Chapter 176: Trial Challenge, Knowledge Test

Chapter 176: Trial Challenge, Knowledge Test

The sudden commotion instantly drew the attention of everyone around.

Almost immediately, many couldn't resist and rushed toward the Tower of the Stars.

However, just as they were about to push open the tower's doors with wild excitement, they were thrown back by an invisible wave of energy.

"What's going on?"

"Why can't we get in?"

"Damn it, there's a defensive magic array!"

Several impatient wizard apprentices couldn't help but cast spells at the door, trying to break through the defensive array.

But the spells fell on the door like mud into-the sea, causing no ripples at all.

In the next instant, a burst of light appeared at the top of the tower, and several beams of light descended from the sky, striking the wizard apprentices who had attacked the door.

Before they could even scream, they were instantly reduced to ashes.

Seeing this, the crowd gathered in front of the tower immediately changed their expressions, retreating in panic and confusion.

"What was that?" the Traveler gasped.

Even from a distance of several hundred meters, he could feel the intense energy fluctuations in those beams of light.

That was a terrifying level of power, enough to kill him instantly!

"Spell Turrets," Su Nan explained. "One of the standard combat devices of a wizard's tower. A single shot can easily take down a Third Circle Legendary Knight."

The Scepter, the Traveler, and the Rose all looked at Su Nan in surprise.

"How do you know that?" the Rose asked curiously.

Su Nan shrugged but didn't answer.

With the fate of those unfortunate souls as a warning, the surrounding wizard apprentices and Legendary Knights dared not make any rash moves.

"Get out of the way!"

A cold voice suddenly rang out, followed by a short, sharp scream.

Mavitch led the charge toward the Tower of the Stars, casually releasing a bolt of lightning to strike down a wizard apprentice who dared to block his path.

The others quickly moved aside.

None of them had the courage or strength to face a Third Tier wizard apprentice.

Ignoring the hostile glares of the crowd, the group from the Truth Council all fixed their gazes on the Tower of the Stars, their eyes shining with excitement or wild joy.

This towering structure was their hope for advancement as wizards!

Without hesitation, Mageson and the others immediately took out their sigil stones.

A faint glow emerged from the surface of the sigil stones, quickly spreading over their entire bodies, enveloping them completely.

In the next second, over a dozen people vanished into thin air.

This scene immediately caused a commotion among the onlookers.

"They're gone, no, they went inside!"

"Why can they go in?"

"Is it because of that stone? Do you need a medium to enter the tower?"

Realizing this, the crowd's eyes flickered as they looked around.

Among the people present, there might be others who held the same kind of stone!

"Those guys got there first," the Traveler clicked his tongue.

Despite his words, there was no panic in his tone.

After all, their group included four Third Tier wizard apprentices and a Third Circle Legendary Knight, not to mention Su Nan himself, so they had nothing to fear from the surrounding rabble.

"We shouldn't waste any more time. Let's go in."

Su Nan took the lead and walked toward the Tower of the Stars.

The others followed suit.

The group's presence was already quite noticeable, and their movement immediately drew a lot of attention.

When they stopped in front of the Tower of the Stars and revealed the stones in their palms, someone finally couldn't hold back.

A wizard apprentice suddenly raised his hand and shot a beam of black light, splitting the air as it rushed toward the Rose.

At the same time, two Legendary Knights lunged forward, one at Kui and the other at the Traveler, their swords slicing through the air.

The three attacks seemed to trigger a switch, and in an instant, dozens of people attacked Su Nan and his group.

They weren't blind to Su Nan's group's strength, but the allure of the Tower of the Stars was too great, and their greed overcame their reason.

Moreover, there were only five targets, unlike the Truth Council's group of over a dozen. With at least forty to fifty attackers, they might have a chance to grab the stones.

As for how to divide the spoils afterward, that was a problem for later.

But in the next moment, they realized how wrong they were.

The instant they attacked, Su Nan, the Scepter, the Traveler, and the Rose launched their counterattacks simultaneously.

With the four at the center, dozens of magical missiles exploded, instantly piercing the seven or eight attackers at the forefront.

These attackers, who were at most First Circle Legendary level, were turned into corpses in a single exchange!

