When he left the Arctic circle, Art was 21 years old. He had spent some time there even after his mother's death, unsure of what to do with himself, and then spent quite a bit more time trying to survive the arduous journey out of the forbidden zone. Journeying down along Canada accompanied only by Ao Bai, he finally reached his destination a year later - the Silver Dragon Academy of New York, one of the top 5 cultivation academies in the world. It should be known that only the top 5 academies in the world have the right to have the word 'dragon' in their name, with one located on each of the 5 continents of North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
These prestigious schools had the highest of entry requirements; unlike other top academies, status could not give you entry, instead there were harsh requirements such as every student must either possess a bloodline, innate constitution or have a minimum amount of mana by a certain age in order to ensure that only the cream of the crop, the peak group of geniuses could enter these academies. In return, these academies offered incredible resources, knowledge, teaching and cultivation environments to their students.
As headmaster of such an elite academy, Keith Vernon thought himself to have seen the greatest geniuses this world could offer, that no monstrous talent could even surprise him at this point. And so when Art suddenly appeared in his office, somehow bypassing all the school's extensive security system to enter and revealed a frightening mastery over 3 elements that rivaled his own mastery over the element of wind and an oppressively large mana reserve, Keith was dismayed to find himself unable to close his mouth for more than 10 minutes as he stared at the beautiful boy standing innocently with an amused grin in front of him, and unable to speak for a further ten minutes after finally closing his gaping mouth.
Fortunately for Art, however, his next reaction was to immediately offer Art whatever he wanted to become a student of Silver Dragon Academy. Art briefly explained his background the headmaster, omitting the details of who was involved and why they were involved in his parents deaths, and explained only that he was orphan in need of shelter from a criminal organization, which Keith immediately promised to provide.
"The power of my Silver Dragon Academy should not be underestimated." He had boasted, bragging of not only the strength of the Academy's teachers but also the amount of shockingly powerful figures he could call to aid the Academy with the quickest of text messages. "We do not fear any faction on this planet, criminal or righteous." Keith had smirked out with unrepressed shameless pride.
Art's request was simple: give him a top level cultivation environment, and allow him to raise cultivate in seclusion and calm his mind for as long as he needed, and then he would become a student of the school. Keith immediately agreed, asking what type of environment he would prefer.
Silver Dragon's campus was located on what was originally a flat area near the outskirts of New York city. However, a towering mountain range, consisting of 9 awe inducing peaks, built up by the founders of the school to imperiously breach the heavens now dominated the skyline behind the academy. Each mountain was filled with lush and verdant green vegetation, each with its own distinctly unique and exotic type of vegetation, before its snow capped peaks disappeared into the clouds and out of sight. A large waterfall ran through the middle of the mountains, spilling into a large, stunningly blue lake, producing an ethereal layer of mist around it, before continuing down in a river that wound its way down away from the school.
The majority of the school buildings and facilities were located at the base of these mountains. Suspended over the middle of the lake by a circular outcropping of rock, the school's central administration building and the headmasters office proudly stood in front of the waterfall, its white walls and imperious pillars emanating an imperious grandeur. The central building was connected to the land on either side of the water by to ornately carved white jade bridges; to the left lay the school library and classrooms where magic theory was taught, and to the right, large, closed practice arenas and physical education facilities dominated the shore. All the school's buildings were made of one white jade, with ornate silver carvings along all of them, exuding powerful and imperious elegance.
Farther away from the lake, on both sides, were student residences. Truly worthy of one of the top 5 schools in the world, the school radiated a striking grace and elegance, while also conveying a sense of aloof grandeur rooted in the very structure of the school, as if to guarantee that its students would be able to reach the heights of the world one day, imperiously looking down on all others. Additionally, there were a few facilities located at the top of these mountains, meant for the top level administration of the school. This secluded environment was precisely what Art wished for, and he chose a cave like dwelling at the frosty peak of a mountain, the mist and clouds below reminding him of his previous home in the north.
Art's 'cave' was an extensive hollow on one side of the mountain, the majority of the cold grey stone covered in snow. The front half of the cave was flat, containing a small, Japanese style pagoda that Art used as a house, and large pool of water next to it, the near freezing temperatures of which suited Art perfectly. A refreshing mist pervaded the cave, full of pure spiritual energy with high concentrations of ice and water elements. The back half was a rather steep incline, with a stream of crystalline water running down in gentle loops into the pools, and then out the other end of the pool before cascading over the edge of the hollow in a gentle water fall.
About halfway up the incline, an enchanting cherry tree extended its branches above the water, cherry blossom petals slowly drifting down to the ground occasionally. The tree was somehow in a state of perpetual full bloom, the light pink blossoms lending an enchanting quality to the cave. Coupled with the light trickle of the water running through it, the hollow provided an incredible serene and peaceful atmosphere for Art to sooth his mind in before starting his new life as a student.