Sunset Warrior Chant - Chapter 42 - Exceptional Talent

Fu Qiruo stood still under the Sensor, and a pleasant ding-dong sound emanated from above. He looked up to see the Sensor’s surface, crystal clear, with myriad small facets displaying a spectrum of colors, much like the Milky Way in the night sky. As he gazed deeper into that galaxy-like array, sparks of light dazzled his eyes, causing a brief moment of dizziness. It seemed as though a tremendous magical force was emanating from the depths of the galaxy, captivating his mind.

He quickly averted his gaze, calmed his mind, and released his sensitivity to scan the surroundings. The magic elements around him surged like tides, intensely concentrated. He focused on the dark magic elements, feeling a flicker of blue light under his feet, brightening and dimming intermittently. After a few flashes, the light dimmed. He looked up suspiciously; the Sensor appeared to be in an unattended default state. He then concentrated his sensitivity on the wind magic elements. The blue light flickered uncertainly and soon dimmed as well. He was shocked-despite clearly feeling the dense magic elements around him, why was the Sensor unresponsive? Could it be playing a joke on him? That seemed impossible. Puzzled, he stood frozen.

The appraiser’s face showed surprise, thinking to himself: “The Sensor has never started by flashing randomly then dimming like this. Why is it so unstable now? Could the tests of the three geniuses before have caused a problem with the Sensor?”

The appraiser walked around Fu Qiruo, examined him closely, and coughed before saying, “Step away for a moment, then come back and stand here again. If you tell me this young man has no magical talent, I wouldn’t believe it.”

Fu Qiruo stepped away, then returned to his spot. He relaxed his body, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, still acutely aware of the magic elements twinkling around him.

The Sensor suddenly emitted a strange series of beeps. The appraiser watched intently as the Sensor’s lights flickered, alternating between shades of green and blue, with the odd sound continuing unabated. A few seconds later, the noise from the Sensor decreased and it slowly returned to its initial state, leaving the appraiser muttering to himself as he observed.

Fu Qiruo looked down at his toes, a pang of sadness in his heart. Without lifting his head, he knew he had missed his chance at Yan Mountain Academy. Just as he was about to retreat, a delightful ding-dong sound rang above him. The Sensor underwent an unbelievable transformation, and seeing the appraiser’s stunned expression, as if he had witnessed something never before seen, Fu Qiruo couldn’t help but look up.

The Sensor lit up with specks of color, quickly turning dazzlingly bright, and eventually transforming into a stunning silver-white. The Sensor, covered in countless facets, seemed to expel shimmering pearls of fine powder, swirling and dancing through the air. If daylight was white light, then this light was like a cascade of mercury.

The silver light was so beautiful, so mysterious, that everyone seemed to see a sacred radiance. A chorus of exclamations filled the hall: “What kind of magic is this? Could it be the legendary spatial magic?”

“Spatial magic… it’s spatial magic… How is this possible? How can this be? For decades, talents capable of spatial magic have vanished, gone extinct! Where did this extraordinary talent come from?…” The appraiser’s facial muscles twitched, his eyes wide open as if they might pop out of their sockets.

Fu Qiruo was utterly bewildered. He couldn’t understand how he could possess such a talent, if the Sensor was indeed correct. Standing still, he waited for the appraiser to conclude.

The appraiser’s astonished gaze shifted from the Sensor to Fu Qiruo’s face, motionless for a long while as if he were a standing puppet. Fu Qiruo coughed and said, “Sir, is there something wrong?”

Returning to his senses, the appraiser said, “Step back and then approach again.” Following his instructions, Fu Qiruo moved back more than ten meters until the Sensor returned to normal. When he approached again, the silver light lit up immediately, without the previous flickers of green and blue. The appraiser slowly declared, “Spatial magic talent, elite!”

