Chapter 35

The Azure Wind Academy is one of the four prestigious academies on this continent.

The Azure Wind Academy of the Knight Commercial Federation, the Royal Iron Blood Academy of the Erei Empire, the Rising Star Academy of the Liber Kingdom, and the Holy Light Academy run by the headquarters of the Holy Light Church are the four largest academies on this continent.

Among these four academies, only the Azure Wind Academy admits students from all intelligent races on the continent—note, all intelligent races, not just humans.

The academies of the Erei Empire and the Liber Kingdom are naturally mainly for their own citizens. The Holy Light Academy, on the other hand, only admits devout believers, who must also have talent, perseverance, and character... The conditions are much stricter compared to the other three academies.

The Azure Wind Academy is different. As long as you can afford the tuition, pass the exam, and meet the age requirements, you can enroll!

Of course, it's easy to get in, but hard to graduate. The Azure Wind Academy holds a major exam every year to test the progress of students in each grade. If you fail three subjects cumulatively, then sorry, you will be asked to leave.

This is what is known as "easy to enter, hard to leave." Of course, the tuition is never refunded.

Of course, there are far more than just these four academies on the continent, but none of the others can match the prestige of these four. If possible, no one would refuse the opportunity to study at one of these four great academies... Well, perhaps the Holy Light Academy is slightly less desirable, as not everyone can adhere to the strict rules of the Holy Light Church.

However, getting into these four academies is not an easy task.

The Royal Iron Blood Academy of the Erei Empire naturally admits only the elite in all aspects. Their entrance exam does not have a fixed standard but is based on the number of applicants. Only a certain number of top-ranked students are admitted, and the rest are naturally rejected.

The Rising Star Academy of the Liber Kingdom requires a broad range of knowledge in all areas. According to one of the deans, they need graduates who can stand on their own after graduation, not just geniuses in one area. Of course, if there are exceptional geniuses, they won't hesitate to offer them a place. However, the number of people who meet this condition is clearly very small.

The easiest to get into is the Azure Wind Academy. The entrance exam only tests one subject. As long as you have a special skill, you can try to take the entrance exam. Of course, the registration fee and tuition are mandatory. As long as you have the money, our doors are always open!

Moreover, according to rumors, if you can find the right channels and offer more gold coins, say ten or twenty times the tuition, even if your exam results are a bit lacking, you still have a chance of getting in...

However, once you're in, it's not that simple.

The dropout rate at the Azure Wind Academy is said to be over 50%!

The current population of the continent is not very large, as peace is a recent phenomenon. A few decades ago, there were continuous wars, and the population could not grow rapidly. Even now, there are still small conflicts between countries, and occasional battles between humans and beastmen. Despite this, the population of the continent is at least in the tens of millions, possibly even over a hundred million.

With a population of over a hundred million, young people of the right age make up about 10%, which is around ten million. Of course, the vast majority of these ten million are from very poor families or lack talent. After excluding these, there are still hundreds of thousands of young people who might be eligible to enroll. With such a large number, the four academies cannot possibly admit them all.

Therefore, many medium and small academies also admit students, greatly分流ing these young people. However, people are ambitious, and if there's a chance to enter a great academy, who would want to waste their youth at a medium or small academy?

The other academies adopt an elite policy, strictly controlling the quality of the students they admit. Only the Azure Wind Academy is different, admitting almost everyone who meets the basic requirements!

In any case, most of the time, professors give large lectures, and with the help of magic, the classrooms are always clear and audible, so the quality of education does not decline significantly.

However, if you fail three exams, then sorry, you will be asked to leave. Note that these three failures are cumulative!

In the same year, if you fail three subjects, you will definitely be asked to leave. If you fail two subjects in the first year but pass them through retakes or re-enrollment, and then fail another subject, you will still be asked to leave!

In other words, as long as you have three records of failing while studying at the Azure Wind Academy, you will be asked to leave!

Moreover, although the entrance exam for the Azure Wind Academy only tests one subject, once you're in, you must choose at least three more required subjects!

As a result, the dropout rate at the Azure Wind Academy is terrifyingly high. This alone scares away countless young people who believe they have some talent.

Even so, the number of people who want to enter the Azure Wind Academy is still the highest among the four great academies. After all, the other three academies are even harder to get into, and the Azure Wind Academy at least offers a chance, right?

