Long Leilei looked at him seriously, saying, "Absolutely not possible. You're going to join the knights branch academy at Temple Academy soon. Your brother can take the test for you, which is already very wrong. But you can't depend on him forever. If you're less talented, you have to work ten, no, a hundred times harder than others. There's still a month before the academy starts. Within this month, you must cultivate your outer spiritual power to at least ten points, to meet the minimum requirement of a knight squire. Otherwise, you won't even be able to keep up with the daily curriculum, and your deception will be exposed very quickly. I've already consulted with my knight friends and set up a strict devilish training plan for you."
"Ah--save me!" Long Kongkong turned around to run, a flash of light in Long Leilei's hand, a white binding halo locked him in place, leaving him no place to hide.
"Even if you scream your throat out, it's useless, I've already got the approval from your mother," Long Leilei smirked.
Seeing that he could not escape, and seeing Long Dangdang, who was smiling not far away, a sinister idea occurred to Long Kongkong, "Alright, Dad. I'm ready to train too. But is my big brother still going to take the test for me in the future? Shouldn't he also learn the basic skills of a knight? If there's no outer spiritual power, no matter how talented he is, can he still get good grades for me in the future? If it's devilish training, then we must train together, don't you agree?"
Long Leilei was taken aback, looked at Long Dangdang not far away whose face had changed drastically, and said, "You do have a point, Dangdang, dare to run?" Another binding halo fell.
"Dad, my brother's innate inner spiritual power is high, which boosts his physical strength. Since we're undergoing a devilish training, you should seal his innate inner spiritual power, so as to serve the purpose of training, right?" Long Kongkong encouraged.
"Long Kongkong, are you even a human?" Long Dangdang said chastisingly.
Long Kongkong gave a "hehe" smile, "You're asking for it. Come on! Let's have fun together! If you're going to drag me down, don't think you'll be better off."
"Seal!"
"Devilish training begins!"
A month later.
Two identical teenagers, carrying huge backpacks, stood in front of the gigantic gateway, their faces revealing completely different expressions.
Compared to a month ago, both Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong seemed a bit slimmer, a bit darker, but significantly sturdier.
The look in Long Dangdang's eyes was a bit excited, especially when he saw the four words "Temple Academy" on the huge entrance. An invisible wave of excitement spread through his heart.
As for Long Kongkong who stood beside him, he wore a face of despair.
"Let's go, it's time to register," said Long Dangdang.
Long Kongkong snorted, "I won't forgive you. Just you wait!"
Long Dangdang said righteously, "Little brother, I'm doing this for your own good. You must strive to become a useful person for the society, study hard."
"Get lost!" Long Kongkong shouted indignantly.
"Little brother, you know that our Soaring Dragon City is famous for its handsome men and beautiful women, right?" Long Dangdang said quietly.
Long Kongkong snarked, "No shit Sherlock. I'm obviously the handsomest one."
Long Dangdang didn't bother to argue, after all, they looked exactly the same, "Then do you know where the most excellent and beautiful girls in our Soaring Dragon City are?"
Although Long Kongkong was lazy, he was not stupid. The once languid Kongkong instantly became energetic, his eyes flashing with excitement. He grabbed Long Dangdang's arm, "Big brother, are you saying?"
Long Dangdang pointed his lips towards the four large characters of the Temple Academy, "With so many beautiful girls, can I see them all by myself? I should invite you too, right?"
Long Kongkong's eyes sparkled instantly, "Big brother, you're wise and mighty, truly deserving of being the best brother in the world."
Long Dangdang sighed, "But someone just said they wouldn't forgive me."
Long Kongkong immediately put on a righteous look, "Brothers don't hold grudges overnight, right? Especially since you're doing it for my good! For my life, for my future. I now understand your painstaking efforts, you are indeed my real brother!"
"No shit, I have always been your real brother."
"What are you waiting for? Report promptly! Bro, I'll be relying on you for exams and such. Don't forget what dad said, you have to learn a knight's abilities too."
"Yeah. You should also learn the basics so that you can secretly teach me later."
"Deal!"
Two siblings who were ignoring each other a moment ago had now cheerfully walked into the Temple Academy together.
