Translator: AnubisTL
According to publicly available information, Kaelen was also considered part of the Logistics Department.
He specialized in rune studies and formation studies, commanded multiple elements, and could rapidly construct complex elemental formations to unleash devastating area-of-effect spells.
He possessed an intense academic curiosity about all unknown forces and phenomena.
His only flaw was that his interest in these matters bordered on obsession.
As Kaelen's gaze swept across the apprentices, his seemingly refined demeanor barely concealed an almost fanatical fervor, as if he were searching for "samples" worthy of study.
Behind him arrived Anya Starfall from Noren Academy No. 3.
Petite in stature, she had long silver hair and clear, water-like blue eyes, her brow carrying an aura of innocent yet powerful charisma.
She was often accompanied by several spirit bodies or elemental sprites of varying forms, shimmering with faint light.
These entities danced joyfully around her, bringing a touch of vitality to the solemn plaza.
Anya excelled at summoning and controlling various spirit bodies and magical beasts for combat, possessing an extraordinary sensitivity and understanding of life and souls.
"If Kaelen's elemental formations were fully deployed, they could single-handedly alter the course of a small-scale war."
"As for Anya's spirit body summoning... its core lies in her mastery over life and souls. Behind that affinity hides a formidable power of manipulation. This girl truly possesses the greatest innate talent among them all."
Jieming couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. Among these super-geniuses, Anya's displayed talent was undoubtedly the most outstanding.
The control over flesh and soul that only high-level alchemists could achieve, she could replicate similar effects through her innate abilities.
Even with his foundation establishment realm cultivation, Jieming's alchemy still hadn't reached the level of mastering organic matter.
As Anya emerged from the teleportation gate, her gaze inadvertently swept across Jieming. The restrained yet powerful "vitality" emanating from him made her pause slightly.
A spark of contemplation immediately flickered in Anya's clear eyes.
Under her scrutiny, Jieming couldn't help but grimace. He could clearly sense the desire in her gaze, as if she wanted to "dissect" him for research purposes.
"Not a single one of them is easy to deal with..."
Fortunately, someone else quickly drew Anya's attention away—Rex Magnus from Noren Academy No. 4.
His entire body was encased in heavy, alchemy-powered armor that pulsed with intense energy, leaving only his eyes visible.
His voice, processed through the helmet, carried a metallic timbre, precise and cold like a machine.
Jieming clicked his tongue, unable to resist admiring Rex's dazzling armor.
"Rex, the intelligence reports don't show anything particularly special..."
According to the reports, Rex was a pure mechanical alchemist, capable of creating heavily armed puppets and siege engines with formidable firepower and complex defensive systems.
But to Jieming, this type of individual was even more noteworthy because... he sensed the scent of a kindred spirit.
"These highly talented types who obsessively immerse themselves in research are the most troublesome!"
The other super-geniuses with Tier 10 Talents gradually teleported in, each arrival causing a stir among the crowd.
Standing among the onlookers, Jieming took it all in.
Perhaps because he had already advanced to the foundation establishment realm, he felt no pressure from these geniuses, instead viewing them with a sense of appreciation.
As for the other super-geniuses, each possessed their own dazzling qualities.
Jieming admired the wizardly dao displayed by these prodigies. Even without direct interaction, merely observing the fluctuations of their power and comparing them to his own deepened his understanding of his own path.
Jieming felt no psychological pressure; he could even observe and appreciate these super-geniuses with the detachment of an outsider.
But Amy, standing beside him, was far from calm.
Her gaze, complex with emotion, lingered on the crowd-drawing geniuses. She couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Tsk, look at them, acting so high and mighty, as if even their breath carries more power than ours. Especially that David—he's like a walking boulder. Anyone who teams up with him would probably spend every day worrying about getting accidentally crushed."
She glanced at the spirit bodies surrounding Anya, her envy barely contained. "Anya's spirit bodies are so adorable! Unlike me, who can only summon fireballs. Now that's real talent!"
Clearly, even the usually sociable Amy couldn't help but feel a pang of imbalance when faced with these prodigies—individuals born to surpass the lifetime achievements of most.
Victor, standing beside Amy, remained even more silent by comparison.
Unlike Amy, who could freely vent her frustrations, Victor simply stared intently at the figures of these geniuses, a hint of barely concealed dejection in his eyes.
He knew his own level of innate talent. At Noren Academy No. 13, he might have been considered a minor prodigy. But among the top ten academies, tens of thousands of students with similar talent enrolled each year.
Born into a noble family of wizards, Victor held a sense of superiority over newly rising wizard aristocrats like Amy, and even over most students at the academy.
Yet his very background made him acutely aware of the concept of Tier 10 Talent.
These individuals were born standing above others, possessing privileges as innate as the second-tier cultivation protocol Jieming wielded.
Victor lowered his head into silence, knowing he was fortunate to have even reached the final assessment. Yet compared to these true apex figures, he felt utterly insignificant and inconsequential.
This stark disparity forced Victor to confront the limitations of his own abilities.
He clenched his fists, his heart torn between disappointment and a burning desire for power.
Even when these dazzling geniuses weren't paying attention, their mere presence suffocated him with overwhelming pressure.
The feeling was like...
Like...
Victor couldn't help but glance at Jieming.
It was the same feeling he had when facing that monster!
"Hmm?" Jieming tilted his head, noticing Victor's gaze.
"Jieming," Victor said, his voice dazed as he stared at him. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. "We're counting on you! You're the top dog in the alchemy department!"
"You... that doesn't sound quite right," Jieming clicked his tongue.
Amidst the apprentices' various emotions, a Seventh-Tier Wizard Archon, clad in a magnificent wizard's robe and surrounded by wizard mentors, strode onto the high platform at the center of the plaza.
"Silence!"
His voice, amplified by a spell, boomed across the teleportation plaza, instantly silencing all whispers and reverberating through the entire space.
(End of the Chapter)