Su Cheng was taken aback for a moment. "Me? I thought there were rank requirements?"
"In fact, the conditions set by the Empire's Dragon Knight Affairs Bureau state that pure-blood human candidates only need to meet two requirements: they must be under twenty-five years of age, and they must not have signed a soul contract with any creature."
Professor Li said this while gesturing for her to walk out the door together.
As they walked out of the classroom, the next class was about to begin. Other students brushed past them, greeting the professor one after another.
Yin Ning followed them in silence.
Su Cheng guessed that he had something to discuss with the professor, but he didn't look the least bit impatient. He continued to walk behind them with his usual cold and aloof demeanor.
"...Each school has different rank requirements. This is essentially to set a threshold to filter out the majority of applicants, allowing us to carefully select from the remaining candidates and save ourselves from an overwhelming workload."
Professor Li gave her a brief explanation. There was still a month left before the Dragon Knight Trial, and the Cross Star Academy had secured two spots.
Several professors possessed the qualifications to recommend candidates. In principle, they could each nominate one person, and then the school's board of directors would make the final selection from among them.
—Of course, this so-called selection was usually conducted through specific competitions.
However, the professors with recommendation qualifications were all high-tier mages. They had taught many students, but very few truly became their personal apprentices.
Moreover, the professors' apprentices—their closed-door disciples in a sense—were mostly no longer young.
Or they already had accompanying mounts or partners—some small or medium-sized magical beasts couldn't be ridden, but they could still fight alongside humans.
"I originally wanted to recommend him," Professor Li looked helplessly at Yin Ning behind her, "but he refused. And my other apprentices have already signed contracts with magical beasts or dragons."
Su Cheng immediately understood.
These formidable professors naturally had formidable students.
When good opportunities arose, they would first offer them to their own apprentices. However, if their apprentices couldn't take advantage of it, they would likely consider doing someone a favor.
For example, giving it to a God's Favored.
Even if this God's Favored had mediocre abilities and was eliminated in the subsequent screenings, they would still remember the favor.
"Do not feel pressured, Your Excellency," Professor Li said calmly. "I am simply asking. If you are not interested, or if you need some time to think about it, that is perfectly fine."
Seeing the young girl look a bit confused, she elaborated on the contents of the trial.
"A thousand years ago, the Empire's royal family made a pact with several dragon clans, designating a few mountain ranges as their habitats—"
Wyverns were one thing, but flying dragons were already very difficult to keep completely captive, and true dragons were impossible. They would view it as an insult to their dignity.
However, the Empire's royal family had their ways. They would offer tributes to these proud and powerful dragons, making them voluntarily stay in those areas on a regular basis.
This was one of the duties of the Dragon Knight Affairs Bureau.
—To research, cultivate, and cook all kinds of delicacies that catered to the dragons' tastes.
The Bureau gathered experts in magical beasts, alchemists, and top-tier chefs. They artificially bred hybrid magical beasts, cultivated special magical plants for spices, and ultimately created various dishes that made the dragons salivate.
Because of this, flying dragons lived in those habitats long-term. True dragons would occasionally go out to play, but they also frequently returned to feast.
They accepted the offerings and the corresponding treaties, which meant they would choose their partners from among the candidates who passed the Dragon Knight Trial.
Su Cheng couldn't help but be a little curious. "Do they have to choose a partner?"
"No, especially not true dragons. They are extremely picky about their knights, and sometimes they might participate several times in a row without making a choice."
Professor Li paused. "In such cases, they have to fulfill another promise: choosing a cooperative partner from the upper echelons of the Imperial Army."
In truth, once the age limit was removed, the selection actually became easier. Especially since the Silver Moon Empire was filled with powerful individuals, with plenty of high-tier warriors and mages.
Among the candidates for the Dragon Knight Trial, some came from major academies, while others were recommended by the royal family.
These people also had to sign a contract with the Empire's royal family, agreeing to obey orders at least during specific times.
Su Cheng was now on high alert whenever she heard the word "contract," and she was even less willing to sign anything with anyone.
Even though—
It wouldn't be long before both the Northern and Southern Continents descended into chaos, and the Empire's royal family would fracture due to infighting among the princes.
At that time, the Dragon Knights could also declare that no one was qualified to command them until an emperor recognized and crowned by the Holy Church appeared.
"Actually," Su Cheng thought for a moment, "I'm thinking about something else. I was invited to the Duke of Oulu's mansion earlier, and I heard that the imperial family is considering restarting the Divine Grace Trial."
