Augustine carefully gave Allen a few more instructions, reminding him that if he encountered any questions about the circulation of magical energy while studying the Holy Light Mana Guidance Record, or if he faced obstacles while refining his mana circuits, he could come to him at any time.

  Allen nodded respectfully, his eyes full of gratitude, and then asked,"Director, do I need to retake the talent test?"

  Augustine shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the Crystal Obelisk beside them, now covered with cracks, and he let out a soft sigh.

  "Forget it. I suppose during your first test, the Crystal Obelisk happened to reach a critical state of energy depletion. It just so happened that the obelisk broke, so your talent could not be properly assessed."

  He had his own considerations. Allen's talent would surely leave an imprint on the Crystal Obelisk. But to claim that the obelisk had shattered purely from a fluctuation in talent was something Augustine was unwilling to believe, regarding it instead as a mere coincidence.

  His voice carried a certain clarity as he said,"Talent tests are meant only to screen those suited for learning magic. There is no need to be overly obsessed."

  "Blindly comparing talents is meaningless. Sometimes, knowing the limit of your own talent only sets boundaries for yourself and traps you in the belief that talent determines everything."

  He raised his hand and patted Allen on the shoulder.

  "It is better to keep this unknown. With the sky high and the sea wide, you can soar freely. Free from the labels of talent, you can walk a broader path in magic. Isn't that far better?"

  Allen silently agreed, nodding repeatedly. This way, he could justifiably hide his true talent without worrying about drawing too much attention.

  After saying this, Augustine led Allen back to the front of the Holy Demon Prison Tower.

  At this moment, the members of the four academies were still gathered there. No one wanted to leave early, all craning their necks, eagerly waiting for the results of the director's examination.

  "The director is back!"

  Someone shouted first, and the crowd instantly fell silent. All eyes turned sharply toward the two of them.

  The previous excitement gradually faded, replaced by doubt. Whispers rose and fell like waves:

  "This Allen might be suspicious. Otherwise, how could he have easily reached the top with the magic power of a Magic Apprentice?"

  "Could he be carrying some artifact that resists oppression? Or perhaps he is not even human?"

  Suspicion grew stronger, especially when they saw Allen being taken aside by the director alone. His identity clearly seemed unusual.

  Augustine brought Allen before Eleanor, his tone full of praise."Eleanor, this apprentice of yours is truly a rare talent!"

  He paused briefly, deliberately raising his voice so everyone around could hear.

  "I have just retested him. His magical talent ranks only below Evelyn, placing him at the top level."

  "Furthermore, before joining the academy, he once had a fortuitous opportunity. Now he has already mastered the core spells of an Intermediate Mage, and his mana circuits are stable."

  As he spoke, Augustine cast a dissatisfied glance at Eleanor, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.

  "You have been far too careless, never properly checking his mana state, and teaching him in such a laissez-faire manner."

  "If he continues to explore magic based on instinct alone, and his circuits become chaotic, wouldn't that waste such a talent?"

  "Take him back. From now on, ensure careful guidance, plan a systematic learning path in magic for him, and never be negligent again. Do not waste this child's future."

  Augustine's words instantly dispelled much of the crowd's doubt. With the director personally vouching for him, Allen's talent and strength could not be questioned.

  Eleanor stood frozen, her mind blown by the director's words. She could not digest a single sentence.

  Intermediate Mage? Talent only below Evelyn? Was this still the apprentice who had tested zero in magical affinity and seemed rather clumsy?

  She instinctively looked at Allen, her eyes full of shock, confusion, and disbelief, momentarily forgetting to respond to the director.

  Allen lowered his gaze, concealing the calm in his eyes. He put on a shy and obedient appearance, allowing Eleanor to examine him as she wished.

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  That day, when Allen took the magical affinity test, she had seen with her own eyes that the Crystal Obelisk showed no reaction, not even the slightest elemental resonance. How could he suddenly rank just below Evelyn in talent?

  She stood there in a daze, her gaze shifting repeatedly between Allen and Augustine, unable to accept this sudden reversal.

  As if seeing through Eleanor's thoughts, Augustine smiled and added,

  "During the test that day, the advanced Crystal Obelisk happened to run out of energy and collapse.

  The residual energy spread and interfered with the sensing function of the lower-tier Crystal Obelisk. The boy simply had bad luck and happened to encounter this accident."

  He paused, his tone carrying a hint of regret."Once the residual energy dissipated and the Crystal Obelisk returned to normal, no one thought to retest him, and we nearly lost such a talent."

  "Eleanor, there is no need to blame yourself. From now on, teach him diligently and plan a systematic path for his magical studies to make up for past oversights."

  Hearing the director's explanation, the surrounding crowd was momentarily stunned. Whispers rose again.

  "Intermediate Mage? Why would he hide his magic rank when everything seems fine?"

  "I know. He must be afraid that his talent is too dazzling and that hidden Demon Tribe spies will notice him," someone speculated.

