Chapter 130: Holy Light Academy

After meeting Kiro and Roy, the group quickly headed to the city gates to meet Alice and Anderson. It was only today that they learned Holy Light Academy was nominally located in the capital city, but actually situated about twenty miles outside the city. Rod naturally became the subject of jokes from the others for asking such a naive question.

After meeting up, they rode their horses swiftly toward the academy. With Furnace Heaven awakening the previous night, and now heading to one of the continent’s sacred martial arts institutions—Holy Light Academy—Rod was extremely excited.

In less than an hour of rapid riding, they arrived outside Holy Light Academy. The vermilion gates, reminiscent of the Southern Heaven Gate, stood tall before them. Their structure was simple: two massive pillars, a high wall, and a huge plaque. Inscribed on it were the bold characters “Holy Light Academy,” powerful and distinct, exuding grandeur. Even though they hadn’t entered yet and were only standing dozens of meters away, they could still clearly sense the solemn atmosphere.

“Hehe, what? Are these characters leaving a deep impression on you? Everyone feels the same way the first time they come here. Even we old students are amazed every time we see this plaque. Do you know who wrote it? It was written by LiboLibo Oute, the greatest martial artist of the continent a thousand years ago, the one who reached the pinnacle—his handwriting remains as powerful today as if it were written yesterday, showing no signs of age! Perhaps it’s because he truly reached such a height that he could infuse his own momentum and spiritual force into every stroke, allowing it to stand unchanged for a thousand years!”

Kiro and the others noticed Rod’s expression and smiled. Recalling his own reaction the first time he entered Holy Light Academy, Kiro spoke slowly, with a tone of nostalgia and reverence.

“LiboLibo Oute!” Hearing this name, everyone was stunned. Even someone like Knight Rod understood—this man had emerged two thousand years ago, saving the entire continent, freeing its people from suffering, and establishing the last unified republic on the continent. Even after a thousand years, people’s memories of and admiration for him remain strong, and his name is still often mentioned to this day.

It seems that this Holy Light Academy was founded by this great person. At this thought, Rod’s expression changed dramatically. If his admiration for the Holy Light Academy before was due to its status as a sacred land of martial arts, having produced countless famous figures and strong warriors and serving as the pride of the empire, now he felt genuine admiration! The academy founded by this savior, LiboLibo Oute, was already destined to stand firm on this continent just from its name. Now Rod understood why the Holy Light Academy was regarded as the top academy in the empire and one of the five great academies on the continent—it wasn’t only because of its strength and reputation, but also because of the name LiboLibo Oute, which played a significant role.

“Come, we should go in!” Kiro gently patted Rod on the shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. Nodding slightly, Rod followed the others inside. As they entered the academy’s gates, they immediately sensed an extraordinary atmosphere—a sense of solemnity. Truly, it was the finest institution, unmatched by any other place!

A straight path stretched inward beneath the shade of trees on both sides. It was hard to see any students here; even if one or two were seen, they would rush past with serious and tense expressions. This was the atmosphere of the place—it forced one to strive for improvement! The pressure from the martial competition, on the other hand, was minimal.

Beyond this path, several other roads branched off in different directions. The overall layout of the academy gradually became visible: magnificent buildings, huge training grounds, students walking by from time to time, and a lake with a gentle breeze… Everything together created a beautiful scene.

“Roy, you guys go back first. I’ll meet you at the cafeteria later. I’m taking Rod to see the teacher.” Reaching a crossroads, Kiro arranged things with the people around him.

Hearing this, Rod turned to look at Kiro in confusion. This guy’s teacher? Weren’t they supposed to meet the academy’s dean? Though puzzled, he didn’t delve deeper and quickly shifted his attention back to the surroundings and the people around him.

Clearly, Kiro and his group were very popular in the academy. Their arrival drew many gazes, and faint whispers could be heard!

This made Rod suspicious. After all, Kiro was at most a mid-level Silver Warrior, not even as strong as Roy. Why was he receiving such attention? In a place like the Holy Light Academy, filled with strong warriors and geniuses, he should have been completely unremarkable!

