To become a mage, one must first possess an affinity for the elements. Without any affinity for the elements, even if one's mental power is strong, it is impossible to comprehend magic elements and become a mage. Besides elemental affinity, mental power is also crucial, because if one's mental power is too weak, even if their elemental affinity is strong, it is impossible to become a mage.
And the minimum standard for mental strength is eight times that of peers!
Magic, as it is rightly called, is something that only one person in a thousand can become a magician. Out of the forty-nine people who had been tested before Baruch, only ten were able to become magicians.
The boy who performed the best was a six or seven-year-old. His affinity for elements was excellent, his light magic was superior, and his mental power was thirty times that of his peers. As soon as the test results came out, the boy's father and mother were overjoyed. With the compliments of the people around them, they walked out of the hall and were immediately surrounded by more than a dozen magicians. However, it was the Academy of Magic in the Kingdom of Fenlai that was eager to recruit the boy into their academy.
However, in the end, the boy was snatched away by the Ernst Academy. Although the Ernst Academy has been established for less than a decade, it has the backing of Pope Ernst and the Church of Light, which gives it an advantage unmatched by other magic academies.
The Holy See of Light currently only has significant influence in three kingdoms, and it has not yet reached the level where the Ernst Academy will be the premier magic academy on the Yulan Continent five thousand years later, with countless geniuses from the Yulan Continent vying to enter the Ernst Academy. At this time, a person with superior elemental affinity and a mental power thirty times that of their peers is already considered a super genius, worthy of being vigorously pursued by the Ernst Academy.
"Next!" the balding old man said, and it was Baruch's turn.
"I hope my elemental affinity isn't too poor," said Baruch, calming himself down before stepping inside. He wasn't afraid of the mental ability test; his only concern was that his elemental affinity was too weak, preventing him from becoming a mage.
Baruch calmly placed his hand on the crystal ball.
Suddenly
Like the sun, the entire crystal ball suddenly became dazzling. The light was so bright that even those who were recording and testing couldn't help but shield their eyes with their hands. Then, under their horrified gazes, the crystal ball suddenly shattered.
Those who had not left were stunned, their mouths agape for a long time but unable to utter a single word.
The bald old man looked at the paper in his hand with a trembling hand and an incredulous expression. The paper clearly stated that Baruch was only seven years old.
"Seven years old, with an elemental affinity of Water, superior!" The bald old man announced after a moment's pause. Even at this moment, he could feel his heart pounding fiercely. Generally, a mage's elemental affinity is considered medium, and superior ones are exceedingly rare. As for superior plus... it's downright unheard of.
Moreover, Baruch's super-grade was no ordinary one. The light emitted by his elemental affinity actually burst the crystal ball.
"If the elemental affinity is super-super, or even super-super-super, then he is indeed such a person," a thought popped into the mind of the balding old man.
In the Yulan continent, elemental affinity is divided into inferior, moderate, superior, and superlative levels. However, at this moment, the superlative level is no longer able to measure Baruch's elemental affinity.
At this moment, Baruch opened his mouth wide, his eyes filled with confusion. "My affinity for water elements is superior? How is that possible? How can my affinity for water elements be superior! Isn't it said that dragonblood warriors can't touch water elements without undergoing the ancestral hall ritual? Could this crystal ball be broken?"
If it were the affinity for other elements that exceeded the average, Baruch would merely be delighted, as it was within his expectations. However, the affinity for water elements exceeding the average has already surpassed his imagination.
"Could it be that my bloodline has mutated, turning me into a divine beast, the Azure Dragon? The only one of its kind among countless planes in the universe?" An idea popped into Baruch's mind, startling him. However, he quickly dismissed it, thinking, "Impossible. According to legend, divine beasts can only assume human form after reaching adulthood and becoming a Divine Realm powerhouse. If I am a divine beast, the Azure Dragon, then I cannot maintain a human form."
In the realm of Warcraft, aside from dragons, which can transform into humans when in the sanctuary, no other magical beasts, even those at the limit of the sanctuary, can do so. This is especially true for divine beasts. Divine beasts are the favored creatures of heaven and earth. As soon as they reach adulthood, they will immediately become divine. However, similarly, before they become divine, they cannot transform into humans.
"Now, please test your mental power!" The balding old man was in a very good mood. He knew that with Baruch's elemental affinity, as long as his mental power reached the minimum threshold - eight times that of his peers - Baruch would become a powerful mage in the future.
