CHAPTER 654: SHOCKING OTHERS

"Greetings to all the disciples of this extraordinary academy. It is truly my pleasure to visit this sacred place of education with my fiancée."

Hearing Aldrian’s clear voice, those who heard it finally confirmed that Aldrian indeed had two women beside him.

It was no longer speculation, Aldrian had said it himself.

Baek Jimin felt deeply moved and seemed on the verge of tears from happiness, but she held it back. Instead, she only showed a slight blush that was hard to conceal, along with a small smile. The men who saw her subtle expression couldn’t help but blush shyly as well, which made them want to slap themselves for being affected by the emperor’s woman.

They tried to focus on Aldrian once more.

"To be honest, I’ve wanted to visit this place for a long time. I’ve always been curious about the place that has produced so many great cultivators. I also gave Instructor Luis my word long ago that I would visit when I had the time—and today is the perfect day for that visit," Aldrian continued his speech.

Baek Jimin was also guided by the instructor to her seat of honor, which was positioned slightly behind Aldrian. She sat there quietly while Aldrian delivered his speech, and his eyes swept over the disciples before him.

He wondered if he could find someone like Zander, someone with a special physique or body constitution, among these thousands of disciples.

But after a closer look, he didn’t see anyone like Zander.

"I know you’re all eager for the lecture session, so I won’t keep you waiting any longer," Aldrian said, glancing slightly at Zander.

"Let’s see if I can help you," he thought.

Everyone there had already closed their eyes in concentration, waiting for Aldrian to begin.

Aldrian finally started, preaching about cultivation and the dao. As time passed, however, his lecture gradually shifted to a more specific topic, the way of the sword. This was a lecture that would benefit sword cultivators the most.

Although all cultivators could still gain something from it, the ones who would benefit the most were the sword cultivators present, especially someone like Zander. Aldrian wanted to help him, as he felt Zander seemed to fall behind others despite having a special physique.

Moreover, that physique was the same as one of his past followers, which gave him a personal connection to it. He simply felt the need to do something for the one who had inherited that special physique.

As time passed, the effects of Aldrian’s lecture could already be felt and seen. Some of the sword cultivators among the disciples had begun to enter an enlightenment state. Time continued to flow, and even the instructors began to enter enlightenment.

Aldrian continued preaching, occasionally glancing in Zander’s direction.

He noticed that Zander had entered the enlightenment state much earlier than the others. In fact, he was the first to do so.

How much each person would benefit depended on themselves, it was tied to how deeply they could comprehend the lecture.

At this moment, those who had entered enlightenment were doing their best to comprehend as much of Aldrian’s words as possible, and raising their comprehension.

Aldrian’s voice continued to echo in their minds, as their consciousness had already been drawn into their own mindscapes.

After more than thirty minutes, the sword cultivators began to gain deeper comprehension of the sword. One by one, they experienced breakthroughs in their comprehension.

With these breakthroughs, their sword techniques would become more refined and far more powerful.

Aldrian, observing this, nodded inwardly. He was not surprised.

Beyond his lecture, the disciples’ own talents also played a role in how easily they could absorb his words and comprehend them so quickly.

"As expected from the disciples of the Heavenly Path Academy," he thought.

Some of them were also nearing a breakthrough in their cultivation, especially the teachers at the King and Emperor stage, where comprehension was crucial.

Many had been stuck at their current stage for a long time due to a lack of comprehension, but at this moment, breakthroughs began to seem within reach.

A few moments later—

Whoosh!

The energy of heaven and earth surged toward a single direction as one of the teachers finally broke through, advancing from the high King stage to the peak King stage.

He was an instructor who specialized in the way of the sword and had been stuck in the same realm for hundreds of years.

As time passed, many of the sword cultivators had already come out of their enlightenment state. Only a few remained within it, and among them was the headmaster himself.

Then, a few minutes later, another wave of chaotic energy surged through the air as Headmaster Wang finally broke through to the high Emperor stage!

