《Magic: My Magic Can Mutate and Evolve》 Chapter 1 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Hiro Empire, imperial capital, Nanshan Courtyard, cultivation room. A handsome youth sat upright on the cold floor. Under the control of his tyrannical spiritual power, the icy blue magic array pattern in front of him gradually stabilized. Weng! Soundless tremors spread all around in the cultivation room. A second later, the elemental vortex formed. A puny drop of water fell out slowly from the centre of the array pattern. ¡°I did it¡± Hughes¡¯s eyes twinkled with a pinch of shrewdness, and the corner of his mouth unconsciously curled to one side. For this water ball technique, Hughes had trained wholeheartedly for three years, and now, he finally succeeded! ¡°One more time, I can definitely do it.¡± Soon, Hughes regained his calm. He released his spiritual power, trying to find the trace of feeling that he had found in the unseen world. Hughes¡¯s soul did not belong to this world. Fifteen years ago, he came from another world and replaced the original owner of this body, after which he became the second son of Duke Norton Smith ¡ª Hughes Smith! Different from the civilization of the Blue Planet, this world had embarked on a different path. This was a world where magic was highly prosperous. In this world, mages had a royal status that ordinary people could not reach! In the beginning, Hughes had thought that he would be like the main characters in common web novels. He would be able to turn the tides even when his parents disliked him and when his brothers belittled him. He thought he would reach the peak of his life and become the pillar of the Empire! However, the actual situation was not what Hughes had imagined. The Tulip family was considered as a top family in the entire Hiro Empire. However, within the family, there were no struggles for power and benefits that appeared to be common among other aristocratic families. On the contrary, under the leadership of Duke Norton Smith, the Tulip family became more and more benevolent, they became a family with great love and care! Come back to Hughes again. As the son of Duke Tulip, Norton, Hughes was born with a talent that ordinary people could not even dream of. He was born with a Max level spiritual power! With his outstanding talent, he had been nurtured carefully in the palm of the upper class of the empire since he was young. The great mage of the Hall of light personally cast a blessing spell on him. The Emperor always brought Hughes along when he was hunting. At that time, all the nobles in Hiro City were all shadowed by Hughes¡¯s genius talent, and no one could even come close to him. However, this peak did not last long. When Hughes was twelve years old, the great mage of the Hall of light of the Hiro Empire personally held an elemental awakening ceremony for him. In this grand gathering that was the focus of everyone¡¯s attention, Hughes did not wake the top-notch elemental affinity as everyone had expected. Compared with his incredibly high spiritual power, Hughes¡¯s elemental affinity went to the other extreme. His elemental affinity was the lowest of the low! But this was not the most embarrassing thing for Hughes. After the first awakening ceremony, the Archmage who presided over the awakening ceremony for Hughes did not believe the result. He stopped the dejected Hughes and told him that there was a problem with the awakening ceremony and that he needed to do it again. Hughes realized that he still had another chance, he grabbed the rope that the great wizard handed him without hesitation like a desperate drowning man. Not caring whether the rope was sturdy or not, Hughes walked into the second awakening formation. However, the lords did not give him what he wanted. The result of the second awakening was still the same as the first one. His elemental affinity level was still the lowest of the low! After that. The Genius Hughes became the most famous laughing stock in Hiro City, Bards wrote satirical poems that spread all over the streets. Even the Duke of Tulip family, Norton, who had made great achievements in the war, became a laughingstock in the noble community of the Imperial City because of it! However, the Duke of Tulip, who had always been hot-tempered and harsh to others, did not criticize Hughes for this. Instead, he devoted more care and love to Hughes. Hughes was very touched. From that moment on, as a visitor from another world, he completely accepted all the karma that was entwined around the original owner and truly became a member of the Smith family. It was also at that moment that Hughes secretly made a vow. He wanted to become a mage and continue the glory of the Tulip family! Finally, after three years of humiliation, during which he devoted himself to non-stop training, Hughes finally successfully released his first spell ¡ª water ball spell! Although this water ball was very small and its velocity was very slow. But for Hughes, this was a beginning that was enough to make him excited. ¡°There has never been a shortage of people with exceptional talent in this world. However, the real power are not all those so-called geniuses.¡± ¡°I, Hughes, can do what Emperor Napoleon could do back then.¡± 2,700 years ago, a short man named Napoleon returned from overseas with monstrous magic power. He swept across the entire Europa continent, beating up a group of old powerful countries until they cried for their parents and ceded territories as well as paid indemnities. In the end, this short man overthrew the rule of the Holy Roman Empire and established the Hiro Empire that spanned across the entire continent! During the time he was in power, the entire Europa continent was shrouded in his abyss-like shadow. The world called him the emperor of all Europa, the great magic sage, and the mage God of the Hall of light.. However,it was only after he passed away that people realized from his own biography that even this legend only awakened sub-par elemental affinity at the age of twelve! After learning about that period of history from his father, Hughes had always regarded Emperor Napoleon as his target. Now, Hughes, who had released his first spell, was finally one step closer to the great sage from back then. ¡°Carry on!¡± Hughes calmed his mind and slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. Majestic spiritual power flowed out one after another, carving magic array patterns in the air. However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred! A Ding suddenly sounded in his head! [ Ding! Detected that the host has learned the first spell, system activated! ] [ Ding! The fully automatic cultivation system has been activated, binding host Hughes Smith! ] [ Ding! Detected that there is a black magic brand in the host¡¯s body, removing! ] [ Ding! Dark Magic brand removed, Perfect Element Affinity returned! ] .. The ringing sound of Ding exploded in Hughes¡¯s head, he couldn¡¯t help but spreading the little curl at the corner of his lips to his whole face! Silent laughing and roaring pushed the surrounding air, the wantonly burst of spiritual power set off a violent invisible hurricane in the training room, highly concentrated elements rubbed against each other and vibrated at the same frequency.. All of this was like a grand ceremony. It was for the presence of the King! Chapter 2 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation After a few seconds, Hughes recovered from his ecstasy. Over the past three years, the ridicule of countless people had made Hughes extremely tough mentally. He slowly expanded his spiritual power while sensing the elemental energy around him bit by bit. Unlike the past three years, Hughes¡¯elemental perception had entered a new world after the return of perfect elemental affinity. In the past, elemental perception was like looking for a needle in a haystack. If Hughes did not rely on his powerful spiritual power, he would not have been able to sense any elements, much less cast the water ball spell! But now, sensing elemental power became as easy as breathing for Hughes. As long as he used his spiritual power, the surrounding elemental power would stick to him so tight that it could not be chased away! ¡°Water ball spell!¡± The ice-blue Magic Array pattern appeared in the air again. Compared to before, this time, the speed of the magic array formation was at least a hundred times faster! Buzz! Blue light flashed! In the blink of an eye, a water ball with a diameter of 30 centimeters suddenly formed. It brought with it a whistling wind and smashed directly into the magic crystal wall not far away! Bang! The water droplets scattered in all directions! The entire training room was instantly enveloped by the steaming water vapor. Crack! A crack that was more than three meters long appeared on the Magic Crystal Wall. ¡°Gasp!¡± Hughes sucked in a breath of cold air. He did not expect that after his elemental affinity had reached the perfect level, the water ball spell that he casually cast would have such great power! As Hughes had yet to step into the first rank, he could not withstand too much elemental energy. When Norton built this training room, the standards set were not high. However, this training room was still not something that a magic apprentice who had yet to step into the first rank could destroy. However, another thing came up. Just as Hughes was surprised by the power of the water ball spell, he suddenly discovered another problem ¡ª the magic power in his body was disappearing at an unimaginable speed! At the same time, the familiar ding sound rang in his mind again! [ Ding! Your Water Ball spell has scanned through your memories and is deeply attracted by the water dragon spell. It is deeply shocked and ashamed. It has started to cultivate diligently and has mutated! ] [ Ding! Detected that the host¡¯s Mana has reached the minimum value for survival. The water ball spell has stopped evolving! ] [ Ding! Due to your hard work in cultivating your water ball spell, you have successfully upgraded your water ball spell to a Tier 2 spell ¡ª Water Dragon Spell. Tier 2 evolution completion rate is 20% ! ] ¡°My spell can actually evolve on its own!¡± Suppressing the shock in his heart, Hughes sat down cross-legged and began to recover his magic power through meditation. Mana was another name for a magician¡¯s spiritual power. When one¡¯s spiritual power was exhausted, the human brain would die. At this time, Hughes¡¯ magic power had reached the minimum required for survival. If he didn¡¯t recover his magic power, he would die on the spot! Five hours later, Hughes¡¯ mana had finally recovered to 30% of his usual level. Due to his innate Max level spiritual power, Hughes¡¯ total mana had already reached the peak of a Tier 2 Mage. ¡°30% of my mana should be enough to cast a tier 2 spell once.¡± Opening the door of the training room, Hughes walked towards the courtyard outside the door. This place was spacious and had a wide field of vision. It was the best place for testing the water dragon technique! ¡°Water dragon technique. If I remember correctly, the power of this technique is not small.¡± A relaxed smile appeared on Hughes¡¯s face. The grievances he had for many years had been swept away today. After sighing in his mind, Hughes stretched out his left hand and suddenly pointed forward. The ice-blue magic array pattern was instantly drawn. The magic array rotated. The surrounding water elements swirled and surged into the core of the Magic Array. ¡°Water Dragon Spell!¡± Nothing could test the truth more than practice. Since he wanted to know the power of the water dragon spell, the best way was to use it! With a roar, 25% of the magic power in Hughes¡¯ body poured out and into the core of the Magic Array. Then, it combined with the water elements in it. In the next moment, water dragons that were 30 meters long rose up from the ground. Roar! The roar of the dragon echoed in all directions! Under Hughes¡¯ control, the water dragons formed by the water dragon spell swooped down and circled in the air near the ground for a while before exploding with a loud bang. A rumbling sound was thunderous! A majestic shock wave fell from the sky and crushed the two crooked trees planted in the courtyard. Coincidentally, the statue of Napoleon the great, which stood in the middle of the courtyard, was also not spared. It was crushed into rubbles by the shock wave! This was not the end. The surrounding walls of the courtyard fell to the ground under the pressure of the shockwave. Even the cultivation room behind Hughes could not withstand the shockwave. It turned into a man-made ruin! The courtyard looked like it had been destroyed by a natural disaster. Looking at it, Hughes was stunned and did not move for a long time. The power of this water dragon spell was truly astonishing. It far surpassed any tier 2 spell that Hughes had ever seen. Combined with the information provided by the system before, the level of this spell was far beyond Tier 2. As long as he had enough magic power, the water dragon spell could continue to advance. It was not impossible for it to become a forbidden level spell! ¡°It¡¯s been three years. I¡¯ve finally succeeded!¡± Three years ago, in order to break through the shackles, Hughes had locked himself in this South Mountain Courtyard. Now, not only had he released his first spell, but he had also cast a second-tier spell at the rank of a magic apprentice, which far exceeded the standard he had set for himself. ¡°It¡¯s time to leave.¡± Pushing aside the ruins of the cultivation room, Hughes took out a coat and put it on before walking out of the courtyard. However, before he could walk out of the courtyard, he was suddenly stopped by a desperate shout. ¡°Second Brother!¡± Before he could see where the person was, Hughes was hit by a delicate body! ¡°Second brother, you¡¯re okay!¡± ¡°Woo Woo Woo, that¡¯s great. I thought you encountered an assassin.¡± Chapter 3 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Chapter Three: Audrey¡¯s shock Raindrops fell from the sky and landed on Audrey Smith¡¯s face. The Raindrops mixed with the tears that had yet to fall, adding to the beauty of the little girl. ¡°There¡¯s no assassin. I was the one who cast that spell just now. Look at how scared you are.¡± Listening to Hughes¡¯s gentle explanation, Audrey subconsciously snuggled her head into Hughes¡¯ arms. ¡°It¡¯s good that there are no assassins. It¡¯s good that there are no assassins.¡± Audrey sobbed as she continued ¡°Brother, why don¡¯t you move back to the duke¡¯s residence and live with us?¡± Hughes looked at Audrey and said, ¡°Two years ago, if you hadn¡¯t gone out, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to see you now.¡± Two years ago, there was an assassination attempt at the South Mountain Courtyard Hughes was in. Fortunately, Hughes hadn¡¯t been cultivating in the cultivation room at that time, so he had narrowly escaped death. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m planning to move back. From now on, I¡¯ll be staying at home.¡± Hughes gently patted his sister¡¯s head and spoke gently. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t go back, but you have to agree to one condition of mine, and that is¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, Audrey suddenly covered her mouth as she stared at Hughes in a daze. ¡°Brother, did I hear wrong? You¡¯ve thought it through!¡± Ever since the awakening ceremony three years ago, Hughes had never returned to the duke¡¯s residence. He had locked himself in the south mountain courtyard and told his family that he wouldn¡¯t leave until he cast his first spell. It was just as Hughes had said. Even after the assassination attempt, Hughes didn¡¯t leave the South Mountain Courtyard to return to the Duke¡¯s mansion, which was heavily guarded. Helplessly, Duke Norton had no choice but to arrange another group of security forces for Hughes, which ensured Hughes¡¯s safety for the next two years. During this period, Audrey had visited the South Mountain courtyard countless times and used various means to get her brother to come home with her. However, Hughes had remained unmoved at that time. He had always been stubborn ¡ª he would never return home without casting his first spell! ¡°Yay, I¡¯ve finally managed to influence you. Our family can finally be reunited!¡± Audrey pushed Hughes away and skipped while leading the way. She didn¡¯t look like a princess at all. ¡°Follow me closely. If you can¡¯t find the way, don¡¯t¡­¡± Her voice came to an abrupt halt, and her skipping figure froze on the spot. As her younger sister, Audrey knew her brother very well. Ever since the trauma three years ago, her brother had become a completely different person. He locked himself in this courtyard all day long and practiced magic diligently. With Hughes¡¯s character, he would never return to the Duke¡¯s mansion just because of her persuasion. There was only one reason for him to suddenly agree to her this time! ¡°Brother, you¡­ you succeeded?¡± ¡°Did you really succeed in casting your magic?¡± Audrey was born in a top noble family in the empire. She knew better than ordinary people how difficult it was for a person who had an inferior affinity with elements to cast a spell. If the amount of mana needed for an ordinary mage to activate an element was one, then Hughes, who only had an inferior affinity with elements, would need to use one hundred mana to activate an element! How difficult was this? This was the difficulty of hell! Looking at his sister¡¯s expectant look, Hughes didn¡¯t say anything. Most of the time, actions were more powerful than words. He smiled faintly and stretched out his finger. In the next moment, an ice-blue miniature magic array appeared at his fingertip. ¡°Water¡­ water ball spell!¡± As Audrey cried out in surprise, a water ball carrying a strong force and blasted a mountain rock on the mountain path into pieces. ¡°Yes, I succeeded!¡± Hughes looked at his sister with a smile, his face full of love and pity. In order to cultivate, he had truly neglected this little sister who had always cared about him these past few years. Now, not only did he successfully mastered the water ball spell, but he had also awakened a system that could allow magic to cultivate automatically. The grievances that he had accumulated for many years all disappeared on this day. At this moment, what Hughes wanted to do the most was to properly compensate his sister, to do his duty as an older brother! Drip, drip.. Tears turned into raindrops and streaked across Audrey¡¯s exquisite little face. They fell to the ground and bloomed into crystal-clear water droplets. ¡°Brother, I knew you could do it. I knew it¡­¡± Audrey leaned against her brother¡¯s chest as she cried tears of joy. He¡¯s back. My Brother is finally back! Three years ago, after Hughes suffered a heavy setback. The meticulous Audrey noticed the changes in her brother¡¯s heart. Since then, the gentle Hughes, who was like a spring breeze, had disappeared, leaving behind a desperate shell. In order to find her brother, Audrey had come to the South Mountain courtyard a few times a month over the past three years, trying to make Hughes happy. She hoped that she could bring Hughes back in such a way. Fortunately, her years of perseverance had finally paid off. Her brother had finally returned! ¡°Brother!¡± Audrey cried like a fountain! ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay¡­¡± Hughes looked at his sister with great heartache. The past had surfaced in his heart. He was not an iron hearted person. He would also feel lonely because of his bland magic practice. If it weren¡¯t for Audrey¡¯s perseverance in coming to see him and changing ways to help him relieve his worries, he would have long been reduced to a walking corpse in the midst of endless failures. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go home together.¡± .. Imperial City, Duke Tulip¡¯s residence. ¡°Miss, this is¡­¡± When Hughes and Audrey walked to the front door of the duke¡¯s residence, the old gatekeeper didn¡¯t recognize Hughes for a moment. He looked at Hughes coldly with a vigilant expression. Audrey was fourteen years old now. She had grown into a little beauty that was famous throughout the imperial capital. As an old man in the Duke¡¯s mansion, the old gatekeeper felt that he had a responsibility and an obligation to help Miss Audrey drive away those detestable mosquitoes. In the old man¡¯s view, Hughes was a detestable mosquito, one that was extremely detestable! How dare this person hold Miss Audrey¡¯s Arm? How dare he! No, I, Old John, will not allow this kid to continue taking advantage of Miss Audrey! Let go of your perverted hands. Miss Audrey is not someone a gigolo like you can climb up to! The old concierge felt a storm in his heart. However, his many years of experience as a concierge told him that this matter could not be rushed. He needed to take things slowly. Therefore, he probed once again: ¡°Miss, who is this person? Why don¡¯t I remember master inviting such a guest?¡± Today was the day Duke Tulip would hold a grand banquet for his guests before he left. As a concierge, it was his duty to identify the guests for his master. ¡°Brother, Old John is asking you. Quickly tell him who you are.¡± Audrey looked at Hughes with a teasing expression. As a quick-witted person, she could naturally hear the little thoughts in old John¡¯s words. Brother? Since when did Miss Audrey have a brother? Old John furrowed his brows as he stared at Hughes¡¯s face and began to think. Oh? Young Master Hughes? It¡¯s actually young master Hughes! No wonder! No wonder he could be so intimate Miss Audrey! Thinking of Miss Audrey¡¯s destination today, Old John quickly guessed the identity of the person who had come. However, his mouth suddenly became disobedient, and even his tone when confirmating became shaky. ¡°Second young master¡­ Young Master, it¡¯s really¡­ it¡¯s really you!¡± Hughes nodded in affirmation and looked at Old John with a smile. Upon receiving Hughes¡¯s reply, Old John instantly fell into ecstasy. ¡°Happy News! It¡¯s a joyous occasion!¡± ¡°Young Master Hughes is back, the second young master is back!¡± The old concierge didn¡¯t even look at the door. He turned around and ran towards the banquet hall while shouting and shouting. In the hall, a middle-aged man who looked a little like Hughes listened attentively. After confirming several times, he stood up. Chapter 4 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I have some private matters to attend to. Please excuse me.¡± Norton Smith raised his wine cup and bowed to his surroundings, indicating that he was about to leave. The guests in the banquet hall were also mannered and raised their cups to send him off. After drinking the last cup of wine, Norton willed and the silver spatial magic array pattern quickly lit up. In the next moment, he brought the old concierge and appeared in front of Hughes and his sister. His lips moved, but the throat that had been soaked by the wine let out an extremely dry voice. ¡°Did you succeed?¡± ¡°I succeeded.¡± ¡°Relax your body. Follow me.¡± Norton nodded in satisfaction. Then, the silver array pattern lit up again and the two disappeared in an instant. In the claustrophobic alternate dimension, Norton reached out and touched Hughes¡¯ glabella. ¡°In this dimension, there exists all the elements that are known in the present world. Use your full strength and let me see your results.¡± The long years of military service had made Norton extremely straightforward and efficient. At the same time, it had also made him lose some of his ability to express his emotions. He was as cold as steel and was not good at showing his yearning gently. He would only use this kind of cold inspection to express his approval of his son. After more than ten years of father-son affection, Hughes naturally knew Norton¡¯s intention. He did not say much and immediately used his mind to sketch the array pattern of the water ball spell in this space. Bang! The water ball with a diameter of 30 centimeters shot out. The speed of the water ball was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, it had drilled into the depths of this space. Huh? It was actually so well practiced! Although he was extremely excited in his heart, on the surface, Norton still pretended to be calm and said indifferently, ¡°Not bad, you still have some form.¡± ¡°Drink this magic potion. After replenishing your magic power, release it again for me to see. This time, I want you to use your full strength. You must bring out your best.¡± Norton had successfully advanced to the 8th rank Saint Magister a year ago. With his rank, he could easily see that Hughes¡¯ current mana was drained. That move just now did not represent his true level. Gulp Gulp Gulp.. Hughes drank the potion in one gulp, but he did not immediately sit down to meditate. Instead, he refined the potion¡¯s power into his own mana. ¡°Two more bottles. This potion is only enough for me to recover 30% of my mana.¡± Huh? It was not enough! Oh, right, this kid was born with full spiritual power. A bottle of tier 2 potion probably would not be enough to feed him. ¡°Take it.¡± Norton did not show any emotion on his face. He took out two bottles of potions and threw them to Hughes. Hughes did not waste any time. After drinking the two bottles of potions, he sat down and recovered his magic power. With the help of the potions, Hughes¡¯ mana quickly recovered to its peak level. The magic power in his body surged up and down, and the magic circuit hidden in his body also lit up at this moment. [ Ding! Detected that the host¡¯s magic power has recovered to its peak level. Tier 2 spell, Water Dragon Magic Circuit activated. Activation rate: 10% ! ] Magic Circuit? Hughes¡¯ pupils instantly dilated. He was shocked beyond words. Magic Circuit was a godly skill that all the mages in the Europa continent dreamed of. As long as there was a magic circuit in the body of a mage, the mages would be able to cast spells instantaneously without having to draw magic patterns. The stronger the magic circuit was, the faster the speed of casting spells instantaneously, and the greater the power of the spells. If a mage chose to draw magic array, they would also receive the amplification from the magic circuit. Their casting power would be more than twice that of an ordinary mage. However, these two abilities were not the real reason why the Magic Circuit was hailed as a godly skill. The most powerful aspect of the magic circuit was that it could mobilize the elemental energy around the mage at all times, tempering the mage¡¯s physique and allowing the mage¡¯s body to gradually transform into an elemental conductor that surpassed all other materials. This would open the door to Tier 9 mage God for the Mage! Simply put, the magic circuit was the stamp of a powerful mage! Buzz! With a thought from Hughes, the magic circuit in his body instantly burst out with an icy blue light. The surrounding water elements gathered crazily and rushed into Hughes¡¯s body like a wild wave! Water Dragon Spell! With a roar, the icy blue water dragon as thick as a water tank suddenly flashed and swirled with waves of elemental whirlpools. This time, Hughes cast the water dragon spell at an extremely fast speed. It was at least four times faster than the previous water dragon spell, and it was more than ten times faster than the water ball spell that he had just cast! Bang! After running for a thousand meters, the water dragon spell exploded! A powerful shockwave spread out from the original point of the explosion. The elemental power in the quiet space was also carried by the Shockwave and crashed into the Mana Crystal Wall that Norton had set up beforehand. ¡°Tier 3 spell!¡± Feeling the power coming from the Mana Crystal Wall, Norton¡¯s expression changed drastically. Even a Tier 8 saint magister like him who had seen countless storms.., was also shocked by Hughes¡¯ water dragon spell. After all, Hughes has yet to pass the first-order elemental baptism, and he¡¯s still a very new apprentice. No! With Hughes¡¯ current physique, it was impossible for him to master third-order magic! The momentary shock did not break Norton¡¯s judgment, and his experience told him that something was amiss. Magic Circuit? Could it be that this kid had managed to master it by chance? After thinking about it, Norton could no longer hold back his curiosity. He excitedly pressed on Hughes¡¯ shoulder and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Is it a magic circuit? Is there a magic circuit in your body?¡± Without waiting for Hughes to answer, Norton stretched out his finger again and pressed on Hughes¡¯ body. Pure white light magic array pattern lit up. In an instant, the magic array pattern in Hughes¡¯ body was activated by Norton and began to vibrate. Whoosh! Norton let out a heavy breath. Then, he withdrew his index finger that was pressing on Hughes¡¯ body and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°This matter must be kept between us. It must not be known by a third person!¡± Norton¡¯s expression changed rapidly. The skin on his forehead wrinkled into three lines. ¡°Remember, don¡¯t let anyone know, including your brother and sister!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ask you where you got such an opportunity. One more person knowing will make things more dangerous!¡± Looking at his father¡¯s rapidly changing expression, Hughes was puzzled. It was just a magic circuit, there was no need to be so nervous. Although he had such thoughts, Hughes did not directly ask this question because he could see a trace of worry on his father¡¯s face. He recalled the information that the system had given him earlier ¡ª ¡®black magic brand detected in host¡¯s body, perfect elemental affinity returned!¡¯ Hughes keenly sensed that something was unusual! ¡°Someone wants to harm me?¡± Hughes asked tentatively. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not sure who it is for the time being.¡± Norton did not try to hide anything and directly admitted Hughes¡¯s guess. ¡°For 2,700 years, our tulip family has always been the pillar of the empire. Although we have declined several times during this period, we have always been able to rise up and become the top family of the Empire.¡± ¡°2,700 years is too long. Our family has too many enemies. I suspect that the failure of your awakening when you were 12 years old was caused by our enemies in the dark!¡± Saying this, Norton¡¯s eyes suddenly shot out a bright light. His entire temperament was also filled with a thick murderous aura! Chapter 5 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°From today onwards, you will stay in the family. Cultivate well and I will arrange for people to protect you.¡± After saying this, Norton was about to remove the spatial magic and bring Hughes back to the present world. However, at this moment, Hughes reached out and stopped him. ¡°Father, I want to tell you my opinion.¡± Norton turned around and looked at Hughes from head to toe. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to stay at home. Didn¡¯t the assassination two years ago teach you a lesson?¡± Hughes was not intimidated by his father¡¯s imposing manner. After three years of Lonely Magic Training, Hughes¡¯heart had long been tempered by endless loneliness and was incomparably firm. At this time, he already had his own ideas. He did not want to hide in the family and grow up slowly, to be a flower in a greenhouse. This time, he wanted to step on the sword and dance, face the unknown danger directly, and use himself as bait to lure out the enemies hidden in the darkness one by one. ¡°Father, hiding at home, I will be safe for the time being, but in the long run, will we really be able to rest easy?¡± ¡°Just as you said before, our family has too many enemies. These people are constantly looking forward to our downfall. Will they stop attacking us without me, the easiest opening to break through?¡± Hughes reached out to hold Norton¡¯s hands and said in a deep voice, ¡°Father, instead of waiting for death, why don¡¯t we try to take the initiative to attack?¡± ¡°We can only wait to be beaten up if we defend passively. However, if we take the initiative to enter the fray, we will be able to gain a portion of the initiative.¡± Silly Child, of course you have to defend passively. However, how could I not have prepared a backup plan? I, your father, have not lived in vain for so many years. I still understand the logic of striking first to gain the upper hand. Even though he already had a plan in his heart, when Norton saw Hughes¡¯sincere expression, he still did not have the heart to interrupt his son. After all, his son had been in seclusion for so many years. It was not easy for him to walk out of the shadows and regain his confidence. It was also a good thing to give him some time to express his views. ¡°Tell me what you think. Let me hear it.¡± Norton reached out and patted Hughes on the shoulder, encouraging him sincerely. ¡°My plan is very simple.¡± Hughes looked straight into Norton¡¯s eyes and said with a firm tone, ¡°I will be the bait myself. I will lure out all those who harbor ill intentions one by one!¡± ¡°In five days, Hiro Royal Academy¡¯s entrance exam will begin. I want to participate in this exam!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Norton¡¯s grumpy voice exploded in Hughes¡¯ears. ¡°Nonsense! This is simply nonsense!¡± ¡°Have you forgotten how you were trampled into the ground from your position as a genius three years ago?¡± Norton was furious. He pointed at Hughes¡¯nose and started cursing. ¡°The Empire has been established for 2,700 years. Do you think there¡¯s only a genius like you who has a peak innate spiritual power? But other than you, which genius doesn¡¯t start with high-level elemental affinity!¡± ¡°Three years ago, you were schemed against by someone and you were disheartened. I couldn¡¯t bear to tell you about this.¡± ¡°But just now, I¡¯ve already told you so clearly. Someone schemed against you and someone wanted to destroy you. How could you still come up with such an unreliable plan! Are you trying to anger me to death?¡± As he spoke, Norton raised his fist and was about to punch Hughes. But before his fist landed on Hughes, he retracted it. After so many years, Hughes had suffered a lot. Now that he had just made a breakthrough, he really could not bear to pour cold water on Hughes at this critical moment. ¡°You¡¯re only fifteen this year. Do you know what it means to have mastered the magic circuit at your age?¡± ¡°The Empire has been established for more than two thousand seven hundred years. A mage who can master the Magic Circuit at the age of twenty is already a peerless genius. There are only a dozen or so under the age of twenty who have mastered it.¡± ¡°As for the person who can master the magic circuit at the age of 15, other than you, there has only been one other person since ancient times.¡± At this point, Norton suddenly stopped speaking. After taking a deep breath, Norton put on an extremely yearning expression and said in a deep voice, ¡°That person is the founder of the Hiro Empire, a tier-9 mage God, and the Emperor of the Europa continent ¡ª Napoleon Bonaparte!¡± ¡°The reason why I want you to stay at home is to hide your talent and give you time to grow. With such talent, in time, your achievements might not necessarily be smaller than Emperor Napoleon¡¯s.¡± ¡°You understand my painstaking efforts!