Genius Academy

Lin soon reached his school and the moment he entered through the grand gates, the usual chattering quickly died down as people began whispering while watching him walk in.

"Look! It's the guy who created a crevice in the first year practice field!"

"What? No way."

"It's true, I was there when it happened!"

"Didn't he just use sword aura? I bet I could beat him in a spar if he doesn't use his sword aura!"

"Then go ahead and request a spar with him. I'm watching."

A tall student with lean muscles approached Lin with a domineering expression. The green neck ribbon wrapped around his collar signified that he was a second year.

"How about we have a spar?" The student asked.

"Huh? Oh, sure… do you want to do a duel or just a training spar?" Lin agreed without much thought.

"Let's have a duel. I'll set it up with the provost. Come to the dueling arena during the last period of the day and I'll meet you there." The student said with a smirk.

'What an idiot. He's challenging a second year like it's nothing. Without his sword aura, he would barely be able to put a scratch on me. Hehe.' The student thought complacently.

Lin went throughout the day, albeit awkwardly with so many people talking about him everywhere he went. Now it was the last period of the day, and he headed towards the arena of the school. He'd never been there before but he could just rely on og Lin's memories of orientation.

He finally reached the arena where hoards of students sat in the seats surrounding one of the dueling sections. Lin walked towards the area and found a 300 yards by 300 yards arena. The ground of the arena was made of a special material that was smooth but durable, perfect for duels. A blue barrier surrounded the platform so that the spectators wouldn't be affected by the match.

Lin walked up to a staff that was supervising the exchange and asked him what he should do. The employee told him to just go into the arena and stand on one of the large white dots on the floor.

Lin did as the employee said and when he stood on the dot an automated voice sounded through the hidden speakers in the area saying:

"First year Hao Lin and second year Chi Liang's duel will commence in 5… 4…"

Lin got into a defensive stance quickly with a calm expression as if he were about to take a stroll in a park.

The student Chi Liang stood across him getting into an offensive stance.

"2… 1… Begin!"

Chi Liang dashed towards Lin, a sword in hand. He swung the sword ready to feel the edge slice skin but the blade only met open air as Lin was already a few feet away from him swinging his sword at Chi's side. Chi swiftly blocked the sword strike before redirecting his blade towards Lin's chest.

The dueling arena was a special place where the participants will become a sort of projection. Any and all injuries felt completely real, but were only a figment of the arena's effect. The duel will end when one of them 'dies', and the person who 'dies' will be teleported outside of the barrier completely fine. This meant they could go for blood without any worries as the injuries and death were not real.

As the blade of Chi's sword swung towards Lin's chest, Lin dodged so quickly he was just a blur. Chi huffed in frustration as he continued swinging at him but never even landed a scratch.

Lin analyzed his opponent, searching for any openings until he found one. Lin utilized the opening without hesitation and chopped Chi Liangs head off.

The second year appeared out of the arena standing on a specific platform in the stands, completely unharmed.

'Compared to the monsters I've fought so far, he was barely a challenge.' Lin thought with disappointment. He exited the arena as the stands erupted into cheers.

"Did you see that?! Hao Lin cut Chi Liang's head clean off! That's insane!" The spectators exclaimed.

In the chancellor's office:

"What the- he just sliced a second year's head off. Just like that!" The chancellor shouted in disbelief.

"Hmmm. He's an experienced one… it's as if he's went through many dangerous battles." A young woman spoke, her voice calm. The lady was a tall and beautiful woman with dark skin and brown locks of hair tied into a bun. She nodded her head decisively.

"I agree, we'll take him." A projection of a man said with a resolute tone. He seemed to be using a qi technique to project himself into the room as well as know what's happening since he was clearly not actually there. One could walk right through him if they wanted to.

"Understood, I'll send him to you in a week or two. It'll probably take a lot to convince him to go…" The chancellor said with relief. He didn't think such a monster should stay in his school, and he had to admit it, he was a little afraid. The strike Hao Lin had made with his sword aura could disintegrate him in a second.

"Bring the other boy, Wang Ling, as well. He clearly has a knack for cultivating. We'll test him before accepting him of course, but I can see his potential." The projected man ordered.

"Yes, sir."

***

Lin left the school shortly after the duel waiting on a bench as he looked for his mother's car. When he saw her car he immediately opened the door and entered the vehicle.

"Did something happen?" Wen asked him after noticing something was wrong.

"Hah. Today was a very uncomfortable day and I'm exhausted." Lin said with a sigh.

"Do you wanna tell me what happened?" His mother asked.

