The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 356 Trials on the Snowfield

The next morning, when Luo Yan arrived at the entrance of the "Adventurer's House", Phoenix, Illara, and Barrett were already waiting there.

The sadness of losing a friend seemed to have been replaced by a firm belief and expectation for the future. Their eyes held less innocence and more of a heavy sense of realization, as if they wanted to carry on the perseverance their dear friend had given up, to walk in his footsteps, and to fulfill his dream of entering the academic community.

Although Luo Yan felt that they were probably just being sentimental, the young man named Leo had truly seen through things before leaving.

"Good morning, Mr. Colin." Phoenix stepped forward, looking much better than yesterday.

Luo Yan said in a gentle tone.

Good morning, it seems you are recovering well.

Phoenix smiled shyly.

"It's alright... It's the final leg of the journey, so we need to be on our toes to finish it. By the way, where's Miss Sarah? Isn't she with you?"

Luo Yan nodded.

"She's packing her luggage. We'll go ahead first, and she'll meet us there."

Phoenix nodded knowingly and then continued.

"By the way, have you eaten yet? If not, we can wait for you to finish breakfast before we set off. The place is quite remote, and there are no places to eat there."

Luo Yan politely declined his offer.

"I've already had breakfast. If you're ready, let's set off."

"Okay! I'll do as you say."

Phoenix led the way with great enthusiasm, and the group walked together toward Xuebang without saying another word.

After passing through the chaotic and noisy traveler camp, they headed east over a hill, where the view suddenly opened up before them.

This is the eastern part of the Longya Mountains, the legendary northern wilderness, a vast expanse of snow stretching to the horizon, merging with the distant swamps.

At the edge of the snowfield lies the border of the Kingdom of Rhodes, and the temporary camp where the mages of the Academy have set up their camp.

Everything here is completely different from Eagle Rock Territory.

Dozens of uniform white tents were neatly arranged on the snow, the ground cleared clean by magic, without a trace of mud.

Several apprentices dressed in simple gray mage robes were manipulating soft orbs of light floating in mid-air to illuminate the camp at dawn.

Their quill pens swished across the enchanted paper as they registered the information of the students who came to sign up.

The entire process was quiet, efficient, and orderly.

The essence of Xuebang can be seen here, a kind of rigorousness that is built on magic and transcends the secular world.

"Mr. Colin! This way!" Phoenix waved excitedly as he found the registration point, calling over Luo Yan and his teammates.

The group joined the long queue, following the devout yet anxious faces, and slowly moved toward the tent that would determine their fate.

When it was Phoenix's turn, a rather serious-looking magic apprentice asked without looking up, "Name, background, and intentions."

Before Phoenix could answer, he leaned close to Luo Yan's ear and whispered, "Mr. Colin, this is just filling out an expression of interest, don't worry about it too much. The apprentice assessment is a two-way selection process. Even if we pass the written test and the interview, the final acceptance depends on which mage tower's leader is willing to accept us."

Luo Yan nodded knowingly, gesturing for him to hurry up and register, lest he get annoyed by the magic apprentice in charge of registration.

That face was clearly starting to show signs of impatience.

Phoenix puffed out his chest and quickly announced his aspirations: "Phoenix, from the Kingdom of Rhodes, aspires to the Tower of the Great Sage!"

Illara, who was behind him, then said, "Illara, Kingdom of Rhodes, Tower of the School of Astrology."

Barrett scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and said cautiously, "Barrett, Kingdom of Rhodes, intended... Enchantment School."

After registering, the three quickly stepped aside.

When it was finally Luo Yan's turn, his calm and composed demeanor almost immediately caught the attention of the teaching assistant in charge of supervision.

This guy doesn't seem like a newbie...

However, the teaching assistant, lacking divine authority, couldn't truly perceive the weight of a person's soul. Therefore, he merely glanced at Luo Yan a couple more times, without showing his doubt or saying anything further.

The apprentices who were resting nearby noticed this and whispered a few words to each other.

"This guy must be a nobleman..."

"Nobles? How could nobles not have letters of recommendation? Even nobles from duchies would have them..."

"Perhaps they are descendants of some fallen noble family. There are quite a few of them, always thinking that they can make a name for themselves in the academy and revitalize their family by relying on a bit of magical talent... Heh, I think they've come to the wrong place. If they want to make a name for themselves and get rich, they should go to the New World. This is a place to pursue academics!" an apprentice said sarcastically, only to shut his mouth nervously when the teaching assistant next to him glanced at him.