¡± After saying that, a worried expression appeared on Norton¡¯s face once again. In the end, paper could not cover fire. Hughes¡¯current cultivation was still very weak. With his eighth-level Saint Magister¡¯s strength, it was enough to cover up the fluctuations produced by Hughes¡¯cultivation. However, as Hughes¡¯cultivation level continued to increase, his ability to cover up would become more and more stretched. At most, he would be able to hold on until Hughes¡¯fifth rank. His magic array would no longer be able to completely isolate the fluctuations produced by Hughes when he was cultivating. One had to know that Hughes was a mage with innate maximum level spiritual power. Now, by chance and coincidence, he had untangled the spell set up by the traitor. Not only did he regain his elemental affinity, but he had also mastered the magic circuit. The intensity of the elemental baptism when he advanced to Tier-5 was comparable to that when an ordinary mage advanced to Tier-7. The intensity of the elemental fluctuations was not something he could hide. ¡®Let¡¯s take it one step at a time. I¡¯ll hide it for Hughes until he reaches Tier-5 first,¡¯Norton thought to himself. ¡°It¡¯s settled then. Listen to me and train hard. You Don¡¯t have to worry about anything else. I¡¯ll take care of everything for you.¡± After saying that, Norton looked up from the corner of his eye and carefully observed Hughes¡¯expression. However, after peeking for a long time, Norton did not see any signs of wanting to agree from Hughes¡¯face. As expected, his ¡®stubborn¡¯son shook his head in the end. ¡°Father, let me do it according to my plan. Normally, I have the ability to protect myself. When I¡¯m promoted, I¡¯ll naturally return home and do as you request.¡± ¡°Heh, if you have the ability to protect yourself, fine. If you can block my investigation, I will agree to it!¡± Norton was also angered by Hughes¡¯ignorance. A magic apprentice who had yet to undergo the baptism of elements actually dared to boast shamelessly, ¡®you can protect yourself.¡¯ It was simply the biggest joke in the world! One had to know that in the entire imperial capital, other than the group of lunatics in the anti-magic Research Institute, there were already seven level-eight saint magisters on the surface. There were even more hidden in the shadows. In the eyes of these magicians who could be called gods, a mere magic apprentice could be easily detected with a flip of the palm. Once the enemies of the family knew that Hughes had a magic circuit, those people would kill Hughes at all costs! ¡°Alright, don¡¯t argue with me. Just do as I say.¡± Norton gave another order and was ready to end the conversation. However, at this moment, Hughes, who was standing in front of him, took out a box from his pocket. The box opened and a black, irregular-shaped stone was held in Hughes¡¯s hand. Chapter 6 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The name of the black stone was called the anti-magic stone. It was not only the nemesis of all magic, but also the hope of countless mages who had no hope of advancing! The anti-magic stone could devour the power of elements. Once activated, it would begin to absorb the power of elements and form an absolute elemental vacuum around it until it could not devour anymore. Then it would be disintegrated! When the anti-magic Stone was first discovered, the mages could only use its most basic characteristics to set up an anti-magic space! This situation lasted for more than three thousand years. It was not until the emergence of Napoleon¡¯s theorem that this situation was finally changed. More than two thousand seven hundred years ago, after Napoleon became emperor, he once gave a famous speech at the Hiro Royal Academy. In the speech, he said that spiritual power was the fifth basic element apart from Earth, water, fire, and wind. Together with the other four elements, it became the cornerstone on which this world ran on. Not only could these elements be arranged and combined, but they could also be transformed into each other. When he said this, it was earth-shattering! Countless magic scholars jumped out and used theories that had been accumulated for thousands of years to prove that what Napoleon said was absurd! However, after experiencing dozens and hundreds of experiments, the magic world finally accepted Napoleon¡¯s conclusion and named the theorem after him. Not long after Napoleon¡¯s theorem was proposed, one of the applied science fanatics in the magic world, Angor Herbert, proposed a new method of cultivation based on this. That was to refine the anti-magic stone and use its characteristic of devouring the power of the elements to enhance one¡¯s own elemental affinity. And according to Napoleon¡¯s law, the excess power of the elements would be refined into the magic power of the mage himself! The world was shocked, and people began to denounce Angor, accusing him of wishful thinking. Yet at this very moment, Napoleon, who was already revered as the mage God, stood out and affirmed Angor¡¯s theory. He personally used actions to prove the practicality of Angor¡¯s theory! However, after proving the feasibility of this idea, Napoleon did not promote this cultivation method throughout the country. He only appointed Angor to bring volunteers to study it on their own. He said that his success could only prove that the idea was feasible, but it did not mean that the practice was suitable for everyone¡­ The fact was as Napoleon said. In the next two thousand years or so, countless people tried this practice, but not many succeeded. Most of them died tragically during the practice. The cause of their death was also simple. There were only two reasons: losing control of magic power resulting in the shattering of their souls, and losing control of elemental control resulting in the disintegration of their bodies! .. Seeing that black stone, Norton¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°What are you doing? Put that thing down!¡± Most people did not know what the black stone in Hughes¡¯ hand was, but Norton, was a high-ranking member of the Empire and had seen a lot. He knew that it was a mage¡¯s poison! As he spoke, Norton, who was burning with anxiety, approached Hughes. However, it was already too late. Before he could get close, the black stone turned into a ray of light and entered Hughes¡¯ body through his skin. After the argument just now, Hughes already understood that it was an impossible task to convince Norton with words. To achieve his goal, Hughes had to give Norton a reason that he had to agree to. This reason was the anti-magic Stone! Unlike other mages, the anti-magic stone cultivation method was extremely compatible with Hughes, who had the system. Every automatic cultivation of magic required a large amount of Hughes¡¯s magic power. Once Hughes¡¯s magic power was full, he only needed to mobilize the system and control the automatic cultivation of magic, and his magic power would be completely consumed! There was no danger of other mages losing control of their magic power. It was even more impossible for the elements to be out of control. Every time the magic Hughes practiced underwent a mutation, a new magic circuit would form in his body. As Hughes mastered more magic, the magic circuits in his body would also increase. Every magic circuit was an elemental black hole that could not be fed. Hughes alone could not feed so many magic circuits at the same time. All in all, the anti-magic stone cultivation method was the most suitable for Hughes. Only such a heaven-defying cultivation method could allow Hughes to perfectly utilize the system in his body. ¡°Father, I have already refined the anti-magic stone. Promise me, allow me register for the examination of the Royal Hiro Academy.¡± Hughes¡¯ gaze turned cold and he said coldly, ¡°I want to join the anti-magic Research Institute. As long as I enter, even if Napoleon VII wants to touch me, he¡¯ll have to consider whether he¡¯s qualified or not!¡± Ever since Angor proposed the training method for the anti-magic stone more than two thousand years ago, the anti-magic Research Institute at Hiro Royal Academy had become the most transcendent force in the entire Europa continent. It was one of the most powerful forces! At first, it was because of Napoleon¡¯s support. Then, it was because they had the most numerous and most protective holy magisters in the entire continent. Even in this era when magic was at its lowest point, there are still five level-eight holy magisters in the anti-magic Research Institute, and more than thirty level-seven grand magisters. ¡°Sigh, why are you so stubborn!¡± Norton looked at Hughes worriedly, his voice was trembling. ¡°Do you know how dangerous the path you chose is? You¡­¡± Halfway through his sentence, Norton suddenly stopped. The cultivation method of the anti-magic stone was irreversible. Once a mage chose to refine the anti-magic stone, he would forever be entangled with the anti-magic stone. He had to constantly refine new anti-magic stones. Once it stopped, the equilibrium formed by the anti-magic stone in the Mage¡¯s body would be broken. At that time, what awaited the cultivator was an irreversible death! Buzz! The silver spatial magic array pattern lit up, and the claustrophobic alternate dimension disappeared. Norton and Hughes reappeared in the Duke¡¯s mansion. ¡°Father!¡± As soon as the two appeared, Audrey, who had been waiting in the same spot for a long time, pounced on them and spoke with a face full of resentment, ¡°Father, if you want to check on brother¡¯s cultivation, just do it. Why are you blocking me? Am I not your daughter?¡± ¡°How can that be? Why would I deliberately block my little princess? I just feel that the elements in the alternate dimension are more balanced, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Norton was clearly having a hard time dealing with his cute little daughter. He might as well throw the topic to Hughes and let him settle it. As expected, Audrey immediately turned her gaze to Hughes. ¡°Is that so? Second Brother, don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°Father¡¯s mastery of space magic are very advanced. The composition of the elements in the alternate dimension is indeed more balanced.¡± Hughes nodded and acknowledged Norton¡¯s words. In other words, he had given in to Norton. ¡°HMPH, I¡¯ll forgive you this time. If you hide your weakness from me again, I¡¯ll ignore you.¡± Audrey glared angrily at Norton. She held Hughes¡¯s hand and walked deeper into the Duke¡¯s manor. ¡°Brother, you have to stay me now that you came back. I want to go to the Alps to see the snow. I also want to¡­¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I¡¯ll do as you wish.¡± Seeing the two siblings chatting and walking away, Norton shook his head bitterly as if he was deep in thought. After a while, he summoned the butler and ordered him to go to Hiro Royal Academy to register Hughes. ¡°Let¡¯s take it one step at a time. My son might also be able to do what Napoleon did.¡± ¡°He was able to master the magic circuit at the age of fifteen. He is destined to become a mage God. A small anti-magic stone cultivation method will definitely not be a problem for my son!¡± .. After the Butler left, Norton found a corner to sit down, and he began to mutter and comfort himself. Chapter 7 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Imperial City, Duke of Bauhinia¡¯s mansion. ¡°Young master, Young Master, there is big news!¡± ¡°What are you making so much noise for? What have I always taught you? You have to be calm when you do things. Being so agitated every day is a disgrace to my Duke¡¯s Mansion!¡± The one who spoke was a young man named Lucian Oscar. He was the youngest son of the Duke of Bauhinia, Mark Oscar. This man was the same age as Hughes this year. Before he was twelve years old, he had always been overshadowed by Hughes¡¯ halo. After Hughes failed to awaken and became a waste, he, Lucian, became famous in the Imperial City for being the genius of the Oscar family. Three years had passed. The gifted Lucian had already replaced Hughes and became a hot celebrity in the circle of nobles in the imperial city. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. It¡¯s my fault. Please punish me, Young Master.¡± The servant had followed Lucian for many years, and he knew his young master¡¯s temper very well. He quickly knelt on the ground and begged for punishment. Lucian really enjoyed this. Seeing that the servant was frightened by his authority, Lucian was full of pride and pretended to be generous: ¡°Get up. Be careful next time. Tell me, what do you have to report?¡± ¡°Young master is merciful.¡± After getting up, the servant did not tidy up his clothes. Instead, he immediately offered his flattery. Then, he told him what he had heard today. ¡°What? Hughes, that good-for-nothing, got his butler to sign him up for the exam at Hiro Royal Academy?¡± After listening to the servant¡¯s report, Lucian suddenly stood up and said ferociously, ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s absolutely true, young master. How would I dare to lie to You!¡± ¡°Hughes, you asked for it!¡± Deng Deng Deng.. Lucian quickly walked down the stairs and stood in front of the servant. ¡°Arrange for people to be stationed all over the city. As soon as Hughes leaves the duke¡¯s residence, I want to know his location immediately!¡± Lucian¡¯s face was ferocious as he muttered to himself, ¡°Hughes, this is the chance you gave me. This time, I, Lucian, will definitely make everyone in the imperial capital remember you.¡± .. The next day, in Hiro City. Hughes held Audrey¡¯s hand as they walked out of a theatre. ¡°Sob, sob, sob, brother, that knight is so tragic. Sob, sob, sob¡­¡± At this moment, Audrey was still immersed in the tragic ending, unable to extricate herself. Her tears were like pearls falling down a broken string with a pitter-patter. Hughes reached out his hand to wipe the tears from his sister¡¯s face and was about to offer words of comfort. Suddenly, a voice that was extremely unpleasant rang in both their ears. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t our great genius Hughes. I haven¡¯t seen him for so many years, and I wonder what state he is in now.¡± Then, accompanied by a burst of exaggerated laughter, Lucian Oscar with a group of lackeys, blocked Hughes and his sister theatre door. ¡°How is he a genius? He¡¯s just a trash who has a poor affinity with the elements. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re talking about a genius, it can only be our young master Lucian. Only Young Master Lucian is worthy of the title of the number one genius in the capital of God.¡± Ever since he found out yesterday that Hughes had signed up to take the exam at Hiro Royal Academy, Lucian had arranged for people to patrol the city. His luck was not bad. It did not take long for the people he sent out to find Hughes, who was watching a play with his sister, at the entrance of the theatre. He hurried over. Lucian finally arrived before Hughes left with his people. Before he came, he had already made up his mind that he would definitely humiliate Hughes today! ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not considered a genius. I¡¯m only a Tier 2 mage now. In the entire imperial city, there are many mages who are stronger than me. Don¡¯t make me up.¡± Lucian continued to explain with a faint smile: ¡°As for humans, the higher you stand, the worse you fall. I¡¯m sure Young Master Hughes knows this very well!¡± Hughes was not angry. He just looked at Lucian indifferently and said coldly, ¡°Are you done? If you¡¯re done, hurry up and get out of the way.¡± After three years of lonely training, Hughes¡¯s heart had long become extremely firm. He could easily see through Lucian¡¯s thoughts, but he did not want to pay attention to him. He did not even feel annoyed by his provocation. Huh? Why wasn¡¯t he angry! Hmm, he must be faking it. He must be very angry now, but he did not want to lose his poise. Yes, that must be the case. After some imagination, Lucian affirmed his plan to verbally insult Hughes. He judged others by himself and didn¡¯t think that Hughes could be indifferent to such humiliation. ¡°I heard that Young Master Hughes has signed up for the exam at Hiro Royal Academy. Is this true?¡± Lucian directly threw out his trump card. Then, he put his hands behind his back and made a gesture to the lackeys behind him. The lackeys immediately understood and began to make trouble. ¡°Impossible, absolutely impossible! He¡¯s a piece of trash who can¡¯t even cast a single spell. How would he have the guts to participate in the Hiro Royal Academy¡¯s Exam! ?¡± ¡°Yeah, during the awakening ceremony three years ago, he awakened the lowest level of elemental affinity. A person like him doesn¡¯t have the qualifications to participate in the Hiro Royal Academy¡¯s exam.¡± .. The lackeys were discussing intently, and their voices were extremely loud as though they were afraid that others wouldn¡¯t know that they were targeting Hughes. Right at this moment, Lucian waved his hand, clenched his fist, and said coldly, ¡°Shut up! Young Master Hughes is such a genius. Do you know what it means to have a peak innate spiritual power?¡± ¡°Although young master Hughes awakened the lowest level of elemental affinity and then disappeared for three years, he must be confident since he has the guts to register for the Hiro Royal Academy¡¯s examination.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, Young Master Hughes?¡± Lucian¡¯s eyes were ferocious, but his tone was exceptionally gentle. ¡°What confidence can he have? He¡¯s just a trash!¡± ¡°Innate Max level spiritual power? That can¡¯t be true. In history, there were so many geniuses with innate Max level spiritual power. Which one of them didn¡¯t awaken high-level elemental affinity? I think he¡¯s a liar!¡± ¡°Trash, if you have the ability, then show us. Release a spell. As long as you can release it, we will recognize that you have the qualifications to participate in the Hiro Royal Academy¡¯s Exam!¡± ¡°Release a spell! Otherwise, get lost! Release a spell¡­¡± Listening to the waves of voices behind him, Lucian was extremely satisfied. Hughes, aren¡¯t you a genius? Weren¡¯t you blessed by the Great Wizard of Light? Didn¡¯t you go on a safari with Napoleon VII? You didn¡¯t expect to be so embarrassed today, did you! Say something, fight back. Weren¡¯t you proud before? The crowd was noisy, and more and more people gathered. Everything was going in the direction that Lucian wanted to. However, at this moment, Hughes took a step forward. Chapter 8 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Seeing Hughes start to move forward, Lucian was ecstatic. Finally, he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore? Come out and explain. It¡¯s best if you refute me. The more you explain, the more you would lose face today. Don¡¯t blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being garbage. During the three years when Hughes was cultivating magic alone, Lucian with his outstanding talent successfully obtained the title of genius in Hiro City. However, what made him angry was that his father, Duke Mark Oscar, never praised him. Not only that, his father often compared Hughes to him, asking him to give up playing and focus on training. As time passed, Lucian¡¯s hatred for Hughes grew deeper and deeper. If Hughes was still the famous genius in the imperial city, it would be fine. He would admit defeat as his talent wasn¡¯t as good. However, Hughes had already become a trash who had inferior elemental affinity at that time. What right did Hughes have to be compared to him! ¡°Make Way.¡± An indifferent and seemingly emotionless voice tore apart Lucian¡¯s fantasies. Hughes pushed Lucian away and brought Audrey down the stairs. How dare you ignore me? You actually dare to ignore me! Bastard, you¡¯re courting death! Lucian flew into a rage out of humiliation. He quickly stepped forward and blocked Hughes. Following that, he recited an incantation and a crimson magic array pattern lit up in the air. A red fireball emerged from the center of the Magic Array Pattern and floated in mid-air with a threatening heat. ¡°You can¡¯t leave. As a candidate of Hiro Royal Academy, I won¡¯t allow trash like you to tarnish the reputation of the academy. ¡°Today, you can either publicly announce that you¡¯re giving up on participating in the entrance examination, or release your magic and fight me.¡± Saying this, Lucian raised his head proudly and spoke in a clear voice, ¡°I won¡¯t take advantage of you either. This time, I¡¯ll only use the strength of a magic apprentice.¡± Lucian¡¯s righteous appearance immediately attracted a wave of cheers. Most of them were lackeys that he had recruited himself, and the other part were enthusiastic citizens who were enjoying the show and didn¡¯t mind things stirring up. ¡°You can try.¡± ¡°Do you believe that if you make me lose a strand of hair today, my father will be able to eradicate your Oscar family from Hiro City tomorrow!¡± Hughes still had the same indifferent expression as before. There was not a hint of shame or anger on his face. Lucian was just a young boy who did not know the affairs of the world. Even if he had the courage, he would not dare to attack him in front of so many people. After all, the House of Duke Tulip was not to be trifled with. Even Hughes¡¯ brother Vance alone was not someone that the Oscar family could afford to offend much less Duke Tulip Norton. Vance was a seventh level Grand Knight of the temple, an existence that required countless people to look up to. Duke Bauhinia was a businessman who made his fortune through flattery. How would he dare to offend their family. One had to know that in the end, power talked in this world. ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± Lucian¡¯s face alternated between red and white. Hughes was right. Although his father was a duke like Norton, Norton was also an eighth rank saint magister in addition to the title of Duke. His father, on the other hand, had no cultivation at all. He was just an official who managed the internal affairs of the king. It was fine if it was just a small matter. The people above him would only treat it as a child¡¯s play and ignore it. However, if he really hurt Hughes, he would bring great trouble to his family. If his father was faced direct pressure from the Tulip family, his father would definitely hand him over. ¡°If you don¡¯t dare to do anything, then get lost. Don¡¯t be an eyesore in front of us, you clown!¡± Audrey pushed Lucian away and held Hughes¡¯s arm as she walked out of the crowd. As she walked, Audrey grumbled to Hughes: ¡°What a downer. My good mood for the day was ruined by this pig-like idiot. What bad luck.¡± Idiot! How dare she call me an idiot! Lucian was exasperated, but there was nothing he could do. A mouthful of blood rushed to his throat. In a splash, blood instantly dyed the stairs in front of the theater. As he watched the Hughes duo walk further and further away, Lucian could no longer hold back the anguish in his heart. He pointed in the direction where the two of them had gone and roared at the top of his lungs: ¡°Hughes, if you¡¯re a man, we¡¯ll have a showdown after the exam. The loser will get the hell out of the imperial capital and shall never return. ¡°Hughes, do you dare?¡± ¡°Answer me!¡± On a distant street, Audrey hugged Hughes¡¯s arm and asked with a puzzled look. ¡°Second brother, why didn¡¯t you beat him up? That Lucian is simply too arrogant. I get angry just by looking at him.¡± Hughes smiled and reached out to help his sister tidy up the loose hair stuck to her forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that a street fight like this is a very childish thing?¡± ¡°With my strength, beating him up is indeed very simple. But after the fight, what benefit will I get?¡± Audrey thought for a moment and said slyly, ¡°How can there be no benefits? At least it can make me feel happy!¡± Then, she rolled her eyes at Hughes and said coquettishly, ¡°Bad second brother, you don¡¯t feel sorry for me at all. You didn¡¯t even help me beat up that detestable fellow. Not only did he dirty your beloved sister¡¯s eyes, but he also polluted your sister¡¯s ears. ¡°I don¡¯t care. You have to compensate me.¡± Hughes was stunned. What did this have to do with anything. But when he thought of how his sister had come to visit him countless times over the past three years, Hughes¡¯s heart softened. After acquiring the system and refining the anti-magic stone, Hughes was in a state of cultivation all the time. This kind of cultivation was not only fully automatic, but it was also all-rounded. There was no need for Hughes to expend any mental energy. Everything he did was training. It was also good to spend more time with his sister. ¡°I really should compensate you. Tell me how you want me to compensate you.¡± ¡°Yes, I want to eat kebabs. You must roast them yourself.¡± Audrey blinked and asked tentatively. ¡°No problem. There should still be some sauce at home, right? If not, I¡¯ll go buy it.¡± Audrey was in high spirits as she continued to make her requests: ¡°I want to go boating as well. The ones that don¡¯t need a paddle and you just drift along with the waves!¡± ¡°I also want to sit on those big wooden kites one more time. This time, you have to keep holding the rope. You must not tie it to the crooked tree again.¡± ¡­ The Sun was setting as the two figures walked side by side. The shorter one raised her head to make her request from time to time, while the taller one kept nodding her head in agreement. Chapter 9 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Although the farce in front of the theater ended with Lucian¡¯s complete failure, The storm had just begun. The day after the farce was stopped, an order from Napoleon VII came from the high palace. This order was made into a notice by the imperial officials, and it was plastered all over the imperial capital along the streets. The content of the notice was very simple. On one hand, it reprimanded Lucian for being arrogant and conceited. On the other hand, it praised Hughes and made him a role model for the new generation of nobles in the empire. Apart from that, the emperor also made a promise. If Hughes did not succeed in entering the Hiro Royal Academy, Napoleon VII would use the name of the Academy¡¯s President to make an exception and admit Hughes as a reward. Not long after the notice was posted, the entire noble circle of the imperial capital exploded. Years of scheming and plotting against each other allowed these imperial nobles to see more from this edict. They contacted the nobles who were usually on the same line of interest as them and started discussions one after another. Duke¡¯s Bauhinia residence, Mark Oscar¡¯s study room. ¡°Everyone has seen the notice right? I called everyone here today because of this matter.¡± ¡°What are your opinions on this matter? Tell me your thoughts, and we¡¯ll ponder over it together.¡± As soon as everyone arrived, Mark straightforwardly brought up the topic. As the Internal Affairs Officer of Napoleon VII, he was very keen to detect a hint of inexplicable meaning from this edict. Today, he gathered these people to see about how many people had the same perspectives as him. ¡°Duke Oscar, I think His Majesty is sending us a signal.¡± ¡°The Smith family has been too prosperous these years. His Majesty is trying to use our hands to weaken the Smith family¡¯s position in the hearts of the people of the Imperial City.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t hide it anymore. Recently, I¡¯ve found out that His Majesty often talks about Norton¡¯s name alone in the middle of the night.¡± The person who spoke was Baron Orloway. His sister was Napoleon VII¡¯s lover. ¡°I think this will be our opportunity. Although His Majesty might not kill the Smith family in one go, we can still make a lot of money this time even if we just make them spit something out!¡± All the nobles present were sensible people. They instantly understood Baron Orloway and Duke Bauhinia¡¯s intention. Although they were worried, these people still joined the two of them due to the power of interest. ¡­ Unlike the upper-class nobles, the lower-class commoners were much simpler. The moment they saw the edict, the first reaction of these commoners was that it was unfair. Yes, it was unfair! The Hiro Empire had been established for more than 2,700 years. Class divisions were rigid, and the only way to rise was through public institutions like the Hiro Royal Academy. Now, the Emperor used the excuse of a new era of noble role model to forcefully give Hughes a pass to enter the Hiro Royal Academy. How could the commoners at the bottom not be angry! One would become a model of morality if he didn¡¯t cause troubles? If one did not cause trouble, he would be able to enter the Empire¡¯s Best Academy ¡ª the Hiro Royal Academy? Was there any justice in this? Was this even fair! ! They won¡¯t agree, even if Hughes was the son of Saint Magician Norton Smith, they could not agree! ¡°What kind of bewitching potion did this Hughes give His Majesty to make His Majesty make such a decision!¡± ¡°We want to petition His Majesty to take back his order!¡± ¡°The exam is no child¡¯s play. Hughes, a trash with inferior elemental affinity, is not worthy to be enrolled in Hiro Royal Academy!¡± ¡°Petition! We want to petition¡­¡± Under the notice wall, countless people who were hired by the nobles of the imperial capital acted like hungry wolves who shouted at the top of their lungs to petition. The ordinary sheep-like citizens, stimulated by these scheming villains, erupted with a strong desire to fight. After a short while, the citizens held high the banner of the petition and walked onto the streets with sonorous and powerful steps. The densely packed citizens set out from every corner of the imperial capital and finally gathered into a torrent on the main road in the center of the imperial capital. This torrent had only one purpose today. It was to go to the imperial palace and request the Great Emperor, Napoleon VII, to withdraw the order. As they advanced, the law enforcers who maintained order in the imperial city automatically opened the way for them. The indignant merchants held their food high, turning their support into actual support. Even among the nobles, there were people who joined this flood. The leader was Baron Orloway. At this moment, he was walking at the front of the group, holding a red flag that was covered with all kinds of clan emblems. The grand banquet had officially begun! ¡­ Duke Tulip¡¯s residence, Norton Smith¡¯s study room. Tap Tap Tap¡­ Duke Norton raised his fingers and tapped on the table. His expression was extremely ugly, his brows were tightly furrowed, and his gaze was frighteningly cold. Three hours ago, Norton, who was in the military camp, received news that his son¡¯s registration had been used by Napoleon VII. The anxious Norton used the space teleportation spell thirty times in a row and rushed back to the Duke¡¯s mansion before sunset. ¡°I told you not to cause trouble, not to cause trouble. Yet you refined the anti-magic stone without saying a word and forced me to register for you! Now look, it¡¯s ruined!¡± After a moment of silence, Norton changed his cold and hard style and started to grumble. After living in the upper echelons of the empire for half a lifetime, Norton knew Napoleon VII¡¯s plan very clearly. His Majesty wanted to use this method to tie the public¡¯s opinion and unite with the nobles to force his son to compete with Lucian. Norton panicked because the one who faced this crisis was not himself, but his son, Hughes. Hughes had just refined the anti-magic stone. He needed at least half a month to adapt to the changes in his body. Before he completely mastered the anti-magic stone cultivation method, his combat strength would be reduced by at least 70%. It was impossible for him to be a match for a Tier 2 mage like Lucian! ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. I will take care of this matter.¡± Hughes¡¯ eyes shone brightly. His eyes were full of fighting spirit! Chapter 10 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°You will handle it. Do you know what you are going to face? What are you going to use to handle it.¡± Norton said helplessly. ¡°I know what his Majesty wants to do. He wants to use this matter to push our family to the opposition of the citizens and nobles of the Imperial City.¡± ¡°If I fail to pass the exam, I will fall into his trap. The entire Tulip family will be isolated by the citizens and nobles of the Imperial City because of me.¡± ¡°Even if I refuse his good intentions, he can also secretly describe this matter as us cherishing our reputation and not daring to use the backdoor overtly.¡± ¡°If I can pass the exam, he will incite the children of the nobles to duel with me. Using the heat of this matter, he will push that noble¡¯s son into the public.¡± ¡°This person is most likely Duke Oscar¡¯s son Lucian, who had a conflict with me yesterday.¡± Listening to his son¡¯s logical analysis, Norton nodded with appreciation. But then he shook his head and sighed: ¡°I know what you want to do. You want to win in the duel to prove your strength and shut the mouths of the masses. That¡¯s a good idea, but do you have the strength now?¡± ¡°As far as I know, every mage who refines the anti-magic stone for the first time will have a weak period of about half a month. However, the exam is only five days away from now. You don¡¯t have enough time at all.¡± At this point, Norton smiled bitterly and sighed ¡°Admit defeat, son. Our king¡¯s timing this time is too accurate. I have to admire him!¡± ¡°Go back. I will inform the butler later to temporarily close our shops in the imperial capital. I am a little tired. You can go back first.¡± Looking at his father¡¯s tired appearance, Hughes did not say much. He turned around and left the study room. In the study room, Duke Norton let out a long breath. He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the palace not far away! Napoleon VII was a skilled emperor. His every move wasn¡¯t simple. Hughes¡¯ analysis was correct, but it was not entirely correct. At least, he did not get to the most crucial point. The attack this time carrying the will of the people to lower the prestige of the Tulip family was only the surface. The real killer move was to force the nobles in the imperial capital to declare their stance. In this incident, those nobles who didn¡¯t have the initiative to be used by Napoleon VII as a weapon, to target the Tulip family either overtly or subvertly would be secretly remembered by this deep minded emperor. After this incident, he would definitely start to suppress them. As for those families that took the initiative to come forward and wave their flags and shout, they would be placed in important positions by the emperor and gradually step into the core circle of the Empire after this incident. This was not a whim at all, but a deliberate plan! The quarrel between Hughes and Lucian was only a catalyst. What Napoleon VII really wanted was to re-divide the power and take back the military power from Norton¡¯s hands! ¡°I will not hand over the military power to you. If you have the ability, come and take it yourself!¡± Looking at the distant palace, Norton¡¯s face showed his determination. However, at this moment, a crisp dragon¡¯s roar tore apart the quiet night sky. A fifty-meter-long water dragon spiralled into the sky above the duke¡¯s residence. Bang! The water dragon exploded, and the shockwave shook the windows until they buzzed. Water droplets filled the sky and poured down from the sky, washing away the accumulated dust on the eaves and dispelling the dark clouds that shrouded Norton¡¯s heart. ¡°Tier 3 Magic!¡± Silver spatial array pattern lit up, and Norton was instantly teleported to the courtyard where Hughes was. ¡°You did it?¡± Hughes nodded, and then stretched out three fingers, pointing them in front of Norton. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What I mean is, I can cast spells of this magnitude three more times.¡± Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! As soon as Hughes finished speaking, three water dragons that looked exactly the same as before rushed into the sky at lightning speed! Bang! Bang! Bang! Another three explosions sounded, and a violent shockwave fell to the ground, blowing Norton¡¯s hair that was scattered on his back high into the air. ¡°Oh right, it¡¯s instant cast too.