Fu Feng and Lu Xiner were also surprised and happy for Fu Qiruo. Fu Qiruo himself smiled, bewilderingly endowed with a talent for spatial magic as if it had fallen right out of the sky. Just moments before, he had been disheartened, thinking he would not be able to join his senior brothers at Yan Mountain Academy.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, amidst envious and jealous glances, Fu Qiruo stepped away from the Sensor. The appraiser, trailing behind, suddenly asked, “Were you with Fu Feng and Lu Xiner?” Fu Qiruo nodded in affirmation.

The appraiser’s eyes brimmed with questions, seemingly burdened by thousands of them. Seeing that he said no more, Fu Qiruo left the hall with Fu Feng and Lu Xiner, guided by the academy’s mages. They took the magical elevators down five floors and exited Yan Mountain Academy.

Lu Wei patiently waited outside the academy gates. Seeing the trio’s radiant expressions, he knew they had done well. Hearing from Fu Feng that all three possessed elite magical talents left him utterly astonished.

Upon meeting Xiao Gang, who was already standing next to Lu Wei, they inquired about his results. Xiao Gang said, “I thought your talents would be inferior to mine, but it turns out they’re just as impressive.” His remark sparked laughter among the group.

Returning triumphantly from the first day of assessments, the group headed back to the inn to celebrate. Fu Wenjun seemed to have anticipated the test results, except for Fu Qiruo’s unexpected show of spatial magic talent. Fu Qiruo, typically skilled in dark magic and wind magic, puzzled everyone with this sudden display of spatial magic. Despite this, Fu Wenjun appeared deeply contemplative after discussing the testing process, his brow furrowed with heavy thoughts.

Fu Qiruo thought to himself, “Master must be worried about me losing my sensitivity to dark and wind magic, but I feel quite adept at it and see no cause for concern.”

Fu Feng relayed to Fu Wenjun, “That appraiser said I was fifteen, as if he knew me.”

Fu Wenjun muttered to himself, “He has been conducting these magical aptitude tests for decades. I know who he is, and he knows who I am.”

After Fu Qiruo returned, he searched for Alixin throughout the backyard but couldn’t find him. Just as he was wondering if Alixin had gone off to steal some food, he suddenly felt movement in his shirt. To his surprise, Alixin poked his head out from within it. Fu Qiruo exclaimed, “When did you sneak onto me?”

Alixin replied, “I came in early this morning, and as I was sleeping, I realized I was hungry.”

“I didn’t even notice,” Fu Qiruo said in astonishment. “So, when I went to test my magical aptitude at the Sensor, you were there too?”

“Yep, I’ve got top-notch talent in spatial magic, hehe! Pretty cool, right?”

“So it was you causing all the confusion! You really pulled one over on the appraiser, and even the master was perplexed.”

“Of course!”

Fu Qiruo had been anxious throughout the journey, but now, understanding the situation, he felt immensely relieved that his talents in dark magic and wind magic had not vanished into thin air.

Suddenly, he shouted at Alixin, “You little troublemaker, I could squash you!” Startled, Alixin jumped off Fu Qiruo and darted a few meters away, blinked, and then vaulted over the wall, disappearing from sight.

Fu Qiruo called out, “Little fellow, don’t come back!” From then on, Alixin acquired a new nickname: Little Fellows.

The next day, Yan Mountain Academy conducted an assessment on the use of Elemental Manipulation.

Elemental Manipulation involves directing the movement and transformation of magical elements to form magic. Junior and intermediate mages activate magic by reciting incantations, while advanced mages can direct elements using bodily movements or even thoughts to perform simple spells.

Magical prodigies with keen sensitivity understand the state of magical elements like the back of their hand, naturally possessing the ability to control elements. For swordsmen, the cultivation of battle energy seems more direct than magic. At the junior level, it taps into an individual’s intrinsic potential, while at advanced stages, it can draw upon the energy of the environment at any time.

Yan Mountain Academy stipulates that candidates entering the elite and Prodigy-level can bypass subsequent assessments and directly qualify as students of the academy. However, those who fear being underestimated in their decades-long academic career can opt to continue with further assessments. In the history of Yan Mountain Academy’s entrance exams, only those who pass from start to finish have the right to be proud. Therefore, apart from a few level 1 and level 2 prodigies who face dangers and opt out of continuing the assessments, most candidates participate in further testing.

