The blazing sun hung high in the sky, casting a brilliant warmth over the world.
First Magic Academy.
The Martial Arts Arena.
Inside the massive arena, a dense crowd of teachers and students had already gathered.
The packed audience completely surrounded the central Awakening Platform, leaving not a single gap.
The sheer scale of the event rivaled the Year Two Magic Awakening Ceremony from a month ago; in fact, the turnout was even larger.
The reason was simple: today was the very first monthly assessment for the Year Two Practical Combat Prep Classes.
As the inaugural test since the prep classes were formed, the academy’s administration treated this assessment with the utmost importance.
Not only was the Head Year Director, Diana, personally hosting the event, but Vice Principal Makarov himself had been invited to oversee the proceedings.
Such a high-profile event naturally drew the attention of the entire faculty and student body.
Almost anyone who didn’t have class had rushed over to watch.
But aside from the assessment itself, a massive portion of the crowd was purely here for the drama.
The 600,000 Jewel wager between Asher and Drake had become legendary over the past month.
There were even betting pools open on the Dark Web.
Plenty of people who had secretly placed bets on Drake were eager to witness their easy pocket money roll in.
…
Although the eighteen prep classes crowded around the platform seemed like a disorganized mess, their actual positioning was strictly dictated by status.
The absolute best spot in the house was undeniably occupied by Class 1.
Standing at the very front of Class 1, the handsome Loke instantly drew countless eyes.
A striking appearance, the lead instructor of the elite class, the young master of the Loke Family, and a B-Class Elemental Mage—every single title attached to his name only made his image that much more magnificent.
“Look, it’s Instructor Loke!
The teacher of the elite Class 1, the B-Class Elemental genius!” “Oh my god!
He’s handsome, rich, and ridiculously talented.
How can such a perfect man exist?!” “Class 1 is guaranteed to take the championship today.
All the students who awakened B-Class talents were put in his class.
The others don’t stand a chance.”
Loke’s expression remained completely indifferent to the crowd’s fawning praise.
Growing up, he had heard these exact compliments countless times; he was completely numb to them.
Right now, his burning gaze was fixed entirely on a beautiful, elegant silhouette standing on the elevated viewing platform directly opposite the arena.
That silhouette was Diana.
Sensing his intense stare, Diana briefly glanced over.
Loke’s face lit up, and he immediately flashed what he believed to be a warm, suave, and gentlemanly smile.
However, Diana merely gave him a cold, sweeping glance.
Her brows furrowed slightly, and she immediately turned her head away.
Loke’s suave smile froze and crumbled into awkwardness.
A few seconds later, his eyes turned venomous and cold.
‘Hmph.
You’re just a Tier Three, Level Nine mage.
Sooner or later, I will make you submit at my feet!’
…
Near the center of the crowd.
“Pierce, Silas, Zane.
Our class ranking depends entirely on you three today,” Drake instructed, unable to hide his nervous anticipation despite knowing how strong his students were.
“When you get up on that stage, stay relaxed and unleash your full power.
Don’t disappoint me.”
“Understood!” The three boys replied in unison, their eyes brimming with absolute confidence.
“We’re going to ruthlessly crush Class 18!” Pierce quickly added.
He was fully aware of the bitter grudge between his instructor and Asher.
Hearing this, the smile on Drake’s face bloomed brilliantly.
“Good!
Hearing you say that puts my mind completely at ease!”
Still grinning ear to ear, Drake instinctively glanced toward an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, a nasty smirk curling his lips.
‘Asher!
You really think you can beat me?
You’re a million years too early!’
…
In that inconspicuous corner of the crowd.
“You two finally made it.” Turning to look at Chloe and Claire standing behind him, Asher let out a quiet sigh of relief.
If the Heartfilia twins hadn’t shown up today, he wouldn’t even have the three required students to participate in the assessment.
“Auntie Diana forced me to come,” Chloe said, turning her head away with a haughty, arrogant expression.
