RE: LORD OF TIME

"Are you also a new student?"

When William suddenly stopped beside him and spoke, Liam’s body stiffened slightly as the scene of William beating Zavier moments ago was still fresh in his mind.

His scalp tingled, and he hurriedly replied.

"Brother, I am not with that guy you beat earlier."

An amused smile appeared on William’s face when he saw Liam’s flustered expression.

"When did I say you were with them?"

"Hmmm?" Liam was taken aback and asked in confusion. "Then... is there something you need from me?"

William shook his head and answered calmly.

"You also seem to be a new student, and I noticed you looking around earlier as if you were lost. Do you need any help?"

’This damn trait of mine...’ Liam couldn’t help but grumble inwardly as he hadn’t expected William to notice that he had trouble finding his way around, and he couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.

"Thanks for your concern. I was looking for the registration building, but I already found it."

William glanced at the registration building behind them and nodded.

"I just finished registering a few minutes ago. Come, I will take you inside."

"Huh?" Liam raised an eyebrow when he heard William’s words and looked at him in confusion, unable to understand why he was helping him.

Seeing his puzzled expression, William patiently explained.

"When I came to register earlier, I was also confused, and a senior student helped me. Before leaving, he told me to help any new students I came across since they often get confused during the registration process."

"Oh." A look of understanding flashed across Liam’s face.

"Then thank you, brother."

"It’s nothing." William shook his head before leading Liam toward the building.

As they walked, William explained the registration process and a few other things about the academy.

"So you can enter Astral Rifts using Academic Credits?" Liam asked curiously.

"Yes." William nodded before glancing at him. "You seem quite interested in Astral Rifts."

Liam smiled helplessly.

"I mean, who wouldn’t want to enter a place filled with treasures and resources?"

"That’s true." William nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Liam thought of something else.

"How many Academic Credits do you need to enter an Astral Rift?"

"Fifty credits for a Rank One Rift and two hundred credits for a Rank Two Rift. As for Rank Three Rifts and above, students below the Star Commander realm aren’t allowed to enter them, so there’s no point talking about those for now."

"Fifty credits for a Rank One Rift..." Liam’s eyes gleamed slightly.

Seeing the excitement in his eyes, William added.

"By the way, you will also receive some Academic Credits when you register. The amount depends on your Aether Affinity."

"Free Academic Credits?" Liam’s eyes shone even brighter.

"How many credits does someone with Excellent Grade Aether Affinity receive?"

"You have Excellent Grade Aether Affinity?" William asked with a surprised expression.

Liam couldn’t help feeling a little smug when he saw William’s reaction and proudly nodded.

William’s lips curled upward after noticing the smug look on Liam’s face.

"What a coincidence. I also have Excellent Grade Aether Affinity."

The smug smile on Liam’s face immediately stiffened before disappearing altogether.

William pretended not to notice and continued speaking.

"Since you have Excellent Grade Aether Affinity, you will receive one hundred Academic Credits when you register."

"One hundred credits..." Liam’s lips arched upwards when he heard this.

William continued.

"Also, if you possess a trait, you will receive additional Academic Credits once its grade has been verified."

"Additional credits for traits..."

Liam found it increasingly difficult to suppress the smile threatening to spread across his face.

"Do you have a trait?" William asked.

Upon hearing the question, Liam finally gave up trying to hide his excitement and nodded proudly.

"I have an Epic Grade trait."

William was momentarily taken aback because he clearly remembered that Liam possessed a Legendary Grade trait.

’Oh, right...’ He suddenly remembered. ’It was only Epic Grade at the beginning. It evolved into Legendary Grade after Liam condensed his Spear Intent Seed.’

William nodded inwardly before calmly saying.

"What a coincidence. I also have a trait... and mine is Legendary Grade."

Crack!

The imaginary sound of something shattering echoed in William’s mind.

He glanced sideways and saw Liam’s smug smile completely frozen before slowly crumbling away, leaving behind nothing but a blank expression.

It was almost as if Liam was silently asking—

Brother... could you at least let me be happy for a little longer?

William couldn’t help chuckling inwardly before changing the subject.

"Are you planning to use your credits to enter an Astral Rift?"

Liam finally recovered his senses and after thinking for a moment, he nodded.

"I think I will give it a try."

William rubbed his chin while looking Liam up and down.

"You are not even a Star Warrior yet. Are you sure you want to enter an Astral Rift?"

Liam immediately shook his head.

"Of course not. I am not stupid. I will only enter after breaking through to the Star Warrior realm."

"That’s good." William nodded before asking.

"How many days do you think it’ll take you to break through?"

"I should be able to do it in about three or four days."

William wasn’t surprised by the answer.

Normally speaking, Liam had turned sixteen at the end of May this year. Since he had missed the January Aether Affinity Test, he had only taken it a few days ago, around the same time as William.

Under normal circumstances, someone who had only just obtained the Basic Cultivation Technique shouldn’t have been able to break through so quickly, even with Excellent Grade Aether Affinity.

However, William knew that Liam wasn’t cultivating the Basic Cultivation Technique.

Liam’s father was a knight serving under a baron.

A knight was an official title granted only to those who had sworn absolute loyalty to a noble and had been personally acknowledged by that noble.

Only those willing to place their master’s life above their own could earn such a title.

Because of this, although Liam’s family wasn’t wealthy, their financial condition was still fairly decent.

When Liam turned sixteen a few months ago, his father had spent nearly all the money and military merits he had accumulated over the years to exchange for a better cultivation technique for him.

Although that technique wasn’t vastly superior to the Basic Cultivation Technique, it was still considerably better.

Moreover, since Liam had already been cultivating it for over a month, it wasn’t surprising that he was close to reaching the Star Warrior realm.

"Do you want to team up?" William suddenly asked.

Liam looked at him uncertainly.

"You want to enter an Astral Rift with me?"

"Why not?" William shrugged.

"Astral Rifts are always unpredictable, and everyone advises entering them as a team rather than going alone. If we work together, our chances of surviving will increase significantly."

Liam hesitated for a moment.

It wasn’t that he disliked William or thought William would hold him back.

Rather, they had only just met.

Entering such a dangerous place with someone he barely knew carried its own risks. After all, no one could predict what another person might do at a critical moment.

"I am not bragging," William said with a bright smile, "But I am actually quite strong. You won’t lose out by teaming up with me."

Liam looked at William for a few moments before finally nodding.

"Alright. Then let’s go together."

It was also at that moment that they reached the registration building and were about to walk inside.

However, before either of them could enter, a beautiful woman wearing a luxurious purple dress suddenly stepped in front of them, blocking their path.

"I just overheard you two talking about entering an Astral Rift." She smiled elegantly. "Can I join your team as well?"

Liam was startled by the woman’s sudden appearance.

But before he could even process what was happening, a calm, flat voice came from beside him.

"No."