Chapter 159 - 112: Abnormal Display of Magic Power

Chapter 159: Chapter 112: Abnormal Display of Magic Power

"Force field witchcraft has almost no combat power in the early stages. Are you supposed to use gravity to drag someone down, and repulsive force to push away incoming attacks?

"They are currently still at the foundation-building stage. Their combat power will only explode once they master the Repulsive and Attractive Dual Force. But that’s a matter for the future. The quiz is right in front of them, and they won’t make it in time."

Chen Shang nodded and put the crystal plate away into his space book. Although he was also taking the path of the Repulsive and Attractive Dual Force, he was different from those apprentices who specialized in force fields. He had the Water-Fire Heaven Extremes, the Samadhi True Flame, and the One-Element Heavy Water.

In short, cultivating the Repulsive and Attractive Dual Force didn’t hinder him from having other means of offensive output.

Leia stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Don’t think too much about it. Your current Water-Fire Heaven Extremes is enough to deal with most Second Level Apprentices. As for the people on those lists, just knowing their abilities is enough; there’s no need to fear them."

Chen Shang also stood up. "Thank you, Senior."

"Good luck, I’m waiting to see your results!" Leia said with a smile.

Chen Shang bid farewell to Leia and left.

Returning to the laboratory, he had just sat down in front of the recording platform when Amy peeked her head out from the next room, clutching a crystal plate in her hand with a slightly nervous expression.

"Senior, I’m also going to participate in the First Level Apprentice quiz. Do you have any advice?"

"I do." Chen Shang pondered for a moment before saying, "First, properly cultivate your Red Plague Ghost. Then, go practice your manipulation power and defense ability. The power of your Plague Bottle is great enough, but you can’t even defend against it yourself. That’s your biggest shortcoming."

Amy nodded heavily.

One month later, the day of the assessment.

At the entrance of the central arena of the Starfall Laboratory, the queue of Second Level Apprentices stretched from the entrance all the way to the end of the corridor. The arena was usually closed and would only be opened for annual major exams or special events.

The dome here was so high that its ceiling couldn’t be seen. The four walls were embedded with glowing rune plates, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.

The spectator stands surrounded the area in a terraced formation. The examiners’ seats were located on the highest tier, where five chairs were lined up in a row. Five First Level Wizards sat upon them, their expressions serious and their gazes blazing like torches.

Chen Shang stood in the middle of the queue. In front of him was Baal, and behind him was an unknown Second Level Apprentice. Baal’s chubby body squeezed into the line, clutching a crystal plate in his hand and muttering under his breath.

"Brother, are you nervous?" Baal turned his head and asked in a low voice.

"I’m not." Chen Shang shook his head.

"If you’re not nervous, I am." Baal stuffed the crystal plate back into his robes. "I’ve made a lot of money over the years, and my cultivation has been very stable, but I don’t have much confidence when it comes to actual combat."

Chen Shang thought of Leia and patted him on the shoulder. "It doesn’t matter. Everyone has their own stage to show their worth."

Baal nodded. "Right, by the end of the year, the dividends for the health supplements should be arriving. I estimate we can earn a few thousand Wizard Coins... Don’t think it’s too little; the market hasn’t fully opened up yet."

Chen Shang paused, slightly surprised. Of course he wouldn’t think it was too little; this was considered an unexpected pleasant surprise.

The line moved forward a few steps, and Evelyn suddenly cut in from the side. She was wearing a new dark blue magic robe with her hair tied up in a high ponytail, making her look much sharper than usual.

"Chen Shang, what discussion topic did you choose?"

"The Samadhi True Flame. What about you?"

"Flame Compression. My usual," she said, pausing for a moment to glance at Chen Shang. "Aren’t you going to bring out your Water-Fire Heaven Extremes?"

"It’s too vast. It’s not suitable to present on this kind of occasion." Chen Shang shook his head.

The Water-Fire Heaven Extremes involved the Samadhi True Flame, the One-Element Heavy Water, and the Multiple Magic Springs. With four Purple Level powers bundled together, it would be difficult to fully explain in a short time.

Just the Samadhi True Flame was enough.

Solem suddenly turned his head from the front and nodded at Chen Shang. "Good luck."

"You too," Chen Shang said. Solem didn’t say anything more and turned back around.

The queue finally moved to the entrance. The staff verified identities, issued number tags, and guided them inside.

The interior of the arena was even larger than it looked from the outside. Quite a few people were already seated in the spectator stands. There were apprentices waiting for their assessment, Low Tier Wizards who had come to observe, and some unfamiliar faces that Chen Shang didn’t recognize, likely observers from other laboratories.

The five examiners sat at the highest point, lined up in a row, each with a crystal plate placed in front of them.

The first segment was the discussion.

Everyone had about fifteen minutes, taking the stage in turn according to their number tags.

The topics discussed were incredibly varied, covering runes, alchemy, potions, and plane ecology. Chen Shang listened to a few presentations. Some were brilliant, others were mediocre, but almost none were there just to make up the numbers.

It was his turn.

He walked onto the stage and stood behind the solitary podium in the center, looking around. Hundreds of eyes in the spectator stands were fixed on him, and five gazes from the examiners’ seats fell upon him.

Chen Shang took a deep breath and opened his crystal plate. A three-dimensional model appeared in mid-air.

"The Samadhi True Flame is divided into the Fire in Wood, the Earth Fire, and the Aerial Fire. The three fires merge into one."

His voice was steady, and the amplification rune projected his words to every corner of the arena.

"...The essential difference between it and ordinary flames is that it does not rely on fuel or any external conditions. It can burn energy itself..."

He switched the 3D model, displaying a few energy waveform diagrams and the rune structure of the compression process.

"The core difficulty lies in matching the frequencies of the three flames. The frequency of the Fire in Wood exhibits a non-linear oscillation in the high-temperature zone. The frequency of the Earth Fire is a stable low frequency. The frequency of the Aerial Fire is a high-energy particle oscillation..."

This was the first time Chen Shang’s mythical ability was displayed in public, giving him an inexplicable rush of emotion. In the examiners’ seats, someone jotted down a few notes on their crystal plate.

Chen Shang finished explaining the Samadhi True Flame’s compression principles, energy conversion efficiency, and practical combat application data one by one. The fifteen minutes were perfectly up.