Chapter 103: Tower Competition

As the most prestigious tournament among the towers, Shani already knew a fair bit about the Tower Competition from her previous life.

Yet, ever since enrolling at Grand Academy, she hadn’t heard any of her friends or instructors mention it once.

That was why, upon seeing the second milestone Jeryon needed to achieve, winning the Tower Competition, she had taken the time to look into the finer details.

In front of her, Elias continued,

"The Tower Competition is usually reserved for second-years and above, though there’s no official rule strictly forbidding first-years. Which is why the two of you will be competing in the upcoming tournament next semester—roughly five months from now."

Elias didn’t elaborate on why first-years were discouraged from competing, but Shani already knew from her earlier research.

To enter the competition, students had to register with a club corresponding to their chosen category, after which the club would host selection trials.

Naturally, no first-year possessed greater skill than an upperclassman. In fact, even second-years usually only made it as reserves.

Elias continued, "This competition will put your names on the map, as long as you finish in the top three at the very least. Only by standing out in a big way will people understand why you were chosen as Direct Student candidates."

"And by ’people,’ I don’t just mean your fellow students. I mean instructors, and even influential figures in Nova City."

"Winning will also grant you bonus merit points, a key requirement for transferring to Nova City that first-years normally have no way of obtaining," Elias explained, his tone unusually serious.

"We’re transferring to Nova City at the end of our first year?" Shani’s usually impassive face flashed with a hint of surprise.

Elias nodded haughtily. "If you only transfer to Nova City in your second year like everyone else, what would be the point of making you Direct Student candidates?"

’’Like everyone else’? The ones capable of transferring to Nova City by the end of their second year are already the elite among elites!’ Shani almost snorted at Elias’s arrogant expression.

She chose to restrain herself, attempting to get used to his absurd standards, though she doubted she ever truly would.

"The Tower Competition is divided into three categories: Combat, Non-Combat, and Baby Beast," Elias continued to explain.

"The two of you will be entering all three. Shani will take Combat, Jeryon will take Non-Combat, and both of you, along with your baby beasts, will enter the Baby Beast category."

Elias’s announcement instantly drew a sharp reaction from both students before him.

"Aren’t those mixed up?" Shani questioned.

"Don’t you know the requirement for entering the Combat category is being an A- or B-Rank?" Elias countered glibly.

"I’m only a low-tier B-Rank who had zero formal combat training prior to entering this academy," Shani argued back.

Shani possessed ambition, but she was grounded in reality.

Even in combat class, she constantly trailed behind Damon to pepper him with questions, being one of the most inexperienced students when it came to actual fighting.

Participating in the competition was one thing, but Combat...

"You don’t need to worry about that." Elias waved a dismissive hand. "You’ll be training with me."

Elias then turned his attention to Jeryon, completely ignoring Shani’s troubled expression. "You will be entering the Ribbon Essence event."

Just like Shani, Jeryon immediately protested. "I have never touched that event in my life. I can enter any other discipline besides that one."

Beside him, Shani stood equally dumbfounded. The task assigned to Jeryon sounded just as daunting as her own.

Ribbon Essence was a non-combat event renowned for its fluid grace and intricate dance-like movements.

Yes, dancing. The performance closely resembled ballet, where contestants held a silk ribbon.

Through precise postures and techniques, the ribbon would weave complex shapes, which the contestant then had to suspend midair using their essence power.

Shani could not, for the life of her, picture Jeryon performing graceful, flowing dance moves on stage.

Jeryon couldn’t visualize himself doing it either, but Elias clearly had no intention of backing down.

"If you compete in any other event, everyone will dismiss your success as nothing more than the fruit of your years of royal training. Do you really want the label of ’former Crown Prince’ following you everywhere for the rest of your life?" Elias challenged, his tone sharp.

Jeryon’s face hardened, a vein bulging at his temple, but he couldn’t refute Elias’s logic.

The fact was, Ribbon Essence was completely foreign to him. It shared zero overlap with his royal upbringing.

In the end, Jeryon let out a heavy sigh, unable to utter a single word of protest.

