Ray was on the way to his fourth exam, walking with calm, measured steps. This time, he didn't take the spirit friend and simply went onward alone. For the first try, he once again received the "free route."
And for this round, there was no prank waiting for him.
It seemed the principal had finally kept his promise and removed all the hidden tricks.
Ray crossed the free route easily, his expression unchanged, and arrived at the fourth exam—an assessment meant to test spiritual perception, endurance, willpower, and mana control. He demonstrated everything expected of someone at the 8th Qi stage, no more and no less.
He didn't want to show too much of his talent, but that didn't mean he would hide everything either. Advancing even one level higher at his age was already extremely difficult, even for exceptionally gifted children.
Ray, as usual, intended to stay low-key.
What he didn't know was that he was being watched.
High above, in a quiet observation room layered with protective formations, several powerful masters sat beside the principal. Ray assumed they would only review the results after the exam ended—but instead, Swordsman Adrian, Talisman Master Sylas, and his grandmother Brenda were all present, watching his every movement.
Including the vice principal, there were four influential figures observing Ray alongside the principal.
A Few Minutes Earlier
The principal entered the room, accompanied by the vice principal, where magical screens displayed the performances of all candidates. The moment he stepped in, he froze.
Three figures were already waiting.
The principal instantly knew—he would have to explain himself.
What followed was not a discussion but a thorough scolding, one he had no choice but to endure in silence. By the end of it, the principal understood one thing very clearly:
He could not afford to mess with Ray anymore.
Present Time
After witnessing Ray's performance in the fourth exam, the watching masters exchanged glances. Nothing stood out as extraordinary—no overwhelming display, no shocking breakthrough.
Finally, one of them asked Brenda,
"Why is Ray not performing to his best?"
Brenda chuckled softly, her eyes warm yet knowing, and shrugged.
"It's because Ray always prefers being low-key. He wants to become an inventor and doesn't like wasting time on things he finds unnecessary. He trains only because he needs to protect himself. Otherwise, he feels it's a drag."
She paused, then continued, her tone casual but revealing.
"Sometimes, his father had to force him to train. If left alone, Ray would spend days—sometimes weeks—reading books in the library or trying to create new inventions."
Her lips curved faintly.
"If I had known he was this talented, I might have taken him to study alchemy instead. His father dragged him into sword training. Ray only showed interest in formations since they help with invention—that's why he learned them from his mother. His second interest was talismans, again because they're useful for invention."
She shook her head lightly.
"Sadly, alchemy isn't really needed for what he wants to create."
The three masters quietly took notes, already planning schedules, training routines, and—most importantly—how to ensure Ray wouldn't be allowed to escape proper cultivation.
Someone would definitely come to pick him up.
It was the principal who spoke next, carefully.
"Does he have any interest in blacksmithing? It could help with invention as well."
Brenda stared at him for a long second, her gaze sharp enough to make him uncomfortable. Then she replied with a single sentence:
"I don't know. That's what you'll have to ask yourself."
In the fifth exam, Ray showed no hidden talent in the bloodline test.
Of course, if Ray wanted to, he could have revealed his ability to see spirits—or the existence of the matrix. But who would willingly expose their secrets?
If the academy's old, worn-down magical equipment couldn't detect it, then that was their problem.
In the sixth round, Ray performed quite well against the instructor. He used his father's Lightning Sword Style, revealing a fair amount of talent. He wasn't stingy this time—after all, this sword style was already well known throughout the Richard Kingdom and beyond.
In the final round, Ray displayed the strongest affinity for water and air.
In truth, he could use all elements—he had collected countless laws—but there was no reason to reveal that. He only wanted to enter either water formation or air talisman studies. Showing dual affinity was more than enough.
When given the choice, Ray selected water, as his interest in formations ran deeper.
Throughout all exams, he consistently found the free routes. His ability to read formations allowed him to see which paths were embedded with runes indicating danger and which were safe. To him, the routes were practically transparent.
When Ray completed all his exams, he was guided to a large hall where candidates waited once their tests were finished.
As he opened the door, he paused.
Only six candidates were already inside.
Ray was genuinely surprised. He had expected far more, especially since he'd been delayed earlier due to the principal's issue.
Among them were three boys and three girls, all seated apart—except for one boy and one girl sitting side by side.
Ray immediately recognized two of the girls.
They were his only friends from the Richard Kingdom.
If you guessed Alice and Arisa, you were right.
"Ray!"
"Ray!"
The moment they saw him, both girls lit up and rushed over. Alice and Arisa glanced at each other briefly before approaching him together.
"Alice! Arisa! You finished faster than I expected," Ray greeted them with a faint smile.
Ray then introduced them properly—Alice as the princess of the Richard Kingdom and Arisa as his friend from a village.
Alice didn't care in the slightest about Arisa's background. If Ray said she was a good person, that was enough. She immediately started chatting with Arisa, treating her warmly.
Arisa was startled at first, unsure how to react to a princess's friendliness. But with a bit of encouragement from Ray, she slowly relaxed and began responding with shy smiles.
Ray watched them with quiet satisfaction.
He knew how lonely both of them had been. Seeing them become friends made him genuinely happy. And in his mind, he was already planning ahead—when he eventually established the Inventor Guild, they would both be invited.
"Yo, I want to make a friend too."
At that moment, the boy who had been sitting beside the girl stood up, breaking the calm atmosphere as his voice echoed lightly through the hall.