He had been trapped at the middle Emperor stage for thousands of years, yet now, he had finally advanced!

At last, Aldrian ended his lecture, and in that moment, everyone opened their eyes.

The moment they did, they could feel the changes within themselves, especially the sword cultivators.

A murmur quickly spread through the crowd of thousands, creating a rising wave of noise that echoed across the grand auditorium.

They spoke with excitement, their voices full of joy as they shared what they had felt. There was no doubt about it, they had grown stronger.

This was also the moment when many people began congratulating those who had achieved breakthroughs, especially the headmaster.

"Congratulations, Headmaster, on your breakthrough! With your rise in strength, the academy’s future looks even brighter."

"Congratulations, Headmaster..."

One by one, the academy’s teachers offered their words of congratulations to Headmaster Wang, and he responded to each of them with enthusiasm.

He felt refreshed and empowered by his advancement to a new realm. The surge in strength lifted his mood greatly.

But he hadn’t forgotten the one who made it all possible.

His gaze turned toward Aldrian on the stage.

The others seemed to realize it as well, and a collective sense of gratitude filled the air. They all wanted to voice their thanks to Aldrian.

But before anyone could say a word, Aldrian raised his hand, signaling them to stay silent.

They paused, holding back what they were about to say, and then followed Aldrian’s gaze as he gestured toward a particular spot.

What they saw left them astonished.

A lone disciple was still in an enlightenment state.

The headmaster and the teachers looked at him with surprise as they recognized the disciple—Zander.

His eyes remained closed, and the distinct flow of heaven and earth energy being drawn into his body made it clear that he was still deep in enlightenment.

With Zander still in an enlightenment state, didn’t that mean he had gained a much deeper comprehension from Aldrian’s lecture?

Even after the lecture had ended, he remained in that state.

However, in the eyes of the surrounding disciples, what they saw was very different from what the teachers perceived.

To them, Zander looked like a young man pretending to be in an enlightenment state, just to avoid embarrassing himself.

Though none of them voiced it openly due to the circumstances, quiet murmurs and mocking expressions spread among them.

Aldrian noticed it all.

He looked at Zander calmly, but he also clearly heard the whispered opinions circulating through the crowd:

A commoner who only entered the academy out of pity?

A weakling with slow cultivation?

An unworthy existence in this academy?

He frowned slightly, knowing full well that most of these people came from noble families. It was clear these brats were showing their disdain simply because of Zander’s commoner origin. Although not all of the disciples were like this, many of them seemed to share the same attitude toward Zander.

It was the classic situation where nobles underestimating a commoner.

But then, Aldrian eased his expression.

These nobles might be geniuses with great talent, but in front of a special physique like the Solar Sword Body, they were nothing. If Zander could fully unleash his potential and take advantage of that unique constitution, there would be no one here who could compare to him.

Though surrounded by voices full of doubt and even mockery, Zander remained undisturbed, still deep in his enlightenment state.

He heard none of their whispers.

What echoed within him was not their scorn, but Aldrian’s voice, repeating again and again in his mind.

Aldrian’s words had a completely different effect. What he preached carried a depth of comprehension far beyond anything Zander had ever heard in the academy. It pulled him deeper into the enlightenment state.

Then, all of a sudden, many people in the auditorium felt something.

They instinctively looked down at the swords on their waists before their eyes widened in astonishment.

Their swords were trembling.

All across the auditorium, swords could be seen vibrating faintly, resonating with something unseen. Even Headmaster Wang and the instructors were visibly stunned. They immediately sensed what was happening and turned their eyes to Zander, their faces filled with shock.

From Zander’s body, a powerful sword intent was slowly forming, strong and sharp.

This made the teachers’ hearts tremble. Zander was already beginning to form his own sword intent at his current cultivation level!

And it was not just any sword intent, it was remarkably strong!

It was incredible!

Aldrian, watching it all unfold, gave a faint smile.

Zander had not disappointed him.

"As expected from the one who inherited the same physique as my past follower. He truly is extraordinary."