Chapter 74 - 70: Another Hidden Test
Reina continued, "That annoying guy, Uma, brought a group and blocked the entrance to the Secluded Path, stopping anyone else from following.
"He also shouted a warning that anyone who approached the Battle Group without permission would face severe retaliation."
Anya asked a more practical question. "How many people have paid protection fees to the Top Ten Squads?"
Reina was clearly prepared. "I counted carefully. So far, a total of seventy-three new apprentices have paid up."
Mo Ning said calmly, "Remi must be getting anxious."
Two pairs of lovely eyes, filled with curiosity and inquiry, immediately turned to him.
Mo Ning didn’t keep them in suspense and began his analysis. "When Remi made his plan, he most likely made a promise—that at least half of the new apprentices would voluntarily pay up.
"Otherwise, he would have had a hard time convincing so many squads to join the Battle Group and unite to extort money from the new apprentices.
"Excluding the Battle Group’s own thirty members and the four new apprentices who unfortunately died by accident, there are still 234 new apprentices left.
"By the half-mark, at least 117 people should have paid.
"But today, only seventy-three people went with the Battle Group, which is clearly not enough to satisfy them. After all, so many people are waiting for their cut of the money."
The two girls nodded in unison.
Reina even added, "That makes a lot of sense."
Only then did Mo Ning state his conclusion. "So, next, the Battle Group might secretly stir up trouble."
He paused and casually gave an example. "For instance, they could secretly instigate a conflict between two groups, where one side has paid the protection fee and receives the Battle Group’s protection.
"That way, the new apprentices who haven’t paid will see the ’benefits of paying.’"
Anya couldn’t help but nod. "That’s certainly a possibility."
Reina, however, was dumbstruck. "That method is too sinister."
The Dazed Girl immediately realized her words might have been offensive and quickly tried to backtrack. "Mr. Mo Ning, I definitely wasn’t saying you’re sinister."
Mo Ning, knowing the girl’s frank nature, smiled and shook his head. "It’s fine."
He then lamented, "Remi has chosen the wrong path."
Anya blinked her lovely eyes and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Mo Ning replied lightly, "He’s spread himself too thin. That’s not a good thing."
Anya recalled the information she’d heard from Auntie Nasha, becoming lost in thought.
Her aunt had said she had never seen a new apprentice as diligent as Mo Ning; among the tens of thousands of apprentices in the entire academy, very few could compare to him.
Meanwhile, Remi had organized a Battle Group, making people like Sitt and Phoebe obey his every word, which seemed quite impressive on the surface.
’But Remi has to deal with so many people, which must consume an enormous amount of time and energy. How much time could he possibly have left to study?’
Reina stood to the side, giving Mo Ning several deep looks.
Before entering the academy, she had always believed that people with great power were the most charismatic.
But now, the Dazed Girl’s perspective had completely shifted.
’Someone like Mr. Mo Ning, who possesses true wisdom,’ she thought, ’is just so captivating.’
Mo Ning cut the conversation short at the right moment, pointing toward the Secluded Path. "Let’s go. It’s time to head to the Lecture Hall."
The three of them crossed the small plaza, their figures quickly vanishing into the Secluded Path.
Upon entering the Mysterious Secret Hall of the Quiet Forest, Mo Ning’s gaze immediately fell upon the location of the second Secret Gate.
Before the first lecture, Sitt and Princess Phoebe had found the Secret Gate that opened the Lecture Hall.
But before entering the hall himself, he had accidentally discovered another, more hidden Secret Gate. It was just a pity he didn’t have the chance to open it last time.
At that moment, with a mere thought from Mo Ning, the Demon-Seeking Net, woven from countless threads of light, instantly materialized. It swept lightly across the vast Secret Hall, precisely hovering above a single floor tile.
Fine halos of light immediately began to sparkle upon the Demon-Seeking Net.
The corner of Mo Ning’s mouth curled up almost imperceptibly. ’Just as I suspected. This Secret Gate only appears when the Lecture Hall is open.’
After solving the puzzle of the scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling window, he was almost certain—this was most likely another hidden assessment.
Or rather—a Treasure assessment.
But Mo Ning had no intention of acting rashly.
Based on his previous puzzle-solving experience, he had already made a preliminary judgment:
’Opening this Secret Gate is just the first hurdle.
’There are bound to be multiple stages behind it, each one more difficult than the last.
’If I were to charge in recklessly without being fully prepared, it would be absolutely impossible to claim the grand prize at the end.’
Therefore, Mo Ning only glanced at the floor tile for a moment before quickly looking away.
The Demon-Seeking Net remained silently suspended above the tile, faithfully recording the Secret Gate’s Magic Power spectrum—frequency, Amplitude, phase, wave period, and so on.
He was one hundred percent certain that the first hurdle of this hidden assessment was to use the characteristics of the Magic Power fluctuations, with the aid of Secret Divination Tools, to deduce the corresponding Witchcraft structure and ultimately find the way to open the Secret Gate.
In other words—reverse deduction.
Or to put it simply—reverse-engineering!
And knowing the typical way Wizards did things, the clues for cracking the subsequent stages had to be hidden within the Secret Gate itself.
The Secret Gate could be seen as a "map"; as long as he could decipher it, the path forward would be revealed, bit by bit.
Of course, reading this map would certainly not be easy.
’One step at a time,’ Mo Ning thought to himself.
He looked toward the entrance of the Lecture Hall and let out a low chuckle. ’Now, let’s go see what kind of new trick Remi and the Battle Group have cooked up.’
Knowing Remi’s personality, since he had already pulled a stunt in the residence plaza, it was impossible that he hadn’t planned something for inside the Lecture Hall as well.
The moment they stepped through the Secret Gate, the sky abruptly darkened.
