Chapter 229: Young people, let's meet at the peak (33)

Weilan Higher Arcane Academy.

The academy's Vitality Plaza is a square green field over 200 meters in length and width.

It serves two purposes.

One is to strengthen students' bodies on ordinary days; the other is to serve as a venue for large ceremonies when needed.

Compared to other higher arcane academies on the White Continent, holding the academy's first opening ceremony on such an outdoor grass field seems rather crude.

The academy dean said to the instructors: "The academy's goal is to teach students and spread knowledge. Do your duties well, and don't waste energy on meaningless things."

The students had no complaints about this.

First, most students are commoners who haven't seen grand spectacles.

Second, the tuition at Weilan Higher Arcane Academy is astonishingly low—less than one-tenth of the average!

Back to the point.

Naturally, the most important part of the opening ceremony is the dean's speech.

Because this is not only the dean's speech, but also the speech of the strongest mage of the Natural Alliance, and at the same time the speech of Duke Weilan.

Whether the academy can be established, whether it can be run well in the future, and whether the students' prospects can be secured are all closely tied to this most honored figure of all Weilan.

Thus, an hour before the ceremony began, the academy's discipline professor had already gathered the students and arcane instructors on the plaza, waiting for the dean's arrival.

The students stood directly on the plaza, while the arcane instructors, according to their rank, sat in turn on the temporary ceremony platform built at the edge of the plaza.

The dean had not yet arrived, and the ceremony had not officially begun.

Whether students or instructors, their attitudes were relaxed, and they all chatted quietly.

At this moment, among the formation of over thirty thousand students, a somewhat peculiar young man and woman stood.

Both appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen, with ordinary faces, wearing plain bachelor's robes, looking exactly like the surrounding students.

But unlike the surrounding students, their eyes were full of curiosity, they occasionally glanced left and right, and they secretly communicated using the high-ring soul secret technique.

"Oh~ the atmosphere is really lively," the girl said.

"Who would disagree? I have to say, whether it's the Radiant Empire or the Natural Alliance, their greatest common point is their huge population."

The boy answered that way.

"Do you think he'll notice us?"

"I'm not sure. After all, he's such an astonishing arcane genius; whatever astonishing thing he does is only natural."

After saying that, the boy then said: "But if he can truly detect us, then the rumors will be verified, and our trip won't have been in vain."

Not long after those words fell, a clamor suddenly came from the east side of the plaza.

The sound surged like a wave from the east all the way to the west.

The arcane instructors on the temporary lecture platform also all stood up and looked in the same direction.

The girl immediately said: "The Duke has arrived."

"What a grand display, but I must say, his publicly disclosed identity is merely that of an eight-ring mage—why would he deserve such worship?"

The boy nodded: "Short-lived species are like that—get a little excited and they make a fuss, acting as if they've never seen the world."

"But having said that, these humans around us are indeed quite young, generally not over twenty."

"If it were us, many would still be unweaned at this time."

The girl pursed her lips: "You were weaned early, huh? Why speak so sharply?"

The boy spread his hands with a helpless expression: "Xixi, I'm just stating a fact, I didn't mean to mock you."

"You know it in your heart, okay? Let's not continue this topic!"

The girl waved her hand to cut off the boy's attempt to explain further, then turned her head and looked eagerly at the guard contingent on the side of the plaza.

As she watched, her face suddenly showed an expression of astonishment.

"These guards are tall and spirited; their average strength actually reaches the four-ring level, and the leader even reaches six-ring. In the past, one could hardly imagine such a thing."

The boy said nothing.

His gaze followed the tall figure in the middle of the guard contingent.

Black curly hair, tall and slender build, simple black robes—at first glance quite ordinary, but upon careful sensing he realized he could not see through the opponent's power at all.

The boy immediately said to the girl beside him: "Duke Weilan's magical power is at least nine-ring, possibly even ten-ring!"

Because his own power is seven-ring, he has also felt the auras of many high-ring experts, having experienced eight-ring, nine-ring, and ten-ring.

If the opponent were of the same race, he could recognize it directly, but since they are of different races, it's somewhat hard to tell.