Luo Yan smiled to himself upon seeing this.

It seems that Xuebang is also a place with strict hierarchy, not much different from the Holy City, just with a different skin that ordinary people can't recognize.

After the registration was completed, the apprentice in charge of writing and registering distributed a wooden plaque with a number engraved on it to each person with a blank expression.

"The exam is in the early morning three days from now. Here is your number. Please keep it safe, as it will not be replaced if lost."

Phoenix nodded nervously, said thank you, and then turned and left the registration point with his teammates.

Having obtained their "tickets" to the assessment, the four followed the flow of people and the guidance of the light orb, passing through the camp and arriving at an incredibly vast snowfield.

When they arrived, the sight before them made Phoenix and the other two gasp in astonishment.

Tens of thousands of young people from all over the continent of Os have gathered on this snowy plain!

Everyone was filled with the same tension and excitement, waiting for the test that would determine their fate to begin!

"There are so many people..." Ira's face turned slightly pale, and her right hand, which was tightly clenched in front of her chest, felt icy cold.

She thought the guys in the traveler's camp were all there were, but she didn't expect the real "Roll Kings" to have already arrived and been waiting.

Barrett also swallowed hard, then looked nervously at Phoenix.

"What's next? Should we wait here for three days... or go back first?"

As the leader of the two young men, Phoenix frowned and pondered for a while before finally making a difficult decision.

"Let's set up camp here!"

There will probably be even more people here in three days, so we might as well take advantage of the fact that there are fewer people now and find a good spot.

It is said that Xuebang's written test is not just about answering questions. In the last test, many people failed before they even saw the questions.

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Mr. Colin.

Luo Yan didn't care much. He could pass the time by meditating, and three days would pass in the blink of an eye for him.

"No rush, it's only three days anyway, let's wait."

Just then, a luxurious carriage stopped by the roadside, and Sarah, who was driving it, wearing a black cloak, nodded slightly to him.

Luo Yan nodded to her, and then, amidst the envious gazes of the young men and women, stepped into the carriage that looked expensive.

“Incredible… there wasn’t a single patch of snow on that carriage.” Barrett suddenly noticed something unusual and couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

“What do you think? The wood used in that carriage is more expensive than all the magical equipment you’re wearing,” Phoenix said in a low voice. “This Mr. Colin is no ordinary person, but since he’s not going to tell us, let’s not ask… Come help us, and Illara is coming too. Let’s get the tents set up before it snows.”

“Okay.” Barrett nodded nervously and quickly followed behind Phoenix, heading towards the woods on the side.

He wasn't stupid; he had already realized that Mr. Colin's identity was not simple.

It's just unknown which prominent family this gentleman belongs to in the Kingdom of Rhodes, or whether he comes from an empire outside of Rhodes.

……

The three-day wait was long and agonizing. Without Leo, the three young men couldn't catch any wild rabbits on the snowfield and had to make do with dry bread.

Illala hesitated more than once about whether to seek help from Mr. Colin, but when she thought of the beautiful, aloof female guard, she ultimately dismissed the unrealistic idea.

As time went on, more and more students flocked from all directions, turning the snowfields outside the border into a black ocean of tents and people.

Phoenix's decision was wise.

Although the wilderness is vast enough, not all places are suitable for camping. Those who arrive late either have to shamelessly squeeze in with others or have to stand far away.

Some people came to Luo Yan's carriage, trying to find shelter, but were all deterred by Sarah's cold gaze.

The air was filled with a tense and oppressive silence. Tens of thousands of young people from all over the continent of Os had gathered here. No one was talking or laughing loudly. There was only the howling of the wind and snow across the fields and the silent heartbeats that people composed together with excitement and anxiety.

Finally, on the morning of the third day, when everyone's perseverance and patience were almost exhausted, the strange change finally came from the horizon.

First came a sharp, piercing cry that seemed to split the clouds and shatter the rocks, breaking the silence of the snowfield.

Everyone looked up at the same time and saw dozens of black dots appearing from the clouds in the east and descending at an alarming speed.

"It's a griffin!!" a young man shouted in surprise, and as soon as he finished speaking, another series of screams came from the side.

