It's so hard being a hero!

As night deepened, the noise in the square gradually subsided.

Some people found a corner, wrapped themselves in blankets, and lay down to sleep; some leaned against the wall and continued chatting quietly; and some were still practicing their sword moves silently.

Sophia leaned against the tree, listening to the chirping of insects and the sound of the night wind in the distance, and slowly closed her eyes.

She was already used to spending the night in the wild. In her previous life, she had experienced even harsher environments during her three years on the border of the Demon Realm, so she quickly entered a meditative state.

The next morning, as soon as the sky began to lighten, the square was already bustling with activity.

Sophia opened her eyes and stretched her stiff shoulders.

"The assessment is about to begin, hurry up and assemble!" someone shouted.

The crowd immediately stirred, and hundreds of teenagers rushed toward the academy gate.

Registration has begun.

Sophia followed the crowd through the gray-white archway and entered the interior of Tianxing Academy.

The assessment was conducted in the square in front of the college auditorium. The square had been divided into different areas, each with a long queue.

A new notice was posted on the bulletin board, outlining the specific arrangements for the assessment.

Everyone first registered, and then waited for the academy to assign them sessions.

To improve efficiency, senior students distributed registration forms, asking them to fill in their basic identity information and assessment categories, which were mainly divided into two categories: warrior and mage.

However, there are further subdivisions between warriors and mages.

After filling out the forms, they handed them to the school staff.

The staff also categorize the information they receive.

Sofia wrote very quickly, so she was among the first batch today.

The written test will be held in the lecture hall on the first floor of the teaching building.

"Sophia, you chose the magic path?"

Derek asked a question.

Sophia nodded.

"Well, what happened?"

"Huh? I thought you'd choose the warrior path, but it turns out you're a mage. I'm a warrior, and the written exam is on aura theory, so we're not in the same class," Derek said, looking quite surprised.

Sophia didn't explain much, and then the two of them went to their respective assessment areas.

The teachers who divided the group consisted of two men and two women, wearing dark blue uniforms with Tianxing Academy badges pinned to their chests.

Sophia's gaze swept over the four people: two silver-level mages and two silver-level warriors.

In her opinion, this configuration was sufficient; a Silver-class ship was already considered a mainstay on the mainland.

One of the female magicians, who looked to be in her forties, stepped forward; her voice was clear and authoritative.

"Everyone be quiet. Line up in order according to the group list to enter the examination room. No talking or cheating is allowed during the examination. If you are found to be cheating, you will be disqualified and will not be allowed to take the exam again for three years."

After she finished speaking, she glanced around the crowd, then turned and opened the door behind her.

Sophia followed the group into the lecture hall. The desks and chairs in the classroom were arranged neatly, and on each desk was a blank answer sheet and a quill pen.

She found her seat according to the list at the door, sat down, and glanced at the exam papers on the table.

Sophia only glanced at it before starting to answer the questions, which she considered to be elementary school level knowledge.

A dozen minutes later, she put down her pen, the entire test paper filled to the brim.

She looked up and glanced around. The others were still engrossed in writing, some biting their pens and frowning in thought.

Sophia stood up, took the test paper, walked to the front of the classroom, and placed it on the teacher's desk.

The female magician who was proctoring the exam paused for a moment, glanced up at the time, then looked down at the neatly written answer sheet, her expression somewhat surprised.

"Have you finished answering?"

"Ah."

Sophia nodded.

The female magician picked up her test paper and quickly scanned it, her gaze moving from the first question to the last. Her expression gradually changed from indifference to surprise, and finally to a thoughtful silence.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just waved at Sofia.

"Alright, go wait in the waiting room."

Sophia turned and walked out of the lecture hall, then down the corridor to the waiting room.

She was the only one here at the moment, but soon, others came in. Actually, this magic theory class was a free assessment.

Sofia found an empty seat in the corner and sat down, waiting for the other people's results to come out.

About an hour and a half later, the door to the waiting room was pushed open, and the female magician from before walked in, holding a list in her hand.

