Nightmare

Almost everyone riding the boats got out and went to the deck to witness the fight. They saw thirteen Stelle Beasts in total fly toward the bird's shadow which made them sure of the demise of the unidentified flying bird.

"What!?" Morey exclaimed after seeing the bird split into countless small ravens which then surrounded the thirteen beasts. It was not just him, the other individuals were stunned as well.

"There's no way a Stelle Beast like that exists," Shevel said in horror as she watched the thirteen Stelle Beasts from their side struggle against the countless ravens attacking them.

Meanwhile, the white-haired man who stopped their previous fight was silent. His eyes were filled with amazement and curiosity. "I want to study it," he said to himself.

Everyone was about to panic when the captain of the main ship spoke, "Do not fear! As it turns out, we are facing a Nightmare Raven. It is a Stelle Beast prized for its ability to drown others to its illusion."

"Phew, for a second there, I thought there was a Stelle Beast strong enough to contend against thirteen others," the red-haired man sighed in relief.

A few moments later, the illusion faded, revealing the 13 Stelle Beasts, perfectly fine. However, the vast shadow was already gone. In the captain's cabin, everyone was looking at each other with complex expressions. They did not know whether to be glad that the threat was gone or mad that the threat escaped.

While all of this was happening, Z and Umbra were already far away from them.

"Why did you not kill them?" Z asked.

A lady covered in black feathers appeared beside him and answered, "You, stupid kid. Did your masters not teach you about the forces of this world? When I was traveling with Anne in the past, we frequently encountered those ships. They are the Global Naval Association, a tycoon of this world. Do not attract unnecessary trouble."

"We could have killed them all, corroded all corpses, and have you absorb the residual Arcane around to prevent anyone from tracing us," Z rebutted.

The lady could only turn her head before saying, "Is one of your masters, not a Taoist? Why are you filled with bloodlust?"

"It is the Peaceful Era already, why are you still speaking like an old person?" Z changed the subject which caused the lady to flick her eyes before vanishing.

Four days had passed since the encounter took place. Z had finally arrived at the island where The Celestial Academy was located. He was no stranger to beautiful sights as the mountain he came from was filled with them, but he was taken aback by the sight before him.

A majestic castle-like infrastructure was standing tall before him. It was about one and a half kilometers tall and triple wide. The design was outdated, but it contributed more to its vintage beauty. Despite the old design, it was shining and glowing, removing any trace of time on it.

Around the academy was a thick forest with trees of different colors and sizes. The trees seemed small compared to the academy, but they were enormous compared to humans. He could clearly see countless individuals from different races gathered in front of the academy. He was certain that there were more than a million individuals around.

"Teacher Tzan said that only those with Admission Tokens would be able to enter the trials. To think that this amount of people is already filtered out," Z said to himself. In order to attract less attention, he opted to land alone, and when he did, the token in his hand revealed another prompt.

It was a map of the island, and it guided Z to where he should go. He was led to the back of the academy where there were significantly fewer people. 'There should be no more than 50 individuals here,' he thought. He noticed that the individuals were lined up in front of Runes of different colors.

The majority of them were in front of the Blue Rune, while less than ten were in front of the Violet Rune. There were two other Runes there, but no one was in line. He followed the line before the Violet Rune which made those at the Blue Rune look at him in curiosity.

"Hi! It is a pleasant surprise to see another human here. Lea, it is a pleasure to meet you," the lady in front of him with long wavy auburn hair and gentle brown eyes greeted. She had a kind and gentle aura which immediately made Z comfortable.

"Hello. Z, the pleasure is mine," he responded while extending a handshake.

"People from high-end backgrounds such as ours are normally acquainted with each other, but this is my first time seeing you. Where did you come from?" Lea asked with genuine curiosity. "Oh, that was rude of me. I am the heiress of En Dives, from the continent of Libertia," she said with a beautiful smile.

'I know that. Madam Anne came from Libertia, so there is no way for me to not know that force. They are the wealthiest family in all of Libertia and are basically the entire economy of that place. Despite them not being known for their literal strength, the connections they have is incomparable to other organizations, making them one of the magnates of the world,' Z thought.

Lea's smile sweetened after seeing Z's epiphany, "I must say, it is quite rare for people to not recognize me by face," she chuckled.

"My apologies, Lady Lea. I was a disciple of some masters and was kept in isolation until now. Pardon my not knowing this noble lady," Z politely said.

"Since when did The Celestial Academy degrade itself to the point of giving Violet Admission Tokens to some random disciple of some random masters? Tsk," a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes sneered.

Lea looked at Z with an apologetic smile before saying, "Sir Z, this is Prince Hakith of the L. Dux Empire. Prince Hakith, this is Z."

"You don't need to introduce me to a peasant," Hakith sneered.

"It seems like the rumors about the Dux race are true. A bunch of illiterate, condescending, and moronic people," Z said with a scornful smile.

"How dare you!" Z perfectly targeted the sore spot of Hakith which caused him to erupt and point his sword toward Z.