Chapter 685: Star Cloud Academy and the Four Divine Factions
"The world is much bigger than you think." Bellator grinned.
"The desolate region is merely a small fraction of land in the vast Cangnan."
With a grand gesture of his arm, he added. "Beyond the Enchanted Woodlands lies a much richer and more abundant expanse of land."
Everyone felt a wave of awe upon hearing his words.
Ludwig could no longer hide his curiosity and asked. "Lord Bellator, are there also strong people in Cangnan?"
Bellator nodded. "Of course!"
He took a deep breath as he recalled a distant memory, something that he had kept hidden for a long time.
"Although Cangnan is much weaker and smaller than Remona and Asrahan, it is still one of the three great continents." He explained.
"I haven’t been to Cangnan for quite some time, but from what I know, the strongest faction there is the Star Cloud Academy."
Everyone silently listened to his words, including Alaric.
"It is a special institution that gathers the most talented young prodigies in all of Cangnan. To get the chance to enter that prestigious academy, one must be below twenty-five, and they must be at least in the Heroic realm or a 4-Ringed Beast Soul Grandmaster."
"That’s just the basic requirements someone must have to apply and have the chance to become a student of that academy." He added while rubbing his chin.
(Note: Heroic = Transcendent Knight)
"What?!" They were all dumbfounded by his words.
A Heroic warrior and a 4-Ringed Beast Soul Grandmaster were already considered peak experts in the desolate region. They could form their own household or even establish a faction.
"Can you guess how many students they take in every year?" Bellator’s smile deepened when he saw their faces.
"If the requirements are already that high, then there must be a limited number of applicants, right?" Ludwig responded somewhat uncertainly.
"A hundred?" Alaric guessed with a probing look.
Bellator chuckled, shaking his head. "More."
"More than a hundred?" Yskaela’s eyes widened.
She thought that it would already be impressive for a faction to gather even ten of such young prodigies.
Bellator no longer kept them in suspense. "The academy has an average of more than twenty thousand applicants a year, but they only take in one thousand students."
Hearing this, Ludwig staggered, nearly falling on his butt.
"Why don’t they take in all the applicants?" Alaric raised an eyebrow.
Just before Bellator could respond, Hershey suddenly said. "Probably because of the lack of funding."
Bellator was taken aback, not expecting her to guess it right.
"That’s right. Teaching a thousand prodigies at that level is already the academy’s limit. It might be an enormous entity, but it also has financial constraints."
"I see. That is understandable." Alaric nodded.
Training one prodigy would already place an immense financial burden on an average household. Even a big household like House Silversword wouldn’t be able to afford to nurture that many young talents.
"The Star Cloud Academy is a behemoth in Cangnan, but it is not the sole powerhouse on the continent. Beneath it are the four divine factions that are only slightly weaker: the Snow Sovereign Palace, Sacred Beast Pavilion, Divine Demon Temple, and the Holy Sun Church."
Bellator grabbed a chair for himself and unceremoniously took his seat. He then continued with his arms crossed. "The reason why these factions could stand tall in Cangnan for hundreds if not thousands of years is because they each have peak super experts at the helm."
"Even at my peak...I- ahem..."
He faked a cough. He almost revealed his identity from excitement.
He gathered his thoughts before he continued. "These super experts are Paragons, a level that is a few realms above the Unfettered."
The moment he dropped this bomb, the room fell into absolute silence.
Alaric had already told them about the realm classification in Cangnan. From what he said, one starts as an Esquire, which is the equivalent of a Knight Apprentice. It is then followed by Gallant, Champion, Heroic, and Unfettered.
Alaric hinted that there exist more realms above that, but he didn’t mention anything about it.
"So the so-called Venerables in the desolate region are nothing more than average experts in Cangnan..." Ludwig slumped into a chair, his face revealing a bitter smile.
Bellator smirked. "Right. People at your level are only doorkeepers in the factions I mentioned."
Ludwig became even more downcast by his careless remarks. The grand commander of Veronica felt his pride breaking with this information.
Alaric ignored Bellator’s words and focused his attention on his newborn son instead.
Caelum Silversword [Esquire] EXP: 0/100
Traits: Divine Sword Authority (XXX), Innate Triple Mana Heart (XX), Swordsmanship Prodigy (X), Innate Mighty Body (M), Innate Supreme Regeneration (SS), Innate Poison Immunity (SS), Innate Monster Affinity (S)
Potential: XXX
Strength: 99
Stamina: 29
Agility: 29
Vitality: 99
Endurance: 99
Mana: 199
While Bellator was still in the middle of his speech, Alaric suddenly laughed, his laughter gathering everyone’s attention.
"Who would have thought that both my children would be this incredibly gifted!? Hahaha!" He went to the other side of the bed and lifted the baby boy.
When he took the baby in his arms, the tiny one suddenly swung his fist
"Whoa! Would you look at that?" Alaric was amused by the boy’s power. It was already comparable to that of a seasoned Knight!
Yskaela and the others were also surprised by the boy’s strength.
Ludwig rose from his seat and exclaimed. "A double blessing! This is a double blessing for Veronica! Hahaha! Congratulations, Your Majesties! Both the Highnesses are children of destiny!"
Bellator approached Alaric and inspected the baby boy. "To think that he has three innate mana hearts... Although not as remarkable as his twin sister’s, this kind of unique inborn trait is very rare."
He raised his head and looked at Alaric. "You are in luck, Your Majesty. With this level of talent, both your children can definitely apply to the Star Cloud Academy."
Hearing this, Alaric sent Yskaela a joyful smile. "Did you hear that?"
Yskaela was also happy. "Yeah, I did."
"Hahaha!"