On the day of the entrance exam.

Icerite Magic Academy, Learning and Education Building.

Natural light poured into the interior through large glass curtain walls.

Lanqi arrived early at the exam venue on the seventh floor, sitting quietly in the waiting area for the exam to begin.

Talia, who accompanied him, couldn't enter the seventh-floor exam area but waited on the outdoor terrace downstairs.

A corner of this building's exterior featured a spacious terrace area with wooden flooring and benches for students and staff to rest, offering views of the campus while enjoying outdoor sunshine and fresh air.

Also, it faced a giant magical screen cycling through school information.

According to many people also waiting there, they would be able to watch live broadcasts of the Knight Department and Sage Department entrance exams on any screen throughout the school.

......

Seventh floor venue, the vast atrium.

The space was open and transparent.

Several giant magical devices stood like silent giants.

Lights reflected off the magical devices, refracting mysterious and gorgeous beams.

These giant magical device components meandered for tens of meters, built entirely of mithril and magic crystals, exuding a cold aura while looking exceptionally spectacular.

Many candidates in the waiting area, seeing them for the first time, couldn't help but marvel at the extraordinary achievements of magical engineering.

For this exam, Icerite Academy would activate this awe-inspiring "Artificial Shadow World Activation Terminal" to provide candidates with an immersive Shadow World combat drill.

Compared to some candidates who looked excited or anxious, there were also candidates who appeared particularly calm, as if already very familiar with methods of conquering Shadow Worlds.

Since the Shadow World combat simulation was a joint exam for the Knight Department and Sage Department, those waiting here included not only the more refined-looking Sage Department candidates but also many who appeared to be combat-oriented.

Of course... it couldn't be ruled out that they might be Sage Department candidates as well.

Those who passed this test would then undergo final assessments by professors from the two departments respectively.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Lanqi, who had been sitting on a rest chair waiting for a long time, nervously rubbed his palms.

The live broadcast of the upcoming exam would be transmitted outside, visible to the academy's professors and passersby on campus.

It was precisely because of this that "public executions" often occurred in previous years.

Many senior students would watch the new students' entrance exams on campus with an attitude of seeking entertainment.

But thinking positively,

The magical screens displayed split-screen scrolling broadcasts.

Among so many candidates, the probability of him being noticed wasn't high.

Moreover, he always acted steadily and low-key, so he shouldn't attract attention.

Lanqi thought to himself.

At some point, light footsteps began to echo in the hall, seemingly drowning out all other sounds as they reached the candidates' ears.

This overwhelming presence from a powerful individual naturally silenced the previously somewhat noisy spacious exam venue in an instant.

Lanqi's thoughts were interrupted as he looked up towards the direction where everyone's gazes converged.

A figure emerged from the inner side of the hall, and at this moment, it seemed only his footsteps could be heard on the entire seventh floor.

As the footsteps drew closer, people finally saw clearly that the newcomer wore a black classic-style suit, paired with a white shirt and gold tie. The buttons and collar of the formal attire bore diamond and cross-shaped holy light patterns.

He was a brown-haired young man much younger than they had imagined, appearing to be not yet thirty.

However, no one dared to underestimate him because of his age. Being able to wear such decorations indicated that he was not only a teacher at Icerite Academy but also a cleric holding an extremely high position in the Church of the Goddess of Fate.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow.

He walked to the front of the waiting area.

Gazing at the candidates.

"I am today's chief examiner, Loren Cranthel, also the dean of the Sage Department."

The young man's eyes were gentle, his entire demeanor devoid of any sense of threat.

This caused many candidates to relax their previously tense hearts.

Compared to the stern and intimidating examiner they had momentarily imagined earlier, it turned out the dean of the Sage Department actually seemed very approachable.

"The theme of this exam is 'Wisdom and Temperament'."

Loren continued speaking methodically,

"In most cases, during the process of challenging a Shadow World, following the correct path to decipher and advance the main objective will not require defeating enemies far beyond your own level."

"However, if unexpected events or mistakes occur midway, it can lead to extremely dangerous situations in the Shadow World. Not only might you encounter enemies strong enough to instantly kill you, but you could also be hunted in reverse... or even tortured to death."

"Therefore, being able to successfully decipher and obtain key clues within the Shadow World is crucial."

At this point, Loren's voice suddenly paused, his gaze becoming somewhat complex,

"Icerite Academy actually experienced a regrettable accident once, in a failed fourth-level Shadow World challenge where none of the seven participating students survived."

His voice wasn't low, but these words echoed like muffled thunder throughout the entire atrium.

For teenagers in their teens, "death" might be a concept far removed from them.

However, many people may not have been properly prepared for this before coming to this academy.

The exam venue became terrifyingly quiet, with many candidates' eyes seeming to waver.

As if anticipating the students' reactions, Loren remained silent for several breaths before continuing:

"The root cause was that the students in the team were overly confident, causing the main task line to deviate from its normal direction, and they lacked the ability to cope with the rapidly deteriorating chaotic situation."

"This is the imbalance between temperament and wisdom."

"Therefore, this year, both the Knight Department and the Sage Department will pay extra attention to candidates' comprehensive ability to remain mentally steadfast and properly handle situations."

"The exam question you will face shortly is a replica of a real Shadow World."

"Each of you will independently face the same single-person Shadow World, and successfully completing it will be considered passing."

After briefly introducing the exam process,

Loren inserted a key emitting black crystal light into the control panel of the "Artificial Shadow World Activation Terminal".

Then,

The space in front of the magical device seemed to gradually distort, its color becoming darker and darker, until it gradually took shape, turning into what appeared to be an illusory gate, with countless twisted souls seemingly swirling within its giant mirror-like surface.

This was almost identical to the void gates that could allow people to enter Shadow Worlds.

Loren stood quietly in the center of the venue hall.

While other school staff began guiding the candidates.

Directing them to pass through the void gate and enter the artificial Shadow World.

Meanwhile,

The giant screen hanging on the atrium wall no longer displayed its usual content.

Instead, it switched to showing scenes from the Shadow World in the entrance exam!