Above the mage

Chapter 317 Became a Genius

Amid the continued clamor of the square, two mages dressed in sea sentinel uniforms emerged from the inner room.

As soon as the two of them appeared, the noisy crowd in the small square quieted down, but it was unlikely to be completely silent.

These two sea sentinel mages, one male and one female, are a classic pairing.

The man was tall and robust, exuding a calm and resolute aura.

The woman was also tall and slender, with distinct facial features and a heroic air about her.

Both of them have a slightly tanned complexion.

They looked to be in their early twenties, but they were all full of vigor and ambition.

From the faint sounds coming from the surroundings, Gao De knew that the two sea sentinel mages in front of him were two very famous sea sentinels of this generation.

The two of them had only joined the Sea Sentinels last year, and the merits they had made in just one year were enough for them to be promoted from trainee mage soldiers to sergeant-level mages.

"Everyone, welcome to apply for our Sea Sentinel selection. Although only a few will ultimately pass the assessment and join our Sea Sentinel, I hope you will not be discouraged, no matter the outcome. There are many paths in the world, and there will always be a stage for you to shine in the future."

Just then, the male mage stepped forward and spoke.

His voice was loud and clear, instantly silencing the whispers in the square.

Among the crowd next to Gaode, looking at the two spirited Sea Sentinel mages, someone whispered, "If we pass the selection and join the Sea Sentinels, we can be just like them."

Many people heard this sentence, and it reflects the sentiments of the masses.

Joining the Sea Sentinels will definitely change your life and allow you to achieve upward social mobility.

At this moment, everyone's hearts burned even hotter.

"Now, those who registered with numbers one through ten, please come in first," the female mage announced.

Soon, ten mages stepped forward in the square and, led by the female mage, entered the inner room.

The ten mages went in and came out again not long after, but each of them had an undisguised look of disappointment and frustration on their faces.

Needless to say, the result is obvious.

This was like a blow to the head, making the other applicants who were still waiting realize how high the threshold for becoming a Sea Sentinel was, and they began to feel nervous.

"The pass rate for the initial test for sea sentinels is less than 50%," a knowledgeable person remarked at the opportune moment.

Then, more people were called in one after another. Ten numbers were called in each time, and it usually took about ten minutes before the next batch of numbers was called.

Most of the monks who went in to take the exam came out dejected.

This made the others who were still waiting even more uneasy.

The wait was agonizing, and Gaode noticed that many people began to stand restlessly, and some even started pacing to relieve their tension.

About an hour later, as the previous group of applicants came out, the female monk called out again, "Applicants numbered seventy-one to eighty, please come in."

Gaode glanced at his license plate number, "77".

It was finally his turn.

He straightened his back slightly, took a deep breath, and stood out from the gradually thinning crowd along with nine other applicants. Under the intense gazes of the applicants on the field, they walked into the inner room together.

When the ten people walked side by side, Gao De could clearly hear the slightly heavy breathing of the other nine.

The "examination room" is a large hall-like room with excellent natural lighting, with several beams of bright light pouring down from the skylight.

Inside were two heavy wooden tables, and behind each table were two carved armchairs, each occupied by a mage dressed in a sea sentinel uniform.

Gao De's eyes quickly swept over the armbands on their uniforms, and he was shocked. These four people were actually warrant officer level mages, and they must be the "examiners" for this preliminary selection.

On the table were the information forms that Gao De and his group had filled out when they registered. The four lieutenant-level mages were looking through them, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

In the middle of the hall, there were ten round tables.

The pedestal was cast from a dark metal, with many fine and intricate runes engraved on its surface. Under the light, the runes faintly shimmered with a magical glow.

Behind the four examiners were several staff members.

"Don't waste time, there are many people waiting behind you. Go up to the altar according to your number."

Upon seeing the ten applicants enter, one of the oldest examiners put down the information sheet in his hand and spoke calmly.

His voice was neither hurried nor slow, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

Those ten round platforms are the so-called alchemy platforms, alchemy machines used by the sea sentinels to initially screen applicants.

