The security personnel at the training base were likely drawn from a local Whip of Order squad, or had been transferred from the Whip of Order to be stationed here. A dignified man in divine robes stepped out from behind the nearly frantic instructor and addressed the room:
"I am the security captain of the training base. We need to conduct an investigation into this extremely serious security incident. My men will be questioning all of you. Please cooperate with us."
Muri spoke up. "We refuse to cooperate. We have class tomorrow, and we need our rest right now."
"This is a security incident!"
"Take note: this is *your* security incident!"
"You..."
"I find it unimaginable that such an absurd, outrageous thing could happen right under the eyes of the Holy See in the Dinge Region. I hope you will carry out a self-examination and rectify this as soon as possible.
"Furthermore, learn to pay for your own mistakes first.
"Let's go. Back to our rooms to rest."
Muri turned and walked out, his squad members following behind him.
The security captain moved to stop them, but in the end, he did not.
Karen could only sigh in admiration: *Truly a squad of young masters.*
Well, since someone had taken the lead, Karen had no intention of leading his own people into an interrogation. He stood up and led his squad out of the conference hall as well.
Upon arriving on their floor, Karen told his team members, "Get a good rest, everyone. Don't let jet lag affect your performance in class tomorrow."
Aisli asked, "Captain, something this big... is it just brushed aside like this?"
Karen chuckled. "I'd be happy if a substitute teacher taught our class every day from now on."
Hearing this, everyone laughed.
The real reason no one took the incident to heart was that tonight's lesson had been thoroughly exhilarating.
Once inside their room, Ventura poured a glass of ice water and handed it to Karen.
"Captain, are you taking a bath?"
"Yes."
"I'll go wipe down the tub for you first."
Without waiting for Karen to refuse, he darted into the bathroom and got to work.
After a while, Ventura emerged. "Captain, the water is running. It'll take a moment."
"Mm, thanks for your trouble."
"Not at all, I'm glad to do it! By the way, Captain, who do you think Instructor Piro is?"
"The hotel has defensive arrays, yet he effortlessly took us out and just as effortlessly brought us back—and he was genuinely teaching a class. I imagine it's some high-ranking figure in the church who acted on a sudden whim."
"Really?"
"Let's see how things play out. If nothing major comes of this and life goes on as usual, we can basically take it for granted that some big shot was behind it."
Just then, the doorbell rang. Ventura opened the door to find a group of hotel staff standing outside.
Ventura accepted two sets of illustrated manuals from them and shut the door.
"Captain, they're manuals on the monster beasts in that cave. The hotel staff brought them."
"Oh. Then it almost certainly was the work of some high-ranking figure."
...
After taking a bath, Karen went to sleep. However, he woke up quite early—checking the time, it was only four-thirty in the morning.
Karen switched on his bedside lamp and lay in bed reading.
At six-thirty, he heard Ventura's footsteps coming down the stairs from above. Although Ventura trod very lightly, the distance was short and Karen was already awake; if he couldn't even detect that, his time in the Whip of Order would have been entirely wasted.
From the living room came the sound of Ventura calling to order breakfast. Once the call ended, Karen stepped out of the bedroom.
"Go wake the others. They might oversleep."
After all, jet lag was still a factor.
"Yes, Captain."
After breakfast, the squad assembled—not in the conference hall, but on the beach outside the hotel.
Karen noticed that from descending the stairs to reaching the beach, there was no heavier security presence than the day before, further confirming his suspicion regarding Instructor Piro's identity.
Moreover, the instructor for today's class was also an old man.
This gave Karen reason to suspect that if last night's class had been preempted, then today, the teacher originally scheduled to teach might already be resting at home.
Perhaps a bunch of old men had gathered over tea, talked about this, and decided to step in and have some fun.
The so-called rules were no obstacle to them; their status was high enough that they could bend the rules and then smooth them over without a hitch.
Sure enough, the moment the old man spoke, he gave himself away:
"I am your instructor for today. Yesterday, I heard from Piro that this batch of youngsters has great caliber. I hope you aren't just good at arrays."
With that,
the old man raised his left foot and stomped down hard.
*Buzz!*
The entire stretch of beach trembled.
Karen noticed that the sand beneath their feet had suddenly become solid and compact.
"You may call me Liwen, or you may call me Teacher. Of course, I'd prefer you call me... Vice Commander!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a suit of black Order armor manifested over the old man. His aura unfurled completely, and a chilling majesty emanated from the depths of his eyes.
*Vice Commander of a knight order?*
*Judging by his age, though, he should already be retired.*
"For Order!"
Following Liwen's low cry, Bart, Blanche, and Mars from Karen's squad raised their right fists and struck their chests.
Two members of Muri's squad made the same salute, clearly also hailing from the knight orders.
The five chanted in unison:
"We dedicate our loyalty!"