"Not just a griffin... that's a dragon!?"

Luo Yan, who was reading, slightly raised his eyelids to look at the sky outside the window, and then looked away again.

These ignorant kids had clearly never seen a real dragon; that thing with its pointed snout and monkey-like face, looking like a bat, was clearly a pterosaur.

The difference in their bloodlines is as great as that between the Zeta people and the Ankylosaurus; they are two species that are similar yet completely different.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, a cavalry of dozens of magnificent griffins and pterosaurs with astonishing wingspans swooped down like sharp swords!

They landed in designated areas around the snowfield, their sharp claws slamming into the ground, creating huge waves of snow!

On the back of each giant beast rode a mage dressed in various magnificent mage robes, each holding aloft a banner representing their respective mage tower.

This magnificent entrance elicited gasps of amazement from the young people on the snowfield, just like the cheers from the young people in the Holy City's Royal Arena.

However, this is just the beginning!
The earth began to tremble slightly, at first like distant rumbling thunder, then becoming clearer and heavier!

At the edge of the snowfield, towering magical constructs, some tens of meters tall, slowly approached with earth-shattering strides.

These giants, constructed of brass and rock, made the earth tremble with every step they took. The azure magic crystals on their chests shimmered with dazzling magical light, like stardust!

And on their shoulders stood teams of mages from different schools of thought. Even more incredibly, they moved through the swamp as if it were flat ground, without sinking into the mud!

Just as everyone was awestruck by the sight of this torrent of steel, the brilliant dawn suddenly dimmed.

A shadow of unimaginable size fell from above the leaden clouds, as if it would engulf the entire snowfield!

Thousands of people looked up at the same time, their faces filled with disbelief and horror.

It was an enormous, silvery-white platform, like a sailboat flying in the sky, riding the vast sea of ​​clouds.

The bottom of the platform is engraved with an incomparably beautiful magic circle that flows slowly like stars, and the strange patterns emit an awe-inspiring energy hum!

"A flying boat...it's actually a flying boat!" A young examinee clenched his fists excitedly, as if witnessing a miracle, and uttered its name in a trembling voice. On the platform, thirteen figures stood proudly against the wind.

Their attire varied, some as simple as a priest's, others as magnificent as the stars, but each of them exuded a powerful aura as deep as the ocean.

They were representatives sent by the thirteen core mage towers of the Academy!

This scene deeply moved all the students present, pushing their aspirations and reverence to their peak.

Although they were merely professors who imparted knowledge and answered questions, at this moment, in the eyes of tens of thousands of mortals, they were no different from deities walking on the earth.

The power of faith is quietly gathering strength...

Sarah frowned slightly, her hand unconsciously gripping the hilt of her sword beneath her cloak. The oppressive aura emanating from the sky instilled in her an instinctive sense of dread.

Gold grade?
Perhaps it's platinum level!

Although that pure power did not surpass the Demon King, it was undoubtedly above hers!

Taf stuck her head out of the carriage and looked up at the sky. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open.

"copy……"

"Damn?" Luo Yan glanced at the book in his hand and raised his eyebrows.

"I mean plagiarism!! This, this is... clearly plagiarized from the Zeta Empire's Enlightenment! Wait, how did these idealistic lunatics make this thing fly?! Do they have anti-gravity technology?! No! How could they know about the Zeta Empire's spaceship? Could it be... that's impossible! Absolutely impossible! These hairless monkeys are worthy of the title?!"

Tauf seemed to have gone insane and started babbling incoherently.

"What are you babbling about? What does this have to do with antigravity? It's just a large wind magic circle, isn't it? But I have to admit, the design of this magic circle is quite interesting..."

Luo Yan glanced at the dumbfounded Taf, then looked up at the sky and studied it for a while before stroking his chin with interest.

"I see."

This thing is probably the "silver sailboat" mentioned in Hecagerlin's notes, but I didn't expect them to actually scale it down and replicate it.

However, they didn't seem to really understand what they were seeing in the virtual world; they just copied it and created a "large-scale figurine".

Those magicians were actually standing on the hull of the ship.

It seems to have no other functions besides flying.

……

Just as Luo Yan was silently evaluating the situation, the massive silver-white platform stopped sinking at the same time.

It was like a temple suspended in the air, looking down at the tens of thousands of candidates on the snowfield below, who were as insignificant as ants.

