Chapter 53: Increased Affinity
As William followed the other young people and stepped aside from the crowd, he noticed that his earlier guess had been correct.
The number of people taking the Aether Affinity Test was around one hundred.
The first person to step onto the platform was a thin-looking boy with sun-kissed skin.
As he walked toward the Energy Crystal, his face was filled with nervousness, and his legs trembled slightly.
The academy student who had come with Richard and Lucas was named Abel. He was also a commoner, as nobles usually didn’t accept such tasks.
Because of his background, he could understand the boy’s nervousness and spoke kindly.
"You don’t have to be nervous. Just place your hand on the crystal."
The boy took a deep breath after hearing Abel’s words and slowly raised his hand before placing it on the crystal.
However, even after five seconds, the crystal showed no reaction.
Seeing this, the boy’s face turned pale, and he bit his lip tightly.
Abel also shook his head and spoke softly.
"You don’t have any Aether Affinity. Please step down."
The boy slowly pulled back his hand and, after bowing toward Baron Xing, left the platform with trembling steps, as if he were on the verge of tears.
William couldn’t help but sigh when he saw this.
In fact, not having any Aether Affinity was very common.
Especially among commoners, since most of their parents also lacked Aether Affinity.
If a person was found to have no Aether Affinity, they simply couldn’t utilize Aether Energy to evolve.
If someone possessed Low-Grade Aether Affinity, it was generally very difficult for them to gain admission into any academy.
Only if they possessed a particularly powerful or useful Trait alongside their Low-Grade Affinity would they have a chance of joining an academy.
Those with Middle-Grade Affinity could directly enroll in any first-rate academy.
However, to enter a top academy like the Sun and Moon Academy, one had to possess at least High-Grade Aether Affinity.
After the first participant, many other children also stepped forward to test their Aether Affinity.
However, most of them didn’t possess any Aether Affinity.
Only when the tenth child stepped forward did the crystal finally glow gray, indicating that he possessed Low-Grade Aether Affinity.
Even so, the young man became so happy that he nearly started jumping in excitement.
"Here, take this Basic Cultivation Technique. It will be difficult for you to join an academy with only Low-Grade Affinity. However, if you somehow manage to become a Star Warrior within a year using this technique, you can apply to a second-rate or third-rate academy. They might be willing to accept you."
Abel reminded the young man as he handed him the Basic Cultivation Technique.
Although the path of evolution for those with Low-Grade Affinity was difficult, there was still hope for them to grow.
After all, even a mosquito’s meat was still meat. Therefore, the kingdom still provided them with a Basic Cultivation Technique, hoping that some of them would eventually rise.
As long as these people became stronger, the kingdom would lose nothing while potentially gaining useful individuals to further strengthen its national power.
"Thank you, My Lord!"
The young man hurriedly thanked Abel before carefully accepting the cultivation technique and happily walking away.
The remaining children, who had yet to take the test, looked at him with envy, each hoping that they too possessed Aether Affinity.
The test continued, and only after more than forty participants did the crystal finally glow green, indicating Middle-Grade Aether Affinity.
Although the green glow was rather dim, showing that it was only the lowest level of Middle-Grade Affinity, it was still far better than Low-Grade.
The young girl with Middle-Grade Affinity became so excited that tears immediately filled her eyes.
Just like before, Abel handed her a Basic Cultivation Technique.
Since she possessed Middle-Grade Affinity, he also informed her that she was qualified to join an academy for further cultivation.
He then handed her a booklet containing information about the different academies and told her to decide which academy she wished to join before the test ended.
The test continued and even after sixty participants, no other Middle-Grade Aether Affinity holder appeared, much less a High-Grade one.
Only three more people with Low-Grade Aether Affinity appeared.
William wasn’t surprised by this.
According to his memories, among everyone present, only one more person would possess Middle-Grade Affinity, while the rest would have either Low-Grade Affinity or none at all.
Finally, with only about twenty participants remaining, it was William’s turn.
William stepped onto the platform and noticed Karl and Elena standing among the crowd, both looking extremely nervous.