¡± Norton looked at Hughes in shock, thinking to himself, ¡®If you had the ability, you should have said so earlier!¡¯ He had made me worry for so long! Indeed, Napoleon VII¡¯s overt scheme had caught the Tulip family by surprise. However, this overt scheme had a fatal flaw. Napoleon did not know that Hughes had already recovered his original talent. Nor did he not know that Hughes had extraordinary talent. In just two days, he had overcome the weak period brought about by the anti-magic stone cultivation method. As long as Hughes could win the duel after the exam, Napoleon VII¡¯s plan would be in vain. No, it wouldn¡¯t be in vain. After this matter, the great emperor would be crowned by the people of the imperial city as a person who had discerning eyes! ¡°Hahaha, not bad. As expected of my son!¡± Duke Norton was overjoyed. He walked behind Hughes and extended his strong right hand, firmly pressing on Hughes¡¯ shoulder. ¡°It seems that the decision to allow you to participate in the exam was the right one. You didn¡¯t disappoint me after all!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere for the next few days. Stay at home obediently and stabilize your cultivation. Try to give our respected king a surprise after the exam!¡± Norton left happily and returned to his courtyard with happy steps. Looking in the direction where Norton left, a faint smile appeared on Hughes¡¯ lips. ¡®Didn¡¯t you stop me in every possible way back then? Why are you taking all the credit now? How shameless.¡¯ ¡­ Duke of Bauhinia¡¯s mansion, in Mark Oscar¡¯s study room. ¡°Remember what I told you just now. You have to win this battle. Losing will not be accepted!¡± Duke mark looked at Lucian with a cold gaze and said coldly, ¡°Whether our family can truly rise in this opportunity and become a thousand-year-old aristocratic family like the Tulip family depends on your performance. Don¡¯t let me down!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, father. I will definitely not let you down.¡± Lucian clenched the bottle of black potion in his hand tightly. In his eyes, the flames of greed were burning fiercely! ¡­ The imperial capital, the imperial palace. Napoleon VII, the Emperor of the Hiro Empire, was holding a glass of red wine and looking at the sky from afar. At this moment, the night sky was pitch-black. The dark clouds that covered the entire imperial capital covered the stars in the sky. However, the sky that was like an upside-down Black Sea could not stop the thunder-like gaze of a demigod. ¡°Ancestor, did you ever think that your empire would decay to such an extent?¡± Napoleon VII took a sip of the wine and closed his eyes to savour it. ¡°Power is just like this red wine. It always intoxicates people, but there is something called propriety in this world. Naturally, the same goes for drinkin.¡± ¡°I am a good emperor. I want those who drink too much to give up their addiction to alcohol.¡± ¡°You will support me, won¡¯t you?¡± Chapter 11 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation The turbulent public opinion gathered into a storm, and it became more and more intense! Early the next morning, the violent crowd quickly gathered in Hiro City. Under the law-enforcers who were maintaining order, the parade began in an orderly manner. Yesterday¡¯s petition was fruitless, and it did not obtain Napoleon VII¡¯s promise. Today¡¯s parade team became even more intense. Their slogan had changed from asking His Majesty to take back his orders, to eliminating cheating in exams, and then to fighting corruption and promoting integrity. Under the deliberate guidance of people with ulterior motives, the goal of the demonstration gradually became clear. It change from all the nobles to a part of the nobles. And this part of the nobles targeted had a common characteristic. They rose up to power in the army and were closely tied to the Tulip family. .. Duke Tulip¡¯s residence, Norton¡¯s study room. ¡°General, what should we do!¡± In the study room, a strong-looking man asked anxiously as if his butt was on fire, ¡°This dog emperor is going to attack us.¡± ¡°General, we can¡¯t continue to be afraid.¡± As soon as the man finished speaking, a man with golden-rimmed glasses suddenly stood out from the study. ¡°As long as you give the order, we will follow you no matter what.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Norton raised his head and looked at Larksey with a faint smile. This person was the military advisor in his army and an important figure in their chain of interests. He was considered the second-in-command in their circle. Usually, this person was extremely calm. He would never say such rash words, or even heinous words. There must be something fishy behind his abnormal behavior today. Sensing Norton¡¯s gaze, the gold-rimmed-glasses man did not panic. He took a step forward and stood in the middle of the study. ¡°Everyone, we grew up together.¡± ¡°Not only that, we control almost half of the empire¡¯s military power. No emperor can tolerate us.¡± Larksey¡¯s eyes turned cold and he said ferociously, ¡°Napoleon VII is not a character who can be easily fooled. Ever since he ascended to the throne, I have been paying attention to him. I think his real goal this time is to withdraw powers from us!¡± Everyone nodded and looked at Larksey who was standing in the middle with expectant eyes. ¡°Now, the public opinion has been mobilized by him and those people who are jealous of us. Once the exam is over and Young Master Hughes is recruited into Hiro Royal Academy, the boiling public opinion will reach its peak.¡± ¡°They only need to add fuel to the fire behind the scenes and just these angry people are enough to make us suffer.¡± Speaking up to this point, the eyes of the man suddenly became vicious. ¡°If you ask me, why don¡¯t we learn from the Habsburg family and lead our men to directly rebel against this old bastard!¡± More than 1,500 years ago, there was a civil war in the Hiro Empire. The Duke of Habsburg raised the rebel flag high and led a group of nobles to establish the Aodong Empire. After that, the east and west of the Hiro Empire split and formed two countries. ¡°Why can¡¯t we do what Habsburg 1st did? Although our strength is a little weaker than theirs, the current Hiro Empire is not the same as before.¡± Larksey¡¯s words instantly stirred up the emotions of the people in the room. These people looked at Norton, who was sitting at the head of the table, with fervent eyes and looked forward to his decision. ¡°Let¡¯s postpone this matter for now. It¡¯s not the time yet.¡± Norton said casually. ¡°General, we can¡¯t postpone this. If we don¡¯t counterattack, that old brat Napoleon VII will be riding on our heads.¡± ¡°Once the exam is over, the citizens of the imperial capital will start to confront us directly. Those aristocratic families who have been hesitating will be led to our opposite side by Napoleon.¡± ¡°At that time, the situation we will be facing won¡¯t be the same as now!¡± Larksey walked up to Norton with a face full of eagerness. His eyes were full of desire. ¡°Larksey, do you think that Napoleon VII is unprepared?¡± ¡°If we are to rebel at this moment, how do you think the soldiers under us would think of us!¡± ¡°Even if we are to rebel, now is not a good time. We need a reason. A reason, understand?¡± Norton let out a long breath and said tiredly, ¡°Do you think that I don¡¯t want to? For all these years, every emperor has been thinking of ways to the non-central military powers, but do you know why, after so many years, only the Hapsburg family has succeeded?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not as lucky as them, nor do we have a mad emperor who refined the anti-magic stone!¡± Larksey took two steps back in a daze. In fact, he knew the crux of the matter better than anyone else. The reason why he made this suggestion today was mainly because he wanted to take a risk. What if Norton agreed. But just as Norton said, this was not a good time. They lacked a reason. ¡°Are we just going to sit here and wait for death?¡± Larksey muttered to himself and walked to his seat in a daze. But before he could go far, Norton¡¯s voice sounded in the room. ¡°Everyone, now is not the time for us to do anything big, but the whole thing is not that bad.¡± ¡°Napoleon¡¯s just wants to gather the public¡¯s opinion, mobilize the resentment of the lower-level mages, and force the nobles in the imperial capital to stand with him.¡± ¡°If this plan had been in the past, it might have succeeded, but it¡¯s impossible now.¡± Everyone was shocked. They knew about Hughes. Three years ago, when Hughes had awakened, he had already been proven to have no elemental affinity. Even if Hughes had the innate talent of full-grade mental strength and had a solid magic theory, it was impossible for him to pass the final three magic tests without his affinity with the elements. That would require him to cast a tier 2 spell! A person like Hughes, who had low affinity with the elements, could not even cast a Tier 1 spell, let alone a Tier 2 spell. Everyone looked at each other, and only one person¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°General, could it be that young master Hughes has recovered his talent from the past and is able to cast a Tier 2 spell?¡± The person who spoke was Larksey. He had worked with Norton for many years and knew Norton¡¯s character very well. Norton was a very calm person. He would not say anything if he was not confident in it. When he thought of the oath that Hughes had made three years ago, Larksey quickly understood what Norton meant. ¡°No, no, no. My son has not recovered his talent from the past.¡± ¡°However, he has already refined the anti-magic stone and passed the weakened stage. He can even cast a tier 3 spell much less a tier 2 spell!¡± Anti¡­ anti-magic stone! Everyone felt as if they had been struck by lightning! Chapter 12 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°Young Master Hughes can reach such an extent!¡± ¡°Duke, how can you let Young Master Hughes refine the anti-magic stone? That¡¯s a perilous path.¡± ¡°Yea it¡¯s a shortcut, but this shortcut doesn¡¯t lead to a bright future!¡± The dark clouds from Napoleon dispersed quietly, and the atmosphere in the study immediately eased up. The nobles were now in a great mood after knowing that they did not have to fight Napoleon to the death for the time being. They all expressed their concern about Hughes¡¯ choice. ¡°That was his own choice. He has grown up, so I can¡¯t really interfere with him.¡± Norton put on a helpless expression. He did not intend to tell these people that Hughes had already mastered the magic circuit. It was too terrifying to have mastered the magic circuit at the age of fifteen. If Hughes could successfully master the training method of the anti-magic stone like those holy magister in the anti-magic Research Institute, he would become the most important asset of the Smith family. Smith would never expose Hughes unless it was a life-and-death situation. In this world, strength was the most important thing. All those below the ninth-tier mage-god were mere mortals. Due to political interests, Napoleon could tolerate a group of nobles who wanted to rebel. Because the way these people played did not surpass the rules of the power struggle. But the tier nine mage God was different. It was an existence that could single-handedly take on the entire world. The gap between the tier eight Saint Magister and the tier nine mage God was even greater than the difference between them and mortals. The current rules of the game could not restrain a mage God at all! Once a mage God was born, the world would go through a real shuffle. Everyone would become powerless chess pieces, except for the rank nine mage God who would play chess outside the game. ¡°Sigh!¡± Norton let out a long sigh and abandoned the distracting thoughts in his heart. ¡°I called you here today mainly because I want to talk about something.¡± ¡°Napoleon has already made a move against us. Although now is not the time for us to retaliate, we cannot just sit back and wait.¡± ¡°From today onwards, everyone set aside their businesses in the city for the time being. We will first remove the nails in the army.¡± ¡­ While Norton was in a hurry to discuss matters with his men, the other people in Hiro City were not idle either. The nobles who had joined with Napoleon VII were busy discussing how to make the parade bigger and to ensure that the interests of their aristocratic families wouldn¡¯t be damaged. The representatives of the lower class also gathered together and discussed how to use this incident to push away the greedy hands of the nobles above their heads and get a greater share of the cake on their plates. As the person behind the scenes of the entire incident, Napoleon VII naturally did not sit idle. ¡°Duke Mark, I heard that the people in the city recently are somewhat dissatisfied with the way I, the Emperor, Act. I wonder what you think of this.¡± In a side room of the imperial palace, in a tea room. The Emperor, Napoleon VII, held a cup of black tea and looked at Mark Oscar who was sitting in front of him with a smile. ¡°His Majesty has a discerning eye. The people are just bewitched by scheming men. On the day the truth is revealed, the people of the imperial capital will definitely understand His Majesty¡¯s painstaking efforts.¡± Mark Oscar was an experienced politician. Before the Emperor had expressed his stance, it was simply impossible for a cunning fox like him to express his stance. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I have a discerning eye. I just feel that the child, Hughes, is rather pitiful, so I wanted to help him. I also didn¡¯t think that such a situation would raise.¡± After drinking a mouthful of tea, Napoleon VII returned to his seat and asked with a faint smile, ¡°Duke Mark, you are a well-known wise man in the Imperial City, and also my most trusted friend. I want to ask you, should I take back my orders this time?¡± He¡¯s forcing me to express my stance? He wanted me to lead the charge? Last night, Mark Oscar guessed Napoleon VII¡¯s plan. Then he gathered his men and made corresponding preparations in advance. He also informed Lucian in advance, telling his useless little son to train hard and prepare for the duel in a few days. He had thought of everything, but he did not expect Napoleon VII to be so desperate this time. Before everything was clear, Napoleon asked the nobles of the internal affairs system that he represented to make a statement. For a moment, he was actually a little flustered. However, such a fluster did not last for long. Mark Oscar quickly sobered up from the fluster. The faction that he was in was the civil service system of the Imperial City while Norton was in the military system that Norton. The two sides had always disliked each other! Now, Napoleon VII was going to deal with Norton and take back the military power. His faction of civil service officials, would certainly gain a lot of benefits from this battle. Napoleon VII was such a smart emperor. How could he let them only take benefits and not put in any effort. The arrow was on the bow, and had to be fired! Mark Oscar made a decision immediately. He would test the emperor¡¯s attitude. If the emperor was not too determined, then he would wait and watch the battle. If the emperor had no concerns, then he would stand on the same line with the Emperor and directly draw a line with Norton¡¯s side. ¡°His Majesty¡¯s words are golden and will make no mistakes. I think His Majesty does not need to withdraw your orders. After the examination, the people of the Imperial City will naturally understand His Majesty¡¯s painstaking efforts.¡± Mark Oscar bowed slightly and said slowly. ¡°Hmm, Duke is indeed worthy of being a famous wise man in Hiro City. This patience is truly rare.¡± ¡°Alright, this time I will do as you say. I will not withdraw my orders.¡± As soon as his voice fell, Napoleon VII slowly stood up and said with a faint smile, ¡°But it¡¯s hard to go against the will of the people. I still have to give an explanation to the people of the Imperial City.¡± ¡°How about this, you will host the exam this time. You must make sure that Hughes gets a result that everyone is satisfied with!¡± Napoleon VII deliberately emphasized the word ¡®satisfied¡¯. Then, he looked at Mark Oscar with a smile on his face. As expected, he is still forcing me to declare my position! Couldn¡¯t he wait a little longer? He couldn¡¯t even wait for a few more days! Despite the resentment in his heart, Mark Oscar still maintained his original deference on the surface. ¡°Thank you for Your Majesty¡¯s Trust. I will definitely not betray your Majesty¡¯s trust this time.¡± In the end, Mark Oscar still agreed to Napoleon VII¡¯s request. He knew that if he did not agree today, his Oscar family would definitely not gain any benefits from it once the Smith family has collapsed. Would he be willing to be Napoleon¡¯s Lackey? There were too many people who charge in instead of him. If he did not grasp this opportunity, he would be pulled down from his position as the Home Affairs Minister. Different from the tulip family, the Bauhinia family only managed to rise rapidly in these twenty years and return to the ranks of the empire¡¯s top noble families because of the support of Emperor Napoleon VII. Without the support of the emperor, his position would soon be replaced by those nobles who were eyeing him covetously. ¡°Mm, you can go back. I¡¯m a little tired.¡± Napoleon VII put down his wine glass, turned around and walked out of the side hall. When he left, his face was full of smiles. Chapter 13 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Imperial capital, Duke Tulip¡¯s residence. ¡°Son, there¡¯s no need to be so desperate. You¡¯ve just passed the first elemental baptism, and now you want to undergo the second elemental baptism. Aren¡¯t you a little too keen?¡± One day ago, with Norton¡¯s help, Hughes had completed the first elemental baptism. He had successfully advanced from a magic apprentice to a tier-1 mage, becoming a true mage. There were still four days before the start of the exam. Norton had originally planned to carry out the second elemental baptism for Hughes in two days. This way, the burden on Hughes¡¯ body would be much lighter, and it would also help Hughes consolidate his cultivation. ¡°Father, if it were in the past, I wouldn¡¯t be so desperate, but now is an intense time.¡± Hughes walked slowly into the center of the elemental gathering array and explained as he walked. ¡°Since Napoleon VII has already made his move, it¡¯s impossible for him not to consider my strength.¡± ¡°If I want to sabotage his plans, I must have strength that exceeds his expectations. Otherwise, we will be held back by him all the way. Every step we make will fall into his trap.¡± Norton smiled bitterly. His son was good at everything. Whether it was his talent in cultivation or his calmness when considering a problem, he was rare. However, there was one thing that made him very dissatisfied. In his opinion, Hughes¡¯ worries were purely unnecessary. The annual recruitment examination of Hiro Royal Academy would only recruit students between the ages of 15 and 16. Once the age limit was exceeded, it would be impossible for them to register for the examination. However, at this age, other than the emperor from 2,700 years ago, no matter how monstrous a genius was, it was impossible for him to exceed tier 3. This was even more so for the young generation of mages in the imperial capital. The one with the highest cultivation and the strongest combat ability was the youngest son of the Duke of Bauhinia, Lucian. And this young master was only at the peak of rank 2. Even if Hughes did not use the power of the magic circuit, Lucian would not be a match for Hughes. ¡°Sigh, you don¡¯t have to be so cautious right. The strongest among the younger generation of the imperial capital, Lucian, is only at tier 2. With your magic power, even if you have just entered Tier 2, he will definitely not be a match for you!¡± ¡°If you ask me, you should rest for two days. After your cultivation has stabilized, I will carry out the second elemental baptism for you. This way, not only can I guarantee your chances of winning, but it will also reduce the obstacles for you to advance in the future.¡± Hughes still shook his head, but this time, he walked out of the Magic Circle and came before Norton. ¡°Father, I still think that it is more appropriate to carry out the elemental baptism now.¡± ¡°Three years ago, my magic power level had already reached Tier 2. Now that I have refined the anti-magic Stone, my manahas reached the peak of Tier 3.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t get the elemental baptism soon, my body will not be able to withstand it.¡± As he spoke, Hughes let go of his control over his body and allowed Norton to check the condition of his own body. ¡°Father, after the first elemental baptism, I¡¯ve already consolidated my cultivation. With my current condition, I can definitely undergo the second elemental baptism.¡± Norton was greatly shocked when he heard this. In his experience, a first rank mage who was able to consolidate his own cultivation within three days was already an extremely rare existence. He really could not figure out how his son had the courage to say such words. While he was still in doubt, Norton mobilized his magic power and began to investigate Hughes¡¯ body. After a quick investigation, even the knowledgeable Norton could not help but suck in a breath of cold air. Hmm! Why is this kid¡¯s foundation so stable! In Norton¡¯s perception, Hughes¡¯ body had already become a relay station for the elements. The elemental power wandering in the outside world was attracted by the anti-magic stone in Hughes¡¯ body and steadily and orderly entered his body. A part of it was converted into Hughes¡¯ magic power, and the other part was went into the magic circuit in Hughes¡¯ body, strengthening the mark of the magic circuit bit by bit. The anti-magic stone¡¯s cultivation was actually this powerful? ¡®Should I try this method too?¡¯ Norton was shocked. For a moment, he actually pondered the idea of cultivating the anti-magic stone. But after thinking about it, Norton felt that it was not worth it. He was now a level-eight Saint Magister, and had long stood among the top powerhouses in the world. If he wasn¡¯t about to die of old age, he would never cultivate the anti-magic Stone¡¯s cultivation method. The higher one¡¯s cultivation level, the more obvious the disadvantages of the anti-magic stone cultivation method would become. If one was not careful, the cultivator would die and become the next victim of the anti-magic stone cultivation method. ¡°Have you check things clear? If you think it¡¯s possible, then let¡¯s begin.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, fine, fine. I know you¡¯re amazing, I know you¡¯re a genius, right? Day by day, you only know how to show off in front of me!¡± Norton was furious, and he pretended to be angry: ¡°Get in there. I¡¯ll gather the elements for you right now.¡± Deng Deng Deng¡­ Hughes stepped into the magic array again. The next moment, the magic array was activated, and the elemental energy in the surroundings gathered like crazy. With the magic array Hughes¡¯ was in as the center, an elemental vortex with a diameter of 300 meters was formed, and its momentum was terrifying! Fortunately, the person who protected Hughes this time was a empire¡¯s top powerhouse, the Tier-8 Holy Mage, Norton Smith. With his strength, it was still relatively easy for him to conceal the elemental fluctuations this time. Half an hour later, the second elemental baptism ended. Hughes walked out of the elemental gathering magic circle with a relaxed expression. ¡°Dad, get the Tier-3 elemental gathering magic circle ready. This time, it will be multiplied.¡± ¡°What? You still going to go through the third elemental baptism? You want to multiply it again? Do you know that the elemental baptism you just went through is already several times more than that of an ordinary mage?¡± Norton looked at Hughes as if he was looking at an idiot. He said angrily, ¡°In the first baptism, the amount of elements you consumed was twice that of an ordinary Mage.¡± ¡°In the second baptism, you asked me to double it again. At that time, I thought you just wanted to speed up, so I didn¡¯t try to persuade you.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re asking me to double it again, that¡¯s eight times more!¡± The elemental baptism was an exponential increase. The second baptism was more than twice the energy of the previous one, or else it would not be effective enough. However, under Hughes¡¯ request, the two elemental baptisms he experienced were more than double the original foundation. By the time he reached the second elemental baptism, the number of elements he had to endure was already four times that of an ordinary mage. Now if it doubled, the number of elements he had to endure for the third elemental baptism would be eight times that of an ordinary mage! This was simply beyond Norton¡¯s understanding! ¡°I refuse to accept your unreasonable request!¡± Norton left in a huff, leaving Hughes, who had just passed the baptism, in a mess. Looking at his father¡¯s departing figure, Hughes smiled bitterly to himself. At that moment, Audrey skipped over to Hughes¡¯s side. ¡°Second brother, second brother, why did father leave in a huff? Shouldn¡¯t he be happy for you?¡± ¡°Ah, he must have been triggered!¡± Chapter 14 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation After playing with his sister for a while, Hughes soon returned to his room to meditate and cultivate. He needed to stabilize his cultivation in the shortest time possible so that his body could withstand more elemental power. At that time, he would refine three anti-magic stones and restore the balance of mana in his body. When the magic power in his body reached balance for the second time, he would carry out the third elemental baptism to improve his physique, so that his body could withstand a greater amount of magic power. After that, he would activate his magic cultivation and advance the water dragon spell from Tier 2 to tier 3 in one go. During these few days of cultivation, he had a feeling that the amount of magic power required to advance the water dragon spell from Tier 2 to Tier 3 would be far more than before. It was even more than the sum of the magic power required for the previous automatic upgrades! It was far from what a Tier 2 Mage¡¯s mana could support. Even if his mana had already surpassed most tier 2 mages, it was impossible for him to have so much magic power to support the advancement of the Water Dragon Spell! For this, he was willing take the risk and forcefully increase the level of the elemental baptism. He also increased the standard of the elemental baptism twice in a row. Seven hours later, Hughes woke up from his meditation. His mind sank. Hughes mobilized his spiritual power and began to check the changes in his body. ¡°As I expected, four times the level of an ordinary person¡¯s tier 2 elemental baptism is my limit.¡± ¡°Next, I will have to refine three anti-magic stones. I hope my calculations are correct.¡± In the anti-magic stone cultivation method, before each advancement, the cultivator had to refine the number of anti-magic stones equal to the tier. One for the first tier, two for the second tier, and naturally three for the third tier. Every time an anti-magic stone was refined, the swallowing ability of the anti-magic core in the mage¡¯s body would be doubled. Correspondingly, the conversion ability of the anti-magic core would also be doubled. This was also the biggest drawback of the anti-magic stone cultivation method. For most mages, the exponential increase in mana pumping would only result in one result, which was losing control of mana and the explosion of the soul. However, Hughes was not afraid of these things. With his innate maximum level of spiritual power, the maximum capacity of his mana was much higher than that of an ordinary mage. He also had the magic circuits in his body. When he could no longer accommodate the mana, he could transform them into pure elemental power through the anti-magic core to further etch the magic circuits carved in his body. Hughes took out three anti-magic stones and poured mana into them. The anti-magic stones were instantly activated. Then, Hughes began to refine the anti-magic stones with ease according to the anti-magic stone cultivation method. A black stream of light lit up and went along Hughes¡¯s body. With a whoosh, it entered the anti-magic stone that had already taken shape in his body. A violent devouring power was generated in Hughes¡¯s body. The surrounding elements frantically rushed into Hughes¡¯s body. Boom! There was a muffled sound! The balance of the elements in Hughes¡¯s body was instantly broken. The first to attack was the fire element. As one of the five most basic elements, the fire element had an extremely powerful destructive ability. The blazing fire element ran wild and roasted Hughes red! However, the high temperature was not the most terrifying. The most terrifying thing was that the cells would dry up due to the high temperature. Fortunately, Hughes had already passed the second elemental baptism. Moreover, the elemental baptism he endured was four times that of an ordinary mage. The high intensity of the elemental baptism had strengthened Hughes¡¯s physique to an insane degree. It allowed him to forcefully withstand the impact of the fire element. However, this was only the first wave of impact. The impact of the fire element had just ended and the impact of the water element arrived. The abundant water element made Hughes¡¯s body instantly go wet from a dry state. But it was not a good thing, because the process was repeated. A huge amount of water elements rushed into Hughes¡¯ body, and his body quickly swelled up. The skin on his body became more and more sticky, as if someone had smeared it with snail¡¯s mucus. Then, the earth elements and wind elements also joined the battle, wrecking havoc inside Hughes¡¯ body. Fortunately, the magic circuit in Hughes¡¯ body was working. The huge amount of water element was soon absorbed by the Magic Circuit of the Water Dragon Spell. It greatly reduced the difficulty of maintaining the balance of the elements in Hughes¡¯ body. ¡°Elemental Control!¡± Hughes mobilized his magic power and instantly controlled the earth and wind elements in his body. However, this process was not easy. Hughes¡¯ mana was quickly consumed. However, at this moment, the anti-magic core in Hughes¡¯s body was activated again. A huge amount of elemental power was converted into pure magic power by the anti-magic core, replenishing Hughes¡¯s consumption. As the magic power poured into his body, the earth and wind elements finally stopped struggling under the suppression of an even greater amount of magic power. Using this opportunity, Hughes applied the anti-magic stone training method and used the anti-magic core to forcibly break the two elements in his body into the most basic atoms, rearranged them, and transformed them into the four major elements! Five hours later, the balance of magic power in Hughes¡¯s body was once again restored to its equilibrium state. At this time, the night had already subsided, and the horizon was also suffused with an alluring blush. Hughes, who had not slept the entire night, not only did not have the slightest bit of fatigue, but was also more energetic. ¡°I wonder what level of mana I have now.¡± Hughes seemed to be deep in thought. After searching for a while, he found a magic testing device from his home. This testing device was prepared for him by his father Norton. It could test the magic energy of a level-1 to level-3 cultivator. On this, 1-10 points were regarded as level-1 mage, 10-50 points were regarded as level-2 mage, and 50-250 points were regarded as level-3 mage. He poured mana into it, and the testing device was instantly activated. In a flash, a bright red number appeared on the testing device¡¯s panel. It was 248 points! Looking at the score on the magic test device, Hughes was in a good mood. He opened the door and walked into the courtyard. Hughes stretched out his arms and breathed in the fresh air. Ever since Hughes learned the contents of the edict issued by Napoleon VII. Hughes had sensed the danger within. In order to save his family, he had no choice but to speed up the progress of his cultivation and carry out the elemental baptism ahead of time. Although carrying out the elemental baptism in advance would affect his cultivation potential, Hughes had no regrets. To him, family was the most important thing. He didn¡¯t care about anything else. He picked up the letter he had written yesterday and sent it to Norton¡¯s door. After knocking twice on the door, Hughes stuffed the letter into the crack. .. Father, Audrey and I are going out to row. We¡¯ll come back in the evening. Remember to set up the third element baptism array. ¨C Hughes. Chapter 15 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation In the evening, Hughes brought Audrey back from the trip. ¡°Brother, I didn¡¯t have a good time today.¡± As soon as she returned home, Audrey tore off the veil covering her face and complained to Hughes with a depressed expression. ¡°When can we leave the house properly?¡± ¡°Also, also, why are those people on the streets so insistent on protesting against you? You didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­¡± Hughes had heard the same complaints countless times today. However, he didn¡¯t explain anything to Audrey. With Audrey¡¯s age and experience, she couldn¡¯t understand the struggles between the upper-class nobles. Instead of letting his sister worry for him, he might as well hide it from her for a while. ¡°They¡¯re just being used by others. But don¡¯t worry, they¡¯ll stop after the exam.¡± Hughes rubbed his sister¡¯s head and said gently, ¡°You have to believe in your brother. Your brother doesn¡¯t need the emperor¡¯s special recruitment. I have the ability to enter the Hiro Royal Academy myself.¡± Audrey nodded firmly and replied crisply. ¡°Yes, yes, I do believe in you brother indeed. You are the genius with the most magical talent in the entire imperial capital!¡± After saying this, the joy on Audrey¡¯s face suddenly disappeared, and confusion surfaced on her face. ¡°Unfortunately, the commoners in the city don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Brother, why didn¡¯t you prove yourself to those people today?¡± Hughes stroked his sister¡¯s nose lovingly and smiled without saying a word. After sending Audrey back to her room, Hughes went to Norton¡¯s courtyard alone. As soon as he entered the courtyard, Hughes saw Norton, who had been waiting there for a long time. ¡°Little brat, you still remember to come back!¡± ¡°I¡¯m your father. How dare you make me wait for you. You even made me wait for you for this long.¡± Hughes looked at the elemental gathering array carved on the ground, then looked at Norton, who was standing beside the array. He couldn¡¯t help but to feel a sense of warmth in his heart. Although Norton did not spare him with his words, in reality, his father was quite cute. ¡°I¡¯ve finished setting up the magic formation for you, but before you go in, you must meet my standards.¡± Norton walked up to Hughes with a straight face and threatened him coldly ¡°If your strength is not enough to satisfy me, I¡¯d rather destroy the magic formation than allow you to advance to tier 3 now.¡± ¡°Please enlighten me, father¡­¡±Hughes said with a faint smile. ¡°You can advance to the third rank, but your magic power must reach 200 points. Otherwise, don¡¯t even think about it today.