Enrollment

The hall fell silent.

Several veins suddenly appeared on Xue Yan's forehead, and the corners of his eyes twitched twice.

The fury he could barely suppress looked ready to erupt at any moment.

"Mr. Cross, I think Lord Xue Yan keeps all his truly valuable belongings with him. There probably isn't anything important in his room, so why don't you take me there?"

Cross glanced at Xue Yan and didn't dare move an inch.

Who knew whether helping Jonathan now would earn him trouble from Xue Yan later?

"Well..."

"Don't worry, he won't do anything to you. Look, he's so frozen in place he might as well be a block of wood."

Xue Yan's face darkened further.

"Not only are you threatening me, you're mocking me too!"

"Who gave you the nerve?!"

"Never mind. Even if I told you, you wouldn't know them."

Jonathan thought for a moment. "But there's someone you definitely know: Lord Cesar!"

Xue Yan's expression changed. "Don't think invoking the Old Instructor's name will make me give in!"

"Give in or not, that's up to you. Either way, I'm going to take a look at your room. I'm curious what sort of unusual things a top assassin like you might collect."

"Who knows, I might make a new discovery. I've heard that the stronger someone is, the more peculiar their tastes can be. Take Lord Cesar, for example!"

"Aren't you afraid I'll make you regret this?"

"With Lord Cesar backing me, I'm not afraid."

"Heh. You expect me to believe that?"

"Lord Xue Yan, if you don't believe me, you can ask my father. Lord Cesar made a deal with me: once I reach the level of a seventh-level warrior, he'll come teach me in person!"

Xue Yan looked at Abraham, who nodded.

"Mr. Cross, if you don't take me there, I'll search the rooms one by one myself. If I happen to stumble upon one of your little secrets, heh, don't blame me for making them public."

"Don't!" Cross panicked. He looked at Xue Yan and repeatedly signaled for him to be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against a child.

Everyone had private matters they didn't want others to know.

Xue Yan sighed. "I've killed countless people, yet I've ended up outsmarted by a nine-year-old!"

"My colleagues would laugh at me if they heard about this!"

"You win!" He turned to Abraham. "Is this really your kid?"

"I raised him, so I suppose he is."

Jonathan chuckled, then bowed. "I've offended you, Lord Xue Yan. Please forgive my rudeness. You're an important figure—you wouldn't stoop to holding a grudge against a child, would you?"

"Hmph. Don't ever force the organization to issue a kill order against you. If it does, I'll be the first to hunt you down!"

Jonathan didn't take the threat to heart.

Xue Yan continued, "From now on, come see me twice a month. I'll give you my full guidance."

"I mean what I say."

"But how much you learn will depend on your own aptitude!"

Aptitude?

I was born with a powerful soul, and after three transformations, my mental strength far surpassed that of my peers. My aptitude shouldn't be bad either.

Jonathan couldn't be certain, though. For the past few years, he'd only trained his body and cultivated battle qi. Those took time and effort; he hadn't yet encountered anything that required real insight.

"Thank you, Lord Xue Yan!"

Xue Yan waved his hand. "I'm tired. You can all leave."

Cross saw them out. On the way, he said quietly to Jonathan, "You've got some nerve for a child. Lord Xue Yan is renowned throughout the Saber. Countless people have died by his hand."

"His assassination skills rank among the top three in the organization below the Saint Realm. He's reached the pinnacle of his craft. I doubt anyone besides the Old Instructor would dare claim their assassination skills surpass his."

"You even scared me just now."

Jonathan smiled. "If I hadn't done that, how could I have persuaded someone like him to teach me?"

Cross couldn't help giving Jonathan a thumbs-up. "You're impressive!"

"Abraham, with a son like him, you'll be able to enjoy the good life someday!"

After leaving, the two returned to the Land Hotel. They ran into Ford outside their room.

"Jonathan, Uncle Abraham, where have you been?"

Jonathan replied, "My father and I went sightseeing in Black Phoenix City. We'll be living here for a long time, so we wanted to get familiar with the place."

Ford looked at him admiringly. "Jonathan, you're amazing. How did I not think of that?"

"I'll go sightseeing with my father too."

"What about you two?"

"We're a little tired, so we're heading back to rest."

The next morning.

The two families set out for Ulada Magic Academy. It stood in a mountainous region more than twenty miles west of Black Phoenix City, and its grounds stretched over dozens of miles.

It was even larger than Ernst Academy.

Jonathan suspected the Dark Church had built it that way on purpose.

Unfortunately, despite its vast grounds, its reputation still couldn't compare to Ernst Academy.

The area outside the academy was open and hilly, making it convenient for nobles to stop their carriages when visiting.

Inside, it had everything from restaurants and clothing stores to bars.

Unless they had special needs, students at the Magic Academy could live entirely within its grounds.

Quite a few did.

When they reached the academy gates, the two members of Ford's family couldn't help exclaiming at the entrance, which spanned dozens of feet.

"What a sight!"

Above the gate stood a massive crescent-shaped structure covered in mysterious magical runes. Jonathan guessed it was a large Magic Array, powerful enough to protect the entire Magic Academy.

Abraham and Jonathan remained calm and composed. The former had spent decades as an assassin, while the latter had read descriptions of buildings in the highest planes—some of them dozens of miles across.

Neither would be impressed by a mere academy gate.

The entrance was bustling. There were plenty of administrative staff, along with groups of teenagers holding black letters and identification papers as they registered.

Abraham took a look, then handed Jonathan the bundle. "Go on. From now on, you'll have to work hard on your own."

Jonathan nodded firmly. "I'll never forget everything you've taught me."

"Once I become strong, I'll make sure you can enjoy the good life!"

Abraham smiled faintly, his eyes growing moist. "The wind's a little strong today. I'm heading out. Take good care of yourself."

He didn't dare look at Jonathan. He waved and turned away.

Ford's father gave him a few words of advice as well. Seeing how reluctant they were to part, Jonathan walked over to join the queue on his own.

Ford hurriedly ended his conversation. "Father, I'm going to line up too. I'll come visit you and Mother during the holidays."

"All right."

Watching Ford follow close behind Jonathan, Ford's father sighed. He wanted to have a word with Abraham, but after looking around, he couldn't find him anywhere.

"He sure left quickly."

Shaking his head, he headed for Black Phoenix City to hire a carriage home.

"Jonathan, look! There are so many people!"

Jonathan cautioned him, "Don't underestimate the geniuses on the continent. This is only a fraction of them. Remember to watch what you say and do. This place isn't like your town."

"The academy has rules, but that doesn't mean there aren't loopholes."

"You make this place sound like a den of danger, but thanks. I'll remember."

"I really hope they assign us to the same dorm."

Jonathan silently rolled his eyes. I don't want to live with a chatterbox.

Please leave a like and consider supporting the novel.