I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Over the next few days, Elena took Ji Tian to almost every bustling place in the capital.

They went to the magic materials store on Central Street. Ji Tian wasn't very interested in the dazzling array of magic crystals and rune scrolls, but he did find a few handwritten ancient magic fragments in a corner. Elena bought them and gave them to him.

Upon arriving at the Royal Library, Ji Tian paused for a moment outside the restricted book area on the top floor. Sensing several subtle magical fluctuations inside, he did not rush in.

They went to the Knights' Arena in the south of the city, where there was an exhibition match. Elena enthusiastically explained the rules to him. Ji Tian watched a few matches and thought they were alright.

They also visited the dessert shop Elena frequented as a child. The proprietress remembered her and warmly served her her signature cream puffs.

Elena took a bite, her eyes crinkling with sweetness, as if she had returned to her childhood. She then took a bite and fed it to Ji Tian, ​​who ate it and said he would not comment.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day of the entrance exam for the Royal Capital Magic Academy. The sky was clear and bright.

The academy is located in the northern part of the capital, covering a vast area, surrounded by gray-white stone walls with runes faintly flowing on the top of the walls.

The main gate is a tall archway, with the inscription "Civilization never ends, the flame burns forever" written by the first academy dean above it.

A large crowd gathered in front of the archway, including richly dressed noblemen and commoners in patched robes.

Several examiners dressed in dark blue mentor robes stood on both sides of the entrance to maintain order.

Today, Elena changed into a light blue long dress with a silver belt around her waist. Her long hair was styled into an elegant updo, revealing a silver pendant around her neck—a talisman given to her by her mother.

She held the gold-embossed invitation in her hand; it was the direct pass to the inner courtyard.

She glanced back at him, her eyes filled with anticipation for college life. "Ji Tian, ​​I'm going in first. Your written exam is in the morning, and your practical exam is in the afternoon. Remember not to be late."

Ji Tian nodded: "Okay."

She smiled, turned and walked towards the private passageway in the inner courtyard.

Only a handful of people held invitations; they were all geniuses recommended by magic academies or noble families from various places. The old examiner at the door glanced at the letter, then at Elena, nodded slightly, and stepped aside to let her pass.

Ji Tian followed the flow of people toward the regular examination area located outside the school.

Dozens of makeshift shelters had been erected in the open space outside the academy, with long queues forming under each one. Ji Tian found the sign for "External Academy Entrance Examination" and stood at the end of the line.

He was surrounded by teenagers around his age. A red-haired boy in front of him was nervously flipping through a book called "Basic Theory of Magic," muttering to himself. A brown-haired girl behind him was standing on tiptoe, peering ahead, when she accidentally stepped on his heel and hurriedly apologized.

Ji Tian waved his hand without saying a word.

The line moved forward slowly.

The written exam was held in a spacious hall temporarily maintained by magic outside the school, with hundreds of desks neatly arranged, each with a sealed exam paper and a charcoal pencil on it.

Ji Tian found his seat and sat down. Looking around, the candidates had different expressions: some were confident, some were sweating, and some were staring blankly, biting their pens.

The sample haircut has three pages, divided into three parts: theory, construction, and adaptation.

Ji Tian glanced through the questions. The theoretical questions were all basic magical knowledge that he had read in Elena's book. The construction question required designing a simple fireball spell model. He could create forbidden spells with his bare hands during the Golden Core stage, so he could draw this kind of thing with his eyes closed. The emergency response question was a simulated scenario: how to cast a defensive spell with the minimum amount of magic power when the magic circuit was damaged.

Ji Tian thought for a moment and wrote a plan for extreme compression of magic power, which not only conformed to the magic theory of this world, but also implied a bit of the idea of ​​"using qi to control magic" in cultivation.

He answered quickly, finishing in less than half an hour. To avoid seeming abrupt, he checked it again, making several corrections to his handwriting, as if he were carefully considering his work, before finally handing in his paper.

The examiner was a bald old monk. He glanced at him when he took the exam paper, seemingly surprised that the paper was handed in so quickly, but didn't say anything.

The written exam ended at noon.

The afternoon practical exams were also conducted off-campus.

In the center of the venue was a stone platform with protective runes engraved on its surface. Around it were tiered stands filled with waiting candidates and their accompanying parents.