¡± Norton took out a magic testing device from his pocket and handed it to Hughes. At the same time, he thought to himself. Humph, you like to show off don¡¯t you? Let me see your magic power break through 200 points. I¡¯ve lived for so long, but I¡¯ve never seen a Tier 2 mage with more than 200 magic power. Even though you¡¯re gifted and have innate max level spiritual power, your magic power can¡¯t reach 200. ¡°Father, I don¡¯t think we need to test it anymore. Believe me, I really have the ability, I¡­¡± Before Hughes could finish, Norton interrupted him ¡°Don¡¯t Dawdle, do the test quickly. If your mana doesn¡¯t reach 200, you won¡¯t be able to undergo the third-tier elemental baptism.¡± After striking with the rod, Norton immediately handed Hughes another sweet date. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. I don¡¯t want to waste your innate talent of max-level spiritual power.¡± After saying that, he pointed at himself and continued ¡°My talent isn¡¯t as good as yours, but when I advanced to the third-tier back then, I had a total of 153 mana points.¡± ¡°Do you know how much suffering I went through in order to accumulate this mana?¡± ¡°But, as the old saying goes, only through suffering can one rise above others.¡± ¡°Do you think that if I hadn¡¯t persisted all those years ago, would I have become a Tier 8 arch-mage now?¡± ¡°Now is the time for you to lay a foundation. I hope that you won¡¯t waste your talent. Endure and wait until your mana reaches 200 before you choose to advance. Then, your future will be limitless!¡± Norton patted Hughes on the shoulder and said gently, ¡°I believe my words have deeply shocked your soul. Go back and reflect on yourself. Cultivation isn¡¯t¡­ It can¡¯t be! How is it possible!¡± Looking at the red number on the magic testing instrument, Norton¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. ¡°248, are you a monster?¡± Norton¡¯s worldview collapsed. In the past, if someone had told him that his mana had reached 248 points when that person was a Tier 2, Norton would only think that the other party was bragging and secretly despise that person for being shameless. However, today, after he explained the truth of life to his son, his son used three red numbers to ruthlessly shatter his worldview. ¡°You have so much mana, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? You made me¡­¡± Norton stopped talking. He remembered before when he asked Hughes to test his mana, Hughes had looked at him awkwardly and said that he had the ability. But at that time, Norton was still immersed in the joy of explaining the wisdom of life, and did not discern the meaning behind Hughes¡¯ expression. The more Norton thought about it, the more awkward he felt. At this moment, he wished that he could leave this place as soon as possible and find a place where no one was around to calm down. Hughes could also see his father¡¯s awkwardness. He probed, ¡°Father, why don¡¯t I advance tomorrow and you go back to rest first?¡± Who knew that not only did Norton not accept his good intentions, he also lifted his foot and kicked Hughes in the stomach. ¡°What tomorrow? Today!¡± Norton was very strong, but he didn¡¯t use any magic power in that kick, so he didn¡¯t hurt Hughes. Hughes also knew that Norton was in a bad mood. He didn¡¯t say anything, and he didn¡¯t pretend to be hurt. He quietly walked into the elemental gathering circle with his back facing Norton. He sat down cross-legged and prepared to welcome the third-tier elemental baptism. Looking at his son¡¯s back facing him, Norton¡¯s face alternated between red and white. ¡®My son is doing well. As his father, I should be happy. I¡¯m not angry, I¡¯m not angry. ¡®It¡¯s all my own doing. If I didn¡¯t mention that request, how would I have ended up in such a situation? Even if I had to mention it, I should have raised the standard a little higher! ¡®Little brat, don¡¯t you know how to leave some face for your father? He¡¯s my own son, he¡¯s my own son¡­ After a long while, Norton¡¯s excited emotions finally calmed down. He expressionlessly activated the magic array and began to help Hughes advance. Half an hour later, Hughes walked out of the magic array. He looked up and saw that Norton, who was supposed to be by his side, had disappeared. Hughes shook his head with a bitter smile and walked to his small courtyard. ¡°I¡¯ve finally advanced to Tier 3. It¡¯s now time to evolve the water dragon technique.¡± Chapter 16 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation There were four subjects in the Royal Academy¡¯s exam. The first subject was basic theory of magic. This subject mainly focused on the theoretical foundation of the magician. The more solid one¡¯s knowledge of theory was, the higher one would score in this subject. When Hughes was very young, his father Norton hired a professional magic researcher to teach him the most basic theories at home. After many years of study, Hughes¡¯ basic theory of magic became very solid. For him, passing the first exam of Hiro Royal Academy was as easy as eating and drinking water. After passing the basic theory of magic exam, the second exam that Hughes faced was the mana test. According to the standard of previous years, the minimum magic power required by Hiro Royal Academy was 120 points. Although the vast majority of Tier 2 mages were unable to meet this standard, the Royal Academy of Hiro was the highest academy in the Hiro Empire. The students who had the courage to apply for this academy were all quite capable. In some small places, only those students who were considered geniuses were qualified to apply. However, to Hughes, this test was not a difficult one. As soon as he was born, he had a talent that ordinary people could not reach ¡ª innate Max level spiritual power! At the starting line, Hughes had already surpassed most of the examinees. In addition, in the past three years of hard training, as well as the anti-magic stone training method, Hughes¡¯ mana still far exceeded the requirements of the Hiro Royal Academy¡¯s test. When others were still worried about their mana of a little over 120 and were worried it wouldn¡¯t guarantee them passing the Hiro Royal Academy¡¯s Test, Hughes was already trying to find a way to conceal his true mana level. As for the third test, Hughes was even more confident that he would definitely pass it. Unlike the previous two tests which were more foundational, the third test was more practical. In the exam for this subject, the students taking part in this exam needed to release a second-tier spell that reached the standard line while under the interference of the outside world. The more spells the student casts, the higher the student¡¯s score would be. Based on past experience, the number of students who failed in this subject was the highest. Many students could not even cast a level 1 spell under the interference of the outside world, much less a Level 2 spell. In response, the officials of the Hiro Empire also expressed to lower the difficulty a little. However, they were all rejected by the each generation¡¯s vice-presidents of the Hiro Royal Academy. Their reason was also surprisingly consistent. ¡°The students of the Hiro Royal Academy will have to go to the battlefield in the future. Do you expect the enemies on the battlefield to quietly wait for them to release their spell?¡± However, this exam that for most people to pass was exceptionally simple In Hughes¡¯ eyes. In the past three years, due to the dark magic in Hughes¡¯ body, it was very difficult for him to sense the elements around him. Despite so, Hughes ultimately relied on his powerful mental strength and willpower that far exceeded that of an ordinary person to release his magic. No matter how strong the interference from Hiro Royal Academy was, no matter how many restrictions there were, it wouldn¡¯t be greater than the restrictions brought by low elemental affinity. Simply put, the first three examinations were extremely simple for Hughes. The only thing he had to worry about was the final practical combat examination. The Hiro Royal Academy would only admit 1,000 students every year, not a single one more. However, the number of students who participated in the registration reached over 7,000 every year, and this number was increasing every year. These examinees came from different regions, different provinces and cities. However, they all had a common goal, which was to pass the exam and become a student of the Hiro Royal Academy. From then on, they would soar to the peak of their lives and become the great mages that everyone respected. However, the quota was limited, and the Hiro Royal Academy couldn¡¯t recruit every student into the school. Hence, the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire set up this last exam ¡ª a thousand-person battle royale! Through actual combat, the admission quota would be determined. Hughes was most worried about the exam in this stage. The first three stages of the exam were relatively objective, but the final exam was different. Although Hughes¡¯s strength was tyrannical, he could cast the second-tier spell, water dragon technique before he had undergone any elemental baptism. However, it was difficult for two fists to fight against four hands. No matter how powerful Hughes was, he could not fight against multiple enemies at the same time. With his previous magic power, he could only defend against at most eight enemies at one time, This was just defending, not winning. To defeat the enemies who were united, Hughes had to have the strength that surpassed everyone. In order to achieve this goal, Hughes had no choice but to give up on suppressing his cultivation level and carry out the elemental baptism in advance. He wanted to improve his cultivation level in the fastest way possible. He felt the majestic magic power in his body and sensed the elemental power wandering around him. After going through the third magic baptism, Hughes felt a sense of power that he had never felt before. ¡°With my current strength, my magic power should be able to support the advancement of the water dragon technique, right?¡± After adjusting his own breath, Hughes mobilized his mind, and majestic magic power began to circulate in his body. The ice-blue magic array pattern suddenly appeared, and a fifty-meter-long water dragon emerged from the array pattern. After circling for a while at a low altitude, the water dragon soared into the sky and fiercely crashed into the magic barrier that Norton had set up beforehand, turning into a sky full of water droplets. Unlike before, the ice-blue magic array pattern did not disappear after the water dragon was released. Instead, the blue light on it became even more powerful. Hughes¡¯ Water Dragon spell finally began to evolve for the second time. Buzz! A huge suction force emerged from the magic array formed by the Water Dragon Spell. It pulled Hughes¡¯ magic power and poured it into the core of the magic array. The mana in Hughes¡¯ body escaped at an unimaginable speed under the attraction of this huge force. The rapidly decreasing magic power also made Hughes¡¯ brain feel waves of pain. At this moment, the anti-magic core in Hughes¡¯ body suddenly began to operate. The elemental power in the surrounding space was pulled by the anti-magic core in Hughes¡¯ body and poured into it one after another. Then, it was converted into pure magic power by the anti-magic stone cultivation method and poured into the Water Dragon Magic Circle. With the continuous supply of magic power from the anti-magic core, the pressure on Hughes¡¯ body was reduced. Half an hour later, the ice-blue spell formation in front of Hughes was finally fed full. The color of the spell formation also changed from ice-blue to deep blue at this moment! [ Ding! Your Water Dragon spell has been successfully upgraded from a Tier 2 spell, water ball spell, to a Tier 3 spell, Super Water Dragon Spell, Tier 3 evolution completion rate 10% ! ] Hughes sat on the ground tiredly with a relieved smile on his face. Chapter 17 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Just as Hughes completed the third element baptism, a man covered in a black robe sneaked into the house of the Duke of Bauhinia. This man did not miss a step and found the study room of Mark Oscar with great accuracy. Bang Bang Bang! Three knocks on the door attracted the attention of Mark Oscar from the desk to the door. ¡°Friend, the door is not closed. Please come in and talk.¡± Oscar was not afraid at all. There was not even a hint of surprise on his face. He seemed to know that someone would come to look for him. With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside. The man in black didn¡¯t act too polite. When he heard that Oscar invited him into the house, he pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Your grace is in quite the mood. Why are you practicing your calligraphy in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?¡± Pulling over a stool, the man dressed in black sat down on the chair in a bold manner. He grinned and began to tease Mark Oscar. ¡°I was waiting for your glorious arrival wasn¡¯t I?¡± Mark stood up gently, picked up the kettle and teacup, and slowly walked to the front of the man in black. Opening the lid of the kettle, Mark slowly poured a cup of tea for the man in black. ¡°Sir, you may not know this, but my tea can be considered hard-earned. If I didn¡¯t guess that you would come today, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have taken out such a precious collection.¡± The man in black¡¯s pupils constricted, and his entire body tensed up, but he quickly relaxed. He knew that Mark was only reminding him. I know your background, and I know who sent you here. I can give you the person, but after you are done, you must return the person to me in one piece. However, the black-robed man could not agree to Mark¡¯s request. He had come today with the orders of his superior. He could not make any decisions at all. ¡°Duke Mark, we can¡¯t make the decision on this matter. You have to agree regardless.¡± Mark¡¯s expression changed drastically. The reason why he had tested the man in black earlier was because he wanted to decipher that person¡¯s attitude on this from the man in black. Now that the black-clothed man¡¯s answer with adamance, it instantly made his heart turn cold. The black-clothed man sighed ¡°Duke Mark, thank you for your kindness. I won¡¯t drink the tea. My mission is only to bring two things and a word over.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already met you. I¡¯ll take out the things and give them to you right now. After you¡¯ve seen them, you can decide whether you want to listen to my words or not.¡± After saying that, the black-clothed man took out two things from the alternate dimension. The first thing was a square box, and the second thing was a bottle of magic potion. With a trembling hand, Mark Oscar picked up the box and opened it gently. Bang! The box fell to the ground with a soft sound. Ten black stones jumped out of the box. It was the anti-magic stone! ¡°This! This!¡± Looking at the anti-magic stone on the ground, Mark Oscar¡¯s lips could not help but tremble. ¡°How could it be this thing? No matter how much of a genius that Hughes is, my son does not have to pay such a huge price for it!¡± The man in black looked at Mark helplessly. He walked gently to Mark¡¯s side and said in a low voice, ¡°I watched that child Hughes grow up. He is a stubborn and proud child. If he does not have full confidence, he would not have signed up to participate in the examination of the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire.¡± The Man in black patted Mark¡¯s shoulder lightly. He looked up at the distant royal palace and said in a low voice, ¡°These are His Majesty¡¯s original words. I should not have told you these words, sir, but I still decided to take the risk and tell you.¡± ¡°His Majesty has been on the throne for more than twenty years. For so many years, the military nobles have always been a thorn in His Majesty¡¯s heart!¡± ¡°Now, His Majesty is in his prime and his prestige is grand. If we don¡¯t get rid of this group of imperial pests now, I¡¯m afraid the price we have to pay in the future to get rid of these people will not be as simple as it is now.¡± As he spoke, the man in black lifted the black cloth covering his face and revealed his true appearance in front of Mark Oscar. This man was Baron Orloway, who was discussing plans with Mark Oscar in the study not long ago. ¡°Now, the Empire has finally emerged from the years of war and is in a short period of peace. It is a good time to eliminate these military nobles.¡± ¡°Moreover, His Majesty has already taken the lead in attacking those people this time. If we want to obtain the final victory, we must stand firmly on his majesty¡¯s side. No matter what price we have to pay, we must carry on this war.¡± It would have been better if he had not said that last sentence. As soon as the man in black finished speaking, Mark Oscar slammed the table and roared angrily, ¡°That¡¯s a nice way of putting it. Why didn¡¯t you send your son up? Why didn¡¯t you let your son refine these ten anti-magic stones?¡± ¡°No matter how much of a bastard Lucian is and no matter how stupid he is, he is still my son. He is my youngest son!¡± Right now, Mark was extremely regretful. He wanted to go back to the past and return to that side hall. He wanted to slap that greedy face of his! But now, he was already on Napoleon VII¡¯s boat. There was no chance for him to get off the boat. Once he left Napoleon VII¡¯s faction at this moment, what awaited him was death. Napoleon VII could tolerate his opponent, but he would never tolerate traitors! ¡°His Majesty said that after this matter is successful, the Norton family¡¯s fiefdom in the South will become your Oscar family¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°We have been friends for many years. I won¡¯t keep you in suspense. This is His Majesty¡¯s sincerity. If you agree, after this matter is completed, your Oscar family will become the empire¡¯s top noble.¡± With that, the man in black said self-deprecatingly, ¡°Be content, Mark. I just don¡¯t have a son. If I had a son, I would make him swallow these ten stones into his stomach.¡± The man in black picked up the bottle of potion on the table. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, His Majesty doesn¡¯t really want your son to die. This bottle of anti-magic potion was left behind by His Majesty during his early years of training. Remember to hand it to your son along with the ten anti-magic stones.¡± ¡°If you agree to His Majesty¡¯s conditions, not only will the Oscar family be able to live, they will be able to live vert well. If you reject his majesty, I think you should be clear about the price of that matter.¡± Baron Orloway walked to Mark¡¯s side again. He patted his shoulder lightly and said gently, ¡°Old pal, agree. You already have no other choice.¡± ¡°Get lost! Get lost!¡± Mark Oscar glared at him, tears streaming down from the corners of his eyes. Mark did not want to agree. After all, Lucian was his son. He was not willing to let his son to take such a big risk. However, he had no choice but to agree. Because once he refused, the one who would pay for his decision would be the entire Oscar family. Chapter 18 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Imperial capital, Duke Tulip¡¯s residence. Hughes got up early in the morning. After passing the third elemental baptism, Hughes¡¯s physical fitness had already reached a formidable level. Even though he had been practicing magic last night and went to bed very late, he still got up early this morning and was even more energetic than usual. ¡°Tomorrow is the theory test. I wonder what trouble those people will start next.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stop thinking about it. I¡¯ll take Audrey out to play for a day first.¡± After sighing to himself, Hughes packed his things and headed for the courtyard door. As soon as he walked out of the courtyard door, Hughes saw Audrey, who was dressed beautifully, standing at the entrance of his courtyard, waiting for him. ¡°Brother, guess what I¡¯m here for.¡± Audrey placed her hands behind her back and slowly walked towards Hughes. As she walked, she winked at Hughes. ¡°Breakfast?¡± Hughes smiled calmly and replied gently. Audrey shook her head and said playfully, ¡°No, no.¡± ¡°Why would I prepare something that isn¡¯t new for you, brother? Guess again.¡± Hughes narrowed his eyes and began thinking. This sister of his has always been very quirky. It was impossible for her to give him something like breakfast. Think about how tomorrow was his magic theory test day, a plausible answer sprang to Hughes¡¯s mind. ¡°Audrey, don¡¯t tell me you have the test material. I don¡¯t need it.¡± Hughes waved his hands repeatedly, using his body language to express his absolute confidence. ¡°Of course it¡¯s not the test materials. My brother is so smart and hardworking. Why would he need those things?¡± Audrey pouted proudly and said in an extremely serious manner, ¡°My brother is the best. If even you need to hurry up and revise the materials before the test then no one in this world will be able to pass a theoretical exam like that.¡± Hughes blushed. Audrey had praised him too much. It was like he wasn¡¯t even a person, but a god. However, the feeling of absolute trust from his sister still made Hughes feel a strong sense of happiness. He reached out his hand, wanting to touch his sister¡¯s head. But Audrey jerked back and refused coquettishly: ¡°No, no, no, you can¡¯t Peek!¡± Hughes thought to himself, I didn¡¯t mean to peek, but looking at Audrey¡¯s angry face, Hughes didn¡¯t say it out loud. He knew that his sister, who was very playful, would never believe that he had not done that just to peek. ¡°Sigh, big brother can¡¯t guess it. Tell me.¡± Hughes raised the white flag high and surrendered. Audrey¡¯s eyes cracked into a smile. ¡°Hehe, looks like I¡¯m the smartest in the family. Ta-da.¡± Audrey took out her hands from behind her back. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect it, right? It¡¯s breakfast that looks like an exam paper. Aren¡¯t you surprised?¡± Audrey looked like she had succeeded in her scheme as she looked at Hughes sneakily. Hughes slapped himself on the forehead. He was very regretful now. Why did he play such a childish game with a fourteen-year-old girl like Audrey. Although his body was only fifteen years old, his soul was actually an adult. However, despite his annoyance, Hughes still praised Audrey against his conscience. ¡°Mm, it¡¯s really hard to guess your innovative idea. Brother has admitted defeat.¡± ¡°Yay, the 327th duel between Audrey and Hughes. The winner, Audrey!¡± Audrey jogged to Hughes¡¯s side, opened the packaging, and handed the breakfast bread to Hughes¡¯s mouth. Hughes didn¡¯t refuse. With a water ball formed by a miniature array, he swallowed the bread in a few mouthfuls. After breakfast, Hughes and Audrey walked out of the Duke¡¯s mansion together, heading in the direction of Hiro Empire¡¯s Royal Academy. As they walked, Audrey noticed something unusual. ¡°Brother, why aren¡¯t the citizens of the city out for the parade today?¡± With Audrey¡¯s question, Hughes also realized that this trip was different from before. After thinking for a moment, Hughes figured out the crux of the matter. The Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire was the highest institution in the Hiro Empire. The annual recruitment examination was the empire¡¯s most important activity. In the past few days, Napoleon VII had already proven his determination and ability to the nobles in the imperial capital. He did not need to send people to stir up trouble at this critical moment. He only needed to gather the audience during the final exam, the thousand people battle royale. The people were not willing to continue to stir up trouble at this time as well. They also had children. Some of them were just old enough to take the exam. The ones not old enough to take the exam now would do so in the future. They would be the ones to suffer the most if the fairness of the examination was destroyed. The commoners at the bottom had their own wisdom. They knew very well what interests they had to defend. ¡°Perhaps they don¡¯t want to destroy this examination. After all, there will be their own children in this examination.¡± Audrey nodded half-understandingly. However, after thinking for a while, her attention was attracted by the students rushing to and fro on the street. ¡°Brother, that girl is so pretty.¡± As they walked, Audrey suddenly let out a low cry. Her small hand held Hughes¡¯s sleeve as she pointed to the other side of the street. Following the direction Audrey pointed to, as expected, an extremely beautiful woman appeared there. The woman was wearing a bright red dress. Her sleeves fluttered like an angel. ¡°Second brother!¡± Audrey was furious when she saw Hughes staring blankly at the woman on the other side of the street. She hurriedly tugged at Hughes¡¯s sleeve, making him to look away. However, Hughes didn¡¯t change his mind because of his sister¡¯s obstruction. He continued to stare at the woman in the red dress on the other side of the street. His eyes were filled with confusion. How could she appear here? Didn¡¯t she leave the imperial capital long ago? The woman¡¯s name was Asuro. She was from the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire, a researcher institute in the anti-magic Research Institute. Three years ago, when Hughes was tested to have only low-grade elemental affinity, this woman had once looked for Hughes. It was also during that meeting that Hughes had obtained the anti-magic stone from Asuro¡¯s hands, as well as the anti-magic stone cultivation method. Asuro felt someone¡¯s gaze on her, and she slowed down her footsteps. An incomparably powerful spiritual power seeped out from her body and spread out to the surroundings of the street. Hmm? Why was this person¡¯s spiritual power so familiar? Asuro turned around to look at Hughes¡¯ location. She saw a youth with a gentle temperament. Beside the youth stood an angry little girl. Chapter 19 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation ¡°Brother, why does that woman look so fierce?¡± Audrey slowly moved behind Hughes. Her intuition told her that the woman across the street was very dangerous. She had already activated her spiritual power. How could she not be fierce? Hughes smiled bitterly to himself. He had a certain understanding of Asuro. Three years ago, when Asuro brought the anti-magic stone to see him, she was already a level-eight Saint Magister. Not only that, because she had cultivated the anti-magic stone, Asuro¡¯s mana was higher than most saint magisters. In addition, this woman had spent many years overseas killing exotic beasts, so her body was naturally tainted with some killing intent. It was fine before, as Asuro was probably thinking about something at that time. When Hughes¡¯s gaze landed on her, her super strong spiritual power was revealed and automatically searched for targets that might cause harm to her. In such a powerful, carpet-like search, ordinary people like Audrey would naturally feel fear. Even Hughes, who was now a Tier 3 mage, had unconsciously activated his defense mode under the pressure of this spiritual power much less Audrey. ¡°Brother¡­ brother, that woman is coming. What should we do!¡± Audrey huddled behind Hughes, her voice trembling like a frightened rabbit. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid. She won¡¯t hurt us. I know her.¡± Hughes patted Audrey¡¯s Head and said with a mix of emotions, ¡°Speaking of which, she can be considered half a teacher of mine.¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Audrey looked at Hughes in surprise. When did second brother have such a teacher? Why didn¡¯t I know? Furthermore, this woman is so scary. Could this woman have coerced my brother. Ahhh! She¡¯s coming, she¡¯s coming. Audrey closed her eyes in horror, attempting to use this method to dispel the fear in her heart. However, the fear that came from the depths of her bones was like gangrene and couldn¡¯t be dispelled. ¡°When did you cultivate?¡± The woman¡¯s voice was very cold, but it was as moving like a silver bell. ¡°I just cultivated not long ago.¡± Hughes answered Asuro¡¯s question with a straight face. ¡°Was it before your talent recovered, or after your talent recovered?¡± Dong! Hughes¡¯ heart was immediately came up to his throat. How could she tell that my talent had recovered? But on the surface, Hughes still tried his best to remain calm. ¡°I practiced it after my talent recovered.¡± Asuro smiled sweetly and quietly withdrew the spiritual energy that was strolling around her. ¡°You have managed to refine six anti-magic stones in just a few days. You¡¯re pretty good.¡± After saying that, Asuro took out a notebook from her pocket and handed it to Hughes. ¡°This contains my experience of practicing the anti-magic stone cultivation method back then. You can practice it according to it.¡± ¡°Thank¡­¡± Without waiting for Hughes to finish speaking, Asuro appeared beside Audrey in a flash. She stretched out her right index finger and gently tapped Audrey¡¯s forehead. Audrey, who had been trembling all this while, instantly stopped trembling when she was tapped. She remained motionless like a puppet. ¡°I¡¯m not a demoness. I won¡¯t hurt her.¡± A cold voice rang in Hughes¡¯ ears, dispelling the water elements that Hughes had gathered. Hughes looked at Asuro in puzzlement. He didn¡¯t understand why the water dragon spell that he had been using would be dispelled by this woman with a single sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. When you reach Tier 8, you can do it too.¡± Asuro seemed to have seen through Hughes¡¯ heart and explained casually. ¡°Well, you should be able to be better than me. After all, you are only fifteen years old.¡± ¡°You have mastered the magic circuit at fifteen years old. Your talent is so good that even I am a little jealous.¡± Hughes was shocked. His second biggest secret was actually noticed by this woman with one look. Is a level-eight mage really that strong? My father also a level-eight mage. Why does he needs to touch my body to detect the magic circuit in my body, but this woman doesn¡¯t? Could this be the difference between an anti-magic mage and an ordinary mage? Just as Hughes was guessing Asuro¡¯s strength, Asuro retracted his index finger that was placed between Audrey¡¯s brows. ¡°Are you willing to learn magic from me?¡± Asuro looked at Audrey expressionlessly. Her tone didn¡¯t sound like she was taking in a disciple, it sounded more like she was having a casual chat. ¡°Learn from me. I can guarantee that in a year¡¯s time, no one in the younger generation of the imperial capital will be a match for you.¡± At this point, Asuro turned to look at Hughes and teased ¡°Of course, this doesn¡¯t include a monster like your brother whose talent is so good that it makes me jealous.¡± Asuro deliberately emphasized the word ¡®talent¡¯, which made Hughes¡¯ scalp tingle. What did this woman see in me? Fortunately, Asuro¡¯s penetrating gaze did not linger on Hughes for too long. ¡°Are you willing, little sister? If you¡¯re willing, I¡¯ll take you away right now.¡± Audrey looked at Hughes with hesitation. Like most of the young people in the imperial capital, Audrey also had a heart that yearned for transcendence. However, for so many years, whenever she mentioned that she wanted to learn magic, her father, who had always doted on her, would fly into a rage. Not only would he not agree to her request, he would even harshly reprimand her. What¡¯s wrong with a girl learning magic? Why must she learn magic? Is she crazy? Do you know how dangerous magic is? If you¡¯re not careful, your life will be lost. Do you know that? What¡¯s the use of learning magic? Fighting with others? Every time her father found various reasons to reject her, Audrey would be extremely angry. But now, when a such powerful woman stood in front of her and said that she wanted to take her in as a disciple, she wouldn¡¯t dare to. Audrey, who had always yearned for magic, shrank back. She looked at Hughes hesitantly, worried that if she followed this woman to learn magic, she would never see her brother again. She didn¡¯t know why she had such a feeling, but it was very clear. Audrey wanted to learn magic very much, and she had quarreled with Norton over this matter many times over the years. However, Audrey wanted to accompany Hughes more. In the past three years, Audrey had seen Hughes¡¯s helpless state too many times. She was afraid that after she left, Hughes would have no one to accompany him when he was helpless. ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t want to go. I¡­¡± ¡°Go. Listen to your brother. Follow your teacher to learn magic.¡± Chapter 20 Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation Hughes looked at Audrey with a smile and encouraged her ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn magic since you were young? Since sister Asuro is willing to teach you today, you should go with her.¡± ¡°Sister Asuro is a very powerful mage. She¡¯s even more powerful than father. Many people don¡¯t even have the right to be looked at by her. If you follow her, I guarantee that you will be the most powerful female mage in the younger generation of the Imperial City.¡± Hughes tried his best to maintain the smile on his face, even though his heart was still filled with bitterness. If it was before today, Hughes would definitely not have agreed to Audrey learning magic from Asuro. He was confident that when he grew up, he wouldn¡¯t be weaker than anyone else. By then, he would personally teach Audrey and help his sister realize her dream of becoming a mage. However, when he truly experienced Asuro¡¯s strength today, he changed his mind. In the imperial capital, there was a total of eight saint magisters on the surface other than the mages in the anti-magic Research Institute. Three of them were affiliated with the Royal Family while two belonged to Norton¡¯s group of military nobles. Among the remaining three, two Saint Magisters came from the Mage Guild. They belonged to the neutral faction. As for the last one, it was the Emperor of the Hiro Empire, Napoleon VII himself! Before he witnessed Asuro¡¯s strength, Hughes naively thought that since everyone was a holy magister, the mages who practiced the anti-magic stone might be stronger than ordinary mages but they were that not much stronger. However, when Hughes felt the boundless magic power from Asuro¡¯s body, he finally understood the gap between ordinary mages and anti-magic mages. Although Hughes didn¡¯t know where his father¡¯s confidence to fight against the emperor came from, he knew very well that Audrey was an ordinary girl without any cultivation. Once the war started, her safety would be greatly threatened. With Hughes¡¯s current strength, he was completely unable to protect Audrey in the chaotic situation that was destined to come. In his opinion, the person who could protect Audrey the most was this seemingly unreliable but extremely powerful woman in front of him. Hughes knew Asuro very well. Three years ago, when Hughes failed to awaken elemental affinity, Asuro had sought Hughes out. At that time, in order to convince Hughes to acknowledge her as his teacher, Asuro had produced countless pieces of evidence to prove that she had the ability to help Hughes return to his peak. Unfortunately, Hughes had not yet recovered from the excitement of the awakening ceremony at that time and did not trust anyone at all. After returning to the Duke¡¯s mansion, Hughes and Norton had a discussion about how to enter the anti-magic Research Institute. During that discussion, Norton mentioned Asuro to Hughes. From Norton¡¯s description, Hughes learned that Asuro had no desire for worldly power at all. There were only two things she loved most in her life. One was training, and the second was taking in disciples. Norton had heard from Hughes that Asuro had once wanted to take Hughes in as a disciple, but Hughes had refused. Norton was so angry that he couldn¡¯t say anything for a long time, and the conversation had come to an end. Now, because of a chance encounter, Asuro had the intention of taking Audrey in as a disciple. The current situation was so unstable, so how could Hughes not agree on Audrey¡¯s behalf. ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t want to leave. I want to stay you!¡± Audrey looked at Hughes with a bitter expression. Her eyes even began to tear up. Audrey¡¯s intuition told her that once she left with this woman in front of her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see her brother for a very long time. It wasn¡¯t easy for Hughes to walk out of his isolation. She hadn¡¯t turned Hughes into the lively, cheerful, and confident brother she used to have. She didn¡¯t want to leave. ¡°How did you¡­¡± ¡°Eh, how troublesome.¡± Before Hughes could finish his sentence, Asuro stretched out a finger and pointed at the center of his and Audrey¡¯s brows. ¡°You guys are making me so uncomfortable. Only idlers like you can tolerate such an inefficient way of communicating.¡± ¡°This is a spell that I¡¯ve recently developed. It allows you to feel each other¡¯s true thoughts.¡± Asuro took a deep breath and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll count to three: ¡°On the count of three, both of you should let your guard down at the same time and quickly say your reasons in your hearts.¡± Hum! Three seconds later, invisible ripples spread out in all directions. Hughes and Audrey¡¯s consciousnesses were linked together. Half a minute later, Asuro retracted her index finger, which was between their brows, and said languidly, ¡°Have you thought it out? Hurry and give me an answer.¡± Hughes took a glance at Audrey, and the latter understood. ¡°Teacher Asuro, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± In the half a minute just then, Audrey had truly felt Hughes¡¯s emotions. She also knew the real reason why Hughes wanted her to learn from Asuro. After sharing Hughes¡¯s emotions, Audrey, who was only thirteen years old, quickly grew up. Although she didn¡¯t know why Hughes was afraid, she had felt the authenticity of that fear. In order to make Hughes stop worrying about her, Audrey immediately made a decision ¡ª she wanted Asuro to be her teacher. ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s go.¡± Asuro took Audrey¡¯s little hand and walked forward. Hughes stood there quietly as he watched the two of them leave. Audrey, you must follow your teacher obediently. The world is about to change. ¡­ At the corner of the street that Hughes couldn¡¯t see, Asuro held Audrey¡¯s hand and found a bench to sit on. ¡°Little girl, your teacher has given you a task.¡± Audrey looked at Asuro in a daze, thinking to herself, haven¡¯t I not acknowledged you as my master yet? Why did you give me a task? But on the surface, Audrey still nodded obediently. ¡°Teacher, feel free to instruct me. As long as it¡¯s something that I can do, I will do my best to do it.¡± ¡°Hahaha, you are indeed my good disciple.¡± Asuro patted Audrey on the shoulder with a beaming smile. She said in a tone that sounded like she was trying to abduct a little girl: ¡°What you need to do is very simple. After your brother is admitted to the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire, you need to trick him¡­ and bring him to my research institute.¡± ¡°Trick¡­ teacher, what do you want to do to my brother!¡± Audrey looked at Asuro in horror, her voice raised by an octave. Asuro smiled embarrassedly and touched her face. She said shyly, ¡°I want to take him as my disciple. You don¡¯t know that your brother¡¯s talent is too insane, especially now. He¡¯s even better than he was three years ago ¡°However, it¡¯s not easy for me to say it. After all, he rejected me once.¡± Asuro looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh. She no longer had the cold temperament of a clear autumn. ¡°After all, I need face too.¡± Chapter 21 Audrey looked at Asuro in a daze. Her mouth was agape, and she was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t say a word. With her limited social experience, she had never expected that Asuro¡¯s true purpose of taking her as a disciple was to use her to take Hughes as a disciple. ¡°Master, there¡¯s actually no need for you to act like this.¡± ¡°My brother is a very understanding person. If you tell him, he will definitely agree to it.¡± Asuro shook her head with a bitter smile and sighed. ¡°Sigh, didn¡¯t I get rejected by your brother once? If he rejects me again this time, I will lose face.¡± Asuro pointed at her nose and said slowly. ¡°I¡¯m still a Level-8 Saint Magister after all. Have you ever seen a saint magister keep asking someone to be her disciple after being rejected?¡± Audrey thought for a moment before nodding. Her father was also a level-8 Saint Magister. Norton had always kept a cold expression except to his children. ¡°Alright, teacher, I promise you.¡± Audrey said helplessly. ¡°Really?¡±Asuro looked at Audrey with joy. Her eyes were filled with the joy of a successful scheme. ¡°Then, I¡¯m really grateful to you. Hahaha¡­¡± Looking at the unconcealed excitement on Asuro¡¯s face, Audrey felt a sense of annoyance for no reason. ¡°Aiya, since teacher doesn¡¯t really want to take me in as a disciple, I¡¯ll leave myself after completing your mission.¡± Just as she said this, Audrey made a step and was about to leave. However, before she could take a few steps, she was pulled back by Asuro, who was quick with her hands and eyes. Although Asuro wasn¡¯t an experienced social person, she could understand Audrey¡¯s feelings at this moment. After all, no one wanted to be treated as a tool and thrown away after being used. Furthermore, Audrey¡¯s talent wasn¡¯t bad to begin with. She was a genius girl who suited the anti-magic stone cultivation method. Although she was incomparable to Hughes, she was still better than all the young people Asuro had seen over the years. Asuro, who especially liked taking in disciples and being a teacher, especially enjoyed the feeling of teaching a genius mage. How could she give up on a good seedling for cultivation like Audrey. ¡°There¡¯s no way you can leave. You¡¯re already my disciple now. You¡¯re not allowed to go anywhere without my permission.¡± Asuro forcefully pulled Audrey into her arms and spoke fiercely. ¡°You¡¯re already mine. If you want to leave, you have to defeat me first.¡± As she spoke, Asuro reached out and pinched Audrey¡¯s delicate face. ¡°Little girl, your face is fair and tender. It won¡¯t look good if it¡¯s messed up.¡± Audrey looked at Asuro in a daze. She felt a sense of intimacy that she had never felt before. It was clearly a very serious threat, but when Audrey heard it, it sounded like a joke between friends. She felt no fear at all. ¡°It¡¯s your fault for using me as a tool, HMPH!¡± The moment she said that, Audrey blushed in embarrassment. She didn¡¯t know why she said something like that. She just naturally expressed her feelings. ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Asuro raised her hand and pinched Audrey¡¯s face gently, trying to put on a serious look as if she was a teacher. ¡°Indeed, I want to take your brother as my disciple. I came over to you guys today because I sensed your brother¡¯s spiritual power.¡± ¡°But I also sincerely want to take you as my disciple. In all these years, I have never seen such a powerful magic talent in a girl.¡± Asuro looked at Audrey with a serious expression, and her aura became as cold and fierce as before. ¡°I never lie. If you don¡¯t have magic talent, I wouldn¡¯t take you in as my disciple even if you had ten brothers like Hughes.¡± With that, Asuro stretched out her index finger and gently tapped Audrey¡¯s glabella. Then, she stretched out her other hand and placed her index finger between her own glabella. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll let you feel my true feelings.¡± Invisible spiritual waves spread out in all directions, and Audrey¡¯s spiritual world instantly connected with Asuro¡¯s. After fifteen minutes, Audrey came back to her senses in a daze. From Asuro¡¯s spiritual power, Audrey could clearly sense that this seemingly indecent teacher had an genuine love for her. It was the kind of love teachers had for a gifted student. It was pure and selfless. For a moment, Audrey was so touched that she couldn¡¯t speak. At this moment, Asuro, who had finally become serious, suddenly became indecent again. ¡°Since you¡¯ve understood my intentions, let¡¯s talk about tricking your brother into coming to my anti-magic Research Institute.¡± Audrey looked at Asuro in surprise. Her eyes were filled with disbelief. As expected, she hadn¡¯t escaped the fate of being a too. ¡°My dear disciple, don¡¯t dwell on those details.¡± Asuro patted Audrey¡¯s shoulder carelessly, blinking his eyes and bewitching her. ¡°Think about it. If your brother takes me as his master and enters my research institute, won¡¯t you be able to see your brother everyday?¡± ¡°Furthermore, you will have started learning from me before your brother. According to seniority, he would have to call you senior martial sister.¡± Audrey¡¯s eyes lit up. She could imagine her second brother calling her senior martial sister with an embarrassed look. ¡°Hahahahahaha, that seems to be the case.¡± Seeing Audrey¡¯s excited look, Asuro also laughed. Through Audrey¡¯s expression, she understood that this little girl had successfully fallen into her trap. ¡°I checked your brother¡¯s soul power just now. With his current cultivation and knowledge, it¡¯s all too easy for him to pass the Hiro Empire¡¯s Royal Academy¡¯s examination.¡± Asuro¡¯s gaze suddenly turned sharp when she said this. ¡°The only thing I¡¯m afraid of is that after your brother¡¯s talent is revealed, those people in the Anti Magic Research Institute will snatch my disciple away from me.¡± ¡°Those old geezers are all so shameless. After all these years, I¡¯ve finally found a talented disciple. I absolutely will not let them snatch him away for me.¡± Asuro gritted her teeth, as if she had recalled some painful past. ¡°When the time comes, I¡¯ll need you to make a move. Once Hughes passes the examination of the Hiro Empire¡¯s Royal Academy, you¡¯ll need to bring your brother to my research lab before those old geezers.¡± Asuro clenched her fist tightly and said with determination. ¡°If your brother enters my research lab, then he won¡¯t be able to escape being my disciple. When the time comes, you¡¯ll be able to study magic with your brother everyday.¡± Audrey nodded like a chick pecking on rice, then stretched out her palm struck it with Asuro¡¯s. At this moment, she had already begun to fantasize about the days when she could study magic with her brother. Chapter 22 Chapter 22: Underground Casino Hughes walked aimlessly on the street. He wasn¡¯t used to not having the talkative Audrey next to him. ¡°Sigh, Asuro should be able to protect her.¡± Yet, little did he know the two women have already schemed to trick into the anti-magic research institute after he passed the Hiro Royal Academy exams. As he walked, he heard some desperate screams behind him. It was a man¡¯s voice that he was very familiar with but Hughes couldn¡¯t remember who the person was on the spot. He turned around and saw a man popping out of the corner of the street covered in sweat. ¡°Hughes, I¡¯ve been calling you for so long. Why did you ignore me?¡± The person was called Sean Consak. He was one year older than Hughes and was Hughes¡¯ playmate since young. Ever since returning to Duke Tulip¡¯s residence, Hughes had either been cultivating or playing with Audrey. He didn¡¯t have time to see his previous friends at all. Hughes felt joy from the bottom of his heart after encountering Sean Consak here. Three years ago, Hughes who was still the national prodigy had countless friends and henchmen. When his talent suddenly disappeared, all these friends disappeared like smoke into the air. The only exception was this Sean. ¡°Ah, I was thinking about something and didn¡¯t notice someone calling me from behind.¡± Sean waved his hand and panted ¡°We¡¯re brothers, don¡¯t sweat it. I¡¯ve come for you for an emergency, are you free? Come with me.¡± Although his breath was unsteady, Sean¡¯s expression was still extremely serious. ¡°Lately, the news of you signing up for Hiro Royal Academy exams have been getting pretty heated. The underground casino bosses felt this was a good opportunity to earn money.¡± ¡°Just two hours ago, these people joined up to open a bet. I wanted to earn some through this so I came to find you today.¡± Sean genuinely expressed his idea. He didn¡¯t mind Hughes understanding what he truly thought at all. Hughes had this helpless expression. His friend was like this since a young age. He didn¡¯t like studying magic, he just loved money. Since young, Sean was either earning money or on the way to earning money. He would go wherever there was money. His instinct for money was more accurate than detection magic. ¡°Okay tell me, what do you want me to do.¡± Hughes looked helplessly at Sean. He wanted to listen to Sean¡¯s idea first. If it¡¯s too absurd, he wouldn¡¯t be able to help. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing hard.¡± Sean who had acute business sense easily read what Hughes thought from his expression. ¡°This bet is different to the previous ones.¡± ¡°In order to earn more money from you, those bastards from the underground casinos set up many bets.¡± Sean¡¯s face became serious upon speaking of money. ¡°Hiro Empire Royal Academy exam has four subjects. Based on the characteristic of each subject, they set up a different bet. The odds are different for each one, some¡­¡± Seeing that Sean was about to ramble on non stop, Hughes got a headache. ¡°Sigh, just tell me what you want me to do? I¡¯ll do what you say.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hurting my head listening to what you say.¡± Sean giggled and patted Hughes¡¯ shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re my good brother indeed.¡± ¡°You probably didn¡¯t bring cheque right. how about this, I¡¯ll go home with you first to get cheques. Then, we¡¯ll go to the casino.¡± Sean was about to drag Hughes home. ¡°How much capital are you going to take out?¡± Hughes knew that Sean wanted to earn by this time seeing how desperate he was. After all, it was his first time seeing Sean this desperate after knowing him for so long. ¡°You¡¯re the one taking out money, not me. I¡¯ve prepared my money. Just missing yours now.¡± Sean turned around and laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve planning to earn big. As long as you have the power, the money we earn this time will be enough to arm an army division for your dad.¡± Hughes opened his mouth wide in shock. In all these years, Sean had never lied about money. Since Sean made such promise, it meant that he had 100% confidence. Hughes just didn¡¯t understand why Sean was so confident in his power. Ever since recovering his talent, he hadn¡¯t showed his power ot anyone. The only person who had seen his true power was his dad Duke Norton. Wait! He thought flashed and Hughes immediately understood things. Arm a division for my dad! ¡°When did you get in contact with my father? How come I don¡¯t know?¡± Sean laughed and said calmly ¡°This was a long time ago. My father doesn¡¯t support me doing business. Your father gave me the starting money.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of this first sum of money that I was able to earn my wealth today.¡± Sean looked up as though reminiscing the past. ¡°After I grew up and matured, I¡¯m very grateful to your father so I joined his side. I help him manage assets and arm his army.¡± ¡°Looking at the time, it was about three years ago.¡± Three years ago? Wasn¡¯t that when I failed to awaken? Seeing Hughes in contemplation, Sean sighed to himself. In order for Hughes to not think of that dark past, he rushed ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and go. No need to think about those things. We have to get in the bet early before tonight.¡± ¡°Tomorrow is your first exam. We won¡¯t be able to make it if we¡¯re late.¡± Hughes nodded and released a wind spell with the lift of a hand. The green magic formation lit up and their speed shot up. Soon, they were back at the Duke¡¯s residence. Then, under the empowerment of the wind spell, the two soon came to the entrance of the underground casino. After paying an entrance fee, Sean led Hughes inside with great familiarity. Little did they know that another wave of people was rushing over to the underground Casino. The leader was Hughes¡¯ old friend Duke Mark Oscar¡¯s second son, Lucian Oscar! Chapter 23 When Hughes and Sean entered the casino, it was still in the afternoon. Usually, there were pretty much no gamblers in the casino at this time. However, today was different. The casino was filled with gamblers. These gamblers were all red-eyed as they looked at the light screen in the middle of the casino. The light screen in the casino was created by the owner of the casino who hired a seventh-tier light-type great mage to make it. When a hot topic of discussion appeared in Hiro City, the owner of the casino would organize a super large-scale gambling game together with the other casino owners. Only when such a super large-scale gambling game appeared would the huge light screen in the middle of the casino be activated. Deng Deng Deng! A series of crisp high heels landed on the ground. 16 beautiful women in high slit skirts swayed their waists as they walked out from behind the huge light screen. Music sounded and the 16 beautiful women stood on the stage and danced for the opening ceremony. Below the stage, the eyes of countless gamblers became even redder at this moment because they knew that the main event of the day was about to begin. After the dance ended, the casino boss stepped onto the stage. The boss was a middle-aged man who had been in the underground world of Hiro City for many years. He possessed power that ordinary people could not imagine. In all these years, no one had ever dared to cause trouble in his casino. After stepping onto the stage, the casino boss bowed deeply to his surroundings. ¡°Welcome to Las Vegas, everyone. I¡¯m the boss here, Derrick Olde.¡± ¡°Because everyone knows that we will be executing a grand gamble this time.¡± ¡°In this gamble that everyone is paying attention to, some people will become rich overnight, while others will lose all their wealth.¡± ¡°Do you think that the lucky one will be you? If I don¡¯t think that you are, then please leave this place as soon as possible.¡± Different from the other casino owners, not only did Derrick Olde not trick the gamblers to gamble, he instead elaborated the cruelty of gambling right from the beginning. But even so, the group of gamblers below the stage did not leave because of his words. Instead, they shouted together, as if they were praying for their own luck through their shouts. ¡°Boss Derrick, stop wasting time. Hurry up and start.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We¡¯ve been waiting for the whole afternoon.¡± ¡°Please start. Don¡¯t you want my money?¡± The gamblers who were crowded together below the stage shouted crazily. Not only did they not listen the boss¡¯s persuasion, they were instead annoyed at the casino boss for wasting time. Some even threatened to stopped coming to this casino and begged the casino owner to quickly start. Looking at the excited gamblers below the stage, casino owner Derrick secretly felt a wave of contempt in his heart. He had operated the underground casino for decades. Every time before a big gambling game was held, he would give the gamblers under the stage the warning he gave just then. But in all these years, not a single gambler had listened to his advice and left the casino. Every one of these gamblers thought that he was the lucky one. He would make a lot of money in this grand bet and become the top rich man in the capital. But there was only one true winner, and that was the casino itself. No matter which side won the bet, the owner of the casino would be the biggest winner. This was because the casino never placed bets, and they never gambled. They only earned the money of the winners. ¡°It¡¯s hard to reject such passion. Since everyone is so eager for me to open the bet, I won¡¯t keep you guessing anymore. Now, I announce the official start of the bet.¡± As Derrick¡¯s voice fell, an article suddenly appeared on the big screen in the middle of the casino. This article was Hughes¡¯ biography. It summarized all the information available in the market. ¡°In order to ensure the fairness of the bet, like every previous bet, our casino will not participate in this bet.¡± ¡°This is the information that our casino has collected for everyone. We cannot guarantee its authenticity. Gamblers, please refer to it rationally.¡± ¡°In addition, if Hughes does not appear in any of your bets, we will provide you with a full refund.¡± Boss Derrick¡¯s performing art like reminder, through a sound amplification spell, sounded in the ears of all the gamblers present. His original intention was to remind the gamblers present to look at all information from any source rationally. However, contrary to his wish, not only did the gamblers not calmly analyze the information, they instead made abnormally subjective judgments based on the information. The noisy discussions sounded throughout the casino. Only when the information on the light screen appeared did the discussions gradually die down. Looking at the group of gamblers around him, the madness on their faces became more and more obvious. Hughes shook his head helplessly. Fortunately, Sean, who was standing beside him, was not like this. His face remained as cold as ice. ¡°The bet is about to start. Put on your mask first. Don¡¯t let anyone recognize you.¡± ¡°Later, I will ask for your opinion before each bet. You must make the most rational judgment based on your true strength.¡± ¡°The Duke¡¯s army is still waiting for us to arm them. This time, we must not make any mistakes.¡± Hughes nodded slightly, accepted the mask from Sean and put it on his face. Hughes did not bring much money today. On the way back to the Duke¡¯s mansion, Sean told him the real situation today. According to Sean¡¯s description, the money in his hand was the biggest part of today¡¯s bet. The more than 100,000 Hiro coins in Hughes¡¯s hand was only a small addition. The reason Sean called Hughes today was to store some savings for Hughes in his future magic studies. Once the war between the military nobles and the royal family started, Duke Norton would find it difficult to provide for Hughes, buy anti-magic stones, and practice magic. The money he collected would be used to arm his army, pay the soldiers, and provide pensions. Without the money provided by Duke Norton, Hughes¡¯ path of magic cultivation would become more and more difficult. Hughes also understood this, so he was very grateful to Sean and was willing to give his savings to Sean. Moreover, after going through the third elemental baptism, Hughes was very confident in his own strength. He did not think that he would lose to any opponent. He was now a Tier 3 mage, and he had a Tier 3 magic circuit and two Tier 2 magic circuits. What was even more terrifying was that Hughes had also learned the anti-magic stone cultivation method. Its mana recovery speed and elemental affinity far exceeded that of ordinary mages. This was simply not on the same level. Under such circumstances, even a Tier 4 mage might not necessarily be a Hughes¡¯ opponent much less ordinary tier 3 mages. Today, Hughes was determined to win! Chapter 24 Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding.. A rapid series of bells rang, and the first bet of the night appeared on that huge central screen. Pointing at the words on the screen, the casino owner, Derrick, began to introduce. ¡°As everyone knows, the first exam of the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire every year is the foundation of magic theory.¡± ¡°The first round of this bet is based on the results of the exam in this subject.¡± ¡°We provide two ways of gambling. The first one is to bet on the ranking.¡± As soon as boss Derrick¡¯s voice fell, a beautiful lady in a high-forked skirt immediately walked up to every gambler with magic instruments in her hands. ¡°Every gambler can guess the ranking of Hughes in this exam. The one who gets it right will get all the money that the other gamblers bet on.¡± At this point, Trick added with a smile: ¡°Of course, the winner has to give 10% of your earnings to the casino. This is also our casino¡¯s rule. I believe everyone can understand.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the gamblers in the casino burst into laughter. ¡°Boss Derrick, we are also your regular customers. How can we not know your rules?¡± ¡°Hurry up and start. How do you use this device? Hurry up and tell us.¡± Seeing the anticipation in the eyes of the gamblers, Derrick felt that it was time to teach them how to use the device. ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient. I¡¯ll teach everyone how to use the device.¡± ¡°The method to use the device is very simple. All you need to do is inject a bit of your magic power into it, imagine the position you want to set, and the amount of money you want to bet. We¡¯ll be able to receive your information.¡± ¡°Then, we¡¯ll deduct the corresponding amount from your deposit account based on the amount of money you have betted.¡± When he said this, everyone was shocked. All the gamblers present were regular customers of this casino. However, this was also the first time they used such a novel method. ¡°Although I really don¡¯t want to gamble, I still want to try this attractive gambling method.¡± ¡°Stop pretending. Where are you from?¡± ¡°Boss Derrick, I have already placed my bets for this round. When will the next round begin?¡± The gamblers in the casino exclaimed in admiration at the magical equipment in front of them. However, most of the gamblers were still looking forward to the next few rounds of gambling. After all, there were too many students participating in the Hiro Empire¡¯s Royal Academy examination. The probability of guessing the ranking of Hughes was too low. Most people were unwilling to take such a risk. Listening to the discussions of the gamblers in the casino, Derrick turned around and glanced at his assistant who was standing beside him. The latter understood and immediately responded to him with a look. Derrick nodded in satisfaction. Through the expression of his assistant, he had a general understanding of the betting situation in the casino. ¡°Half a minute later, this round of betting will end. Friends who haven¡¯t placed their bets yet, please hurry up and don¡¯t miss this round of betting.¡± Below the gambling table, Sean stared at Hughes and asked in a low voice, ¡°Can you get first place? If you have the confidence to get first place, then we can still place our bets in this round.¡± Hughes shook his head and repeatedly denied. ¡°Although I have the confidence to pass this first round of the magical technology theory exam, I¡¯m not sure what kind of ranking I can get.¡± ¡°Alright, we won¡¯t place our bets in this round. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± Half a minute later, the round of betting ended. The casino owner, Derrick, once again stepped onto the stage, picked up the loudspeaker, and began to explain the rules of the second round of betting. ¡°Just like the first round of betting, the second round of betting is still based on the results of Hughes¡¯ magical theory exam.¡± ¡°In this round of betting, we provide two answers for everyone to choose from.¡± ¡°First, those who believe that Hughes can stand out from more than 7,000 students and successfully pass this round of examinations at the Royal Academy of Hiro, please use your magic power to carve a one on the instrument and determine your bet amount.¡± ¡°Second, those who believe that Hughes cannot pass this round of examinations, need to carve a two on the instrument and determine the bet amount.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the gamblers in the casino began to take actions one after another. On the stage in the middle of the casino, the girl assistant who had been standing next to Derrick quickly walked up to Derrick and said in a low voice, ¡°Boss, 70% of the gamblers have placed their bets in this round.¡± Trick nodded slightly, then he picked up the loudspeaker and said to the bottom of the casino, ¡°There is still one minute left in this round of betting. Please cherish your time and place your bets quickly.¡± Whoosh whoosh whoosh.. Seeing the numbers on the light screen in her hand consistently increase, the assistant¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She had worked by Derrick¡¯s side for many years and had seen countless large-scale betting. There was no gambling game that had more people participating and larger betting amount than this one. ¡°Do you want to bet on this one? I¡¯m certain I can pass the Magic Theory Exam?¡± Hughes turned to Sean. ¡°You must be short-sighted. I might not be as good as you in magic cultivation, but your cultivation is not as good as mine when it comes to investing and making money.¡± Sean chuckled and explained slowly. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t see the backend information of the casino, based on my years of experience, there must be a lot of people betting in this round, and the number of people on both sides will be in a balanced state.¡± ¡°Although I believe in your strength, we won¡¯t make much money even if we win this round.¡± ¡°Instead of wasting money on such meaningless gambling, it¡¯s better to save up this money and wait for a suitable time to directly make a big profit.¡± Hughes nodded and agreed with Sean¡¯s view. Soon, the first round of gambling ended. The boss picked up the loudspeaker again and began to explain the second round of gambling. ¡°The first round of gambling has ended. Now, let¡¯s start the second round of gambling.¡± ¡°For this round of gambling, we will also use the results of the exam of the Royal Hiro Academy as the basis for determining the win or loss.¡± ¡°In the second round bets, we will still use the two gambling methods from before.¡± The casino owner, Derrick, picked up the loudspeaker and began to explain the betting methods and the rules of winning and losing. ¡°Just like before, everyone can also choose the ranking to place their bets. Once Hughes¡¯ ranking is determined, the chosen one will win this round of the bet and split the money of all the losers equally.¡± ¡°The betting method is also very simple. Just like last time, you only need to inject a trace of your magic power into it. Imagine the ranking you want to set and the amount of money you want to place your bets. We will receive your information here.¡± ¡­ ¡°Now, let¡¯s start the second round of betting.¡± As soon as Derrick¡¯s voice fell, the instruments in the hands of all the gamblers lit up, reflecting the sickly red color on their faces. Chapter 25 Unlike the previous round of bets, more gamblers expressed their deep interest in this round. ¡°Hahaha, I think Hughes can get first place. That kid was once a genius, a natural maximum level spiritual power cultivator. I¡¯ll bet 500,000!¡± ¡°Brother, you¡¯re overestimating that Hughes a little too much. Three years ago, he only awakened low-grade elemental affinity.¡± ¡°You must be short-sighted. Elemental affinity has nothing to do with a mage¡¯s own soul power. I think what brother said earlier is right. I¡¯ll follow you.¡± Countless gamblers chose a ranking that suited their hearts according to their understanding of this year¡¯s examinees. In the crowd, Sean quietly looked at Hughes and asked softly, ¡°Can you guarantee that you¡¯ll get first place in this round? If you think it¡¯s possible, we can try this round.¡± Through the broadcast screen in the center of the stage, Sean had a rough understanding of the betting format of the entire venue. From his perspective, there were more people betting on this round, and the amount of money placed on each bet was relatively large. If Hughes was confident of getting first place in this round of examinations, this round would also give them a stable sum of income. ¡°If you think that this round is profitable, then you should go for it. With my strength and the magic test, first place will still be easy.¡± This was not to say that Hughes was boasting. He had the magic power of a Tier 3 mage now, coupled with his innate max level spiritual power. Even if one looked back in the past 100 years, there wouldn¡¯t be an examinee stronger than him much less the examinees of this year. Listening to Hughes¡¯ confident recollection, Derrick smiled faintly. Then, he picked up the device and injected a strand of his spiritual power into it. He placed a bet of 100,000 Hiro coins. ¡°This is just for fun. It¡¯s a good start.¡± While the two of them were talking, the other gamblers in the venue were particularly excited. They all shouted at the casino owner in the middle of the stage. ¡°Boss Derrick, hurry up and start the next round of gambling.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I haven¡¯t placed a bet yet. Hurry up and give me a reason to place a bet.¡± ¡­ Looking at the anxious gamblers below and listening to their desperate shouts, an endless amount of disdain emerged in Derrick¡¯s heart. Although Derrick was a casino operator, in reality, he hated gambling more than anyone else. That was why he would conduct such a performance art before the opening of every large-scale gambling game. He hoped to use this method to persuade those gamblers who would definitely go bankrupt one day to stop. However, every time he tried, it was a waste of effort. No one was willing to listen to him. They were simply a bunch of stupid pigs, ignorant and stubborn! Wasn¡¯t it good to use your own money to do something practical? Why did you have to come to the casino to gamble? Fine, since you want it, I¡¯ll satisfy you. ¡°If betting on the rank is a walk on the edge of a knife, then betting on winning or losing is a safer bet.¡± ¡°Just like before, the family can also choose whether or not they can pass the second round of the exam.¡± ¡°Now, let¡¯s place our bets for the second round.¡± Whoosh whoosh whoosh.. Soon, the second round of betting was over. Amidst the crazy shouts of the gamblers, the third round of betting quickly began. Then, like the first two rounds of betting, it quickly ended as well. After the three rounds, each gambler¡¯s face was covered in mist. Some were hot, some were excited, and the rest were mostly because of the craziness of giving up everything. Unlike the in between time for the previous rounds when the gamblers were boisterous, the gamblers all kept extremely quiet before the last round.. This was because the rules of this round were completely different from the previous rounds. These gamblers already knew this before they participated in the gambling. Buzz! A red light descended from the sky and fell upon the head of the casino owner, Derrick, who was standing in the middle of the stage. The pillar of light moved, and Derrick, the gambling king of Hiro, began to dance. It was as if he was presiding over a sacrificial activity. He acted sacred and solemn. Music sounded, and a crazy and elegant melody reverberated in the casino, infusing every gambler in the casino with a touch of madness. Boom! With a loud bang, the entire casino fell into absolute darkness in an instant. Dong! The screen in the center of the stage lit up again, and boss Derrick¡¯s unique voice returned to everyone¡¯s ears. ¡°Welcome to, welcome to Las Vegas, everyone. I¡¯m the boss here, Derrick Olde.¡± ¡°Please allow me to introduce the rules of tonight¡¯s final bet.