Chapter 134: Duel Between Geniuses (Part 1)

“Roy! You seem pretty good yourself—just one step away from becoming a Golden Warrior. Hey, compared to that pervert Kiro, I can’t even stand competing with you. Hey, the exams are coming up next year—who knows what will happen? At the Bronze Warrior level, it’s likely you’ll be eliminated!” While Rod was secretly amazed, Anderson’s words beside him made him frown slightly. Turning his head, he saw Anderson, for once, with a rare frown and a pained expression.

A moment later, his eyes lit up as he remembered—right. Holy Light Academy recruits 400 students each year, divided into five grades, with eliminations happening annually. This is why the entire academy has just over 800 people. It’s also why graduates from Holy Light Academy are the most popular among the five great academies.

Due to its system, assessments are conducted every year. First-year students must reach the level of Advanced Warrior at the very least, second-year students need to reach the beginning stage of Bronze Warrior, third-year students must reach the peak of Bronze Warrior, fourth-year students should be Silver Warriors, and fifth-year students must be Golden Warriors. Of course, the same standards apply to magicians. Those who fail to meet the standards are eliminated from the academy. That’s why the number of students decreases as they progress. Rod almost forgot about this, but once he remembered, he was deeply impressed. Truly a top-tier institution—entering the academy is difficult, but even more so is the training that follows. Each grade lasts three years, meaning assessments and eliminations occur every three years! One must make significant progress within those three years!

No wonder, after being in the academy for so long, he hadn’t seen anyone playing around or slacking off—everyone was striving hard to train. It was this pressure that forced them to work hard and improve their skills as quickly as possible, otherwise they would be eliminated from this sacred place. Such rigorous screening produces the best graduates. Regular graduation assessments are also held each year, divided into five levels, one for each grade. By the fifth grade, to graduate, one must not only meet the strength requirements but also pass all five assessments. Thinking about this, Rod couldn’t help but feel ashamed. With eliminations and early graduation assessments starting from the first grade, one can imagine just how difficult it is! How could such graduates not be outstanding?

It is for this very reason that the Holy Light Academy continuously produces batches of outstanding young students, forging the best warriors and mages on the continent! If I remember correctly, Anderson seemed to say he was still a third-year student. From his tone just now, it can be inferred that he will complete his third-year courses and enter fourth grade next year. His trip out with Kiro and the others this time is likely to carry out the graduation assessment tasks. With still a year left until then, he, who is currently at an advanced level as a Bronze Warrior, must advance to a Silver Warrior; otherwise, he will face elimination—the pressure is imaginable.
“Don’t worry, you’re about to make a breakthrough. Passing the assessment next year won’t be a problem. Just keep working hard. Come on, let’s go back and rest!” Anderson’s words immediately made the others feel a bit down, until Kiro finally spoke up.
“Let’s hope so!” With a sigh, the group headed back to the dormitory under Kiro’s leadership. As for Rod, thanks to the dean’s arrangement, his room had already been prepared. These few days would allow him to enjoy campus life and experience the youth and passion he had long missed.
…
It was just dawn. After practicing combat energy all night and allowing Furnace Heaven to enter his body, along with Xuanyuan lifting the seal, Rod got up and stretched deeply. Furnace Heaven having grown a bit had indeed absorbed more combat energy, which increased Rod’s sense of pressure—he had to progress quickly, otherwise he would struggle to keep up, and that would be troublesome.
Looking at the sky, it was still early; the sky was gray. Putting on casual clothes, he headed outside, determined to make good use of this time to train more and prepare further.
Relying on his memories from the previous day, he went to the training ground. Even at such an early hour, many people were already practicing.
With a wry smile, he moved forward and found a quiet spot free of people to start practicing on his own. Strangely enough, while other areas were bustling, this great spot was deserted. Thinking it was lucky, Rod didn’t anticipate any problems and continued to focus on his practice.
Lost in his training, his sword moved with his body, merging with his consciousness, which in turn blended with the universe. He even forgot where he was, fully immersed in his practice.
The surroundings were quiet. Just as he was feeling proud, he suddenly sensed a cold chill behind him. His mental energy snapped him out of it, and he quickly adopted a defensive stance to look behind.

