novelTele Chapter 11: Ernst Academy
Chapter 11: Ernst Academy
Starting from Fenlai City and heading south, Ernst Academy came into view in just over half a day.
Ernst Academy is located in the mountainous area more than 20 miles south of the holy city of Fenlai. This academy, funded by the Holy See of Light, is naturally very wealthy and covers a vast area, almost ten miles in circumference—such a large academy is almost comparable to a city.
Outside the college, there are few people; it's a vast, empty mountainous area. Restaurants, clothing stores, bars, and other service establishments are all located inside the college. In short, Ernst College students live entirely within the college grounds, able to meet all their daily needs without ever leaving the campus.
"That's Ernst Academy?" Linley stood in front of the gate, his eyes wide open.
The main gate of Ernst Academy is fifty meters wide, and above the gate is a giant crescent-shaped structure engraved with various mysterious magical runes. Just by looking at its complexity, one can tell that the magic circle above the gate of Ernst Academy is a large magic circle, emitting faint magical fluctuations.
"So big..." Lin Lei murmured, his eyes wide with amazement.
Beibei also peeked out from his shoulder, its big black eyes wide open, and chirped as if in amazement.
Lin Yun also narrowed his eyes slightly. This was Ernst Academy—the premier magic academy on the Yulan Continent, a place that countless magic students dreamed of.
And he is about to become one of them.
The entrance to the academy was quite lively at the moment. There was a row of office staff, and many students holding admission letters and identification documents were queuing up to complete their enrollment procedures.
Lin Lei and Lin Yun immediately took their admission letters and identification documents and joined the queue. One part of the admission process involved a second assessment of the students' abilities—Ernst Academy was worried about someone stealing the admission letters and impersonating them.
The testing process was quick. The two brothers placed their hands on the testing crystal ball, once again showcasing their talents. The teacher in charge of the testing looked at the light emanating from the crystal ball, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he didn't say anything, simply nodding and marking the form.
The two quickly completed the test, received their "student IDs" from Ernst College, and also received their dormitory keys.
"Uncle Hillman, we're going in now." Linley turned to Hillman, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.
Hillman nodded and patted the two boys on the shoulders: "Study hard, don't embarrass your father. Write back if anything happens."
"Yes," the two brothers replied in unison.
Hillman watched them turn and walk into the academy gate, stood there for a while, and then slowly drove away in his carriage.
At Ernst College, regardless of social status, all students are required to live in the same dormitories. Both tuition and accommodation fees are completely free—a key reason why Ernst College attracts countless talented individuals from humble backgrounds.
Their dormitory room number was 1987. Following the instructions, they began to look for their dormitory room.
As expected of Ernst College, each dormitory is a separate courtyard, with thousands of courtyards neatly arranged on the hillside. The courtyard walls are white stone, the roofs are covered with red tiles, and neatly trimmed shrubs grow in front of the gates. Although not luxurious, they are clean and tidy, and should be very comfortable to live in.
Pushing open the gate to dormitory number 1987, you enter a small courtyard. In the center of the courtyard stands an unidentified tree, beneath which sits a stone table and several stone chairs. Directly opposite the gate is a row of rooms, comprising four bedrooms and a common living room, suggesting that four people will live here.
There are already two people in the dormitory.
A young man dressed in luxurious clothes was fiddling with something in the corner. He was wearing a finely crafted blue robe, which clearly indicated that he was not from an ordinary family. When he saw Lin Lei and Lin Yun enter, he immediately stood up.
"Hello, you must be my new roommates? My name is Yale, and I'm a member of the Holy Alliance, by all accounts." His voice had a natural affability that made people want to get closer to him.
"I'm Reno! From the O'Brien Empire!" Another boy peeked out from behind the desk. He was shorter than Yale, but looked more muscular, with a few freckles on his face and a bright white smile. "You two are brothers? You look so alike!"
"My name is Linley Baruch, and this is my younger brother, Lin Yun," Linley introduced shyly.
"Where are you from?" Renault asked curiously.
"Kingdom of Fenlai, Wushan Town"
"Wushan Town? That's not far from here," Renault said. "My home is in the O'Brien Empire, and it took me a whole year to get here from home."
As they were talking, the door was pushed open again.
A handsome young man wearing glasses walked in. He was dressed in a gray robe and carrying a thick stack of magic books.
"Hello, I'm George, I live next door in 1988." His voice was gentle and polite. "I heard there are new students here, so I came to say hello."
Lin Lei quickly introduced himself and Lin Yun.
George adjusted his glasses and said seriously, "I saw your names on the freshman roster. I heard your test scores were excellent, with top-tier students in both Earth and Wind elements, and also top-tier students in both Lightning and Light elements..."
He looked at Lin Yun, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes: "Dual-element super-grade plus two-element intermediate-grade, such talent is rare even in Ernst Academy."
