Winter Spring Valley.
Under the enormous magical dome, one towering marble column after another stood around.
One could vaguely see the figures of people, like ants, neatly lining up, while at the very center of the magical dome, a massive magical crystal was situated.
"Gelulu, magical power value 4212 points, Level 4 Mage!"
"Claire, magical power value 5001 points, Level 5 Mage!"
"Reg, magical power value 4999 points, Peak Level 4 Mage!"
The tester shouted.
Young mages who had just finished testing their magical power, some were elated, some cheered, and some sighed as they left the massive crystal.
This was the great Winter Spring Valley, the most noble guardian organization of Violet Continent's Magic Sacred Temple.
Every year at this time, young mages in Winter Spring Valley would come to this sacred temple to undergo a test of their internal magical energy.
Any mage who had stayed in Winter Spring Valley for three years must undergo this test.
And those who fail to break through to a specific level within three years must leave Winter Spring Valley and lose the opportunity to further their studies there.
Therefore, this annual grand inspection has become a source of worry for many young mages.
"Ah..."
On the high platform under the magical dome.
Nanako, with her two long ponytails, sighed, her cheeks puffed up, her eyes full of worry.
She wore a large mage hat, and although her body was petite, no one dared to underestimate her.
Because she was one of the seven stewards of Winter Spring Valley.
The seven stewards represented the highest power and authority of Winter Spring Valley. Even the weakest among them was a city-breaking mage, someone who could face an entire city alone.
And Nanako was the seventh steward of Winter Spring Valley, representing the frost and cold might of the Storm Witch.
But at this moment, she was not in the least bit happy.
"Lynn, you rascal!"
Nanako looked worriedly and dejectedly at a young man in the queue below, murmuring:
"Three years! My master has taught you for three whole years, how can you be so unambitious!
"I've given you so many resources, even a pig could be pushed to become a Level 2 Mage in three years!"
Vaguely visible.
In the crowd.
The young man wore a linen robe, and although he had a large wizard hat, it still couldn't hide the handsomeness on his youthful face.
But at this moment, his face was clearly sleepy, his eyes drowsy, showing a casual indifference.
His name was Lynn, and he was Nanako's disciple.
Three years ago, Nanako brought him to Winter Spring Valley, nurturing him with care, wanting to turn him into a qualified and noble mage.
She usually had a keen eye for people.
But this time, she stumbled on this young man.
Over the years, she had poured countless efforts into Lynn, adhering to the principle of not letting anyone fall behind, even teaching him hand by hand.
But his progress in magical abilities was so slow that it had reached a shocking level.
Usually, what he learned today.
Tomorrow he would forget about seventy to eighty percent.
If he could remember ten percent the day after, Nanako would have to exclaim genius, exclaim it was not easy!
"Nanako-sama, are you worried that your little disciple will be filtered out?"
A mage next to Nanako blinked, looking at the worried Nanako.
Nanako helplessly blew her bangs, dispiritedly saying:
"Yes, Lynn... he's the dumbest one I've ever seen in history! Even dumber than a rock!"
Seeing Nanako's dejected expression, the mage whispered, "Nanako-sama, there's something I don't know if I should say?"
"Go ahead," Nanako said boredly and worriedly, blowing her bangs.
The mage frowned, "Actually, it might not be a bad thing for Lynn. After all, his low magical talent is well-known, and he's not suited for the path of a mage. And Nanako-sama, you're so powerful, you really don't have to care about him..."
"After all, with your status, there are plenty of talented mages in the world who would be willing to be your students..."
Nanako's action of blowing her bangs stopped.
Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
She stood up, pressed down on her large wizard hat, revealing a pair of sapphire-like eyes.
"If I were to abandon my student just because he's dumb, that wouldn't be my style, Nanako."
She tilted her head, staring at the mage with those chilling eyes.
The mage immediately felt goosebumps all over and subconsciously lowered his head.
"And." Her eyes seemed to speak.
"Even a stone held in the embrace for three years would develop feelings."
...
"Next!"
Accompanied by the tester's shout.
Lynn, with sleepy eyes, walked up to the massive magical crystal.
Anyone could see that his eyes were filled with solemnity and worry.
And behind him, the voices of young boys and girls' playful discussions could be heard.
"Look! Look! It's Lynn's turn to be tested!"
"Didn't you know? Lynn is the student of the seventh steward, but I heard that his magical talent almost broke the lowest record in our Winter Spring Valley for thousands of years!"
"Really? But he's really handsome..."
"Yes! Yes! But I suspect that Nanako-sama kept him because he's too handsome. After all, if I had such a handsome disciple, I wouldn't be able to bear to let him go either!"
The discussions behind him were incessant, but Lynn's heart was not there.
He was very worried.
Unprecedentedly worried.
"So should I use one hundred millionth point nine of my magical power for the test, or one hundred millionth point one?"
Lynn muttered, his brows furrowed.
Because for someone with a choice-making difficulty and obsessive-compulsive disorder, this was an absolute century-old dilemma.
One hundred millionth point nine of magical power would just barely break through to Level 2 Mage, allowing him to stay in Winter Spring Valley and continue to survive for a few more centuries.
But one hundred millionth point one of magical power would just make it a neat and tidy number, very aesthetically pleasing, but the test result would obviously exceed Level 2...
For someone with choice-making difficulties, this was an absolutely terrifying decision.
"Hey! Are you going to test or not?" The tester frowned, looking at the worried young man in front of him, saying:
"There are many people waiting behind you!"
Such young mages, he had seen many.
Many young people who knew their magical power did not meet the standard would show great worry, even sweating profusely, when standing in front of this magical crystal.
Because not meeting the standard meant leaving Winter Spring Valley from now on, bidding farewell to the path of a mage.
Lynn worriedly said, "Please let me think about it, I'm sorry, this is a very important matter."
On the high platform.
Seeing her disciple so worriedly standing in front of the testing crystal, Nanako's heart ached, her eyes flashing with a hint of reluctance.
She also liked Lynn, this sensible disciple, and did not want to part with him.
But rules were rules.
She took a deep breath, then floated down gracefully, walking towards Lynn.
She wanted to comfort her disciple well, to ease his heavy burden.
"Greetings, Nanako-sama!"
"Good afternoon, Nanako-sama!"
Seeing the petite loli striding over, the surrounding mages all bowed.
But Nanako did not pay attention to them, her eyes always on Lynn. She quickly walked to Lynn's side, then stood on tiptoe, patting Lynn's shoulder.
"Disciple." Nanako's voice was crisp and clear, trying to make her tone gentle, saying:
"Don't be afraid, it's just a magical power test. Even if you don't meet the standard, you'll always be my disciple, come on!"
Lynn worriedly said, "No, Master, I'm not worried about that."
Nanako puzzled, "Then what are you worried about?"
Lynn frowned, "Master, I want to ask you a question, do you prefer 1 or 0.9? I can't make up my mind."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
