After the old man told the young boy about the Church's propaganda, the other candidates arrived one after another. Every one of them was wearing a Master-level badge, and many of them immediately noticed Baiyi, who stood out like a sore thumb. Some of them came up to him out of curiosity and greeted him. Baiyi told them his name in a low-key manner, and it stirred up a lot of discussion, but it did not cause much of a commotion.
After all, not many people had seen Baiyi in person, and the word 'Hope' was not an uncommon word, so it was normal for people to have the same name. After all, they could not just meet someone named Hope, who was the savior of the world, could they? Most importantly, Baiyi kept a low profile and did not mention the list of titles that his teacher had given him.
Although, it did not seem like it would do any good.
As the number of people increased, the atmosphere, which had been cheerful and harmonious at first, gradually became tense, and the voices became softer. Baiyi's surroundings became quiet as well. When the last candidate arrived, a staff member began to hand out the corresponding forms. Baiyi counted the number of people present, and there were exactly ten of them, including himself.
'What a crowd!' Baiyi sighed inwardly. If it had been a few years ago, it would have been extremely rare for ten people to participate in the Legendary Level confirmation at the same time. Back then, there would have been only a dozen or so new Legendary Level experts every year. However, as society progressed, so did the world. With the gradual improvement of theoretical knowledge, the development of natural resources, and the gradual improvement of the education system, the number of powerful powerhouses would naturally increase. This was the law of social development, and there was nothing strange about it.
It was no wonder that the faces of the other candidates were getting darker and darker. According to some unreliable rumors, the Sorcerer's Association was intentionally or unintentionally limiting the number of people who could pass the certification. The certification process was getting slower and more troublesome, and the passing rate seemed to be limited to a certain ratio.
Although there was no specific figure for this unspoken rule, the more participants there were, the more likely they were to be eliminated. If there were only two to three participants, it would be normal for all of them to pass. However, if there were 10 participants at once, even if they were at the Legendary-level, half of the Legendary-level combat power would be eliminated, right?
This method was understandable. Considering the average lifespan of the powerhouses in this world, it would take a long time for each certificate and the corresponding privileges and benefits that came with it to be reclaimed. If there were no restrictions, it would be a big problem if it was allowed to expand.
Baiyi, on the other hand, was relatively calm. He was not afraid of challenges. He was the Fifth Walker, so how could he be defeated by mere mortals?
Everything was ready, and the final Legendary-level certification began. The candidates filed into the examination hall. The examination hall was decorated like a school or community examination hall. Rows upon rows of test items were arranged into cubicles, and sorcerers stood behind them.
This kind of certification process was quite complicated. Apart from the academic papers that had to be submitted, there was also a long series of tests that focused on the candidate's mana, psychic energy, incantation speed, and so on. Most importantly, there was a series of so-called 'Rank Quests'. In other words, the goal was to prove that the candidate was not an armchair strategist, and at the same time, to help the Sorcerer's Association for free. Of course, perhaps the latter part was the main goal?
Only after completing the entire process would the Sorcerer's Association hand out their precious certificate. If no one made special arrangements for the whole process, the Sorcerer's Association could easily drag on for up to a year. Baiyi had overheard the conversations of the Sorcerer's Association, and he knew that most of them had already started the process half a year ago.
Therefore, it was not entirely unreasonable to say that many powerful people did not like the concept of Rank Quests. Fortunately, Baiyi had someone to make things easier for him this time.
At the beginning of the process, there was a series of tests that focused on the candidate's mana, including mana capacity, maximum output, elemental conversion efficiency, and even mana recovery speed without any equipment. The old man and the young man, who were in front of Baiyi, did not have any problems. They met all the requirements, and their forms were stamped with a red stamp.
When it was Baiyi's turn, the situation became a little awkward.
The main method of testing was still to touch the crystal ball. Baiyi pressed his hand on it, and the bottom of the crystal ball seemed to be injected with some kind of blue liquid. It began to rise slowly until it finally stopped at a fixed mark and stopped rising.
According to the scale, his mana capacity and maximum output were still at the Master-level. In other words, even with Mia and Laeticia's hard work, his maximum output was still only at the Master-level.
This did not affect him in actual combat, but in a test like this, it was hard to say. The sorcerer who was in charge of the test obviously knew Baiyi. With a troubled expression, he said, "Um … Master Hope … Now is not the time to hide your strength …"
Perhaps he was one of the people who bet on Baiyi?
"This is indeed my best. I'm not hiding anything," Baiyi replied seriously. Baiyi replied in a serious tone. "But the level certification doesn't just depend on the total amount of mana, right?"
"In principle, yes, but …" The sorcerer hesitated. No matter what, mana was the most basic of the basics. Without mana, everything else was useless.
"It's okay. I'm still very confident in other aspects," Baiyi said calmly and continued to participate in the next test.
At that moment, although the people walking behind Baiyi did not hear what Baiyi said, their sharp eyes could still see the two green stamps on his form, which meant that he had failed. Then, someone could not help but whisper.
"No way? The total mana capacity is the simplest and most basic test! How could someone participate in the Rank Quests without even meeting this standard? Where did this courage come from? "
"That Soul Armature, I think he's called Hope?"
"The Hope that the Church promoted? The Hope that defeated the Abyss Lord Thaas? I don't care if this story is true or not, but do you think the great hero that the Church forcefully promoted is only at the Master-level? "
"Uhh … You mean … This guy just happened to have the same name?"
