Immortality begins with Swallowing the Stars.

Chapter 42 The Cardinal

Inside one of the courtyards of the Ernst Magic Academy dormitory area.

"You want to move out of the hospital?"

A curly-haired boy looked at Lu Jing, who was a head shorter than him, in surprise: "But the academy forbids lower-ranking students from leaving the academy to live."

The other two, taller boys, also stared at Lu Jing in astonishment.

The three boys were Lu Jing's roommates. Some came from the Holy Alliance, some from the O'Brien Empire, and some even from the eighteen duchies of the Northern Region. They were all from noble or wealthy families and got along well with Lu Jing.

"Could it be...could it be that you've reached the fourth level of magic?" a slightly chubby boy suddenly asked.

Ernst Magic Academy has always maintained strict management of low-level magicians. In addition, the academy covers a large area, with restaurants, clothing stores, bars and other venues all located within the academy. It can be said that low-level magicians basically live entirely within the academy.

Only those who advance to the fourth year, becoming fourth-level magicians, can apply for off-campus residence. Their study arrangements become more flexible, and they can even skip classes at the academy, as long as they meet the graduation requirements within sixty years. However, very few people do this.

Lu Jing packed his luggage and smiled, "That's right, I managed to break through to level four yesterday in the back mountain."

"You all know the address of my mansion in Fenlai City. You are welcome to come and visit anytime."

Although Lu Jing was already mature enough to not develop any life-or-death brotherhood with his roommates who were still teenagers despite trying to appear mature, they had gotten along quite well over the past year and a half and were considered his closest friends in the academy.

Watching Lu Jing's departing figure, the curly-haired boy finally came to his senses: "It's true what they say, comparisons are odious. I thought it was pretty fast for me to advance to a level two mage in just one year..."

Level four... In the past, reaching level four magician within five years was considered the best student in the academy.

Although Lu Jing entered the academy with the most dazzling halo, he has been low-key and gentle in his dealings with others for the past year and a half. He has not shown any of the arrogance or eccentricity of a super genius. He has not even participated in the grade-level competition that the competitive teenagers like the most.

Over time, they even began to overlook the aura surrounding them.

"Have you forgotten his magical talent assessment? He has double-level super talent." The slightly chubby boy sighed, "Some geniuses are incomparable. It's already our good fortune to be friends with him."

"Why are you so down?" Another long-haired boy exclaimed, his spirit of defiance rising from him.

"The path of a mage is both glorious and long. Super geniuses have their own paths, but we don't need to underestimate ourselves. Many archmages and even holy mages weren't all exceptionally talented. Noah was just a little faster, but it's not impossible for us to catch up in the future!"

Upon hearing this, the young and ambitious prodigies were once again energized, discussing when they could visit Lu Jing's residence in the capital during the day when they had no classes.

……

The testing room is next to the vice dean's office.

As Vice Dean Kovid watched the dozens of wind blades strike the metal wall, leaving slight marks, he exclaimed repeatedly, "A perfect 'Chain of Wind Blades,' truly remarkable!"

"Congratulations, Noah, you are now a fourth-year student at Ernst Magic Academy. Your application for off-campus residence has been approved."

"However—" Kovid looked at the genius in front of him, who amazed him, and advised, "Remember, although you have reached the fourth level of magic in a year and a half, it is best not to go to the Monster Mountain Range before you reach the fifth level."

The Monster Mountain Range is the first mountain range on the Yulan Continent, and it is located less than a hundred miles east of Ernst Academy. It is the training ground for senior students of Ernst Academy and several magic and warrior academies near the Holy Capital.

Ernst Academy maintains strict management of its lower-level students, largely to minimize the risk of overconfident, low-level mages going to the Monster Mountain Range to seek their deaths.

After listening obediently to the vice dean's instructions, Lu Jing immediately left the office.

The reason he was so eager to move out was that it was really inconvenient to cultivate.

As he was pondering his next training plan, he suddenly saw a red figure appear in front of him.

Immediately, a high-frequency mental alert was issued.

The other party made no attempt to conceal their aura.

"A Grand Magus-level powerhouse?!"

Lu Jing was startled, and immediately activated a meditation technique he had seen in the library. His already hidden magical power became even more concealed, without revealing a trace of it.

The figure was dressed in a long red robe and held a purple-gold magic wand. All the teachers bowed respectfully along the way.

"A cardinal?"

While Lu Jing was surprised, he did not make any unnecessary movements and remained in place as usual, preparing to bow.

The door to the vice dean's office opened immediately afterward, and Kovid respectfully came out to greet him: "Lord Felix, the dean is waiting for you in the meditation room."

Although Kovid is the vice dean, he is an eighth-level archmage.

However, the cardinal is a ninth-level archmage, holding a prestigious position and enjoying extremely high prestige within the Holy See.

The cardinal, addressed as Lord Felix, nodded reservedly and was about to reply when he suddenly caught a glimpse of Lu Jing, who was bowing respectfully.

Then his gaze froze, and his deep blue eyes, as dark as the ocean, suddenly surged with a turbulent wave.

Then everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Although Lu Jing, who was bowing in greeting, didn't see it, his tense mind keenly sensed the other person's momentary abnormality, but then he wondered if it was just his imagination.

"What's going on? Did he see through my true strength?"

Lu Jingsheng was puzzled: "No, unless one reaches the Saint Realm, theoretically, it's very difficult for a mage below the Saint Realm to be detected if they deliberately conceal their aura, let alone the high-level meditation technique I used..."

