Viswa freshened up at the dorm and by then most of the freshmen are ready.
Soon a senior in a brown uniform took all of them to the main building's assembly grounds.
There is a large stage and there are a bunch of instructors seated there. Only the main seat at the center was left alone.
All the freshmen are gathered. Jiva spotted Viswa and waved him to come over.
The rest of the orphanage gang is also there.
"Did you rest well?" Jiva asked with a smile. Viswa nodded and they continued with some small talk. The other three didn't join in. Even though Jiva tried, he failed. Soon, the headmaster arrived on the stage and the whole place turned silent.
The instructors stood up in respect.
The Headmaster stood before the main chair and addressed the freshmen with a smile.
"Welcome to your First day as Black Sand Academy students.
This is the first day in your journey to cultivation. I won't explain too much, because you will learn all you need to know about the school from your seniors and all you need to know about the cultivation from your instructors.
The only thing I will say is that your journey in this academy will be very competitive and everything depends on your strength.
Strength will make you superior. Even if you are just a freshman and in your first year, if you are strong enough, your seniors will have to respect you. The resources you can gain, the preferential treatment for missions, rewards, guidance, everything will be given to a stronger person first.
There are several systems in place to do that.
If you have any problem, you can contact the student union and if they cannot solve it, then it will be handled by instructors.
Now, your seniors will give you a book that contains the details of all the instructors in your academy. The instructors were already given the information. Based on your performance, the instructors will make a choice.
If you don't want to be a student of that instructor, you can reject them.
You have two hours' time.
You can browse it while getting a tour around the campus. After two hours, you will gather here and the student-instructor acceptance ceremony will commence."
With that, the freshmen are split into a few groups and seniors led them around the campus.
Within the next two hours, they got a tour of the whole academy.
The academy has the main building where its administrative matters will be handled and it is also a place with special classrooms, except for people who are on verge of graduation no one will be able to get in those classrooms. There is also a mission area in that building, which is for teachers and students to accept missions from villagers, surrounding villages, and the general public of the nearby areas.
Then there is the dormitory area, it has various blocks of dormitories and it is actually divided based on the year of study. Rather it is dependent on the strength.
Even though they are called freshmen, according to the academy division they are the Circle 1 students. With the progression of their cultivation and a certain number of missions, they can advance to further circles.
The highest circle a student can reach is Circle 4 within the academy.
If they reach that, they can successfully graduate from here and continue their journey elsewhere.
The dormitory area has its own training areas like the ones Viswa saw in the morning.
Then the academic area.
It has a library as well as all the classrooms. There are also a bunch of training grounds.
Finally, there is the forest.
Black Sand Academy is actually in one of the corners of the village and it is joined to the forest behind.
The forest is divided into various parts.
One of them is the sacred land. The legacy area where the freshmen test has taken place. It turned out beyond the mountain there are other places and a visit to those places have to be earned.
Then the remaining forest is divided into four circles.
The outermost circle is circle 1 and as the name implied circle 1 students are allowed some activity there, they can hunt the beasts, train etc.
Then circle 2, circle 3, and circle 4.
The beasts hunted could be kept by the students. They can exchange it with the academy to get some resources.
Also, there are a bunch of herbs and fruits that they could find and do the same.
That is basically the academy.
Apart from that, there is one important element left.
Arenas.
Arenas are spread all over the academy and they are everywhere. At the main building, training areas, dormitories, and instruction buildings.
It seems like dueling is a big part of the academy and when one of the freshmen curiously asked, a senior explained.
The school has a ranking system in place.
There are four ranking lists and they belong to four circles.
The higher the rank, the more resources they will get. And the ranking is decided by the duels and the competitions the academy holds. And even those competitions are basically tournaments organized on a large scale for special occasions.
And the current Circle 1 rankings are decided based on how much distance they covered in their test.
Along with those questions, many people asked about different things in the academy. About the instructors and of course the uniforms.
Turns out the brown-colored uniform belongs to people at Circle 2. And if a person from Circle 1 wants to get promoted to Circle 2, they have to fight with a Circle 2 member in the presence of an instructor along with meeting certain conditions like cultivation level and missions.
After the tour, the groups joined together back at the assembly grounds.
Without further ado, an instructor started calling names.
