The morning sun warmed the air, as Kai and Lia among those young candidates streaming towards the grand Academy gates. Before them rose the magnificent and imposing entrance, whose two stone dragons coiled around the gateposts looked almost lifelike in the carved detail, their eyes gleaming with inlaid gems that caught the sunlight. Ancient symbols and mythical beasts were carved into the stonework, each line evoking timeless power.
The crowd of young candidates was growing thicker as Kai and Lia approached. There were hundreds of them, and the sheer variety of noble crests and family emblems embroidered on their clothes made the scene feel like a gathering of elites.
He looked around at the pride in the ways the nobles wore their family insignias. He and Lia walked clothed and with no insignia through a sea of great houses. Still, if they noticed it, the nobles showed no inclination to hide sneering glances.
Kai ignored them, his eyes fixed on the gates as two figures emerged and stepped onto the raised platform at the entrance. A boy and a girl, probably around eighteen years old, stood before the crowd. They were dressed in the Academy's ornate robes with the dark, woven designs, and each wore a crest unique to the inner disciples of Havenbrook.
The girl took a step forward, her voice clear in the midst of the sea of people. "Welcome to Havenbrook Academy," she said, commanding without being aggressive. "My name is Sariel and this is my fellow inner disciple, Orin. We will be giving out the entrance exam.".
Kai observed her, feeling the power surrounding her; it was testament to her training. He examined the flow of essence around her and Orin and concluded that both had reached the early Essence Bonding Realm—well above the range of most recruits that were here.
"Inner disciples at Essence Bonding Realm… They must have been chosen from noble houses."
He heard a student, sitting next to him say this to his friend
His friend nodded. "Of course. Inner disciples are selected according to talent, and only nobles have access to the means needed in order to reach this kind of level."
Sariel continued, "The entrance exam is divided into two stages. The first stage will test your cultivation. All of you will hit the Testing Pillar with all your might, and it will then show your degree of cultivation. Those individuals who reach the threshold will go on to the second stage."
Kai and Lia looked at each other, both feeling a wave of relief. The first level wasn't actually an essencing check—at least, not really. Only measurement of physical strength and degree of cultivation. They should have a much better chance to pass without giving away their lack of essence cultivation.
"Good," Kai muttered, letting out a quiet sigh. "At least we don't have to worry about essence signatures.".
Lia nodded, a small smile curving her lips. "We'll just have to control our strength.".
In keeping with this, Sariel gestured toward the humongous gates, slowly now creaking open from their locked positions. As the gates opened, they made way for the stunning views of the Academy grounds themselves. The courtyard was laden with flowering trees whose laden branches drooped under tiny white flowers, and glittering ponds reflected the yellow sunbeams. Among the splendor, gigantic buildings replete with undulating roofs and carved stonework pillars stood; each structure was an architectural wonder in itself, set with beautiful engravings of proud beasts.
Stone pathways wove through gardens, leading elegant pavilions and lecture halls to meditation areas and training fields. The air itself seemed charged with electricity, as if centuries of cultivation knowledge had seeped into the very earth.
The Testing Grounds were located at the middle of the courtyard. These are covered by ancient scripts and elemental symbols, both of which decorated high walls on either side. The center was taken up by the Testing Pillar-a tall stone column inlaid with glowing crystals. It was so close to being alive; the pillar seemed to vibrate with energy, anticipating the touch of strength by the candidates.
Sariel motioned to the first group to move forward. The line of students started to form, noble and commoner alike standing up one by one to be counted.
As Kai and Lia found their position at the back of the line, they sat down and watched the tests being held, observing techniques and bloodline abilities in full view.
The first student was a young noble. He radiated a wavering aura. He focused that into his attack, striking the pillar with swiftness and precision. The light rose up the pillar, marking him as a cultivator at mid Initial Connection Realm. Approval murmured through the crowd.
Then, a young girl with the sign of the House Emberfield, aura flared red for the moment. Her Ash Sparrow bloodline infused that strike with the hint of fire essence. Sparks fly around her fist as the girl hit the pillar once again. The light that time went higher at a late Initial Connection Realm. Then, the students around murmured in awe.
Kai and Lia watched in silence, each engrossed in every show. They soon discovered that almost all of the nobles depended on their bloodlines to strengthen their abilities. With each candidate came several odd, flickering auras—a flash of silver, a ripple of blue, or an ethereal glow, each a distinct bloodline.
But then came forward a commoner, a tall, lanky boy with no insignia on his clothes. Harmless enough, his face was calm, but there was intensity in his eyes as he walked toward the pillar.
One of the masters raised an eyebrow and leaned over to his colleague and whispered, "A commoner? And so young. He cannot be more than fourteen."