Lin Yun smiled and said, "You flatter me."
"If there's anything you don't understand in the future, you can ask each other for help," George said. "I majored in water systems, so I have some knowledge of them."
"I'm an Earth-type!" Renault raised his hand and said, "However, my talent is only average, just above average."
"I'm majoring in wind magic!" Yale said. "But I'm mainly here to make friends; magic and stuff are fine with me."
Lin Lei couldn't help but laugh. These people had very different personalities, but they were all easy to get along with.
"By the way, did you know?" George suddenly lowered his voice, "Among our freshmen, there is an exceptionally talented genius. It is said that his mental strength is more than sixty times that of his peers, and his elemental affinity is also superb."
"You mean Dixie, right?" Yale said. "The grandson of the O'Brien Chancellor, he's certainly a genius."
"Dixie..." Linley murmured.
The next morning, the freshmen were gathered in the college's auditorium to select courses and be assigned tutors.
The auditorium, which can hold over a thousand people, was packed to capacity. The freshmen sat down in their assigned seats, chattering excitedly about their upcoming college life.
Lin Lei and Lin Yun sat next to Yale and Reno, while George sat in the row behind them.
"Quiet." A deep voice echoed in the auditorium, and everyone immediately fell silent.
An elderly man with white hair walked onto the stage. He wore a long robe embroidered with light magic emblems, and a golden badge pinned to his chest—the mark of a high-ranking mage. His gaze swept across the entire audience, and everyone he looked at involuntarily sat up straight.
"I am Delan, the Dean of Ernst Academy." The old man's voice was not loud, but it could be clearly heard in every corner of the hall. "First of all, congratulations on passing the entrance examination and becoming a member of Ernst Academy. But I must remind you—entering the academy is only the beginning, not the end. Here, you will receive the most rigorous magical education and learn the most systematic magical knowledge. Whether you can become a true magician depends on your own efforts."
He paused, then continued, "Today, you will need to choose the magic system you wish to study. The academy offers courses in six systems: earth, fire, water, wind, lightning, and light. After choosing, you can adjust your choices based on your progress and your instructor's advice."
Lin Yun ultimately chose lightning, light, water, and fire magic. As for earth magic, Delin would teach him privately. As a Saint-level mage who had lived for five thousand years, Delin's mastery of earth magic far surpassed that of any instructor in the academy. With Delin's guidance, he would not need to choose earth magic as an elective at the academy.
He plans to learn wind magic from Linley, whose wind magic talent is top-tier. With Delin's guidance, his progress will not be slower than that of formal elective courses.
As for dark magic... Delin doesn't know it, and Ernst Academy doesn't offer courses in this area. But he's not in a hurry; he can learn dark magic later when he has the opportunity. Mastering all seven elements is his goal, but he doesn't necessarily have to achieve it now.
In total, he actually had to learn six elements simultaneously: lightning, light, fire, water, earth, and wind. This workload was indeed astonishing, but he had the advantage of dual-world cultivation—studying magic theory in the Panlong World and using his mental power to simulate and deduce in the Swallowed Star World. With the time in the two worlds overlapping, he could do far more in a day than others.
From the day classes officially started, Lin Yun became the busiest student in the entire Ernst Academy.
His schedule was packed full of classes, leaving him almost no free time.
Monday mornings cover basic lightning magic theory, and the afternoons cover the principles of light magic. Tuesday mornings focus on fire elementalism, and the afternoons on introductory water magic. Wednesday mornings are dedicated to practical lightning magic combat, and the afternoons to light magic healing. Thursdays and Fridays feature intermediate courses in both lightning and light magic…
This is just the formal course schedule.
Every morning, he would get up an hour earlier than others to meditate and cultivate in his dormitory, refining his magical power. During the day, he had to be more focused than others in class because the four-element courses meant that he needed to memorize several times more knowledge than others. After class in the evening, while others could rest and relax, he had to spend time reviewing what he had learned that day and previewing the next day's lessons.
In addition, he also had to take time to learn earth magic from Delin.
Every evening, Lin Yun would find a secluded corner to receive Delin's guidance through Lin Lei's relay. Although Delin couldn't communicate with him directly, Lin Lei would faithfully convey every word. Delin imparted all his knowledge of earth magic's essentials, casting techniques, and practical applications, and Lin Yun studied with complete focus.
"The core of earth magic is 'weight' and 'stability'." Delin's voice came through Linley. "The Earth Spike and Petrified Skin you learned before are just the basics. Next, I will teach you more advanced earth magic—Earth Crack and Earth Guardian Armor."
Lin Yun nodded seriously and began practicing according to Delin's instructions.
As for the wind element, he studied with Lin Lei. Every night, the two brothers would exchange their learning experiences in the dormitory. Lin Lei would explain the key points of the wind element course to Lin Yun, and Lin Yun would use his understanding of magic to help Lin Lei analyze the difficulties.