To appear normal, Lu Jing adopted a reserved expression, bowed, and then quickly left the vice dean's office like everyone else.

Archbishop Felix, his gaze calmly returning from Lu Jing's retreating figure, asked with a hint of curiosity, "Is that young man a student of your academy?"

Kovid laughed and said, "His name is Noah Hyde. He is a student at our academy, and his magical talent is so high that it is rare to see one in a hundred years. He has only been enrolled for a year and a half, and he has already become a fourth-level mage."

"I had heard before that your Ernst Academy had taken in a super genius, but I didn't expect it to be him."

Felix smiled. "Hyde... you're from the Purple Flame Warrior family of the Kingdom of Otto, aren't you..."

Although his tone was calm, his heart was in turmoil.

"Such a pure soul... incredible... truly the finest offering to the Lord!"

With his mind preoccupied, Felix hastily concluded his meeting with the Dean of Ernst Academy and quickly returned to the Temple of Light in the western part of the Holy City.

"Did you find it?"

The cardinal, pacing back and forth, showed a rare hint of anxiety, which surprised his subordinate, the purple-robed deacon, who had come to report. However, the deacon quickly suppressed his surprise and reported in a deep voice.

"This is a bit troublesome..."

After listening to the report, Felix frowned and muttered to himself.

Lu Jing's identity clearly made him feel somewhat troubled.

A genius student of Ernst Academy, a direct descendant of the Hyde family, a noble family in the Kingdom of Otto, he lives in the most prosperous area of ​​the eastern part of the Holy Capital, has close ties with the Dawson Merchant Guild, and is protected by a guard team.

Even a cardinal would find it difficult to act easily.

But recalling the boy's incredibly pure soul, Felix was completely unable to suppress the greed rising in his heart.

Such a perfect offering is rare even in history; such merit is enough to make anyone envious.

"Are you sure that Hyde family's guard captain is a level seven warrior?"

The purple-robed deacon respectfully replied, "It's the peak of level seven!"

"Peak of level seven..." Felix felt a headache coming on.

Kidnapping the Hyde family boy under the protection of a peak level seven expert is no easy task. This is Fenlai City, and once a disturbance occurs, things will get complicated.

It would be best to abduct the target without causing any disturbance or attention, leaving no clues, and creating a headless unsolved case.

If all else fails, you can also blame it on the Dark Alliance.

"Wait." Felix narrowed his eyes slightly. "Let's wait and see. If we can wait until that kid leaves Fenlai City, that would be best. If we really can't wait—then we'll find a way to lure that peak level seven warrior away!"

……

A mansion in the bustling eastern part of Finlay.

Since leaving the academy, Lu Jing has rarely attended classes, seemingly becoming a recluse who only focuses on cultivating in his residence.

However, after only half a month, Lu Jing's magical power had accumulated to the point where it could not be increased any further.

Peak Level 7!

From then on, magic and mental power were perfectly matched.

In other words, we have finally reached the bottleneck.

Lu Jing didn't have a good solution for this at the moment, and improving his mental strength was purely a matter of slow and steady progress.

Level seven is considered strong across the entire continent, and it's extremely difficult to improve even a little bit; otherwise, Magisters would be as common as dogs on the Yulan Continent.

Although Ernst Academy is known as the number one magic academy on the continent, it mainly teaches magicians of level six and below.

There are no better cultivation techniques, especially those for enhancing mental strength.

Even if they exist, they are mostly in the hands of top-tier experts.

For example, the carving technique mastered by Delin Kowert, a peak Saint Realm expert in the original work, allows one to enter the Dao through emotion and enhance spiritual power.

Even with such a top-tier method, entering a state of enlightenment to rapidly enhance one's mental strength still requires luck.

Even with this method, Lu Jing couldn't find a woman he liked enough to invest all his emotions in for a while.

The difficulty for mages to improve in the later stages lies precisely in this.

Having reached a bottleneck in his magical path, where progress would be difficult in a short time, Lu Jing then focused his energy on physical training.

With the bloodline of the Purple Flame Warrior as his foundation, coupled with the physical training methods in the first volume of the "Purple Flame Secret Manual" and Lu Jing's frantic absorption of the elements of heaven and earth, which subtly improved his body, although he was not yet ten years old, his physical body was already close to the level of a third-level warrior.

Once a physical body reaches the level of a third-level warrior, one can attempt to activate the bloodline power of the Purple Flame Warrior and cultivate the unique flame battle aura of the Hyde family!

"Young Master Noah is so young yet he can be so patient and diligent in his training... I wish Young Master Rosen was just as hardworking."

Calvin watched Lu Jing training diligently on the training field and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Reaching the fourth level of magic in a year and a half, and his physical body has also been honed from a first-level warrior to almost the level of a third-level warrior, unbelievable! Could it be that Young Master Noah is also a genius in martial arts? A peerless genius who cultivates both magic and martial arts? This is..."

On the training field, Lu Jing focused all his attention on his body.

Under the strange training movements described in the first volume of "The Purple Flame Codex", every bone, muscle, and fascia in the body groaned, as if it could not bear the burden.

But through this near-limit perseverance, his physical fitness improved little by little.

Suddenly, a sound, whether from the depths of the bones or the internal organs, exploded out.

"Level three! I've finally reached level three warrior!"

Lu Jing excitedly announced to Calvin, who was not far away, "I've broken through to level three!"

He didn't tell anyone about his progress in mage training, but he didn't hide his progress in physical training from Calvin.

"real?!"

Calvin also showed a look of surprise: "In that case, Young Master Noah can try to activate his bloodline power!"

(End of this chapter)