“I’ll take you to see it.”
Jiang Lin led the three of them through several tree-lined paths to an old dormitory building on the east side of the academy.
The single dormitory room that had been occupied by Anya and Aili for an entire summer break remained exactly as it was.
A bed, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe.
The group toured Jiang Lin’s somewhat Spartan single room.
“The living conditions here are much worse than at Silver Moon Academy,” Elune offered a sharp critique.
Fenrir and Alicia nodded in agreement.
They were all nobles in the Silver Moon Kingdom, so their living conditions were naturally superior.
Like Elune, they all started with private villas.
“Right. I’ll take you out to stay at an inn in a bit.”
He led the three elves out of the dormitory building, through the campus, and straight to the most prosperous commercial district in Clearwater City.
He stopped before a brightly lit seven-story building—the highest-tier inn in Clearwater City, “Silver Moon Glow.”
The exterior walls were clad in milky-white marble, crystal chandeliers hung from the porch, and the bellhops wore crisp uniforms. It was clearly expensive at a glance.
Jiang Lin walked to the front desk and said to the receptionist, “Three rooms with large beds, the best you have.”
The receptionist glanced at the three sharp-eared, exceptionally beautiful elves behind him, stunned for a moment before hurriedly lowering his head to process the register.
“Certainly, sir. Three top-floor view rooms. Each is five gold coins per night. How many nights will you be staying?”
“Just one night for now.”
Jiang Lin paid the money, took the three keys, turned to hand one each to Fenrir and Alicia, and then offered the third key to Elune.
As Elune reached out, her fingertips brushed the key, and her fingers curled slightly. She didn't take it immediately.
She kept her head down, her silver-purple bangs obscuring half her face, while the tips of her ears were stained with a faint pink hue.
“T-that...” Her voice was very soft, as if afraid it would be scattered by the wind. “Three rooms... Fenrir has one, Alicia has one, and there’s one left... Where will you stay?”
Jiang Lin replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “I’m going back to the academy to cultivate. I’ll come find you tomorrow morning to take you to the Royal Capital.”
Elune’s fingers froze in mid-air.
She looked up, her pale purple eyes filled with a hint of incredulous confusion, as if confirming she hadn't misheard.
However, Jiang Lin had already turned and walked toward the inn’s entrance, his long golden hair tracing a clean, sharp arc under the lights.
“Get some rest. See you tomorrow.”
His figure quickly disappeared into the night outside.
Elune stood frozen in place, clutching the key so tightly that the serrated edges dug into her palm. She stared in the direction Jiang Lin had vanished, her lips moving slightly as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.
Fenrir let out a yawn beside her, completely oblivious to the subtle atmosphere. “Then I’m heading to my room too. That bed looks comfortable.”
He shouldered his greatsword and strode toward the stairs.
Alicia glanced at Elune, her gaze lingering for a moment on the girl’s reddened ear tips. Then, without saying a word, she turned and followed Fenrir.
Only Elune remained in the hall. She looked down at the key in her hand, silent for a long time. Finally, she let out a soft sigh, gripped the key tightly in her palm, and turned to go upstairs.
After walking out of the inn, Jiang Lin didn't return directly to the academy. Instead, he walked slowly along the streets in the night breeze.
Clearwater City at night was much quieter than during the day. Most of the shops along the streets were already closed, leaving only a few taverns and roast meat stalls still lit, with the occasional sound of laughter from customers drifting out.
Moonlight spilled onto the stone-paved road, casting a cold, silver-white sheen.
He cut through several alleys and returned to Saint Brilliance Magic Academy through a side gate.
When he pushed open the familiar classroom door, he saw exactly the scene he expected.
The classroom was brightly lit.
It was late at night, but the elite class classroom was still full. Over thirty students were hunched over their respective desks; some were buried in practice problems, the tips of their pens making a scratching sound across the paper.
Some were flipping through thick magic grimoires, their brows furrowed. A few others were in the corners with their eyes closed in meditation, faint ripples of magic essence shimmering around them.
The air was faintly thick with the scent of herbs and mental invigoration potions. Empty potion bottles could be seen everywhere—on windowsills, desk corners, and even the floor.
A few used sleeping bags were piled in the corner, clearly for those who truly couldn't hold out any longer and needed to lie down for a bit.