"The key to wind magic lies in 'flow' and 'cutting'," Lin Yun said in a discussion. "When you cast a wind blade, don't think about 'creating' the wind, but rather guide it and let it flow according to your will."
Lin Lei nodded thoughtfully and adjusted his spellcasting method according to his brother's suggestion, and the effect was indeed much better.
Such a schedule would have driven an ordinary person to the brink of collapse long ago.
But Lin Yun persevered.
His mental strength far surpasses that of ordinary people, allowing him to maintain a high level of focus even during long periods of study and cultivation. His memory is astonishing; he can memorize magical theories after reading them only once. His understanding of the elements is even more terrifying; concepts that many classmates need to ponder repeatedly to comprehend, he can grasp completely after hearing only once.
More importantly, he has the advantage of cultivating in two realms.
In the night of the Swallowed Star world, while his body in the Panlong world is asleep, his other body uses meditation and deduction to digest and consolidate the magical knowledge he has learned during the day. The time of the two worlds is superimposed, making his daily learning efficiency two or even three times that of others.
Even so, the combined strength of cultivating all six elements is still astonishing.
"Lin Yun, aren't you tired?" One day after class, Renault watched Lin Yun rushing off to the next class and couldn't help but ask.
"It's alright," Lin Yun said without turning his head.
"Are you alright?" Renault's eyes widened!
Lin Yun smiled and quickly walked towards the next classroom.
Lin Lei was not overshadowed by his younger brother's brilliance.
His talent was equally outstanding—he was a dual-elemental master of earth and wind, which was already top-tier in Ernst Academy. His diligence was also evident to all; he would get up before dawn every day to cultivate and practice until late at night.
After a month, his magic level had steadily reached level two, his mental strength was among the best of his peers, and his combat ability had been highly praised by his mentor.
"Linley Baruch, exceptional talent in earth magic and wind magic, strong combat skills, and a serious attitude towards learning," his mentor wrote in his evaluation. "A promising future awaits him."
In the dormitory, Linley was the most popular person. He was gentle, sincere, and never put on airs. Yale liked to chat with him, Reno liked to spar with him, and even George from next door often came over to discuss magic with him.
"Linley, your brother is amazing!" One night, Renault lay in bed and couldn't help but exclaim, "Studying four subjects simultaneously and getting excellent grades in every single one... Is he even human?"
Lin Lei smiled and said, "He's been better than me since he was a kid."
"You're not bad either," Yale said. "A dual super-achiever in both Earth and Wind elements, you'd probably be in the top ten of this year's freshmen, right?"
"Top ten?" George pushed open the door and walked in. "I think it's possible to be in the top five. Linley's Earth Spike casting speed has reached 0.8 seconds, which is an excellent result even for a second-year student."
Lin Lei was a little embarrassed by the praise: "You guys are exaggerating."
"It's no exaggeration," George said seriously. "You two brothers, one is a dual-elemental super-level and two-elemental mid-level, and the other is a dual-elemental super-level... Your family is about to rise."
Lin Lei paused for a moment, then smiled.
Rise to prominence—this is precisely his and Lin Yun's dream.
As night deepened, Ernst College was bathed in the tranquil moonlight.
Lin Yun lay in bed with his eyes closed, but he couldn't fall asleep; his consciousness was wandering between two worlds.
In the world of Swallowed Star, his other body is meditating cross-legged in a low-rent apartment in Yangzhou. He will use his mental power to simulate and deduce the magical knowledge he learned in the Panlong world during the day; the magical power refined in the Panlong world will nourish the soul strength of this world.
In the world of Panlong, his body was asleep—but sleep did not mean the cessation of cultivation. The meditation method that Delin taught him allowed him to maintain a minimum level of activity even during sleep, allowing his magical power to slowly refine itself.
This was the optimal rhythm he had figured out while operating in both worlds simultaneously—one body focused on intensive learning, while the other digested and consolidated the knowledge; when one body rested, the other continued cultivating. He made the most of the time in both worlds.
Delin floated out of the Panlong Ring and hovered beside Lin Yun. He looked at the sleeping boy, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
He formally chose to study lightning, light, fire, and water, learned earth from him, and wind from Lin Lei—cultivating all six elements simultaneously, his daily training volume was several times that of ordinary students. But this child not only persevered, but also made amazing progress in each element.
"What a freak," Delin uttered once again, a sentiment he had repeated countless times.
Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating Lin Yun's calm face. A slight smile played on his lips, as if he were having a sweet dream.
In his dream, he saw two worlds—one where magic and martial arts intertwined, and the other where genes and primal energy coexisted. And he stood at the intersection of these two worlds, step by step ascending to the pinnacle.