"The written test results are out."

She stood in the doorway, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the room.

"Those who have reported their names will proceed to the second round of practical evaluation."

She began reading out the names one by one, and after reading out ten names, she put the list away.

"The above ten people, come with me."

Sophia stood up and followed the female magician out of the waiting room.

The second round of practical evaluation took place on a training field, surrounded by a protective barrier, with a person standing in the middle.

He was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, wearing the uniform that only senior students at Tianxing Academy wore.

A staff hung from his waist, and the badge on his chest bore the mark of a bronze-level rank.

"This is your examiner, a second-year student at the academy, a bronze-level wind-attribute mage."

The teacher who led the way explained.

"Your task is simple: based on your current strength, survive for three minutes without falling to the ground under his attack, and you will pass."

After she finished speaking, she stepped off the field.

Sofia was fifth in line, and the four people before her took the stage one after another, but the results were not very good.

The first boy was hit by a wind blade less than a minute after he went up and was sent flying out of the arena.

The second one fared slightly better, lasting for a minute and a half, but was eventually swept up by a whirlwind and thrown out.

The third one, after battling the senior student with wind magic for a long time, ultimately succumbed to exhaustion and was defeated.

When it was Sophia's turn, the senior student glanced at her, seemingly somewhat surprised.

How old are you? What's your rank?

He asked a question.

"Twelve years old, Bronze level."

The senior students and teachers were all taken aback, clearly not expecting such a remarkable new student to arrive.

But they didn't say much, because they needed to see the real deal first.

Sophia walked into the center of the arena and drew the silver rapier from her waist.

"A magic sword?"

The old student immediately noticed that Sophia's weapon was different from others, but the staff in his hand had already begun to glow with a blue light.

A series of cyan wind blades shot out from the tip of the staff, heading straight for Sophia.

Sophia didn't dodge; she simply raised her sword and lightly slashed, a pale green light shining from the blade.

One by one, splinters rose from the ground.

The wooden spikes met the opponent's wind blades, easily neutralizing the attack.

The old man's expression changed slightly, realizing that the girl in front of him wasn't bragging. He continued to swing his staff and attack.

This time, Sofia didn't take the hit head-on. Instead, she moved her feet and quickly shifted her body across the field.

All three wind blades missed their mark, leaving three shallow cuts on the ground behind her.

Chapter 78 The Birth of a Monster

Seeing that she was about to get close, the old man quickly conjured a wind wall in front of him.

Sophia didn't charge in headfirst. Instead, she stopped and raised her left hand. A green light shone from her palm, and a vine as thick as an arm sprouted from the ground, bypassing the wind wall and wrapping around the old man's calf.

The old man hurriedly retreated, stumbled half a step into the air, and tapped the ground twice with his staff to steady himself.

"Are you pursuing a dual cultivation path of magic and martial arts?"

This student's status is now confirmed.

Sofia smiled and continued her attack.

The pale green light still clung to her sword, as if it were wrapped in a thin layer of vine armor.

The old man took a deep breath, gripped his staff with both hands, and condensed a fist-sized ball of light at the tip of the staff with cyan magic, which he then released suddenly.

A blue tornado rose from the ground and swept towards Sophia with fierce force.

Sophia raised her left hand and drew a semicircle in front of her, and a verdant magical barrier unfolded out of thin air.

The tornado crashed into the barrier with a piercing roar. Green and blue lights intertwined and remained locked in a stalemate for several seconds before the tornado gradually dissipated.

The older student took a deep breath, his surprise undisguised.

"As expected, it's bronze level."

Sophia withdrew the barrier and nodded to him.

The teachers watching from the sidelines also showed varying degrees of expression.

They had just clearly seen that Sophia used wood-elemental magic throughout, and controlled it with extreme precision. Her release, retraction, and transformation were all as fluid as if she had practiced it hundreds of times.

With this level of control, coupled with the ability to withstand an attack from a bronze-level wind mage head-on, and without even using her full strength, this twelve-year-old girl is indeed a bronze-level mage.