Satisfied with the troubled expressions on his two students’ faces, Elias nodded with a smirk.

"Heath! Are you outside?" Elias called out.

The upperclassman who had led Shani and Jeryon in stepped through the door. "Yes, sir?"

"When does club recruitment for new members start?"

"Starting next week, sir."

"How convenient. Take Prin—Jeryon to see the president of the Ribbon Athletics Club. Tell her to train Jeryon so he becomes the top candidate during recruitment."

Revan Heath paused, too stunned to speak. A prince famous for being cold and rigid, joining a club known for spreading warmth amidst the ice?!

"Hurry up!" Elias barked.

Revan snapped out of his daze. He glanced at Jeryon, who clearly opposed the idea.

Nevertheless, Revan spoke up, "Prince, please follow me."

Jeryon turned back to Elias, who merely jerked his chin, motioning for him to follow Revan.

He then looked at Shani, who could offer nothing more than a sympathetic gaze, utterly at a loss for words.

Jeryon let out a long sigh and turned around.

Before he left the room, Elias muttered, "You had better take your training seriously. The King is still waiting for you to fail."

Hearing those words, Jeryon’s aura abruptly shifted. The reluctance and half-heartedness he had felt just moments ago vanished into thin air.

Click. Jeryon departed and the door closed, leaving only Shani and Elias behind.

Shani felt immensely awkward.

From the start, she hadn’t held a high opinion of this instructor. Elias always carried a haughty air in front of her, or perhaps in front of everyone.

"Why don’t you and Jeryon form your second baby beast?" Elias asked out of nowhere.

Cough! Cough! Startled out of her wits, Shani choked on her own saliva.

"The competition starts in mid-March next year. With only one baby beast, I estimate you won’t even reach the Half-Beast Stage by then," Elias noted.

Shani’s mind raced, doing the math in her head. ’I actually could reach the Half-Beast Stage with just Nyx... though Instructor Theron has no idea I get bonus essence.’

Shani weighed whether she should share this detail with Elias.

Elias continued, "If you had two or three baby beasts, you could reach that stage much faster."

"Besides, partnering with Jeryon a second time works entirely in your favor. There’s no guarantee your next baby beast would reach B-Rank if you picked someone else."

Shani didn’t take offense at Elias’s words this time. Jeryon’s rank was indeed exceptionally high, and their resonance had always proceeded smoothly.

However, she had already promised to conduct resonance with Aster by the end of this week.

With Aster, she had no idea how long it would take for their artificial egg to hatch, it could take a week, or even a month.

Seeing Shani lost in thought, Elias didn’t press the matter further. After all, Shani wasn’t his Direct Student candidate.

Still, he planned to have Jeryon convince Shani to form their second baby beast together. Considering how smitten the prince was, Elias was confident Jeryon wouldn’t refuse.

"Alright, now I’ll teach you how to win a duel against a stronger opponent," Elias said, snapping Shani out of her reverie.

"How, sir?" Shani asked, her curiosity genuinely piqued.

"Most people believe that winning a fight comes down to how advanced a person’s beastification is. That is true to an extent, but it isn’t always the case."

"You likely haven’t covered this in your first-year curriculum yet, but beast essence and beast energy are two fundamentally different things, especially regarding the beastification process."

"Beastification strictly requires beast essence. If beast energy grants you endurance, then essence is your true offense and defense."

Shani understood his point instantly. She had already read a book provided by the System that explicitly detailed the distinction between the two.

"Many people think the Non-Beast Stage is entirely useless, that at most, one can only project beast pressure, though even that is usually reserved for those who’ve reached the Half-Beast Stage."

"In truth, however, if properly trained, even those in the Non-Beast Stage possess their own unique forms of attack and defense."

Shani fixed her gaze on Elias, her interest thoroughly piqued. This was a completely new concept to her.

"Damon mentioned that your energy regulation is exceptionally stable, meaning you excel at controlling the energy inside your body. That’s a solid foundation. Now, you need to train yourself to discharge that energy like a gunshot."

Shani tilted her head slightly. "A gunshot?"

...