If the first time was moderately disorienting, the second time reminded Lind of the time he tried skydiving. The idea seems like fun on the ground but then you are in the air looking down at the Earth. The realization that the next step is to go against every survival instinct honed into mankind hits the stomach and nerves all at once.
Lind remembered nearly throwing up and missed the entire trip down until it was almost over. His friends had wanted to go again, but Lind had been deeply opposed. He even shelled out the price of drinks to stop them from dragging him back up into the air.
"Breathe, Lind. You have to circulate your Qi." Once again, Princess Astrella's voice pierced the fog on his brain. It was like moving a mountain this time to circulate his Qi, but he got it going at last and his nausea cleared up quickly.
Now that his body was not revolting, Lind took in his new surroundings. It was an entirely different area from the Inner District. There was no sign of the skyline as he had seen on his way in, but when he glanced far to the east, there was a clear shadow of the capitol not too far away.
"The first time you teleport is the hardest, but it gets easier. Your flow of Qi is disrupted in unique ways you can adapt to in the future." Lind nodded in gratitude. The open field was partially surrounded by a massive forest that was cordoned off by a strange formation.
Lind had seen several defensive and purely creative ways to use formations in his life so far, but this one left a deep impression on him. The pattern of Qi was far more complex than even the Inner District's defensive formation in the wall he entered through. Further, Lind had seen some World Realm artifacts but those were toys compared to this one.
"Sky Realm?" Princess Astrella looked at Lind in confusion but they both suddenly saw a flash of light not too far away before another group of 10 appeared out of thin air. Lind was disheartened to see all 10 quickly overcome the discomfort of teleportation. Even so, Lind noticed stunned looks directed at his group.
"How did you beat us here?!" A young girl practically yelled before a slightly older girl that looked a lot like her bopped her over the head. "Why did you hit me?!"
The young girl had bright gold eyes, the same as what Lind assumed to be her sister. They both had dark hair but not as near black as the Frey Clan he was used to. Their robes were a vibrant green that complemented their tanned skin. The symbol of a bird in flight was much more peaceful compared to the Frey Clan, but Lind did not recognize it at all.
"Please excuse my empty headed sister your highnesses." The older girl then bowed to Astrella and the haughty man. Lind did not like the glint in his gray eyes, but Lind was not in any position of power to object. The man was clearly about to boast before the Princess suddenly jogged over while smiling.
"You are the siblings from the Zephyr Clan! I had hoped to see you here this year!" Lind saw Astrella sweep up the younger sister in a hug she clearly could not resist while the older was standing in shock to the side. "Your Elder Lan has been a good friend to my brother, Etrigan."
A look of understanding flashed through the older sibling and Lind saw her relax. Lind remained in the lotus position but he never took his senses off of the haughty man. Something in the words spoken had dulled the greed in his eyes and LInd was fine with it.
"Your Highness, you flatter us, but I am glad our honorable Elder has been of assistance." Lind suddenly felt the need to repress laughter. It had been short, but he suspected how the princess was about to react. Sure enough, a pout appeared on her slim face.
"Stop that! We are all potential academy students here. I want us to be friends!" The younger girl was tapping her hand on the princess' back indicating she wished to be free. Lind smirked as he stood up and bowed to the 3 women.
"Your Highness, I believe the young lady has some trouble breathing. Please retract your cultivation slightly." Astrella blushed as she realized she had let her tier 6 aura flood out while she was hugging the girl. Lind stayed in the bowed position which earned him some recognition from his own group save the haughty man Lind now knew was a prince.
Lind could feel the dagger gaze trying to pierce his back, but Lind kept strict etiquette so there was no opening to abuse. Besides, the Princess herself had removed the barrier of class with her previous comment.
"Thank you, Lind. Oh, yes!" Princess Astrella stepped back and then pulled Lind forward. He was regretting speaking as moments passed as he once again saw the future. "This young man is why we were first."
Eighteen pairs of eyes now stared at Lind and he wished deeply to use earth Qi to dig a hole to dive into. In his mind, he could hear the twins laughing out loud and rolling on the ground as they knew Lind did not like being in the spotlight.
"How did you cheat?" The younger girl jumped to conclusions but even the haughty prince was now looking with interest at Lind. Sweat broke out on Lind's back, but he could partially tell the truth.
"Um, I am a 6 elemental and have been studying a lot of knowledge to temper my elements effectively. I looked a lot at formations and noticed some patterns in the formations of the waiting room." The golden eyes bore into him before another chop to the top of her head occurred. Lind blinked and looked at the older one who looked aggrieved. At that moment, Lind felt the heartache of missing home.
"Please forgive her. She figured out the room as she is a prodigy at formations. This is the first time she has lost, so to speak." Clarity appeared in his eyes and Lind bowed to her once again.
"I meant no offense, I merely love puzzles, thus this test played to my strengths." Lind waited but a huff of air was heard before the girl turned away from him. The tension seemed to drain as Princess Astrella giggled.
More flashes occurred quickly and the empty field began to fill with people. Lind was amazed at the variety of colors just to the hair he could see. Thus far, it had mostly been natural colors or what he suspected were dyes, but now Lind realized it was likely a natural option.
There were people nearly 9 feet tall with skin the color of gray stone. There were a few 5 elementals that seemed to have their hair changed to match what Lind could see. The very air vibrated with Qi as more people arrived and were recuperating from the teleportation. Lind then saw something fascinating.
