Today, Almer was also dressed in full regalia. Clad in a black aristocratic military uniform, his tall and lean frame looked even more striking. His outfit featured royal decorations, such as emblems made from various dragon scales, and he carried a sword at his waist.
He wore his usual red earring, adding a touch of allure, and his black hair cascaded down his shoulders, making him appear both captivating and slightly dangerous.
He had always been good-looking, but now he exuded a heightened elegance and an indescribable grandeur that added to his authority.
Ruan Shu couldn’t help but glance at him a few extra times.
In this era filled with handsome and beautiful stars, Almer’s presence was undeniably eye-catching, especially when he was serious.
Of course, Ruan Shu mentally added, her father and brothers were also exceptionally outstanding.
Almer, however, didn’t immediately act as if he was close to Ruan Shu, since everyone’s attention was currently on him. If he openly acknowledged her, she’d feel like a target under so many eyes.
The little one was already timid and was quite conspicuous, surrounded by all these powerful figures. If Almer were to add to that, he thought his little “lucky charm” might just want to disappear on the spot.
After greeting the retired elder statesmen present, Almer discreetly greeted Ruan Shu from an unnoticed angle and mouthed silently to her, “Check your personal terminal later.”
Having said that, he left with his order of knights. Each of these tall, imposing, and dashing knights was the kind of role model young people aspired to be—they were loyal, courageous, and served alongside their emperor!
“When I graduate, I definitely want to apply to His Majesty’s knight order!”
“But it’s really hard to get into His Majesty’s order. Most are selected from top soldiers across major divisions, and even the weakest of them have S-level Jingshen.”
“My Jingshen is just A, though. Even with an A, I could probably outperform some S-levels in combat, but academically, I’d probably fall short.”
“Honestly, most in His Majesty’s order are S-level or above. Sometimes it feels like there are tons of S-level people out there.”
“By the way, what does F-level Jingshen even look like? Our school’s lowest is probably C-level, right?”
“Look it up online. You definitely won’t find it in our school, though. But the higher your Jingshen, the easier it is to get mentally polluted. With F-level strength, you don’t have that problem.”
Although they were joking, these lofty words sounded quite offensive to those with lower Jingshen levels.
Ruan Shu couldn’t help but glance over. The voices belonged to a group of young men in luxurious attire, clearly from privileged backgrounds.
Their voices were soft, but everyone had keen hearing, so the conversation carried.
Ruan He also looked over, frowning at these so-called young aristocrats.
Having pride was one thing, but being overly arrogant was just unpleasant.
“You little brats!”
Suddenly, an old man’s booming voice rang out. Ruan Shu saw Grandpa Zhao striding over, his face dark, and grabbing one of the young men by the ear under his horrified gaze.
“Grandpa, Grandpa, what are you doing?”
The old man smacked the boy on the head. “How many times have I taught you? Who are you acting all high and mighty for? Don’t think you’re hot stuff just because you’re S-level! Even if you were double-S, you’re nothing in front of true geniuses! Getting cocky, are you?”
The young man grimaced, pleading, “Grandpa, please, let’s talk this through calmly. I was wrong, I was wrong!”
Old Master Zhao’s face darkened. “Do you realize that the nonsense you were just spouting sounds ridiculous to everyone else? You think you’re impressive? With that attitude, you dream of joining His Majesty’s knight order? Just getting into any legion would be a stretch. Sure, your Jingshen is high, but let’s not forget how much of that came from those mutated Essence Fruits. If it’s all talk with you, even the best A-levels would beat you hands down!”
The boys, who had been blushing from embarrassment, suddenly grew defiant at his words.
Impossible! Even if their Jingshen had been boosted to S-level by special fruits, they were still leagues better than other A-levels, right?
Seeing their expressions, Old Zhao could guess exactly what these little brats were thinking. He didn’t care about the others, but as for his own foolish grandson, it looked like this summer, he’d be sent to train with the legion. If he continued in this arrogant, clueless manner, his grandson was bound to waste his potential!
In this world, there might be parents who spoiled their children, but many held stricter standards. When kids misbehaved, the solution was simple: send them to the military camp to get a taste of real life.
Old Zhao grabbed his grandson, and the other young men slunk away, embarrassed beyond words. Deep down, they resented Old Zhao for making such a fuss over what they saw as a minor issue, robbing them of face and dignity.
“My apologies, old friends,” Old Zhao said to the gathering. “My grandson’s lack of manners must have given you all quite the show.”
The young man beside him wore a look of resentment. He didn’t think he’d said anything truly wrong. He’d only been joking with his friends, so why was Grandpa acting as if it were something serious? Besides, he was just stating the facts—F-levels didn’t have to worry about mental pollution like higher levels did.
“Oh? You’re still not convinced?” Old Zhao shot his grandson a stern look. “Do you even realize where you are? You think everyone here is deaf, unable to hear your little comments? When you and your friends flaunt your Jingshen and look down on those with F-levels, do you know what the people here think of you?”
The young man pressed his lips together in silence, his face stubborn.
“You little fool! People will see you as nothing but arrogant and self-important!”
“I was just speaking the truth!” the young man argued.
“Sure, it’s the truth,” Old Zhao replied, “but how did you say it?”
He fixed his gaze on his grandson. “Your Jingshen is A, barely boosted through the Essence Fruit that we struggled to obtain for you. Your rank was only raised thanks to outside help—so what are you even showing off about?”
The boy’s gaze flashed with indignation as he glared at his grandfather.
“What? Can’t handle it? Grandpa’s just telling the truth too—do you feel insulted?”
Finally, the young man realized that his grandfather was speaking to him in the same arrogant tone he’d used earlier. When he’d belittled people with lower Jingshen, he hadn’t considered their feelings. But now, facing his grandfather’s criticism in that same tone, all he felt was anger and humiliation.
“When you looked down on people with lower Jingshen, did you ever think that to those with higher levels, you’re viewed with just as much disdain?”
The young man finally lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Grandpa. I understand now.”
Seeing that the boy had learned his lesson, the others in attendance finally stepped forward to smooth things over.
They hadn’t wanted to interfere while Old Zhao was teaching his grandson, but now that the lesson seemed complete, they stepped in with a more relaxed atmosphere.