Herman squinted slightly, stroking his gray-white beard and nodding gently: "Very good, very good. A rare talent among wild mages."

Emily stood aside, staring at Louis with bright eyes.

When the last grain of sand fell to the bottom of the bottle, the siphon hourglass emitted a crisp "ding" sound, as if announcing the end of this test.

Herman chuckled as he took the instrument, carefully putting it away, teasingly said: "Kid, when it comes to talent, you're set."

Herman chuckled as he took the siphon hourglass, carefully stowing it back into the testing box, moving slowly like his aged appearance, yet with great respect for the tool.

He stroked his beard, a smile on his face: "Kid, your control of magic power is quite good. Not on the orthodox path, yet steadier than many mage apprentices."

His tone was relaxed, with a hint of appreciation, as if probing.

Louis just smiled slightly, whispering: "Perhaps it's because I fiddled around a lot as a child and accidentally grasped some tricks."

He spoke modestly, in a gentle tone, neither hurried nor impatient, showing not a trace of arrogance.

"Control is one thing, but we'll have to see if you have explosive force." Herman continued smiling, raising his hand with a wave, "Come on, let's prepare for the second round."

He then received a gray-black round stone from an accompanying mage, palm-sized, with a rough surface, faintly visible silvery white veins winding through like cracks.

"The second round tests magical burst strength." He placed the stone on the table, tapping it lightly, "Shale Explosion, it will explode if you use overheated magic power to impact its internal structure. Of course, this requires a lot of magic; if your magic is insufficient, you simply can't ignite it."

With that, he made an eye gesture to the mages behind.

Two young mages jogged forward, skillfully setting up a protective barrier around and marking out a safe distance with red rope, even politely advising Emily to step back a few paces.

Louis looked at the shale, exhaling gently and stepping forward.

He raised his right hand, five fingers slightly spread, in the palm, a small flame-red light quietly gathered.

From an outsider's view, it was a slow, laborious gathering of magical power, even fluctuating unsteadily multiple times due to inexperience.

But only Louis himself knew he was suppressing the magic power that almost instinctively surged forth, restraining it to less than one-fifth of its potential.

The flame slowly took shape, not large, but incredibly intense.

He steadied his steps, concentrated his focus, and hurled the fire at the silver-white crack in the center of the shale.

"Boom!!!"

It was like a thunderclap exploded.

The shale abruptly expanded, blasting apart instantly.

Black smoke surged out, and a searing blast of air rushed outward in all directions.

"Seal Technique!" Herman reacted quickly, with a flick of his sleeve a silver-blue light shield formed in midair, perfectly covering the splattering fragments and heat waves.

Even so, some smoke still spread, permeating the hall, as the air filled with the scent of sulphur and charred coal.

"Cough... cough."

Louis retreated a step, shielding himself awkwardly from the smoke and dust, then lowered his head to catch his breath, his expression perfectly composed.

He did not seem exhausted, yet certainly not at ease, like a novice mage who had pushed his strength to the limit, even he admired his own acting skills.

But the mages present were even more shocked.

"Wasn't that explosion... too fast? The heat focusing process was almost indiscernible..."

"He didn't use any auxiliary techniques or spell guidance... how did he hit the critical point so quickly?"

"The fire directly hit the crack... was that instinct?"

Herman pondered for a moment, lightly tapping his magic staff with his fingers, eyes filled with undeniable admiration.

"High fire element affinity, burst strength akin to a bronze level." He paused, adding with a smile, "And extremely accurate judgment, able to find the rupture point at a glance. Quite gifted."

As the shale's smoke gradually dissipated, the guards cleaned the site, and the mages stood ready once more.

Herman smoothed his somewhat disheveled beard, smiling as he said: "The third round is quite simple, no apparatus needed."

He looked at Louis, speaking casually: "Feel free to cast a few of your best spells, let us observe your fluency. Whether it's Illumination Spell, Wind Blade Technique, or Fireball Technique... pick your favorite."

"Remember to keep it coherent and natural, no need to be too restrained, just relax."

Louis nodded, raising his right hand, caressing his palm gently as he murmured: "Illumination Spell."

A gentle light orb rose from between his fingers, like a lantern, hovering midair, emitting stable and warm radiance.

The glow was not glaring but outlined his figure clearly, like some sort of prelude to a performance on stage.

Next, with a wave of his left hand, the light orb was suddenly whisked away by the wind.

A wind blade swished from beside his palm, slicing through the thin mist in the air, emitting a clear wind-tearing sound.

He moved lightly, hands flipping, from his fingertips leapt a group of firelight—Fireball Technique.

The fireball expanded swiftly in the air, precisely compressed to fist-size, spinning, rolling, darting, seemingly alive with vitality.

He spun it at his fingertips for a moment before flicking it out with a snap.

The fireball traced a beautiful arc in the air, landing lightly and extinguishing silently without a spark.

He smiled slightly, retracting his hand, standing with steady breath, as if he had just casually performed a stretching exercise.

At that moment, the council hall was silent.

A few young mages had their mouths slightly open, seemingly forgetting to close them.

"...He's casting entirely by instinct without using standard spells or gathering magic patterns for guidance?"

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