For the Elemental Manipulation exam, Yan Mountain Academy opened dozens of magical laboratories and prepared thousands of magical beasts at considerable expense. Candidates were led into the laboratory for batch assessments, where the school provided different magical beasts as test subjects for mages and swordsmen of varying levels. This time, the assessments for mages and swordsmen were combined, starting with the lowest-level candidates.

The main laboratory was divided into twelve smaller labs, each over a hundred square meters. The rear wall was integrated with the main laboratory, with thick stone slabs on the top and sides, and a transparent glass shield in front. The glass was covered with magical barriers, making each small lab resemble a sealed cage. There were two doors in each lab, one glass door at the front for human entry and another stone door at the back for the magical beasts.

A challenging task was presented to the candidates: a mage or swordsman and a hungry magical beast were simultaneously placed in the cage. The beast was one level lower than the human and posed no lethal threat. Inside the lab, the candidate had to defend against the beast’s attacks without killing it. However, within one hour before potentially harming the beast, the candidate had to shave off all its fur, trying to avoid injuring the beast as much as possible.

Every year, Yan Mountain Academy designs its exams with great care, but this year’s test posed a significant challenge to the candidates. Killing or injuring a magical beast might not be difficult, but shaving its fur before doing so significantly complicated the task.

The examination proceeded intensely. Fu Qiruo observed a boy in the lab struggling with a Fire Fox, which had several shallow cuts on its body. The school rules allowed for minor injuries on the magical beasts, but severe injuries would result in deductions. If a beast was severely injured or killed, the candidate would fail the exam. The few minor cuts on the Fire Fox were not considered significant.

The boy, wielding a long sword, battled the Fire Fox. After half an hour of struggle, the Fire Fox, realizing it was outmatched, darted back and forth inside a glass enclosure, occasionally spitting fire tongues at the boy in retaliation. The boy pursued, slashing at the Fire Fox, and clumps of fur fell to the ground. With half of its skin now bare, the boy’s pace slowed as he stopped to catch his breath. Killing the Fire Fox would have been far easier than trying to collect its fur, which proved to be cumbersome. The boy grew worried, but then he heard mocking voices from outside the laboratory:

“This kid is so clueless. Can’t he use some other magic? A few wind blades would settle this, no?”

“Well, that’s easy for you to say. Does he look like a mage to you? You’ll see what’s coming to you soon.”

“Time’s almost up. Do you think he can make it?”

“He’s just wasting everyone’s time. Many have already been eliminated.”

Taking a brief rest, the boy resumed his frenzied pursuit. The Fire Fox became craftier in its escape, and after struggling for nearly half an hour to remove only half of its fur, desperation set in. The boy yelled, “You beast, I will kill you!”

With renewed vigor, he chased the Fire Fox, which could not outpace him. After several rounds, the boy swung his sword at the Fire Fox. The creature dodged, but its tail was hit, slicing off. The boy muttered to himself, “Killing a fox is usually effortless. Is Yan Mountain Academy just making it impossible to get in?”

“Watch your tongue, or I’ll have you removed from the examination hall immediately,” the proctor outside the laboratory sternly warned.

The boy, visibly upset, retorted, “All these useless tricks at Yan Mountain Academy, who needs them? I can study just fine at home and still become a skilled swordsman.”

“Shut your mouth! Your attitude is appalling, and I am canceling your exam!” the proctor declared.

The boy snorted and quickened his steps, catching up to the Fire Fox. He executed his best move, splitting the Fire Fox in two with a single sword strike. He wiped his sword on the Fire Fox, cleaning off the bright red blood, and shouted, “Such child’s play! I’d rather not bother with the exam!”

“So arrogant at such a young age, who would dare to teach you?” the proctor said as he opened the glass door, stepped inside swiftly, and grabbed the boy by the neck, pulling him out.