Therefore, the number of students taking the entrance exam now is at least in the tens of thousands.

However, even with the policy of "easy to enter, hard to leave," the Azure Wind Academy does not admit just anyone. Their exams have their own unique system. You don't need to be of a high level, but you must have your own unique qualities and sufficient potential to pass the exam. Out of these tens of thousands, at least 90% will be eliminated. Only the remaining lucky few have a chance to study at the Azure Wind Academy. Whether they can graduate is another question.

Jiran is preparing to take the entrance exam in swordsmanship, while Lydia will take the exam in magic.

Jiran has his own considerations about what to study after entering the academy. He has even planned a path for Lydia. With his help, passing the exam should not be a problem.

Therefore, Jiran is very confident about this entrance exam.

The Azure Wind Academy is located in the northeast of Baise City and covers a large area. The academy's area is almost a third of Baise City. The academy is surrounded by a high wall, and inside the wall, various tall buildings can be seen, giving an impression of the academy's grandeur from the outside.

As a building in the capital of commerce, the architectural style of the Azure Wind Academy is more inclined towards freedom and spontaneity. However, the specifics can only be seen once inside the academy.

With tens of thousands of students taking the exam, many examination venues are needed. The magic and swordsmanship exams cannot be held in the same place. After discussion, Uncle Lai accompanied Jiran to the swordsmanship exam, while the others accompanied Lydia to the magic exam.

After showing their examination eligibility tokens at the registration desk, Jiran and Lai followed the directions of the staff.

"The Azure Wind Academy, being one of the four great academies, even the staff at the registration desk are at the Silver Rank..." Jiran is currently at level 27 and can see the levels of people up to 15 levels higher than himself. However, he could only see a question mark for the staff member, indicating that the staff member is at least a level 4 professional.

"It's not surprising. Without being at the Silver Rank, how could they qualify to teach students at such an academy? That staff member is probably just a student who stayed on. The real teachers are at least level 5 or 6. I've even heard that some professors are at the Gold Rank... and the dean's strength is even more unfathomable."

Lai explained to Jiran what he knew. He had once considered applying to the Azure Wind Academy but was influenced by his family background and ended up going elsewhere.

Jiran was not surprised. The Silver Rank is very powerful, with each of the three levels having a huge gap. A level 6 professional can handle a dozen level 4 professionals without any problem—of course, this is a general concept. If level directly represented combat power, there would be no so many conflicts in the world... Two people would just report their levels, the lower one would admit defeat, and it would be settled!

Of course, challenging higher levels is not uncommon, but challenging higher ranks is extremely rare... After all, it's not just a difference in quantity but a difference in quality.

Upon entering the Azure Wind Academy, the sky suddenly turned a deep blue, with not a single cloud in sight, and the sun had disappeared. It was clear that a huge magical barrier covered the area. The annual recruitment is too important, so the academy's caution is understandable.

However, it's not easy to get a full view of the academy. Students and their companions can only enter the outermost area of the academy.

The overall tone of the Azure Wind Academy is free and lively, which is also reflected in its architecture. The buildings are not confined to traditional shapes, and each one has a unique form. The layout is also irregular, with green trees and long corridors adding to the beauty of the environment.

However, the environment is now filled with people.

With tens of thousands of students taking the entrance exam and several times that number of companions, it's no wonder there are so many people! Walking through the front courtyard of the Azure Wind Academy, Jiran felt a sense of disorientation, as if he were on a holiday trip to a tourist area in his original world.

However, it's not too chaotic, as there are signposts everywhere and many students in the Azure Wind Academy uniform helping to maintain order. After all, everyone is here to take the exam, and causing trouble would mean they don't want to enter the academy.

Following the signposts and the guidance of the students maintaining order, the two of them eventually arrived outside the swordsmanship exam venue. The swordsmanship exam is always a popular choice, so the area outside the venue is the most crowded.

At the registration desk, Jiran had already exchanged his examination voucher for an admission ticket. The ticket has a number, and you need to wait until your number is called to enter the exam. Since it's still early for his number, the two of them decided to find a place to rest.

"Hey, isn't that the genius of the Erei Empire, Lai Bright? We haven't seen each other for a long time, at least a dozen years, right?" Suddenly, a voice with a sharp and sarcastic tone reached their ears.