"But, Old Cao, according to regulations..."
The burly man with a beard hadn't finished speaking when the white-haired elder interrupted him, "According to regulations, talent needs to be above Bronze level. That kid is already Silver intermediate!"
"Quick, quick, what time is it? So many people behind..."
Beside the white-haired elder, who was Gold seventh-grade, another white-haired elder spoke, his tone somewhat impatient.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
...
Soon, Ye Feng arrived at the redwood table where the Gold seventh-grade white-haired elder was located.
"This is the crystal ball to test the strength level of an Austrator. Condense your arcane energy with all your might and attack this crystal ball!"
A Silver intermediate staff member pointed to a crystal ball not far in front of the redwood table and said to Ye Feng.
Meanwhile, several Gold-level experts, including Old Cao, watched the crystal ball expressionlessly. Of course, one of them was looking down, eyes closed, appearing listless.
"Whoosh! Bang! ~ Whoosh~"
Ye Feng casually unleashed an attack with his hand, striking the crystal ball. Of course, his expression was one of great effort.
"Silver intermediate, mastering water-attribute arcane energy variations, possibly breaking through to Silver advanced!"
Upon seeing the ripples displayed on the crystal ball, Old Cao spoke, and the other few Gold-level elders nodded.
"Oh ho, lazybones, this is rare. You didn't just lie down after a glance?"
A Gold fifth-grade elder teased the red-haired elder who was looking up at Ye Feng.
"Don't you find his arcane energy a bit strange... almost nonexistent, not quite like usual..."
The red-haired elder, referred to as the lazybones, was the listless one with his head down. He frowned slightly.
"It does seem a bit so..."
Old Cao nodded. "Young man, come over here, sit here, extend your arm, and mobilize your arcane energy!"
"Alright!~"
Ye Feng quickly did as Old Cao instructed.
"This..."
As Old Cao placed his hand on Ye Feng's wrist where the arcane energy was surfacing, his expression suddenly became astonished.
"Old Cao, what's wrong?"
Seeing this, the other Gold-level elders also gathered around, placing their hands on Ye Feng's wrist.
"This..."
"This..."
...
A group of Gold-level elders exchanged glances, all seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
"You... you don't have meridians or origin points?"
After a pause, Old Cao voiced the surprise and confusion in everyone's minds.
"Mmm!"
Ye Feng nodded honestly.
"That shouldn't be... Meridians and origin points are the most crucial things for every Austrator's cultivation... Only when breaking through from Silver to Gold, one needs to face death to be reborn, and meridians and origin points shatter and transform... then meridians and origin points disappear..."
"But there's no sign of shattered and transformed meridians or origin points in his body..."
"And he's not a Gold-level expert either... only Silver intermediate..."
The group of elders, including Old Cao, discussed Ye Feng with curiosity. Only one elder with a scar on his brow, who looked quite sinister when he was fierce, remained silent, staring intently at Ye Feng's arcane energy, his brows furrowed...
"Oh, perhaps I only awakened arcane energy after turning 16?"
Seeing their keen interest, Ye Feng quickly changed the subject.
"Sixteen?"
"Then the awakened arcane energy is almost certainly only good for physical training, right?"
"Awakening at sixteen, and reaching Silver intermediate? Young man, you've had a tough time!"
"Alright, the rest of you, if you want to chat, do it privately..."
"Lin Dan Da, first round of assessment passed, you can leave..."
...
Old Cao glanced at the information about Ye Feng recorded by the staff and waved at him.
At this moment, Ye Feng didn't notice that after he turned to leave, the sinister elder with the scar on his brow, who had been staring at his arcane energy, had a strange smile on his lips...
...
"Hoo~"
After leaving the golden hall, Ye Feng let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"This queuing is such a drag... so tiring..."
Although there was no combat or anything, the tedious queuing left Ye Feng mentally exhausted.
Afterward, Ye Feng wandered around the vicinity of the golden hall.
To be honest, he was very interested in the library within Dawn Academy that Big Gold Tooth had mentioned. Because although his arcane energy cultivation was already high, he hadn't systematically studied the knowledge of arcane energy...
"Should I try to get a student ID or something from Jiang Si Shan... or become a student... Otherwise, I can't get in~!"
Looking at the grand Dawn Academy library in the distance, Ye Feng couldn't help but mutter.
According to Dawn Academy's regulations, only students of Dawn Academy could enter, and Ye Feng was not currently one of them...
Then, Ye Feng browsed other buildings in Dawn Academy.
...
As evening approached,
"What the heck?"
Ye Feng, sitting by the lotus pond in Dawn Academy, was somewhat puzzled because he realized he was being followed, and the tracker's skill seemed quite high.
Ye Feng frowned slightly and quickly walked out of Dawn Academy.
Because he noticed that the tracker seemed hesitant; on several occasions, when there were perfect opportunities for a sneak attack, they didn't make a move. They were likely wary that this was Dawn Academy...
A moment later, Ye Feng left the main gate of Dawn Academy. As he entered a somewhat secluded alley, a dark figure flashed by, and a chop to his nape landed...
Ye Feng immediately feigned weakness and collapsed to the ground...
Before Ye Feng could hit the ground, the dark figure stuffed him into a burlap sack, slung him over their shoulder, and quickly began to move with leaps and bounds...
"Kidnapping? I didn't even expose my identity?"
"Someone doesn't like me?"
"Robbery?"
...
Inside the burlap sack, Ye Feng's mind raced with questions.
...
In the evening,
The sun was almost setting in the west, and the person who had kidnapped Ye Feng finally stopped.
"Bang~!"
"Who?"
"Who is it!"
"Who is it?"
Ye Feng was roughly thrown to the ground, and then he heard several tense, alert shouts.
"Young Master Jiang, how about we make a deal!"
As a deep, suppressed male voice rang out, the opening of the burlap sack containing Ye Feng was pulled open, and Ye Feng was kicked, sliding forward with the sack.
Taking advantage of this moment, Ye Feng slightly opened his eyes to survey the surroundings.
"Holy cow..."
With just one glance, Ye Feng was greatly surprised.
Because the person who had knocked him out had brought him to the Jiang family's villa. Jiang Si Shan was standing in the courtyard, not far in front of Ye Feng, with several alert subordinates beside him.
Not only was Ye Feng surprised, but Jiang Si Shan was equally astonished, as he couldn't fathom how Ye Feng, a Gold fifth-grade individual, had been knocked out and brought here by someone else.
When the masked man in black landed, his clan uncle had already informed him that the opponent's strength was Gold fifth-grade...
...