Chapter Thirty-Three: Talent Assessment

"Why is there not a single person here?" As Wang Luo entered the village, he was surprised to find it utterly deserted. It was midday, the perfect time for lunch, yet not a soul was in sight. Suddenly, he noticed Little White stretching out its tiny paw, pointing ahead, whimpering and gesturing anxiously.

"You’re saying there are a lot of people up ahead?" Seeing Little White nod proudly at his words, Wang Luo couldn’t help but chuckle and lavish a few compliments on the little lion. Little White, clearly enjoying the praise, began to lead the way with even greater enthusiasm.

After walking about a hundred meters and rounding a bend, Wang Luo suddenly saw indistinct figures flickering in the distance. He praised Little White again, then told his three beasts to behave themselves and not cause trouble. Whether or not they would listen, Wang Luo honestly had no idea—these three magical beasts were all stronger than he was, and if they ever went berserk, he’d be powerless to stop them.

"Tsk tsk, who would've thought that Ali kid actually has a talent for fire-elemental Dou Qi!"
"Yeah, that boy is always such a mischievous troublemaker..."

As Wang Luo drew closer, he heard bursts of conversation from the crowd. The sudden sight of so many people left him feeling out of place, but before long he had blended seamlessly into the throng.

Gradually, he understood what was happening. Today was the once-every-three-years free test for magical and Dou Qi talents held by the Empire of Bask, a day when people from several nearby villages gathered here.

Realizing this, Wang Luo hurried to squeeze into the crowd. In the center stood a makeshift wooden booth, and outside it clustered some fifty or sixty children, most around ten years old.

Most striking among them was a little girl in a red dress, standing proud like a princess. Just as Wang Luo arrived, it was her turn to enter the booth for her talent test. Without drawing attention, Wang Luo slipped to the back of the line of children.

Inside the booth sat an elderly mage clad in a black robe adorned with three golden stars, a magic staff in hand, beside a table with a crystal ball. Not far from him sat a burly man in a white warrior’s outfit embroidered with two golden stars, a massive sword strapped to his back.

When the little girl entered, both men immediately stood and greeted her respectfully, "Miss!"

"Yes, go ahead and test me!" the girl replied, her face gleaming with pride and impatience. With practiced ease, she placed her hand atop the crystal ball and closed her eyes, awaiting the old mage's spell.

At the mage’s low incantation, the crystal ball blazed with intense red light, illuminating the faces of both men. Even though they had expected this result, they could not suppress their envy.

From his vantage point, Wang Luo glimpsed the red glow spilling from the booth and was startled—that was the sign of a top-tier fire-elemental talent, exceedingly rare on the Tianxuan Continent. Sure enough, the old mage’s voice soon echoed out:

"Top-tier fire talent! Next!"

The villagers, stunned by the red light, erupted in a burst of incredulous exclamations, all eyes turning to the little girl as she emerged. She basked in their awe, relishing the attention. But when her gaze landed on Wang Luo, whose expression remained calm, she snorted in dissatisfaction. Yet upon noticing the three distinctive beasts in Wang Luo’s arms, her eyes instantly lit up, little stars sparkling within.

Sensing her gaze, Wang Luo froze for a moment. Then, due to a careless slip, the three small beasts tumbled to the ground and, with a swish, darted into the crowd and vanished.

"Quick, catch those three beasts!" the little girl shouted, stunned for a moment before dashing off after Little White Lion. Three burly men accompanied her in pursuit, but one remained behind, fixing his gaze on Wang Luo—unaware of the playful smirk curving Wang Luo’s lips.

One child after another entered and exited the booth, until finally it was Wang Luo’s turn. Entering, he found the setup far simpler than what he had read about in books.

"First, we’ll test your magical talent. Place your hand on the crystal ball and close your eyes," instructed the old mage.

Wang Luo did as he was told, placing his hand on the crystal ball and closing his eyes. As the old mage murmured his spell, Wang Luo felt a strange tremor in the magical elements within him.

"Strange, why is it taking so long?" After a while with no response, Wang Luo opened his eyes in confusion—only to see the crystal ball blazing with piercing blue and yellow light, with streaks of red flickering within.

"So, I have top-tier dual water and earth affinity, and high-level fire affinity!" Wang Luo mused, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes as he withdrew his hand. As the light faded, both mage and warrior snapped out of their daze; exchanging glances, they each saw undisguised shock in the other's eyes.

They scrutinized Wang Luo. Though he was dressed in ordinary warrior’s garb, his calm demeanor and fair, unblemished skin marked him as no mere peasant child. The two men shared a knowing smile, the same thought crossing their minds: another young noble come to flaunt his talents.

"Top-tier dual water and earth affinity!" Announcing the result, the old mage’s shock faded somewhat. He smiled at Wang Luo, then called the result outside, all the while pondering which family had produced a child of such talent—he hadn’t heard any rumors.

With the villagers’ odd stares upon him, Wang Luo felt a bit embarrassed and quickly made his way out, the burly man hesitating only a moment before following.

Crouching down, Wang Luo picked a blade of grass, glancing back at the man from the corner of his eye, the playful smirk returning to his lips. Imitating a curious child, he continued onward, examining his find with feigned innocence.

Just then, as if picking up something, a little white lion slipped into Wang Luo’s arms, much to the man’s astonishment. Not long after, a cool black kitten also leapt into his embrace, completely indifferent to the man’s incredulous stare.

A while later, the man expected the red wolf pup to return, but instead a sudden roar of a magical beast drew his attention. When he looked back, he found the child he was trailing—and the two beasts—had vanished into thin air. After searching for a while with no luck, the dejected man finally turned back.

***

Apologies for the slower updates—something came up, but I’ll catch up soon! "Azure Dragon in Another World," Chapter 33: Talent Test complete!