Professor Li raised her eyebrows slightly. "This matter is not yet set in stone, but—"
She looked thoughtfully at the new student in front of her. "The Divine Grace Trial aims to select more of the God's Favored. Do you wish to obtain the blessings of other deities as well?"
As a knowledgeable and experienced high-tier mage, Professor Li knew exactly what kind of existence a God's Favored was.
Bearing the power of a deity and wielding their authority caused no small number of people to descend into madness.
Perhaps many people desired power or craved this feeling of reaching the heavens in a single bound—not needing to train bitterly for decades or centuries; once chosen, they could easily kill those lofty, powerful figures.
However, the young girl in front of her was already a God's Favored. Since she could reap all these benefits, she must also be well aware of the harms involved.
Su Cheng felt that the professor's gaze was somewhat subtle. "I'm just a little curious."
Professor Li nodded slowly. "Very well. Regardless, if there is any news, I will inform you."
They parted ways at the corner of the corridor. Su Cheng said her goodbyes and left, only to turn her head and see Yin Ning.
The black-haired young man stepped forward slowly, walking past her without looking sideways, not sparing her even a single glance.
Su Cheng's gaze also slid off him, looking elsewhere without lingering.
She soon attended her Outline of Magic History and Magic Ethics classes. These seemingly dull courses were actually quite interesting when studied in the classroom.
The teachers were highly experienced and didn't just read from the textbooks by rote. They were skilled at drawing on numerous sources and gave many lively, amusing examples.
Su Cheng had originally thought that if these classes were boring, she would just read the books and figure things out on her own, but unexpectedly, the classroom experience was excellent.
However—
When she heard the discussions of her classmates around her, she realized that she hadn't seen a certain Mr. Dragon Knight again.
"That's pretty normal," Rowan shook his head. "He doesn't look like the kind of person who would participate in these theoretical classes anyway..."
"Didn't we hear him ride a dragon over the other day? So he went to attend other classes?"
"Not necessarily classes. There's a restricted book section upstairs, as well as some areas that require special professor approval to enter, which have all kinds of equipment..."
One evening before the weekend arrived, Rowan asked her if she wanted to audit a class at the Academy of Blades.
"Basics of Coordinated Magic and Martial Combat. Today happens to be the elemental category—"
"Huh?" Su Cheng jumped up. "This one allows auditing, right?"
"Yes, you can listen in as much as you want. It's just that the teacher won't guide you or grade your papers—uh, assuming there are such assignments, though I hope there aren't."
Students of the Blade Academy practice both magic and martial arts, and the concept of "magic" naturally encompasses all types of magic.
However, just as the Mystery Academy has the most elemental students, the same is actually true for the Blade Academy.
Anyone who joins the Blade Academy needs to have magical talent, and among them, elemental resonators are the most common.
Therefore, quite a few people need to take this foundational course.
"However," Rowan thought for a moment, "there are also some who were originally mages. Because they failed the Mystery Academy's assessment, they settled for the Blade Academy. Since they haven't cultivated battle aura yet, this isn't among their required courses for the first semester; instead, they have basic battle aura training."
The teaching venue was located within the Blade Academy's district. It was an open-air courtyard suspended outside the tower, surrounded by layers of protective magic arrays, leaving only the sky above exposed.
The ground was made of heavy stone slabs, engraved with runes capable of absorbing magic, battle aura, and impact.
Inside the arena were various weapon racks and training props. Students gathered in twos and threes; some were freshmen, while others were senior students who had only qualified to take this course after cultivating battle aura post-enrollment.
"I deliberately skipped dinner," Rowan said, a little nervous. "Several teachers for this course have served in the imperial army. I feel like we might get beaten up."
Su Cheng looked at the students on the field. "...The battle aura of those few people on the side seems pretty impressive?"
"Uh, they're from the Valor Academy. The teacher won't spar with them."
"Then I wish you good luck."
The instructor they encountered this time was a magic warrior who had once served as a captain in the capital's city defense force. She looked a bit stern but was very patient when teaching.
The professor wore light armor, displaying the insignias of both a Magister and a Grand Battlemaster.
—A seventh-tier mage and a sixth-tier warrior.
In a sense, achieving this might be even more difficult than becoming a pure eighth-tier mage.
"...Whether it was voluntary or a compromise, you have all chosen a difficult path. I believe you are aware of this yourselves."
The professor spoke calmly, "If not, then it is time to realize this issue now, because you must master two powers from entirely different sources."
As she spoke, she raised her hands. On her leather gloves inlaid with soft metal plates, one side flickered with a chilling ice-blue light, while the other condensed an ice ball in the palm.
