"I see... Given the significance of the announcement, I will not penalize you this time."


    Everyone sighed in relief after hearing that they wouldn''t be punished. Instructor La decided to voice out her thoughts on the Missions.


    "I''m sure many of you are excited by the prospect of these missions. But understand that leaving the academy is not without its risks.


    Outside these walls, you will be on your own and your strength and decision-making will be tested beyond anything you''ve faced so far.


    That is why you need to put more effort into getting stronger, only then can you survive in such a difficult world."


    Everyone remained silent as they nodded their heads at what she had said. Maybe they didn''t feel fear towards leaving the Academy but her words were true nevertheless—they had to grow stronger.


    Instructor La broke the silence after surveying each of them. "Now tell me, how close are you all to breaking through?"


    One by one, the students stood up to share their progress. Some admitted they were only halfway through, while others were farther from breaking through.


    Orion, who had a dual-affinity was the farthest from a breakthrough but everyone fell within the 40% to 55% mark and La was impressed.


    Soon it got to Milo''s turn. He was thest person before Kyle and he stood up with his usual air of confidence and pride.


    "I''m about 75% through."


    Gasps and murmurs filled the hall after Milo dered his progress.


    "Once again, he''s one step ahead of us."


    "Yeah, he has really outpaced us."


    Many felt some bit of jealousy towards him but the emotion that stood out more in their hearts was admiration.


    Even Instructor La was impressed at Milo''s cultivation speed. It was extraordinary and that was due to the extra effort he was putting into cultivation above the others. "Well done, Milo, I''m impressed."


    Kyle joined to congratte Milo, giving him an approving nod. "Impressive work, Milo."


    Void couldn''t stay silent when he saw Kyle congratte Milo. [Kyle, you''re wicked. You are giving Milo confidence when you know you''re ahead of him]


    Kyle suppressed augh, before replying inwardly, "It''s not aboutpetition, Void. Milo''s progress is still impressive. He deserves recognition for it."


    [Hmm. Stop trying to act all humble]


    Milo''s lips curled into a smirk as he nced sideways at Kyle, unknowingly interrupting his conversation with Void.


    "Thanks, but don''t think I''ve forgotten our little rivalry. What about you, Kyle? Care to share?"


    Kyle cringed so hard when Milo called their rtionship a rivalry but he didn''t dwell on it.


    The hall was quiet once more and all eyes were focused on Kyle as he stood up. With a voice as modest as Kyle could muster, he spoke three simple words that could make many question if he was still human.


    "I broke through."


    Everywhere remained silent for a while before they all began letting know their reactions.


    "Impossible!"


    "There''s no way he had broken through!"


    ...


    Kyle sat down back, not bothering how the rest had viewed his breakthrough. Milo in particr was practically fuming.


    "Instructor La, I''m very sure he''s lying," Milo had rushed to plead with La. "He can''t have broken through in such a short amount of time."


    Thest time Milo had asked Kyle about his progress, he had confirmed that he was far ahead of thetter.


    Ever since then, Milo had still not rxed. Even though that there was no real chance for Kyle to close the gap, Milo had kept on cultivating with any chance he could spare and all that hard work just to get pped in the faceter.


    Milo couldn''t take it anymore and walked up to Kyle to obtain answers. "Enough of your jokes. Tell us your real progress."


    He had already begun releasing some of his mana pressure on Kyle, in an attempt to make him falter.


    Kyle had to control himself really well so as not tough out loud.


    Milo''s pressure couldn''t even affect him in the slightest, not only was he of a higher level than Milo and his mental resilience was very strong thanks to his intent, Kyle had experienced far worse through Dan and Azagrut.


    "How cute," Kyle had muttered with a restrained smile but his voice was loud enough for Milo to hear. This had caused him to increase the pressure even more, unleashing as much strength as he could use.


    "Enough!" Instructor La who had been keeping quiet this whole while finally spoke up.


    There was a displeased look in her eyes, but it didn''t stem from Milo''s rudeness, rather she was disappointed that this hadn''t caused a fight between the two.


    Kyle had managed the situation with so much control that Milo had no reason to attack him. ''Tsk! These kids can be so boring,'' La thought before turning towards Milo and saying.


    "I know you''re upset that Kyle had once again surpassed you but you''ll have toe to terms with reality," La exined with a tone that shattered Milo''s heart.


    "Kyle had indeed broken through and there''s nothing you can do to reverse that, you just have to put in some more effort if you don''t want to be left behind in the dust."


    Milo didn''t say a word and calmly sat down back on his mat. His eyes were still shing furiously as a result of his great anger.


    ''There''s no problem, I''ll surpass him soon,'' Miloforted himself as he inhaled and exhaled to calm down his nerves. ''He iszy and will eventually rpse, surpassing him won''t be a problem.''


    After Milo was done with his musings, he felt less bad about the situation as he considered it only a matter of time before he surpassed Kyle.


    Instructor La had waited till everywhere was calm before she continued and with a sly smile she stepped back into the center of the Lightning Hall.


    "Since you all need more practical preparation, we''ll be dueling today. This will help assess yourbat readiness and sharpen your abilities."


    Excitement filled the hall after she announced what they would be doing, except when Milo and Kyle came into the picture, everyone usually found Dueling a fun experience.


    La''s gaze moved through the students to pick out the pair that would be going first.


    Her smile grew wider as her eyes settled on the students to fight. ''Since you won''t fight it out like real men, I''ll make you do so myself.''


    "For our first match; we have: Milo versus Kyle."


    La had not only selected them to duel because of the tension between them. Kyle had broken through and she truly wanted to see how much he had improved, and only Milo was strong enough to make Kyle fight seriously.


    ''This wouldn''t be an easy fight for Kyle,'' La mused. ''Milo is angry and his determination is being fueled by that. I won''t be surprised if hees out on top.''


    Meanwhile, the two who had been selected to fight bore opposite reactions. Milo''s eyes had lit up with a mix of anticipation and vengeful eagerness the moment it was announced he''d fight Kyle. He knew this was a chance to prove himself and return his confidence. He had to win Kyle.


    Kyle, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow at the choice but quickly shrugged it off. He had long expected something like this to happen.


    However, Void didn''t n on letting it slide. [Kyle, can''t you see? She''s doing this on purpose. She wants the two of you to fight.]


    Kyle chuckled inwardly with amusement. "I know, Void. She''s probably tired of waiting for us to sh."


    [You''re taking this too lightly. But knowing you, I''m sure it''ll be an easy win.]


    Of course, Kyle was confident that he''d win Milo, there wasn''t any real chance for Milo to win him as his stats had seen a massive leap from thest time he fought.


    Kyle nced at Milo, who was already stepping into the ring. Despite the existing tension between them, Kyle approached the arena with an air of calm. Either way, he knew the oue of this duel.


    Milo shot Kyle a re as he walked up to him before deciding to leave behind some empty words.


    "I don''t care if you''ve leveled up, Kyle. I''m still going to make sure you regret ever trying to outshine me."