The Stage of a Pathway was usually represented by different names, like it was called Rank for the Body Pathway and Stars for the Mage Pathway. The glowing spheres represented the number of Stars formed within one’s Mana Core. The more the stars, the greater the Mana capacity in the mana core. Normally, everyone was given a total of twelve years since their awakening to master the basics of the Mage Pathway and increase the number of stars in their Mana Core, which would eventually serve as the fuel for their Spells. However, it was incredibly difficult to do so. Much of it depended on the Rank of the Mana Circulation Technique one practiced as a higher-ranked Technique would give them denser mana reserves and faster circulation speed. As the crowd watched the spheres light up, they weren’t sure if they could even feel more shocked than they already were so they simply waited for the final result. They genuinely feared a fourth would light up at the top, which would’ve surely given some of them a heart attack, but fortunately, it didn’t. That didn’t make the scene any less impactful though. They were still very much surprised. "What do I even say? This man isn’t human anymore." "I finally understand why even there was such a reaction during his awakening." "I don’t even want to react anymore. I’m tired of this bullshit." "Getting him on our side is going to be impossible." Unlike the others, the top echelon had entirely different thoughts, even Gabriel, who was watching Aegon closely. ’His talent is too great so It’ll surely attract enemies who don’t want him to exist,’ she thought, a faint smile forming on her lips. ’Even Olena Valeria didn’t survive despite being a Valerian. You’ll need my support, Aegon and I shall protect you.’ ’He almost broke the record again,’ Raphael mused. ’You’re getting more and more tempting.’ Aegon, on the other hand, had no visible reaction to the results since he already knew about them. He quietly stepped back and let the others proceed with their testing. The crowd, having grown somewhat numb to constant shocks from him, didn’t even say anything. The examiner simply continued with the next participants. As expected, only a handful managed to reach 2-Star, while the majority remained stuck at 1-Star or were disqualified altogether. Aegon was the only one with a 3-Star Mana Core. ’3-Star is the genius level, not an otherworldly phenomenon,’ Aegon thought. ’But since I’m following three Pathways at once, my progression naturally looks shocking. Well, it’s mostly thanks to my Mana Circulation Technique anyway.’ He had spent most of his time learning the basics of the Mage Pathway, strengthening his body for the Body Cultivation Pathway, and studying other things so he had little time to cultivate his Mana Core. Not like he needed to. The only reason his Mana Core was this developed was because of the Mythical Rank Ice Mana Circulation Technique. It truly lived up to its name as it elevated his Mana Core to 3-Star without much training. Soon, the First part of Phase One came to an end, with the majority of participants managing to pass. After all, this wasn’t the hardest part of the exam. Aegon scratched the back of his head, thinking, ’Remind me not to do anything so eye-catching in front of everyone again, Hecte. It’s annoying to be the center of attention.’ He could still feel countless gazes fixed on him, as if trying to peer straight into his soul. He felt like they were undressing him from their eyes alone. It was more irritating than flattering. [You really have conflicting emotions, Boss.] [But you’ll have to get used to this. Things will only be more often in the future. You’re simply too outstanding.] ’I guess so. Hmm, might as well learn to enjoy it then. I’ll need to contact Grandpa Sam.’ [...Him again?] Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥 ’He’s shameless, so he definitely knows a trick or two about this.’ Aegon smiled to himself, feeling like he had made a big decision. He thought he heard a defeated sigh from his shadows, but he ignored it as the second part of the First Phase was beginning. "Now, your affinities will be tested," the examiner announced. "It won’t affect your admission, but it will determine the resources allocated to you." Everyone nodded in understanding. The examiner snapped his fingers, and a new block rose from the platform. Unlike before, this one wasn’t made of obsidian. It looked as if it had been cut from volcanic rock buried deep within a mountain. "This is an Albastor’s Stone, named after its creator. For thousands of years, it has recorded countless Affinities. You simply need to place your hand on it, and it will reveal your Affinity." Affinity, it was a term that signified which aspect of the world one’s soul was attuned to. It could be something as common as an Elemental Affinity or something bizarre, a concept that governed the world alongside those very elements. But in the end, all of them were laws that governed existence, even the smallest, most seemingly insignificant ones. ’Xav has an affinity with the Light Element, while Cali has Affinity with the concept of Boost,’ Aegon recalled his friend’s Affinities. ’As for me...’ The examiner turned to Aegon again. "Aegon, you’ll start once more." "Can I go last this time?" Aegon asked, sounding a little hesitant for some reason. The examiner was puzzled, as were the others, but he didn’t object. Aegon had already gone first in the previous round, so it was only fair. "Then, Randy Orton, you’re next." The young man stepped forward and placed his hand on the stone. A moment later, glowing words in the common human language appeared above it. "You have an affinity with the concept of Pushing." ’What’s he going to do with that?’ Aegon wondered. The young man didn’t seem upset about it, so perhaps it wasn’t as useless as it sounded. ’There must be some spells related to it. Maybe he can create something like Almighty Push from that anime... Wait, that would actually be really OP!’ While Aegon was watching the other participants, the audience’s attention was completely on him. Everyone had the same thought or rather, the same question. Why did Aegon delay his test? What kind of Affinity did he possess?