"Battle aura is inward-facing. It originates from your body, will, and vitality. It is the embodiment of your emotions and desires, your anger and determination, a power squeezed from your flesh and blood. Therefore, no matter what type of battle aura you cultivate, even if it is primarily for nourishment and defense, it still follows the principles of outburst and enhancement—"
The Blade Academy had no specific requirements for the type of battle aura students cultivated, but as long as they could pass the assessment, it usually wasn't bad.
If the chosen battle aura manual was truly terrible but the student possessed excellent talent, the school might recommend they switch to cultivating a different battle aura and cover the associated medical expenses.
"However, magic, especially elemental magic—it is outward-facing. It originates from the elemental spirits of nature; it is a power you borrow and guide. Most of the time, at least at your current stage—well, there's no one here above the rank of Advanced Mage, right?—it still follows the principles of communication and shaping."
The professor looked around the arena. "Before learning the proper method, attempting to use them simultaneously will only lower your combat efficiency. I won't require you to learn those highly difficult combined martial-magic skills; that's content for advanced courses. Your goal this semester is simply to familiarize yourselves with the process of switching and infusing."
Su Cheng almost died of exhaustion during the second half of the class.
The training dummies on the field were activated one after another. Because there were more of these props than students—even including the auditors—there was more than enough for everyone to get one.
These metal dolls had numerous small crystals inlaid on their torsos and limbs.
Crystals in different positions would light up in different colors: green light meant using magic defense, and red light meant using battle aura defense.
Moreover, the position had to be synchronized—if the dummy's right arm lit up, the trainee had to ensure their right arm was covered by defense.
Make a single mistake, and the dummy would rain blows down on you.
Of course, fighting back was allowed.
"...So I fought with a dummy for almost two hours."
The next morning, Su Cheng met up with her teammates in White Dew Town, explaining to them why she had a black eye.
In a corner of the small tavern, two men sat in a booth, looking at her with different expressions.
Camus furrowed his brows, as if he had heard something absurd. "This punishment mechanism has no time limit?"
"Obviously there is," Sasha said, gloating. "But she definitely messed up again right away!"
"Its switching frequency is too fast!" Su Cheng said angrily. "And it lights up in several places at the same time. This isn't a beginner's course at all!"
Kai had left after obtaining the dragon bone, and Su Cheng wasn't worried about him running off.
—In fact, even if he really did run away, it wouldn't matter. She had gotten that item for him because she genuinely wanted to help, not because she expected any future returns.
However, Mr. Captain still hadn't returned to the imperial capital, and the other two didn't know where he went either. She was a bit curious about whether his plans were progressing smoothly.
Sasha was overjoyed. "Hahahahaha, maybe they just want you to grow through pain?"
"...Then that's way too painful."
Su Cheng sighed. "However, the scene at the time was too chaotic. Everyone was basically doing the same thing, which greatly reduced the dummy's chances of hitting me. Because there were so many interfering factors around, I would just run away to catch my breath when I got tired. Just by chasing after me, it could bump into other students or other dummies that were busy beating people up..."
"But it sounds like it might also be of some help to you."
A deep, pleasant male voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
Su Cheng turned her head.
A tall, handsome black-haired man approached. He was still wearing his battle armor that half-exposed his chest and abdomen, but he had clearly changed into a new set, and the heavy fur cloak draped over his shoulders was completely clean.
The leather straps wrapping around his broad chest were brand new and shiny, showing no signs of wear and tear.
Su Cheng's gaze lingered on his pectoral muscles for a moment before she looked up.
Those bright, radiant golden eyes looked at her full of a smile, his vertically slit pupils almost entirely filled with her reflection.
"...Captain!"
She jumped right up from her seat.
Then she realized she seemed a bit too excited, as her other two teammates were still sitting calmly.
Kai had already reached out to steady her, his strong hand wrapping around the girl's elbow. "It sounds like you've had a pretty good time these past few days."
"Ahem," Su Cheng cleared her throat, feeling a slight heat rise to her cheeks. "It went alright. What about you? Did everything go smoothly? And did you change your clothes?"
"Yes. There was too much blood on them, and I didn't feel like cleaning it up."
The black-haired man gave a slight nod. His gaze fell upon the girl's flushed cheeks, lingering for a brief moment before a faint smile curved his lips.
"It took a bit of time to track down that guy from the Mirror Shadow Society. They are quite good at hiding, but I have wiped out everyone involved."
He paused for a moment. "Oh, and your sword is ready."
