Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 209 Who Else?

The second round of examinations was held in the central square of the Advanced Institute.

There are over four hundred wizards in Link's cohort studying at the advanced academy.

Only the top thirty students met the college's initial screening criteria.

However, not everyone who meets the initial screening criteria wants to become a so-called team leader.

Link glanced around and saw that there were fewer than twenty people present.

Of the top thirty, all eight, including Link, who came from the Storm Sea Junior Academy South District, were present.

Some native wizards from the North District choose to give up.

The reasons vary.

Link's arrival caused a slight commotion.

A few individuals are worried and fearful, but most are eager to try.

Everyone here is a top student. Even if there are slight differences in exam scores, it doesn't necessarily mean that our combat strength is inferior.

After all, the courses that everyone majors in and elects may not overlap.

The college's ranking only compares the scores of individuals in courses with the same total score, regardless of whether the courses are the same.

If the total score is 100, a student who studies Arabic and scores 99 will rank higher than a student who studies Latin and scores 90.

You can only say that scores vary, not that the people who get those scores are of different levels.

"Why is he here too?"

In a corner, Hawke Lucia and Bobby Smith, who were preparing to join the Advanced Institute as assistant researchers, had heard some of the inside stories of this exchange program and, having nothing better to do, came to watch.

Seeing Link, who had tricked the Rukia family two months ago, Hawke frowned slightly, as if talking to himself or asking his mischievous friend Bobby beside him.

"Why is he here too? Shouldn't we ask Rukia about that?"

Bobby chuckled: "After he tested Rukia's attitude towards him last time, the only time he left the academy in the past two months was when he held a press conference to launch the 'One Will' potion."

To avoid your Lucia family, even the Grand Pharmacy, which has been meticulously prepared for a long time, is now being considered for abandonment.

A few days ago, news circulated again that the Lionel family had completely taken over the Tree Spirit World.

They're afraid that your soon-to-be Sage, Soren Lucia, will return to his homeland and cause him trouble.

His true backers were the Sage Paro, who was far away on the front lines; the Wizard Celine lacked sufficient deterrent power; and the Wizard Cody was indifferent to worldly desires.

Faced with Rukia's aggressive approach, determined to kill him, how could we not stay far away?

For some reason, Bobby's tone when he said this sounded somewhat sarcastic and mocking.

Upon hearing this, Hawke's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to refute it, but he couldn't utter a word.

Recently, public opinion regarding the Rukia family has been very negative.

In particular, the "Rivos Forum" revealed that during the year Link Grand was on the Academy's list of key trainees and protectees, he chose to accept the conscription and flee to the front lines to avoid being targeted by the Lucia family.

This report directly sparked discontent among many newly emerging wizards.

Even some half-blood family wizards who had a good relationship with the Lucia family had some complaints.

The Rukia family is truly too domineering!

The crux of the problem is that the Rukia family lacks the strength to support such an overbearing style of behavior.

The entire family had only one sage, and a Sauron who was expected to become a sage, and so they acted accordingly.

What will happen if two or even three more sages emerge later?

If they bully new blood now, won't they be riding on the heads of half-blood families and acting like tyrants in the future?

Many collaborations with the Rukia family haven't completely ended, but there's a trend towards reducing their scale and frequency.

Hawke, a member of the Heartfelt Family, saw all this and was deeply worried.

Seeing this, Bobby toned down his somewhat sarcastic nature and advised, "You're neither the clan leader nor an elder, so stop worrying about the clan all the time. It's no use worrying about it. You should take care of yourself first."

Hawke sighed deeply and did not respond to Bobby's words.

He certainly knew Bobby was right.

He could only appreciate the good intentions, but could not accept them.

That's just my personality; I can't change it.

Link, after stepping out of the "Phantom Coupe," actually noticed Hawke Lucia and Bobby Smith, but didn't pay them any mind.

A temporary tent and a 100m x 100m arena were set up in the central square.

The first part of the second round of testing: the interview, was conducted in the studio.

The second stage: the actual combat, takes place on the ring.

Jasmine remained seated in the Phantom Coupe, without getting out.

Link walked into the shed alone, ready for the interview.

"Oh, you're here too."

The interviewers were three senior level-two wizards. One of them, upon seeing Link, jokingly asked in a very familiar tone, "Are you planning to run away again?"

This senior level two wizard was named Karim Usman, and he had dealt with Link many times.

After Link became a full wizard, the academy arranged for him to study on his own, as well as provide one-on-one instruction and answer his questions.

The person in charge of Link's private coaching was Karim Usman.

Link went on to study at an advanced college, where Karim Usman became the instructor for the trauma first aid course.

Over time, the two naturally became familiar with each other.

Most importantly, Karim Usman is an elder of the Cordy Wizards—the Paro Sage lineage.

Although after Paro Sages took over and became the new leader of this lineage, he withdrew from the front lines and returned to teach at the Advanced Academy to prepare for breaking through to the third level of wizardry.

However, there was also a sense of kinship, and they took good care of Link, a rising star in their lineage.