On the platform, the three professors, whose auras were the most unfathomable, slowly walked to the edge of the platform.

Phoenix's heart pounded with excitement as he saw the three faces through the monoculars.

Seeing Mr. Colin just getting off the carriage, he quickly went over and said in a deliberately low voice.

"It's the examiner! The one in the middle is Professor Hector Rein of the Tower of Great Sages! By Saint Sith, his expression is always so dignified! The one to his left is Professor Boris Kru of the Tower of Holy Energy, with a compassionate demeanor like a priest, and the one to his right is Professor Leo Sterling of the Elemental School... Do you need a telescope? I can lend it to you."

"No need, I can see."

Luo Yan's gaze lingered briefly on the professor from the Holy Energy School, estimating that the man was probably on par with the four demon generals under his command.

However, when it comes to showing off, even his four demon generals combined probably wouldn't be a match for this guy.

Above the floating platform, three professors were chatting and laughing as if no one else was around. Their voices were not loud, but they were clearly heard by the teaching assistants behind them.

"The little ones look more energetic this year than last year, Hector. It seems we can get some fresh blood again." Professor Leo Sterling of the Elementalist School smiled faintly, arcs of electricity slithering between his brows like snakes.

"Hopefully, there will be a few more pieces of gold hidden in the stones. The quality of students has been getting worse and worse these past two years." Hector Rein's tone was calm and collected, his sharp eyes scanning the snowfield as if he wanted to snatch the "real gold" floating on the snowfield first.

Their relaxed and casual demeanor contrasted sharply with the tense and oppressive atmosphere among the thousands below, and the admiring gazes of the people made their aura shine even brighter.

Finally, Professor Hector Raine of the Tower of Great Sages stepped forward.

He didn't raise his voice, but his imposing, calm voice was transmitted with perfect clarity through magic to the ears of every examinee on the snowfield.

"quiet!"

The whole place fell silent for a moment.

He paused and continued.

"Xuebang Winter Apprentice Assessment, now begins!"

"The assessment consists of a written test and an interview. Today, we will start with the written test."

As soon as he finished speaking, Professor Hector gently slammed his walnut staff down on the ground!
The staff clearly struck the silvery-white platform, yet it shook the snowfield beneath everyone's feet. White waves rolled along the ground, as if an earth dragon were turning over!
"Boom——!"

With a deafening roar, an enormous, jet-black stone monument rose from the ground and pierced straight into the sky!
Once the stone tablet stabilized, countless tiny magical characters, each the size of a grain of rice and radiating a soft glow, converged from all directions like summoned fireflies.

They intertwined and danced, converging into symbols, which were eventually imprinted on the front of the huge stone tablet, forming a dense array of exam questions.

The candidates instinctively moved forward, trying to get closer, but some accidentally stepped into the mud or cried out as they fell into an icy pit.

Some are natural.

Others are cunning candidates who secretly set traps in advance to eliminate potential competitors!

Ignoring the commotion in the room, Professor Hector's voice rang out again, announcing the rules of the written exam: "The exam questions have been given. Write your answers on your scrolls before dawn tomorrow. The maximum score is one hundred. A score of sixty is required to proceed to the interview..."

At this point, his sharp, hawk-like gaze swept across the room, and he spoke in a cold, emotionless tone.

"By the way, identical answer sheets will be invalidated. At Xuebang, it's not just about exploring and sharing knowledge; protecting your work from being plagiarized is also part of the assessment. These questions are all subjective, and I want to see your own thinking."

“If you can’t adapt to the rules here, I advise you to leave as soon as possible and go home to farm.”

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar!

Tens of thousands of candidates looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and vigilance.

At this moment, your friends have completely turned into competitors!

Professor Hector Raine disappeared from their sight, and the silver-white metal platform rose back into the clouds.

As for the griffins and pterosaur riders, they went to various corners of the examination hall, sealing off this vast snowfield.

They will not prevent candidates from leaving.

But once you leave, don't even think about sneaking back in.

Phoenix swallowed hard, feeling incredibly fortunate that he had secured a good spot in advance, and even more fortunate that he had brought the binoculars that Leo had left him.

Otherwise, let alone passing the exam, they, who are not yet proficient in using supernatural powers, probably wouldn't even be able to see the exam questions!

Of course, from another perspective, someone who can use supernatural powers to enhance their eyesight is basically guaranteed to get 60 points.

