Is the closed beta test of King of Loque over? The official release is here!

This subtly softened Mu Yuan's prejudice against the "outsider" group.

Perhaps... among these people, there are some with considerable talent?

"Alright then." Elder Mu Yuan slightly raised his chin and winked at the two assistants beside him.

The two young Wood Clan members understood immediately and jogged over to retrieve the familiar wood carving from a shelf in the corner, placing it on another empty table.

"The rules are the same as before." Elder Mu Yuan's tone wasn't exactly warm, but at least it lacked the blatant contempt of yesterday. "Infuse your magic into this wooden sculpture. If it reacts, keep it. If it doesn't—"

He paused, then pointed his withered, twig-like finger toward the door.

"leave."

Concise and clear.

-

Song Chen stepped forward first.

He stopped in front of the wood carving, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

As one of the captains of the Magician Guild headquarters, Song Chen has always had unwavering confidence in his abilities. His magician level, pet level, family background, network of connections, interpersonal skills, and appearance—all make him stand out among his peers.

He didn't believe he lacked a talent for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

He began to mobilize the magic power within his body.

A surge of power flowed from his fingertips following his will—compared to the Murong sisters' attempt yesterday, Song Chen was clearly much more skilled at manipulating magic.

Clearly, his magic level is also very high.

Tiny particles of light gathered at his fingertips, and he guided them toward the surface of the wood carving.

The light particles landed on the rough wood grain, were absorbed, and sank into it.

Song Chen held her breath and waited.

one second.

three seconds.

Five seconds.

The wood carving remained completely untouched.

There was no green light. No sprouts. No signs of life whatsoever.

Song Chen's brows furrowed slowly.

Unwilling to give up, he tried increasing the output of magic, pouring more particles of light into the wood carving—

There was still no response.

The piece of wood carving lay quietly on the table, like a truly dead piece of wood.

Song Chen slowly opened his eyes, staring at the unchanging wooden carving, his expression darkening.

"Next." Elder Mu Yuan's voice rang out dryly, without the slightest ripple.

Song Chen pursed her lips into a straight line and silently stepped aside.

Next, the remaining six people stepped forward in turn.

the second.

No response.

The third.

No response.

the fourth.

Still nothing.

The fifth, the sixth—

There was absolutely no response.

The last one is Lin Sen.

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, walked unhurriedly to the wooden carving, stretched out his hand, palm down, and hovered it above the piece of dead wood.

A faint magical light flowed from his fingertips, softer and more delicate than that of everyone else present.

The light particles fall onto the surface of the wood carving and sink into the wood grain.

Lin Sen waited a few seconds, but the gentle smile on his lips remained unchanged.

Then--

The wooden carving remained motionless.

Lin Sen withdrew his hand, said calmly, "It seems I don't have the talent in this area either," and returned to the group, showing no sign of disappointment.

The test for all seven participants has been completed.

None of them passed.

Elder Mu Yuan's expression darkened visibly.

The expectation that had arisen because of Mo Fan had vanished completely. In its place was a disappointment of "as expected," and something even deeper—impatience.

He scoffed, and that characteristic contempt for outsiders resurfaced in his eyes.

"Seven people, and not one of them is talented," he concluded dryly, his tone full of disdain.

Song Chen's expression was already quite unpleasant.

He took a deep breath, trying his best to maintain a calm expression, but his hands were already clenched tightly. His gaze couldn't help but shift—to the back of Mo Fan, who was quietly processing medicinal herbs not far away.

Mo Fan never looked back at them once. His focused and composed demeanor made it seem as if he didn't care about what was happening here at all.

He was a lowly errand boy working for the Murong sisters, an insignificant nobody.

He actually has superior talent.

Song Chen—one of the captains of the Legalist Association headquarters and a direct descendant of the Song family—failed to even pass the test.

This disparity felt like a fine needle, gently but firmly pricking his pride.

Song Chen pursed his lips, and said reluctantly, "Elder Mu Yuan, is there something wrong with the wooden carving used for this test? For example, will its sensitivity decrease after repeated use?"

"Ok?"

Elder Mu Yuan raised an eyelid.

A glint of light flashed in those cloudy old eyes.

"What did you say?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly chilled the room. His two young Wood Clan assistants froze, seemingly anticipating Elder Mu Yuan's next reaction.

"You mean—there's a problem with the magical artifact that I made myself?"

The temperature inside the room seemed to drop several degrees.

The team members behind Song Chen all took a half step back in unison. Even Lin Sen, whose gentle smile was always on his face, froze for a moment.

But Song Chen was proud and arrogant, and he couldn't accept this result for a while. Or rather, he couldn't accept that he was inferior to Mo Fan, a guy he originally looked down on.

So, gritting his teeth, he argued reluctantly, "Elder Mu Yuan, that's not what I meant. I just feel this testing method is too one-sided. Perhaps I'm better at practical application..."

"Shut up!" Elder Mu Yuan completely lost his patience, slamming his hand heavily on the table. "No talent is no talent! Get out of here after you're done testing! Don't get in my way!"

The two Wood Clan assistants shuddered in fright and quickly bent down to clean up the debris.

Song Chen's face turned pale and then red. He had never been told to "get lost" like that before.

But he dared not retaliate.

This is the territory of the Wood Clan. If we anger the elders, the consequences will be dire.

"Sorry to bother you." Song Chen forced out those three words, turned around, and strode out of the apothecary.

The six team members didn't dare to breathe and quickly followed him out.

The wooden door slammed shut.

Elder Mu Yuan snorted coldly and turned to look at Mo Fan: "See? This is mediocre talent."

Mo Fan sorted and put away the processed medicinal herbs, and calmly replied, "I can't make medicine if I'm too agitated."

Elder Mu Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Well said! Let's get back to work!"

-

Outside the door, a cool morning breeze swept by.

Song Chen stood on the steps in front of the door, his face ashen, without uttering a word.

The team members behind him exchanged glances, none of them daring to speak at this moment.

The silence lasted for several seconds.

In the end, it was Lin Sen who broke the deadlock.

He calmly pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his tone gentle and polite, as if nothing had happened.

"Then let's continue as planned. If the pharmaceutical path is not viable, there's no need to waste time on it."

His gaze swept over the crowd, and he added with a smile, "There are many other tasks to be done."

Song Chen's jaw muscles tightened and then relaxed.

"......Walk."

He uttered a single word, then turned and walked away without looking back.

The team then dispersed, each heading towards their respective mission locations.

Lin Sen was the last one to finish.

He watched Song Chen's figure disappear down the forest path, then slowly turned around and walked in another direction.

His destination was the Ironwood Forest.