Chapter 27: Before the Entrance Exam

As Kai and Lia approached the entrance of Havenbrook City, they could see through gates streets busied with vending, colorful banners, and the steady hum of hundreds voices intermingling. In all directions, young people flooded the city, stepping purposefully and looking excitable.

"No matter how many times I see it, its always so majestic," Lia said her eyes wide as they stepped into the main street. "So many people… and they're all here for the entrance exam."

Kai nodded, scanning the crowd. "I guess Academy's a draw for everyone. Even the neighboring towns can't compare to this."

Havenbrook City was not only a city but a melting pot for all aspiring cultivators in the region. Dozens of smaller towns and villages surrounded it, sending their best and brightest here to test for a spot at the Academy. Young cultivators came from every corner of the province, eager to prove themselves worthy of training at one of the province's most prestigious institutions.

As they weaved through the crowd, Kai's eyes widened at the sight of youths their age, all in elaborate robes with family insignias embroidered onto them. Some wore armor, while others carried intricately crafted weapons, but nearly all of them had a certain air of confidence to their stride. He spotted the emblems of various noble houses: crests of eagles, lions, and mystical beasts-but none that he recognized.

"Think they're all here to compete with us for a spot at academy?" he muttered, looking at Lia.

Lia cocked an eyebrow. "Compete? We'll see about that."

They wandered along the town's streets, where he admired high-rise buildings and stalls groaning under oriental luxury goods. Street vendors competed on high notes to attract their attention: from elixirs and charms to weapons or even the pells of some mysterious beasts. Roasted meats and spiced pastries made the air smell enough for Kai's stomach to roil discontentedly.

They eventually came to a small inn tucked on a less busy street. It was a humble structure, but remarkably clean and with a warm aroma since it was filled with freshly baked bread inside. The innkeeper gave a warm smile as they entered, nodding knowingly when he saw their age.

"Here for the entrance exam, eh?" he said as he showed them to a table.

Kai and Lia nodded, situated themselves, and ordered a meal from the innkeeper. The innkeeper brought them steaming plates of food within minutes; they dived into the feast with gusto.

As they went to order their food, Kai's eyes scanned the people. It seemed that all of them sported some badge or insignia; otherwise, he could not know them to be nobility. Lia shot him a look and felt for herself that something was terribly amiss with her ordinary travel garb.

Their supper arrived—a hearty stew with bread—and as they began eating, they caught snippets of conversation at the other tables. Apparently everyone was talking about the entrance exam.

"So I heard it's a two-part exam this year," one boy said to his companions from another table.

"Seriously?" the other asked. "Last year, there was only that one combat test."

"This year's different," the first boy continued, his voice low, as if sharing a secret "First, they're going to test everyone's essence cultivation level. You have to be at least in the Initial Connection Realm to qualify, and you can't be older than fourteen."

Kai and Lia exchanged a look, tension flickering across their faces. They leaned forward, listening intently.

"And what's the second stage?" a girl at the table asked, eyes wide open.

"They'll have us fight a beast at the same level as us", he said with some excitement in his voice. "Everyone gets matched with a Stage 1 beast at their cultivation level. It's a way to test we can keep up to our own power, I guess.".

Lia's face had tightened as she gazed at Kai. "We're. in trouble," she whispered. "If they're testing for essence cultivation, then....".

Kai nodded, his face stern. They had trained tirelessly, but not one of them had cultivated essence in the way the Academy expected. They had no essence cultivation at all, only their Willforce—a power no one else even knew existed. If the first stage required essence, their chances of passing looked grim.

"Let's not worry about it yet," Kai muttered, attempting to sound casual. "Maybe there'll be a way around it."

But even as he said it, doubt started gnawing at him. They had come so far, trained so hard—if they couldn't even get past the first stage, what had it all been for?

Just then, a voice rose from across the room and caught their ears. "Have you heard? The youngest son of Lord Asher is going to take the exam this year."

