Early this morning, Lord Elvis deliberately dressed more formally.
After such a long time without taking on apprentices, he couldn’t help but reminisce about the past.
Back then, Sara’s mother was the most talented genius of her cohort, possessing an Excellent Level Elemental Affinity…
If it hadn’t been for that accident, her future breakthrough to the Transcendent Level and reaching Legendary Expert would have been entirely possible—one might even say the probability was almost a hundred percent.
That’s the power of an Excellent Level Elemental Affinity.
It was just a pity…
A pity about that accident.
Elvis squinted his eyes, his expression neither happy nor sad.
“Dean, it’s about time.” Outside the door, an Academy Instructor knocked.
“I know.” Elvis responded, then straightened his attire once more before opening the door.
Together with the instructor, he headed toward the Academy’s main hall.
“The Dean is dressed so formally today, must be because of taking on apprentices, right?” The instructor chatted as they walked alongside Elvis.
“Hm?” Elvis paused, then rubbed his beard and laughed heartily and continued:
“Yes. After so many years, amidst these troubled times, the Empire has finally produced a talent with Elemental Affinity at the Excellent Level. How could this old man not devote himself to nurturing them?”
“With the Dean’s guidance, these two students will inevitably ascend to Legendary Expert status soon. Then the Roland Empire will have two Legendary powerhouses, and no petty scoundrels will dare to provoke us.”
“Indeed.” Elvis smiled in agreement but took a deep breath afterward, his face showing no clear excitement or joy—a stark contrast to the instructor beside him.
An Elemental Affinity of Excellent Level is practically a ticket to becoming a Legendary Expert.
Although there are documented cases of those who reached Excellent Level but never stepped into the Legendary realm, every successful Legendary Expert so far has possessed at least Excellent Level Elemental Affinity.
But is being Legendary truly that invincible?
Is it unbeatable across the world?
That power is only unrivaled among humans…
When the two entered the hall, it was already filled with students.
Almost all three thousand students turned their gaze toward the last two to enter.
The Dean of the Academy, the pillar of the entire Empire, Lord Elvis himself, and alongside him, one of the genuine Transcendent Level experts—the Magic Academy’s official instructor.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Elvis slowly ascended the podium, glanced around the hall, took a steady breath, and began, “Then, the Opening Ceremony for this Academy session will officially—”
“Wait—!”
Just as he was about to finish, a voice from the door interrupted him.
“…”
The hall fell silent before quickly erupting in murmurs as everyone looked toward the entrance, the source of the voice.
Dean Elvis and the instructor were already here; was there anyone else still absent?
Daring to be late on the first day of the Opening Ceremony?
Even Elvis frowned slightly, feeling some displeasure, and the instructor beside him looked even grimmer.
Judging by that gaze, he clearly intended to use this opportunity to teach the tardy student a lesson.
Amidst the crowd’s chatter, Li Xian pulled along Sara, who was shrinking her neck in embarrassment, as they entered.
At the sight of the two, the noise immediately quieted down by more than half.
No wonder—these two were known by almost every student.
Both had achieved Excellent Level talents, both were strong in power, and they had won first place in the recent Third Examination.
Most importantly, according to unreliable rumors, the two were a couple.
A power couple—definitely the kind of enviable pair that made nearly everyone else turn green with envy!
Elvis and the instructor twitched at the corner of their mouths.
‘What was this? The promising talents they had just been hoping for, showing up late on the very first day?’
Say something, it’s awkward; don’t say anything, it’s also awkward with all these students watching…
“Cough cough—” Finally, Elvis cleared his throat twice and said, “Be on time next time.”
“Oh, sorry about that.” Li Xian gave an awkward smile and replied casually.
Beside him, Sara’s face turned even redder as she tugged at Li Xian’s sleeve, almost smoking from embarrassment.
Why were they late?
Of course, it was because Sara had once again overslept, wasting too much time…
Returning to the main point, although there was a small hiccup that wasted a bit of time, today’s Opening Ceremony would proceed as planned.
Elvis stood on the podium and began his speech… or rather, his performance.
A very familiar scene: the Dean delivering a long-winded speech during the opening ceremony, bragging for half an hour, making Li Xian drowsy with boredom.
Yet the people in this world truly weren’t accustomed to such spectacles, especially with the Academy Dean—a Legendary Expert—standing above.
Most students listened attentively, making Li Xian feel a bit guilty about slacking off.
Onstage, Elvis was helpless, twitching at the corner of his eye while speaking.
Naturally, he paid extra attention to his two future disciples, but when he glanced over, he nearly choked on his own saliva.
One was slacking off, looking around or daydreaming; the other was even worse—she was literally sleeping, resting her head on his shoulder.
‘She was asleep…’
Elvis immediately stopped looking at them.
If he kept going, he might get hypertensive.
There was no way to continue the speech like this.
The long speech finally ended.
Not to mention Sara, even Li Xian was nearly asleep.
Next came one of today’s highlights: class assignments.
Based on talent, as well as the results and performance from the two examinations, the more than three thousand students were divided into a hundred classes, each with roughly thirty students.
Interestingly, it was unclear why, but among those hundred classes, only seven had official instructors assigned—significantly more than in previous years.
Naturally, students like Li Xian and Sara, with top-tier talent and results, were placed in the best class.
This class also included some familiar faces who had performed well in the Third Examination, or teammates who had excelled in the previous two tests.
Another thing that caught Li Xian’s interest was their class instructor… none other than Herbert, whom they had met several times before.
The middle-aged man still looked as lethargic as usual today, but since he was assigned as the instructor for the top class, he must have some real skill.
After the class assignments ended, the ceremony seemed to be drawing to a close.
Some students were already thinking about leaving, returning to cultivation, or strolling through the Imperial Capital.
However, the instructors knew that the real highlight of the day was yet to come.
“Furthermore, there is one more thing…”
Sure enough, Elvis soon spoke again.
“Everyone remembers, don’t you? I previously mentioned that the student who scored highest in the Third Examination may propose one reasonable condition, including becoming my apprentice…” He said this while directing his gaze at Li Xian, who had finally started to get serious.
“Well then, Li Xian, state your condition…”