As he approached the energy crystal, Richard and Baron Xing couldn’t help but raise their eyebrows because for some reason, they both felt that there was something unusual about William.
However, no matter how carefully they observed him, they couldn’t determine exactly what felt different.
William wasn’t worried about them discovering that he had already become a Star Warrior.
When he created the Supreme Star Scripture in the original timeline, he had incorporated several concealment techniques into it.
After evolving into the Time Star Codex, those concealment techniques had become even more powerful.
Unless William actively used Aether Energy or a Star King-level expert—someone capable of freely utilizing Mental Energy appeared, no one would be able to see through his current cultivation.
Standing before the crystal, William didn’t wait for Abel to say anything before calmly placing his hand on it.
The instant his palm touched the crystal—
Woosh!
The crystal instantly erupted with a brilliant gray light.
The sudden reaction surprised everyone, including Richard and Baron Xing.
However, the light didn’t stop there.
The next moment, the gray glow transformed into green, and its brightness continued to increase.
When the green light reached its peak before turning blue, a gleam flashed through Richard’s eyes as he abruptly stood up.
One had to know that Overseers received additional commissions based on the talents they discovered.
A High-Grade Aether Affinity holder was definitely not someone you encountered every day.
Even Baron Xing looked surprised. After all, he himself only possessed Middle-Grade Aether Affinity.
However, the crystal didn’t stop at blue and soon, the blue light reached its peak.
Richard and Baron Xing’s breathing hitched for a moment when they saw this.
Then, right before their eyes, the crystal turned purple.
"This... Excellent-Grade Aether Affinity."
Joy instantly appeared on Richard’s face as he could already see a huge commission flying toward him.
William was about to withdraw his hand when the crystal turned purple as he clearly remembered that his Aether Affinity in the original timeline had only been around the middle stage of Excellent Grade.
It definitely hadn’t been at the very peak of Excellent Grade.
However, at this moment, he noticed that the crystal’s brightness was still increasing.
Soon, it surpassed the brightness expected of a middle-stage Excellent-Grade Affinity and reached a brilliant purple, even showing faint signs of turning red.
However, it ultimately failed to cross that final threshold of turning red and finally stabilized at bright purple.
Baron Xing and Richard’s eyes remained glued to the crystal and when they saw the light stop just short of turning red, both of them couldn’t help but reveal disappointed expressions.
Richard felt regret because if he had discovered a Perfect-Grade Aether Affinity holder, the commission he would have received would have been more than ten times greater than that of an Excellent-Grade holder.
Baron Xing, on the other hand felt regret because if a Perfect-Grade genius had emerged from his barony, he would also have received a generous reward from the royal family.
Meanwhile, Lucas, who stood quietly behind them stared at William with gloomy eyes as William’s Aether Affinity had already far surpassed his own High-Grade Affinity.
William himself was equally stunned by the result and couldn’t help but frown inwardly, wondering what had caused his Aether Affinity to improve.
However, he didn’t have the chance to think about it as the crowd gathered around the platform had already erupted into an uproar after witnessing his result.
William slowly withdrew his hand from the crystal and noticed that Abel standing before him was staring at him with a dumbfounded expression.
Ignoring his reaction, William noticed Richard and Baron Xing walking toward him from the corner of his eye.
Seeing this, he immediately bowed respectfully toward both of them, looking just like an innocent farmer’s son who knew nothing about the outside world.
"My Lords."
Baron Xing nodded while maintaining his dignified expression.
"What is your name, child?"
"My name is William, My Lord."
William answered with a humble expression. Inwardly, however, he couldn’t help but grumble as it had been a very long time since he had acted this meekly.
"Your Aether Affinity is at the very peak of Excellent Grade, only a step away from Perfect Grade," Richard said as he stepped forward.
"Do you have a preferred academy? With your talent, you can enroll in whichever academy you choose."
Hearing Richard’s question, William didn’t hesitate for even a second and replied immediately.
"I want to join the Sun and Moon Academy."
As he spoke, William glanced at Lucas from the corner of his eye and noticed a gleam appear in that bastard’s eyes upon hearing the name of the academy he wanted to join.