Chapter 3: The Magic Temple

In Tenglong City, the branch of the Magic Temple.

Early in the morning, Hu Na was already waiting there. As the deputy director of the Tenglong City Government Hall, she had a strong network of connections in the city.

Not long after, a luxurious carriage arrived, bearing the emblem of the Priest Temple. The emblem emitted a faint golden glow, depicting a pair of palms facing each other, with concave palms, symbolizing sanctity, goodness, and prayer.

The carriage stopped, and Long Leilei was the first to step down. Seeing Hu Na, he immediately greeted her with a broad smile, "Director Hu, you're here so early. We should have come to wait for you first!"

Hu Na snorted, "Save your useless talk for later. If you have any skills, deal with your tigress at home."

"Cough, cough." Long Leilei awkwardly coughed twice, then turned to the carriage and called out, "You two little brats, get down here quickly."

From the carriage, Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong finally stepped down.

"Dad, my brother said he doesn't want to go," Long Dangdang immediately reported as soon as he got out of the carriage.

"I didn't!" Long Kongkong glared at his twin brother, furious.

"You two, be quiet. Whether you like it or not, you have to go. Listen to Aunt Hu, got it? If you cause any more trouble..." Long Leilei's face showed a gentle smile as he looked at the two boys, "I'll send you both to the military camp for training, and I'll find the same drill instructor as last time."

At these words, both boys shivered involuntarily.

According to the regulations of the Temple Federation, one must be ten years old to apply for the Temple Academy. Before the age of ten, it is a happy childhood period, and children are not allowed to practice, to avoid putting pressure on them. However, for families who want their children to have a better future, there are other ways, such as sending them to the military camp to "experience life."

Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong had been sent three times, and each time was absolutely miserable! Long Dangdang's laziness from childhood had been completely changed, and Long Kongkong, who was always restless, would also turn pale at the mention of the military camp.

"Alright, don't scare the kids. It's about time. Dangdang, Kongkong, follow me." Hu Na looked at the identical, handsome boys with a gentle gaze, thinking to herself, "If they were my sons, how wonderful it would be!"

At this thought, she couldn't help but glare at someone.

Long Leilei shivered, quickly putting on a smiling face, "Then I'll trouble you, Na... Director Hu."

Although Long Leilei was the deputy head of the Tenglong City Priest Temple branch, the Federation had clear regulations that different temples must maintain a separation to ensure their independence. In reality, this was also to ensure mutual supervision among the temples. Therefore, even as the deputy head, he could not take his sons to another temple for evaluation.

He actually cherished his twin sons very much. Now that they were of age, he planned to send them to various temples for testing to determine which profession they should choose when they enter the Temple Academy.

Ling Xue was a Summoner of the Soul Temple, but she favored the profession of Mage the most. Therefore, she had Long Leilei send the two boys to the Magic Temple for testing first. If they succeed, it would be the best choice.

Following Hu Na into the Magic Temple, there were already people in magnificent magic robes waiting to welcome them. The various temples were very courteous to the Government Hall, as the Government Hall managed the livelihood, and many basic resources of the temples were allocated by the Government Hall of the city they were in.

Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong looked curiously around the Magic Temple. The grand hall of the Magic Temple gave them a somewhat strange feeling. The air here seemed different from the outside, and there were statues of various colors around, which looked somewhat human but not entirely, as they were more slender and had wings on their backs.

"Aunt Hu, what are these?" Long Kongkong asked curiously, showing no shyness.

Hu Na explained, "These are the elementals worshipped in the Magic Temple. The test you will take later involves gaining the recognition of the elementals and testing your innate magical energy. The combined results will determine if you are suitable to become a Mage."

Long Kongkong pouted, "Boring."

Hu Na asked curiously, "You don't want to be a Mage? Which temple do you like then?"

Long Kongkong replied lazily, "I don't really like any of them. If I have to choose, the Priest Temple seems better. Dad often says that the Priest Temple is full of beautiful women."

Hu Na couldn't help but laugh and cry, "What has your father taught you? Truly, the upper beam..."

She turned to look at Long Dangdang, who had been standing quietly and looked slightly nervous, "You're the older brother, right? Which temple do you like?"

Long Dangdang stood up straight and said, "I'll follow Mom. Mom likes Mages, so I'll be a Mage."

Long Kongkong sneered, "Suck-up."

"Smack!" Long Dangdang slapped him on the head.

"Long Dangdang, I'll fight you!" Long Kongkong immediately lunged at him viciously.

"Alright, alright, the test is about to start." Hu Na quickly stepped between them, but didn't notice a foot that had appeared at her feet, causing her to stumble and nearly fall.

Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong exchanged a glance, and just as they were about to do something, they suddenly felt a strange pressure. Turning around, they saw a magician in a red robe walking towards them, and the pressure was coming from him.

"Are these the two children who are to be tested? Follow me." The red-robed magician nodded at Hu Na.

Hu Na, now steady, looked a bit disheveled, thinking, "These kids are so adorable when they're well-behaved, but they're also a real headache when they start causing trouble."

"Thank you, Magician Guo Xu."

"You're welcome, Director Hu."

After exchanging pleasantries, the magician named Guo Xu led Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong into the Magic Temple. Hu Na did not follow, as she was just an ordinary person. Both the Federation Government and local government halls required that administrative managers could not come from the temples.