¡± After saying this, trick bowed deeply to the gamblers below the casino. Unlike the opening of the previous rounds of gambling, no gambler hurried Derrick at this moment. Although they already knew the rules of this round of gambling, they still maintained their respect for the man on the stage. This was because they all knew that the final round of every bet was this man¡¯s favorite performance stage. Anyone who dared to interfere in this performance would never be able to leave this casino. The only outcome awaiting them would be absolute death. ¡°This round of bet, this casino will not participate in any pumping.¡± ¡°This round¡¯s minimum bet limit, 100,000!¡± ¡°This round¡¯s maximum bet time, one time!¡± ¡°After the bet has been made, it can not be changed.¡± ¡°There can only be one winner in this round. If more than one person guessed the same outcome, then the person with the highest bet will win.¡± ¡°In addition, the casino will also reward the winner with the same amount of money based on the bet amount of the winner in this round!¡± ¡°There is only one way to bet in this round, and that is to bet on how many enemies Hughes can defeat in the final battle royale. Each person can guess a bottom line, but of course, they can only guess one.¡± ¡°I am the notary of this round of bets, rank eight Saint Magister, Derrick Olde!¡± ¡°I hereby announce that the fourth round of bets has officially begun!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the screen in the center of the stage quickly flipped, and numbers started to appear. Unlike the others, Sean did not look at the light screen in the center of the stage. His gaze had always been on Hughes. ¡°Give me a number. How many people do you think you can defeat in the last round of the exam?¡± Hughes thought for a long time and extended a finger. ¡°Ten?¡± Sean was obviously a little nervous. If it was only ten, then his chances of winning this round would be extremely small ¡°Not ten, but a hundred.¡± Hughes¡¯s indifferent voice rang in Sean¡¯s ears. The latter¡¯s cold face only blushed. Huff! Huff! Huff! Sean panted and let out a low growl: ¡°I believe you. This time, I¡¯ll bet everything I have!¡± * Snap! * ! Sean confirmed his bet. The next moment, the number on the huge screen in the center of the stage disappeared instantly. An incomparably huge red number occupied the entire screen. Hughes looked up and saw that it was fifty million! Chapter 26 The casino enveloped by the red light was silent. Everyone raised their heads and stared blankly at the soul-stirring red number on the screen. One should not think that 50 million Hiro coins were a small value. To the vast majority of the ordinary citizens in the imperial capital, their annual expenditure was only 10 Hiro coins. 50 million Hiro coins were already one-fiftieth of the annual financial expenditure of the Hiro Empire. If placed anywhere else, it would be an astronomical amount of wealth. ¡°50 million? Who is gambling this?¡± ¡°This person¡¯s guts are too big. He actually dared to take out 50 million to bet on this. Is he crazy?¡± ¡°He is definitely a madman. Definitely a madman!¡± Most of the gamblers in the casino stared at the string of numbers on the light screen in the center of the gambling table and let out a series of shouts. They tried their best to use words to slander the gambler who had spent so much money. Although they didn¡¯t know each other, such bold actions had stimulated the jealousy in their hearts. Those who were able to enter this casino and participate in this grand gamble were all the rare wealthy people in the imperial capital. Usually, these people were subservient and elegant, pretending to be upper-class. Everywhere they went, they would spend gold like dirt. Every move they made was an act of squander. But today, they were ruthlessly slapped in the face by an unknown gambler who took out an astronomical amount of money. This was indeed because of money, but it was not all because of money. 50 million Hiro coins was an amount some of the gamblers present could also take out. But none of them had the courage, the confidence, to use this 50 million to participate in a gamble. What made them even more afraid was that the gambler who bet 50 million, had the number 100 behind it. That meant Hughes had to beat 100 people in the fourth round to win the bet. Otherwise, the 50 million he spent would go down the drain. How was this gambling? It was a blatant display of wealth, a slap in the face. Gambling was a game with a long history. Most people played the game to make money; only a very small number of people played the game for excitement. They enjoyed the feeling of spending money like water in a gambling game, getting rich one second and going bankrupt the next. They enjoyed even more the looks of envy and resentment from the people around them as they threw their money around. In the imperial capital, the former usually gathered in the low-end casinos, while the latter mainly concentrated in Las Vegas. Now that the moment of glory was taken away by others, the gamblers who took pride in showing off their wealth naturally wouldn¡¯t allow this. Unlike the previous gamblers who placed their bets in a hurry, the wealthy gamblers in this type of casino preferred to place their bets after most people had placed their bets. In their original plans, Las Vegas tonight would be the stage that belonged solely to their small circle. But now, the red 50 million on the central screen of the gambling platform had torn their glory into pieces. They were unsatisfied, very unsatisfied! But even if they were unsatisfied, what could they do? They had the money, but they didn¡¯t dare nor have the confidence to gamble with that high roller. At this moment, a gambler in their upper-class circle suddenly said something in a low voice. ¡°We can¡¯t just let it go today. We have to think of a way to teach this blind guy a lesson.¡± As soon as he said that, another gambler in the private room slammed the table and said in agreement. ¡°Boss Donald is right. That person probably isn¡¯t from our circle. There¡¯s no one in our circle who doesn¡¯t know the rules.¡± Before the start of the game tonight, the gamblers who were sitting in the private room had a prior discussion. They had made an early exchange of interests and decided which wealthy person would be taking all the glory tonight. However, their plan was disrupted by this outsider who suddenly appeared, making their prior agreements ridiculous. They couldn¡¯t tolerate this. ¡°Let¡¯s fight with him. I don¡¯t believe that there are people in the capital who are richer than us!¡± Donald¡¯s face was cold, and his eyes were filled with a fierce light that could devour anyone. ¡°Moreover, he¡¯s by himself but there are nine of us.¡± ¡°No matter how rich he is, he can¡¯t beat nine of us alone!¡± Crowdfunding? In whose name? Everyone in the private room had a look of joy on their faces, but at this moment, their eyes started to wander. Investing in a bet with that wealthy customer together could indeed reduce their costs. But in whose name was a huge problem. At this moment, no one was willing to give such an opportunity to others. Donald glanced at the crowd. He was experienced in this circle. He knew very clearly what his friends thought. ¡°I know that no matter who stands outs and takes the glory, there will be people who disagree. Perhaps all of the rest might disagree.¡± ¡°But if we don¡¯t bet with him tonight, then all of us will lose face!¡± With this, everyone in the private room looked at each other in dismay. Yes, long before they entered the casino, the news that their group would win the highest bet in the casino today had already been spread by them. If they didn¡¯t take any action tonight, they would become the laughing stock of the entire wealthy circle in the capital. Observing everyone¡¯s expressions, Donald was secretly delighted. He knew that what he said had already worked. The rest would depend on the plan that he had just thought of. ¡°I have a way. Not only can we fulfill the lofty words that we have said, but we can also let everyone have a fair amount of face.¡± Hearing this, everyone turned their gazes to Donald, waiting for his plan. ¡°The solution is simple. We can set up a business association. We¡¯ll use the name of the business association to make the bet, not any of our individual names.¡± ¡°In this way, the words we put out today will not be in vain, and none of us will be at a disadvantage.¡± Observing the expressions of the people in the private room, Donald was sure that his words had touched them. ¡°If there isn¡¯t a suitable name, then I have one here, the Allard Business Association. What do you all think?¡± Everyone nodded in agreement. Donald took the betting device of the person beside him and made the first bet. Deng! The screen in the center of the stage changed again. The name of the Allard Business Association 0.1 appeared in front of everyone with a huge amount of money of 55 million. Chapter 27 ¡°Allard Business Association 0.1, 55 million, betting on Hughes defeating 100 people in the fourth round of battle royale!¡± Looking at the changes on the screen, the casino owner, Derrick, crazily and excitedly announced the bid. He did not look like he was hosting a bet. It seemed like he was holding an auction. In fact, after more than 20 years of development, Las Vegas had indeed become a place of auction fame. But this auction house was different from other auction houses. Only the richest people in this place had the right to participate in the auction. Obviously, the Allard Business Association, which went against the mysterious rich man, had the right to participate in the auction. Derrick scanned the whole place, hoping to find the mysterious gambler in the crowd. However, after searching for a long time, he didn¡¯t find any trace of the gambler except for some noise that made him feel irritated. ¡°Damn, what is the Allard Business Association? When was it established? Why don¡¯t I know about it?¡± ¡°This Allard Business Association is quite powerful. They actually dare to spend so much money to bet with that mysterious tycoon.¡± ¡°What is the origin of this Allard Business Association? How come I have never heard of their name in the Imperial City? Where are the tycoons in our imperial city? Why didn¡¯t they show up tonight?¡± Listening to the chattering of the gamblers around him, Hughes gently patted Sean¡¯s shoulder and said in a low voice. ¡°Sure enough, those people made a move. When are we going to follow them?¡± Long before the start of the fourth round, Sean had communicated with Hughes through spirit magic. During that exchange, he revealed his plan for the fourth game. He told Hughes that the money they were going to make this time came from two groups of people. The wealthy groups in the capital were one of their targets tonight. The other target was the owner of the casino, Terry Olde. The way to make money was also very simple. It was to tease the wealthy people to keep raising the stakes according to the rules of the casino. At the same time, Sean would also continue to raise the stakes and continue to raise the winning reward provided by Boss Derrick for the winner. ¡°I¡¯ll follow right away, but before that, I need to change a betting device.¡± Hughes understood and immediately handed his machine to Sean. Sean reached out to take it. At the same time, a group of people gathered around him. Each of these people held a device in their hands. There were ten people in total. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll play with you slowly.¡± Sean sneered, took Hughes¡¯ device, and began to set the bet amount. This time, the amount he was going to bet was not big, only 55,010,000. It was neither too much nor too little, just 10,000 more than the amount that the Allard Business Association had bet. Needless to say, Sean had done it on purpose. He wanted to arouse the competitive spirit of those people, so that they would continue to bet against him and keep pushing up the amount of money in the pool. According to the rules of the fourth game in Las Vegas, there would only be one winner in this game, and the winner would take all the money in the pool. Moreover, the owner of this casino, Derrick, would not draw any water. Not only that, but he would also give the same amount of reward according to the amount of money the winner bet. That was to say, as long as the money of both sides persisted, the money paid by both sides would continue to double, or even ten times. And under such a crazy bet, the other gamblers in the casino would be driven to bet crazily. Only when one of the two sides admitted defeat would the crazy bet stop. At that time, the amount of money accumulated in the pool would be an astronomical figure that ordinary people couldn¡¯t imagine. Once someone won this bet, he would become the richest person in the entire continent of Europa. Deng! The screen changed again, and the crazy bidding voice of the casino owner, Derrick, resounded throughout the room. ¡°Mysterious gambler 0.1, 55,010,000, betting on Hughes defeating 100 people in the fourth chaotic battle.¡± Mysterious gambler! 55,010,000! Defeating 100 people! In the private room of the casino, Donald¡¯s face was swollen like a purple pig liver. ¡°Investigate! Investigate for me! Find out who this person is. I want to know who this person is before the gambling game ends!¡± The butler standing at the side looked at the angry boss in front of him and was so scared that he was trembling. ¡°Yes, yes grandpa. Please wait a moment. I¡¯ll go and investigate right away.¡± After the butler left, Donald swept his cold eyes across the entire place and said ferociously. ¡°That person is already fighting with us now. Looking at his attitude, I don¡¯t think he will admit defeat for a while.¡± ¡°In my opinion, let¡¯s just forget about it this time. Defeating 100 people in a battle of 1,000 people is an extremely difficult matter.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to throw away the money we worked so hard to earn just for this little bit of reputation.¡± Donald¡¯s words were full of cowardice, but the ferocious expression on his face betrayed his true feelings. He didn¡¯t want to retreat just like that, and he couldn¡¯t retreat just like that. When the news of tonight¡¯s bet spread out, when people knew that none of the nine of them had ever gotten one person right in the bet. Their group, together with the Allard Business Association, would become the laughingstock of the entire Hiro City. They would become the people they looked down on, the people they could gossip about after dinner. He, Donald, couldn¡¯t afford to lose face. ¡°We can¡¯t retreat. If we retreat like this, where will our face go?¡± ¡°We definitely can¡¯t retreat tonight. We¡¯ll follow whatever they bet. I don¡¯t believe it. How can he face us alone?¡± ¡°Let me put it this way. Whoever leaves today, don¡¯t ever enter our circle again. You¡¯re not worthy!¡± The crowd in the private room was furious. Every rich man¡¯s face was filled with madness and malevolence! Donald chuckled. ¡®It¡¯s time.¡¯. ¡°Alright, since everyone doesn¡¯t agree to retreat, we¡¯ll continue to fight with him.¡± ¡°This time, we¡¯ll directly raise the bet to 60 million. Let¡¯s see if he still dares to fight with us.¡± Just like that, a gambler in the private room picked up a new betting device and wrote down the bet amount in his mind. The restriction of the casino¡¯s rules was that they could not use the previous accelerator. So this time, they changed the name of their bet to 0.2 of the Allard Business Association. Whoosh! The message was sent. The huge screen in the middle of the casino changed again, and the name of the Allard Business Association appeared in the light screen again. However, before the nine rich people in the private room could smile, the light screen that had just been occupied by their names changed again. A dazzling red color appeared in their eyes. It was 60,100,000! It was no more, no less. It was only 10,000 more than their bet! Chapter 28 ¡°Provocation! This is definitely a provocation!¡± Donald jumped up from his chair and roared crazily. ¡°F * ck, who is this blind fool who dares to go against us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t let me know who you are. Otherwise, I¡¯ll let you leave the imperial capital lying down.¡± Bang! In the private room, a rich man sitting in the corner slammed the table fiercely and berated angrily, ¡°Stop arguing. Is there any point in saying such harsh words here? If you have the ability, why don¡¯t you beat the others in the bet!¡± ¡°That person want to play with us doesn¡¯t he? Let¡¯s continue playing with him. Why are we arguing like this?¡± The person who spoke was called Salam. He was one of the two richest people in their small group. Under normal circumstances, this person rarely spoke, but when he spoke, the entire group would quietly listen to his opinion. ¡°Donald, since you¡¯re the one presiding over today¡¯s matter, then continue presiding over it. I won¡¯t snatch it from you.¡± Salam stood up gently and walked to Donald¡¯s side. ¡°I don¡¯t want to quarrel with you today, and I don¡¯t have the time to quarrel with you. At this juncture, what we need the most is unity. Can you understand?¡± ¡°Let go of our personal grudges and work together. This matter concerns our face. We absolutely cannot retreat!¡± Salam reached out his hand, wanting to shake hands with Donald to make peace. In the private room, everyone quietly looked at Donald, waiting for his reaction. Donald was a person who liked to express his opinions. He often considered himself the leader of a their small group. In the past many years, Donald and Salam had often argued over the right to speak for the team. Every time Salam expressed his opinion, Donald would stand on the opposite side of Salam, regardless of whether he was right or not. Donald, now is not the time for internal strife! Donald, you must not make trouble here. Hurry up and agree to Salam. Mage God bless, do not let the two of them quarrel. ¡­ Amidst everyone¡¯s prayers, Donald stood up and straightened his clothes. ¡°Although I hate you, I have to admit that what you said makes sense.¡± ¡°Unity is indeed what we need the most right now. I promise you.¡± After saying that, Donald proudly extended his right hand and squeezed Salam tightly. Both of them held each other tightly, and every gambler in the private room broke out in a cold sweat for them. Three minutes later, the two people, whose cheeks were purple and red, let go of each other¡¯s hands and sat back in their seats. ¡°Let¡¯s begin. Who¡¯s instrument hasn¡¯t placed a bet yet? Bring it over to me.¡± As soon as Donald finished speaking, a betting instrument was delivered to his hands. After delivering the device, the person did not immediately return to his seat. Instead, he began to stutter. ¡°Is the deposit not enough?¡± Donald raised his eyebrows and asked with extreme disdain. ¡°Just, just need a little bit more.¡± ¡°Just a little bit more? Tell me how much more!¡± ¡°Take your things and get lost quickly. Come and look for me after you¡¯ve filled up the deposit.¡± Donald was very angry. He had long been unhappy with this person. Today, this person¡¯s cowardice and lack of sufficient deposit gave Donald sufficient reasons. He immediately decided that after this matter was over, he would immediately kick this person out of their circle! PA! Slam, who had returned to his seat, picked up his device and threw it towards Donald¡¯s position. ¡°I have a deposit of 10 million here. You can use it as you like. Even if it¡¯s just this one, you can use up all of the 100 million betting amount.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, before Donald could agree, a man sitting next to him stood up. ¡°Please don¡¯t. We can¡¯t just throw away this 100 million. If that Hughes kid is scared away by us, the benefits we can get will be limited.¡± Hughes? Everyone in the private room looked at the man who spoke. ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t hear wrong. The person who placed the bet is very likely to be Hughes. Even if it isn¡¯t Hughes himself, then he has a close relationship with Hughes. I have evidence.¡± After saying that, the man reached into his pocket and took out a microphone. Magic power was poured into it, and a woman¡¯s voice came out from the microphone. It was the assistant of the casino boss, Derrick. ¡°We¡¯ve investigated it. The name of the account in which the bet was made is Will Smith.¡± Donald jumped up from his seat. ¡°Will Smith? Isn¡¯t that the butler of Duke Tulip?¡± ¡°No wonder they have so much guts to bet so much money. It turns out that they are personally going to bet.¡± At this moment, all the gamblers in the private room understood. ¡°No wonder they bet 10,000 more than us every time. It turns out that they are targeting us.¡± Salam stood up with a relaxed face and said with a faint smile, ¡°Everyone, since the second young master of the Tulip family is targeting us for military expenses today, we might as well play with him.¡± ¡°I believe that with the Tulip family¡¯s upbringing, their children would not be so foolish as to use the family¡¯s military expenses as a bargaining chip.¡± As the leading family of the empire¡¯s top military nobles, the Tulip family had been around for thousands of years and was naturally very rich. However, during the hundreds of years of fighting with the Empire¡¯s imperial family, a large portion of their foundations had been used up. Through the news that they had just received, the super merchants in the private room quickly understood why the Tulip family wanted to participate in today¡¯s gamble. To raise military funds through this unprecedented gamble! Other than that, there was absolutely no other possibility! ¡°The bravest will die from overeating, and the timid will die from starvation!¡± Donald strode to the center of the private room, not hiding the greed on his face at all. ¡°Since they have made such a bet, they must be 100% sure.¡± ¡°Brothers, the opportunity to improve is right in front of us. Whether we can grasp it or not depends on everyone¡¯s courage.¡± Donald¡¯s eyes were as cold as frost as he said coldly, ¡°If we win this bet, we can split the wealth that the Tulip family has accumulated for thousands of years.¡± ¡°But if we lose this round, we will be doomed!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not afraid. I, Donald, have never backed down from any opportunity in my life. Today, I will not back down!¡± Donald slammed the table hard and said loudly, ¡°Is there anyone who is willing to advance and retreat with me in unison!¡± In the private room, seven gamblers were affected by Donald¡¯s heroism. Their faces were red and their ears were red. They were so excited that they could not speak. Only one person was coldly looking at the crowd. A sneer even appeared on the edge of his mouth. Chapter 29 ¡°Allard Business Association 0.2, 75 million on Hughes defeating 100 people in the fourth round of Battle Royale!¡± ¡°Mysterious gambler 0.2, 75.01 million, on Hughes defeating 100 people in the fourth round of Battle Royale!¡± ¡°Allard Business Association 0.3, 85 million, on Hughes defeating 100 people in the fourth round Battle Royale!¡± ¡­ The unique and crazy voice of the casino owner, Derrick, kept ringing in the casino. With every bid he announced, the huge screen in the middle of the casino also changed. Under the high platform, countless gamblers in the casino were shocked by this unprecedented bet. Some of them were bold. Under the influence of this crazy environment, they chose a number to secretly place their bets, trying to make a big gamble. If they lost, they would only lose their meager wealth. But once they won, they would be able to earn immeasurable money! The red light kept flashing, leaving seeds of madness on the faces of every gambler. These seeds were constantly being stimulated and sprouted. ¡°Second brother, hurry over to Las Vegas. Remember to bring your identification and a deposit of 100,000!¡± ¡°Wife, bring half of our family¡¯s savings and hurry over to Las Vegas. Your husband is going to be rich. All I need is your identification and money.¡± ¡°Son, hurry up and bring the money to Las Vegas. I can¡¯t explain it clearly. If I¡¯m a little later, the number that I like will be taken away by someone else. When that time comes¡­¡± In the casino, countless gamblers picked up their magic communication devices and demanded money from their families. Every one of them thought that they were the chosen ones and that their vision was as sharp as a torch! However, in reality, they were just a bunch of lowly wretches who didn¡¯t know anything. No matter how scientific and reasonable the reason for their judgment was, they wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain the final victory. On the high platform in the middle of the casino, Derrick Olde looked at the group of crazy gamblers below in a daze. ¡°You really did what you said, even though the method you used was very old-fashioned.¡± A few days ago, when Derrick had just announced that he was going to hold a super large-scale gambling event, he had received a mysterious invitation letter. ¡ª I want to bet with you that four days later, I can make the world¡¯s craziest gambling game in your casino. If you are willing, please show your sincerity to me at the beginning of the last round of gambling. The invitation didn¡¯t have many words, but the absolute confidence in the spirit of the invitation still made Derrick Olde, who hadn¡¯t gambled in many years, interested. He accepted the mysterious person¡¯s invitation and quietly changed the rules that he had not changed for many years. ¡°This is indeed a grand gamble, but where does your confidence that you will definitely succeed come from.¡± Being able to become a level-8 holy Magister and secure a high position in the imperial capital¡¯s underground world, Derrick was naturally not a fool. When the mysterious gambler made the first round of bets, he had vaguely guessed the relationship between that person and the Tulip Duke¡¯s mansion. However, he could not figure out where this person¡¯s confidence came from no matter what. From the information he had gathered, Hughes had only awakened the most inferior element affinity three years ago. After awakening, Hughes had walked into the South Mountain courtyard alone and remained in seclusion for three whole years. Even if he had some fortuitous encounters during these three years and was able to recover his magic talent, it was impossible for him to have the strength to sweep through 100 people. After going through the first three rounds of selection, the remaining examinees were all dragons and phoenixes among men. Defeating one of them was already a difficult task. If one was lucky, he might be able to defeat a few, or more than ten. However, defeating hundreds of people was nothing but a pipe dream! The same doubts appeared not only in Derrick¡¯s heart, but also in the hearts of the eight people from the Allard Business Association. ¡°Bastard, what a bastard. Where did he get his confidence from? How dare he?¡± ¡°Is Duke Tulip crazy? How dare he let his son waste his military funds like this?¡± ¡°There are a hundred of them. How can he win?¡± The merchants, who had lost more than half of their wealth after several rounds of betting, roared angrily in the private room. The immense pressure caused beads of sweat to drip from their foreheads. However, they had no way out at this moment. Up until now, they had invested nearly 700 million in funds. Even if nine people came to split the money, their money could not continue to support them. ¡°I feel that we have been set up. This bet must be a scam jointly designed by Derrick and Duke Tulip. The purpose is to cheat us of our money. We¡­¡± In the private room, a person stood up and said with a trembling voice. Slap! Donald quickly stood up, charged up to the man, and slapped the man¡¯s face. ¡°B * stard, you¡¯re messing up our morale!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already invested so much money. If we don¡¯t continue, how will we get the previous money back?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re the spy. Duke Tulip planted you among us. The purpose is to disrupt our rhythm and make us lose our fighting spirit to gamble with him.¡± Donald¡¯s harsh words scared the merchant into retreating. ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not, then why did you say something like that after you left the private room and came back?¡± Bang! The merchant retreated too quickly and accidentally fell to the ground with a muffled sound. ¡°I just went to the toilet. I¡¯m really not a spy!¡± ¡°I can say those words too. If you want to prove that you¡¯re not a spy, then you must continue to place your bets with us!¡± Donald stood in the middle of the private room and said coldly, ¡°Everyone, we have placed a total of eight rounds of bets.¡± ¡°Now, only the device in my hand has not placed any bets. If anyone dares to withdraw in this last round,¡± Looking around, Donald¡¯s gaze became as fierce as a vulture¡¯s. ¡°I will lead the rest of us and isolate him together.¡± ¡°If we win in the end, not only will that person not get his share, he won¡¯t even get his capital back!¡± Bang! Salam slammed the table, stood up, and walked to Donald¡¯s side. ¡°This time, I agree with Donald¡¯s suggestion. If anyone dares to withdraw, not only will they not be able to get back their capital, but I will also do my best to kill his family afterward!¡± The private room was completely silent. Everyone looked at each other in dismay. After a long while, they finally made a decision. ¡°Bet! We must bet!¡± ¡°F * ck them, whoever backs out is a dog!¡± ¡°Now that things have come to this, we have no way out. We can only continue to gamble!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Donald clapped his hands. ¡°Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are determined by heaven!¡± ¡°This is our last gamble. We¡¯ll bet on our net worth!¡± Chapter 30 ¡°Allard Business Association, 0.80 bet 300 million Hiro coins on Hughes defeating 100 people in the fourth round of Battle Royale!¡± ¡°Allard Business Association, 0.80 bet 300 million Hiro coins on Hughes defeating 100 people in the fourth round of Battle Royale!¡± ¡­ On the high platform in the center of the Casino, Derrick roared with extreme excitement. This gamble gave him more pleasure than any gamble he had organized in the past twenty years. The entire gamble went through ups and downs, with many twists and turns. The intense emotions kept tugging at his nerves, and the stimulation it gave him was second only to the battle between him and a woman named Asuro more than twenty years ago! ¡°The Allard Business Association is offering 300 million Hiro. Is there anyone who is willing to offer a higher price?¡± Without realizing it, Derrick had already completed his role transition. After the consecutive crazy bids, he, the owner of a casino, had become the host of an auction instead. Derrick¡¯s eyes were shaking as he searched for the mysterious man in the crowd. He did not use his huge spiritual power. He only relied on his naked eyes and intuition to find the strange man who had brought him this feast. In his opinion, not using spiritual power was the most basic respect for a legendary gambler. Buzz! On the high platform in the middle of the casino, the huge light screen changed again. A number that was as red as blood appeared on the light screen. ¡°Mysterious gambler 0.8, bid 301,000 Hiro coins on Hughes defeating 100 people in the fourth round of battle royale!¡± Derrick raised the loudspeaker high and shouted at the gamblers below the stage, announcing the mysterious gambler¡¯s bet at the top of his voice! Below the stage, countless lone customers stared at the red number in a daze. Under Donald¡¯s high-profile propaganda, how could they not know the origins of the Allard Business Association. However, they didn¡¯t know anything about that extremely mysterious gambler. ¡°That guy actually dares to make a bid. Doesn¡¯t he know that the Allard Business Association was initiated by Donald¡¯s Group?¡± ¡°Could this guy be a dragon crossing the river? Could he be a giant merchant from the Australian Empire?¡± ¡°Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If he¡¯s from the Australian Empire, he definitely wouldn¡¯t know Hughes¡¯ strength, and he wouldn¡¯t dare to make such a huge bet!¡± ¡­ The noisy discussions rang out in the casino. They penetrated through the walls of the private room and entered the ears of Donald and the others. ¡°B*stard! B*stard!¡± Donald¡¯s face was flushed red as he roared. It was unknown whether he was scolding the innocent gamblers outside the private room or the person who was gambling against him. ¡°I refuse to accept it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to continue gambling with you!¡± After saying that, Donald pulled the butler who was standing behind him down in front of him. ¡°How much money do I have left! Tell me! How much money do I have left!¡± Seeing Donald¡¯s ferocious look, the butler¡¯s legs went weak and he fell to the ground with a plop. ¡°Master! There¡¯s no money at home! Not a single cent left!¡± ¡°No money! Impossible! Bring me the certificate of my equity in Hiro Bank. I want to use it as collateral with Derrick. I still want to keep gambling with them!¡± ¡°Enough! Donald!¡± Salam stood up with a flushed face. At this moment, he was no longer as calm as before. ¡°Admit defeat. We¡¯ve lost this round!¡± ¡°No! I Won¡¯t!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t lost yet. I still have the equity in Hiro Royal Bank. I can still turn the tables!¡± Donald pushed Salam away and kicked the butler who was on the ground gruesomely. ¡°Dog! What are you waiting for? Go home and get me the stock certificate. I want to turn the tables!¡± Bang! Salem raised his fist and punched Donald¡¯s face. ¡°Yes, you are rich, but what about them? Do they still have money?¡± Salem pointed at the people in the room and said fiercely. ¡°You have gambled all their money, Donald, you idiot!¡± His words woke Donald up from his dream. Donald fell to the ground in a daze, covering his face and crying. He continued to feel sorry for his money, but it was mostly because he was unwilling to accept this failure. ¡°Donald, we¡¯re friends. I¡¯m here to give you a reminder.¡± ¡°If you want to continue gambling, I won¡¯t stop you. But from now on, you can only use your own money to gamble. We won¡¯t play with you anymore!¡± After saying this, Salam was the first to leave the private room. They had thrown out a total of 1 billion tonight, which was a total of more than 100 million split onto each of them. Apart from him and Donald, the other seven people would lose everything because of this bet! ¡°The mysterious gambler is 0.8 bid 301,000,000 Hiro. The bet is that Hughes will defeat 100 people in the fourth round of battle royale!¡± ¡°Does anyone else want to follow bet?¡± Derrick asked crazily. There seemed to be a magic power in his voice, which made the gamblers¡¯ hearts waver. ¡°Do you guys think that those people from the Allard Business Association will continue betting?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They only have nine people in total, which means they only have nine betting devices.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind? It¡¯s as easy as drinking water for such a rich person to get a betting device.¡± The casino was abuzz with discussions. Everyone was guessing whether this unprecedented gambling game would continue. After nine rounds of gambling, everyone present knew that this was a war between the Allard Business Association and the mysterious rich man. If they wanted to end this gambling match, they could only wait until one of the two sides admitted defeat. There was no external force that could stop them! ¡°There¡¯s only one minute left until the end of the last round of betting.¡± ¡°Will the Allard Business Association continue to make their move? Let¡¯s wait and see!