Time slipped like sand through fingers, and in the blink of an eye, three years passed quickly by.

The attempt to combine Wizard Rune and Cultivation Immortality Talisman technology proved far more difficult than Jeming initially imagined.

This required deep understanding of the different perceptions and applications of "rune," "energy," and "concept" in the two civilizations' systems, and finding common grounds in their underlying logic to reconstruct a whole new theoretical and practical system.

With Jeming's current knowledge, he couldn't achieve this, so he could only mimic patterns, endlessly experimenting with combinations of talismans and runes to search for patterns.

Over these three years, Jeming spent most of his time immersed in his laboratory, like the most devout ascetic monk, trudging laboriously through the ocean of knowledge.

A year ago, Jeming's Wizard Meditation Method had already securely reached the pinnacle of a Third Level Wizard Apprentice.

His Sea of Spirit was vast and stable, and nine core Truth Runes—specifically the basic Alchemy runes "Transformation," "Fusion," "Refinement," the core Magic Potion runes "Stability," "Catalyst," "Creation," and the core Rune Science runes "Resonance," "Cycle," "Link"—formed a complete and powerful Rune Array in his Sea of Spirit, radiating a profound glow.

However, after reaching the peak of a Third Level Apprentice, he stopped further advancing the level of his Meditation Method and didn't attempt to ascend to First Level Official Wizard.

In fact, it wasn't just Jeming, but many of his peers who had reached the Third Level Wizard Apprentice realm, although gifted with outstanding talent, had also tacitly chosen this "pause button."

The reason was simple—the contract.

The contract signed upon entering the academy clearly stipulated that once promoted to First Level Official Wizard, one would need to serve on the frontline of the Plane Battlefield under the reign of Nolun Workshop.

Having been at the academy for so long and exposed to more information, everyone was aware of the dangers of the Plane Battlefield.

Even for newcomers like them doing relatively peripheral work, the mortality rate was quite high.

The best choice was to continuously increase their own power, learn all possible knowledge, and enhance all possible foundations during the ten-year apprentice limit dictated by the contract.

Then, at the end of the ten-year period, they could make a strong breakthrough to First Level Wizard and proceed to the frontline with adequate self-protection skills.

Therefore, Jeming converted all absorbed element power into spiritual power to supply his Qi Cultivation.

Benefiting from the rich elemental environment of the Wizard World, this conversion was highly efficient, allowing his Qi Cultivation to advance several levels in just one year, steadily reaching Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, just a step away from the Qi Cultivation Late-stage Seventh Layer.

At Qi Refining Sixth Layer, True Essence surged like a sea, never ceasing!

The soul enhancement brought by the cultivation also continued to expand the range of his Sea of Spirit, even strengthening his physical body to the extent that it could withstand some low-level witchcraft attacks.

That afternoon, Jeming had just finished an elective course on Rune Science taught by a Rune Master Level professor and planned to return to his intermediate laboratory as usual to continue his talisman-rune fusion research.

Amy, who attended the elective with him, caught up, a hint of seriousness on her face, clearly having heard some unusual news.

"Jeming!" Amy walked swiftly closer, lowering her voice, "Have you heard? The school is going to conduct a major exam!"

"Major exam?" Jeming was slightly puzzled.

The academy had annual end-of-term assessments, but generally, no one cared much about them, and Amy's serious tone obviously was not referring to such routine exams.

"Not that kind of exam!" Amy shook her head, "It's a real trial!"

She glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention before continuing, "I heard that this trial aims to conduct a complete evaluation of the learning achievements of us apprentices. Moreover... it's said to allow a certain degree of mortality!"

Mortality rate?!

Jeming's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Although the academy's assessments were strict, they usually prioritized the apprentices' safety, and seldom posed a risk of death.

"Do you know the specifics?" Jeming pursued.

"I don't," Amy shook her head, "The news is spreading very mysteriously, only saying it's going to occur in about half a year. Ah, what a sudden development."

She sighed, worry in her eyes.

Jeming thanked Amy for the information, his mind calculating rapidly.

Returning to the laboratory, he logged into the Magic Net to search for relevant information but found nothing.

It seemed that the news had not yet been officially announced.

Jeming thought for a while, then decided to ask Professor Clark.

As one of the responsible figures for the Second Level Cultivation Agreement, Professor Clark might have more insider information.

He sent a communication request through the Magic Network Terminal, and soon after, the other side accepted the "video," revealing Professor Clark's trademark bald head and the clean and cold laboratory behind him.

Upon explaining his question, Professor Clark's usually expressionless face, rarely, showed a slight but imperceptible seriousness.

"The news is true." Clark stated upfront, "Strictly speaking, it's not an exam but a trial. The location is in a newly received barren small plane under our Nolun Academy, with a complex environment and a higher degree of danger, and there seem to be indigenous people attempting resistance."

Trial?

"Why conduct such a trial?" Jeming asked.

Professor Clark hesitated for a moment, seemingly choosing his words: "This trial is preparation for a comprehensive evaluation five years from now."

"Comprehensive evaluation?"

"Yes. Five years from now, Nolun Workshop plans to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of learning outcomes and talent reserves across all of its over one hundred Nolun Academies, involving all apprentices. This trial within Nolun Academy can be seen as a rehearsal and selection for that large-scale assessment."

In five years, testing across over one hundred academies simultaneously?!

It's not just a matter of scale; the timing is peculiar as well.

"Five years from now... wouldn't that leave only one year before heading to the frontline?! Conducting assessments right before going to the frontline? Is the workshop going mad?" Jeming couldn't help voicing his internal doubts.

Such assessments would inevitably consume astronomical resources and effort, significantly impacting the apprentices' state, and possibly affecting Nolun Workshop's battlefield situation on the frontline.

Professor Clark shook his head slightly: "I'm not entirely clear on the specifics either, after all, I've been away from the frontline for over a hundred years."

His gaze seemed to penetrate the walls, looking far off to the distant frontline, with a flicker of complex expression in his eyes:

"It's said... the Star Ring Federation demanded it."

Star Ring Federation?

One of the main factions of the Wizard Civilization, with Nolun Workshop being a minor wizard influence under its control, and Jeming's Second Level Cultivation Agreement also originating from this federation.

Jeming was deeply shocked.

This suggested that behind this large-scale evaluation and trial, there might be deeper reasons hidden, possibly relating to an overall strategic shift within the entire Wizard Civilization!

Professor Clark withdrew his gaze, looking at Jeming: "So, strive to improve your performance. Excelling in that comprehensive assessment will certainly not harm you."

Watching the screen being disconnected, Jeming blinked.

This unexpected news conveyed a hint of unusual information, making one somewhat bewildered.

Despite knowing nothing about the future, deep inside, Jeming didn't feel much fear.

Because his research, his talisman-rune fusion technology, after three years of relentless effort, was about to succeed!

"A trial... huh? It's a great opportunity to validate my research!"

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