C49 The Tower of Trials Opened

In the West City of St. Roland's Castle, the Linde family's conference hall was bustling with activity. Today marked the family's daily assembly.

Count Linder Adella occupied the most prestigious seat in the main hall, attentively listening to reports from the family's various department heads.

At fifty-five, Adella was an Advanced Magister, a respected figure throughout St. Roland's Castle.

When the final report concluded, Adella nodded with satisfaction. The family's income had seen a modest increase from the previous month. In these times, stability was a blessing in itself.

Just then, the butler interrupted with news that Ta Er requested an audience.

"Why is he here now? Shouldn't he be in class?" Adella wondered, feeling a twinge of curiosity.

"Show him in."

Ta Er entered shortly after, his face etched with despondency.

As Adella absorbed the details of the report, his expression darkened. He recalled his youngest son's words from the previous night and, considering Ta Er's current state, he fell into deep contemplation, a surge of anger rising within him.

He had tasked his youngest son with befriending a child from the slums, and even that had led to enmity. What a disappointment!

After a moment, Adella spoke, "Since Your Honor has advised you to rest at home for a while, do just that. I'll summon you if needed."

Ta Er, feeling the weight of disdainful glances wherever he went, resigned himself to staying home, biding his time for a chance to retaliate against Zhang Xing.

"Dispatch someone to watch that Zhang Xing kid. Keep a discreet distance from the academy."

"We'll assess the situation and proceed accordingly."

With that, Adella rose and exited the conference hall.

At noon, as school let out, Zhang Xing noticed a crowd of students gathered excitedly at the restaurant entrance, all fixated on something.

He approached, curious, and saw it was a notice.

The Skysplit Tower trial was underway.

He read on. The annual event, known for rapidly boosting one's abilities, had officially commenced.

The Tower of Trials boasted 108 levels, divided into stages of nine. Conquering a stage meant rewards of rare magical materials and Formation Talismans, essentials for any Novice Mage.

After clearing the second stage, one could acquire the items necessary for an Intermediate Mage.

Upon conquering the third stage, the prize was something a High-Level Magician coveted – magic skills.

The subsequent rewards were much of the same, consisting of scarce yet frequently utilized items across the various tiers of magicians.

Zhang Xing gave them a cursory look and quickly lost interest.

He had no need for items below a Magic Instructor's level, and those above were of no use to him.

The System Store was stocked with such items. Once he reached the required level, anything he desired was his for a few Gold Coins.

Adjacent to the announcement was the Skysplit Tower's leaderboard.

The names of the top three glimmered in gold, neatly arranged.

The subsequent names were in a slightly smaller font.

First place, Zhan Tian.

Second, Cobble.

Third, Saiya.

Lacking the patience to read further, Zhang Xing turned and headed for the dining hall.

"Zhang Xing!"

Hearing his name, he looked back to find a classmate from a down-on-their-luck noble family.

"Kai Erduo, let's grab a bite together," Zhang Xing suggested.

Their rapport was decent, though Zhang Xing couldn't tell if Kai Erduo's friendliness was due to his family's misfortunes or something else.

Zhang Xing's stance was simple: he was open to friendship, but it was no issue if others weren't.

"Zhang Xing, are you considering entering the trial?" Kai Erduo, twelve and a head taller than Zhang Xing, had a somewhat comical appearance.

His eyes were set close together, drawing even nearer when he spoke.

"Not interested. Why, are you planning to?" Zhang Xing inquired.

"How could he possibly have the guts? He doesn't even have the credits to participate," sneered a mocking voice from behind them.

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