Almost every inner court graduate was destined to become a battle armor master. This was an undisputed fact. Each battle armor master was a strategic asset to the Federation itself.

Although a few inner court students chose to leave for personal reasons, any such departure would immediately shake the world, drawing the attention of every superpower.

On the eve of the entrance exams, Central City was packed to the brim. Every inn overflowed with hopeful examinees, their teachers, and their families.

Merchants seized the opportunity with ruthless enthusiasm. Some sold "ancient exam questions" and dubious rule guides. Others peddled spirit items or soul devices, all claiming miraculous effects.

The entire city buzzed like a living organism, each group feeding off the others.

The entrance exam itself had three basic requirements.

First, examinees had to be recommended by a major city.

Second, they had to be under fifteen years of age.

Third, their soul power had to be at least rank twenty-five.

But above all else, there was one rule decreed twenty thousand years ago.

Central Academy did not accept ordinary people.

It accepted monsters.

And so, since ancient times, it had also been known as the Monster Academy.

Alfred slowly approached Central Academy's western gate. His expression was solemn, yet something deeper flickered behind his eyes.

When he saw the words "Central Academy" carved into the plaque hanging above the gate of the city-turned-academy, his steps came to a halt. His lips pressed together, and his heart stirred.

Giselle walked up beside him. "Go on. Teacher has missed you all these years. You're both too stubborn to reconcile. I was really happy when you agreed to come back, you know."

Alfred lowered his head without replying. Then he moved forward, his pace suddenly quickening, as though afraid he might hesitate if he slowed down.

Two youths in dark-green uniforms stood guard at the western gate of Central Academy, also known as Central Inner City.

Upon seeing Giselle, both immediately saluted. "Senior sister."

"This is my friend," Giselle said calmly. "Please grant him entry."

She took out a hexagonal metal plate and handed it to them. One of the guards examined it briefly, then nodded and stepped aside.

Giselle and Alfred passed through the gate.

"I originally prepared this entry token for your female disciple," Giselle remarked lightly. "I didn't expect I'd end up using it on you."

She truly hadn't expected Alfred to return with her when she set out that morning.

Alfred said nothing. His thoughts had already drifted far away.

Inside Central Inner City, the world seemed to transform.

The noise and chaos of the outer city vanished, replaced by an almost sacred stillness. A wide street paved with black bricks stretched ahead, flanked by ancient wooden buildings. Every shop looked as though it had stood there for millennia.

It reminded Alfred of Arcana City, yet the buildings here were spaced farther apart. Greenery filled the gaps between structures, lending the entire place a dignified serenity.

All the shops were open, yet few people walked the streets.

Alfred quickened his pace, heading straight toward the academy's core.

Giselle followed at his side, her gaze unfocused as memories surfaced. Once, long ago, she had followed him through these same streets, step for step.

That time was gone.

The sunny youth who always wore a warm smile had become a man cloaked in frost, dressed in white, carrying a blue sword.

Giselle couldn't remember the last time she had seen Alfred smile. When the woman he loved passed away, his smile seemed to freeze forever.

After that, he secluded himself in West Ocean City, refusing to return to Central Academy.

Sometimes, Giselle felt as though his spirit had already died, and that he lived on only to fulfill a promise to his beloved. A promise to preserve her name alongside his within his battle armor.

Even after leaving Central Academy, Alfred continued to prove how extraordinary he was. At just thirty-two years old, he was already a seven-ringed Soul Sage and capable of crafting three-word battle armor.

Giselle believed that no matter how difficult the path became, he would walk it to the end. His will was simply that unyielding.

When she later met his disciples and saw how carefully he guided them, Giselle felt genuine relief. Alfred finally had something anchoring him to this world again.

Alongside the memory of his beloved, four more people had found a place in his heart.

This time, he had returned for their sake.

After passing through several streets and arriving at a familiar area, Alfred suddenly stopped.

Giselle walked straight into his back and cried out in surprise, rubbing her nose. "Why did you stop so suddenly?"

Alfred's icy gaze softened ever so slightly.

The junior sister who had always followed him around in the past used to say the same thing.

More than ten years had passed in the blink of an eye.

They had grown up. They had matured. And they had paid the price for it.

He had paid the most of all.

"Where is Teacher?" Alfred asked quietly.

"Where is Teacher?" Alfred asked again, his hand unconsciously reaching out to ruffle Giselle's hair.

The moment his fingers touched her, Giselle's composure collapsed. Tears flooded her evergreen eyes as she lunged forward and threw herself into his arms.

"Senior brother…" she sobbed, her voice breaking.

Her crying drew the attention of passersby almost instantly.

"Isn't that Senior Sister Giselle? The White-haired Witch?"

"She never smiles. Why is she crying?"

"Who's that man? He's so handsome!"

"He looks familiar… wait, who is he?"

Whispers rippled through the street like wind over water.

Alfred gently patted Giselle's back. "Let's go."

Giselle lifted her head, eyes swollen and glistening. "You're still my senior brother, right?"

Alfred forced a bitter smile. "That isn't for me to decide. Let's go."

Taking her by the arm, he strode forward with long, determined steps toward the heart of the inner city.

"Teacher is in the inner court," Giselle said softly as she wiped her tears.

Inner court.

The words struck Alfred like a hammer. That place had once been everything to him. He had poured his youth, his pride, and his blood into it… and lost just as much in return.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Alfred suddenly released Giselle's hand and broke into a run.

Cold air trailed behind him as he sprinted toward the eastern sector of the inner city.

Giselle hurried after him, struggling to keep pace.

Before long, a towering wall draped in mossy green rose into view. It sealed off everything beyond it, converging into a magnificent archway. Hanging above the archway was a simple sign:

Inner Court.

There were no guards.

Yet when Alfred saw those two words, he stopped dead in his tracks.

It was as if his entire being had been frozen in place.

This was the legendary inner court of Central Academy. A place worshipped across the continent. A place that inspired both awe and fear within the Federation.

Lush greenery sprawled beyond the wall, like a tranquil park untouched by the outside world.

No guards were needed here. The name alone was deterrence enough.

"Senior brother…" Giselle finally caught up, stopping beside him.

"Don't call me that," Alfred said quietly. "I'm no longer qualified. If Teacher hears it, you'll be punished."

With that, he dropped to his knees.

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