Chapter 13 Timidity is an Excellent Quality_2

"Alright, you both can go back first. I will quickly prepare Kongkong to absorb the Holy Diversion Spirit Furnace. Once he's prepared, I will find one for him, as a way of fulfilling the promise I made earlier. It will also help you in concealing your identities."

It wasn't until after they left the Knights Temple that Long Dangdang felt the sweat soaking his back. That was a 9th Rank knight! Long Kongkong, on the other hand, seemed unaffected.

"Where should we go to have fun?" Long Kongkong wrapped his arm around Long Dangdang's neck. The feeling of being protected by his older brother at that crucial moment earlier made him forgive him.

"You still want to play? Hurry back home. We must inform Dad and Mom about what just happened. That was a 9th Rank divine knight. Do you even know what a divine knight is? He's one of the Federation's most top-notch formidable individuals, belonging to the strongest Temple. If your Elemental Vortex Spirit Furnace didn't truly enhance your innate spiritual force, we wouldn't even have known how to end this."

Long Dangdang, dragging a reluctant Long Kongkong, hurried home directly and immediately relayed what happened at the Knights Temple to their parents.

"Na Ye? Cowardly Knight Na Ye?" Long Leilei and Ling Xue exchanged glances.

"Dog Knight? Dad, Mom, isn't it impolite to talk about my teacher like that?" Long Kongkong said, somewhat dissatisfied. For some odd reason, after establishing the teacher-student pact, he felt a curious close affinity towards the old man.

"It's not dog, but the Gou in Yingyinggoogou," Long Leilei explained.

"Dad, it might have been better if you didn't explain," Long Dangdang said, sounding rather dejected.

Now feeling a sense of unease, Long Kongkong asked, "Is this person bad?"

Long Leilei shook his head, "Not at all. Regardless, he's a divine knight. Consider it a stroke of fortune on your part. However, I didn't expect the Elemental Vortex Spirit Furnace to have such an effect. Kongkong, this is a massive opportunity for you! If your innate spiritual force continues to improve, and you have a 9th Rank knight as your teacher, the future will be limitless for you, and you won't fall short of your brother. You need to work hard too."

Long Kongkong looked miserable. Is this what I wanted? All I wanted was to stay low-key! Thinking about the miserable weekend he just had, his heart filled with even more resentment. How is he supposed to get through the coming days?

After seeing the two brothers off to rest, Long Leilei and Ling Xue quietly faced each other. Ling Xue couldn't help but mutter, "Birds of a feather flock together, indeed. Kongkong's character really matches that of Cowardly Knight."

Long Leilei laughed heartily, "There's nothing wrong with it. I've always believed that timidity is the best attribute for a kid to have. As parents, it's not like we're expecting our kids to bravely save us in dangerous situations. All we hope is that they can protect themselves in the face of danger and stay safe and sound. So, if Kongkong learns to be slightly timid from this Cowardly Knight, it wouldn't be a bad thing. It's certainly better than him gallivanting around all day."

"You're right!"

The next day, early in the morning, Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong returned to the Temple Academy. They each received a notification as soon as they arrived at their classes. A week after the freshmen's school year had begun, the first full assembly was finally to be held.

Although it was only one grade level, there were five classes with 150 students in each branch academy. The six branch academies combined have as many as nine hundred students.

The meeting was held in the central square of the academy. Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong both walked at the front of their respective classes, arriving on the square one after another.

As soon as Long Kongkong led Knights Class One to the square, his eyes started to dart about, looking everywhere, especially at the three-specialization magic groups.

Indeed, compared to knights, warriors, and assassins, there were many more female students among the mages, summoners, and priests. In particular, nearly two-thirds of the students from the Priests Academy were female.

Long Kongkong felt like his eyes weren't enough to take in all the sights. Soaring Dragon City was famous for its good-looking young men and women, and the sight before him was positively dazzling. However, he couldn't help but feel that the average attractiveness was highest in Mages Class One.

Standing in front of Mages Class One, what Long Dangdang was thinking about was element control. His meditation during the past few days had been very effective, particularly last night. After being cleansed by the Archangel's Embrace, his mind became clearer, with his perception of the elements becoming more distinct. Early this morning, while attempting to control elements, he was already able to condense the light element successfully. For a mage, although this is just the first step, it was also the most important one. As long as one could condense and control elements, they could learn to shape the magic by guiding the elements, cultivating these condensed elements into one's own magic spiritual power during training.

As to what today's meeting was about, he didn't really give it much thought. How big of a deal could a general meeting be?

Just then, a line of people appeared on the stage, approximately two meters high in front of the central square, all of them older and dressed in such a way as to distinguish their different professions.

Long Kongkong scanned the stage with bored eyes, his body went stiff the next moment.

Who is that? Hair and beard unkempt, clothes clean for a change, he seemed a lot more vibrant, but his lazy demeanor had not changed. Wasn't he the very same Na Ye they had just met yesterday, the same one who had accepted him as a disciple?

Na Ye's eyes quickly found Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong. Just by looks alone, he couldn't tell which was which, but through their school uniforms and demeanors, he quickly identified which one was his disciple.

When Long Kongkong realized he was being watched by Na Ye, with a mysterious smile on his face, he had a bad feeling for some reason.

At this moment, an old man walked to the front of the platform and said, in a calm voice, "Hello, students. I am Tong Lei, the dean of the Soaring Dragon Branch Academy of the Temple Academy. Today marks the end of your second week of school. First of all, on behalf of the academy, I would like to welcome all of you."

"As we all know, the Temple Academy is the necessary path leading you to the Temple. But this path is not so easy to complete. According to our statistics, in all provinces and cities across the Federation, the chance of graduating smoothly and becoming an official member of the 6 Great Sacred Temples is, on average, only 4.3 percent. Yes, it's that low. In these peaceful times, the operation of the Temples requires vast resources, so the scrutiny of new members is particularly rigorous. If, twelve years from now, you are not able to become a 5th Rank professionist at the time of your final examination, you will have to find your own way and will not be able to enter the Temple."

"Therefore, the time to strive is not at the end, but from the moment you enter the academy. Only in this way can you surpass others and become the ultimate victors, honorable members of the Temple. In the academy, you will have a unified examination every two years. Those who fail the exam will be advised to leave. So, the reason I am saying all this today is because I want you to feel a sense of urgency, to truly put your heart into it, and enhance your initiative. I hope to see all of you graduate successfully from the academy in the future. Though I currently believe this to be impossible, I still hold a hope that a miracle will take place."

"Today is our first meeting. Now, let me introduce to you the new head of the first-grade class. He will be responsible for all matters related to the first-year students of the Soaring Dragon Branch Academy."

As he spoke, the old headmaster turned around and made a welcoming gesture to the line of teachers standing behind him.

As Long Dangdang's eyes widened in shock, and Long Kongkong's mouth dropped open, Na Ye walked to the front with a generally normal demeanor, a smile on his face, and stood beside the old headmaster.