Fairy Tail: You said you were just acting, are you serious?

Then, the gray-haired boy slowly turned his head and met Eric's gaze from next door.

The gray-haired boy gave Eric a polite smile, but it made Eric's heart freeze for half a second.

The instant the other person smiled, he felt a murderous aura rushing straight into his eyes!

He instinctively closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he found himself trembling all over, with even more cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

Although the other person's smile was very polite, he only sensed a message being sent to him.

'Leave me alone.'

Eric looked away, lowered his head, and sensed a terrifying aura.

He quickly spread his magic towards the examinees on his right, not daring to cast it on the left again, for fear of attracting the gray-haired boy's attention.

That murderous aura was genuine; his oppressive presence was even more terrifying than when he faced Brian!

How could such a monster get into the council's review process?

On the other side.

When Ron saw Eric withdraw his gaze, he also withdrew his murderous aura, which vanished without a trace.

He shook his head and sighed inwardly, "I can only say you're unlucky to sit next to me."

Eric's sound magic was indeed useful in this written test, but unfortunately his mental strength was already higher than everyone else present.

Ron discovered that in the Fairy Tail world, most mages were unable to hone their mental strength, and after searching for a long time, he only found a few incomplete old books.

Therefore, relying on his talent of "Infinite Wisdom", his mental strength has already surpassed that of many mages around him.

Although his panel rating is still C, he has compared himself with other members of the guild, and the only people who can surpass him in mental strength are Guild Master Makarov and Gildarts.

If he hadn't sensed that their mental strength was several times greater than his own, he would have suspected that there was something wrong with the system's evaluation.

As for this exam paper, it was far too easy for Ron, who had incorporated all sorts of magical knowledge.

Seeing the test paper, which was as simple as an elementary school exam, made him feel as comfortable as if he were back home.

Having finished the exam early, he looked around boredly, waiting for the written test to end.

Chapter 98 passed easily.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As time passed, the auditorium clock rang, signaling the end of the written exam.

"Time's up, everyone stop writing and leave your papers behind."

The proctor used a megaphone to remind all the mages, and most of them stopped writing. Only a small number of them ignored the instructions and continued writing.

Seeing that those people still kept their heads down and ignored him, the proctor simply raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

As the crisp sound faded, all the papers on the table lit up with magic circles.

In the next instant, all the exam papers floated up and flew towards the invigilator's arms.

Those who hadn't finished writing started wailing, some even tearing their flying papers to shreds, revealing expressions of utter despair.

After the proctor placed all the collected papers on his desk, he picked up the megaphone and continued:

"You can all wait for the results in the lobby. We will notify you later."

As for the damaged papers, they should all be discarded!

Afterwards, all the teenagers in the auditorium left, leaving only the examiners sent by the council.

The hall was filled with teenagers who had left the auditorium, and the once spacious space was once again packed with people and filled with noise.

"It's all over, everything's ruined. How am I going to go back to the guild and explain this...?"

"I guessed all the answers to the questions, hoping for good luck."

"Reviewing at the library before was useless; all the questions were ones I'd never seen before?"

Ron listened to the dejected mages around him arguing and wailing, and shook his head helplessly.

They haven't done enough practice problems; they'll probably do them more often.

Ron then went to a corner where he could easily scan his surroundings and began to secretly observe the acquaintances he had encountered.

Rahar frowned, adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, and muttered to himself:

"This group is still too undisciplined. Even while waiting for the results, they shouldn't be so noisy. Mages from the guild are so rude."

He then picked up his notebook and looked at the answers. As he flipped through the pages, his smile grew wider and wider.

He seemed quite satisfied with his written test score.

Ron then looked away and gazed at Azuma, who was still standing by the pillar.

He remained confident, arms crossed, leaning against a pillar with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the conversations of the mages around him, focused on resting.

The mages around him seemed not to notice him at all; their gazes never fell on him.

Ron looked puzzled. He had glanced at Azuma's seat a few times in the exam room, and the latter was just answering the questions normally, without any signs of cheating.

Could it be that he's different from what I remembered, and is actually an intellectual?

Ron eventually found Eric's trail by following the edge of the promise.

Unlike before, Eric no longer stood on the left side, but hid in a corner of the crowd, his face still a little pale.

He frowned, trying to use his magic to probe the examiners' thoughts and gather information, but they had exceeded the limits of his magic, and not a single thought was revealed.

Just then, he met Ron's gaze, shuddered, and quickly turned his face away, starting to move away from Ron.

Remembering the murderous aura Ron had exuded earlier, Eric broke out in a cold sweat and instinctively shrank his neck, afraid of angering Ron again.

Ron chuckled softly. It seemed the other party was indeed afraid, as they didn't even dare to meet his gaze.

Time passed slowly, and about an hour later, the doors of the auditorium were opened again.

The previous proctor walked out with a serious expression, holding a communication crystal ball that emitted a blue light.

