Upon hearing this, the silver wolf immediately began to wag his tail rapidly, his icy eyes lighting up with an unprecedented brightness.
It seemed that, despite his usual calm appearance, the silver wolf’s inner self was quite far from being serious.
Xu Yin couldn’t help but think to himself, amused.
The mere suggestion of “sneaking over at night” had him this excited.
With everything settled, Xu Yin acted decisively. Three days later, he left the palace.
The school was still on break, and although many students remained on campus, no classes were being held.
The reason so many students were still around was because, as usual, in a few days the school would be hosting the Imperial Court’s illusionist qualification exam.
The Imperial Court’s illusionist qualification exam would take place at this top-ranked illusionist academy, with examiners consisting of both academy teachers and Imperial Court’s illusionists. The exam was open to all applicants, regardless of age or field of study.
In theory, many students could participate.
However, most students were well aware of their own limitations and knew they were nowhere near qualified.
When Xu Yin returned to the dorm, the other three roommates were already there.
In the past, the original host had been almost invisible at school, and that remains true now.
Even though Xu Yin had returned, the other three didn’t pay him any attention, eagerly discussing the qualification exam that was just four days away.
“Starting tomorrow, the area around the school is going to get crowded, right? The hotels and inns will be fully booked.”
“I wonder how many people from the Xu family will take part in the exam this time…”
“I’m sure You Yuan will definitely be there.”
“You Yuan will definitely pass, right…”
“I really envy him.”
As they spoke, noticing Xu Yin take a can of yogurt from the fridge and head upstairs, the three exchanged looks and lowered their voices.
“Same Xu family, but how can the difference be so big?”
“By the way, what’s he doing back so early? He’s not even taking the exam, right…”
“Just observing, I guess. Even watching from the sidelines, he could learn a lot.”
“Growing up in the Xu family and only reaching this level… what’s the point of watching another exam?”
Xu Yin had no idea what they were discussing downstairs, nor did he care.
He went upstairs and continued reading. However, as he read, he eventually closed the book, his mind drifting back to the incident with the Second Prince.
Xu Yin had never gone to the prison to talk to the Second Prince, and later, based solely on his own analysis, he made a few speculations.
Whether it was the black bear from earlier or You Ran later on, the reason they could lock onto him after the energy outburst and fell into madness was likely because, at the moment the Second Prince disturbed their energy network, he made contact with things related to him. They used their instincts to remember him.
For example, jasmine.
You Ran had been placed into the energy segment and only fell into a frenzy about six or seven hours after meeting Jun Yuze.
After a subsequent physical examination and investigation into the incident, it was confirmed that the black bear guard had not been placed into the energy segment by Jun Yuze. It seemed that after coming into contact with him, the guard had immediately gone into a frenzy, which was slightly different from You Ran’s case.
This might also explain why the guard’s frenzy wasn’t as severe as You Ran’s.
But regardless, once someone gains this kind of ability, an illusionist could unknowingly become a weapon in someone else’s hands.
The only thing to be thankful for was that those with such an ability were extremely rare.
So far, apart from the Second Prince, there was one other person…
Xu Yin.
He had tried it and found that he could also separate the energy segments.
Later, he realized this might be related to his past experience with using his supernatural abilities.
After experimenting a few more times, one day, Xu Yin suddenly came up with a completely new method of guiding the illusionist’s energy network.
It was clear that with enough skill, even though most illusionists couldn’t separate their own energy segments, they could still manipulate their energy flow and create even more, and more varied, changes.
Not only could Xu Yin condense the energy flow into a fine sand-like form, but he had also managed to apply his energy flow in a way that created vibrations completely opposite to the chaotic energy network of an illusionist.
This was a highly targeted and powerful form of treatment that required extraordinary skill from an illusionist.
However, by using this method to calm an illusionist’s energy turmoil, it might truly bring peace to the energy network that had been disturbed for thousands of years, fully and thoroughly.
The problem was that there were no resources in any books on this subject, so Xu Yin had to research it on his own.
