Seven months in and more than half of the students have left the domain. Such large numbers of withdrawals prompted Dean Ion to end the trip, recalling the remainder of the students. To the surprise of the masters, all students managed to acquire earth level artifacts to earn promotion to Core Disciples. As for those from the Imperial Clan, their quest for treasures were also successful, so they departed. Thanks to the camp set up by the trio and some seniors, many others were able to get artifacts to meet the requirements. The trio chose not to reveal their true inheritance to avoid greater trouble than they already had.
In fact, all who were in the ruins, kept silent publicly. After the assembly, the trio made their way to their dorms. Sani joined the Appolo Palace who's cultivation technique perfectly matched her Pure Yang base. Felix joined krýo Fortress, with their vast collection of Pure Yin techniques. Mateo's placement was incredibly troubling, as his base supported the Necromancing Fortress, The Palace of Physical Cultivation and The Star Divine Pavillion. Because of the multiple bids, Dean Ion intervened and made a decision. Mateo would register to the Central Palace, for his first year, learning all three palaces' cultures and techniques. After which, he shall make a choice.
At the Central Palace, Mateo can attend the classes of as many divisions as he desires, in order to choose the right discipline. The Central Palace is run by the Deputy Dean Riah and manages the academy's personnel. On his first day at the Central Palace, Mateo was met with both disdain and admiration. It is the culture of the academy that students form factions to not only share resources but also compete in tournaments and missions to share merits. Many factions live on through graduation, becoming great organizations around the world. Many of the disciples of the Central Palace, are allied with seniors not too fond of Mateo, so most of them took the same stance.
Walking the halls of the palace, he felt a welcoming and but familiar feeling. Arriving at a trophy case deeper in the main hall, three names stood out to him. They were names told to him by his parents. Two were Caroline Dyl and Aiden Quill, his grandparents. Beneath their names, the award read, "Sword Mastery Champion and Spear Deity Champion", respectively. They were the pride of the Central Palace 40 years ago and clearly still held great honor, being at the center of all other champions before and after them. That feeling Mateo felt, was actually the remnant auras left behind by his grandparents in their awards.
The third name was Sealy Hil. As told to him by his parents, she was the sworn sister of Caroline and Aiden. Her award was for Pill and Elixir Refining, Masterclass. After Mateo's father was born, Aiden was sent to fight in the June Army against the Veri and Ling Armies. He lasted 389 days of the one-thousand-day war, accomplishing some great things. Despite also having the largest kill count by a single person and killing the last of the giants, his accomplishments were stifled by the Tavin Clan, never reaching the public. After the 389th day, no one heard from Aiden again, so he was declared dead after 90 days.
After the period of mourning, the Dyl Clan went into seclusion, as well as the Hil Clan. Caroline and Sealy stayed with Mateo's father until he was 18 before leaving to find Aiden. They too disappeared sometime after they left. Mateo's father said that if they had not left, such bad fortune would not have fallen upon the Quill Family. Mateo's goal right now, is to become undeniably powerful, giving his family a steady foundation on which they can stand firmly and without worry. The first place he goes, is to the Qi Gathering Chamber to organize and condense his Cultivation Sea. There aren't many Core Disciples in the Central Palace, so Mateo kept it hidden for a while.
Entering into his Innate Domain, he sees that the old scroll he received from the Divine Consciousness of the Forge Master, was now open and orbiting his black granite platform. There were now cracks of gold in his platform, signaling that he was close to the Golden Core breakthrough. That platform is the representation of his Foundation Stage Cultivation. It starts of as white at the lowest level, grey at the second and the black at its peak, just before a breakthrough. However, a breakthrough was not yet to be. Now that he was completely focused on cultivating, the scroll and the grey crystal could do their thing.
With the rush of fresh energy, the scroll's orbit speed increased, as well as the temperature. It became so hot that, the granite platform began to melt and fall into his sea of qi. As the molten rock touched the sea, it hardened but did not sink. More and more fell, becoming an island. The grey crystal fell into the rocky island, growing into a very peculiar tree. Its trunk and branches were as black as night and the leaves as white as snow. From between the branches, a light grey mist flowed, exuding a refreshing aura. At the center of the tree's trunk, a whole appeared, with drops of liquid gold slowing spinning into a core.
From the scroll, which was now hanging from a branch, a female voice declared, "from The Creator, a gift is given, passed down through the ages. The Tree of Now and Never is an artifact designed to crown a Deity. Nourish it and it will nourish you." Mateo was rightfully confused, but if this helped him achieve his goals, he will go with the flow. He then asked the scroll, "how do I breakthrough and become a Golden Core Master?" It responded, "you are but moments away. You possess the cores of greats masters in your sea. You can refine one of theirs or do it in battle. You can also achieve it by offering beast cores to the tree."
It added, "after you have formed your golden core, the tree will cultivate independently and enlighten your sea of qi." Mateo finishes his meditation and leaves to go check on his egg. He had left the egg in the care of Spiritual Beasts Palace while he ventured the domain. Upon his return to the palace, he was greeted by the academy's Beast Master himself. Also present, was Dean Ion and an Imperial Guardian. The Imperial Guardian was very soft spoken, but his command of respect was loud by the distance the Dean kept from him and the silence that filled the space whenever he spoke. He slowly approached Mateo, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.
He then asked calmly, "was that egg yours?" Mateo nodded, trying to look past him to see the expression of the Dean. Everyone was ordered out, leaving only the four of them. The Imperial Guardian added, "I am aware that you are the Young Master of the young Son Clan and the son of the Commissioner of Bank. I will not ask the origin of your family, but where did you get that egg?" Considering his present company, Mateo just spoke the truth. "It was a gift from my Master. He did not tell me his name, but he is a loose cultivator whose origin is tied to Bank itself. Before sending me to enroll here, he gave me the egg."
The three looked at each other, then back at Mateo and smiled slightly but noticeably. The Imperial Guardian then said, "well, whoever it was, they gave you a magnificent gift. Even in the Ancient Immortal Crown Era, dragons were rare and very valuable. Taming one was rare and difficult, but finding an egg was thought be impossible. On behalf of the Imperial Clan, I am here to give the Emperor's Decree. Everyone knelt, bowing their heads to accept the decree.
"By order of His Majesty. 'My June Empire has been blessed yet again, being home to not only a dragon, but a Dragon Lord as well. Thank The Creator for his favor in this era. To the young Dragon Lord, I bestow the title of Imperial Guardian of the 5th rank, subject to promotion through military contributions or royal favor. He is allowed 1,000 soldiers and double the monthly allowance his rank allows. Whether or not he chooses to exercise his authority is completely his prerogative unless ordered by Imperial Decree. He must be respected by all, as his title commands. That is all.' Please accept the decree Young Master."
As Mateo reached out to accept the scroll, Beast Master Eden asked curiously, "you call him Young Master? Are you not a 2nd Rank Imperial Guardian?" "Yes", the guardian responded. "However, I Gordon Wen, is a member of The Scattered Dragon Clan. As a Dragon Lord, Mateo outranks me in the cultivation world. I must show respect. His requests, I shall fulfill." Dean Ion ends the matter saying, "respect to both Imperial Guardians, but I have a suggestion. I suggest we kept this matter of the dragon hidden until it has matured. Considering the breed of dragon, it is vulnerable until its first horn has grown."