40 Beginning of The Tests

The one bothering the Elder Lan was called Qi Jian. He had a unique character that didn't quite belong among the other Elders, but considering his familial relationships, it was obvious why he could be one regardless. As it is well known, the bigger an organization is, the harder it is to thoroughly manage it, not to mention unify it under one thought. Multitude of unique people naturally have different mindsets, which gives the organization a chaotic factor.

Asura Ryuu secretly scanned all Elders, concealing his aura to the highest possible degree he could as to not be noticed. He wasn't afraid of them, but he wanted to avoid any unnecessary troubles that could originate from someone having a mindset that could be pictured as murky waters.

He couldn't possibly know how Elders would react if they noticed him staring at them without a hint of respect in his gaze. Some of them wouldn't bat an eye, but for example, Qi Jian would be angry for sure. That's what Asura Ryuu concluded by observing his interaction with the beauty called Elder Lan.

There was an existence hidden among the crowd that didn't quite fit this setting. It was the old prophet who was responsible for all of this happening today. This majestic setup and glorious welcome was all thanks to his urging, because he was the single most respected elder of Crimson Star Academy. 'The Undying Protector', as people called him.

The Black Tower was merely a place where he conducted his usual steps in order to glance at the future, but the last peek took quite a toll on him, which was visible from his aged appearance. He would surely recover, but it was a question how long this recovery would take. He was observing every child in order to find out who the destined child was. His eyes reflected a greedy look, which was a bit unusual. Why would he be so impatient?

Asura Ryuu didn't know that the strange feeling rising in his heart stemmed from the greedy eyes of the old man. Even though they weren't directed at him, the mere fact that someone was looking at him yet he could not discern who it was bothered Asura Ryuu. It was the first time since reincarnating into this world that he felt helpless. But since it's the elder of the academy, there shouldn't be anything wrong with his intention. That's what he thought.

The Vice-Dean, Qi Yun, came out of the crowd and welcomed the students-to-be of the academy. She was an elderly woman with a complexion of being around fifty years old. How old she was exactly isn't known. Because the process of cultivation reinforces and baptizes the body, what appears to be a twenty-year-old may very well be an elder with an age more than a hundred. It all depends on the individual's characteristics.

Asura Ryuu's eyes naturally floated to the direction where the old prophet was conducting his observation from shadows and a gut feeling told him that this elderly guy wasn't someone to be trifled with. But even then, he didn't realize it was this old man who gave him a helpless feeling. The Vice-Dean finished her boring speech and introduced the rules for enrolling into the academy.

Asura Ryuu expected some strict examination to be conducted and various rules and regulations, but contrary to his expectations the rules were pretty loose. There were several requirements needed to be fulfilled if one wants to have a chance at entering the academy;

They needed to form a bond with Soul Spirit called the Spirit Emblem. Asura Ryuu naturally knew what this was. The explanation was for those who didn't know, which excluded him and Asura Tenka.

The second requirement was to pass the test they will be having a moment later and the third that they must break the stone called Soul Stone that tests one's Spirit Power. For the sake of one's privacy, the academy didn't test their Spirit Power but gave out these stones. If the stone breaks when the Spirit Power is poured into it, then they have stronger Spirit Power than the stone's threshold and that counts as successfully passing the test.

The first test was precisely the one with Soul Stones. The reason why they are called the Soul Stones is because they measured the power of one's mind, which people considered being the Soul, hence why that name. Everyone got a Soul Stone and did what the Vice-Dean Qi Yun told them to. There were many sparkling fragments scattered around from the broken Soul Stones, reflecting the color that corresponded to the attribute of the Spirit Power it came in contact with. Asura Ryuu glanced at the Soul Stone and felt a kind of magical feeling, as if he could feel a faint vibration inside it.

He poured a single speck of Spirit Power inside, but the stone didn't shatter as it did for others - it disintegrated, as if corroded by a powerful acid. That's what it reminded Asura Ryuu of. Asura Tenka's stone also shattered, but the tiny fragments of the stone were evaporating instead of the entire stone as a singular structure.

It differed slightly from Asura Ryuu because he didn't even crack the stone before it evaporated. Although the difference was small, it signified a world of difference in their Spiritual Power, the one based on quality rather than quantity. Asura Tenka still had more Spirit Power than him because she was alive far longer than him, but Asura Ryuu had a higher quality Spirit Power which was much more beneficial than pure quantity overall.

The old prophet noticed these two and the black-white remnants of the stones from Xun Bao and Xun Meng's performance and noted the four. His eyes then continued to roam the crowd, remembering everyone who stood out from others. To his disappointment, there were far too little of that kind. Out of around three thousand children, only twenty something had a unique phenomenon happen while crushing the stones. He whispered something to the nearby disciple who ran off and passed the instructions to one of the red-robbed elders. That elder then passed the information to Vice-Dean through Spirit Power.

Those who were noted by the old prophet were exempt from the second test and were led directly to the inside of the academy. As they passed through various hallways and gardens, Asura Ryuu scanned everyone and remembered their features. Being picked out of the crowd like this surely carried some significance, so he had to remember who were the ones enjoying that privilege.

There were several children with unusual auras that seemed a bit familiar to Asura Ryuu, but he couldn't recall where he felt those auras. It was then that Asura Tenka's Spiritual Voice appeared in his mind, pointing out exactly those several he was thinking about. It turned out they were demon beasts in human form.

Aside from them, there were several girls with slightly different aura from the demon beasts and Asura Ryuu came to know that they were members of the Spirits race. The interesting thing about the Spirit race was that they had established a bond with their Soul Spirits at birth and they were usually something related to nature, but that didn't mean those were weak Soul Spirits. This is what Dragon God told Asura Ryuu. He was very familiar with Spirits because his daughter is one. The Soul Spirits just needed to be awakened and that's it.