Ignoring the admiring gaze Beirut cast his way, Salun began to frown in contemplation.
"The minor active potion can speed up meditation, but this Abyssal Meditation Technique is probably the main reward."
After careful consideration, he made up his mind.
He would learn it! A Meditation Technique offered to him was definitely worth practicing!
Especially one from a golden finger, its quality was bound to be extremely high.
On the other hand, Salun had other considerations.
The Meditation Technique the School gave them would certainly not be as good as this mysterious Abyssal Meditation Technique.
Moreover, subsequent advanced Meditation Techniques would all need to be acquired from the School, which could easily make him a puppet of the School.
Of course, the most important point was that Salun simply didn't trust Black Wizards!
Who knew if the Meditation Technique given by the School had any hidden pitfalls?
The Abyssal Meditation Technique didn't have this concern; he not only obtained the complete set but also, as long as he was careful, might not attract unknown entities.
"Now I have obtained the Meditation Technique content for the Low-Level Wizard Apprentice realm.
As long as my mental power meets the standard, the subsequent Meditation Technique content will gradually unlock."
Thinking of this, Salun's expression improved, washing away the heaviness of the previous battle.
"Salun, you are simply... a born battle Knight!"
Beirut walked over and offered Salun some empty flattery.
From his perspective, Salun was not only meticulous but also possessed astonishing wisdom.
He was also a skilled fighter, capable of accurately detecting the Devouring Frog's weaknesses.
Salun nodded slightly in acknowledgment and slowly said, "The matter is not over yet."
Beirut's heart skipped a beat; he looked around and saw apprentices still fighting within the other shields in the arena.
His joyful mood quickly turned heavy.
In some shields, both people had died; in others, one was backstabbed, becoming a stepping stone for the other's victory.
Some apprentices, after killing the Devouring Frog, saw the light of victory, only to be blown apart into scattered limbs by the corpse explosion.
Those who emerged completely unscathed were, after all, a minority.
Beirut closed his eyes, no longer looking; if not for Salun, he might have become one of them.
Salun, standing beside him, had a calm, unreadable expression, merely watching the tragic scenes in silence.
When the last battle ended, accompanied by the apprentices' mournful death cries, Uluoge appeared just in time.
"Not bad, this batch of apprentices truly exceeded my expectations; ten out of fifty people actually survived."
He cackled eerily while clapping.
Salun felt a chill; a four-fifths mortality rate was considered low in his eyes.
If not for this Wizard concealing crucial information, at least a few more could have survived!
Salun felt a bit regretful; those were all his rewards!
But in front of this temperamental Wizard, he and Beirut had survived, and that was already the limit.
"Let me see, five Novice Knights, five ordinary people? Interesting."
Uluoge's blood-red vertical pupils continuously scanned, pausing when he saw Salun and Beirut.
At this moment, Salun felt as if a cold, venomous snake was secretly staring at him, damp and slimy.
It was also as if he had been captured by a top predator, rendering any struggle meaningless.
"Very good, first, congratulations on passing the test and officially becoming probationary apprentices of the School.
You have one year to advance to a Low-Level Wizard Apprentice.
If you fail to succeed by the deadline, heh, trust me, death will be a release for you.
Worthless people, like these deceased apprentices, have no value whatsoever!"
Uluoge snorted coldly, striking his staff heavily on the ground, like a giant rock falling on everyone's hearts.
He raised a hand, and the shattered limbs of the apprentices and frog meat in the arena vanished.
"Alright, now you can claim your deserved rewards.
Each person receives one School Point as a reward; if you are fortunate enough to retain the Devouring Frog's spine, an extraordinary organ, you will receive an additional point.
I advise you to use your points wisely, preferably to choose a Zero-Order Trick from the library, or select a few basic public courses to study.
Alright, who's first? You."
Uluoge scanned the group and pointed his dark, long fingernail at a young girl with reddish-orange hair.
Time flowed slowly, and soon it was Salun's turn.
"Is it Salun? You... are very good."
Uluoge took the spine Salun offered and scanned it up and down with his vertical pupils.
Salun immediately felt a shiver down his spine, standing rooted to the spot, not daring to move.
He had watched the previous assessment; this somewhat slender young man in front of him indeed had good combat awareness.
But unfortunately, he only possessed the lowest level of Wizard aptitude, making it difficult even to become a Mid-Level Apprentice.
Wizard aptitude is divided into seven ranks, with rank seven being the lowest and rank one the best.
Uluoge gave Salun an alchemy Card, which already had two points pre-loaded.
"Next."
Salun exhaled slowly and respectfully bowed to Uluoge before leaving.
The other party was only responsible for aptitude testing and the entrance examination.
As for the specific introduction to the School, others would naturally handle it.
A Formal Wizard escorting this group of apprentices into the School was already considered overkill.
Outside, Formal Apprentices of the School were already waiting.
"This is...?"
Before Salun could think, he was surrounded by several people.
His expression changed; he knew Uluoge had concealed some information again.
These people in front of him clearly meant no good; they didn't look like staff members guiding new apprentices.
"New apprentice, aren't you? Transfer the points from your Card to us; we'll exchange them for magic crystals."
Salun's eyes flickered; he subtly glanced at these people's hearts.
Upon seeing no red light emanating, he extinguished any thoughts of resistance.
He couldn't kill any one of these people.
Suddenly, he seemed to put on a different face, saying somewhat humbly, "Seniors, how should I give you the points?"
The five people surrounding Salun exchanged glances; this was the first time they had encountered such a sensible apprentice.
Thus, the five people's moods involuntarily brightened.
"A wise choice; a qualified Wizard needs excellent insight."
The other party sighed, snatched Salun's Card, and guided it with mental power to transfer the points to their own Card.
Of course, perhaps due to some pressure, the other party also kept their promise and gave Salun twenty magic crystals.
Salun had no idea of the value of magic crystals, but one thing was clear: the value of the points far exceeded the magic crystals they gave him.
Fortunately, they didn't discover he still had one point left.
Salun breathed a sigh of relief internally, a smile still on his face.
His experience in the Black Wizard assessment had taught him that the struggles of the weak were a joke in front of the strong.
Rather than being beaten and holding a grudge, it was better to hand them over readily and leave a decent impression.
"Seeing as you're such a sensible kid, here's a piece of advice.
While you still have time, break through to become a Knight as soon as possible; don't underestimate this extraordinary power.
Although it's incomparable to a Wizard, it might just save your life."
Salun's brows furrowed slightly; he instinctively felt something was wrong.
"Sir, could you elaborate a bit more?"
Opposite Salun was a tall, handsome young man who looked like he came from a noble background.
Upon hearing this, the other party gave Salun a meaningful smile.
"You'll know soon enough; the Shadow School will not let go of any valuable apprentice.
Even a corpse can be squeezed for value. Little fellow, we will meet again."
The five people left, and Salun stood stunned in place, his expression cold, but his hands were tightly clenched, trembling slightly.