Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Eldest Brother Changyang Hu

Sword Dust stood on the back of the flying magical beast, his face unchanged despite the high-speed flight thousands of meters above the ground. The flying magical beast was incredibly fast, and the howling wind in the sky had formed a continuous roar in Sword Dust's ears.

Seeing Sword Dust's calm expression, Uncle Chang, who sat beside him, nodded slightly, a hint of admiration in his eyes. Most children, when riding a flying magical beast for the first time, would be terrified at the height of several thousand meters, their faces pale and their bodies trembling, and some would even wet their pants. Very few could remain as calm as Sword Dust.

Uncle Chang couldn't help but recall a few years ago when he sent the eldest son of the Changyang Manor, Changyang Hu, to the Kagas Academy. On the back of the flying magical beast, Changyang Hu had been so scared that he dared not move, trembling and tightly hugging the beast's back, his hands gripping the feathers tightly.

"Fourth Young Master is indeed extraordinary. I wonder how high he will achieve in the future," Uncle Chang thought to himself.

Sword Dust looked at the magical beast beneath him and asked, "Uncle Chang, what kind of magical beast is this? It flies so fast."

"Of course!" Uncle Chang's voice carried a hint of pride. "Fourth Young Master, don't underestimate this magical beast. It's called a Flying Eagle Beast, a fourth-stage magical beast, with the strength equivalent to a Great Saint Master. Its flying speed is very fast. Even though it's only a fourth-stage beast, if it flies in the air, even a Great Saint Master would be helpless against it."

"Then this Flying Eagle Beast must be very expensive," Sword Dust asked.

Uncle Chang nodded. "Of course. The price of a flying magical beast is astronomical. This is not only because they are hard to capture, but also because they are difficult to tame. Although flying magical beasts are the fastest means of transportation, riding them is also the most dangerous. If the magical beast loses control and falls from a height of several thousand meters, even with the strength of a Great Saint Master, it would be hard to survive. Even if you don't die, you would be severely injured. Therefore, even a first or second-stage flying magical beast is extremely expensive. Most magical beasts have a violent nature and are unwilling to submit to others, so taming a flying magical beast is very difficult."

Sword Dust nodded slightly and gradually fell silent.

Uncle Chang looked at the silent Sword Dust and said, "Fourth Young Master, your eldest brother, Changyang Hu, is also studying at the Kagas Academy. After several years of cultivation, he is not far from becoming a Saint. If you encounter any trouble at the academy, you can ask your brother for help."

"Um, I understand," Sword Dust replied softly. However, his heart was a bit complicated. He had never met his mysterious eldest brother, and he didn't know Changyang Hu's personality. He was a bit worried that his cultivation talent might make Changyang Hu jealous, leading him to treat Sword Dust like his third brother, Changyang Ke, who had tried to make things difficult for him. After all, in a large family, such things were not uncommon. In his previous life, Sword Dust had seen many brothers kill each other over family power.

Sword Dust really didn't want such things to happen to him. In his previous life, he was an orphan and had never felt any family affection. Now that heaven had given him a family, he cherished it very much.

The Flying Eagle Beast flew very fast. After half a day, they finally arrived at the Kagas Academy. At this point, the Flying Eagle Beast, under Uncle Chang's control, had descended to a height of about a hundred meters.

The Kagas Academy was built on a plain, surrounded by a ten-meter-high, magnificent wall. The academy was very large, covering a vast area. Even from a height of a hundred meters, Sword Dust couldn't see the entire academy.

The Kagas Academy was the most famous academy in the Garsen Empire. Today was the annual opening ceremony, so the entrance was very lively, with a large number of people. Not far away, there were many luxurious carriages, but the horses were replaced by magical beasts that Sword Dust couldn't name. Almost every carriage had several guards standing by.

In the sky, flying magical beasts frequently flew over, crossing the academy's walls and heading directly into the academy. On each flying magical beast, there was invariably a young child.

Uncle Chang controlled the flying magical beast to enter the academy directly and finally stopped in front of a tower with a diameter of over a hundred meters in the center of the academy. He then led Sword Dust into the tower. Outside the tower, there were many flying magical beasts.

Next, Sword Dust followed Uncle Chang to the top of the tower and met the principal of the Kagas Academy. The principal was an old man about the same age as Uncle Chang, and to Sword Dust's surprise, the principal and Uncle Chang were old friends.

Due to Uncle Chang's relationship, Sword Dust's admission to the academy was easily resolved. Following the principal's instructions, Sword Dust's brother, Changyang Hu, was called to the tower, allowing Sword Dust to finally meet his mysterious eldest brother.

Changyang Hu was already eighteen years old, the same age as Sword Dust's second sister, Changyang Mingyue, but three months older.

Changyang Hu was a very sturdy young man, taller than Sword Dust by a head. He wore the uniform of the academy and had been in the academy for over two years. His Saint Power had reached the peak of the tenth level, but he had not yet condensed a Saint Weapon.

