thirty-fifth, slightly higher than him, while Victor placed forty-eighth, both within the top five hundred.
Jieming understood why.
They were among the few apprentices who had avoided the final "Indigenous War."
Unswayed by the indigenous people's feigned weakness, they relied on their own abilities to evade the conflict.
Amidst the chaos of the battle, their keen senses and cautious strategies allowed them to scavenge abandoned merit tokens and valuable resources.
Jieming approached Amy, who was standing nearby.
"Congratulations, Amy," he said, offering his congratulations.
"Jieming!" Amy exclaimed, her face lighting up with a joyful smile as she spotted him. "Thank you, and congratulations to you too! Your ranking is impressive—thirty-sixth place!"
"Still a bit behind you," Jieming replied calmly.
Footsteps approached, and Victor silently joined them.
Victor stopped beside Amy, glancing at Jieming with a flicker in his eyes.
Noticing their gazes, Victor paused, then offered a seemingly sincere smile. "Congratulations to both of you."
Jieming and Amy exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.
Given Victor's reserved nature, such an overture of goodwill was rare. The brutal nature of the trial, combined with Jieming and Amy's remarkable achievements, had clearly forced him to reassess his peers.
Jieming raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed the trial had finally convinced Victor of their potential worth as investments.
Neither Jieming nor Amy harbored any particular ill will toward Victor's personality, as his actions hadn't harmed their interests. They accepted his congratulations graciously.
"Thank you."
"Congratulations to you too, Victor."
As the trio exchanged congratulations—or perhaps subtly probed each other's intentions—they suddenly sensed an odd shift in the atmosphere.
Their heads snapped up, and they realized that nearly every returning apprentice in the plaza had turned to stare in their direction.
(End of the Chapter)
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