61: Chapter 61: The Exchange Delegation! Ulysses' Provocation

"Someone's here to provoke us?!"

"The Academy Exchange Season?!"

Almost the instant they caught those keywords, the thunderstorm and holy light in the training ground dissipated simultaneously.

Li Yuan and Sai Wei exchanged a look of tacit understanding, both seeing the burning fighting spirit and excitement in each other's eyes.

"Are we still fighting or not?" Li Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Fight my ass! Real business takes priority!" Sai Wei retracted his lightning, said nothing more, and turned to sprint out of the training ground.

Li Yuan also immediately dispersed his Light Guardian, his figure flashing as he followed closely behind.

Leaving behind only a group of onlookers, staring at each other, still wanting to see more of the spectacle.

...

A massive shadow, accompanied by a holy, chanting melody, slowly covered the exclusive spaceport of North Star Military Academy.

Everyone present, whether ground crew, guards, or students just passing by, couldn't help but look up and hold their breath.

The clouds were pushed aside by an invisible force as a streamlined, pure white spaceship, appearing as if constructed from countless layers of radiant wings, descended slowly through the atmosphere in an extremely elegant and leisurely manner.

It emitted no scorching flames; instead, the hull was surrounded by a soft yet unquestionable golden radiance, as if a god were casting a scrutinizing glance from their own realm down upon the mortal world.

This was the diplomatic vessel of the Holy Alliance—the super-curvature spaceship, Azure Feather.

Its landing process was silent, yet solemn enough to inspire awe.

When its long landing gear finally touched the specially designed berth as lightly as a feather, a ring of pale golden halo rippled out from the center of the hull like water, sweeping across the entire spaceport.

Those swept by the halo felt an inexplicable sense of peace and tranquility, but immediately afterward came an indescribable pressure, as if they themselves were as insignificant as dust.

The hatch slid open silently, and a staircase woven from light slowly extended to the ground.

The first to step out was an elderly man dressed in solemn, intricately patterned platinum and white ceremonial robes. His hair and beard were completely white, his face gentle, but his deep, emerald-colored eyes contained wisdom as vast as a sea of stars and the majesty of one who had long held a high position.

He held a scepter embedded with a large, pure crystal, and every step he took on the staircase of light seemed to resonate with the surrounding light. He was the head of this delegation, Albert van Helsing, a bishop of the Holy See.

Following closely behind was a young man with a tall, upright figure and a face as handsome as a sun god.

He had brilliant golden short hair, pupils as sharp and blue as a falcon's, and wore a well-tailored silver-white knight's ceremonial uniform, with the emblem of his family—the Sacred Tree and the Sword—engraved on his epaulets and collar.

Just by standing there, he was like a drawn holy sword, radiating a proud and powerful, sharp light. He lifted his chin slightly, his gaze sweeping over the North Star Academy welcoming party in front of him with a sense of innate superiority and scrutiny.

He was the Student Council Consul of St. Alburn Glory Academy, one of the candidates for the next Pope, possessor of Minor Prophecy, the Holy Son—Ulysses St. Clovis.

Behind them, over a dozen teachers and students dressed in uniform, magnificently styled attire filed down in order.

Their expressions varied, but without exception, they all carried a sense of reserve and pride belonging to the core institutions of the Holy Alliance.

The entire spaceport was silent, with only the faint, lingering sound of hymns drifting in the air.

"Long time no see, Albert. Welcome to North Star."

On the North Star side, General Zhao Lie, an instructor of interstellar military science, led the representatives of teachers and students to welcome them.

"You haven't lost your touch, General Zhao Lie. The Pope asked me to convey his greetings to everyone at North Star on his behalf." Bishop Albert expressed polite greetings to the welcoming personnel on behalf of the Pope.

"During the last exchange season, your student Chu Xinghe suppressed the entire field, making us quite envious. The Pope specifically instructed me to learn well from North Star's excellent experience." As he spoke, Albert gave Ulysses a meaningful look:

"Look, hasn't the Holy Son Ulysses come along as well?"

Ulysses nodded slightly, as if returning the greeting to everyone.

On the surface, the atmosphere between the two sides was warm and friendly. However, as millennium-old friends of the Blazing Dragon Federation, the invitation delegation from the Holy Academy was not just here for a routine visit.

Before setting out, the Pope and Bishop Albert had met privately for a long time and assembled the most luxurious delegation possible.

The entire spaceport remained silent, with only the faint, soul-piercing hymns still lingering in the air, casting a veil of sanctity and solemnity over this arrival ceremony.

In the subsequent reception process, both sides were warm and friendly; Director General Albert smiled warmly, General Zhao Lie spoke with a voice like a booming bell, and they exchanged pleasantries as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for years.

However, beneath this harmonious facade, undercurrents were constantly surging. The Holy Alliance had sent invitation delegations to dozens of civilizations this time, but the lineup sent to North Star was the most luxurious; its purpose was self-evident.

The North Star side naturally knew this clearly, and the welcoming team was composed of all their elites, in addition to several highly respected professors.

The personnel acting as the welcoming receptionists were also Grade 4 senior students.

However, the arrival of the Holy Son Ulysses had indeed exceeded North Star's expectations.

According to tradition, the student representative Chu Xinghe, who had shone brilliantly in the exchange competition the year before last and had suppressed the previous generation of geniuses from the Holy Alliance so thoroughly they couldn't even lift their heads, had already led his core team to the most arduous frontline border region for an internship last year.

As for the other personnel, apart from the first and second-year students who had not completed their basic coursework, and those who had recently newly advanced to Grade 4, most Grade 4 personnel had already gone to military regions for internships.

The welcoming ceremony was held in the grand auditorium. On the way to the auditorium, the two sides had already begun an invisible confrontation.

Ulysses's miraculous Minor Prophecy was demonstrated time and again in subtle ways.

This ability, which was almost at the level of rules and incredibly profound, truly made the North Star students feel scalp-numbing and difficult to deal with.

The group arrived at the grand auditorium with their own thoughts. The auditorium, which could accommodate thousands of people, was already packed; students who had received the news rushed over, wanting to catch a glimpse of the Holy Alliance's style.

On the dais, the seats had long been arranged. Both sides politely deferred to each other while taking their seats; on the surface, they were following the Eastern etiquette of "guests from afar," but in reality, it was a silent contest concerning momentum and composure.

Just in this seemingly harmonious atmosphere, the corners of Ulysses's mouth suddenly curled into a playful smile. He cast his gaze toward the girl with an extraordinary, otherworldly temperament who was leading the North Star welcoming etiquette team—she was a second-year senior student, Senior Student Chen Yao.

Ulysses bowed slightly forward, his movements elegant and impeccable, like textbook aristocratic etiquette. He spoke, his voice carrying a strange magnetism, as if reciting poetry: "God says, all beautiful things in the world should be treated with tenderness."

The moment his words fell, Senior Student Chen Yao's expression changed abruptly; she suddenly discovered that her body was completely out of her control! An invisible, grand will had forcibly taken over her body. Her figure stumbled, as if she were frail and weak, and she fell toward the arm Ulysses had conveniently extended in invitation!

Damn blondie, you're launching a sneak attack!