Hearing the door open, a boy sitting in the front row instinctively looked up, rubbing his aching eyes. Then, his gaze landed on the golden figure at the door.
He froze for a second, then rubbed his eyes violently to confirm he wasn't seeing things.
“Holy... Holy crap?! Jiang Lin?!”
His voice was exceptionally abrupt in the silent classroom, like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
Those buried in problems, those flipping through books, and those meditating were all startled awake by the shout. They all looked up in unison, their gazes focusing on the doorway.
Then, the entire classroom erupted.
“Jiang Lin?! Is it really you?!”
“You’re back?! You’re finally back!!”
“Dammit, I thought you’d dropped out!”
“Three months! A full three months! Do you know how we’ve spent these three months?!”
“Where did you go? How did you get a tan? Wait, you don't look tan... Why do you look even more handsome?!”
“Wait, Jiang Lin, how did your aura get so much stronger again?!”
“Jiang Lin... he seems to be at the 4th-rank already!”
“What?! 4th-rank?! This guy is already at the 4th-rank?!! I’m still stuck at the peak of the 1st-rank!!”
A chaotic tide of voices washed over him.
Jiang Lin stood at the door, his golden eyes scanning the familiar faces.
Rex sat in the back, the muscle definition on his arms even more pronounced under the lights; clearly, he hadn't slacked off over these three months. Elvira sat by the window, her emerald eyes reflecting Jiang Lin’s figure, visibly shocked by his 4th-rank aura.
Nora was the same as ever, curled in a corner holding a thick book. She looked up, her amber slit pupils glancing at Jiang Lin. Sensing his terrifying aura, she immediately felt a surge of urgency. It seemed she had still been too lazy!
Jiang Lin walked into the classroom and sat in his seat. His seat had remained empty since he left, but the desktop was devoid of dust, clearly having been wiped regularly by someone.
“This trip must have been quite a harvest, right?” Neil leaned over and asked in a low voice. “Looking at your aura, are you already at the 4th-rank?”
“Yeah, it was alright.”
“Alright? Do you know how we’ve spent these three months? We only sleep for an hour or two a day; the rest of the time is spent entirely on cultivation!”
“The teachers are saying our year is the most outstanding one they’ve ever taught. Because people have already broken through the peak of the 2nd-rank and successfully stepped into the 3rd-rank! That almost never happened in previous years!”
“But compared to a monster like you who’s already reached the 4th-rank, there’s just no competition...” Pausing, Neil continued, “Hurry up and tell us, where exactly did you go for these three months?”
“Due to some accidents, I ended up in the West Continent.”
“The West Continent?! Are you serious? In three months, you ran all the way there and back?!”
Jiang Lin didn't answer directly. Instead, he took several small items he had brought back from Silver Moon City out of his spatial ring.
An amulet polished from moonlight stone, emitting a soft and cold pale blue glow. He handed the amulet to Neil. “A specialty from the West Continent.”
Neil took the amulet. It felt warm to the touch, and a cool aura spread up his arm, instantly refreshing his spirit. “Is... is this for me?”
“Yeah, consider it a souvenir.”
Neil opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing. He just carefully tucked the amulet into his shirt.
Jiang Lin took out a few more small items and distributed them to the surrounding classmates. Rex received a silver pendant polished into the shape of a wolf’s tooth, said to be made from the tooth of a 5th-rank magical beast.
Elvira received a small bottle of moonlight flower seeds, a specialty of Silver Moon City. Nora received an ancient book written in Elvish, its cover embossed with silver vine patterns.
She flipped to the first page, her gaze scanning the elegant, curved script. Her amber eyes lit up for a moment, then she silently tucked the book into her bag and whispered, “Thank you.”
Jiang Lin sat in his seat, looking at the moonlight filtering through the window.
He had been gone for three months, but sitting in this spot again, everything felt like it was only yesterday. The familiar faces, the familiar desks, the fatigue and focus accumulated from all-night studying—everything was just the same.
The classroom gradually quieted down, but a strange atmosphere filled the air, as if this group of hardworking students had finally found their mainstay.
Jiang Lin lowered his eyelids and began to circulate his breathing technique. Holy light magic essence, ice soul power, and blood energy cycled through his body. His aura was steadily growing. He estimated it wouldn't be long before he reached the mid-stage of the 4th-rank.
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water. The night in Clearwater City flowed slowly in silence, like a voiceless river.