Unlike Phoenix and the others, Luo Yan, who was observing from the shadows, couldn't help but smile.

"interesting."

The magicians of Xuebang are reaping the faith of these students on one hand, and on the other hand, they are pushing these idealistic young men into the cruel jungle by raising them like poisonous insects.

This exam is not only a test of their knowledge and talent, but also a screening of their character and willpower.

He could see at a glance that these rules were not only for selecting apprentices suitable for learning magic, but also for selecting the most promising "intelligent people" from among those gifted apprentices.

They must be absolutely ruthless to those around them, absolutely loyal to the Xuebang system, stop at nothing to achieve their goals, and disappear like ashes in a forgotten corner after burning themselves out—at least not hurting their own people when they die.

Or to put it simply, Hecagelin was the gold they were sifting out, while lads like Leo were the dregs they were combing away.

Idealists?
Saint Sith above, there is probably no one in the entire empire more materialistic than these mages. They believe in nothing and have no taboos, adhering to the cruelest law of the jungle!
Of course, the above only applies to ordinary citizens of the empire; nobles who enter the academy through letters of recommendation are not included. If he had presented Count Sylphine's letter of recommendation from the beginning, he probably wouldn't have had to wait here for three days; he would have been sitting in the mage tower he wanted to go to three days ago.

But wouldn't that take away a lot of the fun?

He didn't come here to experience campus life.

The harsh trials have begun, and Luo Yan noticed that conflicts were starting to arise among the crowd and were spreading to the young people around him.

With Professor Hector's disappearance, the fragile order on the snowfield crumbled instantly!
"Get out of the way! This spot is mine!"

"What right do you have? I saw it first!"

The area closest to the stone tablet was where the most primal conflict first broke out.

A tall, strong student roughly pushed a thin young man to the ground and took the spot the young man had finally managed to find.

The thin young man struggled to reason with the other party, but was silenced by a fierce glare. He could only reluctantly get up and go to a more distant place to look for an opportunity.

Similar scenes are constantly unfolding in every corner of the snowfield.

However, no one dared to cause trouble for Luo Yan. After all, these people weren't stupid; they were just there to take the exam, not to risk their lives... That carriage looked anything but ordinary.

The population quickly diverged.

Some well-prepared candidates, or those from wealthy families, took out portable binoculars. Some geniuses who had awakened extraordinary powers early on tried to channel their magic into their eyes to make their vision clearer. But many more ordinary geniuses, whose awakenings were still unstable, could only push and run like headless flies in the crowded throng, futilely trying to get closer to that unattainable stone monument.

The three young men looked at each other, their gazes then falling on the binoculars in Phoenix's hand, letting time flow by in silence.

They probably used the same set of teaching materials along the way, and they exchanged their understanding of magic quite a bit, so it would be a bit difficult for them to write something completely different.

Barrett said something in a low voice.

"Sixty points is enough. We can discuss it and deliberately make mistakes in different places."

“But what about those identical questions?” Ilara asked, her face full of worry. “Honestly, I’m not afraid that our answers are different, but I’m afraid that our mistakes will be the same…”

Phoenix gripped the binoculars tightly and gritted his teeth.

"Never mind, let's just copy down the questions first. I don't believe they read them that carefully! We'll each answer the questions based on our own abilities. As long as we don't copy each other, it should be fine... Besides, I think you guys shouldn't worry about whether they're the same or not. Let's get the 60 points first."

He glanced at the questions; they were no easy questions.

The two nodded in tacit agreement and began to divide the work, copying the inscriptions on the stone tablet. However, both of their eyes flickered slightly.

Meanwhile, on the other side, a distinguished graduate from the Demon King Academy had already put away the quill pen and letter paper that had been floating in the air, and finished writing the question and answer together.

Although the Empire's knowledge system differs from Hell's, this question is no challenge for His Majesty the Demon King, who is well-versed in many books.

Especially after studying the notes of another "outstanding graduate," Heckardellin.

"I wonder how many points the examiners at Xuebang will give me." Looking at the more than 6,000-word answer sheet, Luo Yan nodded in satisfaction.

The Earl of Sylphine's letter of recommendation was too unfair to these students who took the exams seriously.

As a prince who values ​​fairness, he decided not to release the results of the written and oral examinations until they were available.

(End of this chapter)