The location was a small stage with rooms behind it within the academy grounds. There were several rooms that likely served as meditation rooms for the teacher's students. All the doors were in the Japanese oriental style, and the entire environment was made of wood with a beautiful beige white touch.
In the middle of this area, there was also a training field made of white stone with what seemed to be a defensive matrix in the center of this area and some weapons placed on the side.
I didn't sense anyone around, so I decided to knock on the central room's door, which had a sign in front saying "
Reaching the door, I knocked softly once.
But there was no response, so I knocked twice more and finally heard a response.
A somewhat grumpy voice came from inside.
"Who is disturbing me? Go away!"
I was surprised by the voice, but I still replied.
"I am Alex Alberian. Your future student."
It took a few seconds before he spoke again.
"Tsk, if you have something to store, put it in a meditation room nearby and go about your business. Goodbye and don't bother me!"
I was a bit surprised by the attitude, but I didn't dwell on it much and went to a meditation room that didn't have a sign. Outside, I wrote my name with ink.
After that, I opened the door.
Entering the room, I felt a Qi gathering matrix and a sound isolation matrix… was that why the teacher took a while to answer? I considered the possibility but wasn't sure.
Looking around a bit, besides an area for meditation, there was a bed, a wardrobe, and a bookshelf, likely intended to serve as accommodation for students who come from afar or need to spend a lot of time in this meditation/cultivation room.
After inspecting the place, I went to the bookshelf. There were some books:
Seeing the books, I didn't bother to read those about herbs and beasts since I had read extensively and gained even deeper knowledge from my palace library. The manual was also not important as mine was more comprehensive.
So, I took the books about rules and the history of Icer Academy and left my room.
I sat down slightly to the side in front of the professor's door.
First, I read the book about the rules; it didn't contain any information that interested me. The rules themselves were quite normal, the only thing that caught my attention was the mention of a biannual combat test event among all students where various prizes could be awarded depending on each one's performance.
As for the history book, a specific part interested me, stating that the school was created many centuries ago by a member of a sect from a more distant and stronger region of the continent.
It didn't specify the sect or the current connection between the academy and the sect, but I imagine it must be relatively reduced since I had never even heard about this connection, neither from my brothers nor my grandfather. And it's important to note that he graduated from the academy, so at least for a few decades, there shouldn't be a clear connection.
I was particularly curious, but after not finding anything important, I stored the book away.
While waiting for the professor to come out, I closed my eyes and started cultivating.
About 50 minutes later, I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked up.
There I saw a young man with red hair, about 1.85 meters tall, with a very handsome face partially covered by bangs, and his clothes were of high quality and looked quite nice while being slightly different. Especially his brooch seemed more refined and different from mine, which made me curious. I also noticed that his cultivation base was quite strong, even stronger than that of my brothers.
Looking at him, I asked out of curiosity.
"Are you an acquaintance of Professor Yu?"
He was surprised but gave a charming smile.
"You could say so. I'm a senior student of the professor. My name is Alan. And you?"
Hearing his words, I stood up and greeted him formally.
"It's a pleasure; I am Alex, the professor's new student."
"Oh, so it's you. The professor asked me to tell you that it might take a while for him to see you today, so he said you could do something else if you want."
"Ah... alright... but I'll wait here anyway."
I said and sat back down.
My attitude seemed to surprise him as he raised his eyebrows.
"Oh really? Well, I have something to do in a few minutes... but I can stay and chat with you for a while."
"Sure," I smiled, and he sat down beside me.
"Well, if I can ask, do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?"
I was surprised and looked at him for a moment, who seemed more charming and enchanting.
"No."
He didn't respond to my words and just smiled more as he asked another question.
"Well, why do you wish to cultivate?"
Hearing this question, I paused for a moment but already had an answer I had thought of earlier, so I quickly continued speaking.
"Well... for me, it's to become stronger and allow myself to be free and go anywhere I want, and besides that, to be able to protect the important people in my life. And for you?"
This time he answered, looking a bit more distant as if seeking something.
"For me... I seek to resolve some issues from the past..."
I was curious about his answer, but I decided not to ask further as it seemed personal, and I felt he wouldn't want to go into details.
Soon he came back and started asking a series of questions, and we continued chatting for a while.