This scene left the remaining attackers stunned, hesitating and daring not to step forward.

However, Su Nan and his companions had no intention of letting them off. Spells were cast in rapid succession, quickly leaving the besieging crowd completely obliterated.

These second-tier mage apprentices and first-ring legendary knights were no more than ants that could be squashed at will in front of Su Nan and his group, even with a numerical advantage ten times greater.

Realizing the vast disparity in strength, the surrounding crowd, which had been restless, immediately quieted down.

No one dared to make a move, merely staying at a distance, casting them fearful and envious glances.

Su Nan and his companions paid no heed, treating it as if they had merely crushed a few ants.

Their attention was entirely focused on the rune stone.

As the rune stone emitted a faint glow that spread throughout their bodies, the next moment, all five of them vanished from the spot.

When Su Nan regained his senses, he found himself in a spacious hall.

The hall was entirely paved with white marble, its surface engraved with intricate patterns that seemed to follow some underlying rule, giving it a strange and beautiful appearance.

The hall resembled the control center at the top of the Dragon Skeleton Tower, only it was more spacious, with numerous intersecting cracks on the walls, faintly outlining rectangular shapes that appeared to be tightly closed doors.

The ceiling was at least a hundred meters high, adorned with countless precious Everbright Pearls, which illuminated the entire hall brilliantly.

As Su Nan was observing the hall, a voice suddenly echoed through the air.

[Intruders detected, beginning scan!]



[Scan complete. Intruders are third-tier mage apprentices, meeting the criteria for inheritance. Initiating inheritance program!]



[Welcome to the Tower of the Stars, mage apprentices!]



About ten meters in front of Su Nan, a figure materialized out of thin air.

It was a human-sized grayish-white flesh ball, covered in countless mouths, each revealing rows of tiny, sharp teeth.

At that moment, hundreds of mouths opened and closed in unison, emitting a somewhat mechanical and monotonous voice.

[I am the spirit of the Tower of the Stars and the examiner for the trials.]



[According to the rules of the Tower of the Stars, all intruders are granted the opportunity to challenge the trials. Success in the challenge will earn you the inheritance reward. Do you wish to challenge?]



Su Nan did not answer immediately but instead took a keen interest in the fleshy ball claiming to be the tower spirit.

He knew without a doubt that the so-called tower spirit was a fake, likely just the creator’s boastful creation.

Tower spirits were incredibly precious; even if a mage had left an inheritance a thousand years ago, they would never leave such a valuable entity in a place like this.

Moreover, the tone of the fleshy ball’s voice was unmistakably dull and mechanical, indicating a low level of intelligence, barely better than the butler 1 in the Dragon Forest.

Still, the builder of the Tower of the Stars had a taste that was hard to describe, designing an auxiliary intelligent life form with such a heavy and grotesque appearance.

After a brief internal complaint, Su Nan spoke loudly.

[Challenge!]



The fleshy ball was silent for a couple of seconds before its mouths opened and closed again.

[Matching trial...]



[Match successful. Based on the challenger’s age and realm, the trial difficulty is set to the highest level!]



[Important reminder: The trial consists of three stages. You must complete them within ninety days, or you will be considered a failure!]



[The first stage of the trial: Knowledge Assessment!]



As the voice faded, ten shadows appeared in front of Su Nan.

[Please select three materials from the ten provided and provide a detailed explanation of their names, effects, and growth environments. The information must meet certain standards of density and accuracy.]



Listening to the voice in his ear and looking at the shadows in front of him, Su Nan felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

In his previous life, when he took exams at the Mage Academy, the scene was similar.

"Never thought I’d be taking an exam here too."

After a moment of reflection, Su Nan refocused on the assessment.

The ten materials included magic plants, rare metals, and all sorts of peculiar items.

Su Nan scanned them and immediately understood.

These materials, while not entirely extinct, were extremely rare in the current Starlight Continent, found only in ancient texts.

For other mage apprentices, this might be challenging, but for him, it was quite simple.

Without hesitation, Su Nan pointed to the first withered yellow grass on the far right and began his answer.