"Everyone, be quiet!"

After the proctors warned them, the noise in the hall stopped and everyone fell silent.

The examiner, standing in the middle of the stairwell, slowly said:

"After unified verification by the council, the written test scores of each examination area have been compiled."

According to the rules, only the top sixteen candidates in total score across mainland China are eligible to enter the second stage of the examination.

He then added meaningfully:

"This also means that more than 90% of people will be eliminated in this first stage."

The situation in this examination area is quite good; four promising young mages have surprisingly ranked among the top sixteen in the entire continent.

Most of the young mages in the hall lowered their heads, knowing full well that their scores made them one of the four candidates for this examination area.

A small number of mages looked shocked and swallowed hard, hoping the proctor would call out their names.

"Now, I will announce the list of those who have advanced!"

Buzz!

The proctor raised the crystal ball, and a magical light screen instantly opened in mid-air, displaying the four names that had advanced from this examination area, projected above everyone's heads.

The hall erupted in chaos as everyone's eyes were fixed on the light screen, eager to know which four individuals had entered the second stage.

Ron looked up and saw four names on the screen, one of which was clearly his full name, followed by his guild: Fairy Tail.

The other three candidates are Lahar and Azuma, representing the Magic Academy, and Eric from a legitimate guild.

Those mages who thought they had a chance to advance showed disappointment and sighed deeply when they saw that their names were not on the list.

"Great."

Rahar adjusted his glasses, his eyes shining with excitement, and he trembled with elation.

Eric seemed indifferent, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his name on the list.

After seeing the list, Azuma smiled, a rare occurrence, seemingly looking forward to the next stage of the assessment.

Ron smiled. As expected, the four of them were selected.

The proctor standing on the left then announced:

"The four people on the list, please remain in the lobby and follow us to the second phase of the assessment."

As for those who were not selected, the door is right behind you. Please leave quietly in order. Thank you.

After the proctor finished speaking, the main door of the hall slowly opened.

Ron stayed where he was as instructed, and the other unsuccessful candidates looked disappointed as they walked out of the hall.

After the crowd dispersed, the once noisy hall suddenly became empty and quiet, leaving only the four advanced participants behind.

The examiner put away the crystal ball and slowly walked down the stairs.

His angry gaze swept over Ron and the other three, and finally, a satisfied smile appeared on his previously serious face.

"You did a good job."

The proctor waved to them and turned to walk towards the passageway at the back of the hall.

"Now, all of you come with me."

Chapter 99: The Top Sixteen Have All Arrived

Ron and his three companions followed the proctors through the long corridor beside the hall and headed towards the back of the auditorium.

Along the way, the four advanceees, Ron and his companions, reacted differently, revealing their completely different thoughts.

Although Rahar didn't say a word, his light steps and slightly upturned lips revealed his inner joy.

He kept adjusting his glasses and followed closely behind the proctor like a model student.

Azuma followed calmly and unhurriedly, as if it were all perfectly natural.

Eric, on the other hand, was covered in cold sweat.

Although he had anticipated that the gray-haired boy would advance, he still didn't want to get close to him, so he deliberately slowed down and kept his distance.

He walked at the very back of the line, keeping a close eye on the examiner's back so as not to stray from the group.

Ron walked along as if nothing was wrong. He naturally noticed Eric's strange behavior, but found it amusing.

Since they're not interfering with me anymore, I'll just turn a blind eye.

Before long, they walked out of the auditorium through the back door and came to the spacious open space behind it, where they stood in front of a magic-powered airship.

The proctor stopped and turned to give Ron and his group a brief introduction:

"This is a magic airship specially prepared by the council for this assessment. Not only is it fast, but it will also take you directly to the second phase of the assessment location."

The proctor on the other side laughed and said:

"You guys get in the car first."

Following the instructions, Ron and his companions boarded the magic airship one by one. The interior of the airship was very spacious and could accommodate everyone, including the proctors.

Once everyone was settled, the pilot activated the spaceship's magical power core, and it gradually rose into the air.

Huh~! Long~!

The spaceship floated above the auditorium, and then its thrusters emitted magical light, speeding away towards the distant mountain range at a speed exceeding that of a magic train.

Once the spaceship was flying smoothly, Lahar, who was sitting in the front row, finally couldn't contain his curiosity and politely raised his right hand.

"Your Excellency, what are the specific procedures and contents of the second stage of the examination?"

The examiner sat down opposite him, glanced at Rahar, and calmly answered his question.

"The second phase of the assessment will last for three full days. During these three days, there are canteens and accommodations at the assessment locations, so you don't need to worry about food and lodging."

As for the specific examination rules and content, we cannot disclose them at this time. The Speaker of the Council will personally announce them to you all once you have all arrived at the examination location.

The examiners didn't know the specific content either, so it wasn't that they couldn't reveal it, but rather that they didn't know how to explain it to these advanced candidates.