¡± On the high platform, Derrick was still in a state of complete madness. At this moment, he had completely torn off the mask of literature and art that he had been wearing all this while. The madness of a gambler was displayed by him to the fullest extent! ¡°Ten!¡± ¡°Nine!¡± .. ¡°Two!¡± ¡°One!¡± ¡°I hereby announce that the highest bet in this bet is 301,000,000!¡± ¡°The bettor, the mysterious gambler, 0.8!¡± Boom! A sound wave instantly exploded in the casino. Every gambler jumped up high, cheering as they witnessed this historic moment! In the private room of the casino, Donald, who had been wronged, was sobbing in a corner. However, as a loser, he had long lost his confidence in this high-stakes bet. Even his cries were as low as the chirping of insects! .. In a corner of the casino. Sean wiped the sweat off his forehead and said with difficulty, ¡°Hughes, I¡¯ve already lost all my assets. Even a portion of your father¡¯s military expenses has been used by me.¡± ¡°We absolutely cannot fail this time!¡± Hughes nodded. There was not a trace of fear in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here to handle everything!¡± Chapter 31 The gamblers in the casino were still cheering. On the high platform, Derrick was still shouting crazily. Everyone was cheering for the grand gamble today. However, no one knew that the two men who had helped form this bet had already left the casino. ¡°Do you have some time? Come with me, I will take you to meet someone.¡± ¡°Without him tonight, our plan will be very difficult to achieve.¡± Sean looked at Hughes and said tiredly. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I want to meet this person as well.¡± As Duke Norton¡¯s second son, Hughes had been by his father¡¯s side since he was very young. He had seen many people. He knew that Sean was paving the way for him. He wanted to hand over the connections in the imperial capital to him. As expected, Sean¡¯s next sentence mentioned the identity of this person. ¡°This person is called Barton. Three years ago, when his family was facing a life and death situation, I saved him. From then on, he became my subordinate.¡± ¡°This person is not just a businessman. He also has a rather important position in the imperial capital¡¯s underground world.¡± ¡°The center of our future development will definitely not be in the imperial capital. However, you are different. You will be studying in the anti-magic Research Institute of the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire.¡± ¡°When the time comes, he will become your assistant. He can help you with many things that are inconvenient for you to do.¡± Hughes nodded. He supported the exhausted Sean and rushed to the designated meeting place. After more than ten minutes, the two of them arrived at a restaurant. The businessman named Barton was already waiting at the door. Seeing the two of them walking out from the corner of the street, Barton immediately went forward to greet them. ¡°Boss, this should be young master Hughes, right?¡± ¡°Yes, from today on, you are his man. From now on, you have to listen to his orders!¡± Barton nodded in agreement. Then, he extended his left hand and welcomed the two of them into the restaurant. After a while, the three of them entered a VIP room in the restaurant!¡± Sean¡¯s body was still trembling due to excessive nervousness. This was the sequela of the intense consumption of his brain power. ¡°Drink some water first. Look at you. If you don¡¯t rest, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t even be able to stand properly.¡± Hughes, who had participated in the entire gamble, naturally knew how much pressure Sean had to face in that gamble. Tonight, Sean had spent a total of more than a billion dollars. If he failed, not only would all the money he had accumulated over the years go down the drain but even the military expenditure of the entire military aristocracy behind him would be affected! ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Since I have the guts to sign up for the Hiro Empire Royal Academy¡¯s exam, I have the guts to make you place such a big bet.¡± Hughes patted Sean¡¯s shoulder lightly and said firmly. ¡°Then I will definitely have the ability to fulfill my promise. Don¡¯t worry, brother, I¡¯ll be there for everything!¡± As he finished speaking, surging magic power seeped out from Hughes¡¯s body. The strength of a peak tier 3 archmage was revealed! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Three dazzling magic circuits were imprinted on Hughes¡¯ body after a light sound. ¡°It¡¯s actually magic circuits! There are three of them as well. No wonder you have such confidence, Hahaha¡­¡± Sean stood up in excitement. He rushed to Hughes in three steps and pressed on Hughes¡¯s houlder. ¡°You should have said so earlier if you had the ability. I was afraid for so long.¡± ¡°I knew you were a genius. You¡¯re only 15 years old, and you actually have three magic circuits. Napoleon The Great might not have been able to beat you back then. You¡¯re indeed my good brother, Hahaha!¡± .. On the other side, not long after Hughes and the others left the casino, the second young master of the Bauhinia Duke¡¯s mansion, Lucian, walked into the casino proudly. ¡°What happened? Why are these gamblers so excited today?¡± Lucian looked around in confusion. A few days ago, he received two treasures from his father. During these few days, he stayed at home and concentrated on studying these two treasures. This also greatly increased his strength. Today, he heard that the owner of the Las Vegas casino was going to hold a grand gambling event that would gather a lot of wealthy customers. He was going to take this opportunity to publicize his plan so that when that day came, he would receive more attention. ¡°Whatever, no matter how big the event is, it won¡¯t be as big as the one I¡¯m going to publicize right now.¡± Lucian was very confident that he would be the center of attention tonight. He reached out and grabbed a passing waiter. Lucian asked proudly. ¡°Where¡¯s your boss? I heard that your boss, Derrick, is here today. I have something to talk to him about.¡± The waiter rolled his eyes at Lucian. He thought to himself, this person has thick eyebrows, big eyes, and seemed honest, but his thoughts are actually so dishonest. He wanted to start trouble with our boss after blindly gambling money away. How can there be such a good thing?¡±? But on the surface, the service provider still maintained a polite attitude. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m sorry. Our boss has already left. If you want to look for him, come again in the future if you have the chance.¡± Lucian felt things didn¡¯t make sense. Didn¡¯t the people in Imperial Capital say that the boss of the Las Vegas casino, Derrick, was a person who especially liked to perform in front of everyone? Although it seemed that the gambling game had ended tonight, there were still so many people in the casino. Derrick couldn¡¯t have left so early. Lucian searched around for a long time, but he still couldn¡¯t find the casino owner, Derrick. Whatever, if he¡¯s not here, then he¡¯s not here! Lucian made up his mind and jumped into the high platform in the middle of the casino. Lucian picked up the magic amplifier and coughed twice. An ear-piercing buzzing sound was heard in the entire casino. All the gamblers looked at the high platform of the casino. They thought that boss Derrick was back. ¡°Who is that gigolo? Why is he standing on the high platform?¡± ¡°Could it be the new host of the casino or the new assistant of Boss Derrick? It shouldn¡¯t be. Didn¡¯t boss Derrick Leave?¡± ¡°Who cares who he is? Let¡¯s listen to what he has to say first. What if there is a new bet?¡± Feeling the anticipation in everyone¡¯s eyes, Lucian¡¯s desire to perform was greatly satisfied. Clearing his throat again, he picked up the microphone and began to explain his plan for the next day. ¡°I am the second son of the Duke of Bauhinia, Mark Oscar. My name is Lucian. After the exam of the Royal Academy of Hiro Empire Ends Tomorrow, I will challenge Hughes in public duel.¡± ¡­ ¡°After this battle, the entire imperial city will remember my name. I, Lucian, am the true genius of the Imperial City!¡± Chapter 32 After Lucian finished his speech, everyone in the casino looked at him quietly. Their eyes were burning with greed. ¡°Brothers, what a good day it is today. We just finished such an awesome gambling game, and now there is another one.¡± ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s better to come at the right time than to come early. Although I didn¡¯t catch the last one, I did catch this one.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve long heard of the conflict between the Duke of Bauhinia and the Duke of Tulip. I didn¡¯t expect their son to be able to carry on the family tradition. How rare!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s play another round. Let¡¯s play another round today!¡± ¡°Lucian is awesome. Long live Lucian, my god of wealth!¡± ¡­ Lucian¡¯s speech was like pouring a bucket of cold water into a pool of hot oil. The gamblers in the casino instantly blew up and began to roar. Because there were too many people shouting, Lucian, who was standing on the high platform, did not hear what they were shouting. He, who was proud and conceited, took the cheers of these people as a reward for himself! ¡°Thank you for your applause. I will say it again. Tomorrow, I will challenge Hughes in front of the entire city. Please be there!¡± ¡°Absolutely. If I don¡¯t come, my whole family will die!¡± ¡°I must support you. It¡¯s not for anything else but purely because I find a handsome young man like you pleasing to the eye!¡± ¡°Lucian, you can do it! Lucian will definitely win!¡± ¡­ Hearing the cheers of the gamblers in the casino, Lucian¡¯s face was filled with joy. The hand that was holding the magic megaphone also started to tremble at this moment. At this moment, he was very excited. The crazy cheers of the gamblers in the casino gave him great confidence. ¡°I will definitely not let you down. Believe me, I will definitely defeat Hughes!¡± ¡°Hughes is nothing. Only Lucian is the most awesome genius in the capital.¡± ¡°Hughes is a piece of trash. You, Lucian, are the best!¡± ¡°You can definitely defeat him. We all believe in you. We will support you!¡± In the casino, all the gamblers were cheering for Lucian. In the previous exciting gambling game, the gamblers in the casino did not gain enough sense of presence. They had been sandwiched between the extremely mysterious gambler and the Allard Business Association. Other than shouting, they could not do anything else. These gamblers were not fools. After the bet between Sean and the Allard Business Association reached its climax, these people learned some inside information through various channels. After that, they completely withdrew from the bet and truly became outsiders. Just when they were bored and excited about other people¡¯s feast, like a savior, Lucian jumped onto the high platform of the casino with unparalleled confidence and announced his decision to challenge Hughes. In their opinion, since Lucian had made such a big scene and was going to make a big speech in front of so many people, he would definitely be doing something big. For these gamblers, there was nothing bigger than gambling in the world. They naturally thought that Lucian wanted to make use of boss Derrick¡¯s place to make another bet tonight. ¡°Open! Hurry up and open the bet!¡± In the casino, some impatient gamblers roared. It didn¡¯t matter if he didn¡¯t roar. With this roar, the rhythm of the entire casino was brought up. The phenomenon of person-to-person transmission quickly appeared, and all the gamblers began to roar at the top of their lungs. ¡°Open! Open!¡± ¡­ Looking at the gamblers who were shouting loudly, Lucian had a puzzled look on his face. I¡¯m just here to announce my plan. Why are they asking me to open a bet? I¡¯m not the boss of the casino, why should I open a bet. ¡°Open bet! What are you waiting for!¡± ¡°Idiot, why are you still not opening the bet! Do you think you¡¯re boss Derrick? What kind of performance art are you doing?¡± ¡°Open the bet, if you don¡¯t open the bet, I¡¯ll come up and beat you up!¡± ¡­ Hearing the increasingly harsh curses, Lucian instantly became red. At this time, he finally realised why there were so many people cheering for him previously. It turned out that these people did not want to support him. They just wanted to watch the show. To be more precise, they just wanted to use a hot topic to open a bet! Who were these people? Why didn¡¯t they have any sense of honor! Stop cursing! ¡°Enough! All of you, be quiet!¡± Deng Deng Deng! Magic power exploded from Lucian¡¯s body and crashed into the surroundings of the casino! Creak Creak! The red light in the casino shook, and the ear-piercing alarm of the magic power detection machine sounded. ¡°Warning, warning, detected level four magic power!¡± ¡°Warning, warning, Level 4 magic power detected!¡± ¡­ On the second floor of the casino! A team of security guards rushed out of the safe house. Before they could reach the stairs on the second floor, they were stopped by the boss, Derrick. ¡°I¡¯m here, you guys go back.¡± At this time, Derrick had already regained his calmness. He looked at Lucian on the high platform with great interest, and a look of anticipation appeared in his eyes. ¡°If I remember correctly, when the Hiro Royal Academy¡¯s pre-selection announcement came out, this kid¡¯s strength was only at the peak of stage two. In just a few days, this kid actually advanced to stage four. His background isn¡¯t simple.¡± Derrick said to himself. At the same time, his gaze passed through the window on the second floor and looked at the building located in the center of the Hiro Royal Academy from afar. With Derrick¡¯s status and strength, Lucian¡¯s father, Duke Mark Oscar, was not worthy of his attention. He was even more unworthy of his ¡°Not simple¡± remark! ¡°Which researcher gave him this thing? How could he be so blind?¡± ¡­ On the high platform, Lucian shouted with a red face, ¡°I¡¯m here to announce my plan today, not to open a bet for you!¡± I don¡¯t have any money to open a bet, Lucian thought to himself. ¡°I¡¯m already a Tier 4 mage now, and I¡¯m also a candidate for the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire. I¡¯m not going to open a bet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to open a bet?¡± ¡°Then why are you talking here here for so long? Are You f*cking kidding me? !¡± Below the gambling table, the anticipation in the eyes of countless gamblers instantly dimmed. Previously, when Lucian released his aura, they thought that Lucian was going to announce the rules of the gambling game. In the end, after waiting for a long time, not only did this kid not do anything, he even showed off his status as a pre-selected student of Hiro Royal Academy in front of them. ¡°So what if he¡¯s a pre-selected student! If you¡¯re so powerful, start some trouble in Las Vegas! Just wait and see if boss Derrick handles with you!¡± The gamblers left while cursing. They returned to their respective tables and continued with their previous bets. At this moment, casino boss Derrick jumped down from the second floor. ¡°One bet is still a bet, and two bets are still a bet. Since everyone is interested tonight, I¡¯ll just start another one.¡± Once these words were said, the entire venue was silent for a full three seconds. Then, all the gamblers stood up from their seats, raised their hands above their heads, and cheered enthusiastically. Chapter 33 Duke of Bauhinia¡¯s mansion, Mark Oscar¡¯s study room. ¡°Bastard, as soon as you get some power, you can¡¯t control that mouth of yours. Tell me, what exactly is there for you to show off?¡± ¡°You even went to the Las Vegas casino to spread the word, are you out of your mind?¡± Mark Oscar pointed at Lucian¡¯s nose and started cursing. ¡°You are just a little fourth rank mage now. Do you know how many mages like you are in the entire Hiro Empire?¡± ¡°There are so many that I can¡¯t even count them!¡± Looking at his father¡¯s furious look, Lucian did not have the slightest bit of regret. ¡°But how old are those people? I am only fifteen years old this year. I don¡¯t think there are many who can become a fourth rank mage at my age.¡± Lucian raised his head proudly and said indignantly, ¡°I¡¯m not bragging. In the entire Imperial City, which person can do it other than me?¡± ¡°Is that from your own ability?¡± Mark looked at Lucian angrily. He really wanted to kill this insolent b*stard. But in the end, he held back. After all, Lucian was his biological son. He had raised him for fifteen years. He could not do that. ¡°Tell me, if I didn¡¯t give you something, how would you be able to advance to tier 4?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a bottle of magic medicine and an anti-magic stone? What¡¯s the big deal? When I become a Tier 8 mage in the future, I will return it to you.¡± Wasn¡¯t it just a bottle of magic medicine? Marl was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He really wanted to tell his stupid son. That bottle of magic potion was not something that you could obtain just by becoming an eighth rank Saint Magister. In the entire Hiro Empire, only the imperial family could obtain it from those old geezers in the anti-magic Research Institute. However, when he recalled the humiliating scene that night, Mark still held back. He did not want his son to know too much. Once he understood that in the mind of that emperor, he was just a tool, this immature son of his who liked to pretend to be deep, might cause some trouble! ¡°I think that this is not the result of your potion at all.¡± Lucian raised his face stubbornly. Although he was still kneeling on the ground, his aura was not inferior to Mark¡¯s. ¡°I have told you a long time ago that I am a genius for the anti-magic stone cultivation method, but you refused to believe me.¡± ¡°Well, I have only received the anti-magic stone for a few days and now I am already a peak tier 4 mage now.¡± ¡°Tell me, what else can I be if not a genius?¡± As the saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Lucian, who was only fifteen years old, was proud and confident. The anti-magic stone that others did not dare to touch was, in his view, a gift that the world had set up to welcome him. He firmly believed that he was the cultivator chosen by the mage God, a natural anti-magic stone cultivation genius. ¡°B*stard!¡± Slap! Mark raised his hand and slapped Lucian¡¯s face. ¡°Get lost, get lost!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get lost then. One day, I will make you admit my talent.¡± Lucian was not angry at all. Firstly, he had suffered too much from Mark¡¯s slap. He was immune to such physical damage. In comparison, he was more afraid of Mark¡¯s mental attacks. Secondly, his thoughts were not there at all. His heart had already drifted to the second day after the Hiro Empire¡¯s Royal Academy examination. At this moment, other than occasionally replying to Mark with his mind in the present, the rest of the time, he was fantasizing about how he would enjoy the cheers of the citizens after defeating Hughes. ¡°Just you wait. Tomorrow, I will become famous in the imperial capital. At that time, the people will definitely not mention you because you are the emperor¡¯s Internal Affairs Officer.¡± Lucian placed one hand on the door frame and said confidently, ¡°At that time, you will become the star figure in the entire imperial capital¡¯s noble circle as Lucian Oscar¡¯s father.¡± ¡°Your method of raising children will become the educational bible that the imperial city¡¯s nobles will strive to imitate!¡± ¡°I will allow you to brag a little for yourself, but at the same time, you can¡¯t forget to mention how talented I am!¡± Lucian threw out his words like a barrage of cannons. For a moment, he actually sent Mark into a daze! ¡°What the hell did I give birth to!¡± Mark was so frustrated that he beat his chest and stomped his feet. But at this moment, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind! ¡°Yes! I can make use of this thing to make a story!¡± Mark¡¯s mind was working rapidly, and an extremely meticulous plan popped up in his mind. Fifteen minutes later, Mark¡¯s secretary hurriedly walked into his study. Before he could ask anything, Mark¡¯s order came. ¡°Withdraw all the plans we made before. Don¡¯t target Hughes anymore.¡± The secretary looked at Mark with a stunned face. Seeing Mark¡¯s beaming face, he quickly swallowed the words that were already on the tip of his tongue. ¡°Not only that, we also have to give some help to Hughes. Pass down the order. This time, we must let Hughes get first place in every exam in the first four rounds. I won¡¯t allow any mistakes on this point!¡± What! We will help Hughes and help him obtain the first place in each of the examinations! Duke, are you sick? ! The secretary was full of doubts, but in the end, he did not dare to ask. ¡°What are you waiting for? Quickly go back and do it. If you can¡¯t do it well, bring your head to me!¡± After saying this, Mark picked up the robe that was placed on the clothes rack at the side. He put it on as he walked out of the study. ¡°I¡¯m going to see His Majesty in the palace now. Before I come, you¡¯d better settle this matter for me.¡± .. Fifteen minutes later, Mark entered the palace through the emergency passage and arrived at Napoleon¡¯s study. After receiving Mark¡¯s message, Napoleon waited in the study. ¡°Your Majesty, I have a brilliant idea¡­¡± Mark walked to Napoleon VII in small steps and carefully explained his idea to Napoleon. After pondering for a moment, Napoleon raised his head and looked at Mark with a faint smile. He said mockingly, ¡°You want to use this opportunity to push your son to the cusp of the storm. Your heart is a little ruthless.¡± ¡°My son is incompetent and proud. I just want to use this opportunity to temper his character. I hope Your Majesty will grant my wish.¡± Napoleon VII looked at Mark with a smile and said gently, ¡°As a father, you have already made a decision. How can I refuse? Follow through with it.¡± After saying that, Napoleon VII stood up and left the study. Continue? As expected, he planted a spy by my side. Mark smiled bitterly. But now that he had the emperor¡¯s support, his plan would be better implemented. Chapter 34 The next morning, Hughes got up early. He pushed open the courtyard door and waited for a long time, but he did not see the familiar figure. Only then did he remember that his mischievous sister had become the sudent of Saint Asuro from the anti-magic Research Institute yesterday. ¡°Audrey, you must learn well from your teacher. No matter what happens to your family, you mustn¡¯t leave the anti-magic Research Institute. It¡¯s the safest place for you.¡± After lowering his head and muttering to himself for a while, Hughes packed his things and left Duke Tulip¡¯s residence. Today was one of the most important days of his life. Only by passing the exams at Hiro Royal Academy would he have the chance to join the anti-magic Research Institute. Only then would he have the chance to get in touch with the true records of the anti-magic stone training method left behind by the mage god emperor. To Hughes, the anti-magic stone training method was very safe before the seventh rank. But once he broke through the sixth rank and reached the seventh rank, the difficulty of the entire anti-magic stone training method would drastically change. At that time, no matter how many magic circuits he had, he would not be able to obtain any help on the path of cultivation. This was because after the anti-magic stone cultivation method advanced to tier 7, the anti-magic stone in the cultivator¡¯s body would fuse with the cultivator¡¯s soul. Unlike the body that had undergone multiple elemental baptisms, the soul of a mage was abnormally weak. It was simply unable to resist the invasion of the elemental power. Only those who were born with a strong soul would be able to retain a sliver of a chance to resist the enormous elemental power absorbed by the Tier-7 anti-magic stone. But this was only a sliver of a chance! However, this would be different after obtaining Napoleon¡¯s cultivation record. It was rumored that the record left behind by Napoleon¡¯s emperor was a tier-9 forbidden spell. Unlike the destructive power of other forbidden spells, the record is unusually mild and does no harm to anyone. It also allows every practitioner who comes into contact with the records to feel directly all the changes that took place in Napoleon¡¯s soul when he practiced the forbidden stone. It was precisely because of this record that the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire had a total of eight holy magisters and became the pinnacle power on the Europa continent. ¡°The anti-magic Research Institute. Audrey, Wait for me. I¡¯ll definitely get in!¡± Hughes¡¯s eyes were firm and full of fighting spirit. At this moment, he didn¡¯t know that he had long been targeted by a big shot in the anti-magic Research Institute. Not only had this big shot targeted him, but she had also teamed up with his beloved sister to snatch him away from those old fellows who were like hungry wolves! The Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire was located in the middle of Hiro city. It was only a street away from the imperial palace where the imperial family lived. This academy had been established for a full two thousand seven hundred years. The entire academy exuded the smell of history. After living in it for a long time, even mages would be tainted by the smell of history. Their entire temperament would be greatly changed because of this. Standing at the entrance of the academy, Hughes looked forward to it. Just as he was feeling dazed, a girl stood in front of him. ¡°Schoolmate, are you also here to participate in the academy¡¯s entrance exam?¡± ¡°Do you know where the first examination site is?¡± The girl asked the way timidly. Her big eyes were full of flirtatious eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve only just arrived and haven¡¯t seen the map yet. I¡¯m sorry, but I might not be able to help you with this.¡± Hughes told the truth, and the girl¡¯s eyes were filled with astonishment. I miscalculated. This person actually doesn¡¯t know the way! What should I do, what should I do! Such a good-looking handsome guy. If I don¡¯t have anything to do with him, I, Sylvie, will be utterly heartless! So what if he doesn¡¯t know the way? I can still strike up a conversation with him? I¡¯m Sylvie, the most beautiful girl in the capital. There¡¯s no handsome guy whom I can¡¯t hit up. The long-legged girl, Sylvie, cheered herself on in her mind. Then, she took a step forward and walked up to Hughes. ¡°What a coincidence. We both don¡¯t know the way. Why don¡¯t we go and find a map together? It¡¯ll be more convenient for the two of us.¡± Sylvie¡¯s smile was as bright as the sun. Her large eyes were slightly narrowed, and she looked as innocent as a dog¡¯s tail flower by Lake Seine. ¡°Uh, okay.¡± The girl in front of him was so beautiful that Hughes could not bear to reject her kind intentions. Besides, it was indeed much faster for two people to search together than one person. At this moment, a fair and tender little boy appeared from the side. When he saw Sylvie, who was standing beside Hughes, his eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°Sylvie, I¡­¡± Before the little boy could finish his sentence, Sylvie, who had turned her head around in fear, glared back at him. At this moment, Sylvie¡¯s Back was facing Hughes while she looked at the little boy who had just rushed out. The originally charming expression on her face had long disappeared, replaced by a completely exposed brutality! Her chin slowly moved, drawing a short diagonal line in the air. Along with the ferocity in her eyes, it directly scared the fair and tender little boy until he trembled. Sylvie spoke silently with her lips relaxed. The little boy struggled to read her lips ¡ª get lost quickly, Don¡¯t disturb me from flirting with handsome guys! The little boy felt wronged and turned around to leave. He was very disappointed now. Yesterday, he had persuaded Sylvie for a long time. It took him an entire afternoon to get Sylvie to agree to enter the examination room with him. This morning, he happily put on his best clothes and combed his hair into the best style. He originally thought that today, he and Sylvie would become the most beautiful scenery in the entire academy. Although, in that scenery, he would only be a shade of green beside Sylvie. But after Sylvie agreed to him, he was still happy for a long time. ¡°Sylvie and that guy should know each other, right? Maybe they haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. I really shouldn¡¯t disturb her.¡± ¡°Yes, that must be the case.¡± After consoling himself in his heart, the little boy¡¯s mood became better again. However, at this moment, he did not know that this was the first time he had met the tall and handsome guy that he had always admired. Taking a deep breath, Sylvie instantly put on a sunny and cute expression. Turning her head around, Sylvie walked to Hughes¡¯ side naturally and held Hughes¡¯ shoulders naturally. She said gently, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Yes, we can just walk this way. We¡¯ll look for it as we walk. We¡¯ll definitely be able to find the map.¡± Hughes was stunned. At this moment, he had already realised. ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯ve been tricked?¡± Chapter 35 Hughes was not a fool, judging from what had just happened. The little girl beside him and the little boy must have known each other and were very familiar with each other. Otherwise, the little boy would not have recognized the little girl just by looking at her back. From the looks of it, the little girl¡¯s purpose in coming to him was a little intriguing. What was her purpose? What did she want from me? The clues were limited, and Hughes did not dare to make wild guesses. He decided to wait and see. Now that he was on guard, he was confident that he would be able to detect the little girl¡¯s intentions if she wanted to harm him. After two lifetimes, Hughes¡¯s mind was not something an ordinary young man could compare to. A little girl of Sylvie¡¯s age basically would not pose too much of a threat to him. Just as he was thinking about something, Sylvie suddenly shook his arm. ¡°My name is Sylvie. I¡¯m a student of the capital¡¯s No.3 Magic School. I just turned fifteen this year, and I advanced to Tier-2 a few months ago. What about you? What¡¯s your name?¡± Sylvie looked at Hughes with a smile, her eyes filled with cute innocence. ¡°Ah, my name is Hughes.¡± Compared to Sylvie, Hughes¡¯ self-introduction was exceptionally concise. However, there was nothing he could do about it. Three years ago, after Hughes failed to awaken his talent, he dropped out of the No.1 magic school in the Imperial City. Strictly speaking, he was a mage without a high school diploma. However, his brief self-introduction did not reduce Sylvie¡¯s interest in him. Instead, it aroused Sylvie¡¯s strong curiosity. He was Hughes! The Hughes who was hot news in the imperial city for the past two days. As the saying goes, good news does not go out, but bad news spreads far and wide! The people¡¯s rally, Derrick opening a bet for Hughes, and Lucian announcing publicly that he would challenge Hughes. The three major events that shocked the imperial city had long made Hughes, who had been silent for three years, once again rise to the top of the Imperial City¡¯s hot search rankings. In this recent period, his name was known to everyone! Sylvie gently raised her eyes and secretly glanced at the decorative patterns on Hughes¡¯ robe. One would not know if one did not look, but one would be shocked if one did. On the cuff of wizard Hughes¡¯ robe, there was a tulip made of gold thread. Although this tulip was very small and only occupied a finger-sized piece of cloth on the cuff of Hughes¡¯ robe, tjemeticulous Sylvie did not miss this detail. ¡°It really is him. I actually caught such a big fish this time. It seems that I need to grasp this opportunity well,''¡± Sylvie thought to himself. In the Europa continent, every aristocratic family in the upper-class society had a different family emblem. Sylvie was born into an aristocratic family and had received an aristocratic education since she was young. With her eyesight, there was no way she would mistake the family emblem for something else. Moreover, the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire was not a place where ordinary people could register. Among the examinees who registered every year, less than 10% of the examinees came from the commoner class. These examinees were all talented students from all over the empire. The pride in their hearts did not allow them to wear the family crest of other families. As for those examinees who came from noble families, they were even less so. They were already nobles in the Empire and had their own family crest. There was no need for them to spend so much effort to pretend to be Hughes just to get face. After guessing Hughes¡¯ identity, Sylvie did not expose Hughes¡¯ ridiculously simple self-introduction at the immediately. Other than herself not introducing her own family, she also had a little romantic intention. A beautiful and moving noble girl and a handsome noble youth got together because of an exam. Then, they entered the same academy and met the same teacher. In the school, they supported each other. Although there would be some arguments during this period, the fate between them was not broken because of this little disturbance in the process. Instead, after experiencing many setbacks, they became even closer! In the end, under the expectations of their relatives, the wishes of their friends, and the blessings of the great mage of light, the two of them advanced hand in hand and entered the palace of marriage. After that, the two of them gave birth to a large number of babies and spent their lives together. As she thought about it, Sylvie¡¯s eyes actually became moist. At this moment, she seemed to see a moving scene. Under the sunset, she leaned against Hughes and sat on a bench on the streets of the imperial city. She looked at Hughes with deep affection and asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you love me?¡±. Hughes gently rubbed her already pale hair and responded to her affectionately, ¡°I will always love you!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, it¡¯s so embarrassing!¡± ¡®Yes?¡¯? Hughes looked at Sylvie in confusion. ¡°What is this girl thinking about? Why is her face red?¡± Sylvie was also shocked by the words she had said unintentionally. She looked at Hughes in a daze. The redness on her face gradually spread and dyed her small face into the morning glow of the horizon. After a long while, Sylvie finally couldn¡¯t bear Hughes¡¯ gaze. She pulled her hand out of Hughes¡¯ arm, then quickly ran away with her long legs. ¡°Hey, where are you going! Aren¡¯t we looking for a map?¡± No matter how stupid Hughes was, he could still see some clues from the surrounding environment and Sylvie¡¯s expression. For this reason, he deliberately asked this question. ¡°You¡¯re so stupid. The exam hall is right in front of us. Why are you looking for a map! ?¡± ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t find it. It¡¯s okay. Next time, come and hold my arm. We¡¯ll look for it together.¡± Hughes deliberately pretended not to understand Sylvie¡¯s meaning and instead counter attacked. Sylvie, who had just run far away, suddenly stopped and almost fell down. Little prick, you¡¯re pretending that you don¡¯t know the way. If you want to hit on me, just say it. It¡¯s not like I won¡¯t give you a chance. Hughes looked at Sylvie¡¯s back with a faint smile, and his mood instantly improved. ¡­ It was still early, and there were still more than 20 minutes before the start of the exam. Hughes walked unhurriedly toward the exam hall, which was more than 500 meters away. As he walked, he tidied up his mood and adjusted his condition to the best. He walked to the main entrance and handed over his examination certificate to the official who was testing his qualifications. After that, Hughes found a seat and sat down. ¡°Hughes, right? Your seat is at the third seat in the fifth row of the seventh examination room. Take this sign and go over there and wait.