Chapter 128: Rod’s Answer

“A college competition?” Hearing Roy’s explanation, Rod gained a rough understanding—it was actually a tournament!
Frowning slightly, he thought to himself that he wasn’t a student of the Holy Light Academy, so how could he participate? He felt puzzled. Besides, he knew very well what the Holy Light Academy was like—full of top experts, practically gathering most of the empire’s elites. Even if he entered, he wouldn’t stand a chance, right? Why send him?
“I’m not from your academy. Is that okay? Moreover, it seems your Holy Light Academy isn’t short of people. Just pick any group of fighters, and they’ll be no worse than me. Why look for me?” Rod asked, filled with doubts.
“That’s exactly what I’m about to explain. The tournament is divided into three categories: the under-18 group controlled by the colleges, the 18-to-25-year-old group, and the 25-to-30-year-old group selected by the empire! Competitions will be held separately in each category, with the top three winners in each group determined. You’re exactly 18, so you can compete in the 18-and-under group. We hope you’ll join us. As for your status, it’s simple—believe it or not, with our strong recommendation and your skills demonstrated to the dean, there won’t be any problem!” Kiro replied bluntly to Rod’s concerns.
“Why do you want me to participate? Is there really no one else at the Holy Light Academy?” Still puzzled, Rod frowned and asked.

“There are quite a number of people at the Holy Light Academy, with a large proportion being those aged 18 and under, among whom are many talented students! However, this time the empire cannot afford to lose—failure would bring about a series of consequences. That’s why both the imperial leadership and the academy are taking this very seriously. Rod, you don’t know—on this continent, very few people can reach the rank of Silver Warrior before the age of 20; each of them is considered a genius. As for those who reach this rank before 18, there are no more than ten in our Holy Light Academy. These are undoubtedly exceptionally gifted youths, talents highly valued by any organization. And you are one such person. Yes, we could easily assemble a team composed entirely of Silver Warriors to compete at this level. We could even include Wiski, who is regarded as the greatest genius on the continent in a hundred years—he’s already a Gold Warrior at just 18. Such a team should be invincible. But just to be safe, we hope you’ll join us. Although your strength is comparable to theirs, your rich experience and skills will play a much greater role in battle, ensuring our victory!” Looking at Rod, Kiro said with a bitter smile—perhaps he also thought his request was a bit too demanding.

“Gold Warrior? Wiski?” Rod was stunned. The names Kiro mentioned were truly astonishing—someone of his age had already reached the threshold of Gold Warrior status. Even with Xuan Yuan’s help, along with his relentless efforts and fortunate coincidences, he had only reached Silver Warrior. The gap between Silver and Gold Warriors was an insurmountable mountain; at least he didn’t feel even close to bridging it. One could imagine just how talented that boy must be!

He lowered his head, hesitating, weighing all the pros and cons. Not going? It would indeed spare him a lot of trouble and allow him to focus on what he wanted to do. Going? It would mean wasting a lot of time for no reason, attracting many troubles—these large-scale competitions weren’t as simple as he thought. But going also had its advantages: he could learn more about the situation on this continent, understand the abilities of others to gain experience for his own growth. Most importantly, he could study at the Holy Light Academy, a sacred place for martial arts. Although with Xuan Yuan’s help, he might not need external resources, the academy’s vast library and materials would surely be useful! And he could grow greatly from them.

