Jill’s reaction was actually the most emotional; his bloodshot eyes were already brimming with tears. Unable to help himself, he hugged Gaia and, choking with sobs, said, “Gaia, you are the pride of our whole village. If... they could know... Oh, Gaia, you must work hard at your magic, become a great mage. Our village... our village...”

“Uncle Jill, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Gaia asked in confusion.

“It’s nothing, nothing, I’m just so happy.” Jill was overjoyed, but seemed to have something he couldn’t say, and forcibly held back his emotions.

“Uncle Jill, don’t forget about me! I’ll become a powerful swordsman in the future too.” Even the usually quiet and reserved Shade couldn’t hold back anymore. Seeing everyone crowding around Gaia, he spoke up, unwilling to be outdone.

“Yes, yes, yes, I’ll take you to the swordsman academy right now!” Jill was so excited that words could no longer describe it. He almost forgot to greet the mayor before grabbing Shade and heading out.

“I’ll go with you. Maybe this child will surprise us too.” Bruce had also become interested in the children of this village. When he passed through Matu Village before, he had run into the mischievous Gaia by chance. To his surprise, the boy actually managed to light up the magic orb. In such a remote village, a mage had been born! Although Bruce was just passing through, he couldn’t help but tell the village chief...

And now, that little fellow had come before him again, and what surprised him even more was that he had lit up two magic orbs. This meant his magical talent was no less than his own. With more training, by the time he reached his age, he would surely become a great intermediate mage. Delighted, he couldn’t help but become interested in the other child who could release battle energy...

Led by the mayor, the group headed to the swordsman academy. Because a mage was walking with the mayor, the townsfolk along the way all greeted them with respectful smiles. Some sharp-eyed people, seeing the three children following Bruce, had already started whispering among themselves: “Could it be that those three children have magical talent and can learn magic?”

“It must be. Lord Bruce has discovered another mage in our town, and this time there are three! I wonder whose children they are.” said a well-informed merchant.

“Indeed, what good fortune! If only my child could...” an auntie said enviously.

Little Gaia heard the people around them talking and was already feeling quite pleased with himself, puffing out his small chest. Shade, standing beside him, shot him a glare and said, “So what if you’re a mage? It’s not that amazing.”

“Haha, how can a little swordsman like you compare to a great mage? Stick with me in the future, and I guarantee no one will dare bully you.” Gaia immediately put on the air of a little tyrant, basking in his own glory for a while before noticing that Neil beside him seemed a bit down, fiddling with the jade pendant around her neck. Gaia thought for a moment, then patted Neil and said, “Don’t worry, when I become a mage, I’ll protect you too. If anyone dares bully you, I’ll roast them into a braised pig with my magic.”

“Mm, thank you, Gaia gege.” Little Neil also showed a cute smile. The reason she was feeling down was because the other two were a mage and a swordsman, while she didn’t know anything.

Although mages were rare in Domi Town, there were still a few swordsmen here and there. So the town had specially set up a swordsman academy to teach some children basic swordsmanship, and also to test their battle energy talent. If a child’s talent was high enough, they might be selected by the Nick City Academy to receive even better training.

The swordsman academy was located on the west side of town. It used to be a small market, but after it declined, the spacious area was converted into the academy.

With the mayor leading the way, the group quickly entered the swordsman academy and found the swordsman instructor, Morris. Morris was an intermediate swordsman and the strongest swordsman in several nearby towns. According to his apprentices: when Morris used battle energy, he could cut down a century-old tree.

“This child can release innate battle energy? How old is he?” After hearing their purpose, the bearded face of Morris broke into a smile.

“He’s nine and a half.” It was Jill who answered. Shade was usually quiet except when bickering with Gaia, so Jill was afraid he wouldn’t know the proper etiquette and answered for him.

“Nine and a half and already able to release battle energy? Hmm, not bad, not bad! Alright, Shade, right? Come with me, I’ll help you test your battle energy talent.” Morris smiled again. It seemed that Shade’s appearance had indeed made this swordsman instructor happy.

Since Morris said so, the others didn’t dare follow inside. But Bruce was different. Although he was also an intermediate, as a mage his status was higher than a swordsman’s, so even Morris had to show him some respect.

Gaia and the others could only wait outside. Little Gaia thought to himself: No matter how talented that guy is, he can’t be better than me. My talent is on par with the best mage in town.

Jill was a bit nervous too, but after seeing Gaia’s performance, he felt much more at ease. Even if Shade didn’t stand out, it didn’t matter—becoming a swordsman was always a good thing.