Chapter 444: A Heavy Farewell

The next day, the atmosphere at the Holy Profound Star Academy was unusually solemn.

Beneath the Xiangli Tree at the center of the academy, a sea of people surged; almost all the students had gathered here, their boiling voices shooting straight to the clouds.

Countless fiery gazes were cast toward the front, where a group of spirited students stood with high morale, fully prepared for departure.

They were the Holy Profound Star Academy delegation that would participate in the Holy Grail War.

The delegation was selected from the four academies, and almost all were Purple Radiance students from their respective academies.

Li Luo stood in the line of the First Star Academy. Looking at the dark, endless crowd in the square, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion; in such an atmosphere, one truly couldn't help but feel their blood boil.

"I feel my life is about to take off."

As Li Luo's heart surged, a sighing voice came from beside him.

Li Luo glanced sideways and saw Yu Lang with flushed cheeks, looking utterly impassioned.

"What did you drink to get like this?" Li Luo smiled and asked.

Yu Lang snorted and said, "Li Luo, don't get cocky. I feel that once the Holy Grail War ends, I will become the coolest guy in the First Star Academy of the Holy Profound Star Academy. By then, countless beautiful female students and senior sisters will feel the charm of me, Yu Lang."

"They will surely be here cheering for the hero's return!"

"The title of 'Most Popular Among Female Students in the Academy' that you took from me, I will personally take it back!"

Just as Li Luo was about to speak, he suddenly thought of something, so he stroked his chin and said, "Heroes need tragedy to set them off. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Yu Lang replied without hesitation, "No matter what lies ahead, I, Yu Lang, have no fear! Li Luo, you simply don't know that after nearly a year of tempering, I have become what kind of iron man. So no matter how great the storm, I can endure it!"

Li Luo raised his thumb: "Yu Lang, you have finally grown. I believe you will be brilliant and eye-catching at this Holy Grail War!"

Facing Li Luo's sudden encouragement and praise, Yu Lang looked at him with some suspicion: "Why do I feel like you want to trick me again?"

Li Luo frowned and said in a deep voice, "Your words make my heart cold."

Yu Lang pouted; you black-hearted maggot, I'd be crazy to believe you.

While the two were chatting nonsense back and forth, the atmosphere in the field grew even more intense. Li Luo and the others looked up; it turned out that Vice Dean Su Xin and a host of the academy's high-level officials had all appeared.

This appearance by the high-level officials was more complete than ever before, showing just how much the academy valued the Holy Grail War.

On the high platform, Vice Dean Su Xin stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the entire field. At this moment, the boiling sounds in the field gradually quieted down.

"Students of the Holy Profound Star Academy, today our academy's delegation will set off to participate in the Holy Grail War. This is the highest-level grand ceremony among all academies in the Eastern Region of Outer Shenzhou. As for how important it is... I think perhaps we need to invite someone to explain it to everyone." Vice Dean Su Xin's warm and clear voice echoed in everyone's ears.

All the students looked over in confusion, and then some whispers arose. In such a setting, was there anyone more qualified than Vice Dean Su Xin?

Amidst those puzzled gazes, a crystal bead slowly rose in Vice Dean Su Xin's hand. A few breaths later, the crystal bead rapidly expanded, transforming into a crystal mirror. The mirror surface flowed, gradually turning dark and lightless.

Li Luo stared at the darkness within the crystal mirror, and his heart stirred slightly.

Then he saw the darkness gradually receding, as if light was surging within it. A figure sitting cross-legged emerged from the darkness and simultaneously appeared in the crystal mirror, clearly visible to all the students.

Green robe, white eyebrows, a middle-aged man.

He sat cross-legged amidst the darkness, like a mountain peak holding up the sky; even if heaven and earth collapsed, he would still support it.

It was none other than Dean Pang Pang Qianyuan, whom Li Luo had seen in the Dark Cave!

"As expected..." Li Luo couldn't help but smile. In the Holy Profound Star Academy, who else besides this person could make Vice Dean Su Xin remain respectful?

However, because Dean Pang Pang Qianyuan had not appeared in the academy for many years, when his figure appeared in the crystal mirror, many students showed confusion on their faces. Yet they could vaguely sense a terrifying momentum emanating from that figure, so they dared not discuss it rashly.

At this moment, Vice Dean Su Xin's voice rang out: "Students, it seems I need to introduce everyone... This person is the Dean of our Holy Profound Star Academy, Pang Pang Qianyuan."

Upon hearing these words, countless students instantly showed shock.

Boom!

The next moment, deafening exclamations echoed across the square.