Kai's ears perked up and he glanced over at the speaker—a tall boy who was eagerly recounting the news to his friends.

"Really?" exclaimed a girl beside him, wide-eyed with admiration. "I heard his older brother, Ronan Asher, is already a prodigy in Havenbrook Academy. He's supposed to be incredible."

The boy nodded, leaning forward. "Exactly! And this younger brother is already at the peak of Initial Connection Realm, and he's only thirteen. People say he's going to be even stronger than Ronan one day."

A ripple of amazement swept through the crowd, and whispers filled the room as others reacted to the news. But Kai and Lia just looked at each other in bewilderment. Kai raised an eyebrow, feeling curiously unmoved.

'Peak of Initial Connection Realm?' he wondered, trying to figure out the reaction of the crowd. He'd been expecting something… more. This kid was supposed to be a prodigy, the pride of his house. And yet, though he was a year older than him, he only stood at Initial Connection Realm.

Kai sat back, confused. "Is that it?" he said in a whisper to Lia. "They're impressed… by that?"

Lia was no less bewildered, and he felt sure she was thinking exactly the same thing. "I don't understand it, either. He's a favorite, isn't he?"

At that exact moment, another conversation from a nearby table wafted on over. "I've heard that girl from House Feline is going to be taking the test," said one boy. "She has the bloodline Dusklight Fox. Supposedly she's impossibly fast-fast for anyone her age.".

There was a hummed enthusiasm at the table, and Kai could feel the reverence in their voices. The Dusklight Fox line was famous for its agility and acute senses. The name alone was impressive, but again, her level seemed lower than he would have anticipated.

More names were given: a boy from House Emberfield, with the bloodline of Ash Sparrow that struck swift and hard; a girl from House Steelthorn, with the Bloodscale Serpent line that had venom in each blow. The murmurs of applause increased with each of them.

Kai listened to it all, growing increasingly perplexed. He had thought these nobles to be head and shoulders above the rest, but even with their distinguished bloodlines, not one of them seemed particularly impressive when it came down to cultivation level. He could recall as a child hearing stories about how noble bloodlines gave cultivators unmatched might and swiftness in their progress. So far, however, these nobles seemed...ordinary.

"They all have these legendary names and bloodlines, but the strength doesn't match up," he muttered to himself, lost in deep thought.

Lia gave him a knowing look. " Maybe we were taught to expect more than what they really are."

Kai nodded slowly, still mulling it over. "Yeah. but why would the elders make it sound like nobles were supposed to be these unstoppable forces?"

They continued eating, listening as more names were tossed around the room. Some youths near them were even placing bets on which noble house would have the highest-ranking candidate this year, each one bragging about the superiority of their bloodline and the advantages it granted.

But Kai grew only more uneasy. He had come here to be tested by opponents who might even surpass him. And yet the more he listened, the more it sounded as though these nobles were relying on bloodlines and family names rather than any kind of real skill or discipline. And that, somehow, felt wrong.

Finally, they had all eaten their fill and climbed upstairs to their room. The innkeeper had given them a small place with two little beds and a solitary window that overlooked the busy street below. Lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling, Kai felt a mixture of excitement and confusion.

"Three days till the test," he said, breaking the silent moment. "And if they are really testing for Essence Cultivation… we may have a problem."

Lia looked over at him from her bed, her eyes thinking about something. "We'll be all right, Kai. Maybe it's not just testing our cultivation level. We'll wait and see."

Kai nodded, though doubts hung over his mind. Closing his eyes, he tried to remove his worries; however, everything the nobles said to him and all the things he was told and encountered kept reemerging.

The rustling of the city outside grew anxious with excitement, already eager to get into entrance exam day. Kai and Lia sleep peacefully, as it is the first opportunity for most young hopefuls to prove their worth. But for Kai and Lia, it is something more: a test, their first glimpse into a world that they were just beginning to understand.