"Suja Freshman Rank 126, Circle 1 Rank 136. Come forward."
One of the freshmen came out of the group and arrived to the front. No instructor directly applied for him. But he applied for an instructor and the instructor accepted out of pity.
"Ragan Freshman Rank 125, Circle 1 Rank 125. Come forward."
One by one each and every person was called out.
After the ranks reached 50, the instructors started approaching the students. Sometimes, students were selected by multiple instructors and it was the students' turn to pick the instructors.
The three of orphanage gang members had a hard time because they were ranked around 100. This means they are some of the last few on the selection list and they would have been eliminated.
They barely passed.
A lot of instructors didn't really care and they were only accepted to fill up the instructors' quota of minimum students.
Jiva on the other hand was ranked among the twenties. He reached his peak after all and one of the instructors showed a great interest in him. And it turned out the instructor is actually a very senior one with dozens of years of experience and is also serving as the vice principal of the school.
Many people were surprised. Generally, Vice principals don't need to fulfil any quota of students and they only try to bid when they find a great seed in top ranks. The reason Jiva got this offer was because of the inheritance.
Time passed.
"Makar Freshman Rank 2, Circle 1 Rank 12. Come forward."
Viswa looked at the Aqua-haired boy who stepped forward.
One of the vice principals walked forward immediately and made an offer.
"I would like to take this guy in. The remaining instructors, please don't fight with me. After all, I was also the one who gained faint comprehension from the same founding ancestor wall.
Even though it was in my senior year, it would still be beneficial for the kid."
The old man who had a slightly hunched back said with a smile. He then turned to the Headmaster and asked.
"You don't mind, do you? Senior."
Headmaster just smiled and said.
"I don't mind. Even I believe that you are the right fit for him."
Just like that Makar became the student of the Vice Principal and as of that moment, he is the student with the highest status among the freshmen.
"Viswa Freshman Rank 1, Circle 1 Rank 11. Come forward."
Viswa came out of the crowd and stood in front of the instructors. His posture is straight, just like that of a soldier. Before any instructor could even speak, the headmaster stood up. He came forward and looked down on the crowd as he owned them.
He focused on Viswa and said in a commanding tone.
"From today onwards, You can be my student. I will pass on my own cultivation technique for you and if you perform well enough, you can inherit my legacy."
Everyone was stunned. They did expect the possibility of him accepting Viswa as his student. After all, it has been decades since someone managed to comprehend the inheritance of the Founding Ancestor.
But they never thought that he would offer his inheritance.
Even though the way he put those words, sounded like he is doing a favor, everyone is feeling envious of Viswa.
Viswa on the other hand, kept that straight face, he didn't have any change in his expression. He just calmly spoke.
"Thank you so much Headmaster. It is indeed a great honor to receive your guidance."
"Of course, you are a passable seedling.." The headmaster wanted to say something, but Viswa cut him off.
"However, I don't want to be your student."
As soon as his words came out, everyone was stumped. This is a much bigger surprise than Headmaster taking in a student. No one, not even in their dreams did they imagine that someone would reject being a headmaster's student.
Headmaster looked at Viswa coldly. He then swept a glance at all the instructors, and the students and once again looked at Viswa.
"Do you even know what you are doing? Except for me, there is no one else that could guide you." Headmaster said calmly. But there is an undertone to his voice now.
One of the instructors stood up and said.
"Do you think just because you comprehended some inheritance, you can be cocky enough to even reject the headmaster? Do you have any respect?"
Viswa frowned and looked at him. He is usually very easygoing, but if one looked at his face, they can see a slight difference. Particularly in his eyes.
Apart from the calmness, there is controlled chaos lying within.
There is a certain fierceness in his gaze as he looked at the instructor. The next moment, another instructor stood up and said.
"What do you expect from such ungrateful brethren? They are the freeloaders. Everything came to them free of cost so they think they are above anyone else."
Viswa turned to this instructor and his frown deepened. He is familiar with this instructor. He is the guy that followed Kai when Kai's lackey Pat beat the crap out of Viswa.
And now he happened to be Kai's instructor.
Sir Warden frowned and wanted to speak up at this moment.
"It is completely according to the rules of the academy that I rejected a formal offer from an instructor. Even though the headmaster might hold higher authority, I am pretty sure he doesn't have any special conditions when it comes to taking a student in.