  Before the words had fallen, a voice shot back in disagreement."Come on, that is too self-important! His talent may be high, but compared to Samuel, he is still far behind."

  "Exactly. He has seen so little of the world, hiding this small amount of talent."

  Voices surged from all around. Augustine raised his hand and pressed down on the crowd.

  "Everyone, quiet! Let us handle the official matters first and announce the results of the tower climbing competition."

  The noisy crowd instantly fell silent, all eyes fixed on the director, curious to see what reward awaited the first-place winner this time.

  Augustine looked at the participants of the tower climb and spoke solemnly.

  "Although Allen possesses the magic of only a First-tier Intermediate Mage, he successfully reached the top of the eighteenth floor of the Holy Demon Prison Tower.

  At his magic level, this would normally be impossible. The special nature of the Demon mana suppressing the tower's top, with its implicit weakness in the aura, made this possible. This is something I must study further."

  "However, the rules of this tower climbing competition are not restrictive. Any apprentice from the four academies may participate. The floor they reach with their own ability determines their final result."

  "Therefore, the first-place reward goes to Allen."

  Most people had no objections. After all, Allen's achievement of reaching the top was indisputable.

  But Valerius and Felix from Blaze Light Academy looked particularly displeased.

  They had expended tremendous magical energy to barely reach the fifteenth floor, only to be surpassed by Allen, who seemed to have taken advantage of a lucky opportunity.

  Their hearts were filled with resentment and frustration.

  Yet, as the director had said, the rules had no restrictions. The two could only suppress their anger and reluctantly look away.

  Seeing no objections from the crowd, Augustine smiled. He turned his palm, and a token appeared in his hand.

  "Allen, this is the reward for first place." Augustine handed the token to him.

  Allen reached out and took the token. At first glance, it appeared completely ordinary.

  But everyone present changed expressions one by one, their eyes fixed tightly on the token in Allen's hand, their breathing quickening.

  "This is a pass to the Godfall Battlefield!"

  "This thing could fetch tens of thousands of high-grade magic crystals on the black market, and it is an extremely rare item with almost no availability!"

  "More importantly, the concentration of free mana there is a hundred times that of the outside world. Even just sitting in meditation, your magical learning speed would far exceed what is possible outside!"

  "That is the Godfall Battlefield, full of opportunities and treasures. Countless mages spend their entire lives without ever gaining a chance to enter even once!"

  The crowd erupted with exclamations, their eyes filled with fervor and envy. Many of them looked at Allen with unmistakable jealousy.

  Allen listened to the surrounding commotion, but his face remained calm, showing no reaction.

  Amidst the blazing gazes of the crowd, he walked slowly back to Eleanor and Evelyn, casually weighing the token in his hand. With a naive tone, he asked,

  "Eleanor Mentor, Evelyn, what is the Godfall Battlefield?"

  Evelyn's beautiful eyes studied Allen as she explained, "The Godfall Battlefield is an independent space, a remnant of an epic war between humans, elves, the Demon Tribe, and the beast tribes.

  Today, this space is jointly managed by all four factions, each respecting the others' exploration zones."

  "The token in your hand is a human-exclusive access credential. It allows you to enter the Godfall Battlefield once through the spatial teleportation array."

  Evelyn paused, emphasizing its rarity."This is an opportunity countless mages dream of. Miss it and there will be no next time."

  Upon hearing this, Allen lazily weighed the token in his hand, a look of mild disdain crossing his face."Only once? And it is consumable. This thing is useless to me."

  His tone was so indifferent, as if the rare pass in his hand were just a common stone fragment.

  Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Evelyn thought he had no idea of the weight of this opportunity and could not help raising her voice.

  "Don't you understand? The opportunities in the Godfall Battlefield are enough to change a lifetime! Even a single exploration could allow you to make a qualitative leap in your magic level!"

  Allen listened seriously, but in his heart, he remained uninterested. No matter how high the mana concentration in the Godfall Battlefield, it could not compare to the purity of the mana he had refined himself.

  "I don't understand, and I am not interested." Allen said, casually tossing the token toward Evelyn.

  "If you want it, take it. This useless thing is not as practical as a few bags of magic crystals."

  Evelyn instinctively caught the token, frozen in shock. After a moment, she quickly tossed it back."This is your reward. I cannot take it!"

  Allen caught it and tossed it back, flipping his hand casually."Consider it even for the Aether Pulse Elixir you gave me earlier. That balances it out."

  Evelyn, both angry and anxious, narrowed her eyes. After hesitating for a moment, she threw the token back again."This is not the same! You must keep it yourself!"

  In front of everyone, the two of them casually tossed back and forth a token worth tens of thousands of high-grade magic crystals, treating it as if it were nothing more than a pebble.

  Augustine's face turned ashen, veins bulging at his temple, utterly frustrated.

  The Godfall Battlefield pass he had painstakingly obtained was, in the eyes of these two children, nothing more than worthless junk?

  This was a treasure that countless people had sought in vain, and they were tossing it back and forth like it was nothing.