I Arrived At Wizard World While Cultivating Immortality Chapter 3: Promotion and Concealment

“All apprentices who have passed the aptitude test, proceed immediately to the central plaza! The selection of major disciplines will begin shortly!”

The chilling broadcast echoed nonstop, compelling the throng to advance.

Hardly able to sort out his feelings from the tests, Jie Ming got carried away by the surging masses heading for the hall’s doorway.

Anxiety and bewilderment emanated from the surrounding apprentices.

Their reactions to the test outcomes lingered unsettled, but now they were rushed like sheep toward another pivotal choice.

Stepping out from the hall’s exit into the academy’s immense central plaza, Jie Ming joined the crowd in a stunned intake of breath at the spectacle.

The plaza sprawled vastly, resembling a tiny metropolis.

Its sleek black pavement extended endlessly, mirroring the illumination overhead.

Yet, enormous magical holograms hovered overhead, truly seizing all gazes with their intense, pulse-racing visuals.

Wizards battled fiercely amid gore-soaked clashes on foreign realms, devastating spells crashing down like shooting stars, each impact delivering thunderous audio and stunning spectacles.

Savage beasts from other dimensions, decayed relics of antiquity, and gigantic enchanted machines sailing through cosmic emptiness… everything unfolded in the rawest, most captivating manner.

Beneath those holograms, radiant rune inscriptions blazed prominently:

[Glory Awaits!]

[Infinite Wealth!]

[The Fastest Path to Advancement!]

[Join the Combat Division, Achieve Legend!]

Suddenly, a gigantic wizard’s outline formed from the celestial glow, face severe and icy, tone booming as if from a remote celestial body, stripped of all feeling:

“Welcome to Noren Academy. The academy will provide you with the finest transcendent knowledge to ignite your spiritual flame and forge your ring of truth.”

“But power comes at a cost! Per the principle of equivalent exchange, every apprentice must sign a contract with the academy. Upon reaching a certain level of strength or completing a set period of study, you will be sent to other planes connected by the Star Rail Network to expand the territory for the Federation and the academy!”

The wizard’s form cast its frigid stare across the packed multitude below, voice steady and firm:

“Now, you must choose between two major disciplines—the Combat Division, representing power and conquest, or the Logistics Division, representing creation and support!”

“You have one day to decide your major discipline. This is your only chance, and once chosen, it cannot be changed!”

Then, the wizard’s outline faded away.

Huge enchanted displays ascended at the plaza’s heart, splitting the area distinctly like walls.

Overhead, prominent labels declared: [Combat Division] and [Logistics Division].

Beneath them, lesser panels detailed sub-disciplines: [Soul Magic], [Evocation Magic], [Summoning Magic] for the Combat Division, and [Alchemy], [Potioncraft], [Enchantment], [Construct Engineering] for the Logistics Division.

Close to the apprentices, instructors from the academy and veteran pupils lingered, delivering their closing appeals.

“Choose the Combat Division! Shortest contract term! Greatest resource allocation! The front lines are the best whetstone and the fastest path to high-rank wizardry!” a middle-aged wizard bellowed passionately from the Combat Division zone, his words brimming with magnetic zeal.

“The academy will provide the most elite spell models, the most powerful magical gear! And the chance to inherit ancient relics, seizing wealth and glory across countless planes!”

The chaotic buzz left Jie Ming reeling: “What is this, a job fair? Have I been transported back to my old world?”

In the midst of this bustling familiarity, a provisional platform in the Combat Division zone featured a lineup of formidable wizards.

Clad in matching robes bearing insignias of at least first-rank official wizards—most second-rank, some even third-rank!

As per the academy’s hype, these were returning alumni from the battlefields, here to “mentor the newcomers.”

They posed imposingly or conversed leisurely, gazes keen from wartime experience, radiating potent presences.

“Look! That’s third-rank wizard Mentor Mars! He just returned from a mission on the Red Flame Plane, slaying several powerful fire elemental lords!” an apprentice murmured close by, eyes wide with admiration.

“And that young one, recently promoted to second-rank! They say he completed his contract in just five years and stayed on the battlefield to hone his skills.”

“…Tch, aren’t we all just apprentices here for testing? How do you guys know so much?!” Jie Ming muttered to himself.

Naturally, he realized that, unlike a total newcomer like him, numerous gifted apprentices hailed from wizard noble houses.

It stood to reason they’d possess greater insight into the wizard realm from family ties.

Jie Ming made his way to the “Puppet Magic” area within the Combat Division, where a display plainly outlined the contract conditions:

Those selecting Puppet Magic as apprentices received ten years of training. Upon finishing those ten years or attaining first-rank official wizard rank, they got dispatched to the battlefield.

In that span, both basic and advanced Puppet Magic teachings were offered without cost, alongside monthly supplies worth 100 points.

Fulfilling the contract demanded seven years of battlefield duty or securing a second-class merit.

Jie Ming examined the remaining Combat Division branches, spotting comparable conditions.

Training periods and power thresholds remained uniform, while associated knowledge flowed freely.

Key variations appeared in monthly resource allotments (100 to 150 points) and duty lengths (5 to 15 years).

With a complete inspection done, Jie Ming shifted focus to the Logistics Division.

Unlike the vibrant Combat Division, the Logistics Division exuded a clear hush.

Mentors over there displayed little eagerness to recruit, merely jabbing irritably at screens for any queries.

Jie Ming peeked at their contract details and grasped the reason for their disinterest.

Training length matched others, but all else proved inferior.

Logistics offered merely foundational knowledge, demanding points for advanced materials. Monthly provisions amounted to a paltry 10 points.

And the duty period? An outrageous thirty years!

Every Logistics Division contract mirrored the others, differing solely by title.

“What kind of joke is this? Thirty years of service?” an apprentice muttered. “The Combat Division’s shortest is five years!”

The glaring gap in perks, paired with those striking “success stories,” sparked a fierce thirst for strength and triumph, shoving droves into the Combat Division.

Apprentices boasting superior aptitudes drew special pursuit from Combat Division mentors.

Jie Ming’s level six aptitude attracted furtive looks from multiple mentors.

However, amidst the frenzied surge, Jie Ming kept his distance.

Coming from a realm overflowing with data, he resisted the pull of glittering magical displays or exalted “success stories.” Perpetual dread of turning into a test subject maintained his caution, letting him quickly detect an irregularity.

“There are ninety-seven Combat Division wizards who returned… why that number?” Jie Ming frowned.

These wizards, tempered by endless combat, radiated a unique presence, assembled onstage as showcases for the Combat Division’s pitch.

Though subdued in spectacle, the Logistics Division boasted its own returned wizards, who from time to time flung scornful gazes at the Combat platform.

Jie Ming reckoned their presence served to bolster the recruitment drive, accounting for the assembly.

Then why merely ninety-seven?

For a “promotional event,” why skip a tidy figure like one hundred?

Within a wizard academy famed for its harsh discipline and deep lore, such a “short” count appeared improbable.

“Two possibilities. In the wizard world, ninety-seven is a ‘whole number’ due to some rule or symbolism. Or…”

Jie Ming’s face shadowed over with the notion: “…they couldn’t muster one hundred.”

What did that signify?

It signified… the others had most likely perished!

These ninety-seven stood as the probable lone remnants of their cohort hurled into the battlefield, weathering infinite ordeals and carnage!