"Resurrection Grass, an extremely cold-resistant magic plant, primarily grows in harsh environments such as ice plains, volcanic regions, and miasma swamps. Its most famous ability is resurrection; it can come back to life even when almost completely dried out. It has a strong mutation capability, often evolving to adapt to harsh living conditions, giving rise to many variants."

”

  "Resurrection Grass contains a powerful life force. Consuming it directly can slightly increase one’s lifespan, and it can also be used to create potions, serving as one of the main ingredients for the Dawn Potion."

  [Approved.]



  Su Nan was unsurprised. He lightly moved his finger to the second material.

  It was a small, silver-white sapling that was actually made of metal.

  The metallic leaves shimmered with a star-like brilliance, making it incredibly beautiful.

  "Stellar Silver Essence, a rare metal that requires two conditions to grow: it must be near a mineral vein and exposed to moonlight, with a very strict requirement for energy particle concentration."

  "Stellar Silver Essence has better malleability and magic conductivity than Mithril, making it suitable for crafting magical items or constructs."

  Without waiting for the orb to speak, Su Nan pointed to the third, irregularly shaped, translucent crystal.

  "Dragon Crystal, a strange crystalline formation that occasionally emerges from the corpse of a dead dragon, containing the essence of the entire dragon. It has a wide range of uses, including the cultivation of magical pets, biological modifications, crafting magical items, or constructing puppets."

  [Approved.]



  A smile appeared on Su Nan’s face. Identifying materials was a task he found effortless.

  Buzz!

  Another ten shadows appeared, this time in the form of ten bizarre creatures.

  [Please select three of the following ten creatures and provide detailed information about their names, habitats, and biological characteristics. The density and accuracy of the information must meet certain standards.]



  "This time, it’s identifying creatures."

  Su Nan remained calm, his gaze falling on the first creature on the left—a translucent blue jellyfish.

  The jellyfish had a white, umbrella-shaped body with a cluster of about 24 eyes at the front, which could be quite unsettling to look at.

  "Umbrella Jellyfish, a colonial creature typically found in deep waters. Highly venomous, its organs can be used to create potions, and its venom can serve as an enchanting material."

  Next, Su Nan chose the second creature, a Magically Enhanced Eel, and the third, a Throat Lock, providing detailed information for each.

  As expected, the orb gave him an [Approved] rating.

  He had once again passed with ease.

  "Whatever the next identification task is, bring it on."

  Su Nan smiled confidently.

  However, the next shadow that appeared surprised him—it was a book.

  [Master this spell and successfully cast it once.]



  It was a spell to learn?

  Su Nan raised an eyebrow in surprise but quickly understood.

  A single spell often involved a dozen or more areas of knowledge, and many spells were interconnected.

  Generally, the more knowledgeable a wizard (apprentice) was, the easier it was for them to learn spells.

  High-ranking wizards could quickly master a low-level spell in a short time, not just because of their high mental energy but also because of their extensive and deep knowledge, much like a doctoral student solving elementary school problems with ease.

  Su Nan briefly flipped through the book, which described a zero-level spell called 'Bone Arrow.'

  He recalled that this spell was not among the spell books he had collected so far. It was likely an original creation of the builders of the Starlight Tower.

  It made sense; for a test, they would provide a spell that couldn’t be found outside to prevent any challengers from having an unfair advantage.

  "Zero-level spell."

  Su Nan smiled.

  Under normal circumstances, a third-level wizard apprentice would take at least 20 to 30 days to master a zero-level spell.

  But he was different. With his golden finger, it would take him no more than three days.

  Gathering his thoughts, Su Nan began to read the book.

  [Reading 'Bone Arrow Spell Model.' 'Bone Arrow' learning progress +0.15%]



  The spell learning progress was faster than Su Nan had anticipated, with updates appearing every few minutes.

  In just two days, Su Nan successfully mastered the zero-level spell called Bone Arrow.

  The moment the notification appeared, he closed the book and pointed his finger. A pale, sharp bone arrow materialized in the air and struck the far wall.

  With a metallic clang, the bone arrow shattered, leaving the wall unscathed.

  [Approved.]



  [Successfully passed the first challenge.]

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end