He offered the position as his student as an instructor and I rejected it as a student.
So, please refrain from rebuking me as if I am a sinner."
Viswa spoke loud and clear. All the instructors were dumbfounded.
"You little bastard. How dare you…"
"Little piece of shit."
"Fucking hell. We should expel him from…"
Many instructors flew into a rage.
Viswa just looked at them calmly, but his aura changed. Sir Warden, looked at him and frowned.
He has a better understanding of Viswa than anyone else. He never saw this kind of demeanor from him. His senses are telling him, that current Viswa is very slightly different from his usual self. But he couldn't pinpoint it.
The headmaster raised his hand and silenced everyone while he looked at Viswa.
"Very well said. Student Viswa. Just like how you said, it is within the rules of the academy that you have a right to reject my offer and I accept it.
But what is unacceptable is that you talk back to your instructors like that.
It seems like because of your behavior, no instructor would be willing to accept you as their student."
He spoke with a smile and he looked at other instructors. They all nodded in agreement.
Sir Warden looked at the Headmaster coldly and wanted to step forward to take control of the situation, but Viswa beat him to it once again.
"I am sorry sir. I am unaware that it is against the rules to talk about the rules here. The instructors are trying to force some serious accusations on me. The very fact that I am an orphan doesn't warrant to me not having any choice to make.
All I said was a simple fact and I don't see any reason for anyone to take any offense from it.
Anyway, I didn't have any intention to be a student to anyone. I would prefer not to have a cultivation instructor and I would only be attending open classes.
Thank you for your concern."
Headmaster looked at him coldly and replied.
"Not all rules are written in Black and white Student Viswa.
You need to have a better understanding of how the world works and the strong decide the rules here. Particularly the unspoken ones.
It wouldn't end well to be so cocky and ignorant in the real world. But never mind, the instructors and their students will sure to teach you that.
Isn't that right my dear instructors?"
His meaningful gaze immediately caught the attention of all the instructors and nodded their heads like chickens.
Viswa nodded and said.
"I will be sure to learn well."
"I am sure you will. I am sure you will."
Viswa immediately understood what that gaze and the words meant.
He also felt locked on by every person's gaze in that area. The instructors, their students, and every other freshman that was in the school. They all looked at Viswa as if he is a big juicy pie and everyone wants a piece.
At this moment, one of the instructors stood up and explained the dueling system and rankings.
Basically, their freshman ranks are only going to hold up for this one week and in seven days, they would only be left with their Circle 1 Ranking.
And in this week, the Circle 1 Ranking can change and the students can do that by dueling with each other.
Any person who has a lower rank can challenge any person that has a higher rank.
They can issue the challenge through the Duel Agreement that the student union holds. The Student union assigns an instructor for the duel.
Some basic rules are that the person who issued the challenge cannot back down last minute unless they have an extreme circumstance.
If they do, they will lose their resources for three months. It is a very harsh punishment.
And the person accepting the duel has to accept the duel if they don't have any duel two days before.
The person issuing the duel can place some conditions like wagers within the contract when issuing it. But once issued, they will lose the right to change it back. The right to change and add new conditions will depend on the person who issued the challenge.
The conditions can be anything from asking for some resources to the life of the other person.
Once the duel is finished, the conditions of the notice must be obliged. If not, the student who broke the conditions would be expelled.
There are some other secondary rules and Viswa heard all of them intently.
The only thing that surprised him is that they could start issuing the duels that day itself.
After explaining the whole ranking system and dueling system, everyone was dispersed and sent to their dorms.
Viswa collected a Blue uniform which indicates their freshman status and went to his dorm.
He was surprised to know that he has to share the room with Erin. One of the guys who tried to latch on to him in the admission test.
But he didn't care much.
After settling in the room, he didn't even bother to greet the guy before he left the room.
Erin looked at his indifference and he gritted his teeth before punching the wall angrily.
"You motherfucking cocky bastard. Why the fuck are you so arrogant? Without an instructor you are going fucking suffer anyway. Then I will show what it means to look down on me.
I will crush your soul and gouge the eyes that looked down on me."
Viswa was not there to hear it, but he would be surprised if he stood there. After all, this is the first time he saw someone that could gain this much hatred in such a short time.