"Yeah, if you don't mind… Did you see the video of a kid at my school creating a crevice in the ground?"

"By kid at your school, you mean you?" Wen said with a smirk. "Your brother told me. You know he'd never try to hide it."

"Right. Well, all the kids around me whispered constantly and it was tiring trying to ignore it and keep a poker face. My mind is just exhausted from the stress, and I was on edge all day." Lin complained.

"Ok. Well, I'm here if you need anything. How about I cook up an energizing dinner for you? I have a small amount of energy herbs if you want." Wen said, trying her best to help.

Lin felt slightly better after talking with his mom and accepted the offer. When dinner came, Lin ate his food with gusto as his body filled with energy and his muddled mind became clear and rejuvenated. Lin smiled as the refreshing feeling enveloped his body, like entering an air conditioned room after being in the sweltering sun for hours.

Lin did the dishes after dinner, and then got ready for bed. He layed in bed feeling relaxed and comfortable as he closed his eyes for the night. He decided to go to his dreams after weeks of fighting monsters to just enjoy his rest.

The next day at school, the whispering died down. People quickly lost interest in the gossip, relieving Lin of some of the mental burden. Students still stared at him but they would continue what they were doing before after a few seconds.

Lin sat in his first period for less than 15 seconds before the chancellor's voice boomed out of the PA system.

"Can I please have first years Hao Lin and Wang Ling in my personal office please? Thank you."

Lin stood up with a confused look before walking out of the classroom towards the chancellor's office. There were signs everywhere telling where the chancellor's office was as it was a very important room, so Lin was able to find it quickly.

The chancellor's office door was wide open as it would not be accessible through ordinary means. Lin approached the door, hesitant. A kind woman's voice sounded out.

"You may come in Mr. Hao."

"Yes." Lin said before stepping into the office.

The office was a wide space with a large desk covered in paper stacks. One side of the room was occupied by a long, rectangular table with wooden chairs seated along its sides, and filing cabinets lined the wall opposite of the door.

A woman that seemed to be the owner of the kind voice, stood near the door facing Lin with a soft smile.

"Welcome. My name is Xiao Hua. You can go sit on that couch over there as we are waiting for Wang Ling arrive." She said in an angelic like voice.

Lin nodded and took a seat on the couch. Soon Wang Ling arrived as well and noticed Lin on the couch. He waved before walking towards the couch to sit beside him. The chancellor soon arrived with a small stack of papers in hand and him and Xiang Hua sat across them.

"Welcome, we have a lot to talk about so let's get started." The chancellor began. "We called you two here to talk about transferring to an elite school across the continent."

Lin raised his eyebrows. 'So it's really far… that doesn't sound good.'

"It's an elite school called Genius Academy. They only enroll geniuses and people with high potential so it's very hard to get into. You are in a very enviable position that every kid on the continent dreams of, as the chancellor of the best cultivation school on the continent personally requested you two to enroll into his school."

"I'm sorry, I'll have to decline. I don't want to leave my family behind for school." Lin immediately rejected as he finally found a very kind family and didn't want to leave them behind after being with them for not even 2 months. He wanted to live with his new family happily.

"Don't worry we have already found a solution for that." Xiao Hua started. "If your family is willing, we can move them to a large residence near the school. Additionally, we have already secured a job for your father and it even pays two times more than his current job. If he agrees, he'll work at a famous weapon forging unit. He is quite talented in making swords and the unit will welcome him openly. We can also give your family access to our teleporting station so that they can visit the people they know any time they want, free of charge. You can also make any additional requests and we'll try to accommodate to your needs." She said, acting like she was a salesperson that was desperately trying to sell a product.

Lin nodded. "If you actually mean that then maybe we can make it work. I'll talk with my family and get back to you."

"I'll go!" Wang Ling exclaimed. "I don't have to worry about family since they have been trying to get rid of me anyway, and the school will definitely benefit my future."

"Well, you're enrollment is undecided. The chancellor saw your potential but you must take a test before you can be accepted."

"Oh… What kind of test must I take?"

"It's a relatively easy test. You don't need to do anything except place your hand on a crystal ball and wait to see what the color changes into. The reason not many kids have passed is because the Genius Academy's standards are extremely high, but don't worry, you have already been acknowledged by the chancellor so it's almost certain that you have enough potential to enter."

"Alright." Wang Ling nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

***

At dinner, Lin told them he needed to talk about something serious.

"What is it?" Wen asked with a worried look.

"Well…" Lin started to explain what happened in the chancellor's office.