High above the mountains, in the endless skies, a plane was flying across as though it were gliding through them. Within the plane, groups of teenagers eagerly waited to arrive at their common destination.
Some were giggling and talking, some were sleeping, and some were just watching movies and eating. Despite the raucous nature of all that surrounds him, Kylian von Frieden, barely registered any noise as he looked out the window in his first-class seat.
"The world looks so small from up here. I wonder if this is how my family sees it—everything beneath them."
It had been eighteen years since he reincarnated into this world, and like most, he adapted to it just fine—or perhaps a little too easily. But that was understandable; by the time exhaustion claimed him in his previous life, he had grown detached. Being reborn into a noble family was one of the few boons this new life offered.
He thoroughly enjoyed his freedom from the constraints of modern society by indulging in all sorts of desires and pleasures that weren't accessible to the average person. He engaged in drinking, eating, and gambling—activities he had avoided in his previous life. In this new life, he embraced these experiences wholeheartedly. He did get his name dragged through the mud because of this lavish lifestyle but he didn't really care for that and just enjoyed life.
When he turned eighteen, he realized he had to start taking this life seriously, as his family's support would soon change drastically. The patriarch had made it clear: no more assistance unless he began training and finding his own path in this world. Kylian didn't mind, though; he was already growing bored of his lavish lifestyle. While the world appeared technologically advanced on the surface, its supernatural nature far overshadowed it.
Despite all of this, Kylian couldn't care less about the nature of this world. He may not have any cheats like most other reincarnators in books, but the world itself seems interesting enough that he would like to gain power in the most traditional way - through training and, of course, with his family's wealth.
His inner monologue was suddenly interrupted by an announcement.
"This is an announcement for all passengers. We will arrive at the School of Daoism in 10 minutes. Please prepare for landing."
The noisy teens suddenly became quiet as tensions rose. School of Daoism will be the place where they will spend their time for quite a few years. Nervousness was seen on their faces as their bodies became tense since their families have placed a lot of pressure on them to achieve success so as to not let their family name get tarnished.
Kylian on the other hand was actually smiling for the first time. While he may have seemed a little indifferent to this world, he actually enjoyed the time he spent on it. And now he will be starting a different phase of his life where he will explore this bizarre supernatural world and also maybe meet interesting people.
The plane began its descent, and Kylian peered through the window. The sight that greeted him was breathtaking. The school was nestled among towering buildings that resembled the metropolitan cities of his previous life, surrounded by vast forests, lakes, and rivers—a picturesque blend of nature and urban grandeur.
As the plane approached the landing platform, Kylian marvelled at the bustling airspace. Similar planes descended onto platforms, and he could see staff gathered to receive the new applicants. It was no small feat, considering the number of people travelling from across the continent, all vying for a place at the prestigious School of Daoism.
The plane landed gently and the students prepared to deboard the plane. Kylian got out of the cabin and also saw other first-class passengers. He saw a mix of people ranging from supposed geniuses to other aristocratic descendants like him. He glanced at them for a while and then got off the plane. Others also glanced at him, Some of them looked at him with curiosity and apprehension but those who recognised him looked at him with disdain.
After everybody got off the plane, they were escorted to a simple and big hall. Kylian saw many others arriving through other means of transport. His vision covered a huge sea of people as far as his eyes could see. Then a presence swept over the senses of all the people present in the hall. Kylian and everyone else looked up and saw an elderly person with bulging muscles floating in the air as he crossed his hands and looked down at them.
"Since all of you are present we can proceed with the testing. We will go ahead with the spiritual root testing. This is the most basic requirement for any cultivation. As long as you have spiritual roots, regardless of the quality you will be accepted as an outer school student." The elderly man smirked a little and continued.
"Well since everyone here was either recommended or sought out by our school, this shouldn't be a problem for anyone here. But if you have any special talents, physique or constitution, you can skip the outer school and directly become an Inner school student and also become an elder's disciple."
"Now let's begin." The elder snapped his fingers and then with a flash of light, colourless crystals began to appear in front of all the applicants present here. "You guys have to just touch these stones and the colour with its brightness will tell you all about your spiritual roots. Now everyone should know about the colours you see in front of you. If you don't then don't worry I will inject the basic knowledge into you right now."
After another snap of the fingers, Kylian felt his mind become sluggish. Then he feels a rush of knowledge about the different types of spiritual roots and talents. He then snaps his head out of it and looks above at the elder who was smirking at the misery of the applicants. Without minding the smirking elder, Kylian looked at the crystal floating in front of him and grabbed it without giving it a second thought. His peers around him also grabbed their respective crystals and the hall was filled with many sudden flashes of different colours ranging from the most common and infamous fire attribute to the rarest of light, darkness and Null attributes.
"Hahaha!! It seems like this generation is filled with all sorts of talents." The buff elder spoke out loudly. The children looked elated and filled with pride due to the praise, but just before they could celebrate a little, the elder spoke with cruel elation in his eyes. "Its truly unfortunate that we have decided to change this year's admission. Otherwise our inner school would be filled with quite a lot of talented students. Now all I can say is don't panic and try your best. We will be looking forward to your results regardless of your talent."
With the wave of the elder's hand, Kylian felt the floor give way and a sense of panic took over for a moment as he was falling through the floor along with his peers. Then he heard the elder's voice. "By the way, if you guys get out of that place safely then you can come meet in the outer school HQ. I am the grand elder of the outer court of the School of Daoism."
Kylian felt like scoffing as he understood what just happened. And as he was falling he was able the look at crystal in his hand which was shining deep blue in colour. "The water spiritual root?"