As Xu Yin furrowed his brows, lost in thought…
A paw suddenly pressed against his face.
Startled, Xu Yin turned his head to see that the silver wolf was sitting next to him, looking alert and energetic, wagging its tail.
Xu Yin glanced out the window.
They were on the second floor.
Today was his first day leaving the palace.
Xu Yin: “…How did you get up here?”
The silver wolf lightly leapt up, stepping on the mattress, its body airborne. It then stepped on the bookshelf, spun around in mid-air, lightly tapped the ceiling, and landed back on the ground, completing a perfect 360-degree flip.
Xu Yin couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the silver wolf’s poised, dignified demeanor.
He sighed, shaking his head in resignation. “You really have no sense of shame, do you?”
The silver wolf tilted its head slightly, still maintaining its composed stance, as if it hadn’t heard a word of Xu Yin’s complaint.
“Fine, fine,” Xu Yin muttered, watching the wolf’s gaze settle intensely on him. He knew better than to resist now. “But the bed isn’t big enough for you to make yourself at home like that.”
The silver wolf’s eyes gleamed as it stretched out on the bed, making itself comfortably settled despite the fact that the bed was far from the king-sized ones in the palace.
Xu Yin rolled his eyes and went back to his book, but his mind couldn’t help but wander back to the series of thoughts he’d been having about his next steps. Still, it was hard to focus with the wolf’s piercing gaze locked on him, as if it were daring him to do something about it.
The wolf’s presence seemed to make everything a bit more… chaotic, yet oddly comforting at the same time.
Xu Yin… Xu Yin took a deep breath, feeling that his old partner had probably just come to play with him in a different place.
…
The next day, as Xu Yin was leaving his room, his roommate from across the hall gave him a strange look and asked, “…Was there someone in your room yesterday?”
Xu Yin, holding his waist, forced a smile and replied, “Who could it have been? If there was anyone, it must have been a starving ghost.”
Roommate: “???”
Why was he suddenly being so sarcastic?!
Time passed quickly, and soon the day of the Imperial Court’s Illusionist Qualification Exam arrived.
Early in the morning, countless students and outsiders gathered at the school.
As usual, the exam took place indoors.
Examinees were allowed to enter the exam hall, but other unrelated individuals could only stand outside and watch from the surrounding areas on the first and second floors.
At the same time, numerous royal guards stood in various corners, and the tense and solemn atmosphere made the onlookers excited.
Anyone who passed the Imperial Court’s Illusionist Qualification exam would be able to enter the royal palace, which meant a bright future and unparalleled glory…
No one knew who would stand out this year.
This year, there were over a hundred exam desks, each with the corresponding examinee’s name tag.
Starting at 8:30 in the morning, the examinees gradually entered, and every examinee was met with curious onlookers.
After all, every year, many participants in the exam were already somewhat famous.
For example, this year…
“This year, You Yuan will definitely be here, right?”
“When will he come?”
“Hey, I know that student. He’s the top student from XX school. He’s been on the news!”
“Isn’t that the famous Illusionist from X City recently?”
“This year’s examiners are all top-tier experts…”
As the conversation continued, someone shouted, “…You Yuan’s here!”
Immediately, many pairs of eyes turned toward him.
…You Yuan, under the gaze of so many, walked toward his exam desk.
Yes, he was here to take the exam today.
But he was feeling quite frustrated.
That night, the Queen had clearly expressed that she wouldn’t let him into the royal palace, which caused him to break down. He had a huge argument with You Ran and Xu Rusu and ended up moving back to his parents’ house.
But unexpectedly, two days later, he received word from the palace that the Queen had changed her mind, and he could come take the exam.
At first, You Yuan was excited, but then, as he thought about it, something didn’t quite sit right with him.
The Queen wasn’t the type to change her mind so easily.
What exactly caused the change of heart?
…It wasn’t until later that he heard the news from the palace—officials were arguing fiercely over Xu Yin’s situation, yet Queen had firmly supported Xu Yin and Jun Yuzhou.