They were naturally quite familiar with what had happened to Link.

Speaking of which, it was Karim Usman who informed Celine the wizard of some of the inside details of this exchange and learning opportunity last night.

Link wasn't offended and laughed, "I had no choice but to run away."

The other two senior level two wizards are both instructors at advanced academies; one comes from a pure-blood family and the other from a half-blood family, and they have no interest in Link.

I neither dislike nor admire it.

Adhering to a businesslike attitude, they interrupted Link and Karim Usman's small talk.

The pure-blooded wizard said with a stern face, "Since you're here, let's begin the interview."

The half-blood wizard flipped through the smart device, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "It seems there's no need for an interview. The academy specifically noted that if Link Grand participates in the competition for the exchange study team leader, he will automatically receive one of the spots without needing a second test."

This news left not only the discovered half-blood wizard but also Link and the other two somewhat bewildered.

How come I automatically got a spot without needing to take a second test?

The pure-blooded wizard immediately questioned, "Is there a mistake?"

The half-blood wizard shoved the office AI in front of the pure-blood wizard and snorted unhappily, "Go ask the main tower spirit yourself. This notice was issued directly by the main tower spirit, bypassing the branch tower spirits of the advanced academy."

"never mind."

Upon seeing this, the pure-blooded wizard immediately backed down.

The main tower spirit, which governs the spirits of the two branch towers (the primary and advanced academies) and many other buildings, as well as the spirits of the main tower that serves wizards and their apprentices, is located at the main campus of the academy.

This means that the decision to automatically grant Link the team leader position came from the academy headquarters!

How could a mere ordinary tutor from a small advanced college possibly question him?

"Ha! Great news!"

Karim Usman chuckled and said earnestly to Link, "This is a great thing for you. Right now, the less unnecessary fighting you engage in, the better. It's to prevent the enemy from figuring out your strengths and weaknesses and then taking targeted measures against you."

"Thank you for reminding me, Brother Usman."

Link himself had come to this realization, and he still sincerely thanked her, using the form of address they had established for each other in private.

"In that case, you may leave."

The pure-blooded wizard couldn't stand the friendly exchange between the two who were on the same side, finding it very offensive, and promptly interrupted the spellcasting.

"Don't go around talking about it when you get out, so as not to cause any unnecessary trouble."

The half-blood wizard was a little nicer and kindly offered a reminder.

In any case, half-blood wizards who stand firm and refuse to flatter or kneel to pure-blood wizards, and new-blood wizards who also stand firm and refuse to flatter or kneel to pure-blood wizards, will always naturally help each other.

"Yes."

Link responded and immediately left the shed.

Ignoring the stares from his classmates, some in twos and threes, others alone, surrounding the arena, he walked straight to his car.

As a result, Jasmine was no longer in the passenger seat.

Instead, he sat in the back row and chatted with Iris Clark, who had arrived at some unknown time, about skincare secrets and dressing tips.

Well……

Two girls, fighting for a while, actually developed feelings for each other.

Jasmine remained wary of Iris, preventing her from having too much or too close contact with Link, but this did not prevent her from building a friendship with Iris.

This kind of relationship is giving Link a headache.

I see you as a potential rival in love, yet we also become best friends.

Perhaps only girls can understand the relationship involved.

Linkla opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, and pondered the conversation that had just taken place in the shed.

"How did it go? Did you pass?"

Without looking up, Jasmine glanced at Iris's newly done nails and asked with concern.

"Brother Link, you must have passed the interview, right?"

Iris has a very changeable personality; she can suddenly become coquettish and charming.

"You're not allowed to call me 'brother'!"

When it came to matters of principle, Jasmine immediately objected, her face hardening.

"You have to shout it out."

Iris refused.

Seeing that the two were about to have another extremely childish conversation, Link quickly made his escape and got out of the car again.

At this point, the first stage of the second round of testing: the interview, had ended.

Three senior level two wizards walked out of the shed and onto the arena.

The pure-blood wizard was the first to speak:

"The academy has been planning this exchange and learning with Shadow City for a long time, and there have been many twists and turns in the process. The decision was only made a few days ago, and the notification was given last night."

However rushed it may be, this exchange program is a major event concerning the reputation and face of the college, and it must be taken seriously.

As candidates for team leader, you should firmly establish the concept of bringing honor to the college, and you should…”

"Enough with the small talk."

The half-blood wizard abruptly interrupted, showing no respect to the pure-blood wizard, "The second part of the retest: the practical combat will be held shortly. There is a decision from the academy headquarters that I would like to announce to everyone first."

Given Link Grand's outstanding academic performance, his early completion of his internship through a recruitment process, and his exceptional conduct during that period, he is hereby granted exemption from examination and automatically awarded a team leader position.

The new-blood wizard Karim Usman announced loudly with pride, "In other words, the Academy headquarters believes that Link Grand is capable of directly serving as one of the team leaders, while you will need to compete for the remaining spot."

As soon as he finished speaking, an uproar erupted.

