Chapter 136: One Move (Part 1)
The moment Felix told Azrael that they had been called because Professor Ronald wanted to see their abilities in order to create training plans for them, Azrael’s interest in the gathering dropped significantly.
It wasn’t that he looked down on Ronald or felt the professor couldn’t teach him anything. Rather, it was because he knew that training plans created for people who had only recently completed their Eonrift Trial generally focused on certain basics—improving control over cosmic energy, understanding the essence of one’s power and how to better utilize it, refining control over the body, developing a deeper understanding of one’s fighting style and improving it, and similar foundational matters.
For Azrael, however, he had long since reached a point where he could effortlessly control his cosmic energy. His understanding of his wind power was already profound, and thanks to his Infinite Comprehension Trait, he was improving it every single day.
His control over his body was flawless; whether it was force utilization or exploring different applications of his main weapon, he had mastered everything possible at his current level.
The only thing preventing him from learning higher-level techniques in swordsmanship and other combat disciplines was his actual level which was only 12. Therefore, his current priority was to increase his level while also learning some useful skills and mastering the Skyrift Slash Essentia Art.
Of course, the fact that he had already learned most of what was useful for a class-level warrior didn’t mean Ronald’s guidance was entirely without value—it was just that the areas Ronald would be focusing on now were not ones in which Azrael needed help.
Realizing all this, Azrael simply decided to get through this event quickly and return to the academy’s skill library as he already had a clear idea of the kind of skill he wanted to learn.
When Azrael took the lead and stepped forward, all 132 students turned to look at him.
Professor Ronald also raised an eyebrow when he saw him. As the person responsible for the elite class, Ronald had naturally reviewed the information of every student and knew that Azrael was ranked first among all of them.
Not only that, but he was aware that this "monster" had completed his Eonrift Trial only a few days ago—not back in January like the other class level warriors in class.
And yet, despite this, Azrael was already at level 12 and had cleared eight levels in the Tower of Trials, taking the top spot in the elite class.
’Things will be much more interesting this time...’ Ronald thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Once Azrael stood on the stage, Ronald walked over to stand beside him and looked out at the other students.
"Well, you might not know this, but the person standing here is your greatest obstacle to reaching the highest rank in your class..."
As his words reached them, many students’ expressions changed as they immediately understood what he meant. Seeing their reactions, Ronald nodded and continued.
"That’s right, this person here is the current first-ranked student in the class. Not only does he have the privilege of using most of the academy’s basic facilities free of charge, but he is also allowed to choose one skill from the skill library every three months at no cost. On top of that, he receives twenty academic credits each month without lifting a finger."
Not just the students below, but even Azrael was stunned by Ronald’s words. He turned to look at the professor, wondering if he was telling the truth or just making things up.
The rest of the students also looked perplexed and it was clear they were also hearing this for the first time.
Seeing their confusion, Ronald nodded to himself and added, "Of course, the rewards I mentioned—the skill and the credits are not from the academy itself. They will be given by me personally."
He paused briefly before continuing. "If you want to take first place from him and claim all these benefits, now’s your chance. In this sparring session, you can see for yourselves the capabilities of the current top student and prepare to surpass him in the future."
Azrael’s mouth twitched at Ronald’s words.
Although he understood that this yellow-haired villain was simply trying to motivate the other students, he couldn’t help but feel like he was being used as a scapegoat.
Looking at the crowd, he noticed the hungry gleam in their eyes—like they were staring at a delicious piece of prey.
"You are making me into a public target, Professor," Azrael said, shaking his head.
Ronald replied lightly, "From the sound of your voice, it doesn’t seem like you mind all that much."
Azrael was silent for a moment before speaking again. "How about you increase the monthly twenty points to fifty? That way, I’ll also have extra motivation to play this little game."
Ronald’s eyes twitched slightly at the suggestion and after a moment, he replied, "Thirty points. That’s the best I can do."
"You have got a deal," Azrael said immediately, smiling. "But make it forty points, and I’ll make sure they’re motivated enough to work like pigs to surpass me."
Ronald gazed at him for a few seconds before nodding.
Their exchange was carried out quietly, so no one else knew what they had discussed. At this point, some students were staring at the stage with fiery determination, eager to challenge the first-ranked student and measure his strength. But no one wanted to be the first to take the lead.
Just then, Professor Ronald seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention. He is level 12. So only class-level warriors should challenge him."
Luo Bingqing and his companions were stunned when they heard that Azrael was only level 12, far below their own levels.
"Indeed, he must have learned a concealment skill to hide his true level," Xavier commented, recalling they couldn’t sense Azrael’s level earlier.
The elves who had accompanied Professor Ronald were also surprised to learn that the top student was only level 12.
They couldn’t help but glance at Elyara—the level 16 elven woman leading them and saw that she too was stunned. She seemed genuinely surprised that someone four levels below her had outperformed her in the Tower of Trials.
While they were still processing this, Ronald smiled inwardly and dropped another bombshell.
"Oh, right—just so you know, he completed his Eonrift Trial only a few days ago. He wasn’t part of the January batch."
The slightly noisy hall fell into dead silence.
Felix had already been shocked when Ronald first revealed that Azrael was the top student.
’He must have lied to me,’ Felix thought at first. ’He probably completed his trial in January.’
But upon hearing Ronald say outright that Azrael had done it just a few days ago, he was left utterly speechless.
’How did he reach level 12 so quickly after completing his trial?’
Most of the others were thinking the same thing, their minds struggling to process what they’d just learned.
"Professor, can we please start already?" Azrael finally urged, feeling that if he didn’t stop Ronald, the man might even disclose his birthday date just to "motivate" the class.
Ronald nodded at Azrael’s words and finally said, "Alright then, who wants to come up first?"