Not paying attention to what the people around him were saying, Alice, Anderson, and Roy headed down the road on the right, while Kiro turned to look at Rod, woke him up, and led him along the path on the left.
“Kiro, senior, you’re back?” Less than a few steps later, they saw a man passing by who came over and greeted them respectfully.
“Hehe, Vincent, it’s you. So, back from the trials? Not bad, you’ve improved. Now the gap between us is even bigger!” Seeing who it was, Kiro greeted him with a pleased expression.
“Oh, right, this is a friend of mine. I can’t talk much now; I need to see the teacher. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight!” Then, remembering the purpose of their visit, Kiro interrupted Vincent and continued, “Going to see the dean? Yeah, he’s over there. I saw him just now. Hurry up. Don’t forget to invite me to dinner tonight. Kiro senior will treat us—I really miss that!” Hearing Kiro’s words, Rod glanced at him suspiciously, then at Kiro again to make sure he wasn’t joking, before saying generously, hiding his earlier doubt. Without lingering, he walked away.
“The dean? So your teacher is the dean of Holy Light Academy?” After Vincent left, Rod asked Kiro with a wry smile. So that’s why Kiro is so popular and respected in the academy. I see.
The dean of Holy Light Academy was rumored to be a quasi-divine being, a famous and powerful figure, the core leader of the academy. As a student of such a person, to put it bluntly, Kiro was one of his disciples, perhaps even his only one. With such status in Holy Light Academy, he naturally received much attention and respect. Even in the empire, everyone would treat him politely upon hearing his title.
At the same time, Rod’s expression changed. There must be something strange about this guy. Since he was that person’s disciple, he couldn’t possibly be that weak. He must be hiding some skills. Now he understood what was going on.
“Hehe, lucky me. When I entered the academy, I caught the dean’s favor and became his third disciple. Compared to my two seniors, I’m just at the bottom—not worth mentioning. Enough talk. Come on, I’ll take you to see the teacher. Remember, be respectful and polite when you see him! Make sure you do!”

Regarding Rod’s words and the change in his gaze, Kiro simply gave a bitter smile. He had known this guy would react like this upon hearing his identity, but he was still slightly surprised. In the past, when others heard his identity, they showed envy, jealousy, as well as respectful looks and expressions. But this guy merely showed surprise, along with a hint of understanding, as if he had grasped something.

Without overthinking it, he led Rod forward, passing through a long path, turning a corner, and continuing along the trail until a white house appeared before them.

“This way!” he said to Rod, then stepped forward first. Upon reaching the cottage, he knocked gently on the door, his attitude instantly becoming respectful.

“Teacher, Kiro is back. I’ve come to disturb you this time because of an important matter to discuss!” he said, taking a deep breath before speaking slowly into the house.

“Back? Good. It seems you’ve grown a lot during this time. Is the guy with you the one you brought? Well, come in!” A strong and robust voice came from inside. Though he couldn’t see, he seemed to have judged Kiro’s changes just by his aura. This also surprised Rod greatly—truly a near-divine-level powerhouse.

Soon, the door slowly opened, revealing a simple office. Looking inside, there were five people: four elders and one middle-aged man. All four elders had rosy complexions and appeared full of energy, showing no signs of their age at all. The middle-aged man had a serious expression, and their gazes turned toward the two who had entered.

If anyone who knew the situation were here, they would be utterly shocked. Every single person present was a prominent figure—all four deans of the Holy Light Academy were here, along with that middle-aged man, who was a high-ranking prince in the empire, the emperor’s own younger brother.

All five of them turned their gazes toward Rod at the same time, and an invisible pressure spread out, making Rod feel uncomfortable as if a giant hand was gripping him.

A cold sweat appeared on his forehead—the pressure they exerted was too strong. They were all powerhouses. Although he knew it, only by experiencing it firsthand did he truly realize just how terrifying they were.