The scene unfolds before Professor Elara as she watches the two figures standing in the middle of the training field.
Cyril Valerian, her student, and one she has high expectations for. He is, after all, from a branch of the royal family of the Astria Empire. Innate talent grows among them like bamboo after the rain.
Although he is of lesser standing compared to the imperial princess who studies in the first year, Eliana Valerian, in terms of natural talent and the resources allocated to her, he is still close to the level of the geniuses of this generation. His strength cannot be ignored—especially since he is a year older and has already received the blessing of heaven and earth.
Even though he said he would not use mana, Cyril's body had already been tempered by the blessing of heaven and earth. Every strike he makes is accompanied by an echo of the surrounding mana, whether intentionally or not.
Standing ten meters in front of him is Ion Drakis.
The son of a duke from a kingdom so insignificant that its name is hardly worth mentioning, located at the edges of the Eastern Continent… an anomaly personally invited by the dean himself.
Whether she wanted to or not, Ion had already caught her attention with his overwhelming strength and his honed battle instincts, despite his inability to use mana and his young age. She was genuinely impressed by his determination despite the difficulty of his path… yet a trace of pity appeared in her eyes as she looked at him.
The inability to use mana is not rare. Sometimes it is due to a defect in the dantian, or simply a delay in awakening one's bloodline power.
But Ion has no issue with his dantian. A long time has already passed since he awakened his bloodline power, yet he still cannot use mana… he can only use his bloodline energy to stimulate his aura.
However, this stimulation is weaker than that of those who use mana to enhance their aura.
And everyone who has walked this path—without exception—throughout the known history of the Eastern Continent's empire, which spans over one hundred thousand years, has never been able to defeat a red-ranked mana user. That is the end of their path.
Because of this, she could only feel sorrow for Ion. For a genius, this was worse than death—to watch his peers grow stronger while he remains stuck at the same level… she could not understand why the dean had brought him here.
While she was lost in her thoughts, unaware of the murmurs of her class, Cyril's voice echoed across the field, filled with arrogance.
"I've heard that you took first place relying only on aura. It seems the younger generation is truly incompetent… well, as someone older than you, I won't bully you. I'll allow you three free attacks before I strike back… so you won't say the older generation bullies the younger."
Laughter and sighs echoed among the students at Cyril's arrogance toward the newcomer… their attention turned toward Ion, who stood facing him.
Ion's eyes gleamed with a cunning light as he looked at Cyril, then said in an overly respectful tone:
"Truly, senior?... I was actually worried you wouldn't give me a chance to show my skills before striking me… I only accepted this duel to broaden my horizons and witness peak after peak."
Suddenly, Cyril felt a bad premonition—but he ignored it and smiled mockingly at Ion.
"Don't worry. I don't like bullying the younger generation. I have my pride. I just wanted to see the strength of the junior that Professor Elara praises so much."
Ion's smile widened as he heard his reply, thinking to himself—was there anything better than beating up a noble from the royal family without him being able to retaliate?
Then he said to Cyril:
"Good, senior. Get ready—I'm about to attack."
Cyril replied indifferently:
"It doesn't matter. Just attack with all your strength. Don't blame me for my harshness if you waste your chances."
Professor Elara couldn't help but place her hand on her forehead as she realized that Ion's act had completely fooled Cyril. She didn't know whether he was foolish or arrogant—but she knew for certain that he was about to have a very difficult time.
Suddenly, Ion's aura flared in a bluish-white glow—then he vanished from the students' sight.
Before they could understand what was happening, Ion had already appeared in front of Cyril, whose eyes widened as he saw Ion's fist, wrapped in intensely concentrated aura, rushing toward his chest at a frightening speed.
In a hurry, he spread mana around his arms and crossed them in front of his chest, barely managing it before Ion's fist landed on them.
Before he could comprehend what was happening, his feet left the ground, and pain spread through his arms and chest.
Then the world spun as he was sent flying away from Ion at tremendous speed…
He crashed into the ground, bounced several times, his body carving a path before finally coming to a stop.
He noticed that Ion was still in his punching stance—but strangely, he was already about 100 meters away from him.
An involuntary sound escaped him, expressing his shock:
"Huh?"