Chapter 175: Selection completed
Alex continued selecting students as though nothing unusual had occurred earlier.
The revelation regarding Leon’s bloodline, the tension surrounding the Light God Temple, and the panic among the observing elders did not affect him in the slightest. His expression remained calm while he walked through the plaza with steady steps, occasionally stopping before certain students before either accepting or rejecting them.
Time slowly passed.
The sun gradually descended lower across the horizon while shadows stretched across the academy grounds.
Three full hours later, the selection finally ended.
Fifty students now stood behind Alex in complete silence.
Some came from supreme clans possessing ancient inheritances stretching back thousands of years. Others were ordinary commoners who had clawed their way upward through talent and determination alone.
Yet despite their different backgrounds, all fifty shared one common point.
Alex had personally chosen them.
The surrounding students looked toward the selected group with complicated emotions.
Some felt envy.
Some felt admiration.
Others silently wondered what kind of terrifying standards this mysterious teacher truly possessed.
Alex slowly turned around and faced the fifty disciples.
His gaze calmly swept across every face present.
Then he spoke.
"I am asking you this for the first and final time."
His voice was not loud.
Yet every person in the plaza heard him clearly.
"If you follow me, endless troubles will inevitably arrive."
"The Light God Temple is merely the beginning."
His eyes slowly narrowed afterward.
"You must decide here and now whether you are willing to step into this chaotic storm."
"I will not force anyone."
Silence descended afterward.
The fifty students quietly looked at each other.
Many of them clearly understood the danger involved already. Alex had openly accepted a descendant of the Demonic Sword Clan and publicly challenged the authority of the Light God Temple itself.
Following him meant stepping onto a battlefield far beyond ordinary students.
Some of them came from powerful clans.
Some carried the hopes of their entire families.
Others possessed comfortable futures that could easily disappear if they became enemies of the temple.
Yet despite all of that, not a single person stepped backward.
Instead, their eyes slowly began shining with determination.
Leon himself quietly clenched his fists.
Even he had not expected these people to remain.
At that moment, one young man suddenly stepped forward.
"Teacher Alex!"
His voice echoed loudly throughout the plaza.
"We are willing to follow you until the end of eternity!"
The surrounding students immediately became startled.
The speaker possessed handsome features and sharp eyes filled with excitement rather than fear.
"Please guide us!"
The remaining disciples immediately straightened afterward.
"We are willing!"
"Please instruct us, Teacher!"
"We will not retreat!"
Their voices merged together across the plaza.
The surrounding observers felt their hearts shake slightly.
Even the supreme elders hidden within the towers became silent.
Alex quietly observed the fifty disciples for several moments.
Then a faint smile finally appeared on his face.
"Very well."
The atmosphere immediately changed afterward.
"Your training begins today."
The students instantly became excited.
However, Alex’s next words surprised them.
"I will not teach you theory."
The disciples blinked slightly.
Alex continued calmly.
"The academy already possesses enough teachers capable of explaining ordinary cultivation principles."
"You will continue attending your regular theoretical classes."
"After those classes end each day, you will gather at the central plaza."
The disciples immediately nodded seriously.
None of them dared question his methods.
Then Alex slowly turned his gaze toward the observing towers where the supreme elders remained hidden.
His calm voice echoed throughout the academy grounds once again.
"I understand what all of you are thinking."
The expressions of the hidden elders changed slightly.
Alex continued indifferently.
"Playing safe is the natural choice for ancient clans."
"I will not blame you for that."
His eyes quietly swept toward the distant towers.
"However, understand this clearly."
"If you choose to betray this matter and side with the Light God Temple, then you will permanently lose my support."
Several elders felt their hearts tighten immediately.
Alex’s voice remained calm.
"But if you choose to stand against the temple..."
A terrifying pressure suddenly flashed briefly across the plaza.
"...then I will protect you."
Complete silence followed afterward.
Many elders unconsciously narrowed their eyes.
The choice had now been placed directly before them.
Alex was forcing them to choose sides openly.
The Light God Temple.
Or him.
Neither option was easy.
Alex no longer cared about their reactions afterward.
Instead, he turned back toward the fifty students.
