That night was his last at home, at least for a while. Aaran lay in his comfy bed, lost in thought. Surrounding him was absolute darkness, as even the moon could not break through clouds to illuminate as much as a corner of his room.
'The new school year starts in twenty days or so; it's plenty of time for me to get used to everything. I just hope their library will be satisfying. It should be one of the most accumulated ones, right? Just after the Royal family, probably.'
He lay there, his body fully relaxed but his mind occupied. The flow of his thoughts was much faster than before, but that didn't alleviate the stress he put his mind through.
'There are many essential things to do, but my priority should be planning my cultivation, furthering my studies, and adapting the technique I used in my previous lives.'
The first major cultivation realm was called the Tempering Stage and consisted of three minor realms.
Senses tempering was the first minor realm; all you had to do was sharpen your senses until you could feel the Essence enough to force it into yourself. Even the most talentless person needs at most one year in an environment so rich in Essence, as an average human will experience in their everyday life. For talented people, it takes much less time, with the record being four hours, set by the current protector of the royal family.
Aaran could sense Essence instantly after awakening, so he started directly in the Saturation realm.
'Although no technique is needed in the Tempering Stage, having one would speed up progress, which was one of the reasons I decided to create the Trutle Heart Technique.'
'Now that I won't just exercise my body but also cultivate with that technique, it will take more time from my life, not to mention taking normal classes. Sigh. Getting some quality time in the library will get harder and harder.'
After planning his future for a while, Aaran focused on understanding the changes after awakening. Still, he couldn't find anything else except for his thinking being much faster and smoother.
'Well, I will still need field tests to comprehend my abilities.'
A few minutes later, Aaran slowly drifted into a dream.
...
Two young men were exchanging blows in a vast arena. Both were amazingly handsome and wore similar white robes with rich golden decorations. The surrounding area was filled with tens of elders and thousands of disciples. Everyone was watching with rapt attention, and when most disciples couldn't even catch the moves of the two, other people explained to them what had happened.
After finishing another exchange, they separated. The older disciple was clearly more battered, while the young one was still full of vigor and will to fight.
"Senior brother, there is clearly a massive gap between us. Just give up!"
When older disciple heard that, contempt flashed in his eyes
'It doesn't matter if I'm more talented than him. It doesn't matter if I put in more work than him. It doesn't even matter if I had a better background. I still lost to him.'
The contempt wasn't to his adversary; it was towards himself.
"There is no need for words. Let's just fight!"
Without wasting any more words, they continued fighting.
As they kept fighting, time became meaningless. Snow fell, but as quickly as it came, it melted. New plants grew and died in its place, and the cycle repeated itself indefinitely. People around the arena changed, and so did the arena itself. Even the two figures slowly became blurry, having only a few distinct features that could indicate their person, but even these features changed as the battle progressed.
Almost everything was changing, their fighting styles, weapons, and armor, but one thing didn't—the result.
The same silhouette was constantly losing just barely, but it could never win.
...
In the dining room, the table was filled with various delicacies in the morning, each with more Essence and more appetizing than the last. Aaran had been waiting to eat more delicious food for a long time, but now he was eating breakfast with an absent-minded expression. Even with all these delicacies, he couldn't enjoy them as there were more intriguing things he couldn't wait to unveil.
'Last night's dream triggered both Chiron's influence and Sanskrit's senses, but it didn't explain anything about it. All I know is that the dream had something to do with my potential and was beneficial for me, but nothing more.'
A little worried voice from Sheela pulled him from his thoughts.
"Are dishes not to your taste, young master?"
Aaran moved his eyes toward her.
"Not at all. The food tastes amazing. Send my thanks to the chief; this is the best meal I have had in the last twelve years."
Aaran didn't notice his weird word choice. He was still busy searching for answers in his mind, but nothing came out.
'Sigh, not enough information. Let's see if something happens in the next few nights.'
...
After finishing the meal, Aaran took one last look at where he had spent so much time.
'I will miss you, little library.' With a sigh, Aaran went to the car that was already prepared.
...
Sheela was already waiting in the black limousine with all their luggage.
"Are you ready, young master?"
Aaran nodded without much thought. "Although I didn't leave our place many times in the past, it's not like it's my first time outside, right? What should I be ready for?"
Sheela barely smiled without answering before moving her gaze outside the window.
As they drove through the morning traffic, They saw many different buildings of all sizes but with similar designs, from single-story to multi-story buildings and even skyscrapers. It was easier and safer to build perpendicularly, for one that let people be closer to each other, which was necessary in case of invasions or beast attacks. Of course, there were problems with flying beasts, but these were much rarer, and even if they attacked, these were just individual beasts.
...
After driving for about two hours by car, they finally arrived at a massive building complex surrounded by walls. In the middle of the way stood a considerable gate with "Royal Academy" written in the center.
Two middle-aged men in simple clothes stood under the gate. After the chauffeur parked the car, Sheela took the luggage and went there with Aaran.
The two guards recognized their car and greeted them with a smile. After a short conversation with stone-cold Sheela, the guards let them in.
Passing through the gate, they were met with expansive training grounds featuring several distinct arenas. It happened to be lunchtime, so the area was bustling with students. Some focused on their cultivation, others engrossed themselves in sparring matches, and some simply took a break.
Many looked in their direction as they passed through the school grounds. Sheela's flawless, exquisite face paired with a modern maid outfit was eye-catching. What attracted even more gazes was her nonexistent aura. They felt as though she was not in the same league as them. She was like a goddess gazing at them with indifference from another realm.
Aaran was even more eye candy. When most people in the Academic State wore t-shirts, jeans, and other modern clothes, Aaran adored fashion from the Warring State much more. His stunning face, combined with his gorgeous black and white robes decorated in gold floral patterns, created a fantastic view. The air around him was full of maturity and gracefulness, intensifying that effect.
They finally found the principal's office after asking for directions a few times. Aaran was invited to meet the principal, which he found a little weird. After all, he hadn't really left his home more than a few times in the past, and even when his family was quite elite, it still wasn't enough to warrant such attention.
After knocking on doors, an old but clear voice invited them inside. Once inside, they felt weird about how different it was from the rest of the Academic City.
That clear voice was even more fitting for the room's tranquil atmosphere. The room lingered with the serene smell of the forest. A dark wooden grandfather clock stood on the right. On the left, shelves attached to the wall held diverse books.
On the opposite side of the doors was a huge window through which one could see a vast forest full of various trees. A clean, bright brown wooden desk without decorations stood in the middle of the room.
Behind the desk, an older man was busy reading some documents. His short pearl-grey hair was neatly combed to both sides, while his short, full beard showed his attachment to being well-groomed. Small glasses on his nose emphasized his deep, dark-blue eyes.
He wore a navy blue vest with a loose, grey shirt under it.
His demeanor perfectly matched the tranquil atmosphere of the room.
Upon entering, rather than the harmonious room or simple furniture, both were immediately struck by the tired-looking elder's piercing gaze.