Chapter 3: The Mysterious Bingzhexie

After finishing his ice cream, Bingzhexie started queuing again. After a very long wait, he finally entered a room.

The room was very simple, with no decorations, only a table and a chair. In the middle of the room was an array, and inside the array was a gray magical puppet, a prop often used during tests.

The magical puppet was made of exquisite and special magical materials, extremely sensitive to magical energy. When attacked by different strengths of magic, it would change to different colors. The magic array beneath the puppet was to protect it from being destroyed.

A teacher sitting on the chair, without lifting his head, said, "Hand in your form."

Bingzhexie handed over the filled form. The teacher glanced at it, then turned to look at him and said, "Hmm, you want to be a magician. What magic do you know now?"

"Teacher, are you going to test me?" As he spoke, Bingzhexie began to chant a spell, and a magical light ball gradually formed in his right palm. He raised his hand, and the light ball shot straight at the puppet. After a flash of light, the gray puppet's hit area turned slightly red.

"Directly using magical energy to attack." The teacher walked to the puppet and examined it. "The magical strength is not bad. Don't you know any elemental magic, like some simple beginner spells?"

Bingzhexie raised his head and said, "Teacher, are you going to test me? I thought you would be very busy today."

The teacher laughed, "Alright, you've passed the test." He signed his form and handed it back, smiling, "You can go back now. Come back for the exam in five days. This is the real exam. If you don't pass, the academy won't admit you."

"Understood, thank you, teacher." Bingzhexie bowed and left the room with the form. Another person in the queue followed him in.

Luo had been waiting outside. Seeing him come out, he asked, "How did it go? You must have passed, right?"

"Yep." Bingzhexie nodded. This kind of test was a piece of cake.

Luo said as they walked, "The test here is just a formality; most people pass. The real challenge is the exam in a few days, where most aspiring students are eliminated."

"Uh-huh." Bingzhexie responded indifferently.

Luo smiled bitterly, "Hey, aren't you at all worried about the exam tomorrow? Are you really that confident, or do you just not care?"

"Oh, no, sorry." Bingzhexie said, "I'm not indifferent; I care a lot about the exam in a few days."

"Really? I didn't notice." Luo scratched his head, "I feel like you're similar to a few others."

"Huh?" Bingzhexie looked at him in confusion.

Luo nodded his head, and before Bingzhexie could turn to look, he felt the surrounding crowd, which had been noisy, become even noisier.

"Speak of the devil, I think you're quite like him." Luo pointed at a person walking towards them.

Bingzhexie also saw the person Luo was talking about. He had snow-white hair and blood-red eyes, and despite being watched by so many people, his face showed no expression, making him seem very cold.

"Who is he?" Bingzhexie was quite curious.

Luo said, "He is the eldest grandson of the Christin family, Christin Bimoye. In the imperial capital, he is recognized as a genius. Even the king has said that with a son like this in the Christin family, they will surely remain prosperous and strong."

Bingzhexie nodded inwardly and paid more attention.

Suddenly, a few people appeared beside them, apparently also to see Christin Bimoye. Among them was the blonde girl who had been shouting in the hotel corridor the previous night.

The boy next to the blonde girl said, "He's also coming to the academy? I thought a noble of his status would go to the royal school and wait for his hereditary title."

The boy laughed disdainfully, "What nobility? They're just a bunch of nobles who live off their titles, good for nothing. In terms of martial and magical abilities, they're just a bunch of good-for-nothings. As long as he doesn't provoke us, I won't beat him up like I did with Ella."

The green-eyed girl said, "Don't cause trouble. The Christin family is one of the top noble families in the empire. We're here to study, you troublemaker, don't cause any trouble."

She glanced at him, "I thought you would be better in the capital, but you're still so resentful of the rich and powerful. Don't drag my sisters into your trouble again."

"I'm not!" The boy was a bit angry, "It's those rich kids who bully others, and I just defend myself. Don't blame me!"

The green-eyed girl laughed, "Just joking, why so angry? Are you mad because I said something bad about you to Conelia?"

"Alright, alright." The blonde girl, Conelia, said, "Irina, Vien, stop arguing. We need to go back to the hotel and review for the written exam in a few days."

...

Bingzhexie and Luo had already reached the academy gate. Bingzhexie turned back and said, "Thank you for your help. You'll have good luck."

Luo laughed, "No need to be so formal, see you later." He turned and left.

Bingzhexie thought for a moment and decided to return to the hotel for a few more days.

Playing in the capital for two days had broadened Bingzhexie's horizons. Not to mention the elegant and magnificent buildings, even the weapons and tools sold in ordinary shops were not easily found elsewhere. However, even in such an interesting place, Bingzhexie eventually felt bored. Back in his room, he started setting up a magic array out of boredom.

For magic arrays, the hardest part is not learning the profound and powerful arrays, but creating new ones.

When creating a new magic or magic array, it's not just about having a smart mind and a solid foundation in magic; it also requires extensive knowledge and persistence. Even creating a small magic array can sometimes be more difficult than learning a great array.

