Stepping into the talent assessment hall felt as if entering a completely different space.
The interior of the hall soared into the clouds, the dome above flickered with a light reminiscent of real stars, creating an overwhelming sense of space that made one feel insignificant.
The hall was not empty; various strange devices emitting different energy fluctuations were orderly arranged in different areas.
The young people were guided by the academy staff, divided into several lines, each heading to different testing stations.
"Spiritual Power Intensity Test, next!"
The low-level wizard's voice was deep, yet it carried a strange resonance, allowing his voice to clearly echo throughout the immense space, audible even from a corner.
Jeming moved forward with the line, continually observing these testing devices he had never seen before.
The first area was a massive crystal ball glowing with blue light, where candidates needed to place their hand on it. The crystal ball would light up with varying intensity based on spiritual strength, ultimately revealing a specific value on a nearby rune-illuminated plaque.
He saw a boy ahead approach, nervously placing his hand on the crystal ball.
The crystal ball's light was so faint it was almost invisible, the plaque displayed the value "2." The boy's face immediately turned pale, and at the staff's signal, he left dispiritedly.
"Sea of Spirit Depth Test, next!"
The second area featured a stone platform that appeared ancient and solid. Candidates needed to sit on it, immersing their spiritual power into it.
The complex runes carved on the platform surface would "light up" one by one, the more layers lit, the deeper the sea of spirit.
Jeming saw a young girl sit on it, with the runes on the stone platform faintly lighting one layer; the plaque displayed "Depth Scale 3."
She bit her lips tightly, her eyes slightly red as she got up to leave.
"Soul Purity Test!"
"Elemental Affinity Test!"
"Spiritual Power Refinement Degree Test!"
"Willpower Test!"
The test items were far more than Jeming previously learned from the lord, covering all dimensions needed for wizard cultivation—spiritual power's intensity, depth, refinement degree, soul's purity and resilience, innate affinity to different elements, and even willpower and potential assessments.
Lines queued up before each testing area, the atmosphere solemn and tense, hardly anyone speaking, only the faint humming of operating devices and the guiding wizard's deep guiding voice could be heard.
Jeming lined up for the Spiritual Power Refinement Degree test.
This was a metal device shaped like a complex star disc.
The candidates ahead placed their hands in the center of the star disc, then the light on the disc started to radiate outward.
Jeming noticed that most people's light appeared somewhat scattered, spreading slowly, and eventually stopping at a relatively low scale.
"Next, Jeming!" The cold echoing voice rose again, calling out his name.
Jeming's spirit lifted, and he briskly walked to the front of the star disc.
The young wizard in charge of testing casually glanced at Jeming, signaling him to place his hand on it.
Highly focused, Jeming steadily pressed his right hand into the groove at the center of the star disc.
The Inner Cycle method was pushed to the extreme, at this moment, his entire body seemed like a self-contained world, severing contact with the outside.
But such a method certainly wouldn't work for testing, feeling the force intruding into his mind, Jeming gradually relaxed his control over his spiritual power.
The rune at the star disc center lit up, and the light began its outward spread.
Unlike most candidates' scattered light, Jeming's spiritual power light appeared unusually concentrated, like a straight beam, climbing straight and rapidly on the star disc scale.
One scale... two scales... three scales... incredibly fast!
The wizard beside him flashed a hint of surprise in his eyes, this value already exceeded most candidates at the same time.
The light continued to ascend, four scales... five scales... slowing slightly upon reaching five scales, but still stably advancing.
Six scales!
The light finally stabilized at the six scales mark, emitting a restrained yet dazzling brilliance.
The wizard in charge of testing had a visible look of praise in his eyes, he looked up at Jeming as if not expecting him to reach this level.
"Spiritual Power Refinement Degree, Sixth Level." The wizard recorded this number, signaling Jeming to move to the next test area.
Jeming seemingly calmly withdrew his hand, feeling a sense of relief internally.
The effect of the Inner Cycle method was indeed astonishing, allowing surplus true essence and spiritual power to be completely hidden, even if the machine's power was chaotically rampaging in his mind, it had not found any flaws.
The reason for choosing to display such a talent level was Jeming's carefully considered decision.
The total scale for Wizard World's talent test is ten levels.
The gap between each talent level is significant, with Fifth Level already considered quite excellent in the eyes of ordinary people, and Sixth Level surpassing ninety percent of the test candidates.
But although Sixth Level is good, it's no match for those top-tier monsters.
The world he is in is no benign place, and in an "academy" environment, talent generally equates to status. If one appears too mediocre, it's easy to become a target for everyone.
Yet if the talent is too high, it becomes too conspicuous, so this slightly above-average "little genius" level is most suitable.
Not drawing attention, nor causing much trouble, and if needed in the future, even showing some excellence can be understood by others.
Jeming felt more relaxed, then somewhat surprised.
Though he hid his strength, he knew that based on the increment required for each talent level, even if he went all out, at most he could reach Eighth Level.
He, a cultivator who had painstakingly achieved Qi Refining First Layer after a dozen years of devoted effort, only managed to barely reach Eighth Level at full strength...
What kind of monsters are those who naturally test at Eighth Level, Ninth Level, or even Tenth Level without any cultivation?!
In the following tests, Jeming's performance varied, but mostly stayed around Sixth Level.
After completing all test procedures, the final result was comprehensively evaluated by a core device at the hall's center. The cold announcement voice echoed throughout the entire space:
"Apprentice Jeming, comprehensive talent rating... Sixth Level!"
Exclamations of astonishment immediately arose around him.
Sixth Level!
Sixth Level was enough to step into the "genius" threshold, meaning he could easily enter the ranks of official wizards, enough to earn appreciation from the academy's higher-ups.
Countless envious, jealous, or inquisitive gazes focused on him once again.
Jeming maintained a calm exterior, but deep inside, he indeed felt significantly relieved.
This meant he had indeed passed this hurdle, at least not needing to worry about becoming an experiment strapped to a surgical table in the short term.
"Next!" However, the guiding wizard seemed unfazed by the Sixth Level talent; though excellent, it was not unique.
Just as Jeming stepped off the testing platform, being guided to the next area, he heard an even stronger burst of exclamations from another area.
"My god! Sea of Spirit Depth… Eighth Level!"
"Elemental Affinity, Thunder Element, Ninth Level!"
"Soul Purity, Ninth Level!"
"Damn! What kind of divine being is this?!!" Hearing these announcements, even Jeming couldn't help but turn to look.
A few boys and girls were being watched by the crowd, their faces almost overflowing with pride.
"Ninth Level talent... it's the Augusta Clan's eldest daughter! Truly living up to the reputation!"
"And Young Master Horn with Eighth Level talent! He has extraordinary affinity with shaping element magic, destined to be a powerful spellcaster in the future!"
"That Ninth Level Soul Purity one, rumored to have been pre-selected by a Soul Element mentor!"
Exclamations rose one after another, listening to the testing devices' announcements, Jeming felt a slight chill in his heart.
This world is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers; his Sixth Level talent indeed is nothing compared to these real monsters.
Moreover, standing in the shadow of these brilliant lights, he'd be less noticeable.
The talent assessment continued, the hall filled with various exclamations and sighs of disappointment from some low-talent candidates.
However, the newly tested young individuals had no time to relish their achievements or feel sorry for their failures. The cold and urgent guiding voice rose again, like a rallying cry close to the ear.
"All apprentices who have completed the talent assessment and passed, proceed immediately to the Central Square! The selection of main cultivation direction is about to begin!"
The voice echoed in the hall, carrying an unchallengeable authority.