Chapter Ninety-Three: An Unbelievable Achievement (Extra chapter for reaching 5,000 recommendation votes)

"No problem, Nancy. Don't be nervous—just trust yourself." Chu Yun approached Nancy, for whom he had always shown special care, being the student he had spent the most time teaching.

As the selected candidate among the rejected students, Nancy was Chu Yun's chosen lucky one. Out of ten, she was nominally in Anna's class and her number was among the first, making her one of the first batch to take the stage.

In the audience, Richard clenched his fists, appearing even more anxious than the somewhat timid Nancy herself.

In truth, after these days of collective study, Nancy's character had changed considerably. With so many companions and being the fastest learner in the group, she had helped many others, and was no longer as withdrawn as before, having made several friends.

"Hmph, a mere woman—no matter how strong she is, she can't possibly nurture real talent," the first group's mentor said with arrogance, glancing at Chu Yun and Anna.

Nancy was a student he himself had eliminated. He couldn't believe that someone with such weak mental strength had the right to become a mage.

But the next scene made his eyes widen in disbelief.

Nancy spent only three seconds casting her spell, and a blazing fireball appeared in her hand. Then, the fireball began to change shape: first expanding into a large flaming sphere, then shrinking to a flame no bigger than her thumb.

Nancy's expression twisted in pain. She had initially intended only to perform the spell normally and complete the test. But after learning that Chu Yun had refused her father's proposal, she changed her mind.

She wanted to be Chu Yun's true apprentice, having been personally guided by him. If she only performed at the level of ordinary students, how could she be worthy? She needed to prove herself, to show greater strength. She had lost count of how many mental potions she'd consumed, how many more times she had trained compared to others.

These techniques were difficult for her, and mistakes could have meant failure in the assessment—but she didn't care!

"Wow, such power! This student's spell control is incredible!"

"A genius, surely. Though judging by her expression, her mental strength is not high. To achieve this is truly remarkable."

Many mages from the Mage Association, experts in the field, recognized the challenge of Nancy's performance. Some even considered taking her as their own apprentice.

"Nancy, four stars." The examiner, after giving the score, added, "The reason I gave you four stars is that later candidates may be even stronger, but your performance was excellent."

"Thank you."

The examiners were strict; previously, the highest score given was three stars.

Nancy's achievement was not only due to her outstanding performance, but also to the optimization of her spell model. The mentors lacked time and energy to focus on such optimization, resulting in generally lower scores.

"Four stars, two stars, two stars, three stars, two stars."

The first batch scored a total of thirteen stars—just two more and they would equal the entire eighth group's score.

Such astonishing results and passing rate brought a hush over the hall.

"Just luck, that's all—happened to be all top students," the first group's mentor muttered to himself.

Yet the subsequent results surprised even Anna herself. Students who had previously struggled on the final day now cast their spells smoothly.

Only two candidates, too nervous, unfortunately missed their chance.

When the whole group finished their assessment, the final score was almost unbelievable.

"Ninth group: fifty-three pass, total score one hundred twenty-eight!"

The assessment was overseen by third-tier mages, all of great renown and high status—no possibility of collusion or unnoticed cheating.

So when Anna's results were announced, everyone was stunned.

"Are women naturally suited to be mages?" a sturdy female warrior wondered aloud, vowing to join the next admissions test.

"Don't kid yourself. Didn't you see that many girls in other groups were eliminated too?"

"Then why, why is the passing rate so high in this group?"

"I heard the ninth group trained alongside the tenth. See that man? He's the mage who summoned the fire elemental giant last night—he's the tenth group's mentor!"

"That explains it."

...

Nelson's face finally regained its smug smile. He wanted desperately to ask Chu Yun how this had happened, but with the tests still ongoing, he could only wait to see the last group’s performance.

The final group had slightly better talent than Anna's class; no four-star scores like Nancy, but their total was higher—and not a single mistake, every member passed!

This was thanks to Chu Yun, who had, the previous night, personally copied spells for those he worried about, achieving this feat.

"Tenth group: fifty-five pass, total score one hundred forty! One hundred percent passing rate! Hahaha!" Nelson shouted, unable to contain himself.

As president of the Mage Association, he hadn't lost composure like this since receiving the news of his son's death.

With the last two groups' results, the overall passing rate finally reached fifty percent, totaling two hundred seventy-six candidates advancing to the second round.

While the crowd celebrated the victory, Anna felt uneasy. She gathered her courage and addressed the president: "Sir, I believe some candidates deserve a second chance. My two students were simply too nervous; they are fully capable of passing the second round."

If more had failed in her class, it wouldn’t stand out—but with only two out of one hundred ten from both groups, it was conspicuous.

The two girls were already in tears, overwhelmed with grief.

Hearing Anna's suggestion, candidates from other groups who had failed due to nerves also waited expectantly for Nelson's reply.

Nelson stroked his beard. If any other mentor had said this, he would have berated them, but considering Anna's extraordinary performance, he pondered briefly before responding.

"In real battle, there’s no room for nervousness, but since these students are new to magic and are performing in front of such a crowd..." He paused, the audience holding their breath.

"You are the mentors, you know your students best. I'll give each mentor two slots—allow the failed candidates another chance."

Two slots happened to match Anna's failed students; candidates from other classes benefited as well, and no mentor objected.

The retest began with the first group; their candidates, caught off guard, failed again. By Anna's turn, her two students, though still nervous and performing poorly, managed to complete their spells.

Thus, both of Chu Yun's groups achieved a one hundred percent passing rate, creating a miracle.

"There are now two hundred eighty-five candidates who have passed the second round. This term, the academy has three hundred admission slots in total. After subtracting the original magic apprentices and special admissions, two hundred slots remain."

"The third round is simple: the academy will provide each candidate with a lava stone, sized according to age. The first two hundred candidates to split their lava stones in half will pass the test."

"The assessment will begin in one hour. Before that, let us award prizes to our victorious mentors!"