All the students were thoroughly agitated and boiling over. Their gazes, filled with shock and awe, were fixed on the green-robed middle-aged man appearing in the crystal mirror. Within the Holy Profound Star Academy, this Dean was a legend, especially for the students who had entered the Holy Profound Star Academy in recent years...

These years, Pang Pang Qianyuan had never appeared within the academy, which led many students to know him only through countless rumors passed from mouth to mouth.

It was said that this Dean was the only King-level powerhouse in the entire Great Xia!

King-level! In the eyes of so many young students, this was simply a legendary realm. And the Holy Profound Star Academy's special status within the Great Xia was entirely forged by this Dean himself!

It was just that what made many students regretful was that, to this day, they had never seen the Dean with their own eyes.

Yet who could have thought that today... Pang Pang Qianyuan had actually appeared!

Although it was a mirror projection, that was the real Dean!

"Dean!"

"Dean!"

Countless waves of cheering roared forth.

In fact, it wasn't just these students whose emotions were hard to control; even many Gold Radiance and Silver Radiance-level instructors of the academy looked at that green-robed middle-aged man in the crystal mirror with some excitement.

There was no way around it; in the Holy Profound Star Academy, this Dean was faith.

In the crystal mirror, the green-robed middle-aged man looked at those young and excited faces. A smile appeared on his weathered face. Then he extended his palm and gently pressed down in the air; instantly, the commotion in the square vanished in an instant.

Everyone looked at him with burning eyes.

"It is regrettable that I can only appear before everyone in this form. I, this Dean, am indeed very irresponsible. I hope the little ones won't mind."

In the crystal mirror, Pang Pang Qianyuan's laughter rang out. That voice seemed to carry a steadiness that would not be shaken even if the sky collapsed, giving people an inexplicable sense of security.

"Unknowingly, another four years have passed, and it is time for the Holy Grail War to begin again."

"If it were a normal situation, perhaps I still would not appear, because the situation I am in requires me to maintain full vigilance at all times. But the Holy Grail War is different; it is a day I have always been waiting for."

"Do you want to know why?"

Pang Pang Qianyuan's eyes gradually grew deep and dark at this moment.

"Because I need the Dragon Bone Holy Grail. The Holy Profound Star Academy also needs the Dragon Bone Holy Grail."

"Of course, I understand that not only does our Holy Profound Star Academy need it, but every academy on the Eastern Region of Outer Shenzhou needs it..."

"But I do not have the ability to manage other academies. I only know that every year, young students in the Holy Profound Star Academy perish in the Dark Cave. They still had such good years ahead of them, yet they are forever buried in the cold and dim Dark Cave."

"Do you know how many students have been buried in the Dark Cave of the Holy Profound Star Academy over so many years?"

Pang Pang Qianyuan slowly closed his eyes.

At this moment, countless students in the square heard the rustling of leaves; they raised their heads and looked toward the southwest corner of the Xiangli Tree that blocked out the sky. There, the leaves were rustling noisily. They could see that on every single leaf, a young face and a name were inscribed.

Those were the students who had sacrificed their lives in the Dark Cavern.

Year after year, every new leaf added there represented one fewer student in the Saint Profound Star Academy.

The atmosphere in the square unknowingly grew heavy.

Previously, some of them had only thought the Saint Cup War was about the academy's honor, but now Pang Pang Qianyuan had directly unveiled the bloody truth before their eyes: what they were fighting for was not honor, but the reduction of student losses within the academy over the next four years.

Those were vibrant lives, just like theirs.

Indeed, it was possible that in the next opening of the Dark Cavern, some of them would never be able to walk out again.

And this Saint Cup War determined the ownership of the Dragon Bone Saint Cup; in a sense, it also determined their fate for the coming years.

Amidst the heavy atmosphere, many gazes began to turn toward the delegation on the high platform.

Li Luo could clearly feel that in those gazes, numerous hopes and gratitude were surging forth.

Under this atmosphere, even Seeing Yu Lang could not maintain his grinning expression and gradually reined in his smile.

He silently looked at Li Luo and asked, "Can we get the Dragon Bone Saint Cup?"

"Who knows?" Li Luo sighed.

Seeing Yu Lang pressed his lips together.

"Li Luo."

"Hmm?"

"If on that Saint Cup War, you feel I have any role that can help you, do not worry about any consequences. Even if you use me as bait and throw me out, I will accept it!"

Li Luo blinked, his smile becoming slightly awkward, and he quickly made light of the situation.

"You say that! Would I treat a good brother like that?!"