"I refuse to accept this!"

Below the arena, a level one wizard, formerly of the "Pureblood Will" and now of the "Pureblood Glory," immediately stepped forward and provocatively said, "Link Grand, if you're still a man, accept my challenge and earn this spot with your true abilities!"

With that, the pure-blooded level one wizard turned to Link, his tone utterly contemptuous: "I wonder if you even have the blood?"

The three senior level two wizards on the arena, Hawk and Bobby watching from a corner of the central square, the participants scattered around the arena, and many others who were monitoring the team leader selection through real-time surveillance all turned their attention to Link.

Let's see how Link handles it.

Will he lash out in a fit of rage, revealing his true colors, or will he make excuses to shirk responsibility?

Link smiled slightly and asked seriously, "Are you ready?"

"What?"

The pure-blooded first-level wizard was slightly taken aback, somewhat unable to understand the meaning behind Link's words.

"Are you ready?"

Link asked again, this time in more detail, "Are you prepared to die?"

"you……"

The pure-blooded first-level wizard was furious. Who would speak like that?

But as soon as he started to speak, he swallowed the words back.

Link, who was originally as gentle as water, suddenly changed his demeanor and exuded a strong, cold killing intent.

The surrounding air was affected, becoming subtly distorted.

Only then did the pure-blooded first-level wizard understand what Link meant by asking if he was ready. He was annoyed but dared not be careless and immediately activated his innate magic.

With a whoosh, the "Diamond Shield," a defensive spell combining the metal, earth, and wood elements, was unleashed.

An eight-sided, diamond-hard, arc-shaped shield appeared around him, circling him in a wondrous trajectory.

Sometimes they are pieced together to form a shield with a larger defensive area;

Sometimes they are superimposed to form a shield with the same area of ​​force application but enhanced defensive capabilities;

Sometimes they connect together to form an eggshell-like shape, defending against more attacks.

Link allowed the pure-blooded level one wizard to prepare his defenses before he began to make his move.

With a thought, his innate sorcery "Battle Armor" was activated, manifesting as the "Armor Armor," which instantly covered his entire body.

The moment the armor was put on, a powerful jet of flame shot out from under the boots.

Link transitioned from extreme stillness to extreme motion, soaring into the sky at near-sonic speeds.

"What's going on?"

The thought crossed the mind of the pure-blooded first-level wizard, and he involuntarily tilted his head upward, trying to see Link's movement trajectory in order to prepare his defense.

"Be careful!"

Suddenly, a companion exclaimed in surprise and offered a warning.

The pure-blooded first-level wizard also sensed something was wrong. The sky was a clear, deep blue, without a single cloud in sight, so there was no sign of Link Grand.

Moreover, he was in battle, how could he make such a basic mistake as tracking the enemy with his naked eye?

A loud bang.

Before the wizard could lower his head, before he could sort out his thoughts...

A dark figure appeared in front of him at a speed invisible to the naked eye, and unleashed a powerful uppercut.

A powerful punch, imbued with Link's full strength, amplified tenfold by the "Armor of the Armor" which was actually the "Anti-Loken Armor," and boosted by the physical attributes derived from the "Small World" source power, landed on the pure-blooded first-level wizard's smooth chin.

Rocket launch!

The pure-blooded first-level wizard, while spewing blood wildly, soared into the air with an acceleration of no less than a Ferrari LaFerrari's 2.8 seconds to reach 100 km/h.

His innate sorcery, "Diamond Shield," had already subconsciously reacted, setting up three lines of defense on his chest.

But Link pierced through it like a chopstick through tofu, without affecting the speed and power of the blow to his chin.

Link supported his body with his left foot, raised his right leg high above his head, and with a powerful kick, increased his ascent speed to an extremely fast level, but he didn't rise much. He slammed hard into the ground.

The clicking sounds rang out one after another.

It was the sound of the ground suddenly bearing a powerful impact, causing the floor to crack like a spider web, and it was also the sound of a pure-blooded first-level wizard's entire skeleton shattering.

He casually cast a water-based first-circle spell, "Healing," and a wood-based first-circle spell, "Light Life Restoration," suspending the life of the pure-blooded first-level wizard who was lying in a crater in the ground, bleeding profusely and on the verge of death.

Link glanced at the easily defeated pure-blooded level one wizard and said with disdain, "I haven't even used any other magic yet, and you've already fallen. You really have nothing tough about you except for your mouth."

You also need cardamom and pig's heart.

It not only attacks the body, but also the mind.

Just like Link, who didn't talk about magic virtues and started with a "Mind Blast" and "Mind Frenzy", disrupting the pure-blooded first-level wizard's thoughts.

Then came a flurry of uppercuts and powerful leg kicks.

The classmates, who had witnessed the entire one-sided beating that lasted less than two seconds from start to finish, were extremely shocked by Link's fighting prowess.

Link pushed up his slightly loose gold-rimmed glasses and grinned politely:

"A bunch of worthless chickens and dogs."

"Who else?"

(End of this chapter)