¡± The official who was testing the exam qualifications had a look of disgust in his eyes. ¡®For someone who needs to find connections for this kind of exam. You¡¯ll only be garbage once you enter the Academy!¡¯ Ding Ding Ding! A series of urgent bells rang. Hughes followed the group of examinees into the exam room. The exam officially began! Chapter 36 After entering the examination room, Hughes quickly sat down in his seat. At this moment, the surroundings were already filled with students, and his seat was in the middle of the examination site. Another urgent bell rang, and the exam supervisor walked into the examination room with the examination papers in his hands. After the short announcement of the examination rules, the exam supervisor handed the examination papers to each student. Unlike other exams, the magic theory and skills exam had a very significant characteristic. That was, each examinee received a different paper, but the difficulty of these papers was roughly the same. As the highest academy in the Hiro Empire, and the Imperial Academy of the Empire, the exam was very flexible. It was the same for the magic theory exam. There was no standard answer for every question. As long as the solution written by the examinee was reasonable and feasible, the teacher who marked the paper would give the corresponding score according to the student¡¯s answer. This system had been established more than 2,000 years ago. At that time, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor, was the one who made the rules. It was also thanks to this exam system that so many geniuses in the theory of magic emerged in the Hiro Empire over the past 2,000 years. It could even be said that without such an examination system, the flourishing magic civilization of the Europa continent would not have existed. ¡°Eh, how could the questions I got this time be so simple?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the purpose of this examination to select people? Why is the difficulty set so low?¡± After receiving his own exam paper, Hughes did not immediately pick up a pen and start answering the questions. Instead, he carefully flipped through the questions. After reading the test paper, Hughes discovered a huge problem. His test paper was too simple. It was so simple that it did not seem like a question from the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire. Before this test, Hughes had asked his father to find the questions from the basic magic theory test that the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire had once given him. Compared to those papers, the paper in his hand was as simple as the questions for the middle school graduates. ¡°Teacher, can you help me take a look at this paper? Did you take the wrong paper?¡± Hughes raised his hand gently and questioned the invigilator. ¡°There is no problem. This is the paper produced by our academy. Don¡¯t think too much and just answer the questions without worry.¡± Looking at the puzzled look on Hughes¡¯ face, the exam supervisor patiently explained. ¡°Every test paper has a unique number. When you entered the examination hall just now, we drew out our own test paper for you based on your test number.¡± ¡°The entire process is carried out by a magic instrument. There are definitely no mistakes.¡± After saying that, the exam supervisor flicked his sleeves and left. When he left, there was a hint of disdain in his eyes. What are you pretending for? Since you can find your way here through connections, why are you pretending in front of so many people? Although there were still doubts in his heart, Hughes still chose to believe in the fairness of the exam. ¡°Perhaps the questions for this exam are very simple. Who cares, Let¡¯s do the questions first.¡± He picked up the pen and began to write his answers. He wrote every question very seriously. Not only that, he also made certain extensions according to each question, ensuring that each of his answers had sufficient depth. Half an hour later, Hughes put down the pen in his hand. At this time, his exam paper was already filled with the process of solving the questions, and the bell at the end of the exam rang at this moment. ¡°All students stop writing. Sit In your seats and don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°We will collect all the exam papers in two minutes. Please remain silent for the time being.¡± Deng Deng Deng. The exam supervisor walked down the platform and collected the exam papers from top to bottom along the corridor. When he walked in front of Hughes, the invigilator stopped and glared at Hughes with a cold gaze. Hughes looked at the exam supervisor with a puzzled face. He felt an inexplicable hostility and a strong sense of disgust from the exam supervisor. Although he really wanted to ask, Hughes still chose to shut his mouth. Maybe I just look annoying¡­ Hughes comforted himself with a self-deprecating tone. ¡°All examinees, please leave the venue and wait in the waiting area.¡± ¡°In half an hour, we will be marking each examinee¡¯s test paper. You can see your own scores in the waiting area.¡± ¡°After the ranking of the scores appears, the examinees who make it into the top 5000 can enter the next round of the exam. The other examinees¡­¡± As he said this, the exam supervisor glared fiercely at Hughes again, as if he had snatched someone else¡¯s spot. ¡°The other examinees can go back. You have no fate with our academy.¡± As his voice fell, a silver spatial magic array pattern lit up, and the exam supervisor holding the examination papers disappeared within the magic array. Looking at the position where the exam supervisor had disappeared, the doubt in Hughes¡¯s heart grew even deeper. He could already confirm now that the exam supervisor did not dislike him because of his appearance or anything else. Because that kind of hatred would not be so deep. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to make a teacher from the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire display it in front of everyone. At this moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in Hughes¡¯ mind. Hughes remembered that when he was getting his identity checked, the teacher who checked his identity showed the same expression as the exam supervisor. Disdain, hatred, and disgust! Could it be that they hated me because of Napoleon VII? With this thought in mind, Hughes¡¯s speculation could not be stopped. It must be so. They must hate me because of Napoleon VII. Otherwise, there was no way to explain this. Thinking of his extremely simple exam paper, Hughes frowned deeply. Could it be that Napoleon VII wanted to lower the difficulty of my test and raise my ranking? After the test, he would find someone to expose me in public and send me to the opposite side of the people in the Imperial City? That must be the case! Si¡­ Hu! An extremely powerful pressure pressed against Hughes. He seemed to see a huge shadow, and that shadow was standing on the tower in the imperial palace, looking at him coldly. ¡°Napoleon VII, in order to mobilize the resentment of the people, you actually did things to such an extent!¡± ¡°You really think highly of me!¡± A hint of viciousness appeared on the corner of Hughes¡¯ mouth, and his eyes also became cold at this moment. ¡­ The Royal Palace, the Mage God Tower. Napoleon VII held a red wine glass and sipped some wine. Behind him, the Duke of Mark Oskar served carefully with a bottle. Chapter 37 ¡°Your plan is already being carried out, right!¡± ¡°Yes, His Majesty has already begun to carry it out. This time, I did not use my own power. Instead, I mobilized a spy we planted by Duke Norton¡¯s side to have him carry out the plan in Duke Norton¡¯s name.¡± Napoleon frowned, as if he was weighing the pros and cons. ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡± After thinking for a while, Napoleon decided to praise this duke Mark Oscar who was working for him wholeheartedly. A spy was important, but a spy who could not make a difference was never a good spy. At the moment, the most important thing for Napoleon was to sow discord between the military nobles and the people. As the second son of Duke Norton, Hughes, who was once a genius mage, was the most suitable person to start all of this. As long as this matter was handled properly, he could make use of this examination at the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire to completely break the relationship between the military nobles represented by Duke Norton and the people of the imperial city. The value of this matter far exceeded the value of a spy. As the saying goes, those who win the hearts of the people will rule the world. For hundreds of years, the military nobles represented by Norton had become more and more important in the hearts of the people of the empire. If he wanted to change this situation, Napoleon had to produce evidence to prove that the existence of Duke Norton¡¯s group of military nobles would harm the interests of the vast majority of the people of the empire. Napoleon had also thought of a plan before this. After the conversation with Duke Mark Oscar yesterday, he rejected his own plan and chose to use the plan that Mark had proposed. Because this plan directly touched the bottom line of the empire¡¯s lowest class of citizens that could not be touched. That was the path of ascension. As the most prosperous empire in the magic civilization of Europa, the education system of the Hiro Empire had always been the pride of the citizens of the Empire. Every citizen of the Empire believed that the education system of the Empire was fair and selfless. For thousands of years, no noble dared to cross this line. However, today, due to their set up, Hughes, as the second son of Duke Norton, would become the first person in 2,700 years to use his identity as a noble to forcibly twist the examination system of the Empire for his own benefit. Once this matter was known by the citizens of the Empire, the tidal waves that would be stirred up would drown the entire military aristocracy. Even without Napoleon VII personally taking action, the military aristocracy that Norton represented would be destroyed by the army that the angry citizens had voluntarily organized. Not only that, the impact of this matter could continue to expand. The army that Norton had might even mutiny. This was because those low-level soldiers were mostly from the lowest-level families of the empire. Before joining the army, they had all received magic education from the Empire. Some of them had even applied to the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire. Other than those low-level soldiers, the officers in the Empire¡¯s army were mostly from the Empire¡¯s top academies. The officers who could enter the middle and high-level ranks were mostly graduated from the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire. To these people, the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire was an existence that was not to be smeared. Anyone who dared to smear the Royal Academy of the Empire would become their enemy. Napoleon waved his hand to dismiss Mark Oscar. He stood alone on the Mage Tower with a glass of wine in his hand, looking at the distant sky. ¡°Ancestor, is this the inheritance you gave me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will not change the examination system that you have set. I will let this examination system remain forever. As long as the Hiro Empire exists, this system will continue to exist.¡± ¡°I will let your people remember your teachings forever. I will also reserve a pathway for the people at the bottom to advance. In the future, I will even take the initiative to expand this pathway.¡± ¡°I will make the ranks of the Empire move. I will make those people who have nothing to do walk down from their high positions. I will make those capable people stand on the throne.¡± ¡°However, the empire has existed for more than 2,700 years. There are too many flaws in it.¡± ¡°If I want to change it, I have to give it a powerful does of medicine. Otherwise, I will not be able to remove the cancer in the empire.¡± ¡°You will understand me, right?¡± Napoleon VII¡¯s gaze was incomparably solemn. Every time he made a major decision, he would walk up to the Mage Tower alone and announce his plan to his ancestor, Napoleon Bonaparte. ¡­ In the waiting area. ¡°The rankings are out. Everyone, come and take a look!¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t see my rank?¡± ¡°Make way for me. I¡¯m Baron Orloway¡¯s second son. Whoever makes way for me, I¡¯ll give him a bottle of mana recovery potion.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Baron¡¯s son? Is the Baron¡¯s son very awesome? If your grades aren¡¯t good, you still have to climb.¡± Hearing someone claiming to be Baron Orloway¡¯s son, one of the examinees who was watching the rankings stood up angrily. He pointed at the second son of Baron Orloway and cursed loudly. Hughes, who was sitting at the side, looked shocked. At this moment, Hughes had already guessed Mark¡¯s plan for today. This was an open plot! As long as Hughes did not give up on this exam, this plan would definitely be carried out successfully. What they needed to do was very simple. They needed to do something in each exam to push Hughes to the first place in each exam. Then, in front of all the examinees, they would come up with a scapegoat and declare that Hughes was openly cheating! At that time, even if Hughes had 100 mouths, he would not be able to make any valid arguments. Because his enemies would not give him any chance to explain, and the surging crowd would tear him into pieces on the spot. Not only that, but his father, the Duke of Tulip, Norton, would also be affected by this matter. Even the army would be greatly affected by this matter. Cold sweat trickled down Hughes¡¯ back. At this moment, he was already thinking of backing out. At this moment, a delicate voice sounded in his ear. ¡°Brother, you got first place. Why don¡¯t you go over and take a look?¡± Looking up, Audrey¡¯s eyes narrowed into crescents as she skipped over to him. Behind Audrey stood a female mage in a red dress. It was Asuro herself. Unlike Audrey¡¯s elated expression, Asuro¡¯s cold face was filled with anger. ¡°Audrey, go play by the side for a while. I have something to tell your brother.¡± Audrey turned her head coldly and looked at her master in confusion. After observing for a while, she noticed the determination in Asuro¡¯s eyes. She gave an obedient ¡°Oh¡± and retreated to the side. She quietly watched Asuro pull Hughes up and walk into the woods not far away. Chapter 38 Asuro pushed Hughes to the ground as soon as she walked into the forest. ¡°Why did you use your privilege to cheat in the exam?¡± Asuro looked at Hughes coldly, her eyes filled with killing intent. She was born in a commoner¡¯s class. If it weren¡¯t for the examination system of the Hiro Empire, she would never have been able to enter the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire. It was even more impossible for her to enter the anti-magic tower, practice the anti-magic stone cultivation method, and become a researcher of anti-magic. In Asuro¡¯s heart, she had always been grateful to the Empire for this fair examination system. At the same time, she had also become the most loyal defender of this examination system. Because of Hughes, Asuro took some time out of her busy schedule to pay attention to the high-entrance examination of the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire. After the exam ended, she was very excited to find that the student she liked had even obtained the first place in the basic magic theory exam. After this news, Asuro quickly ran to the reading room and picked up Hughes¡¯s exam paper to read. But it was better if she didn¡¯t read it as she erupted in fury upon reading it. Hughes¡¯ exam paper was too simple. Even a high school graduate could complete the questions. Although Hughes¡¯ answer process was very detailed and the number of ideas was far more than the questions required, it was very childish in Asuro¡¯s eyes. She was more concerned about why this paper was so simple? With confusion in her heart, Asuro picked up several other papers. After comparing, Asuro was furious. Just as she had been worried when she first saw Hughes¡¯s paper, Hughes¡¯s paper was far less difficult than the other candidates. At that time, an obvious answer sprung into Asuro¡¯s mind. It was that the person who had written the paper for Hughes had violated the examination system set by the Emperor Napoleon and had chosen to cheat. Asuro refused to believe the result. She was resisting the answer from the bottom of her heart. In Asuro¡¯s eyes, Hughes was a rare genius. He was a man destined to become a mage God. Before this, she had wanted to become Hughes¡¯s teacher and personally lead this man to the Holy Church of magic. However, in this examination, this man had stabbed her in the heart. Hughes had used his cheating behavior to tell Asuro that she had mistaken him for someone he wasn¡¯t. He was just a shameless bastard who cheated! In a fit of rage, Asuro flashed into the waiting hall. When she was about to kill Hughes in public, she saw the little disciple she had just taken in. She saw Audrey jumping excitedly towards Hughes. Her heart softened, and she decided to give Hughes a chance. If Hughes could give her a suitable reason, then she would let Hughes go this time. She would only break his limbs, shatter his magic circuits, and devour the anti-magic Stone in his body. ¡°Tell me, why did you cheat?¡± Asuro pressed again. Hughes looked at Asuro in a daze, then smiled bitterly. ¡°If I say that I didn¡¯t cheat, that I was framed, would you believe it?¡± ¡°Do you know the consequences of lying in front of me? Let go of your mind. I¡¯m going to check your memories!¡± As she finished speaking, Hughes was stunned. A few days ago, Hughes had seen a similar magic. This magic was extremely miraculous. It was able to link the memories of two people and share the feelings between them. ¡°This time, I will push this magic with all my strength. No memory in your mind can escape my search. If you are innocent, then accept my examination.¡± If all my memories cannot escape, then what about my memories from my previous life and the secrets of my system! Would these be discovered! The identity of the transmigrator and the identity of the system owner, Hughes¡¯s biggest secret. Once a magic maniac like Asuro knew about these things, he might be brought into the research institute to be studied. ¡°Agree to my request and you can still live for the time being. But if you refuse, I¡¯ll let you die right now!¡± Looking at the hesitation on Hughes¡¯ face, Asuro burned in anger. She secretly swore in her heart that she would use Hughes¡¯ memory to dig up all the people who were secretly manipulating this matter and kill them one by one. Asuro, who was now a level-8 Saint Magister, was a loyal defender of the Empire¡¯s examination system. Anyone who dared to challenge this system was an enemy that she had to kill, even if it was the emperor who had manipulated this matter! She would do whatever it took to let the other party know what the anger of a level-8 Saint Magister was! ¡°Answer me! Agree or disagree!¡± Hughes looked nervously at the furious Asuro. At this moment, he was in a dilemma. At this moment, a familiar ding rang in his mind. [ Ding! Detected that host¡¯s transmigrator identity is about to be exposed. Activating self-protection program. ] [ Ding! Detected that the system is about to be exposed. Activating self-protection program. ] [ Ding! Because the self-protection program has been activated, from this moment on, the host¡¯s transmigrator identity and the system will no longer be exposed. ] ¡­ ¡°Fine, you won¡¯t agree, right! Do you think that if you don¡¯t agree, I won¡¯t be able to find the person behind you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you to hell right now. After that, I¡¯ll send those people who support you down to see you one by one.¡± After saying this, Asuro raised her hand and condensed a huge fireball. At this moment, Hughes, who was silent, suddenly stood up. ¡°I agree to your request, but after you read my memories, I want you to compensate me!¡± Asuro was stunned. At this moment, she was very suspicious if there was something wrong with her ears. It was just a person who cheated. He actually dared to make demands on her and even demanded compensation from her! ¡°You have guts. I promise you. As long as I check your memory and find that you have nothing to do with this cheating, I can give you any compensation you want!¡± ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a deal!¡± Hughes was afraid that Asuro would regret, so he decisively agreed to her request. Then, he stood up and walked in front of Asuro, completely giving up all his defenses. With the system¡¯s self-protection mechanism activated, Hughes was no longer worried about his own secrets leaking out. In the novels he had read in his previous life, the system was even more awesome than the prime gods of this world. With Asuro¡¯s strength as a Tier 8 holy magister, it was impossible for her to bypass the system and see the secrets in his heart. Asuro snorted coldly! She walked to Hughes¡¯ side with contempt and raised her left hand. She stretched out her finger and gently tapped the space between Hughes¡¯ eyebrows. An invisible spiritual magic array pattern rippled, and the memories and emotions of the two people suddenly connected together. In the next moment, the expression on Asuro¡¯s face gradually changed from contempt to shock, and in the end, it turned into shame. Chapter 39 Asuro searched through Hughes¡¯ memories. She even knew about the bed-wetting incident when he was young. However, she did not find any information related to the cheating in the exam. The unwilling Asuro quickly and violently pushed her own spiritual power. Boundless spiritual power was transmitted into Hughes¡¯ body through her fingers. ¡°This kid was so hesitant just now. He must have cast some kind of magic on himself. As long as I find traces of magic, it would be easy for me to break his magic with my strength.¡± Asuro affirmed herself in her mind while she increased her efforts to search for the traces of magic in Hughes¡¯ body. She searched for a long time and was so tired that her forehead was covered in sweat. Her forehead was also emitting a needle-like pain because she had exhausted too much spiritual power. But even so, she did not find any trace of magic in Hughes¡¯ body. Asuro was still unwilling to give up. Although her belief had been shaken, she still decided to continue searching. This time, she was searching for Hughes¡¯ memories. In the ancient legends, there was a way for people to cut off part of their memories without using any magic. Although Asuro did not know this method herself, in her subconscious mind, she thought that Hughes knew this method. This time, she searched particularly carefully, not missing even the slightest detail. But after searching for a long time, she still did not find the tearing feeling that she was looking forward to. Hughes¡¯s memory was complete as one. There was not a single flaw, nor was there any trace of splicing. Asuro withdrew her spell tiredly, and her heart was instantly filled with disappointment. At this moment, a thought exploded in her mind. Wasn¡¯t I going to take Hughes as my disciple? Wasn¡¯t it a good thing that he did not cheat? Asuro laughed crazily as the thought came into her mind! But not long after, the laughter stopped abruptly. Bang! Hughes¡¯ eyes turned white, and he fell straight to the ground. His body kept twitching, and white foam gushed out of his mouth. ¡°F*ck! I used too much power!¡± Asuro slapped her forehead in frustration. She remembered the scene where she crazily injected her own spiritual power into Hughes¡¯ mind in order to search through Hughes¡¯ memories. Now, there were two spiritual powers in Hughes¡¯ mind. One was his own, and the other was much more powerful. It was Asuro¡¯s. The battle between spiritual powers had always been straightforward. Whether it was in terms of quality or quantity, Hughes¡¯ spiritual power was no match for Asuro¡¯s. ¡°Forget it, you¡¯re lucky. This spiritual power will be your compensation.¡± Asuro took out a bottle of magic potion and removed the black cap on the bottle. ¡°I only have one bottle of this potion left, but it¡¯s not a disgrace to use it on you.¡± Asuro reached out to open Hughes¡¯ mouth and poured the bottle of black potion into Hughes¡¯ mouth. Then, she stepped on the ground and four magic patterns of red, blue, green, and yellow extended from the bottom of her feet to the end of the forest. A rough elemental baptism array was formed. Then, Asuro stretched out her hand and touched Hughes¡¯ glabella. Her spiritual power was connected to Hughes¡¯ spiritual power. Five pitch-black anti-magic stones circled around Hughes¡¯ glabella. After spinning a few times, they turned into a black light and drilled into the depths of Hughes¡¯ glabella. In the next moment, the four violent basic elements gathered crazily. Under the guidance of Asuro¡¯s powerful control, they drilled into Hughes¡¯ body. As soon as they entered Hughes¡¯ body, these elements, which could still be quantified, turned into rabid dogs, crazily destroying Hughes¡¯ body. ¡°Suppress!¡± Asuro shouted, and the disorderly elements in Hughes¡¯ body quieted down. Not only did they not cause trouble in Hughes ¡®body, but they instead obediently followed the trajectory of the anti-magic stone training method and began to refine themselves. During this process, beads of sweat the size of soybeans fell from Asuro¡¯s forehead to the ground. The intense consumption of mental energy caused Asuro¡¯s brain to emit waves of unbearable pain as if it had been pierced by a silver needle. Asuro was still holding on. Once she stopped, the unconscious Hughes would be destroyed by the violent elemental energy. ¡­ After more than ten minutes, the violent elemental storm finally stopped, and the aura on Hughes¡¯s body also expanded by dozens of times. ¡°I¡¯ve doubled your elemental baptism. Your current magic power is already 16 times that of an ordinary tier 4 Mage.¡± ¡°This can be considered compensation for you. But you¡¯d better be grateful. After you pass the exam, you¡¯d better take me as your master voluntarily.¡± Asuro¡¯s face was pale. She reached her right hand under her neck and said fiercely to Hughes, who was still sleeping: ¡°Or I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Unlike the sincere threat before, this time, the threat was not only less vicious, but also shyer. After saying these words, Asuro raised her palm, channelled her spiritual power, and slapped Hughes¡¯ face. After passing through the skin on Hughes¡¯ face and entering Hughes¡¯ mind, her spiritual power turned into sharp steel needles, instantly waking Hughes up from his deep sleep. Hughes, who had just woken up, looked around blankly. The intense pain in his head reminded him that what had happened was not an illusion, but real. ¡°I admit that you really have nothing to do with cheating. I have already given you compensation. I think you should be able to sense the changes that have occurred in your body.¡± Asuro said coldly without even looking at Hughes. Upon hearing Asuro¡¯s reminder, Hughes subconsciously used his spiritual power to check his body. Hughes almost jumped up with excitement. Fortunately, Hughes was a man who had lived two lifetimes. His self-control was amazing. In the end, he did not lose face in front of Asuro. Hughes¡¯s current magic power was already 32 times that of his third-tier magic power. Compared to an ordinary fourth-tier mage, his total magic power was 16 times that of his opponent. This meant that Hughes had already crossed the barrier between third-tier and fourth-tier, and became a real fourth-tier mage. His magic power had soared. Where were the anti-magic stones? Hughes subconsciously put his spiritual power into his body and checked the location of the anti-magic core. The anti-magic core in his body was still a full circle larger than before. He estimated that it was exactly the amount of four anti-magic stones. Hughes looked at Asuro gratefully and opened his mouth, wanting to say something. However, Asuro, who was standing coldly at the side, did not appreciate the kindness and said coldly. ¡°The second exam is about to begin. I will take you there now.¡± Chapter 40 Looking at Asuro¡¯s cold expression, Hughes still sincerely thanked her! Asuro nodded her head coldly. Then, she stretched out her left hand and gently tapped. A silver spatial magic array pattern lit up. The two of them instantly appeared at the examination venue for the second exam ¨C Mana Test. ¡°Come, let¡¯s do the examination procedures for him.¡± Hearing that someone was giving him orders, the examiner who was originally sitting on the stool with his head lowered raised his head proudly. He was prepared to teach the woman who spoke a good lesson. This was the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire, and not just anyone could give orders. And when he saw the face of the person who came, the words that reached his throat could not be said at all. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ Ah, teacher Asuro.¡± ¡°What, do you want to scold me? Please begin your performance.¡± Asuro¡¯s expression was still cold and indifferent, but the killing intent in her eyes shocked everyone present. ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t dare. How would I dare to insult Master Asuro?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t dare. Then why aren¡¯t you doing the procedures for him?¡± The official was frightened by Asuro¡¯s suddenly raised tone. He hurriedly stretched out his hand and took Hughes¡¯ identity certificate. Then, he cast a speed spell on himself and completed all the procedures for Hughes at a speed that could not be discerned by the naked eye. Asuro took the remaining number plate on the exam table and casually threw it into Hughes¡¯ arms. ¡°Take your number plate and get lost!¡± Asuro did not even turn her head and disappeared from where she was. The official in charge of checking the identity certificate hugged his head and looked around. When he found that Asuro had really left, he then turned his gaze to Hughes. Why was it still this cheater? To be able to invite teacher Asuro, Duke Tulip¡¯s strength was really huge! Fear was fear, but the self-proclaimed righteous official still looked down on Hughes. He snorted coldly, put away the small table, and headed to the next verification area. Hughes shook his head with a bitter smile. Previously, when he had asked Asura to compensate him, he had wanted Asura to testify on his behalf. However, during the time he was unconscious, Asura had used up a large amount of spiritual power to help him advance from rank 3 to rank 4. After that, he was immersed in the joy of advancing. He had actually forgotten about the important matter of asking Asuro to testify for him. ¡°It seems that I can only look for Asuro after this exam is over. I hope I can still make it by then.¡± After sighing to himself, Hughes stood up and rushed to the exam venue. Unlike the previous magic theory basic exam, the second Magic Test venue was located at a field in the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire. By the time Hughes arrived at the field, it was already filled with 5,000 examinees. In the middle of the field, the officials in charge of the test erected ten tall stone tablets for the magic test. As the clear sound of ringing came from the bell, the examiner on the high platform announced the start of the test with a magic megaphone. In the field, the originally messy group of examinees suddenly formed 10 columns and became orderly. Under the supervision of the exam supervisor, the 5000 examinees walked up to the high platform in an orderly manner and tested their magic power. Soon, the entire group was reduced by more than half. On the huge light screen in the center of the field, the ranking of the magic power test scores appeared. Because the examinees present were very young, only 15 years old, they had only cultivated magic for a short three years counting from the year they awakened. Although the examinees who were able to register for the Hiro Empire¡¯s Royal Academy¡¯s entrance exam were already geniuses among geniuses, it was impossible for them to achieve so much in three years no matter how talented a person was. In fact, cultivating magic was something that required accumulation over time. It was also because of this reason that the magician who appeared at the top of the leader board was only at Tier-2. ¡°It¡¯s actually her. Is this little girl that strong? She actually has 99 points magic power. This is already at the peak of Tier-2.¡± Hughes was naturally very happy to be able to see someone he knew on the leader board. Moreover, this girl had left too deep an impression on him this morning. It would be difficult for him to forget her. When he thought of Sylvie¡¯s embarrassing situation this morning, a faint smile appeared on Hughes¡¯s face. At this moment, Hughes¡¯s originally gloomy heart was cut open by the girl¡¯s radiant smile. The sunlight poured down and chased away the haze in Hughes¡¯s heart. ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re so outstanding and hardworking, I¡¯ll be slightly better than you this time.¡± A mischievous smile appeared on Hughes¡¯ face. He was looking forward to seeing the brilliant expression on Sylvie¡¯s face when she saw Hughes¡¯ name appearing above her own name. The magic test was extremely fast. Hughes, who was at the end of the team, quickly arrived at the front of the field and came before a magic test stone tablet. Behind him stood thousands of students. These students were all looking forward to it, hoping that their names wouldn¡¯t be pushed off the ranking list by other students. The entrance test of the Royal Academy of the Hiro Empire was extremely cruel. Each round of the test would eliminate a large number of people. Of these, the second round of the magic test was the cruellest. In this round, half of the five thousand students who participated in the examination would be eliminated. Looking up at the ranking board not far away, Hughes saw that Sylvie¡¯s name was still hanging high on the top of the ranking board. ¡°This time, I should be able to snatch the first place. Don¡¯t blame me.¡± After sighing in his heart, he slowly walked up to the high platform and placed his hand on the magic power test stone tablet. ¡°You are Hughes?¡± The exam supervisor did not immediately open the magic test stone tablet. Instead, he asked Hughes with a look of disdain. ¡°Yes, I am Hughes.¡± ¡°Ha! Scum, you can rely on your connections to muddle through the first stage, but you will definitely not pass the second stage!¡± The exam supervisor stared fiercely at Hughes, his eyes filled with indignation. Hearing the invigilator¡¯s words, Hughes¡¯ heart suddenly relaxed. From the looks of it, this teacher probably won¡¯t tamper with my test results. With his current mood, he couldn¡¯t wait for me to get a poor score. I¡¯m sorry Sylvie, I can¡¯t exceed you by one point this time. I need this teacher to help me clear my suspicion of cheating. After sorting out the pros and cons, Hughes put his hand on the induction stone again. The next moment, the list suddenly changed. Hughes¡¯s name appeared at the top of the list!