You Yuan suddenly realized that perhaps his ability to take this exam was actually thanks to Xu Yin.
…Not because Xu Yin had interceded on his behalf, but because the Queen probably didn’t want people to think she was being unfair to the Xu family in the future due to her support of Xu Yin, so she changed her mind.
…This made You Yuan feel even more frustrated.
He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Had the Queen ever considered that if he truly stood out and secured the top spot, she herself might end up looking quite awkward?
You Yuan sneered, roughly pulling out his chair and sitting down.
Just then, he heard a burst of cheers behind him: “Senior You Yuan really came!”
“Senior You Yuan is definitely going to be first place!”
“Idol!”
You Yuan instinctively turned around, only to see… four people approaching. Three of them were cheering loudly, while one calmly continued ahead, entering the exam hall.
The three paused in surprise, then asked in disbelief: “Xu Yin, what are you doing in there?”
“You didn’t sign up for the exam, did you?”
“No way…”
These three people were Xu Yin’s roommates. They watched in disbelief as Xu Yin calmly found his seat in the exam hall, which just happened to be next to You Yuan’s. He pulled out the chair and sat down.
Had Xu Yin really signed up for the exam without making a sound?
Was he really so out of touch with his own abilities?
They were taken aback, then found it somewhat amusing.
After exchanging glances, the three of them shrugged with a slightly mocking look, raising their eyebrows at You Yuan.
At the same time, among the crowd of onlookers, some had also noticed Xu Yin.
Although Xu Yin was the least noticeable child in the Xu family, his lack of talent had made him memorable to some people.
“That’s the worst kid from the Xu family, Xu Yin…”
“He’s even here for this year’s exam? He’d better stay at school for a couple more years…”
“Maybe he’s just here for the experience?”
“He’s really no match for You Yuan…”
You Yuan looked at Xu Yin, puffed out his chest, and smirked inwardly, thinking, ‘Heh, look at this, everyone is rooting for me…’
Xu Yin, feeling a sense of his gaze, turned his head and smiled brightly at him. “Please take care of me, cousin.”
You Yuan froze for a moment, his smile freezing as well. Xu Yin’s smile was so genuine it made his heart skip a beat.
You Yuan clenched his teeth, feeling a chill go down his spine, ‘Damn, this is terrifying!’
He gritted his teeth, pressed a hand against his chest, trying to calm his racing heart. Meanwhile, the other candidates were almost all seated, and the examiners entered the hall.
At that moment, everyone noticed something unusual: behind the examiners, there was a… giant wolf with silver-gray fur?!
The wolf had pristine silver-gray fur, soft and fluffy, with icy eyes that gleamed coldly. Its ears were upright, and though it was in its beast form, it exuded an unmistakable air of elegance and handsomeness.
As the examiners took their seats, the wolf sat down gracefully beside them.
The examiners even seemed to show a bit of respect toward the wolf.
“Who is that?”
“Is that an examiner too? Why is it in beast form?”
“Why is the examiner treating him so differently?”
“Wait a minute, I remember hearing that the crown prince’s beast form is a wolf, and a silver-gray one at that.”
“Oh, I remember that too…”
“Ah, so the reason the examiners are showing him such respect is because…?”
Everyone gasped in unison, their eyes turning toward the handsome silver wolf at the front of the room.
Could this be the current Crown Prince of the Kingdom?!
The noble Crown Prince himself has come to the exam hall this year?!
Xu Yin had been resting with his eyes closed, but upon hearing the commotion around him, he stirred, lifting his eyelids just in time to meet the gaze of the silver wolf at the front of the room.
Xu Yin: “……”
He felt a sharp pain in his lower back.
How come this man didn’t tell him yesterday and suddenly shows up here today at the exam site?
And the silver wolf, still gazing at him from across the room, then…
The silver wolf shook his ears and flicked his tail.
Everyone in the exam hall: “???”
