I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

And like them, they are responding to each other in whispers.

Lu Yuan could tell that the sound wasn't coming from any one of the statues, but rather from between the statues.

The four statues were accompanied by a sudden jolt.

The floor and air inside the hall trembled slightly.

Lu Yuan's feet felt as if they were stepping on a drumhead that had just been struck.

Then, the first statue lit up.

It is peace.

The light started as a tiny point, then burst into flames.

The flames, as red as blood, burned fiercely along the contours of the statue.

At the same moment, deep within the statue, a sentence echoed within the hall.

But when it reached Lu Yuan, it was as if something was blocking his view; he didn't hear a single word.

That sentence means:

"War has ensnared this child."

The second statue then lit up.

It is abundant.

The flames burning above are black.

Deep within the statue, there is another sentence.

"In times of famine, pursue this child."

The third statue then lit up.

It is life.

Bright green flames.

"Death, look upon this child."

The sound echoed between the statues.

However, Lu Yuan didn't hear a single word.

He stood in the middle, feeling the cold flames around him, somewhat bewildered.

Because he neither noticed anything unusual nor anything strange.

Most importantly, he seemed to be isolated by this inscription.

Besides, isn't it said that triggering one is enough? There are already three.

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

He never expected that he would attract so many statues.

Even more unexpectedly, it stirred up all four seats at once.

Then came the fourth statue, Kang Jian.

White flames shot into the air.

Its color is the purest, the brightest white.

The flames burned fiercely.

This time, the voice rang out inside the main hall.

It was as if there was some kind of disdain in it.

"You are a heretic, there is no need for you to be annihilated."

The white flame went out the next moment.

Inside the main hall, red, black, and green flames burned quietly.

One minute, two minutes passed, and there was no sign of it going out.

Lu Yuan stood motionless in the middle of the formation.

It's not that he doesn't want to move, but that he simply can't leave.

At this moment, these inscriptions acted as a protective shield, completely enveloping Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan could sense something resembling an invisible wall rising around him.

Lu Yuan simply didn't have the ability to leave.

Oden, too, looked completely bewildered.

"What's going on? Why can't I feel anything?"

"Hey, Lu Yuan, something might be wrong. I haven't sensed anything. Something is resonating with you from another dimension. I can't explain it to you. But why three? This is very strange."

"I suspect the taboos this thing involves are still alive. I even suspect that, in order to combat these things, these statues might still contain some kind of faint consciousness, or something else. Should we run away now?"

Lu Yuan also looked bewildered.

"I want to run away too. But do you think it's too late? Isn't it supposed to be that there's still someone watching me? All three statues are lit up. Do you think the Knight Academy will let me leave?"

Oden remained silent.

"Alright, that makes a lot of sense. It's fine, since you're dead anyway, you can come down and keep me company."

Lu Yuan felt somewhat helpless.

At that moment, in the shadows behind the palace, the old man suddenly raised his head.

He looked at the three flames in front of him, then glanced at Kang Jian, whose body had already been extinguished.

His lips moved, and he murmured something in a very low voice.

No one heard clearly.

Then, he lowered his head and began to write something on the booklet, page by page.

A while later, more time passed.

Finally, the inscriptions on Lu Yuan's body began to dissipate.

The four statues then went out.

The flames seemed to have never been there.

Then, the doors of the main hall slowly opened.

Lu Yuan knew that it was time for him to leave.

Lu Yuan didn't even turn his head; he simply walked away.

Because at the instant the inscription array dissipated, he could feel that the originally lifeless statue had come to life.

Four pairs of eyes were fixed on him.

There's definitely something inside those four statues. Even if it has nothing to do with taboos, there's something there.

The key is,

[Knight Academy: +1...1/?]

Lu Yuan felt utterly hopeless.

It's over, it's over.

The thing I feared most still happened.

This Knight Academy actually has an experience bar.

But why is there a question mark after that? Does it mean I'm not capable of accepting everything?

Thinking about it now, it makes sense; the higher the value at the end, the better.

Clearly, the strength of the Knight Academy is not on the same level as that of Bronze City, where he had previously been.

Wow, it's so safe and reassuring.

As Lu Yuan pondered this, he walked out of the main hall.

The palace doors opened and closed behind him.

As the sunlight streamed in, Lu Yuan squinted.

He stayed inside for significantly longer than anyone else.

Outside the hall, all eyes turned to them. Some whispered among themselves.

"Why did it take so long? I was one of the first to go in, it only took about five minutes."

Dean leaned closer, speaking in a low voice.

"Hey, what's going on inside?"

"You know, we're not allowed to talk about it. There's nothing wrong, it's just weird." Lu Yuan shrugged.

Dean nodded. Come to think of it, the Knight Academy wouldn't allow such talk.

Lu Yuan lowered his eyes, secretly relieved, and thought about the entry.

The Blue Knight lowered his head, glanced at him, and didn't ask any further questions.

After that, more people went in, but those who hadn't finished their tests. Lu Yuan didn't go to check on them one by one.

When only one girl named Leah entered, the gray-white text at the edge of her vision jumped again.

[Environmental perception: A faint call has been detected...]

Another one is lit up.

Lu Yuan silently noted this down.

The first round of testing is complete.

Those who passed were Harvey, Dean, Blanca, Leon, Eli, and Lu Yuan.

Leah, who went in last, also lit up.

Those who didn't pass were given time to pack up and then prepared to leave.

There were more than a dozen people when they arrived, but now, half of them have left.

"The first round is over, there's a second round," the Blue Knight said. "It's a battle. Someone will inform you of the specific arrangements."

"From now on, you will live in the academy."

Everyone agreed.

The Blue Knight led seven people out of the outer garden and headed into the academy.

On the way, Lu Yuan was a little curious and asked the Blue Knight a question.

"Recruiting only this many people at once? That's a bit too few."

"The academy recruits twice a year. You're in the second cohort this year, so it's normal that there aren't many of you," the Blue Knight said. "There are still quite a few students ahead of us who haven't graduated yet. So, we actually have quite a lot of people."

"But this is a bit too much..." Lu Yuan ultimately didn't say it.

The Blue Knight smiled.

"Are you suggesting it's too simple? Even a bit childish?"

"Mm." Lu Yuan nodded.

"I'll tell you after the test is finished."

The Blue Knight smiled and shook his head as he looked at Lu Yuan's hesitant expression.

Lu Yuan was left completely bewildered.

"Oh? Is that so...?"