Rank Testing

Upon entering the dormitory, Thomas proceeded directly to his assigned bed. As he settled onto the mattress, the pristine white sheets wrinkled and folded beneath his weight.

"What is your relationship with Elaine?" Jianwei asked, walking over to his bed.

"Know each other due to unfortunate circumstances." Thomas said lightly, taking out another cigarette.

Liang Jianwei brows frown, and used his soul essence to control the smoke and lead it out the window.

"You're going to make the room smell like smoke, you know?" Jianwei said, waving his hand in front of his face.

Thomas shot him a glance, and put the cigarette down and crushed it. The smoke smell lingered for a couple more minutes, and the room became silent. Jianwei looked towards Thomas.

"Do you smoke regularly? It seems like you smoke a lot." Jianwei commented, laying down on his bed. Thomas took off his hat, that was concrete grey, and put it over his face.

"Yeah, I smoke every day. Gets rid of my stress, you know? Not to mention that I don't give a fuck about my health." Thomas said under the hat, his voice muffled. Jianwei shook his head and spoke.

"Well, you should care about your health. Smoking is a terrible habit." Jianwei said. Thomas scoffed and spoke.

"So what if I smoke? Not like it affects anyone besides myself." Thomas said under the hat, his voice muffled. Jianwei rolled his eyes and spoke.

"Besides, you smell really bad." Jianwei continued. Thomas removed the hat from his face, sat up, and glared at Jianwei.

"Like you smell any better." Thomas muttered. Jianwei chuckled, laid back on his bed, and relaxed.

The moonlight shone through the windows, casting a silver glow in the room. Liang Jianwei was meditating with his soul essence on his lap. Thomas was playing around with his revolver, the sound of the barrel spinning echoing throughout the room. Jianwei didn't open his eyes and concentrated on training, Thomas's antics becoming a blur. Time slowly ticked by and the moon slowly moved across the night sky.

The next time Jianwei opened his eyes, the sun was already starting to shine, casting its rays of light on his body. He looked over at Thomas, who had his hat over his face and his legs crossed, not knowing if he was awake or not.

Jianwei didn't bother him, and began to get changed into the Cerulean uniform. The coat was navy blue and had silver trims on it, matching well with the gloves and boots. Jianwei wore all the Cerulean attire and stared at himself in the mirror. The uniform looked pretty good on him.

Thomas also woke up and began to get changed in the Cerulean outfit. 

"Damn, why do we have to wake up so early? It's fucking 5:45 am in the morning." Thomas complained. Jianwei chuckled and spoke.

"Well, it is the academy. We have to follow their rules, no matter how ridiculous." Jianwei said, walking outside of the dorm and Thomas following closely behind.

They walked out of the academy and began to make their way through the streets. Thomas yawned loudly and stretched his arms, the Cerulean logo glistening in the sun. People were making their way towards the academy main building as well.

Jianwei and Thomas made their way through the crowds until they saw senior Yang leading the ensigns towards the main building.

"Alright, everyone line up!" Senior Yang shouted. The ceruleans formed a line and waited for their orders.

"Although we ran a basic check to see if you could join us or not; we still need a comprehensive check of each person such as what branch you will go to or what your rank is. Follow me to the assessment centre." Senior Yang said, walking towards the academy.

The ceruleans followed senior Yang, their minds curious. Jianwei was wondering what was going to happen during the assessment.

They made their way towards the assessment centre and senior Yang led them through a series of long corridors until they reached the testing hall.

The expansive testing hall stretched before them, adorned with grandeur. Thousands of cerulean-clad individuals filled the space, patiently awaiting the commencement of their tests. Majestic pillars, adorned in white with opulent golden trims and complemented by elegant blue stripes, stood tall throughout the hall. The floor, crafted from marbled stone embedded with azure gemstones, exuded an air of nobility, enhancing the overall grandeur of the surroundings.

At the room's centre stood a commanding statue, depicting a man with sleek, obsidian wings that exuded an air of sharpness. Behind him, a cerulean emblem added a touch of mystique, creating a focal point that captured the attention of all within the hall. Senior Yang led them to the front of the statue and spoke.

"This is the current Commodore of the Cerulean, Chen Raven. He has achieved countless feats and is considered one of the strongest cerulean alive right now. His statue is at the entrance of all testing halls to show our respect for him." Senior Yang said. Liang Jianwei nodded his head and looked back at Thomas, who was bored out of his mind.

"Right beneath him, you will notice a blue orb. Step up and place your hands on that orb to start your test." Senior Yang commanded. The ceruleans got in line and placed their hands on the blue orb. The blue orb glowed brightly and scanned their entire bodies.

The boy felt his soul essence tremble and come out of his body, alongside a burst of soul power.

A black ivy plant wrapped around the boy's body. It had spikes coming out of it as well, but none of them touched the boy's body.

Soon after, four stars floated around the boy, meaning the boy was only at rank four. Senior Yang wrote down the boy's name, rank, and the soul essence.

"Not bad, rank four while your soul essence is the Black Tar Ivy. Step to the side and let others come." Senior Yang said.

The boy nodded his head and stepped to the side, allowing others to come up.

A couple of minutes would pass as a few boys and girls would come up. Once they placed their hands on the blue orb, it would show stars indicating their rank. Senior Yang would write down their names and soul essence.

"Thomas Andersen, step forward." Senior Yang said. 

Thomas walked up to the orb, his steps lazy as he placed his right hand on top of the blue orb.

The orb lit up, and Thomas' soul essence was summoned into his left hand, and nine stars circled around his body.

"Rank nine, soul essence is a revolver. It seems like you're about to hit the bottleneck as well, huh. Your test is over, Thomas." Senior Yang said. Thomas flicked his wrist and put away his revolver.

"Whatever, let's just hurry this along." Thomas muttered and stepped to the side, allowing others to take their test.

People began to comment about Thomas' test, praising him and commenting on his strength.

"Huh, a rank 9? That should be the most talented one. After all, it can't be over rank 10." A boy said, whispering to the girl next to him.

"He's so handsome." The girl said, sighing deeply.

The boy on the side felt his heart shattering. His love ended before it even started.

"Elaine Victorium, step forward." Senior Yang's voice echoed throughout the room, making the noisy atmosphere quiet.