"Put all your belongings over there. Once you're on the platform, you'll have to rely on yourself. You're not allowed to use any extra supernatural items or equipment, nor are you allowed to take any potions beforehand. If you violate these rules, you'll be disqualified and will never be allowed to participate in the selection of Sea Sentinels again. Do you understand?" Another examiner pointed to a table covered with a long cloth and said loudly.

His eyes were sharp as a hawk's, exuding a powerful aura.

"Understood!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices echoing in the empty hall, tinged with a nervous tremor.

Afterwards, Gao De walked to the side, took off his North Wind device, placed it on the long table, calmed his breathing, and then, guided by the staff, walked towards the fourth platform from the right.

The same applies to the other nine applicants.

Walking in such a spacious and quiet place, and being stared at by four examiners with sharp, scrutinizing eyes, everyone else visibly became more and more nervous, their bodies tense and their steps heavy.

Gaode, on the other hand, remained calm, raising his head slightly with a composed expression.

After all, he had witnessed a much larger scene in the North: tens of thousands of Iceborn mages knelt on one knee, cheering him to be king, including many third-ring and fourth-ring mages.

Therefore, in his view, the current situation is nothing compared to the bigger picture and is not surprising at all.

Gaode's relaxed demeanor did attract some of the examiners' attention.

They had looked at the information sheets of the ten applicants present and had some understanding of Gaode's basic situation—he was a foreign monk who had come from a background of homelessness and begging.

In the general public's perception, a mage with this kind of background is usually someone who has never seen much of the world, let alone someone like Gao De who can maintain a calm and composed state under high pressure.

While the examiners were lost in thought, Gao De and the others had already entered the altar.

"Activate the Dharma Platform."

At the chief examiner's command, the staff standing by the wall immediately pressed the button to start the ten alchemy machines.

The next instant, magical fluctuations rippled across the surface of the altar, and a dreamlike blue halo spread out, enveloping the ten applicants standing on the altar.

Then the runes engraved on the surface of the altar began to shimmer and intertwine, illuminating the altar brightly.

At this moment, Gao De felt as if several invisible, cold, and slippery ripples, carrying wisps of magic, were continuously sweeping back and forth across his body.

Each time it's swept across, a subtle tingling sensation spreads across the skin, as if countless ants are gently nibbling at it—strange yet somewhat unnerving.

The whole process lasted about two or three minutes.

But that wasn't the end of it. Although the ripples disappeared, an even more powerful surge of magical energy followed from the altar.

Then, Gao De felt a powerful pressure sweeping towards him, accompanied by slight sonic vibrations that made his head buzz, as if hundreds of flies were swarming inside his skull.

Gao De instantly understood that this was a test of his mental strength.

He quickly composed himself, closed his eyes, and focused on resisting the powerful pressure.

While the ten applicants were undergoing their preliminary assessment, the four examiners had already started chatting about their performance.

A flawless version after careful inspection!

"This batch won't do either." The examiner on the far left was the first to shake his head, his gaze sweeping across the platform before giving his assessment.

"Indeed, there isn't even a single one at the mid-stage of the first ring. There's even a mage apprentice who doesn't know where he got the courage to sign up for the selection." The examiner beside him chimed in, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness and mockery.

"Maybe it's because I'm still young, so I wanted to give it a try."

"A fourteen-year-old apprentice monk? What kind of young is that?" The examiner curled his lip, looking dismissive. "He's just here to try his luck. It's a waste of money and our time."

"Among the second batch of applicants, there was a mage at the mid-stage of the first ring, but he was already twenty-five or twenty-six years old, too old. At that age, not only is his potential clearly visible, but his malleability is also greatly reduced."

The examiner revealed some of the criteria' weighting: "When we recruit naval sentinels, we value adaptability highly; the younger the better."

"Look at this Gao De, he came from a background of homelessness and beggars, yet he already has 24 drops of liquid mana. I see he's only 15. Considering his background, he might have great potential?"

Another examiner seemed to have discovered something interesting and casually mentioned it, while pushing the Gaode information sheet forward a little.

At 15 years old, with 24 drops of liquid mana, this mage's level and age, while not bad, were far from being impressive enough to catch their eye.

But as Reed, a staff member in Holder Town, said, being a "homeless beggar" is a big plus for Gaode.