Magic Torches on either side of the stone steps glowed with a ghostly blue light, outlining each step with a cold, stark contour.
The silhouettes of a continuous mountain range undulated in the distant darkness, like a cluster of slumbering behemoths.
Although it wasn’t the first time they had seen this sight, such powerful Space Magic still filled the three of them with awe.
Anya was the first to set foot on the steps.
As Mo Ning followed her up the stairs, his eyes inevitably caught sight of some ineffably beautiful scenery.
Although her blue robe was quite loose, a peach-like curve was still faintly discernible.
It was just a glimpse, but it was enough to suggest how magnificent Anya’s figure truly was.
Mo Ning couldn’t help but grumble to himself. ’I have a vague feeling the Noble Lady is doing this on purpose, but I have no proof.’
「Upon reaching the summit.」
The two girls took one look and were simultaneously filled with a sense of admiration.
To the left of the Lecture Hall, new apprentices stood on the steps in neat, orderly rows, like an army awaiting inspection.
On the other side, however, the new apprentices were scattered about haphazardly, looking completely disorganized.
The two sides formed a stark contrast—one of order, the other of disarray.
This undoubtedly confirmed what Mo Ning had just said—the Battle Group had cooked up another scheme.
This sharp contrast was designed to give the new apprentices who were still on the fence a certain impression: that the group led by the Battle Group was organized, disciplined, and united.
In short, they were powerful.
To put it bluntly, it was an advertisement.
Undeniably, this tactic had a certain Effect.
Many of the new apprentices who hadn’t paid the protection fee kept glancing toward the Battle Group, their eyes filled with envy, hesitation, and the wavering thought that ’maybe I should pay up, too.’
Anya averted her gaze and shook her head slightly.
Previously, she would have thought the Battle Group was truly impressive.
But after hearing Mo Ning’s comment—"He’s spread himself too thin. That’s not a good thing"—she now just found it all so foolish.
’This is an academy, yet a group of new apprentices are playing games and forming factions instead of focusing on their studies.’
Originally, the Noble Lady had held Remi in high regard, believing he could certainly distinguish himself, become an Apprentice, and perhaps even advance to become an Official Wizard in the future.
But now, her opinion had done a complete 180. ’If Remi keeps carrying on like this, I’m afraid he’ll just be unceremoniously kicked out of the academy in two years.’
The three of them found a spot in the back row of the Lecture Hall and waited quietly.
「Eight o’clock sharp.」
A message from the Guiding Ring arrived right on schedule.
[Course Reminder: Serial Number 7-118-256, Mo Ning.]
[Attending mandatory course "Epic of Witchcraft (First Chapter) — The Evolutionary Tide from the Era of Primordial Witchcraft to the Era of Secret Divination." Course fee of 3 Black Tower Points has been deducted. Current Balance: 1404 Black Tower Points.]
BOOM!
The braziers atop the stone pillars surrounding the Lecture Hall erupted in unison.
It was as if long-suppressed flames had finally broken their bonds, surging toward the heavens.
Dozens of pillars of fire shot into the night sky, illuminating the entire Lecture Hall as if it were broad daylight.
The air instantly grew scorching hot; even standing in the back row, Mo Ning could feel a wave of heat wash over him.
The eruption of fire lasted only a brief two seconds, but just as the pillars were about to dissipate, a sudden change occurred.
Dozens of even thicker serpents of fire writhed out from the afterglow.
They spiraled and intertwined in the night sky like a meticulously choreographed dance of flames, streaking over the heads of the crowd with long, fiery tails.
Finally, they plummeted in unison toward the very center of the Lecture Hall.
BANG—!
The fire serpents exploded violently.
A rain of fire shot through the air, like the grand finale of a festival’s fireworks display.
A slight commotion stirred through the crowd.
And amidst this downpour of fire, a figure in a gray robe slowly materialized.
The lecturer—Third Level Apprentice, Stone Soul.
At the same time, the rain of fire completely subsided.
Compared to the entrance of the Tree Spirit Wizard, Lv Mei, this "opening show" was a touch less majestic, but it was just as memorable.
Stone Soul’s appearance was clearly seared into the retinas of every new apprentice.
This apprentice’s features were unforgettable.
His exposed face and hands had the distinct texture of rock.
This wasn’t "rock-like" in the metaphorical sense of being rough, but actual, gray-white stone skin covered in minute fissures.
Under the glow of the flames, the cracks emanated a faint orange-red light, as if magma were slowly flowing deep within the stone.
The name "Stone Soul" seemed to be a literal description.
Silence hung over the Lecture Hall for a full two seconds.
Stone Soul scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering for a moment on the neat formation of new apprentices to his left. A peculiar glint appeared in his eyes.
As a senior Third Level Apprentice, he could tell at a glance that some petty squabbles were already brewing among this batch of new apprentices.
But Stone Soul said nothing.
He was only responsible for lecturing; he couldn’t be bothered to get involved in their trivial disputes.
Stone Soul’s voice was devoid of inflection as he answered the new apprentices’ unspoken question. "My entire body is under the effect of a Constant Witchcraft: the Level Zero Witchcraft [Stone Skin Technique]."
Perhaps because of his stone-like face, the man showed no expression as he spoke.
However, those new apprentices with some knowledge of Witchcraft all showed looks of envy.
A "Constant" Witchcraft meant the effect was active at all times, a feat an entire order of magnitude more difficult than simply casting the spell.
The fact that this apprentice was capable of maintaining a Constant Witchcraft was proof enough of his skill; he couldn’t be far from becoming an Official Wizard.
Stone Soul didn’t spare the apprentices another glance, directly posing a question: "What is the watershed between Ancient Witchcraft and modern Witchcraft?"
A ripple of hushed voices spread through the crowd.
"Divination!"
"Secret Divination!"