Liwen nodded with deep satisfaction. "Good! Excellent! You children from the knight orders must always remember the glory borne by your ancestors, and you must view the First Knight Order as your ultimate destination!"
"Yes, Commander!"
"Yes, Commander!"
"Let the others know—and more importantly, let them see with their own eyes—that our Church of Order's knight orders are the true gathering place of elites, the eternal defenders of Order, the imperishable spear in the hands of the God of Order!"
Karen couldn't help feeling speechless. *As an instructor, are you trying to stir up factional division here?*
Then again, this instructor had probably stepped in on a whim and hadn't prepared a lesson plan—or at least hadn't prepared proper opening remarks.
Karen had noticed that before the old man donned his armor, his expression had been slightly tense, betraying a touch of awkwardness.
That was a normal person's reaction when confronted with an unfamiliar setting. The subsequent normal reaction was to instinctively pull the situation into familiar territory.
Like this instructor, who simply dragged the tone into his familiar knight order routine, naturally ignoring the feelings of the rest of the students.
Furthermore, he didn't seem inclined to correct himself or cater to everyone. He turned straight toward the sea.
In the next moment, a surge of energy blasted from him, parting the seawater. He began walking forward, and everyone followed.
Having experienced last night, everyone worried that the sea on either side might lose its restraint and crash down at any second, and they were prepared for the worst. Fortunately, today's instructor was less playful than last night's and didn't seem interested in delivering that kind of surprise thrill.
A black building appeared before them—the one they had seen last night.
The structure resembled a courtyard compound, with sculptures of four ferocious beasts at its four corners, while a blue barrier overhead kept the seawater at bay.
Liwen walked inside, and the students filed in behind him.
Karen didn't vie with Muri's group, letting them enter first. But the moment Muri's squad stepped across the threshold, they all crashed to the floor.
There happened to be a layer of greenish algae-filled water on the floor. It seemed this place was rarely visited, and an extremely foul stench hovered over the murky water. At this moment, nearly every member of Muri's squad was soaked in it.
Karen immediately warned, "Mobilize your spiritual power! There must be an increased gravity effect inside! Aisli, Mars, Blanche, stick to the sides and brace against the walls!"
"Yes, Captain."
Karen took a step inside. In an instant, terrifying gravity bore down upon him. He dropped directly to one knee, yet his torso continued to pitch forward uncontrollably—his face was headed straight for the floor tiles.
Hitting bare tiles would be one thing, but washing his face in algae water was more than Karen could stomach.
Immediately, Karen clenched his fingers. Ten chains of Order materialized at his flanks, serving as struts. Forcing his spine straight against them, he exerted quiet strength and slowly stood back up.
Liwen walked up to Karen. "Very solid spiritual reserves."
As he spoke, Liwen lightly patted Karen's chest, as if offering casual encouragement.
Yet in Karen's perception, it felt as though someone had smashed a giant warhammer into his chest several times over.
Karen's internal spiritual power went into disarray; the ten chains of Order flanking him faded instantly, and his body was about to fall again.
Yet right at that moment, ten new chains of Order manifested beside him, once again helping him maintain his balance against the crushing gravity.
Liwen looked at Karen in surprise. He had clearly disrupted the youth's spiritual flow just now, yet the boy had forcibly initiated the spell once more.
What Liwen didn't know was that the young man before him had two additional reservoirs of spiritual power: his eyes, and his heart.
"Your accumulation and application of spiritual power truly surprised me. What a pity. I can tell that your physical constitution is remarkably mediocre. If only you could spare some effort to condition your body, how wonderful that would be."
Karen desperately wanted to tell him: *Do you have any idea how much effort I spent conditioning that sickly invalid of a body just to earn your evaluation of 'mediocre'?!*
At that moment, Karen saw Liwen raise his hand again, aiming for his shoulder.
*Again?!*
*Pat. Pat.*
Two gentle pats on the shoulder, and Karen felt the gravity crushing him intensify once more. His internal spiritual power was thoroughly suppressed, and the ten chains of Order at his sides dissipated yet again.
"I'm telling you: spiritual power is indeed the foundation of everything we do, but your body is your root. If the bottle isn't sturdy, no matter how much water you pour in, it will leak."
Karen pitched forward, but just as he was about to fall into the algae water, ten chains of Order sprang out once more, propping him up and hauling him back upright.
Liwen frowned and fell silent.
After a pause, he laughed. "Fine. With such an abundant spiritual foundation, perhaps you really don't need to worry too much about your body."
With that, he stepped around Karen.
Evidently, as speechless as Karen was with him, he was even more at a loss with Karen.
It was as though he snapped a twig, only for Karen to snap a whole bundle; Karen's stubborn refusal to cooperate made it nearly impossible for the old man's one-track lesson plan to proceed.
Liwen walked over to Ventura. He and Karen were the only two left standing, though Ventura had already enlarged his body. Even so, groans and creaks emanated from Ventura's frame, showing how desperately he was struggling to hold on.