Temple Academy was established jointly by the 6 Great Sacred Temples to cultivate future talents. As the Federation developed, the collective strength of the 6 Great Sacred Temples became stronger and the temples offered excellent benefits. However, the large personnel of the temples posed significant financial pressure on the entire Federation.
Therefore, after consultations between the Federal Office of Government Affairs and the 6 Great Sacred Temples, strict admission requirements for the Temples were set. After all, it was no longer like the dark ages when the human race struggled for survival against the arrival of the demon tribe. A large number of Temple personnel would now cause problems for the Federation.
Consequently, Temple Academy was established. Students were admitted leniently to Temple Academy, but graduation was strict. The Academy hired strong teachers dispatched by the 6 Great Sacred Temples. All students entering the Temple Academy had to pay relatively high tuition fees, which were used towards the expenses of the 6 Great Sacred Temples. This significantly alleviated the pressure on the Federal Government. Only those who successfully pass the graduation examination of the Temple Academy were eligible to join the 6 Great Sacred Temples. The assessment was very strict, and only truly outstanding individuals could pass. This also solved the problem of redundant Temple personnel.
Temple Academy had a history of over a thousand years and after a millennium's adjustments, the 6 Great Sacred Temples had developed into a virtuous cycle.
"Hello, we are here to report. My name is Long Dangdang, Magic Academy."
"My name is Long Kongkong, Knights Academy."
The reporting office of the Temple Academy was a separate small building. Though it was just the Soaring Dragon Branch Academy, it also occupied a large area. Each of the 6 Great Sacred Temples had an academy in a different direction. They all had their own teaching buildings and exclusive cultivation grounds.
The teacher responsible for student registration brightened up immediately, "Are you two the esteemed Twin Dragons?"
There was a stir in the Temple Academy before the Long siblings arrived. After all, they were exceptional enough to be directly admitted into the two Sacred Temples without the need for academy training. However, they had rejected such an offer and insisted on studying at the academy. The matter was personally attended to by the six principals of the Soaring Dragon Branch Academy. It was said that there were instructions from the head of the 6 Great Sacred Temples.
"Teacher, what registration procedures do we need to go through? Where do we pay the fees?" Long Kongkong asked nonchalantly. In front of strangers, Long Dangdang was rather introverted and Long Kongkong, as the younger brother, usually spoke up.
"No, no need. Your tuition fees are fully exempted by the academy and you also receive a scholarship. However, you can only receive the scholarship after you turn twelve. Come, I will help you with the procedures."
With excitement and enthusiasm, the teacher swiftly processed the enrollment procedures for the two brothers. Each of them received a student badge representing their respective academies and two sets of school uniforms.
The school uniform of the Magic Academy was white, with a multicoloured badge representing twelve different attribute elements on the chest.
The uniform of the Knights' Temple was beige, with a badge consisting of two crossed swords on a shield at the chest.
Being prodigies, their treatment was different from ordinary students. For instance, their accommodations were different. The teacher in charge of registration informed them that to prevent other students from disturbing their studies and cultivation, they each had individual rooms in the dormitories of the Knights Academy and Magic Academy.
The Temple Academy was split into twelve grades. Students were admitted at ten and they were expected to graduate at twenty-two. They could join the temple if they passed the examination, otherwise, they had to find their own career. Although no one was compelled to leave after failing the end-of-year exams, they could choose to repeat the year. However, this also meant they had to continue paying their tuition fees. Scholars who failed to pass the examination for three consecutive years had to drop out.
This single-room treatment was only available to eleventh-grade students and above.
After leaving the registration office, the two brothers looked at each other.
Long Kongkong took out a set of his own uniform and handed it to Long Dangdang, who did the same. This way, they each had two sets of uniforms from the two academies.
"Kongkong, be careful over there. Learn the knight's skills well, at least the theory, so you can teach me. Understand?" Long Dangdang instructed.
"I got it, I got it. I'm leaving now, I'll tell you all about the beautiful female knights in our academy later, hahaha!" Long Kongkong said with a laugh, enthusiastically heading towards the Knights Academy with his uniform in his arms.
Long Dangdang also began walking towards the Magic Academy. The Mage Academy, here I come!
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Thanks to our ally: Tangmen Xiao Sihu.