Volume 1, Chapter 9 – Thunder Academy: We pave the way ourselves (Part 2)

Tang Hao and Xu Li walked down the road.

Tang Hao noticed an old building with a sign that read: "Artifact House."

"Let's check it out," Tang Hao suggested.

"Alright," Xu Li nodded.

Inside, they found a man who looked around sixty years old, wearing round glasses, a black shirt, and a long black cloak. Tang Hao and Xu Li began browsing the display shelves.

"Brother, why did we even come here?" Xu Li asked with a bored expression.

"I just want to take a quick look. We'll leave soon," he replied.

As he scanned the shelves, Tang Hao's eyes widened when he spotted a black stone.

"Black Dragonwood Metal!" he exclaimed.

"What? That's just a black rock," Xu Li frowned.

"No," Tang Hao shook his head. "This metal is formed over a thousand years from a rare ancient tree called the Black Dragon Tree. Over time, mana accumulates inside the tree and compresses into a dense mana core. With age and environmental pressure, it turns into a solid stone — an incredibly durable metal that can be forged into powerful weapons. I never thought I'd find it here."

"Wow... Then let's buy it!" Xu Li smiled.

They approached the shopkeeper.

"Hello, how much is this piece?" Tang Hao asked politely.

Without looking up from his book, the man replied coldly, "One hundred gold."

"One hundred?! That's outrageous!" Xu Li burst out.

"Two hundred," the man said flatly.

"Hey! That's daylight robbery!" she shouted, pointing a finger.

Tang Hao thought, If I argue, he'll just raise the price more. But I need this metal.

"Fine. We'll take it for two hundred," he said calmly.

"What?! Tang Hao, no! That's way too much! It's not worth that!" Xu Li protested.

"Three hundred," the man said, raising the price again.

Stunned, Tang Hao sighed. "I can't afford that..."

Xu Li grabbed his hand. "Let's go. This conman isn't worth our time."

With a heavy heart, Tang Hao placed the metal back and turned to leave.

"Wait, boy!" the man suddenly called out.

Tang Hao stopped and looked back. "Yes?"

The man pointed. "Where did you get that storage pouch on your belt?"

Tang Hao glanced down. "My teacher gave it to me when we left on this journey."

Three days ago, in Mo Luo's office:

"Tang Hao, take this pouch."

"Teacher, what is it?"

"A sub-spatial storage pouch. It holds up to one hundred cubic meters of non-living items."

"But I can't accept this..."

"It's been with me for thirty years. It'll serve you better than it serves me," Mo Luo said warmly.

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow.

So Mo Luo finally took a student... Looks like he's changed, he thought.

"Take the metal. It's worthless anyway."

"I can't take it without paying," Tang Hao protested.

"Just take it and go."

"Thank you," Tang Hao said with a bow. As he left, he placed a hundred gold coins on the counter.

Back at the inn, Xu Li leaned in excitedly.

"So what are you going to do with it?"

Tang Hao summoned the metal using his Jade Hand technique, lifting it into the air with mana.

"First, I need to extract the essence of the tree," he said, carefully drawing out the mana.

"Then I can shape it. For example... into needles."

Ten sharp black needles formed mid-air.

"These are incredibly dangerous. If I coat them in poison, they become deadly weapons. Look."

He threw one needle into the wall. It pierced straight through the wood.

"Whoa! That's strong!" Xu Li gasped.

"Yeah, very. I'll store them now," Tang Hao said

, placing the needles into his storage pouch.

"Alright, Xu Li. It's time. Let's go to Thunder Academy."

After leaving the hotel, Tang Hao and Xu Li made their way toward Thunder Academy. As they reached a nearby village, they saw a large crowd lined up.

Xu Li looked around anxiously.

"Brother… Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Yes," Tang Hao nodded. "Teacher said this is where the examination takes place."

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from ahead. A middle-aged man was shouting angrily:

"How dare you! My son didn't pass your test?! He's a genius! He ranked in the top hundred students of the Imperial Academy!"

An elderly man, appearing to be around seventy, calmly responded:

"If he's one of the top hundred Imperial Academy students, then why is he here?"

The man clenched his fists in rage.

"That's none of your business, old man!" — and with those words, he released his mana. Four spirit rings appeared behind him: one white, two yellow, and one purple.

A young boy beside him shouted:

"Do it, Father! Teach him a lesson!"

The crowd immediately backed away. Yet the old man remained unmoved.

"You're just as mediocre as your son," he said coldly. "In your entire life, you only reached the level of High Mage. You have no real talent."

Spirit rings then flared behind the old man—two yellow, two purple… and two black.

The middle-aged man paled. His voice trembled:

"A M–Magus Emperor?!"

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

"A Magus Emperor?! He's the examiner?!"

"No way…"

Silently, the man stepped back and disappeared into the crowd.

The elder raised his voice for all to hear:

"At Thunder Academy, we welcome only the strong. The weak have no place here."

And with that, he resumed the evaluations.

After a while, a girl in traditional robes stepped forward.

The examiner looked at her with interest.

"Oh? This one looks promising. Name?"

"Lu Hin. Support-type Mage, Level 23," — she answered as a spirit manifested in her hands, taking the form of a blue flower.

"Ah, a genius. You're from the School of Nine Colors, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"You pass."

"Thank you," — Lu Hin bowed respectfully.

"Liu Yao, come here," the elder called.

"Yes, Teacher Sou."

"Escort our new student."

"Of course. Come with me," Liu Yao said, guiding Lu Hin toward the academy.

Then it was Tang Hao and Xu Li's turn.

Sou looked them over.

"Your spirits?"

"Level 24, White Fox Spirit," Xu Li replied.

"Level 25, Heavenly Blue Vine," Tang Hao added.

"Haha, two more geniuses. You may pass."

"Thank you very much!" they said in unison and stepped inside.

Liu Yao spotted them and waved.

"Tang Hao! Hey!"

"Hey, Liu Yao," Tang Hao replied with a smile.

"Follow me."

As they walked, Liu

Yao suddenly stopped, furrowed his brows, and turned around.

"Hm… What was that?"