Buzz, !
The moment his palm touched it, the crystal ball erupted with an unprecedented burst of brilliant light, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime!
Everyone was momentarily blinded by the intensity.
The light lasted several seconds before slowly fading away.
As the light receded, Slade looked down at the crystal ball, now dimmed, and saw a translucent soul emerge from it, an exact replica of himself.
A thick, earthen-yellow halo surrounded the soul.
"This?!"
The arrogance on the faces of the five apprentices shattered in an instant, replaced by shock and disbelief.
What was happening?
This never occurred during their tests!
"Hmm?!"
The black mist beneath the black-robed wizard's hood churned violently, revealing his inner surprise.
He stepped forward, carefully inspecting the anomaly in the crystal ball. A trace of astonishment crept into his voice:
"Hahaha... Good! Very good! 17 points of mental strength! Superior Soul Affinity Talent!"
"Oh? And even a medium Earth Affinity Talent."
The wizard then focused his gaze on Slade, scrutinizing him from head to toe as though he were a precious gem. "Child, what is your name?"
"Slade, sir."
Slade suppressed his excitement, answering respectfully.
Seventeen points of mental strength! Superior Soul Affinity Talent!
I'm truly extraordinary!
I don't know if it's because this body was naturally gifted, or if it's the result of the fusion of two souls!
"Very good, Slade. Stand over there."
The wizard gestured toward the five apprentices, his voice unusually gentle.
He hadn't expected much from this city. Even with lowered mental strength standards, the five apprentices he had gathered showed only average talent.
But today, he was pleasantly surprised, he had discovered a true genius!
What made it even better was that this talent was perfectly suited for his own Bone Spire Academy.
This was crucial, this recruitment was considered an "overstep" by his academy, and they couldn't exchange students with other institutions.
There was no other way around it; the apprentice mortality rate was high at the academy.
The older members of the academy didn't know how to conserve their "resources," and the number of apprentices they recruited was far too few to waste.
The "Recruitment Conference," held every five years, was a joint effort among several academies, where students were allocated based on their tested talents.
Each academy had its own areas of focus and research directions, allowing for specialized instruction that ensured the apprentices' talents wouldn't be wasted.
While this allowed them to monopolize apprentices, very few would truly possess the talent needed for Bone Spire's work.
But Slade's superior soul affinity was perfect for their research.
After all, the academy's core focus was on the undead, and the most suitable talents were those related to the soul, death, and spirit.
In addition, Slade's remarkably high spiritual power made him an excellent candidate for training in the art of the undead!
Though his moderate earth affinity wasn't weak, it was overshadowed by his other two major strengths.
Common elemental talents like earth could be found easily, and Slade could easily find a suitable "teacher" within the academy if he wanted to learn them.
With Slade showing such promise, the wizard was in high spirits.
Originally, this recruitment drive had simply been an effort to gather some "resources" to deal with the old fogies in the academy.
But unexpectedly, he had caught such a big fish!
If he could safely return Slade to the academy, the rewards for this recruitment would be substantial.
As Slade approached the five apprentices, they immediately put on smiles, congratulating him with eager flattery in their voices. It was clear they hoped to befriend him.
Three boys and two girls made up the group. With the exception of one boy who looked slightly older, the others appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old.
Slade could feel the shift in how the apprentices looked at him. What was once scrutiny and slight disdain had now turned into curiosity, awe, and a subtle, almost imperceptible, flattery.
As soon as Slade came to a stop, the oldest boy, about fourteen or fifteen years old, stepped forward and approached him.
Dressed in a well-tailored blue velvet coat with a decorative short sword at his waist, he offered a sincere, friendly smile, bowing slightly as he spoke:
"Congratulations, Slade! Your soul talent is truly extraordinary!"
"I'm Carl Wilson, and my father is the treasurer of Black Swamp City."
His tone carried a subtle hint of superiority, but he kept it well concealed while addressing Slade.