Bingzhexie had been sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor for a long time. He drew a magic array on a piece of paper, with dense notes around it. He stared at the drawing for a long time, made a slight change, and then put down the paper to start an experiment on the floor.

Bingzhexie used his magic to draw a small array beside him. The array contained an irregular octagram, with magical symbols drawn around each corner and line. He placed two magic crystals at the center and two corners of the array, and sprinkled some powder in other places.

Then, he formed a thin, sharp ice blade on the tip of his right finger, cutting his left thumb and ring finger. The cut fingers began to gather ice elements and, in sequence, dripped three drops of blood onto the central magic crystal. Due to the mixture of ice elements, the blood turned white as it dripped.

When the blood hit the crystal, it immediately glowed with a faint white light. Bingzhexie quickly gathered his magic and pressed his right hand on the center of the array, with his fingers touching the corners and edges. The array immediately emitted a bright light, and a cold white mist rose from it. However, only five of the eight corners emitted magic, while the other three remained unresponsive.

The light disappeared in an instant, and the cold mist vanished. The crystals in the array had been drained of energy and turned to ash, and the powder had turned to dust.

Bingzhexie didn't seem very disappointed, just sighed and looked at the drawing again. He repeated the experiment many times, modifying the drawings countless times, but still couldn't succeed immediately.

Unconsciously, it was already dark. Bingzhexie stood up, stretched, and tidied up his things before leaving the room. He called for room service to clean the room and then went to the basement for some food and rest.

The basement dining hall was quite large, but it was almost full of guests, mostly young people, all of whom seemed to be students applying to the Kulandtin Academy.

"Look, Conelia, I told you to come down earlier. Now there are no seats left," Irina complained.

Conelia apologized, "Sorry, sorry. I got too engrossed in reading. I won't do it again next time."

"There's an empty seat over there." Vien pointed. "Let's ask if we can sit with them."

"Hello, can we sit here? There are no seats left," Vien said.

Bingzhexie glanced at the three of them and then lowered his head, "Sure, please sit."

"Thank you, thank you." The three of them sat down.

The table Bingzhexie chose wasn't very large, and with four people, it felt a bit crowded.

After they ordered their food, Irina looked at the boy who had let them sit and asked, "Are you a local?"

Bingzhexie stopped eating and looked up, "No, I'm not."

"Then you're also here to apply for the academy?" Vien asked.

"Yes," Bingzhexie was brief, answering only what was asked.

Vien extended his hand, "I'm Kate Vien, and these are my friends."

"Hello, I'm Bev Irina."

"I'm Isabelle Conelia."

Bingzhexie adjusted his hat, which was a bit too big for his head, and said, "I'm Celeste Bingzhexie, nice to meet you." He thought for a moment and, for the first time, spoke up, "Isabelle? Are you from the Sherman family?"

"Yes," Conelia didn't seem surprised that he knew her family name.

"A very prestigious family," Bingzhexie smiled slightly, as if remembering something from the past.

It was already late, and they were probably hungry, so they didn't talk much to Bingzhexie. When the dinner arrived, they all focused on eating.

Because there was a stranger, the two young ladies ate very politely, especially the noble lady Isabelle. In stark contrast was Kate, who ate like a wolf, even though he ordered the most food, he finished the fastest.

Bingzhexie ate his fruit salad at a steady pace, not paying much attention to them, focusing solely on his meal as if nothing else mattered.

Vien took a big sip of juice, wiped the grease from the roasted meat off his mouth, and then started chatting with Bingzhexie, "Looking at your gray waistcoat, you're a novice magician, right?"

On the continent, magicians wear various types of clothes or robes, but gray is generally worn by novice magicians.

Bingzhexie looked up at him and smiled, not confirming or denying.

Vien waved his arm, "I'm a warrior. Ah! After a full meal, I feel like having a fight. I heard that Kulandtin has very high requirements for practical combat. Want to find a place and spar with me?"

"Vien! Don't do that every time, it's very impolite," Irina smiled bitterly at Bingzhexie, "Don't mind him, he's a martial fanatic."

Vien didn't pay much attention to Irina's words, flexed his exposed muscles, and waved his arm, showing off a bit, and then said to Bingzhexie, "Celeste, you're too skinny. You can't become a true warrior like this. On the battlefield, without a strong physique and fancy combat skills, you'll easily become someone's snack, especially for magicians like you. If..."

"Vien! Don't say such impolite things, how can you say that on first meeting!" This time, it was Conelia who spoke.

Vien seemed to be a bit afraid of this girl and immediately stopped talking, then smiled at Bingzhexie, "Sorry, don't mind me, I always speak without thinking."

Bingzhexie glanced at the three of them, stood up, and said, "I'm done eating, you enjoy your meal." He called the waiter to pay and left.

Irina said, "Vien, your personality can make others unhappy."

Vien laughed, "Waiter, another plate of beef..."

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