Chapter 51

"Everyone, follow me. Right now, immediately!" The teacher in the blue robe shouted loudly, his voice echoing across the square. The command was simple and straightforward, even a bit rough. Jiang Junming found it strange that the teacher could speak in such a way that everyone in the open square could hear him. This, he could understand. But the echo, as if they were in a valley, was hard to comprehend.

But there was no need to understand it. The teacher's words were already very clear and simple. Follow him and prepare for the test. Jiang Junming did not want to offend these seemingly short-tempered priests on his first day at the church academy. If he provoked these teachers, the consequences were predictable.

After speaking, the teacher in the blue robe turned and headed towards a building beside a green lawn. The young boys on the square followed him one by one. Seeing that Little Price was still in a daze, Jiang Junming whispered, "Price, let's go."

After saying that, Jiang Junming followed the other boys towards the building behind the lawn. Dwight was somewhat reluctant but still followed the two. The two boys, one fat and one thin, looked timidly at the teacher in the blue robe, hesitated for a while, and then, seeing that everyone had already gone far, exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and followed.

It was a round-topped building, blue-black in color, looking somewhat profound, standing quietly behind the lush green lawn.

"Is this the church academy's auditorium? I've heard about it before. They say the floor inside is made of the best high mountain jade."

"The Light Temple Alliance provides a lot of support to the church academy. High mountain jade is used for prayer rooms and meditation rooms. It's said that a couple of pieces of high mountain jade can significantly enhance the effects of prayer and meditation. I didn't expect the entire floor of the auditorium to be made of high mountain jade!"

"High mountain jade! That's the purest jade, leaning towards light, and each piece is very expensive."

"Don't be so surprised. High mountain jade isn't that special. My family specifically told me to pay attention to the dome of the auditorium. The materials used there are even more precious than high mountain jade."

"Stop marveling and focus on passing the second test. Be careful not to be sent home."

Jiang Junming heard the boys in front whispering to each other. Although he had never seen or known what high mountain jade was, it did not affect his general guess about the high mountain jade and the dome of the auditorium.

Walking through the small path on the lawn to the front of the church academy's auditorium, the outside was sunny, making the auditorium seem a bit dark. But Jiang Junming had good eyesight and could see through the gaps in the crowd. A faint yet warm light flickered faintly inside the auditorium.

Looking ahead, there was a slightly raised platform directly in front of the auditorium's main door. Two priests stood on the platform, wearing white robes with red sashes around their waists, both in their fifties. The white robes and red sashes made them look quite strange, one tall and one short, which seemed a bit amusing.

One of the priests had gray hair, was tall, and stood straight on the platform with his hands behind his back, wearing the emblem of the Just Church on his chest. His face, which should have been serious, showed a curious expression as he watched the boys entering for the test. He looked at each one very carefully, as if he had found something interesting.

The other priest was short, not much taller than the dwarves Jiang Junming had seen in the Twilight City. He was bald but had a long beard, wearing the emblem of the Dawnlight Church on his chest. He watched the boys enter, rubbing his hands, looking quite impatient.

The other doors were open, and many older boys entered the auditorium through these doors, apparently upperclassmen there to watch the commotion. Jiang Junming's view was not very good, but he could see some upperclassmen gathered behind the pillars at one corner of the auditorium. Some wore the white robes of apprentice priests, some wore the soft armor of holy warriors and holy knights, both male and female, whispering about the new students like Jiang Junming behind the pillars.

"That boy is really strong. Is he really only a teenager? He looks like an adult."

"Which one?"

"The one who just walked in. Look at him, he's really strong, with good potential."

"Yes, look at his walk, steady and well-coordinated. At such a young age, he can already control his strength perfectly, which is quite rare to see such a strong apprentice knight."

"The new students this year are very strong. Why do we need a second test?"

"Even if they are strong, some people might try to sneak into the church academy. Like those who were expelled last year, weren't they all like that? I heard the bishop was furious about it, and this year it's much better. But there are still some who want to sneak in, hence the second test. Wait and see the commotion, I wonder how many will be expelled this time."

The two priests on the platform nodded slightly, clearly satisfied with the strong boy's performance.

"His strength is sufficient, and more importantly, he can control it freely. With some training, he would be a good candidate for a holy knight," the tall old priest said, looking at the boy.

"Indeed, to be able to do this at such a young age is quite rare," the short old priest also nodded, satisfied with the strong boy.

Jiang Junming heard the upperclassmen discussing the strong, muscular boy and turned his head to look. The boy stood in front of a girl in light red clothes, walking into the auditorium with a calm expression. He did not show surprise at the luxury of the church academy's auditorium or the many gazes around him, as if he were still standing on the square. Not only did his body not look like a teenager, but his mind was also mature and steady like an adult.

As the girl in light red clothes walked in, Jiang Junming heard a commotion inside the auditorium. "Boom," it seemed that all the boys were surprised. Many people whispered to each other at the same time, marveling at her beauty.

"That girl is really beautiful!"

"Which one?" The boys around them stretched their necks to look inside, eager to see the beautiful girl.

"The one in the red clothes."

"Is it her? You haven't seen her before? She's a genius from Twilight City. They say there was a miracle when she was born, and she is the favorite of the Dawnlight God."

"Who cares about miracles or favorites? As long as she's beautiful. It's better to look at a beautiful girl than an ugly one, right? You're not really going to pursue her, are you?"

"What's it to you? She's not going to join your side as a holy warrior, is she?"

"Even if she becomes a priest or a priestess, it's none of your business."

As they spoke, the boys' mouths almost drooled, and their voices grew louder. The priest of the Just Church on the platform looked at them coldly and snorted.