Afterwards, Mages walked to the center one after another, standing in front of Serie with nervous expressions or feigning calmness.
Serie sat in the high-backed chair, her body slightly leaning, supporting her chin with one hand, her gaze sweeping lightly across everyone’s face.
“Failed.”
“Failed.”
“Failed.”
Naruto leaned against a pillar and watched.
When he counted to the seventeenth person, someone finally couldn’t help it.
That was a tall man wearing a dark green cloak, with a ruby embedded at the top of his staff, looking extremely powerful in strength.
After being told ‘Failed’ by Serie, he didn’t turn around and leave immediately, but instead took half a step forward, his voice carrying obvious unconvinced emotions: “Lord Serie, can you tell me the reason?”
“I consider myself to have never stopped practicing magic.
Even if I haven’t reached the peak, I am definitely not weak!”
Serie didn’t sit up straight, only withdrawing her gaze from the side and letting it fall on him.
Then she spoke: “You were shaking the entire time you were standing in front of me just now.”
That person froze.
“You must have noticed it yourself as well.” Serie’s tone was extremely cold, “You felt fear towards my magic power, which shows that you know your own worth, and even more so, you cannot imagine what you look like as a First-Class Mage.”
“In the Magic World, unable to imagine means unable to achieve.
This is the foundation of foundations.”
The tall man opened his mouth, the hand holding the staff tightened and then loosened, then he lowered his head, remained silent for a moment, slowly took a step back, and slightly bowed toward Serie: “I understand.”
When he turned around and left, his pace was much slower than when he came.
Naruto watched that back disappear at the doorway, feeling puzzled in his heart.
The subsequent tests continued.
Some people were eliminated before they could even stand steadily, and some had just walked in front of the chair without even having time to open their mouths before Serie had already raised her hand to signal the next one.
Those who passed were always a minority, and most people walked out after staying in the hall for less than ten seconds.
Later, Naruto saw several eliminated people trying to press for reasons.
The answers given by Serie were largely similar.
“You cannot imagine yourself standing in a higher place.”
“You are simply not prepared.”
After hearing this, most of those questioners left in silence, and not a single person argued further.
Time passed quickly.
The sky outside the window changed from bright white to dim yellow, and the light of the crystal chandelier appeared increasingly bright.
Unsurprisingly, everyone expressed their willingness with joyful expressions.
After the last woman wearing a gray robe walked out of the hall, Serie leaned against the back of the chair and let out a long breath.
She reached out her hand, a white light flashed between her fingers, and a palm-sized notebook appeared out of thin air.
She opened it, glanced at it, and then closed it.
Naruto stood by the pillar for the entire afternoon, then saw Serie put away the notebook, stretch lazily in the chair, pulling her shoulders and arms back slightly, before turning her head to the side and letting her gaze fall toward his side.
Then she waved.
Naruto immediately walked out from behind the pillar, walked in front of the chair, his face full of puzzlement, his brows slightly furrowing, his lips moving and then closing again, clearly organizing his words.
The corners of Serie’s mouth curled up slightly: “What a truly interesting expression.
If you want to ask something, just say it.”
Naruto slowly spoke: “Master, I watched for the whole day today, and the First-Class Mage exam seems to only have two tests?”
“One is the magical barrier at the door, and the other is standing in front of you and letting you take a look…
Isn’t that a bit too simple?”
Serie supported her chin with her hand, her tone unhurried: “That barrier at the door is a screening in itself, and those who can pass can at least be rated as Second-Class Mages.”
“Otherwise, do you think I have the time to meet everyone?”
Naruto blinked his eyes: “But I originally thought there would be intense battles…”
“Also, why can you tell whether they pass or not with just a single glance?
So many different people, they are all different.”
Serie put down the hand supporting her chin, rested both elbows on her knees, and leaned her body slightly forward.
“I am a Great Mage who has lived from the Mythical Era until now.”
“Whether a person will become an outstanding Mage in the future, it is enough for me to take a single glance.”
Her gaze fell into Naruto’s eyes, her tone faint.
“After all, my intuition has never missed.”
“Speaking of which…” She leaned back against the back of the chair, raising her gaze to look at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, as if recalling something, “I have also taken quite a few disciples, such as Great Mage Flamme.”
Hearing this name, Naruto’s ears twitched slightly, but he didn’t interrupt.
Serie’s gaze fell back onto him: “Strictly speaking, talented Mages are divided into two extremes.”
Naruto repeated: “Two extremes?”
Serie nodded, suddenly changing the subject: “Do you still remember what magic you wanted to learn when you first met me?”
Naruto thought for a moment, his voice lowering a bit: “It seemed to be…
flower field magic.” Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
The corners of Serie’s mouth curled up slightly: “People who ask me for power, and people who ask for magic unrelated to power—the former often become the Mages in my ideal, while the latter…
will exceed my imagination.”
Naruto was stunned for a moment, with a disappointed look on his face: “In other words…
I will become the kind that exceeds Master’s imagination?”
Serie tapped his face lightly with her finger: “This is not a bad description.”
“Flamme and Frieren are both Mages beyond my imagination; one created an era where everyone can learn magic, and the other defeated the Demon King.
You are also this kind of Mage.”
Hearing this, Naruto grinned and said: “Then I will definitely work hard to stand at the peak of Mages.”
Serie showed a satisfied expression and nodded.
“Alright, let’s talk about your matter of time-travel.” She leaned back, changing to a more relaxed posture, “What did you do after returning to Konoha?”
Naruto simply recounted how, after returning to Konoha, he defeated Sasuke, the top student of his grade, and the Chunin Mizuki, obtained the Flying Thunder God Technique, went through the survival exercise, and then inexplicably returned to the Magic World.
After listening, Serie narrowed her eyes thoughtfully: “Flying Thunder God Technique?
As long as a mark is left, one can transfer from one place to another.”
She paused: “There seems to be similar space-time magic in the magic of the Mythical Era as well.”
“However, since you already have it, you don’t need to go learn that anymore.”
Naruto obediently nodded.
Serie continued: “Based on what you just said, the key to traveling between the two worlds is indeed related to your spiritual space, but right now there is no way to know what the specific ‘key’ is.”
“But you indeed still have the possibility of returning to the Ninja World again.
That world is extremely dangerous, and you must become even more powerful.”
When she reached this point, she suddenly paused for half a beat: “Do you still remember the First-Class Mage who passed the exam first today?”
Naruto thought for a moment: “It’s the big brother named Lernen, right?
He looks quite shy.”
Serie smiled slightly: “Don’t look at him like that; he is the strongest in this batch.”
“In the future, I will let him teach you some combat techniques of Mages, so you won’t have to worry about the survival exercises.”
“And…
maybe you will become the youngest First-Class Mage in history in the future.”
Naruto’s eyes lit up, and he straightened his body: “I will definitely work hard!”
Serie stood up from the chair, patted the hem of her clothes, and turned her head to glance at the sky outside the door that had completely darkened.
“Go back, and rest early tonight.”
“Tomorrow night, those who passed will come to attend the privilege ceremony, you come and watch too.”
Naruto nodded and followed behind Serie toward the corridor on the side of the hall.