The girl's power is also seven-ring, her perception a bit sharper, and she reached a more definite conclusion:

"It is ten-ring power, but I can't see exactly to what extent."

After all, the gap is too great.

Amidst the gaze of all, Duke Weilan came to the temporary lecture platform.

He swept his gaze across the entire plaza; the buzzing whispers on the plaza vanished instantly, leaving only the autumn wind's howl on the Vitality Plaza.

Then, from the platform came a gentle, clear heavenly voice.

"Young people, today is a very important day, important for everyone."

"Important for you, important for me, important for the academy, even more important for Weilan."

"Even important for the Natural Alliance."

"Perhaps some don't understand why it's important for the Natural Alliance."

"I say, because the arcane instructors present can be said to be the wisest batch of instructors in the entire Natural Alliance."

"The young people present can also be said to be the batch of people in the entire Natural Alliance possessing the keenest minds and most curious souls."

"How you learn now and what achievements you will make in the future will affect, even decide, the fate of the Natural Alliance!"

"So, you young people can be said to be the future of the Natural Alliance!"

This speech was very passionate, especially for passionate youths, and it easily aroused the passion in their chests.

The students began to applaud frantically.

The youths in the crowd were also swept up into clapping, but the two of them lacked passion, for they were past the age of passion.

The girl whispered, "This duke really knows how to stir people's hearts."

The boy shrugged, "But his words are also not wrong; at least he values this academy greatly."

"Values? I don't see that." The girl was puzzled.

The boy softly sighed, "Xixi, if you spent even a little of the time you devote to tasting food on gathering news, you wouldn't be asking me this."

"Brian, cut the nonsense and speak quickly."

The boy said, "According to what I've heard, not counting the cost of building the academy, the academy's annual expenses alone should exceed 1,000,000 ogres, or 1.5 billion clays." The girl immediately retorted, "But the students have all paid tuition."

"The students do pay tuition, but Weilan local students' tuition is 4,000 clays per year, while students from the alliance regions pay more, about 10,000 clays."

"With 30,000 students, tuition totals less than 200 million, leaving a 1.3 billion funding gap that requires additional subsidies from the Weilan government."

The boy said, "One academy costs 1.3 billion, and Weilan simultaneously built many low- and mid-level arcane academies, basically following the same model."

"I estimate that the money spent solely on educating the nation will reach 5,000,000 ogres each year."

The girl gasped, "This duke is truly generous."

The boy shook his head, "This isn't generosity; it's ambition!"

At that moment, the boiling students finally calmed slightly, and the president's heavenly voice rang out again from the stage.

"There are many exceedingly beautiful sights in this world."

"Some sights are painted upon the mountains and rivers of the earth, some are spread across the seas and oceans, and some heart‑shaking sights are carved upon arcane peaks."

"The road to the arcane peak is rugged and steep, most of the time dull and lonely, even painful. This is the fate of us mortals."

"But I say, only through tempering can one forge steel‑like resilience; only by weathering storms can one see the beauty of rainbows; and only by enduring the baptism of knowledge can one behold the splendid view of the arcane peak."

"I know you are now wondering what the splendid sight of the arcane peak is."

"As the academy's first president, I believe I have already stood upon the summit of one arcane peak, and I will now show you some of the sights I have seen."

Upon these words, the students instantly became excited.

The girl scoffed, "Humans are truly arrogant, daring to claim they stand atop an arcane peak—something even the two majesties would not dare say."

The boy gazed at the podium, "If the rumors are true, then even if he hasn't stood on the summit, he is certainly higher than where the two majesties stand."

The girl knew the boy was right, but she felt a surge of indignation: "He's not even twenty‑two, so how can he stand higher than the majesties?"

"Shh~ don't speak, look closely!"

On the podium, the first president of Weilan Academy raised a single hand to the sky, and his gentle heavenly voice spread throughout the crowd.

"People have always thought that individual power is limited."

"Even the strongest mortal mage struggles to move a stone weighing several tons with force‑based magic, let alone evoke magic comparable to true thunder—indeed, even a thousandth or ten‑thousandth of its power is hard to achieve."

