"You think you\'re so powerful, don\'t you?" He said as his grip on Manuel\'s shoulder increased. "Well too bad, because your power is nothing when it comes to the elders in our academy! You may be able to beat us, but do you really think that our master will just sit still after this incident? Huh?"

"Shut the f*ck up!" All of a sudden, the figure of Clara appeared behind Christian and swung her fist right at his spine. "What the-" Christian was caught off guard by the sudden attack that by the time he noticed the threat, her fists had already collided with his back, sending him flying into the air with a loud noise. Dayton shifted his gaze towards Clara, who shrugged her shoulders in response. "Since it is too late to stop the fight, I can help you win quicker!"

Dayton nodded his head. His eyes then turned towards Harry, who felt a chill run up his spine.

"Everyone!" He yelled out loud, and every single one of the seniors who had been knocked back by the previous attack got up in an instant, and lined up right next to Harry, who screamed, "Take him down!"

Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of seniors charged forward, roaring loudly as they headed in the direction of Dayton Palmer, who stared at them with an indifferent expression.

"Linguini," Harry turned his gaze towards the spot where Linguini had landed. "I-I\'m here.." Linguini stepped out from the rubble, whispering under his breath as he tended to his wounds.

"I want you to find Master Thomas!" Harry said with a serious expression. "He\'s the only one who\'ll be able to help us."

-------------------

The huge main hall of the new faculty building, which was splendidly adorned with precious materials and gemstones, was occupied by a small group of men, who were sitting around a round table.

There were multiple guards surrounding the room, although they were positioned far away in the corners of the room. The three men, two of whom looked middle aged and the other in his early twenties, were sitting around the round table, talking to each other and chuckling every now and then.

One of the men had grey hair and a long white beard, and although he had a frail and thin figure, his voice on the other hand was powerful and resounding. He was Elder Thomas Winfrey, the uncle of Aldrich Winfrey, the young man who was the first victim under Claude Rayforth. Aldrich Winfrey had died at the hands of Claude Rayforth, and Elder Thomas Winfrey, who was extremely agitated about his nephew\'s death, couldn\'t do anything to the person responsible for the murder, as the murderer was close to the Second Elder at the time.

Although this incident left a long lasting impact in Thomas Winfrey\'s life, he got over it after a few months. He still hated Claude, but he knew that the young man\'s position within the academy was now extremely valuable, and angering such a person would do him no good.

He was talking to another Elder, Marlon Ford, who was Elder Thomas\'s old-time pal. Marlon Ford was an Elder under the Silver Moon Academy, and he had arrived at the Royal Academy of Argria with the students in the role of a supervisor.

Seated beside the two of them was a man who seemed to be in his early twenties with a rather imposing aura surrounding him that enveloped the entire room. The aura was so majestic and filled with an enormous amount of spiritual energy that his presence would be known to everyone, making others feel a sense of inferiority when they glance at him even for a split second.

Based on the way Elder Marlon was beaming, Elder Thomas could tell that he thought very highly of the young man sitting beside him.

"Look at this young man! What did I tell you, Thomas?" Elder Marlon grabbed the young man by his shoulder and pulled him closer as he let out a chuckle. "I knew the moment I saw Rio sitting in front of the Ferdinand orphanage, that this boy was special. And ten years later, look where he is now!"

"Master Marlon, please.. you\'re boasting too much about me," The young man said with a smile, as though he didn\'t wish for the Elder to talk so greatly about him, although his facial expressions said otherwise. "I apologise for my master\'s words, Elder Thomas." The young man, Rio Keene, turned his gaze towards Elder Thomas Winfrey and slightly bowed his head. "He gets a bit too excited when he talks about me, so he exaggerates quite a lot. Despite my master\'s claims, I consider myself to be still a novice in cultivation. After all, I am only at the seventh rank of the sky realm."

"Look at this boy! Can you believe it? He\'s being too humble!" Elder Marlon tapped Rio Keene on the shoulder and said to Thomas Winfrey. "He\'s a bit shy, but trust me. He\'s a special young lad, this one."

"Oh, I can tell, Elder Marlon!" Elder Thomas said as he shifted his gaze towards the young man, who was scratching his face with an embarrassed expression. "I can feel his aura spreading through the air around us. He definitely has potential to be one of the greatest cultivators in Argria!"

"Ha ha ha! Of course, of course!" Elder Marlon let out a roaring laughter as he slapped Rio Keene on his back, which made the young man cough out loud. "I knew I had a good eye for talent, but I didn\'t think I\'d be this good at it."

"Well now, Marlon. Care to tell me what your request is?" Elder Thomas took a sip of his tea and asked. He knew that Elder Marlon wasn\'t sitting in front of him with his prized disciple just to chit-chat with him. He wasn\'t a naive fool who was born yesterday.

"Ha ha ha! You sure are quick, Elder Thomas." Elder Marlon slapped his knee and let out a loud chuckle. "Just like when we were young! You always did like to cut to the chase and not waste any time."

"Well, it is an efficient method to utilize," Elder Thomas replied with a smile, and Elder Marlon nodded.

"Well, the thing is.." All of a sudden, Elder Marlon Ford\'s face turned serious, and he leaned forward. "I was thinking if you could help my boy, Rio Keene, get into the Royal Academy Golden Crown Team."

"Don\'t you have your own factions to help with your entry?" Elder Thomas asked, confused by the request. Elder Marlon shook his head. "Apparently, the Academy Association of Argria is revising the rules of entry to the Golden Crown tournament, making it a single team entry per academy from this year onwards."

Elder Thomas raised his eyebrows. "Is this information legitimate?"

"I have a reliable source, yes." Elder Marlon nodded his head. "Apparently, the change in rules is because of the decision to unite the three powerhouse academies into one."

"Someone\'s not too happy that the powerhouse academies are all teaming up," Elder Thomas murmured under his breath.

"You can say that again," Elder Marlon let out a heavy sigh.

"So, you want me to help you ensure the entry of your disciple?" Elder Thomas scratched his chin as he spoke.

"That\'s right," Marlon Ford said as he took out a small golden box that seemed to have engravings all around its exterior, and placed it on the table in front of him. "Of course, I\'m not asking you to do it for free." He said and he lightly tapped the box. "I\'ll pay you. Extremely well."

"What\'s in the box?" Elder Thomas asked, curious about its contents.

Marlon Ford had a wide grin on his face and he slowly opened the box, revealing a red coloured egg with veins popping out of its shell inside of it.

"The egg of the Asmorath snake!" Elder Thomas\'s eyes widened with surprise. The Asmorath snake egg was an extremely valuable item within the martial world. Contrary to its name, the Asmorath snake egg is not really an egg, but a mass of tissue that has been extracted from the gut of the Asmorath snake. Consumption of the Asmorath snake egg helps in increasing the longevity of mortal life, and faster healing abilities.

"You help me get him a place on the team…" Elder Marlon closed the box and placed it back in his sleeves and continued. "And the egg is yours."

"I…" As the elder was about to answer his question, a loud sound came from behind the door, which made him frown.

"Master Thomas! We need your help!" All of a sudden, Linguini came running through the doorway. He had rushed over like the wind, so he was currently gasping for air.

"Linguini?" Elder Thomas frowned. "Don\'t you know that we are having a private meeting here? How can you just enter like you please?"

"We are being attacked by the Silver Moon disciples, Master!" Although Linguini knew that interrupting his master would be inappropriate, he couldn\'t care less about etiquette right now.

"What?" Elder Thomas froze.