Chapter 1

With a "squeal," as the wild rabbit let out a惨叫, Randy sheathed his greatsword, ran forward, and pulled out a dagger from his waist, skillfully cutting out the crystal core before running back to hand it to Captain Ruiyuan.

Ruiyuan took the pitifully small crystal core with a smile, and it instantly disappeared into his belt-type storage space.

The mage Sumei looked at the rabbit that had been reduced to a mess by the greatsword and pouted, "Randy, we should speed up and push forward with all our might. The real goal is to get the token. Why are you fighting these non-threatening monsters?"

Randy scratched his head and smiled innocently without saying a word. Shao Shan, the Light Priest, interjected, "Sumei, your family is wealthy, so you don't care about such a small crystal core. For ordinary students, this back mountain trial area only opens once a year, and each crystal core is worth a month's income for an average family."

Ruiyuan also chimed in, "Sumei, we are a temporary team, and we must take care of every member's interests. Besides, although our team is the strongest in combat, the key to obtaining the token is speed. Teams dominated by knights and thieves have a significant advantage over us, and our chances of winning are slim. The monsters in this back mountain can be harvested once a year. The academy organizes this trial mainly to provide a resource supplement for the soon-to-graduate students. There are fifty teams, and only one token, so the random teleportation is just a bonus. Instead of making a futile trip, it's better to gather more crystal cores. Don't worry, Sumei, the monsters will get stronger, and there will be plenty of opportunities for you to show your skills. As long as there's a chance, we will strive to win and speed up!"

Randy moved forward, with Sumei and Shao Shan at the back, protecting Ruiyuan, the non-combatant array mage, in the middle. The four-person team reformed their formation and sped up. Although there were only four of them, Ruiyuan, as the captain, still commanded with great seriousness, as if leading an army of thousands.

Sumei looked at Ruiyuan's tall back and her expression softened. Ruiyuan, being the most outstanding disciple of Chancellor Zeng, could treat a hardworking swordsman like Randy with respect.

Watching Randy enthusiastically slay another wild fox and run to cut out the crystal core, Sumei shook her head. She fiddled with her small white staff embedded with a sapphire and glanced back at the distance.

Above the bushes, the tall Sword Hill only revealed its round top, but the two large sword-shaped decorations were clearly visible. That was the random teleportation point.

The winning team could participate in the annual random teleportation at Sword Hill, with a chance to obtain treasures.

But would such valuable treasures fall to these soon-to-graduate students? Would the treasures they obtain be as good as her holy-grade staff? Her desire to get the token was mainly driven by competitiveness.

Only someone as poor as Randy would choose the tank class of a greatsword warrior, valuing those worthless monster crystal cores. Ruiyuan and Shao Shan, from middle-class families, would find the chance to obtain treasures through random teleportation appealing.

The reason she, the daughter of a wealthy merchant and the campus beauty, joined this team was mainly to have the opportunity to fight alongside the excellent captain Ruiyuan.

Sumei blinked her big eyes, "Brother Ruiyuan, you're about to graduate. Have you decided where you're going?"

"Hehe, I have no interest in a government career. I'm going to the Magic Market to find my sworn brother, Yingshi."

"That's too bad. But I know you have big plans. If you need funding, come to Qiong Island and I'll ask my father."

"The Su family is a former imperial elector and will certainly support our righteous cause. Once I settle in the Magic Market, I will visit Qiong Island."

"Shh!" Sumei looked at Randy and Shao Shan; Brother Ruiyuan was being too careless.

Ruiyuan waved his hand, "It's fine. Although they are not my comrades, they are friends I've known for four years."

"Look at the sky!"

It was Shao Shan, the Light Priest, who spoke. Randy, focused on finding valuable monsters, and Ruiyuan and Sumei, who were getting cozy, only Shao Shan was alert and noticed the anomaly in the sky.

The trial had started at 4 a.m., and it was now 6 a.m. The sun had not yet risen, but the east was already bathed in dawn light. Next to the morning star in the eastern sky, a bright new star suddenly appeared, emitting a white, four-pointed light.

"Wow, a supernova explosion, it's so beautiful."

Before coming to Sword Hill for training, Sumei had studied at a school run by sorcerers on the Dark Continent and knew a bit about astronomy.

Ruiyuan's face turned serious. As an array mage, he was the most knowledgeable about celestial phenomena. "Whenever a guest star appears, it causes a significant increase in the world's spiritual energy. Didn't you feel it, Sumei?"

Even Randy, the swordsman, felt the increase in his spiritual energy. How could a sensitive mage like Sumei not feel it? She casually cast a small fireball, "Wow, it's much bigger than usual. My attack power has increased, yay!"

Shao Shan's eyebrows furrowed, and a worried look appeared on his handsome face. "But the monsters will become much stronger and go berserk. It will be harder for us to fight them."

"This is our opportunity."

As the leader, Ruiyuan began to analyze the situation. "Once the monsters go berserk, the agile knights and thieves might not be able to handle them. Our team, with strong offense and defense, will have a better chance."

Randy's deep eyes immediately lit up with excitement. As a financially struggling student, he was eager to obtain treasures. He raised his arms, showing off the muscles on his biceps, pulled out his greatsword from his back, and swung it, "Great, let's do it!"

"Once the monsters go berserk, some of the students participating in this trial might be injured. They are all elites of our Great Xia."

"Shao Shan, you always think too much. Why worry about them? Our victory is the most important."

In Sumei's eyes, this Light Priest, who was even more handsome than Brother Ruiyuan, was perfect in every way except for his excessive consideration and indecisiveness, lacking the leadership qualities of Brother Rui.

Ruiyuan patted Shao Shan's shoulder, "Brother, the elites of our Great Xia are not meant to be pampered. They are about to leave Sword Hill Academy and enter the world. In the real world, there are no teachers to protect them. Without the harsh training, how can they shoulder the responsibility of reviving our Great Xia?"

Shao Shan respected the captain and reached out, revealing an ancient black iron flame medal in his hand. Ruiyuan also produced an old black iron star disk. The tough battle was about to begin, and everyone needed to stay alert.

From the moment the guest star appeared in the sky, the elite team reacted quickly, but the monsters reacted even faster. Soon, various terrifying howls filled the forest.

The team moved cautiously forward, with Randy leading the way, his chiseled face filled with excitement.

When Captain Ruiyuan said that graduates needed to undergo harsh training to become capable, Randy, the greatsword warrior at the front, felt the most resonance.

Randy's thoughts were relatively simple, and Ruiyuan's words had stirred his blood. He had trained with the greatsword for four years and was not afraid of battle.

The morning mountain breeze was cold, carrying a hint of the lake's briny smell from the other side.

Randy brushed the disheveled hair from his face, his deep blue cloak fluttering behind him. Holding his sword with both hands, he felt the friction of the sword's handle against his skin, his heart pounding with the desire for a fierce and bloody battle.

The guest star in the sky emitted an eerie light, and a surge of spiritual energy filled the air. The team members felt a surge of power, moving forward while vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

In the distance, the two massive sword-shaped decorations next to Sword Hill silently absorbed the continuous flow of spiritual energy, unnoticed by anyone.

Suddenly, a large number of howling magic wolves appeared. Climbing a gentle slope, they came upon a battle scene. A group of berserk magic wolves was surrounding a knight, their fierce eyes glowing green in the dawn light.

The surrounded knight wielded a green sword, its blade flashing, moving swiftly and gracefully. Three dead magic wolves already lay on the ground. However, the knight was outnumbered, her hair disheveled, and she was retreating step by step.

A cunning magic wolf had quietly circled behind the female knight and leaped at her.