After much consideration and analysis of various situations, it was unclear how much time had passed. Feeling as though everyone’s gaze was fixed on him, he took a deep breath and looked up at the group. “I can go, but I’m not sure if I can be of any help!”
“Really? That’s great!” Rod’s reply immediately relaxed Kiro and the others, who showed excited smiles.
They knew very well what Knight Rod’s agreement meant, especially Kiro and the rest. With a strength not inferior to their own, he could definitely be considered one of the best in the under-18 category. His rich combat experience, along with those unpredictable techniques and martial arts, were all things they valued highly. They knew that Knight Rod’s joining added a significant advantage to their side’s chances of winning.
“Good, we’ll set off tomorrow morning!” They said happily after making the decision. The matter was finally resolved, and they could breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Rod could tell that beneath their relief lay another concern. The competition wasn’t just about this group; there were also results from other groups. Although it was still unclear what consequences failure would bring, it was obvious they would be severe.
After dinner, each of them returned to their rooms. Sitting by their beds, they pondered whether their decision had been too hasty. Shaking their heads with a wry smile, they realized there was no turning back now. All they could do was use this time to further improve their strength.
They sat cross-legged on their beds, closed their eyes, and began to train, feeling their combat energy flow in. Centering on their dantian, they practiced over and over again. Each time their energy passed through the dantian, they could feel the little dragon inside tremble slightly before absorbing a portion of their energy! This didn’t surprise them much, as Xuan Yuan had already warned them that from now on, the dragon’s growth would rely on their combat energy as food. As it grew, its demand for energy would only increase!
Knowing this, Rod felt even more pressure. His training couldn’t be too slow, otherwise, he might not keep up with the dragon’s growth. If his combat energy couldn’t be sustained by then, that would be the real problem.

It moved slowly. After an unknown number of times of being drained, the little dragon finally stopped sucking energy. Soon after, another force began to plunder his Dou Qi. Though not as fierce as the little dragon’s, it was still clear that this energy-draining process had never ceased since he started cultivating. Rod had grown accustomed to this by now.

He didn’t know how long he had cultivated until he felt his Dou Qi was fully saturated, at which point he slowly stopped. Exhaling a puff of breath, he opened his eyes to find the outside already dimly lit. Sensing a damp chill, he walked to the window and saw that it was still raining lightly. The coolness made him tighten his clothes. Thus, a night of cultivation came to an end.

Returning to the table and sitting down, he lifted his clothes to look at the little dragon in his dantian. After all these days, it still showed no signs of movement, which worried Rod secretly. Perhaps he hadn’t been so eager when it wasn’t there, but now that it was there—moreover, a powerful beast soul—it was human nature to be greedy. You might not have it, but once you do, you crave more! That greedy heart is a common ugliness among humans.

Recalling the faint movement he had sensed in his dantian during cultivation, a smile appeared on his lips. It seemed it was getting closer. The effects of the bloodline contract were about to ease, and then the little dragon would be able to revive. By then, he would truly be a warrior with a beast soul. Though still young and perhaps unable to help him fight yet, he believed it would grow strong soon.

Since it was still early, he practiced some combat skills in the room for a while. By then, it was already bright outside. It was getting late, so he quickly washed up and packed his belongings. Only then did he remember he still had many things unsold. He also hadn’t had time to check the treasures he had taken from the Fire Dragon. But there was no rush. It was almost time to leave. Not wanting to keep the others waiting, he quickly checked everything to ensure it was in order, slung the Dark Dragon on his back, and headed out.

In the hotel lobby, Kiro and the others had already arrived early, seemingly having breakfast. Upon seeing Rod, they quickly waved him over.

“Up already? We were planning to bring it to you. Perfect, it’s just starting—let’s eat together!” Kiro greeted him warmly as he approached them.

Nodding, he sat down and looked at the table full of delicious food, sighing to himself that this truly was the life of the wealthy. As far as he could remember, this was the first time he had eaten such sumptuous food, aside from at Marshal Okaz’s residence! Without hesitation, he began to eat heartily; the energy he had expended during his training made him devour the food eagerly. This behavior drew an disdainful snort from Alice and astonished looks from the others. After breakfast, before they could even enjoy it, they were pulled along and set off, rushing toward the capital city. They needed to get there as quickly as possible. Looking back at the gradually fading city of Flaming Fire, he sighed, feeling as though the distance between him and this place was growing wider. The capital city again? Lucia’s face flashed through his mind! “I’m back so soon! I kept my promise!” thinking of his original vow, Rod murmured to himself. At the same time, he thought of Nils—what would have become of him after that incident? He must be furious. What if he heard news of Rod’s return to the capital? A cold smile appeared on his lips. This time, if he dared to act recklessly again, Rod would definitely not hold back!