Everyone knows that with such a background, Gaode's current strength is likely just the tip of the iceberg of his potential. Once he gets enough resources, he could soar to great heights.

"That's possible," the older sea sentinel mage said, picking up the information form Gao De had filled out and examining it carefully. He raised an eyebrow slightly and remarked with a sigh, "but he's not a citizen of our own country, but a naturalized citizen of another nation, and he just became a citizen the day before yesterday."

As soon as he finished speaking, the examiner who had just said "great potential" fell silent.

The foreign mage, who had just become a citizen two days ago, was practically a blank slate to the sea sentinels.

Past experiences are difficult to verify, and the character, background, and true lineage of the monk's practice are all obscure.

Moreover, no one can be sure whether he is hiding any secrets, or whether he can truly integrate into the dynasty and faithfully fulfill his duties as a sea sentinel.

Under these circumstances, recruiting him into the Sea Sentinels would undoubtedly be a great risk.

If he is a spy with ulterior motives, or has an eccentric personality that is difficult to control, the subsequent troubles could be immeasurable.

Therefore, unless the other party is so outstanding that they cannot refuse, even within the range where acceptance is optional, they will most likely choose to turn them away for the sake of prudence.

"What a pity. If we had become citizens a few years earlier, things would have been much better," the elderly Sea Sentinel Mage shook his head and said with a regretful tone, before putting the information form back on the table.

In just a few words, Gaode's fate seemed to be sealed, and failure was inevitable.

"Look!" Suddenly, the youngest examiner, who had been silent all along and was sitting on the far right, spoke up with a hint of surprise.

The other three, who were chatting casually, immediately looked up and discovered that the person who had surprised the young examiner was none other than Gao De, the protagonist of their conversation, who had come from a background of homelessness and begging.

At this moment, the runes on the other altars had dimmed, as the test had ended.

Only on the altar where Gao De stood, the runes continued to flash, and magical fluctuations continued to emanate.

"This is...?" The examiner's pupils widened slightly.

"24 drops of liquid magic power, which is the early stage of the first ring. At this level of mage, the value of mental power is generally just over 100. There are a few outstanding individuals who can be a little higher, but it is impossible for them to exceed the threshold of 133. However, his mental power has already surpassed this value, and he has not yet reached the limit!" The young examiner directly pointed out Gao De's extraordinary talent, with a hint of surprise in his tone.

Not only did the examiners notice this scene, but the other nine applicants who had finished their tests also spotted Gaode, the only one who hadn't finished, and instinctively looked over at him.

With his eyes closed and focused on the assessment, Gao De was unaware that he had attracted the attention of everyone in the "examination room".

He was simply doing his best to hold on for as long as possible.

The pressure kept increasing, and the buzzing in my head became more and more intense.

Finally, after reaching a certain limit, Gaode could no longer hold on, and its defenses were breached.

But just as he was about to give up, the oppressive force vanished instantly, and the runes on the altar dimmed.

Gao De let out a breath and then opened his eyes.

What he saw next were dozens of burning gazes focused on him alone.

"At the early stage of the first ring, his mental strength is as high as 186, even surpassing many mages at the late stage of the first ring!" The elderly Sea Sentinel Mage, sitting at the long table, read out Gao De's final mental strength data displayed on the altar, his tone rising considerably.

"A truly gifted individual! Although his magical power is only 24 drops of liquid mana, it's clear that his potential has been stifled by insufficient resources!"

"What a promising talent! Such geniuses shouldn't be shut out just because they're not native citizens."

The older sea sentinel mage had made his decision. He took out Gaode's information form, quickly ticked it off, and signed his name.

"You've passed the preliminary test. Now prepare well for the upcoming second test."

"With your spiritual talent, combined with your background and current mage level, it can be basically confirmed that your mage talent is top-notch. As long as your performance in the retest is not too bad, you should be able to join our Sea Sentinels." He said to Gao De, with a hint of encouragement and affirmation.

"Ah?! Top-tier mage talent..." Upon hearing this, Gao De couldn't help but look at the sea sentinel mage, utterly astonished, and pointed to his own face with his index finger:

"Me?"

(End of this chapter)