There was a couple of young men with lavender skin stone but their elements were completely different from what he was used to. Instead of earth, there was a shiny orb of metal. Lind noticed one looked like copper while the other had bright silver.
He knew they were demons by that alone. Both were dual elementals but one had a vibrant green orb that seemed to bubble while the other had what looked remarkably like black light. HIs curiosity was piqued but he knew this was not the time. Lind wondered if all demons had the lavender colored skin too.
"Greetings prospective students." The same booming voice roared over the crowd as a platform appeared above the clearing. Lind instantly had to tone down his Soul Eyes as the floating artifact spewed Qi as part of its function. He almost reflexively flared his Soul Touch as well but Lind blinked until he could see clearly again.
A golden robed old man stood on the platform with 2 others in yellow robes and white lining. A shining lotus surrounding a scroll was on each of their right breasts. They were part of the authority of the Lotus Empire but the symbol of the Academy designated their specialty at a glance. Lind faintly saw wind and earth Qi flowing into their robes separate from the artifact.
"All of you have passed 2 rounds of elimination. In particular, I must call out the 10 from her royal Highness, Princess Astrella of our own Lotus Empire and his royal Highness, Prince Pyren of the Golden Dynasty to our west." Lind now had a name but he was wholly unfamiliar with this Golden Dynasty. Even so, it was easy to guess it was on par with the Lotus Empire.
Given how big his home empire was, Lind assumed the Golden Dynasty would be similar. He wondered at its name choice, but it was far from his concern at this moment. Lind saw many narrow their vision at the 2 named individuals. Lind could practically read their thoughts as if spoken aloud.
'They were given favoritism.' Lind shrugged as it did not matter. The Academy knew the truth he assumed and it will be all that matters at this point. Based on the chosen words when the platform appeared, they were not admitted yet.
"Honored Elder. Why were their royal highnesses given favoritism over our prestigious Profound Blossom Kingdom?" What were these names?! Lind felt his eye twitch as he began to wonder at the naming sense of this world. All saw the frown on the 3 raised individuals, but before they could respond, the younger Zephyr sister huffed before stepping forth.
"Idiot! It was not the Prince or Princess that solved their puzzle but a commoner. His name is–" A hand whipped around her face and brought her down. The older sister was blushing deep crimson as she looked in shame at the crowd.
"My humble apologies honored Elders and esteemed members of Profound Blossom. My younger sister is not used to such gatherings outside our Clan. I beg your indulgence." Lind subtly rotated his Qi through his body. It was unlikely, but an ugly incident could occur.
"No worries, Cassandra Zephyr, you have all earned your place here. Cheating and favoritism is strictly forbidden and that is why there are 3 of us." The 2 hooded individuals pulled their faces into sunlight next to the old man. Lind relaxed as he saw the methodical planning here. The old man was human, the one on the left was a female demon, and the last one was an unusual individual.
Shining scales showed on his face of crimson and obsidian. He was an aether child. Just as the right conditions could allow beasts to manifest, there was a version of people that could do this as well. It was rare compared to normal birth, but Lind was enthralled by the possibilities of the aether children.
They were born of the elements in special places or coincidence. It was rumored that certain powers tried to spawn them on a regular basis, but Lind had not learned why. This one was clearly of fire and darkness. If one was looking for an objective triumvirate of judges, these 3 worked just fine.
The previously frowning faces faded and all were silenced.
"Now that the disruption is over, we will proceed to explain what is going to happen." The old man stroked his long white beard as he waved his left hand behind him. The strange formation changed and instead of the forest previously seen, it faded to reveal a massive region filled with strange hints of buildings or structures that could be statues.
It was the Ruin.
"The barrier will be opened at this point to allow you in but before you think to form a team, know this formation will send you to a random starting point alone." Lind quickly confirmed this had to be a Sky Realm formation from that complexity alone. A World Realm barrier could show an illusion and block attacks, but it could not also teleport this many randomly on top of that.
"This final assessment is to determine if you are worthy of entry. We will observe and decide based on our own criteria. Please note there are 2 restrictions." A grim air now emanated from the trio. Without a doubt, these were all Iron Tier World Realms. Lind felt the pressure nearly crush him despite being so far away from the source.
"First, as should be obvious, this is not a forgiving place. By entering here, you accept you could die. There are World Realm beasts as well as similar level dangers from the Ruin itself. Do not think we will save you if you are in danger." As if all agreed upon beforehand, all eyes glanced at Princess Astrella. Lind was not excluded but his look was different. He owed the royal family a great deal, so it was easy to vow to help if he found her there.
"Second, and I cannot stress this enough, what you find inside is not yours to keep. The only exception to this are treasures that bind to you as part of their nature. Further explanation will be given to individuals that have this event occur." The threatening air faded at last. "Everything else will be noted by the 3 of us and unless used to survive inside, will be turned over to the Elders and inner core students on your successful exit."
A murmur went up from the crowd, but LInd ignored it. This rule did not affect him much at all. Even assuming he did find something useful, 6 elementals were so unique it would likely be left for him to study as part of his student life.
"You all have 1 month to survive and prove you are worthy to be part of this Academy. Good luck!" The barrier thinned before another bright flash engulfed LInd's vision.
"Not again!" Lind slipped out the words as he dreaded the upcoming nausea he associated with this act. The light winked out and the barrier restored to a view of a forest.
"Interesting batch this year. Very interesting." The old man stroked his beard and smiled before the 3 of them vanished once again.