Three days later.

"Alfred, why are you staying in a place like this?" Giselle frowned as she looked around the modest room. "Why not choose somewhere closer to the academy?"

Alfred replied evenly, "As long as I can rest, it's sufficient. There's no difference. Besides, the area near the academy is too noisy."

He had already contacted Giselle before arriving in Central City.

Each Skysea Alliance received just over a hundred quotas for the Central Academy's entrance exam. Only after exhausting every option and making numerous concessions had President Fenris managed to secure four of them.

Naturally, all four were outer court quotas. Given West Ocean Academy's standing, inner court slots were completely out of reach.

Giselle had been startled by Alfred's sudden call, but her surprise quickly turned into delight when she heard he was bringing his students for the exam. Once, because he had returned. Twice, because of the children he had nurtured.

She still vividly remembered them from three years ago during the Skysea Alliance Tournament. Their captain, Ray, had demonstrated sharp judgment and decisive courage, even throwing himself into danger to save a teammate. He had left the deepest impression on her.

Lily followed closely behind. When Ray was gravely injured, she had willingly burned her own life force to save him. Giselle had nearly snatched her away on the spot.

That girl's elemental control was nothing short of terrifying.

Now, three years later, Alfred was finally bringing them to Central Academy. Giselle was eager to see how far they had come.

"The exams are tomorrow," Giselle said as she sat down. "Are your students ready?"

Alfred's brows creased. "I asked you here because I need a favor. The others are ready, but one student has entered deep meditation and hasn't awakened. Is there any way to delay the exam?"

Giselle fell silent, her brows knitting together. "I'm afraid that's impossible. You know how strict the academy's rules are. We have countless applicants and only a hundred slots. The exams involve multiple stages. We can't delay everything for one person. Who is it?"

"The captain," Alfred replied. "Raymond"

Giselle's heart skipped.

She remembered him clearly. The boy who had stood in front of a soul fusion skill without hesitation.

Deep meditation was an invaluable opportunity. Disturbing it could cause severe backlash.

"Alfred, you know how difficult this is," Giselle said helplessly. "Almost impossible. You know how inflexible the academy can be."

Alfred nodded. "Then I'll have the others take the exam first."

Lily, Violetta, and Raziel were present. Alfred had already informed them of Ray's condition.

Raziel immediately blurted out, "Teacher, that's unacceptable! This is our only chance! Ray has been waiting for this for years. He'd regret missing it forever!"

Violetta nodded fervently. "Yes! How can Captain not take the exam?"

For soul masters, entering Central Academy was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Alfred frowned. Even after three days of refinement, Ray showed no sign of waking. Interrupting him was impossible. Yet the exam would not wait.

Giselle sighed. "There's no point arguing. Unless he wakes up before the exam begins, he will miss it. I'm sorry."

Lily, who had remained silent, suddenly stepped forward. "Teacher, may I ask something? Is substitution allowed? If I give up my quota, can Ray take the exam in my place?"

Giselle was stunned. For a moment, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Child, you're being naive. This is Central Academy. Even ordinary academies don't allow substitutions. You're strong. You might even enter the inner court. Don't say something so foolish."

Lily shook her head. "If Ray can't go, I won't go either. If he can't enter Central Academy, then I refuse to enter."

Her voice was calm, unwavering.

Giselle stared at her in shock. Such resolve… at such a young age.

She had seen many like this in Central Academy. Once they made a decision, they never wavered.

Alfred was the same.

Like teacher, like student.

"Alfred," Giselle said quietly, "your students are outstanding. You shouldn't let one person hold them back."

Silence filled the room. The ticking clock seemed deafening.

At last, Alfred raised a hand and placed it gently on Lily's shoulder. "Don't worry about this. Go back and rest. I'll handle it."

Lily looked at him, stunned by the weight of his words.

"Thank you, Teacher."

She left first. Raziel opened his mouth to speak, but Alfred raised a hand, stopping him.

Outside, Raziel's eyes were filled with uncertainty. Violetta whispered, "What did you want to say?"

After a long pause, Raziel asked, "Tell me, Violetta. Central Academy or our friends, which matters more to you?"

Violetta laughed softly. "Do you even need to ask? Captain matters more. My chances weren't great anyway."

Raziel chuckled and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Then we're the same. If Ray can't take the exam, neither will I."

As the words left his mouth, a weight seemed to lift from his chest.

*

Alfred stared at the closed door, his breathing quickening.

"Let's go," he said.

Giselle stiffened. "Go where?"

"Back to the academy."

Her spine tingled. "You're going back to the academy? You mean—"

Alfred's voice was flat. "If my dignity can be exchanged for their future, that's a small price. I'll go with you and apologize."

*

Inside the room, the water in the bathtub had long since turned clear.

Only a faint golden mist lingered, swirling around Ray's motionless body.

Central Academy stood at the summit of the continent, the greatest academy nestled within the greatest city. It was a name that countless people whispered with reverence and longing.

The academy's grounds were vast enough to be a city unto themselves.

In fact, this place had once been the original Central City. Only after Spirit Ice King Orion Starlight, founder of the Spirit Tower, proposed an expansion did the city grow outward, leaving the academy as a world apart.

Every three years, Central Academy opened its gates to recruit new students, turning the entire continent's attention toward it.

Merely qualifying to take Central Academy's entrance exam was already a badge of honor. There was even a saying that circulated among soul masters: anyone who qualified for Central's entrance exam, even if they failed, would still be snatched up by advanced academies.

This wasn't an exaggeration. Those who reached this stage were the true elite.

Yet even among this elite, only a small fraction were admitted.

Every three years, the Central Academy accepted just two hundred outer court disciples. Of these, fifty slots were reserved for examinees who failed the inner court exam.

Only fifty people were permitted to attempt the inner court exam at any one time. Passing it was, of course, the ultimate goal, but even failure granted entry into the outer court and the possibility of challenging the inner court again in the future.

This was precisely why President Conrad of the Skysea Alliance had cherished those five inner court quotas so dearly. They were practically guaranteed tickets into Central Academy.

Naturally, any student who failed to meet even the outer court's standards would still be expelled. Such cases were not unheard of in Central Academy's long history.

Even so, anyone who graduated from the outer court was already considered a top-tier existence on the continent. Great families and powerful organizations would compete fiercely to recruit them.

The inner court, however, was a realm of monsters among monsters.

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