“Auntie didn’t say anything like that.
We came here on our own,” Claire exposed her sister without an ounce of mercy.
Chloe’s face flushed dark red as she reached out to pinch Claire.
But Claire’s evasion skills were maxed out; without even looking, she gracefully dodged the pinch, leaned close to Asher’s ear, and whispered playfully, “We’ve both already broken through to Tier One, Level Three.
We came here specifically to help you.”
Asher’s eyes flashed in surprise as he carefully inspected the twins.
Before this exact moment, he had never counted on them breaking through; he had fully expected them to still be at Tier One, Level Two.
But with both sisters sitting at Level Three?
He was basically playing a rigged game—it was a guaranteed victory!
After a brief pause, Asher gave the two girls a deeply meaningful look.
“Then…
thank you very much.”
…
The clock quickly struck 10:00 AM.
On the elevated viewing platform directly opposite the arena.
The moment the clock chimed, Vice Principal Makarov, who had been resting his eyes, stood up.
His sharp, imposing gaze swept over the entire arena, and his voice boomed out like a massive, echoing bell.
“Everyone!
Today marks the very first monthly assessment for the First Magic Academy’s Practical Combat Prep Classes!
I do not need to waste words explaining the importance of this test.
However, there is something I must emphasize!”
“The path of magic cultivation requires an astronomical amount of resources!
If you want to claim those resources, you must demonstrate the necessary power and competence!
This is an eternal, unchanging truth, and it is the core principle that our First Magic Academy upholds!”
“This is especially true this year!
Let me be perfectly clear with all of you.
While our First Magic Academy ranks among the best here in Magnolia, when compared to the academies across the entire continent’s Six Great Satellite Cities—let alone the academies in the Central Capital—we are falling far behind!”
Makarov paused for a moment before his voice spiked in volume, roaring across the arena.
“To combat this increasingly severe reality, the Academy Board has reached a decision!
Our resources will be aggressively concentrated toward the top!
That means, out of the eighteen prep classes competing today, the top six ranked classes will receive an additional 50% increase in their cultivation resource quota!
And the bottom six ranked classes…
will have their quotas slashed by 50%!”
Those words were like dropping a nuclear bomb into a calm lake.
The students and instructors of the prep classes were absolutely blown away, left staggering and completely shell-shocked.
The resources allocated to the bottom six classes were already pathetic compared to the top six.
With this new rule, the top-ranked classes would feast like kings, while the bottom six were essentially being given a death sentence!
In an instant, the atmosphere among the classes drastically shifted.
The gazes they shot at each other were now filled with thick, unadulterated hostility.
No one wanted to fall into the bottom six.
No one was willing to become a stepping stone for someone else’s success.
Taking in the fiercely competitive expressions of the crowd, Vice Principal Makarov nodded in satisfaction.
He then turned to Diana.
“Director Diana, I leave the rest to you.
Proceed with the standard protocols.”
“Understood.”
Diana was dressed in an elegant indigo robe today, making her look breathtakingly pure and ethereal.
She cast a deeply meaningful glance toward a certain inconspicuous corner of the arena before speaking in a calm, authoritative tone.
“The rules for this monthly assessment remain identical to previous years.
Each class will put forward three representative students for testing.
A Tier One, Level One cultivation awards one point.
Tier One, Level Two awards two points.
Tier One, Level Three awards three points, and so forth.
Classes will be ranked based on their total combined score!
In the event of a tie, the exact boundary level of the students’ magic reserves will be used as the tiebreaker.”
The instructors weren’t surprised; they were obviously highly familiar with the established assessment rules.
“The assessment will proceed in numerical order, starting from Class 1 and ending with Class 18.
I now invite the representatives of Year Two, Class 1 to step onto the Awakening Platform for testing!”
With Diana’s final declaration, the very first monthly assessment of the Practical Combat Prep Classes officially began!