"Am I just going to let him go? Finally caught him with a handle." The academy elder felt very unwilling. He knew very well that all these young people in the academy were outsiders.
Outsiders could only watch the excitement, unable to see the intricacies and appreciate the hidden brilliance!
In fact, this was a confrontation between him, the academy elder, and the student Aidan!
He first grasped the rules and tried to rectify Aidan, breaking his dominant image among other students.
Then Aidan fought back fiercely! His move seemed reckless but hit the nail on the head. By claiming to have advanced to the Intermediate Tier, he immediately regained the upper hand.
As for those two unfortunate guards, they were just innocent victims caught up in the struggle, sacrificed as pawns.
"This Aidan is too cunning! If he had really killed those two guards, I could have used this as a reason to counterattack. Although his talent is not outstanding, his methods are so cunning and thorough. It's hard to imagine that a sixteen-year-old boy could do such a thing. But unfortunately, I can't counterattack. No wonder years ago, the clan spread rumors about his early wisdom and poetic talent!" The academy elder suddenly realized that he had lost.
His failure lay in his identity as the academy elder.
This was both his strength and his weakness.
The strongest point was also the weakest point.
Aidan had long seen through this truth!
The academy elder felt helpless and annoyed.
He had asked Aidan to explain, but Aidan's explanations were full of loopholes and couldn't withstand scrutiny.
These guards were selected by the academy elder; their characters couldn't be so reckless, let alone insult the academy.
Aidan's words were deliberate, blatant slander, framing and entrapment in front of those who knew the truth!
The academy elder was well aware of this, but he also knew that he couldn't investigate this matter.
It was a trap.
Once investigated and the truth came out, how would he handle it?
If he didn't punish Aidan, and these two guards were so wronged, how could he, as the academy elder, be fair in the future?
If he punished Aidan, he would suppress talent out of jealousy! To suppress new Ascendants in the castle for the sake of two ordinary servants would provoke dissatisfaction among Ascendants.
So the best way to handle it was to turn a blind eye to these two guards and consider them as sacrificial pawns. Just assume that these two had committed serious mistakes. At the same time, commend Aidan.
In this way, the clan would be satisfied, and the guards, under deception, would also consider this action fair.
This kind of disposal undoubtedly served the academy elder's best interests.
Reason told the academy elder that this was how it should be handled. But emotionally, the academy elder had some difficulty getting over it.
This Aidan was too despicable!
This time, the academy elder not only failed to suppress Aidan's limelight, but instead became a stepping stone, being stepped on by Aidan, publicly losing face!
Aidan showed no fear of him and dared to confront him like this. This made him, the dignified academy elder, feel a sense of shame and embarrassment.
More importantly, if these two guards felt wronged in the future and wanted to reveal the truth, he, as the academy elder, would have to be the first to step forward and suppress these two guards to maintain his image and status!
But all this was clearly caused by Aidan!
What kind of feeling was this?
To put it metaphorically, it was like Aidan had smeared excrement on the academy elder's face, and the academy elder had to praise Aidan, while also wiping his butt for him. If someone else wanted to point out that the academy elder had excrement on his face, he would have to shut that person's mouth first.
This kind of frustration and disgust made the academy elder almost unbearable.
There was a growing urge in his heart to just reach out and slap Aidan a few times!
But in the end, the academy elder just reached out and lightly patted Aidan's shoulder.
"GOOD JOB!!!" The academy elder's face was dark as water, squeezing out these words from between his teeth.
"It's all thanks to the cultivation of the academy." Aidan's tone was indifferent.
The corner of the academy elder's eye twitched.
...
...
...
Everything was within Aidan's expectations.
Afterward, the academy elder ordered the healing Ascender to assist the two guards.
The guards' lives were saved, but they suffered severe disabilities and were expelled from the academy by the academy elder.
Aidan received no punishment at all; instead, he was praised.
Such a result made other young people even more frightened.
But this matter was far from over. As time passed, the waves spread throughout the entire castle.
Aidan, with his 33 Ascension Sigils, becoming the first to advance to the Intermediate Tier, became a small sensation and topic of discussion in the castle.
