Buzz~
Almost the instant Lancelot defeated the swordsman, his name appeared faintly in golden light on the massive white jade pillar outside the Holy Sword Stairway, instantly surpassing hundreds of others and skyrocketing in the rankings.
At the same time, some other font appears after Lancelot's name.
[It has been detected that Lancelot Terra, a first-year student of our school, has broken through the 400th Holy Sword Stairway with an outstanding achievement of 159 days. This rate of progress ranks first in 53 years and 13th since the school's founding. As a reward, 20,000 credits are awarded, and his privileges are upgraded by 2 levels.]
When Lancelot stepped over 400 steps, and these words appeared, the plaza outside the Holy Sword Stairway erupted in an uproar.
Various discussions arose one after another, and the students of Holy Sword were momentarily lost in thought as they gazed at that shining name.
This is the first time in 53 years and the 13th since the school was founded.
What an achievement this is! You must know that Holy Sword Academy is full of talented people, and every year is a fierce competition.
Under such circumstances, Lancelot's ability to achieve such results is truly astonishing.
"Lancelot..."
Looking at the familiar name enveloped in light, Stephanie felt a mix of emotions. They enrolled on the same day, but she was only at the Tier Five of combat power, while her friend had already broken through to the Tier Seven.
That's High-Rank Transcendent level.
Based on Stephanie's pace, it will take at least three years to have a chance of achieving that goal.
As for Lancelot, it took him 159 days.
This gap is simply despairing.
The Angel Rongside beside her seemed largely unaffected, arms crossed, head tilted as she examined the white jade pillar, remarking, "Tsk, what an enviable rate of progress. I suddenly remembered a saying."
"What did you say?" Stephanie glanced at him.
"There are always people more talented than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. Those who rely solely on talent will inevitably be defeated by those with even greater talent. Weren't those S-class potential talents who were once invincible within the province easily defeated by us? Lancelot is simply repeating this situation once again."
"However, unlike before, this time we are the ones who were defeated."
After listening to Rongside's words, Stephanie remained silent for a long time. Finally, she let out a long breath, and her eyes hardened again. "You're right. There will always be people with better talent in the world, but talent is only one factor in reaching the top. Continuous effort and continuous progress are equally important. I believe that one day, I will surpass Lancelot again."
Hearing this, Rongside an eyebrow. "I remember those people we defeated said the same thing. Where are they now?"
Upon hearing this, Stephanie's face stiffened, and she glared at the blond-haired man beside her with a hostile expression. "Are you asking for a beating?"
"Haha, just kidding, don't take it so seriously." Rongside quickly waved his hand.
Beneath a vast panorama of green mountains and clear waters, the leaders of the four top universities sat down, discussing something amongst themselves.
Below them sat students sitting upright, with the three at the front being the leaders of the student groups from the three major colleges.
Especially the young man with the buzz cut in the middle, he is the champion of the 535th Supernatural Joint Entrance Examination, Gosdo Harry, Sublimation School Ability Energy, and is now a second-year student at the Infinity Academy.
Buzz~
The communicator vibrated slightly. Steel Tiger Kamori frowned, gave the other school leaders an apologetic look, and then turned on the communicator to browse the information.
The next moment, with a crisp crack, the communicator was crushed by Director Steel Tiger, and the exposed electronic components crackled.
In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to it.
Vice Dean Louis turned his head and stared at Steel Tiger with dead fish eyes, his gaze unfriendly.
The latter chuckled sheepishly, stood up, glanced smugly at his old rival Boros, and then announced with great fanfare, "Ladies and gentlemen, my student Lancelot from the Innovation Department has reached the 400th step of the Holy Sword Stairway with an outstanding record of 159 days, breaking the best record in 53 years, and ranking 13th in speed among all students who have broken through the 400th step since the school's founding..."
Quiet!
Before Director Steel Tiger finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent, with only faint breathing sounds barely audible.
Feeling the shocked, surprised, and curious gazes coming from all directions, Director Steel Tiger raised his head even higher.
There's a certain thrill in showing off your child's top grades in the whole school to other parents.
"Lancelot, are you talking about the champion of the 536th Joint Entrance Examination?" A school leader from the Radiant Sun Academy asked with a frown, his words carrying a hint of disbelief.
If I remember correctly, that little guy's combat strength in the final Joint Entrance Examination exam was only at the Tier Four.
How long has it been?
Including the five-plus months of school enrollment and two months of vacation, it's only a little over seven months.
From Tier Four to Tier Seven?
Or is it the Innovation School...?
Thinking about this, the school leader felt a chill run down his spine.
Upon hearing his question, Director Steel Tiger waved his hand and said with great pride, "That's right, it's Lancelot, the champion of the 536th Joint Entrance Examination."
These words shocked the school leaders, while the students of the three colleges below were completely baffled.
They didn't know much about the Holy Sword Stairway and what 400 steps represented, but they understood what Director Steel Tiger meant by ranking 13th since the school's founding, and their surprise mostly stemmed from that.
However, before experiencing it firsthand, there are limits to how surprised one can be. Soon, some students suggested that they wanted to try the Holy Sword Stairway themselves, and this idea gained more and more support.
The leaders of the three academies were certainly aware of the Holy Sword Stairway. After exchanging glances, they all saw the hesitation in each other's eyes.
If you let the students try it out, wouldn't that damage their self-confidence?
However, directly stopping them is even more inappropriate, as it may provoke a rebellious attitude among the students.
So these leaders had no choice but to remain silent.
After glancing around at the people and noticing their expressions, Vice Dean Louis understood the situation and nodded in agreement to the students' request.
In an instant, the elite students from the three academies in the hall stood up and headed towards the Holy Sword Stairway, wanting to try out this trial level of the Holy Sword Academy and, incidentally, weigh the weight of Lancelot, who had been mentioned many times before.