Baruch's mind was in a mess at this moment. Stepping into the magic array, he soon saw the warm white light of the magic array illuminate, and then a sense of oppression directly acted on his soul.
"Forget it. If the affinity for water elements is exceptional, so be it. What's the big deal?" Feeling a sense of oppression on his soul, Baruch snapped awake and quickly calmed down, realizing that now was not the time to ponder over such matters.
"Too weak, too weak," thought Baruch.
As time passed, the glow of the magic array grew stronger and stronger, and its intimidating power increased accordingly. Baruch frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "My exceptional elemental affinity has already attracted others' attention. I must not perform too well in the mental prowess test, lest I attract ill intentions from others and be eliminated."
"Now, with about twenty times the mental strength of my peers, it's time for me to show that I'm struggling," Baruch thought to himself. Then, he gritted his teeth and acted as if he was in extreme pain. When he felt it was about right, Baruch suddenly collapsed to one knee with a loud thud, supporting himself with both hands on the ground.
The balding old man said in a clear voice, "His mental power is thirty times that of his peers, making him an exceptional talent. With exceptional mental power, his affinity for elements is also exceptional."
"Damn, my mental power has actually reached super-grade. This is unscientific," Baruch cursed inwardly. His original plan was to achieve upper-grade mental power, which is about 23 to 25 times that of his peers. Although this is still very excellent, at least it wouldn't draw too much attention and lead to the idea of suppressing him.
At this moment, twelve old and young people dressed in magic robes rushed in: "Hello, Baruch, I am from Rand Academy of Magic. Our Rand Academy sincerely invites you to join us. As long as you join, your tuition will be free, and you will receive a scholarship of one thousand gold coins every year. We will also invite senior mages to teach you."
"Baruch, I'm from the North German Magic Academy, we..."
... (Note: The original text seems to be incomplete or missing content, so the translation is also incomplete or placeholder text. If you have more complete or specific content, please provide it for a more accurate translation.)...
"These people are crazy!" Baruch, surrounded by people who were constantly introducing their colleges and conditions, sighed in his heart.
"Cough, everyone, this is the Church of Light. Please be mindful of your status," the balding old man said gently, with a cough.
He is a priest of the Radiant Church, holding a high position. However, this is only for ordinary people. He is still very polite towards people from major magic academies and dare not show any arrogance.
"Baruch, we at the Ernst Academy sincerely request you to become a member of our academy." An elderly man dressed in a white robe ignored the balding elder and walked up to Baruch, saying, "Baruch, your elemental affinity and mental power are both exceptional. We at the Ernst Academy warmly welcome you. As long as you join our academy, we will offer you a scholarship of one thousand gold coins a year, and you may even have the opportunity to hear His Majesty Emperor Ernst lecture on magic knowledge. I wonder if you are willing to join our Ernst Academy?"
Baruch nodded and said, "Sir, I am proud to be a member of the Ernst College."
"Baruch, I will report all your identity information to the academy. At that time, you just need to bring your identity certificate, undergo another test after entering the academy, and you can officially become a member of the academy," the white-robed elder said with a smile.
Baruch nodded. He knew that taking another test after entering the academy was to prevent anyone from impersonating!
"The academy has two semesters a year, and the school year starts on February 9th. You just need to arrive at the academy before February 9th. This is a certificate, which serves as proof of admission." The white-robed elder took out a red letter from his pocket, wrote Baruch's identity information on it, and then took out a purple token from his pocket, saying, "Keep this token safe. If you forget the registration time or for any reason cannot arrive at the academy on time on February 9th, you can enter the academy at any time and become a member of the academy by presenting this token."
Baruch took the red letter and purple token, smiling on his face, and thought to himself, "It seems that Ernst College places great importance on me, offering both a bonus and permission to enroll at any time."
"Father, let's go!" At this time, there weren't many people in the hall, as most of them had left with their children after completing the magic test. Only a dozen or so people who were purely there to watch the fun remained. Therefore, Baruch easily found Hori, handed him the red letter and purple token, and then walked together towards the exit of the hall.
"Perhaps, a great mage is about to be born at the Ernst Academy!" the bald old man thought to himself, gazing at Baruch's receding figure.
With exceptional elemental affinity and mental prowess, such talents are among the best in the Yulan Continent. At least, they have almost never appeared in the Fenlai Kingdom. Perhaps, only a few talented mages in the Yulan Academy of Magic, the premier academy of magic in the Yulan Continent, possess such gifts!