"But young people, I now want to tell you."

As he spoke, the president's body slowly levitated from the podium, and the surface of his black robe began to continually surge with tiny but brilliant sparks of lightning.

At the same time, a mighty, almost inhuman surge of magical power emanated from the young president.

That violent, unfathomable surge almost made one feel a spiritual tremor as if heaven and earth were about to be destroyed.

With this surge, the originally gentle heavenly voice became immensely grand, practically shaking heaven and earth.

Many in the crowd wearing magic‑ring meters were astonished to find the readings fluctuating violently, their intensity nearly matching that of a thunderstorm.

"Young people, mortals' magic rings have ten rings."

"Above the ten rings lies a legendary ring!"

"Break through this ring, and you can behold the pinnacle sight of the arcane world and wield arcane power sufficient to oppose nature!"

With those words, the president's hand, suspended in the air, suddenly shot out a tremendously thick bolt of lightning.

This lightning sprang from his palm, rushed upward, and in the high sky quickly split into countless brilliant branches; in the blink of an eye, a lightning tree filled the heavens!

At the same time, the air rang with booms resembling true thunder.

【Boom—boom—boom~~~ boom—boom~~ boom—boom—boom~~~】

It thundered three times in succession, and when the lightning appeared, its blinding light almost made the sun dim in comparison!

Under the autumn sun, lightning surged upward into the high heavens, its roar shaking tens of miles!

The entire vitality plaza, whether students or arcane instructors, wore stunned expressions, unable to imagine that a mortal could unleash such arcane power! The president slowly descended from a height of a hundred meters back onto the podium, still composed, as if unleashing that violent lightning spell were merely a casual flick of his hand.

The heavenly voice once again spread across the plaza.

"Young people, this is the best of times, for I have already charted the path of your magical cultivation."

"This is also the worst of times, for the arcane peak has become far higher than before, requiring far greater effort to climb."

"The most sacred function of higher arcane academies is to create and disseminate the most advanced, powerful, and pinnacle arcane knowledge in the world."

"As the academy's first president, I will faithfully uphold this."

"I will point out the road to the pinnacle eleven magic rings for you, and I will stand upon the mountain's summit, awaiting our true reunion."

"Therefore, the most talented youths of the Nature Alliance, strive to climb!"

Having said that, the black‑clad president, the Duke of Weilan, under the escort of the guard detail, turned and left the podium.

Left behind on the plaza were a group of students and arcane instructors who had yet to recover their senses.

After the president had departed, the crowd finally came to its senses and then erupted in a thunder‑like clamor.

Everyone was engaged in eager discussion.

"The president's magical power has actually reached the eleventh ring?"

"Mother Nature, the eleventh ring possesses such tremendous power!"

"So the eleventh ring is the legendary ring—doesn't that make the president a legendary mage?"

In the crowd, two hidden non‑human youths stared at each other—"You look at me, I look at you"—and each saw a deep shock on the other's face.

Xu Jiu, the girl, said, "This… this… impossible, it must be an illusion!"

The boy gently inhaled the lingering spicy scent in the air and softly said, "Even if it is an illusion, it far exceeds the limits of traditional spell power."

"Moreover, this could never be an illusion!"

"The massive mana fluctuation, the intense tremor of the Magic Ring, all indicate this is a great spell that can rival nature's great power!"

"Never thought… never thought, we mortals actually could unleash such great power!"

"The Legendary Realm, truly truly is unbelievable!"

The boy murmured, his eyes showing a dreamy, hazy hue.

Luosen sat in the car, cleaning the legendary crystal fragments in their lap.

The lightning spell just now consumed a full 1,000 Luosen of legendary mana.

After the spell was released, the ten legendary crystals hidden in the clothing all shattered.

A net loss of 5,000 Ogre, or 7.5 million Klei.

'Ah~~ pretending to be cool really is expensive.'

But they must put on the act, and must put on a big act, to create the greatest influence in the Nature Alliance in the shortest time.

(End of Chapter)