12 Moving In

Following the directions given by the crystal chip, Aser walked out of the Atrium and headed west towards all the dormitories. While walking, he noticed that most of the other kids didn't spare him much of a glance, and some only curiously sized him up for a few seconds before turning away. Witnessing their indifference, Aser felt conflicted inside. Even though he was much more intelligent than the usual person, he was still a 7 year old child. Being told that he is an exceptional genius, yet experiencing the nonchalance from his peers caused him to unknowingly suppress the ego that had been built up over the last month.

He had just reached Unknown Level 5 yesterday in his Essence Cultivation, and had thought he was well ahead of his peers. But investigating most of the students that he sent past, he realized that almost all of them were near to his level of cultivation. Aser found out before that it's almost impossible to detect someone else's cultivation level most of the time, and the senses he received of the others levels was only because of his [Mind's Eye] giving him extraordinary perception towards Essence itself. Even though he couldn't figure out the exact level, he could get a sense of someone's level by assessing them with his own.

That's also how he found out that Sister Tully was in Unknown Level 9, but he couldn't detect the levels of anyone above the Unknown rank or sense anything from them.

Seeing the little boy glancing around and trying to look at all the other kids as if comparing them to himself, Sasha couldn't help but tell him the truth.

"Aser. Most of the people you are seeing are at least a year older than you. Remember, even though you are exceptional, you are only exceptional among geniuses of your age, at least for now."

Getting caught by Sasha, Aser felt embarrassed. He scratched his nose and nodded while continuing to head to his dormitories. The path they were walking on was wide enough for 10 people to comfortably walk side by side. He went past uniform villas for the other students until he came across a side path leading to his own. Walking down the smaller side path, a sparse forest opened up, and he could see multiple other paths leading from this to villas sheltered under the trees. The whole atmosphere felt calming and Aser slowly loosened the nerves he had all morning. Reaching near the end of the path, Aser saw a lake with a small villa opening up to his right.

Recognizing that this was where he would live for the next few years, Aser felt excitement and happiness bubbling in him. The scene in front of his eyes was picturesque and peaceful. The slow breeze moving across the lake, autumn leaves falling and dancing in the wind, and a small villa right beside it. Unable to contain his excitement, Aser sped up and reached the side of the lake looking across.

He saw that there were other villas leading to the lake from different paths and he could see kids playing or swimming in the cool water. Looking at his own residence, Aser saw a sign that marked it as "Property#9203".

After a while of checking out his surroundings, he turned around and saw Sasha just watching the place with a smile and some reluctance. Noticing Aser's gaze, Sasha approached and crouched down to fix his shirt and pants.

"Well, my job for now is done. Do take care of yourself Aser, and let me know if there are any problems okay? Don't let me down, I believe you can prove your genius to everyone during these 6 years.", Sasha finished while ruffling his head.

"I will Sister Sasha! Just watch me!", Aser replied with his child like voice and a serious gaze in his eyes. Sasha turned around and started walking back through the path, waving to Aser before turning the corner and leaving.

Watching her leave, Aser felt sad, but also felt like he was free in a way. Everything would now depend on himself and his performance. Looking to his door, he went up and opened it with the keys he received in his backpack and walked in. The entrance of the house didn't have much, only an area to put shoes and coats. Further in, he could see a large living space and a kitchen as well as stairs heading up. Reaching up stairs, he saw a corridor with three doors, two of which lead to two similarly sized bedrooms and one which lead to a large bathroom with its own bath and separate shower.

Most of the furniture was already in place and there didn't seem to be much dust on them either. He knew that it was his responsibility to now take care of the house while living here so he felt slightly overwhelmed. He first went downstairs to unpack everything including his books and daily necessaries and then selected the bedroom that was looking out to the lake. After arranging everything, Aser thought it would be a good idea to first take a shower. After his shower, Aser put on his new uniform and looked into the mirror in the bathroom. He could see a short boy wearing a white inform with gold stripes, similar to the color palette of the whole academy. The boy's hair was stark black and his eyes were large with black irises. He had a short face with a healthy rosy complexion due to eating well for the past month. His shoulders were a bit saggy, and his short legs didn't detract from the little boy's childish adorableness.

Messing around with his hair for a bit, Aser finally calmed down and headed out to explore the academy.