I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world.

Chapter 35 News
Time flies like sand slipping through our fingers; in the blink of an eye, three years have passed.

The attempt to combine wizard runes with cultivation talisman techniques proved far more difficult than Jemin had initially imagined.

This requires a deep understanding of the different ways in which the two civilizations perceive and utilize "runes," "energy," and "concepts," and finding common ground in their underlying logic to reconstruct a completely new theoretical and practical system.

With his current knowledge, Jemin simply couldn't do that, so he could only imitate the patterns by copying them, constantly trying different combinations of seals and runes to find the underlying rules.

For the past three years, Jemin has spent most of his time immersed in his laboratory, like a devout ascetic, struggling through the ocean of knowledge.

A year ago, Jemin's wizard meditation technique had already firmly reached the peak of the third-level wizard apprentice level.

His spiritual sea was vast and stable, with nine core truth runes—the basic runes of alchemy, "Transformation," "Fusion," and "Refinement"; the core runes of potion-making, "Stability," "Catalysis," and "Creation"; and the core runes of runic literature, "Resonance," "Circulation," and "Link"—forming a complete and powerful rune array within his spiritual sea, radiating a profound light.

However, after reaching the peak of the third-level apprentice, he stopped further improving his meditation skills and did not attempt to advance to the first-level formal wizard.

In fact, it wasn't just Jemin; many of his peers, who had already reached the level of a third-level wizard apprentice and possessed exceptional talent, also tacitly chose to press the "pause button."

The reason is simple—the contract.

The contract signed when I entered the academy clearly stipulated that once I was promoted to a first-level formal wizard, I would have to serve on the front lines of the planar battlefield under the rule of Norn Workshop.

Having been at the academy for so long and having access to more information, everyone is well aware of the dangers of the interdimensional battlefield.

Even for newcomers like them who are only doing relatively peripheral work, the mortality rate is quite high.

The best option is to continuously improve one's strength within the ten-year apprenticeship period stipulated in the contract, mastering all the knowledge that can be learned and enhancing all the foundational skills that can be improved.

Then, when the ten-year period arrived, he accumulated his strength and made a breakthrough, advancing to the first level of wizard, and went to the front line with sufficient self-defense capabilities.

For this reason, Jemin converted all the elemental power he absorbed into spiritual energy to power his Qi cultivation.

Thanks to the rich elemental environment of the wizarding world, this conversion efficiency was extremely high. His Qi Refining cultivation level rose several levels in just one year, steadily reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining, only one step away from the seventh level of Qi Refining, which represents the late stage of Qi Refining.

At the sixth level of Qi Refining, true essence is as vast as the sea, surging endlessly!

The enhancement of his soul brought about by his cultivation also caused the scope of his spiritual sea to expand continuously. Even his physical strength was now able to withstand some low-level witchcraft attacks.

That afternoon, Jemin had just finished a runic elective class taught by a runic master and was planning to return to his intermediate laboratory as usual to continue his research on rune fusion.

Amy, who had come to take the course with her, caught up with him. Her face was serious, and she had obviously heard some unusual news.

"Jeming!" Amy walked quickly closer and whispered, "Have you heard? There's a big exam coming up at school!"

"A big exam?" Jemin asked, puzzled.

The academy has annual final exams, but nobody usually cares about them. The seriousness in Amy's tone clearly wasn't referring to those regular exams.

“It’s not one of those exams!” Amy shook her head. “It’s a real test!”

She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before continuing, "I heard that this test will be a comprehensive assessment of our learning outcomes. And... I've also heard that a certain degree of mortality is allowed!"

mortality rate?!

Jemin's heart skipped a beat.

Although the academy's assessments are rigorous, it usually prioritizes the safety of its apprentices, and there is very little risk of death.

"Is the specific content clear?" Jemin pressed.

“I don’t know,” Amy shook her head. “The news is very mysterious. It just says it will take place in about six months. Ugh, really, this is so sudden.”

She sighed, her eyes filled with worry. Jemin thanked Amy for the news, his mind racing with calculations.

Back in the lab, I logged onto the magic network to search for relevant information, but found nothing.

It seems this news has indeed not been officially announced yet.

After thinking about it, Jemin decided to ask his mentor, Clark.

As one of the people in charge of the secondary training agreement, Professor Clark should know more inside information.

A communication request was sent through the Magic Network terminal, and soon the other side answered the "video," revealing Professor Clark's signature bald head and the neat and deserted laboratory behind him.

After Jemin explained the problem, a rare, almost imperceptible seriousness appeared on Professor Clark's usually expressionless face.

“The news is true.” Clark got straight to the point. “Strictly speaking, it’s not an exam, but a trial. The location is in a wild, small plane that has just been taken over by our Norren Academy. The environment is complex and dangerous, and there seem to be natives trying to resist.”

Trial?

"Why conduct such a trial?" Jemin asked.

Instructor Clark paused for a moment, seemingly choosing his words carefully: "This trial is in preparation for a comprehensive test five years from now."

"Overall testing?"

"Yes. Five years from now, the Norren Workshop will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the learning outcomes and talent pool of all its more than one hundred Norren Academies, and all apprentices from all academies will participate. This trial held within the Norren Academies can be seen as a rehearsal and selection process for that large-scale assessment five years from now."

Five years later, more than a hundred colleges are being tested simultaneously?!

It's not just a matter of scale; the timing is also strange.

"Five years from now... isn't that only one year left before heading to the front lines?! Testing before going to the front lines? What's wrong with the workshop?" Jemin couldn't help but ask the question that was on his mind.

Such testing would require astronomical resources and effort, and would have a significant impact on the apprentices' condition, even affecting the Noren Workshop's battle situation on the front lines.

Mentor Clark shook his head slightly: "I don't know the specifics very well either, after all, I've been away from the front lines for a century."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the walls, looking towards the distant front lines, a subtle, complex emotion flashing in his eyes:

"It's said... that the Star Ring Federation requested it."

The Star Ring Federation?

Norren Workshop is an insignificant wizarding force under one of the major factions of the wizarding civilization, and its own level-two training agreement also comes from this federation.

Jemin was deeply shaken.

This means that there may be deeper reasons behind this large-scale testing and trial, and it may even be related to the strategic adjustment of the entire wizarding civilization!

Professor Clark turned his gaze to Jemin: "So, work hard to improve your grades. Doing well in that overall test will definitely not do you any harm."

As the call was disconnected, Jemin blinked.

This sudden news revealed something unusual, leaving people somewhat bewildered.

Despite knowing nothing about the future, Jemin didn't feel much fear deep down.

Because his research, his talisman and rune fusion technology, after three years of unremitting efforts, is about to succeed!
"A trial...? This is a good opportunity to test my research!"

(End of this chapter)