Many people discussed this matter over tea and meals.
After the initial surprise, people began to speculate about the mystery of Aidan's advancement.
At that moment, there were various opinions, and countless possible answers were clamoring, inadvertently stirring people's curiosity.
Although the castle appeared calm on the surface, a tide was rising underneath.
Countless pairs of eyes were watching the academy, waiting for the academy elder's explanation.
As the academy elder, if he didn't even understand how his students advanced, it would be too negligent.
So the academy elder had to give an explanation.
Days passed.
The second youth to break through the Initial Tier and successfully advance to the Intermediate Tier appeared.
She was Isolde.
Shortly after, with only a three-hour difference, Ewan also successfully advanced.
Ewan was hindered by the lack of Essence Gems, but there were also factors affected by Aidan's incident.
Then Tristan.
The 4th was Emeric.
He sacrificed his own future to secure the TOP 5 position.
On the fifth day, the academy elder once again distributed Essence Gems subsidies.
"Aidan." He stood in front, calling out Aidan's name first.
Aidan stood up, his expression plain, and walked forward.
The gazes of the young people followed him, expressing jealousy, envy, suspicion, inquiry, hatred, and various other emotions.
"Today, the elder not only distributes subsidies but also arranges the positions of class heads and vice-class heads!"
"Sure enough, the elder called Aidan first."
"He was the first to advance, so the class head should belong to him."
"It's hard to imagine this result. I thought it would be Ewan."
"He advanced to the Intermediate Tier first, which is too suspicious. There must be a major secret, but he just won't tell us!"
"Heh, if I were him, I wouldn't tell you either. It's good to make a fortune quietly."
As the students whispered to each other, Aidan approached the academy elder.
"Aidan, you are the first Ascendant to reach the Intermediate Tier in this session. This is your reward." Saying this, the academy elder handed him a money pouch.
Aidan took the money pouch and opened it in front of everyone to look inside.
"Don't worry, there are a total of one hundred pieces of Essence Gems inside. The academy won't shortchange you." A smile squeezed onto the academy elder's face.
To be honest, he had never expected that the first to advance to the Intermediate Tier would be Aidan.
But Aidan didn't hear the academy elder's words. He rarely trusted others and always trusted himself. He carefully checked and found that there were indeed one hundred pieces of Essence Gems inside, not one less. Only then did he put the money pouch away.
Seeing Aidan's behavior, the academy elder thought he was tight on money, and his smile widened involuntarily.
"Indeed, with his talent, breaking through to the Intermediate Tier must have consumed more gems. Since he doesn't have support from others, it's certain that he's financially strained. As long as he has a demand for Essence Gems, I'm not afraid he'll go out of control. As long as he enters the castle's system, that conservative secret of his, even if it can't be investigated now, will one day be revealed." The academy elder was confident in this.
In fact, since that day, he had ordered people to secretly investigate Aidan. Almost every day, there would be new progress in the investigation.
But obviously, those people hadn't found anything yet—Aidan had hundreds of Essence Gems on hand, so he was actually quite well-off.
The academy elder continued, "Aidan, as the first to enter the Intermediate Tier, according to the academy's regulations, not only will you receive a reward of one hundred Essence Gems, but you will also be able to choose the second Essential Conduit soon. Now, I appoint you as the class head!"
"After all, Aidan is finally appointed as the class head!" With this statement, someone among the students sighed.
"congrats."Isolde looks at Aidan.
"Damn it." Tristan gritted his teeth, feeling very unwilling.
"Humph!" Emeric crossed his arms, watching coldly.
The one who was most affected by this was Aidan's brother, Ewan.
His face turned somewhat pale, his gaze flickered uncertainly, and a layer of gloom enveloped his heart. "Ordinary students, when they see the class head or vice-class head, have to bow and greet them. Based on my grades, I would definitely qualify for a vice-class head position. But in the future, when I meet my brother, I'll still have to salute him."
"Wait."
But it was Aidan who suddenly spoke up.
He gave a slight smile to the academy elder and spoke slowly and deliberately, "Elder, I am still inexperienced and inadequate to take on the role of class head. Such a position should be given to someone talented."