6. Hospital Admission Test

The next day, the group set out once again.

After a night of contemplation and attempts, Mo Fei still hadn’t decided on his path of cultivation. “It seems I can only take things one step at a time. Hopefully, I’ll find a method at the Imperial Academy,” he thought to himself.

The journey was uneventful. On the carriage, however, Vivian and Mona kept glancing at Mo Fei, whispering to each other from time to time. It was obvious that their topic of discussion was Mo Fei himself. As for what they were saying, that remained their private secret as young women.

The six of them encountered none of the typical troubles found in stories. After half a day’s journey, the carriage brought them smoothly to the imperial capital.

While queuing at the city gates to enter, Mo Fei gazed curiously at the towering gatehouse before him.

As the capital of the Longyan Empire, Longyan City’s sheer size needed no further elaboration. The city wall alone, fifty meters high, stretched for ten miles. The city itself was flanked by mountains on two sides, built upon the natural defenses of the north and south ranges, with the east and west walls connecting the mountains into a fortress. At this moment, Mo Fei’s group was at the western gate.

Longyan City was divided into two sections: the inner city and the outer city. The inner city, naturally, was the royal palace of the Longyan Empire, situated at the city’s heart. The outer city was where the common folk resided.

While waiting at the gate, Mo Fei noticed that the bustle of Longyan City far surpassed that of a place like Colin City. The flow of people entering and leaving the gates made that clear. What puzzled him, however, was that among the crowd, he saw no orcs as he had in Colin City.

After all, there had once been war between orcs and humans. Though time and the orcs’ defeat had gradually allowed coexistence across the continent, the capital remained a stronghold of human nobility and prejudice. Ordinary orcs were strictly forbidden from entering Longyan City. The few seen within the city were usually slaves of the elite.

After a long wait, it was finally their turn. Flanking the gate, guards in silver armor and wielding heavy swords stood at attention. Vivian produced a token and showed it to the captain. The captain saluted her carriage with a knight’s gesture—right fist to left chest—and promptly ordered the guards to let them pass.

The Imperial Academy was built against the southern mountains of Longyan City. As the highest institution in the empire, it produced a wealth of talent each year, and countless powerful individuals resided within its walls. Its importance to the empire was evident—even its two grandest towers, the Tower of Battle Qi and the Tower of Magic, were only one meter shorter than the tallest structure in the royal palace.

The carriage rolled through the city gates, heading down the southern avenue. Along the way, rows of shops and restaurants crowded the streets, street vendors cried their wares, and Mo Fei—never having seen such prosperity—was filled with wonder.

As they journeyed further south, the architectural style on either side of the street changed. The buildings grew grander and more imposing, and the street vendors disappeared. On each building’s door hung a sign, each bearing a different emblem. Among them, Mo Fei recognized the crossed staff and sword he’d seen in Colin City, marking the Mercenaries’ Guild.

Vivian, noticing his curiosity, explained, “This street is close to the Imperial Academy, so most who frequent it are warriors or mages. The buildings here cater to them—Warriors’ Guild, Mages’ Guild, Mercenaries’ Guild, auction houses, weapon shops, potion stores, alchemy shops, and many more. Once you’ve finished your enrollment, you might visit the Mages’ Guild to certify your status. Each month you can collect a stipend from them.”

Despite being under imperial jurisdiction, the academy was largely self-governed, and students enjoyed a degree of freedom, not subject to imperial summons. Yet the Warrior and Mage Guilds were both supported by the empire, a measure meant to win over talent. As a princess of the Longyan Empire, Vivian naturally hoped that a prodigy like Mo Fei would serve the empire’s cause.

After about an hour, the carriage finally came to a halt before the gates of the Imperial Academy. The first thing Mo Fei saw was a massive stone stele to the left of the entrance, upon which four grand characters were inscribed, surrounded by smaller rows of text. Though he couldn’t read them, he guessed the large characters spelled out “Imperial Academy,” and the smaller ones were likely the rules and principles of the institution.

All six of them got out and entered the academy together, drawing the attention of many students along the way. It was no surprise that Vivian and Mona, both beautiful and exceptional in status and strength, had many admirers in the academy. What irked Mo Fei, however, was that even the narcissistic Hughes had a legion of female fans in the academy.

“Do women on this continent only like delicate, frail pretty boys?” Mo Fei grumbled to himself, watching Hughes strut smugly before him. Back in the Jade Void Sect, he had once dazzled his senior and junior sisters with his looks, but these girls here seemed blind to his charms.

Even the cold-faced Crowe and the taciturn Tuck attracted the attention of the academy’s beauties.

Jealous as he was, Mo Fei had to admit—Hughes and his friends were gifted in every regard: looks, strength, and background. Scions of nobility, all under twenty yet already Swordmasters and third-tier mages, their futures were boundless. It was only natural for them to have admirers.

Mo Fei looked down at himself: his odd attire, his unusual appearance, and his frail demeanor hardly made him the center of attention. The standards of beauty here differed greatly from those of the cultivation world. The occasional curious glance he received was due only to his strangeness and the mystery of his association with the princess and her friends—certainly nothing akin to admiration.

Hughes and his friends, delighted to see Mo Fei’s envy, wore smug expressions. Even Tuck’s honest face broke into a foolish grin.

Head lowered, Mo Fei followed the group to the office of the Dean of the School of Magic, where they were to meet the dean, Mars.

Inside, Mars—an elderly man with a beard as white as snow—was dressed in black mage’s robes, busy with academy affairs. As footsteps sounded outside, the door was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang.

Startled, Mars was about to assert his authority as dean and scold the intruder, only to see Mona leading the group in with a bright smile, quelling his anger instantly.

“Old man, I’ve come to see you!” Mona called out cheerfully.

“You little imp! Can’t you show your grandfather some respect in front of your classmates?” Mars grumbled, clearly displeased at being called ‘old man’ by his granddaughter.

Vivian and the others seemed used to this, but Mo Fei was surprised. He had heard them mention Mars before—a renowned Grand Mage on the continent—but had not expected him to be Mona’s grandfather.

“Old man, we’re here on business today. We’ve brought a friend who wants to join the academy!” Mona got straight to the point.

“Oh? You know, not just anyone can get into our academy—we don’t accept students without talent.” Mars eyed Mo Fei, who stood behind the group, sipped his tea, and spoke indifferently.

“Hmph! Don’t worry. Mo Fei is a genius who can sense five different magical elements. You should be grateful, old man!” Mona huffed, annoyed at her grandfather’s nonchalance.

“Pfft—” Mars nearly spat out his tea. “What did you say? How many elements? Five?”

Now, Mars finally studied Mo Fei carefully and sought confirmation. “Is what Mona said true? You can really sense five magical elements?”

“That’s right. I can sense five elements. Am I qualified to join the academy?” Mo Fei, already annoyed by Mars’s dismissive attitude, replied with a touch of sarcasm.

Mars didn’t mind—after all, geniuses tended to be proud. “You say you can sense five elements, but I’ll need to test you to be sure. If it’s true, our academy would gladly welcome you.”

“How do you test it?” Mo Fei asked.

“It’s simple. This is an elemental crystal ball. Just channel magical energy into it, and it will display different colors depending on the elements present.” As he spoke, Mars produced a transparent crystal ball.

Mo Fei stepped forward, placing his palm on the crystal. Guiding the energies of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth into the ball, he watched as it changed from clear to a dazzling display of red, yellow, blue, green, and gold.

Mars’s hand trembled with excitement as he gripped the crystal, and his gaze toward Mo Fei grew fervent.