The brothers were led to a large room. As soon as they entered, they were attracted by the beautiful golden patterns on the ground. The patterns emitted a faint glow, which seemed to have a life of its own, pulsing and transforming into various colors.

The room was circular, with a ring of statues around it, similar to those in the hall outside, totaling over a dozen.

"Who wants to go first?" Magician Guo Xu stood in the center of the room, looking at the two boys calmly.

"I'll go first." Long Kongkong, who was never shy, raised his hand without hesitation.

"Good, go to the center of the glowing pattern on the ground." Magician Guo Xu instructed.

Long Kongkong did as he was told, turning to look at his brother with a smug expression, as if to say, "Let me show you how excellent I am."

Magician Guo Xu said sternly, "Focus and don't move around."

"Okay." Long Kongkong turned to look at the magician, his eyes still full of curiosity.

The next moment, the patterns on the ground began to emit a stronger glow. Instantly, Long Kongkong felt a warm and comfortable sensation all over his body.

From Long Dangdang's position, he could see the statues around the room releasing various colored light points, which rapidly merged into the glowing pattern on the ground, the light rising and enveloping Long Kongkong's body.

Long Kongkong's face was full of contentment, and he couldn't help but ask, "Bro, why do I feel like I'm taking a bath?"

Magician Guo Xu was slightly taken aback; he had never seen someone speak during the elemental recognition process.

The entire process lasted about a minute. Magician Guo Xu's gaze remained on the elemental statues around the room, but even when the light on the ground faded, none of the statues showed any reaction.

"No elemental affinity." Magician Guo Xu said solemnly.

"Feels nice, Grandpa, what do you mean?" Long Kongkong asked curiously.

Magician Guo Xu sighed, "No elemental affinity means that no elemental has recognized you and can fuse with you. Of course, there is another possibility, which is that the element you are attuned to is not among these. However, this is unlikely, as the Magic Temple has basically covered all elements in the world."

Long Kongkong understood, "So, I'm not suitable to be a Mage, right?"

Seeing the boy's still cheerful expression, Magician Guo Xu was taken aback. This was the first time he had seen a child who didn't want to be a Mage. Among the six temples, the two strongest were the Magic Temple and the Knight Temple. Compared to the strictness of the Knight Temple, the unpredictable and magnificent magic of the Magic Temple was undoubtedly more appealing to young people.

"We still need to test your magical energy. If your magical energy is high, it means you might have an unknown attribute." As he spoke, Magician Guo Xu took out a crystal ball and placed it in front of Long Kongkong, gesturing for him to place his hand on it.

Long Kongkong curiously placed his palm on the crystal ball. The next moment, it felt as if a suction force was coming from the crystal ball, and he felt it absorbing something from his body. Then, the surface of the crystal ball lit up with a faint glow.

The light was not strong and quickly subsided, with a number appearing on the surface of the crystal ball.

"Nine?" Magician Guo Xu's face showed disappointment.

He knew that the two boys were the sons of the deputy head of the Priest Temple and had some expectations, as the children of strong people have a higher probability of having good talents.

"Is nine good or bad?" Long Kongkong asked curiously.

Magician Guo Xu's lips twitched, "The total score is one hundred."

Long Kongkong, who had attended the basic academy, widened his eyes, "Failing? No big deal, I'm used to it." He indeed rarely passed.

"Far from passing." Magician Guo Xu coughed.

"Grandpa, you're so straightforward. It's your turn, bro." Long Kongkong pouted and walked away.

Compared to his brother, Long Dangdang was clearly more nervous. Unlike Long Kongkong's indifference, he really liked the profession of Mage, having seen the magnificent magic they could create.

He walked to the center of the light circle, and Magician Guo Xu did not return to his original position but handed him the crystal ball, saying, "You might as well test your magical energy first."

"Okay." Long Dangdang felt a slight chill in his palm, slowly extending his hand to cover the crystal ball.

Magician Guo Xu released his magical energy to guide, and the next moment, as Long Dangdang walked to his previous position, facing away from Magician Guo Xu, he felt a sudden brightness behind him and instinctively turned around.

He immediately opened his mouth wide, seeing the crystal ball between Long Dangdang and Magician Guo Xu radiating brilliant light, like a small sun, illuminating the entire room.

More astonishingly, without Magician Guo Xu's intervention, the surrounding elemental statues began to light up on their own. Seven of the statues emitted a strong glow, becoming transparent in an instant, with the light rippling in the air and forming a halo that enveloped Long Dangdang.

Magician Guo Xu's eyes were wide open.

The light lasted for several minutes before gradually subsiding. Magician Guo Xu couldn't help but swallow his saliva, staring intently at the crystal ball in his hand.

The next moment, his voice trembled, "Eighty-three, innate magical energy eighty-three!" When he repeated "eighty-three" the second time, his voice became uncontrollably high.

Long Kongkong muttered, "Passed? He actually passed? This doesn't make sense! In regular exams, my brother doesn't score much higher than me."

While he wasn't particularly affected by his own score of nine, seeing his brother score nine times higher was still a shock.

Long Dangdang immediately turned to look at his brother, and Long Kongkong gave him a thumbs up, "Congratulations, you passed for the first time in your life."

Magician Guo Xu murmured, "Long brother, rat brother, could this be the legendary 'Long brother, rat brother'? The talents of the twins are concentrated in one person?"

His voice was not low, and both brothers heard it clearly. Long Kongkong was furious, "Old man, if you keep mocking me, I'll pee on you!"