Chapter 19: Who Is Number One? (Part 1)
Behind Ernst Academy, a profound silence reigned.
Linley sat cross-legged by the stream, listening to the gurgling water as he naturally entered a meditative state. The earth and wind elements around him were so clearly visible; everything within a dozen meters of him was unprecedentedly distinct.
Earth and wind elements entered his body through his limbs and bones. His muscles, tendons, and even internal organs slowly absorbed the nourishment of these elements. His physical constitution steadily improved at an extremely gradual but firm pace.
A large amount of earth and wind elements, after being refined and purified, ultimately gathered in the 'middle dantian' at the center of his chest.
"Gurgle, gurgle~~~" The sound of the flowing stream continued endlessly.
Beside him, the little shadow mouse 'Bebe' was tearing into a wild chicken. It was a peaceful and harmonious scene, one that could be captured in a painting.
But while it was quiet here, inside Ernst Academy it was extremely noisy. Thousands of students from the entire academy, along with numerous magic instructors, and even many important figures from outside, had entered the academy to watch the matches.
The annual grade tournament.
The students of Ernst Academy were all favored children of heaven!
Every match in the tournament was exceptionally exciting. The first-grade matches featured fireballs, lightning bolts, and wind blades flying back and forth. But the third and fourth-grade matches were even more thrilling, with various support spells and area-of-effect attacks like 'Shattering Stone', where dozens or even hundreds of large rocks came crashing down, and lightning strikes were continuous.
As for the fifth and sixth-grade matches, they were even more astonishing.
All kinds of dazzling spells appeared one after another, accompanied by continuous terrifying explosions and rumbling sounds. The cheers from the watching students rose and fell, the atmosphere reaching its peak. The vast majority of the entire academy had gathered here.
...
The grade tournament lasted nearly a month. This month was also the most lively and crazy month for the entire Ernst Academy. During this bustling period, Linley only occasionally watched the fifth and sixth-grade matches. For the vast majority of the time, he trained quietly by himself.
"This tournament even has a rule against intentionally killing someone. A match with so many restrictions, can it even be called a match?"
Under the influence of Doehring Cowart, Linley also held such flashy, exhibition-style competitions in contempt.
"Linley, your current task is to train hard and accumulate strength. As for combat experience, wait until you reach the fifth rank of magus, then enter the borders of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts for a true life-and-death trial to accumulate it." Doehring Cowart advised Linley in this way.
******
The Waldley Hotel, the most luxurious consumer venue inside Ernst Academy. Today, Yale was treating the four brothers of Dormitory 1987 to a meal here at the Waldley Hotel.
First floor of the Waldley Hotel.
The floor of the hotel was as smooth as a mirror. A row of beautiful female waitresses stood respectfully, ready to take orders at any time.
Inside the Waldley Hotel, there were many male and female students wearing academy uniforms. Most of those who could afford to spend money here came from families with considerable financial resources. A casual table of dishes like this would cost several dozen gold coins. Linley certainly couldn't afford it.
The grade tournament had just ended, and most of the students in the hotel were discussing it. Most of the people here were young adults, but one table had four children.
"Thinking about this grade tournament is just bad luck. So close, I was so close to entering the semifinals. Maybe I could have even gotten one of the top three spots." Reno said discontentedly. Among the four brothers, Reno was the youngest and also the most proud and confident.
Yale laughed and said, "It's a real pity. I didn't expect that Rand would end up getting first place."
George smiled but didn't say much.
George was a good-natured person who almost never offended anyone.
"Rand? Oh, I've heard you guys mention him. Is he the one among our new batch of students with super-grade elemental affinity and mental strength?" Linley remembered the name 'Rand'.
George nodded with a smile and said, "That's him. He was already gifted. Even before he started training, his innate mental strength met the requirements of a second-rank magus. This year, he just needed to accumulate enough magical power. With the strength of a second-rank magus, getting first place in the first-grade tournament wasn't difficult."
"Relying on talent alone counts for what? In terms of talent, can he compare to the academy's number one genius, 'Dixie'?" Yale curled his lip. "I especially look down on that Rand. Didn't he just get first place in the first-grade tournament? Linley, you didn't see it, the smug look on his face after he won. I really wonder what he'd be like if he got first in the fifth or sixth-grade tournament?"