"I think so. Otherwise, why would he not even have enough mana? But come to think of it, having the same name as such a famous person is not a comfortable thing. He must be under a lot of pressure. Isn't he in a hurry to participate in the Rank Quests to prove himself? It's a pity that he's not strong enough. I really pity this poor guy … "
Of course, Baiyi heard all these rumors, but he did not care about them. If he really wanted to show off, he could just use some of the energy that he had smuggled into the Void to make the crystal ball explode. He was not that bored to do that.
The old man and the young man, who had arrived first, had overheard the discussion. When they had finished telling the story of the Church, they stopped in their tracks. The young man took the initiative to ask Baiyi, "Um … Mr. Hope, are you the Mr. Hope that the Church has been talking about?"
"Yes." Baiyi nodded slightly.
"But why are you …" The young boy stared at the form in Baiyi's hand. Although he could only see the back, the green stamp on the white background was very eye-catching.
"I really only have this amount of mana," Baiyi said helplessly. Why did these people place so much importance on mana capacity? The level of a sorcerer did not depend on who had more mana capacity. That was something that only batteries and hard drives could do.
"Alright, it seems that I misunderstood," the young boy said, a little disappointed. Before this, he had been so engrossed in his research and training that he did not pay attention to the news that the Church had been spreading. After listening to the old man's explanation today, he was very curious about what kind of existence a sorcerer who could go head to head with Thaas would be. However, he did not expect that this fellow who called himself Hope was actually a fake.
Fortunately, Baiyi's performance in the next few tests was satisfactory. As long as it was not related to mana capacity or instantaneous output, he did not have any problems. He even had an unparalleled advantage in some special aspects, such as Psychic Energy and Mana Recovery Speed. The examiner was forced to change the red round stamp, which represented a pass, to a purple triangular stamp, which represented excellence.
Don't you guys know that this stamp represents dead pork on Earth? Baiyi said helplessly. He looked down at the form in his hand. Because of his excellent performance in the other tests, his score on the form was actually better than some of the other candidates.
After that, he entered a small experimental field and began to evaluate the most important test, which could also be said to be the most crucial one — the casting of magic.
Since it was called the most important test, it was definitely not just a test of two spells that one was good at. In reality, in front of each candidate were three pieces of parchment paper with three runes drawn on it. They had to cast the spell on the parchment paper, and the judges next to them would give them a corresponding evaluation based on the spell's completion rate, flow rate, time, and so on.
This test was only available when one reached the Legendary-level, so it was definitely not as simple as it seemed. In fact, the runes on the parchment paper were not the spells themselves. They could be just one of a series of runes needed to cast a spell, or it could be an incomplete rune. Both could be possible at the same time.
These spells were not of a high level, and most of their effects were just visual effects. They did not have much practical use, but the whole structure of the spell was extremely complicated. It was like breaking down 1 + 1 into 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1. It was specifically used as a test.
If one did not use their brain and simply copied the runes, they would definitely not be able to cast a spell. The sorcerer had to perfect the runes based on their own knowledge and understanding. It was similar to how one would use words and sentences in elementary school. However, the difficulty was that the sorcerer could not simply make up the runes as he pleased. The spell that was cast in the end had to be the same as the standard answer. Even if it was different, it could not be too far off. If one placed the Earth Element in the Water Element or something like that, it would seriously affect the evaluation.
That was why this test was known as the most important one. It tested the sorcerer's multiple abilities and knowledge in various aspects at the same time. This made every sorcerer who had reached this stage look like they were about to face a formidable enemy.
After all, this was the most important test of all.
Baiyi was the only one who was more relaxed. He randomly picked up a piece of parchment and scanned it with his psychic energy. After a while, he realized that it was one of the components of a visual effect spell. He pondered for a moment and used his own mana to fill in the remaining two runes. Then, his body began to emit a faint green light.
"That's pretty easy," Baiyi said as he picked up the second piece of parchment and began to examine it.
At that moment, the judges, who were watching from the side, could not help but whisper among themselves.
"As expected, Master Hope is the first to solve this question. Judging by his speed, I think I'm going to win the bet."
"He's even faster than those who took the Legendary-level test … His question was at the Immortal-level, right? Yet, he managed to solve it with just a few glances? Wasn't he a user of Ancient Rohserlian formations? "
"Wouldn't it be easier for a strong person who could use formations in this era to play with runes?"
"He really is the Hope that the Church spoke of. But why is his mana capacity so low?"
"Maybe it's because he's a Soul Armature Practitioner? An incorrect summoning ritual or a mistake during the summoning process could lead to such a situation. Soul Armatures are such complicated and unreliable things … "
Soon, the remaining two questions did not stump Baiyi. He was not the first to start the test, but he was the first to finish it. At that moment, his body was glowing in a variety of colors, making him look a little comical and funny. He walked to the judges' table and took back his form.
Even though there were still more tests after that, as long as he could pass this one successfully, the final result would not change much. The only thing that he did not know was whether the problem of his mana capacity being insufficient would be used as an excuse … Baiyi silently looked at the purple triangular stamp that had appeared on the form and pondered to himself.
However, to his surprise, before he could reach the next question, the young man who he had chatted with earlier caught up to him. He was also glowing in a variety of colors.
'Is this kid really that talented?' Baiyi thought to himself. To be honest, the difficulty of the previous test was nothing to him. However, for an average sorcerer, it would still require quite a bit of effort and time. Although the young man in front of him had entered earlier than him and came out later than him, he was still able to keep up with the Fifth Walker's pace. That in itself was a very rare feat.
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