Several times he had felt like collapsing, but seeing his captain still on his feet, he gritted his teeth and held out.
"You—very good." Liwen seemed to perceive Ventura's physical condition. "Good material for the knight orders. You'd make a fine shieldbearer.
"Do you all see? A true powerhouse must possess not only talent, but also this kind of unyielding perseverance!
"Take him, for instance. I can tell he's been pollu—"
As he spoke, Liwen patted Ventura on the chest.
This time, it was out of genuine admiration, and he hadn't applied any force at all. The problem was that Ventura had witnessed what the instructor did to his captain and knew the terrifying power lurking beneath those casual gestures. If even the captain nearly fell twice, what chance did he have?
So, beneath a gentle pat meant purely as praise, Ventura prematurely lost his nerve, completely deflated, and hit the ground with a loud *thud*.
Liwen: "..."
Stuck for words, Liwen couldn't formulate a response. He walked to the center of the area and stood there alone, turning his back on everyone.
By then, Muri had also managed to struggle to his feet, and beside him, one of his squad members unsteadily rose as well.
Their physical constitutions were naturally robust, and after adapting to the gravity, they finally got back up.
As time passed, the others gradually rose to their feet. Those with weaker constitutions leaned on companions or propped themselves against railings and walls, but in the end, everyone was upright.
At that moment, Liwen—who had been wasting class time with his back turned—finally clapped his hands and turned around.
"We of the knight orders must..."
He dismissed the amplified gravity. The crushing weight pressing down on everyone vanished in an instant. Karen alone maintained his balance using the chains of Order at his flanks, while everyone else collectively lost their balance and toppled back to the floor, mostly falling backward.
"Get up, all of you! The creed of the knight orders dictates that even in death, you fall forward!"
The recruits finally scrambled to their feet again. Aside from Karen, everyone's divine robes were now stained green—evenly coated on both front and back.
By now, even Bart and the others from the knight orders couldn't help questioning the competence of today's instructor. Who taught a class like this?
This collective wave of distrust from the students only deepened Vice Commander Liwen's already mounting irritation.
Waving a hand, he dispelled his armor and declared:
"In my view, the most effective teaching is combat! Standing before you right now is a retired former vice commander of a knight order, which means you have the finest sparring partner available!
"We have an entire day here. There are twelve of you, but I believe that over the course of today, I can spar with each of you three times.
"I will use practical action to teach you the unshakeable importance of close-quarters combat in real battle!
"Are you thrilled? Are you excited?!"
The crowd fell silent.
*So you don't know how to teach anymore, and now you're just jumping in to beat up your students?*
*And one beating isn't enough—you want everyone to take three beatings in rotation?*
*That's not how a teacher acts!*
Liwen gave a dry cough. Realizing he had left out a condition, he quickly added, "To bring out the full benefits of actual combat, I will restrict my power level to match your realm.
"Those from the knight orders know well that within the orders, we have a tier ranking system corresponding to the realms outside. We simply call them Tier One, Tier Two, Tier Three, Tier Four...
"I will use power equivalent to your tier to strike you down, allowing you to experience firsthand what it feels like to be defeated by someone with the same level of strength. That way, you will be able to respond better in actual combat in the future.
"You all have your credentials on you, don't you?
"Step forward and show me your credentials. I will restrict my tier of strength based on your realm.
"Hahaha!
"This is a priceless opportunity you couldn't buy outside, no matter how high a price you paid!
"Who goes first?"
No one volunteered with an "I will!"—not even the five knight order scions across the two squads, because everyone harbored serious doubts about their instructor's current emotional stability.
Seeing the cold reception, Liwen pursed his lips, swallowed, pointed at Karen, and asked, "What is your name?"
"Teacher, my name is Karen. Karen Silva."
"Very good! Student Karen goes first!"
Karen: "..."
This was pure retaliation—simply because Karen was the only one present who was still clean.
Karen felt the instructor couldn't wait to dirty him up so he would fit in with the rest of the group.
Karen desperately wanted to point out: *You can't do this, it's way too obvious.*
But there was no helping it; his name had been called, so he had to step up.
Karen walked up to Liwen.
With arms crossed over his chest, Liwen asked, "Produce your credentials."
"Teacher, there's something I need to explain first."
"Cut the nonsense! Produce your credentials!"
"Teacher, I need to..."
"Bring them out!"
Karen brought out his credentials and opened them.
Without looking down at them, Liwen smiled at the other students and said, "Call out your realm!"
"Teacher, there's something I need—"
"Cut the nonsense! I know what you need—my promise, right? Don't worry, you have it.
"Listen up, none of you need to worry. I will absolutely not break the rules or cheat during this process!
"I will only use a power tier corresponding to the realm on your credentials. I swear on my family name!
"Are you satisfied now?
"Call out the realm on your credentials! Hurry up!"
"God's Servant."
Liwen: "..."
Chapter 338