The higher the rank of a magus, the harder it is to train.
So, of the thousands of students at Ernst Academy, most were in the higher grades. The higher the grade, the fiercer the competition in the tournament.
Reno also nodded and said, "I really dislike him too. Our academy's number one genius, 'Dixie' from the third grade, what kind of demeanor did he have after winning the third-grade tournament? The difference between them is huge. Besides, he's not even the true number one of our first grade."
"Right, Third Brother, if you had participated, hmph." Yale snorted.
A group of young boys also liked to establish a seniority order. Yale, George, Linley, and Reno were ranked accordingly. When they were being affectionate, they would call each other 'Second Brother', 'Third Brother', and so on.
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?"
Linley, Yale, and the others turned their heads. They saw another group of four young boys walking down the stairs from the second floor of the Waldley Hotel. The blond boy at the lead stared coldly at Linley's group.
Yale said carelessly, "Oh, it's you, Rand. What were we talking about? Didn't you hear?"
Linley smiled helplessly to himself.
Yale was someone who feared nothing and was particularly concerned with saving face.
"Hmph, don't think I didn't hear." Rand said coldly.
The brown-haired boy beside Rand also sneered and said in an arrogant tone, "Rand, don't bother with these four losers. It's not worth it. Reno, what are you looking at? Not convinced about losing in the tournament?"
Reno stared at the brown-haired boy, curled his lip in a show of disdain, and said, "What do you think you are? Just lucky to have beaten me once. What's there to be proud of?"
The brown-haired boy's face turned cold.
George stepped in with a smile and said, "Rand, alright. It was our fault for casually commenting on you. Let's just drop this matter."
"George, shut up. No one asked for your opinion." Rand's gaze fixed on Yale. "Yale, last time at the Elm Tree Bar, I already found your arrogant attitude very annoying. And now you're still acting cocky with me. If you've got the guts, come and compete with me in the tournament. Why didn't you have the nerve to fight?"
As he spoke, Rand let out a few smug laughs.
Yale was somewhat irritated, but his strength was indeed inferior.
Suddenly, everyone else in the hotel noticed these two groups. Quite a few senior students from Ernst Academy stood up, watching the two sides with interest. It was obvious that both groups were just ten-year-old children.
"That blond kid, I know him. His name is Rand, the first-grade tournament champion. His future achievements probably won't be low."
"The brown-haired kid next to him, I think his name is Ryson, the third-place winner of the first-grade tournament. I know him too. Rand's group should have the advantage in strength. Looks like things are getting interesting."
These fifth and sixth-rank magi chatted and laughed among themselves, all paying attention to the two groups.
Being watched, especially hearing someone call him the first-grade tournament champion, added a touch of pride to Rand's face. He looked at Linley's group with even more contempt.
"Oh." Rand glanced at the table of Linley's four brothers. "Juice? You're still drinking juice? Oh my, Yale, I'm really embarrassed for you. Our dormitory's four brothers are all drinking 'Kaelvor'. And you're still on juice."
Seeing that Rand seemed intent on making a scene, Linley frowned.
"Rand, we four brothers are having a meal here. Get the hell away from us." Linley's face darkened as he stared coldly at the four of them.
If he were training and some wild beast disturbed him, he would have killed it long ago.
"Oh, there's another one." Rand's eyes lit up as he stared at Linley. "There's someone like you in Yale's dormitory? How come I never knew?"
A cold glint flashed in Linley's eyes.
He shot forward like a rabbit. Rand's eyes widened in shock. "You—" Before Rand could react, Linley grabbed him by the neck and, using only his arm strength, lifted Rand completely off the ground.
"Urgh, ah, ah..." At this moment, Rand couldn't make a sound from his throat, his eyes filled with terror.
Linley's cold eyes stared at Rand. Rand, terrified in his heart, felt as if he could be killed at any moment.
At that moment, Linley felt the blood of the Dragonblood Warrior lineage burning within him. That bloodthirsty feeling surged up again. Linley frowned, persuading himself inwardly: "This is Ernst Academy. I can't kill someone for no reason."
The three students beside Rand were also stunned with fear.
"Get out."
Linley swung his arm, and Rand's entire body was thrown like a sandbag, crashing to the ground nearby.