Three magicians sat on the examiners' table. In the center was an old woman with white hair, wearing the badge of a Grand Magister on her chest, and with a sharp gaze; to her left and right were a man and a woman, both of whom were mages.

Candidates took turns going up on stage according to their assigned numbers to demonstrate their best magic. The examiners scored them based on power, precision, and stability.

Ji Tian's number was near the back, so he sat in the last row of the stands, quietly observing the candidates in front of him.

Some unleashed blazing walls of fire, eliciting gasps of surprise; others summoned fist-sized hailstones that pounded against the stone platform with a loud thud; still others failed in their spells, coughing from the backlash of magic, and slunk away in disgrace.

When it was Ji Tian's turn, he only displayed "magic at the level of an advanced magician".

After the entrance exams, the candidates gathered in twos and threes at the school gate to chat and wait for their admission results.

Perhaps due to some kind of peculiar magical assistance, the academy's exam results were released on the same day.

Ji Tian leaned against a wooden pillar, closed his eyes to rest, and scanned the examination room with his divine sense. The white-haired old woman was discussing in hushed tones with two examiners, making circles and dots on the list in front of them.

He withdrew his divine sense and did not probe further.

Less than half an hour later, a young teaching assistant came out carrying a stack of envelopes and cleared his throat: "Those whose names are called, come forward to receive your admission notice and foreign language department ID card."

The crowd fell silent instantly.

As each name was read out, some cheered, while others wept.

When Ji Tian heard his number, he stepped forward and took a pale yellow envelope from the teaching assistant. The envelope was sealed with the college's official seal.

Inside, there was a gold-embossed card with his name, number, and the academy to which the outer courtyard belonged—the Academy of Magic Research and Creation.

He tucked the ID card into his sleeve and turned around to see Elena walking out of the academy's main gate.

She changed into a dark blue inner robe with silver star patterns embroidered on the collar, and her long hair was once again loose, shimmering softly in the twilight.

She spotted Ji Tian immediately, walked over quickly, and smiled, "Have you been waiting long?"

Ji Tian handed her the admission letter and said, "You've passed."

Elena took it, examined it carefully, and a smile appeared on her lips: "I knew it... I only had my magical talent tested, and then my senior took me on a tour of the inner courtyard. I heard the library is three times bigger than the outer courtyard, and there are also dedicated meditation rooms, simulated battle rooms... The cafeteria is also better than I imagined."

Ji Tian nodded.

Elena tilted her head to look at him, then suddenly asked, "Where do you live? Is it a dormitory provided by the academy, or did you arrange it yourself?"

"Dormitory arrangements will be made by the School of Foreign Languages."

She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously tracing the silver pendant on her chest. "Well... that will make it easier to meet in the future. The academy is very large, but your academy and the inner courtyard aren't far apart. Just walk through that corridor, then past a garden, and you'll be there..."

Ji Tian understood the implication in her words, "You want me to come find you?"

Elena looked up, her grey-blue eyes reflecting the light of the sunset, without directly admitting it: "Life at the academy must be easier than the days before the exams. I heard the outer academy's courses aren't too packed, so you can come visit me when you're not cultivating."

"By the way?" Ji Tian repeated the word.

Elena glared at him: "It's just a coincidence! You don't have to come, I can explore the entire academy by myself anyway."

After she finished speaking, she turned to leave, but stopped after taking a couple of steps. "Oh, by the way, let me know when you're settled into your dorm. I... I'll bring you some books; the library in the outer college isn't as comprehensive as the one in the inner college."

Ji Tian looked at her slightly reddened earlobes and his lips twitched slightly: "Okay."

Elena nodded in satisfaction, strode toward the academy gate, took a few steps, then turned back, "See you tomorrow," and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Ji Tian stood still, looking down at the admission notice in his hand.

As dusk filtered through the gaps in the clouds, it gilded the outline of the college archway with a golden hue.

He carefully put away the notification letter and followed the crowd.

That night, Ji Tian moved into the outer dormitory of the academy. It was a single room with simple furnishings and a magic crystal lamp on the desk.

He tidied up his luggage, sat cross-legged on the bed, regulated his breathing for a moment, and then took out the admission notice and looked at the date on it.

Tomorrow marks the start of my college life.