“It’s him!” Upon recognizing the person, Rod’s heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t the man standing in front of him none other than Wiski, whom Kiro and the others called the academy’s top genius and whom he had met just the day before? Now he was standing right behind Rod, staring at him coldly. The chill Rod had felt earlier must have come from his eyes.

Looking around, Rod saw that everyone else had stopped practicing and was focusing their attention on them. He could sense some eyes filled with schadenfreude, some with concern, and others indifferent, just watching the spectacle. Glancing at his surroundings and then at Wiski across from him, Rod suddenly understood why no one had been practicing here—this place was Wiski’s exclusive training area!

“I’ve seen you before, with Senior Kiro!” As Rod stared at him, Wiski also stared back before whispering after a moment, “Wiski! Nice to meet you!” Relieved that Wiski recognized him at first glance, Rod smiled slightly. At least he hadn’t ignored him, which was already something good. In his impression, those talented children from wealthy families were usually arrogant types.

“This is my training area. I’m forgiving you this time—leave now!” Without any wasted words, his expression and voice were both icy cold.

Slightly stunned, Rod felt uncomfortable at Wiski’s cold tone and expression, which seemed to imply that it was already very kind of him to allow Rod to practice here. An unnamed anger surged in him. Such arrogance made him feel extremely uncomfortable. The slight goodwill he had felt earlier vanished instantly, and his gaze also turned cold.

“This is the academy’s territory. Does my practice here bother you? It’s not your private domain, is it?” Once his anger flared, he couldn’t think of anything else and blurted out in defiance.

The atmosphere instantly became tense, almost frozen. A cool breeze added to this feeling, and everyone fell silent, watching the situation. The tense atmosphere drew everyone’s attention.

“Leave!” It was still just two short words, but this time even colder.

“I’m not leaving today! If you tell me to go, I’ll go, but that would be so embarrassing for me~!” Once his stubbornness set in, he was like an ox that couldn’t be pulled back. Rod completely snapped.

With his eyes slightly narrowed as he stared at Rod across from him, Viski became even colder, appearing like a block of ice, radiating an icy chill throughout his body.
“It’s your own fault!” With a cold snort, he suddenly attacked. In an instant—though he had been fully prepared—Rod realized just how fast it was, a speed beyond his ability to comprehend.
Thud… A muffled sound came as Rod flew backward like a kite with its string cut. Pain—intense, unbearable pain—overcame him.
“Damn it, what’s going on?” He still hadn’t fully understood what had happened. All he remembered was Viski suddenly attacking at incredible speed. When he managed to see clearly, a flash of golden light showed Viski already in front of him, his Golden Warrior powers fully unleashed. Although Rod tried to resist, a tremendous force struck his arm, followed by simultaneous attacks on three parts of his body, sending him flying without any chance to defend himself.
“Cough… cough…” Lying on the ground, coughing and with traces of blood, he looked at Viski standing coldly across from him and realized just how terrifying he was—Rod was no match at all.
“You…” Struggling to get up, feeling the expressions, gazes, and whispers around him, he went completely insane. Drawing Dark Dragon, he unleashed Shadow Sword without hesitation. Twelve figures instantly split apart and attacked Viski.
The use of this move left those watching stunned, their expressions filled with disbelief. Even Viski was greatly surprised, clearly feeling the threat it posed.
“Kill!” With a loud shout, Rod fully unleashed his fierce attacks, using the unpredictable paths of Shadow Sword in his anger.
“Kee!” Not daring to be careless, Viski roared and summoned his Thunder Eagle. The slender silver sword appeared in his hand, his momentum surging once again. The situation became extremely tense, and a fierce battle ensued.
After getting ready, the Thunder God Sword appeared, while the Thunder Eagle also began its attacks. Deep blue lightning descended from the sky, striking several of the figures with terrifying force.
At the same time, Viski used the Fire formed by the Thunder God Sword to attack another figure. Swarms of sword shadows surrounded the remaining figures, leading to a mutual battle between the two sides.