The boy got into position, drew a breath to steady himself and swung a great blow at the pillar. The light bolted upwards with surprising velocity, passing the middle and late Initial Connection phases to come to rest just short of the Essence Calibration phase. The crowd all gasped.
"Peak Initial Connection Realm at his age?" one of the other teachers breathed, his voice full of astonishment. "For a commoner, that's…unexpected."
Several exchanged inquisitive glances from the platform on which the elders of the Academy were standing and observing from a distance.
"Perhaps the commoner applicants are more powerful than we initially thought," one elder suggested, his eyes not breaking from the boy.
Over there, a bunch of nobility students who watched this scene from afar cast an incredulous look at one another.
"A commoner able to reach the Peak of Initial Connection Realm?" One girl snorted her words, crossing her arms. "I do not believe he will be strong enough to keep up like that.".
Another noble snorted, "It's just a fluke. In the next round, for sure, the kid would be eliminated.".
More students moved forward, but not all of them managed to cross the threshold, and some displayed incredible strength. The strongest of students had reached as far as the Early Essence Calibration realm. Among them was also Aveline Ravenspire, a young woman from the Ravenspire house, who was saved by Lia in the forest. She attracted attention with her early essence calibration realm cultivation.
Finally, It was Kai's turn. As he walked toward the pillar, most of the teachers overseeing the examination observed him with interested curiosity. The suspicion carved out across their faces seemed even more intense.
"Its him" Aveline Ravenspire widened her eyes at looking at him.
"Another commoner," one of the older student muttered, shaking his head. "It's a wonder he thinks he'll pass."
Another nodded in agreement. "He doesn't even have an essence signature, so he'll definitely hit rock bottom if he's lucky."
The noble students before them turned to him and smiled in contempt behind the murmured words they were sharing amongst themselves in whispers within their group.
"Just another commoner who overestimates himself," one said, barely bothering to hide a smirk.
Kai ignored the whispering, his focus turning to the Testing Pillar. He placed his hand on the cool stone and energy inside responded to the touch. He took a deep breath and summoned his Willforce but restrained most of his power, limiting the surge. He clenched his fist and struck the pillar in one fluid motion.
The pillar shuddered as the light shot up, soon passing the Initial Connection stages and settling firmly at early Essence Calibration Realm.
A ripple of shock spread through the crowd and murmurs filled the courtyard. Teachers who had watched Kai with skepticism now exchanged astonished glances, and even elder observers leaned forward, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"Essence calibration?" one teacher barely whispered, his eyes popping out in incredulity. "But… he's got no essence aura."
"Impossible. he's… just a kid," another whispered, raising his brow.
Kai took a step back, looking at Lia with a slight nod. She smirked and took one step forward for her turn. Onlookers watched with greater interest as she came toward the pillar with a very composed face. Like Kai, she did not use her actual power. She let only as much come through to impress.
Clean hitting the pillar, and there was light bursting up there again, stopping at Essence Calibration Realm early. That courtyard erupted with buzz-astonished whispers spread rapidly. Even the noble students looked taken aback for a moment, their proud confidence shaken as they continued to watch the two of them with a mix of disbelief and resentment.
"Two commoners, both at Essence Calibration…" one noble whispered, incredulity resonating through his voice. "what is going on?."
The elder teachers, meanwhile, were visibly intrigued. One of them beckoned to an assistant, who hurried forward. "Bring me their information," the elder instructed, eyes fixed on Kai and Lia as they stepped back from the pillar.
A moment later, the assistant returned and handed the elder a parchment with the record of the candidates. The elder quickly scanned it; his brow furrowed when he reached the bottom of the page.
"Kai and Lia, both 12 year old… from Elaris Village?" the elder muttered, confused. "Where in the kingdom is Elaris? I've never heard of it.".
Another elder looked over his shoulder, equally perplexed. "A village like that, producing students of this quality? There must be some mistake."
The elders continued to murmur amongst themselves, while back deeper in the grounds of the Academy, an old man sat by a tranquil pond with a fishing pole laid across his knees. He watched it all from a distance, his keen eyes tracking Kai's movements as the young candidate returned to his place beside Lia.
A grin tugged at the elderly man's mouth as he spoke to himself, "Willforce Projection already… Those old bastards really didn't waste your potential"
He turned a little bit, his eyes moving to a figure standing in the shadows nearby. "Keep an eye on those two for me," he said to them. "Make sure none of the nobles try to suppress them—at least not while they're within these walls.
He nodded his head in agreement. "Understood, Elder."
Satisfied, the old man turned to the fishing line, smiling to himself. "We are finally a step closer"