Before Carl could finish speaking, a girl in a pink silk dress with a round face eagerly chimed in, her voice clear and bright:
"Yes, yes! The light from the crystal ball was so brilliant! I'm Lillian Ross, and my father runs the largest Ross Trading Company in the city."
She blinked her large eyes and curiously examined Slade's handsome face.
Another girl, tall and slightly aloof, wore a simple white linen dress, but the fabric and workmanship were clearly of the highest quality.
She responded calmly, "Eileen White. My father is the deputy commander of the city's defense force."
Her introduction was brief, but her gaze lingered on Slade for a few more seconds, signaling that she wasn't entirely at ease.
Seeing this, the other two boys quickly squeezed forward.
A chubby boy with freckles grinned in a somewhat goofy manner.
"My name is Thomas Ironhammer. My family owns a blacksmith shop, and half the best weapons in town come from us!"
He proudly patted his chest.
The last boy, thin and shy, barely whispered, "I... I'm Benjamin. My father is... a clerk."
His voice was almost inaudible, making it clear that his family's background was less impressive than the others, and he seemed somewhat self-conscious because of it.
These five apprentices clearly hailed from prominent families in Blackswamp City, wealthy and noble. Their decision to introduce themselves was an effort to gain favor with the "genius" in their midst, hoping to showcase their status.
They were all "low-talented" individuals who had failed last year's test but barely passed this year due to the lowered mental strength standards.
Before the test, Slade would have likely fawned over them due to their status, but now, with the significant difference in their talents, they were the ones trying to curry favor with him.
Although Slade wasn't the type to be swayed by such things, he couldn't deny the genuine pleasure he felt from the attention.
This feeling... was truly wonderful!
A smile tugged at his lips as he simply replied, "Hello, my name is Slade."
He didn't mention his background, and his tone was calm and composed.
Yet, this simple response didn't make the five feel dismissed; on the contrary, they found it completely natural. After all, geniuses often had a certain level of arrogance.
"If I had such incredible talent, I'd probably be even more arrogant than him!" they thought.
Carl was the first to speak up, his tone warm and friendly: "Brother Slade, we'll be classmates from now on. Please take care of me at the academy!"
Lillian eagerly nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes! We're all from Blackswamp City, we should help each other!"
Eileen gave a slight nod, a subtle sign of agreement.
Thomas scratched his head, grinning sheepishly, his simple and honest smile showing through.
Benjamin, the quietest of the group, looked at Slade with a hopeful expression, his gaze full of expectation.
Slade smiled back and nodded with genuine sincerity: "Of course, helping each other is the right thing to do."
How sincere his words were only he knew, but he didn't push the group away. After all, as noble scions, their understanding of the wizarding world was far superior to his own as a "stranger."
He needed information, and these local noble scions were the quickest route to learning more about the wizarding world and the academy.
The wizard, clearly satisfied with the results of the recruitment, dismissed the few distracted test-takers behind him and began to prepare to put away the crystal ball.
"Wait! Wizard! Please wait! I... I want to take the test too!"
A desperate, tearful voice interrupted from the doorway.
Slade's eyes widened in surprise as a figure he hadn't expected rushed in, it was Mary!
She limped into the room, her hair disheveled, face flushed and terrified from running.
The black mist beneath the wizard's hood rippled in agitation, clearly displeased. The test was almost over, and this latecomer was showing disrespect.
The air in the hall seemed to freeze, and Mary, sensing the pressure, went pale and collapsed to the floor.
At that moment, she caught sight of Slade among the apprentices, and, clinging to her last hope, cried out in desperation, "Lord Slade!"
Slade's brow furrowed deeply.
What a fool! A complete idiot who couldn't read the situation! She was dumb enough to be put on display in a museum!
If his talent had been average, her outburst would likely have caused him trouble, earning the wizard's disfavor.
The wizard's gaze shifted between Slade and Mary, quickly realizing that they knew each other.
Thinking about Slade's exceptional talent, the wizard suppressed his irritation, pulled the crystal ball back out, and spoke coldly, "Place your hand on it."