"Your task today is simple."
"You will learn each other’s names, strengths, weaknesses, and personalities."
"From this moment onward, your backgrounds no longer matter."
His gaze slowly landed upon several noble disciples.
"The children of noble clans possess arrogance deep within their bones."
"You must erase that arrogance."
Several noble disciples immediately lowered their heads slightly.
Alex’s eyes calmly swept across all fifty disciples afterward.
"You fifty will become the ultimate force of this world someday."
The moment those words appeared, the hearts of the students shook violently.
Ultimate force of the world.
Such words sounded unbelievably grand.
Yet strangely enough, when Alex said them, nobody felt he was exaggerating.
Instead, every disciple instinctively felt excitement rising inside their hearts.
It was as though Alex could already see a future none of them could currently imagine.
"You carry tremendous responsibility from this day onward," Alex said calmly.
"So prepare yourselves properly."
The disciples immediately bowed deeply.
"Yes, Master!"
The synchronized response echoed loudly throughout the plaza.
Alex paused briefly afterward.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face again.
"Master, huh?"
"Not bad."
However, he never looked backward while speaking.
Instead, he simply walked toward the direction of the academy library with calm steps before gradually disappearing into the distance.
Meanwhile, the fifty disciples slowly began looking at each other awkwardly.
Earlier, many of them had viewed one another as rivals.
Now they suddenly belonged to the same faction.
Several moments of silence passed before one young man stepped forward confidently.
"Hello everyone."
The disciples immediately turned toward him.
The young man smiled slightly before introducing himself.
"My name is George Clooney."
"I come from the Thunder Beast Clan."
"I am level thirty."
As he spoke, a massive beast spirit suddenly appeared behind him.
Boom.
Lightning exploded outward instantly.
The martial spirit resembled a gigantic rhinoceros covered in dark metallic armor. Four enormous horns extended from its head while violent lightning continuously coursed across its body.
Its aura was extremely oppressive.
Several disciples immediately recognized it.
"The Four Horned Thunder Beast..."
George smiled calmly.
"It is nice meeting all of you."
"I hope we can grow stronger together under Master’s guidance."
Another disciple stepped forward afterward.
This time, it was a beautiful young girl radiating cold aura throughout her surroundings.
Frost slowly gathered beneath her feet.
"I am Melissa Frost."
"I am level twenty nine."
Her voice sounded naturally cold.
The moment she released her martial spirit, a massive white flood dragon appeared beside her.
The creature emitted freezing energy powerful enough to lower the surrounding temperature instantly.
Several students inhaled sharply afterward.
The Frost Clan was among the strongest ancient clans inside the empire.
Soon afterward, more disciples began introducing themselves one after another.
Some possessed terrifying beast spirits.
Others carried weapon spirits or elemental abilities.
Several commoner disciples surprisingly possessed equally powerful martial souls despite lacking noble backgrounds.
One thin young man controlled shadow chains.
A quiet girl possessed spiritual eyes capable of seeing weak points.
Another disciple carried an ancient tree spirit overflowing with vitality.
At the same time, several students possessed seemingly ordinary spirits.
Yet nobody dared underestimate them.
If Alex had chosen them personally, then it meant they undoubtedly possessed something extraordinary.
More importantly, none of the noble disciples mocked the commoners.
Alex’s earlier words still echoed clearly inside their minds.
They were no longer competitors.
They were companions walking the same path.
Finally, Leon stepped forward quietly.
"My name is Leon Astor."
The atmosphere instantly became slightly tense afterward.
Everyone already knew his identity.
However, Leon calmly continued speaking.
"I specialize in sword combat and close range attacks."
Then he lowered his head slightly.
"I hope we can become reliable comrades."
To his surprise, nobody stepped away from him.
Instead, George immediately laughed loudly.
"Of course!"
Melissa nodded calmly as well.
"We are already in the same storm now."
Leon froze briefly.
Then a faint emotion slowly appeared inside his eyes.
For the first time in many years, he no longer felt isolated.
A moment later, one disciple suddenly spoke excitedly.
"Let’s head toward the arena."
"We need to understand each other’s abilities properly."
