SUPREME ARCH-MAGUS - Chapter 1095 - 1095: An Elephant and Dragon Egg?!
The silence in the Great Hall fractured the instant Kent’s hand remained in the air. Lady Kim’s sharp eyes locked onto him, her expression hardening.
“You…” her voice was laced with restrained fury, “step down. This competition is between mid Heavenly Rank Wizards. You are barely at the Immortal Earth realm, no matter what titles follow your name.”
A murmur of agreement rolled through the crowd.
“She’s right, he’s too low in rank.”
“He doesn’t understand what kind of monsters the mid Heavenly Wizards are.”
“He’ll be crippled before he even touches the Memory Pond.”
Kent’s gaze remained steady. “I know the risk. Still, I will face them. I need this opportunity.”
Lady Kim’s brows arched sharply. “Foolish. Even a sandalwood tree takes years to grow before it releases its fragrance. You cannot force your roots before your time. You must wait, or you will snap.”
Kent’s lips curved faintly, but his eyes flashed with quiet determination. “And yet… even if an elephant falls, it is still an elephant. Even if a dragon remains an egg, it is still equal to the dragon. I will not wait. I will do my best, and I will test my limits. I will test my position.”
The declaration rang out through the hall like thunder. Gasps broke out, followed quickly by mocking laughter from some of the disciples.
“He thinks he’s a dragon egg?” one sneered.
“Dragon egg or chicken egg, it’ll break the same under pressure.”
“Arrogant fool. The Golden Heir will be a golden cripple by the end of this.”
Lady Kim’s eyes narrowed, her lips tightening into a cold line. “As you wish. But remember this, Kent Hall: when you lie crippled on the battlefield, no hand will help you. Not mine, not this mountain’s. That is the price of arrogance.”
Kent only smiled in return, his calm composure untouched.
Lady Kim flicked her sleeve sharply. “Enough. The fifty-three who raised their hands—step forward!”
The crowd of volunteers shuffled to the front, excitement and pride written across their faces. Kent moved calmly among them, though the whispers behind his back were venomous.
“Does he even know how to brew a potion?”
“He’ll ruin the furnace and shame our mountain.”
“Hah, I hope they put him beside me—I’ll make sure he fails.”
Lady Kim’s voice boomed once more, silencing the noise. “Go and prepare the ingredients you need. Tomorrow, at first light, the test will begin. You will brew the Nine Lotus Bewitching Potion. The best potion will be delivered directly to the Yellow Blossom River Prince. The winner will be rewarded with 3,000 Academy Points.”
A wave of shock hit the disciples like a tidal force.
“Three… thousand?!”
“Impossible! A full year of work doesn’t even bring one thousand!”
“This is madness! Do you know how much power three thousand points can buy here?”
“With that, one could buy an entire peak’s worth of rare treasures!”
Disciples who had been silent before clenched their fists, regret clear on their faces. Only now did they realize what chance they had let slip by not raising their hands.
Lady Kim continued, her tone cold. “Do not think this is charity. There will be three tests over three days. First, potion-making. Second, corpse identification. Third, healing the Royal Army. Only ten of you will remain standing at the end. The rest will leave empty-handed.”
Excitement and dread mixed like storm and fire in the hall.
A tall disciple, robes embroidered with gold threads, turned his head and sneered at Kent. “I hope you know how to hold a cauldron. The Nine Lotus Bewitching Potion requires nine different lotuses, all merging at perfect timing. A single mistake and the cauldron explodes. Don’t stand too close to me.”
Laughter erupted around him.
Another disciple, a girl with proud eyes, scoffed openly. “What will the Golden Heir do when the herbs reject him? Call his wives to brew for him?”
Someone else muttered, just loud enough for many to hear, “He’s here for show. His hands are probably too soft to even crush herbs.”
Kent didn’t react. His silence only infuriated them further, as if their mockery bounced against a wall too tall to climb.
Lady Kim’s sharp gaze swept over the group. “Mockery will not save you when your cauldrons fail. Only skill will. Dismissed. Prepare your ingredients. Tomorrow, the Nine Lotus test will decide who among you is worthy to step further.”
The disciples bowed deeply, though many whispered furiously as they turned to leave.
“Three thousand points…” one muttered, eyes burning. “I’ll win them if it kills me.”
“The Nine Lotus… I’ve only practiced with five, never all nine…”
“Corpse identification next? That will weed out half of us instantly.”
“And healing the Royal Army? Gods above, this isn’t a test, it’s a death march.”
Yet despite their nerves, each disciple’s eyes glowed with hunger.
Kent turned to leave as well, his stride unhurried. His calmness was like a blade, cutting deeper than arrogance.
Behind him, a pair of senior disciples sneered. “Tomorrow, he’ll be the first to fail. A dragon egg, he says. We’ll see what yolk he spills.”
Kent heard them but only smiled faintly, the image of stormclouds in a calm sky.
Tomorrow, he thought, they would understand what an elephant was.
–
The moment Lady Kim swept from the dais, the hall erupted like a hive cut open. Disciples surged forward in a tide of white-and-gold robes, each face alight with feverish hunger. Shouts collided—names of rare lotuses barked like orders, fingers pointed to storage alcoves and hidden grottoes, and groups formed like hunting packs, eyes glinting with the greed of those who had tasted the chance of three thousand Academy points.
“Quick! The Ninefold Moon Lotus—A section three cave!” a lanky youth cried, already sprinting toward the eastern terraces.
“I’ll take the Frost-Petal Lotus near the north stream—none better for clarity!” a frost-robed girl called back.
“Stop dawdling—pair up and sweep the southern marsh! The Shade-Lotus hides under the willows!” another shouted.
A dozen small squads ripped through the gardens, scattering like startled birds. Apprentices vaulted hedges and clambered over walls, every one of them a mindless engine of competition. Even those who had hesitated in the hall now moved with the hunger of the desperate.
–
Thank you for Golden Tickets!