The next morning.
Jiang Lin opened his eyes from meditation exactly on time, feeling refreshed and full of magic essence. Outside, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and morning mist flowed slowly between the academy’s tree-lined paths.
As he walked out of the teaching building, he noticed a small group of people gathered at the school gate, seemingly watching some spectacle. As he got closer, he found that the three elves were already waiting there.
Fenrir had changed into a clean, sharp, dark-gray short outfit today. The greatsword, as tall as he was, was still slung diagonally across his back. His dark brown short hair was a bit messy from the morning wind, but it didn't hinder the wild charm radiating from his rugged face.
Alicia was still in her silver-gray light leather armor, the rapier at her waist glinting coldly in the morning light. She tilted her head slightly, her pale gold eyes examining the old oak tree at the school gate, which was said to be a century old. Several students who had woken up early to recite books were all secretly peeking at her from the corners of their eyes.
Elune stood at the front. Today, she had changed into a pale blue long dress with a warm silver-white short cloak over it. Her silver-purple long hair wasn't braided like yesterday but draped naturally over her shoulders, held together at the ends by a silver clip.
She saw Jiang Lin walking out of the morning mist, and her pale purple eyes lit up for a moment before she quickly lowered her gaze, pretending to look at a cluster of dew-covered holly by the roadside.
“Morning,” Jiang Lin said, walking up to the three of them. “Have you eaten?”
“We have,” Fenrir patted his stomach. “The inn’s breakfast was decent. There were grilled sausages and fried eggs, though the portions were a bit small. I had to eat six servings to barely feel half-full.”
Alicia gave him a speechless look.
“Then let’s go. To the Royal Capital.”
Jiang Lin turned and walked toward the city center, the three elves following behind him. They traversed the morning streets and headed toward Clearwater City’s Court of Space.
In the early morning, the Court of Space already had long queues. The teleportation array to the Royal Capital was one of the most popular routes, and the waiting hall was packed with all sorts of people.
There were well-dressed merchants, well-equipped adventurers, and several students wearing uniforms from various academies. Jiang Lin walked to the service counter and took out four gold coins. “Four tickets to the Royal Capital.”
The staff member didn't even look up as he took the gold coins, tapped a few things into his console, and pushed four teleportation runes onto the counter. “Hall 3, wait for the next batch.”
Jiang Lin took the teleportation runes and turned toward Hall 3. As the light of the teleportation array brightened, Fenrir became visibly nervous. He rarely used teleportation arrays in the West Continent; that feeling of spatial tearing was not pleasant for him.
Silver-white light swallowed the four of them. After a brief sensation of weightlessness, they were standing in the exit hall of the Royal Capital’s Court of Space.
The Royal Capital was even more magnificent than Clearwater City. The streets were wide and straight, and the buildings on both sides were mostly made of white stone, casting a warm glow in the morning sun.
In the distance, the spires of the Royal Palace stood in an orderly fashion in the center of the city, their golden decorations gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.
“The venue for the National Youth Adventurer Competition is at the Royal Arena in the western suburbs,” Jiang Lin said as he walked. “Today and tomorrow are for registration and drawing lots. The matches officially begin the day after.”
“What are the rules of the competition?” Alicia asked.
“A knockout tournament, one-on-one, with opponents decided by drawing lots.” Jiang Lin paused. “Lethal means are not allowed, but there are no restrictions on tactics, equipment, or summoned creatures.”
He looked back at the three of them. “If you three are interested, you can watch as my entourage.”
“Of course we’re watching!” Fenrir was the first to speak up. “We’ve been learning swordsmanship from you for so long; it’s the perfect chance to see how you beat people up in the East Continent.”
“Then let’s go.”
The Royal Arena was a massive circular building made entirely of blue-white giant stones, said to be capable of holding fifty thousand spectators simultaneously. A cordon had been set up around the perimeter, with Royal Knights in silver armor standing in a line to maintain order.
Hundreds of people had already gathered outside the arena. There were contestants arriving to report, accompanying teachers, spectating citizens, and reporters from several newspapers with pens and paper conducting interviews.
The registration office was located in a large hall on the east side of the arena. Several rows of long tables were set up at the entrance, with sign-in books and drawing boxes placed on them. Contestants waited in line in small groups, some talking in low voices, while others leaned against the walls alone with their eyes closed to rest.
......
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