Although the peak of the tenth level of Saint Power was only a small step away from becoming a Saint, it was a huge hurdle. Condensing a Saint Weapon was very difficult. On the Tianyuan Continent, some people spent their entire lives without being able to condense a Saint Weapon. Without good talent and outstanding ability, it was very difficult to successfully condense a Saint Weapon. According to the principal, Changyang Hu had reached the peak of the tenth level of Saint Power a year ago and had attempted to condense a Saint Weapon three times, but all attempts had failed.

However, on the Tianyuan Continent, it was not common for someone to successfully condense a Saint Weapon at the age of eighteen. Usually, people condensed a Saint Weapon around the age of twenty. Of course, some people with poorer talent only managed to condense a Saint Weapon in their twenties, but such people usually didn't go far in martial arts.

Due to the abundant spiritual energy on the Tianyuan Continent, people usually lived to be about two hundred years old. Being able to condense a Saint Weapon at the age of twenty was considered quite good.

Uncle Chang pointed to Changyang Hu and said to Sword Dust, "Fourth Young Master, this is your eldest brother, Changyang Hu." Then he looked at Changyang Hu and said, "Eldest Young Master, this is your fourth brother, Changyang Xiangtian."

"Brother!" Sword Dust looked at Changyang Hu and smiled faintly, calling out softly. However, he felt that Changyang Hu looked a bit simple-minded, which was different from what he had imagined.

Hearing Sword Dust's call, Changyang Hu scratched his head and laughed, "Fourth brother, I can't let you call me brother for nothing. If anyone bullies you at the academy, come to me, and I'll beat them up for you."

Sword Dust smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Brother." This was their first meeting, and Sword Dust's impression of his eldest brother, Changyang Hu, was quite good. The worry that had lingered in his heart was completely dispelled by Changyang Hu's words.

Changyang Hu shook his head and laughed, "No trouble, no trouble. After all, I am your brother, and protecting you is my duty." He paused and looked around, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Uncle Chang, where are my second sister and third brother?"

"Eldest Young Master, Second Miss and Third Young Master have not yet met the admission standards, so this time, only Fourth Young Master came alone," Uncle Chang said calmly.

"Oh!" Changyang Hu's eyes showed a hint of disappointment. "Why haven't they met the admission standards yet? They are so slow. Fourth brother is amazing, reaching the eighth level of Saint Power so quickly, even better than me, the eldest brother."

"Eldest Young Master, please take Fourth Young Master down and take good care of him. I have some matters to discuss with the principal," Uncle Chang said.

Changyang Hu nodded vigorously and patted his chest, promising, "Uncle Chang, rest assured, I won't let anyone bully Fourth Brother at the academy."

After that, Sword Dust received a school badge and left with his eldest brother, Changyang Hu.

After leaving the tower, Sword Dust looked at the school badge in his hand. The badge, besides serving as a student ID, also had the address of his dormitory.

Although Sword Dust was unfamiliar with the layout of the Kagas Academy, with Changyang Hu leading the way, they quickly arrived at the dormitory address recorded on the badge.

The dormitories in the academy were built with a very sturdy stone and were divided into two areas. One area was for common students, and the other was for students with family backgrounds, like Sword Dust. The environment in the latter area was much better.

Since the Kagas Academy was the most famous academy in the Garsen Kingdom, it had its unique aspects. The academy's rules were very strict, and the minimum admission standard was to have the eighth level of Saint Power before the age of eighteen. If you met this standard, you had the opportunity to enter the Kagas Academy. If you didn't meet this requirement, even if you came from a powerful noble family, you couldn't enter the academy.

The admission fee for the Kagas Academy was very low, so most commoners could afford it. For those who met the admission requirements but were from particularly poor families, the academy would waive all fees. Therefore, a large portion of the students at the Kagas Academy were commoners, but those who could come here had strong cultivation talent.

In the Kagas Academy, there was a strict rule that noble students could not bully common students. If they did, they would face severe punishment, and in serious cases, they could be expelled from the academy. Although this might offend some powerful families, the Kagas Academy had the backing of the Garsen Kingdom, and its principal was one of the six strongest people in the kingdom. Therefore, the powerful families in the Garsen Kingdom dared not say anything about this rule.

Sword Dust's dormitory was a small room of about ten square meters. The room was very simple, with only a bed and a chair. Despite this, the room was spotlessly clean.

"Fourth brother, this is your room. Remember the location, don't get lost," Changyang Hu said with a smile.

Sword Dust nodded slightly. After putting down some of his clothes, he was pulled by his eldest brother, Changyang Hu, to tour the campus, with the reason being to familiarize Sword Dust with the environment.

For the rest of the afternoon, Sword Dust was dragged around the campus by Changyang Hu.

At this moment, Changyang Hu suddenly said, "Fourth brother, tomorrow is the annual freshmen martial arts competition. The rewards are very generous. The first place, the Newcomer King, will receive a third-stage magic core as a reward. The second place will receive a second-stage magic core, and the third place will receive a first-stage magic core. You must try your best to win first place."

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(End of the chapter)