A week passed quickly at the Verdant Dragon Academy.
Isshin had spent most of that time getting familiar with the place and meeting other students, but he still ended up spending most of his time with Rune. The two had gotten used to each other pretty fast. Rune was strange, no doubt about that, but he didn't care about fitting in or impressing anyone, and that made things easier for Isshin.
Around him, most students were constantly trying to prove something. But Rune wasn't.
That alone made him easier to be around.
But the academy wasn't as clean as it looked.
Isshin had seen it for himself. Stronger students picking on weaker ones, pushing them around, testing them. It didn't last long most of the time, but it happened often enough to notice.
He had thought about stepping in once.
Raijin stopped him.
"Leave it," Raijin said. "You shouldn't bring trouble to yourself."
Isshin didn't like it, but he understood.
So he stayed quiet.
Days passed, and soon people started talking about the teacher selection.
Every student would have to show what they could do. The teachers would only take a limited number of students, so competition was going to be tight.
Isshin didn't waste time.
He trained more.
Every day, pushing himself further.
Rune joined him sometimes, though not with the same intensity. He trained, but he never seemed serious about it.
Isshin asked him again one day, "What kind of abilities do you actually have?"
Rune just smiled. "You will see."
That was all he ever said.
Raijin also gave him advice throughout.
Isshin followed that.
He focused on refining what he already had. His speed, his control, his techniques. He pushed his limits again and again.
After days of constant training, he finally broke through.
Golden Core Realm, 2nd Stage.
When the test day came, Isshin felt ready.
There was still some tension, but it didn't slow him down.
The test started with students going one by one.
Some names were already known.
Falen was one of them.
He controlled a white sabertooth beast, and it was strong. Stronger than him, actually. The beast itself was at the fourth stage of the Golden Core Realm. Without it, Falen wouldn't stand out as much, but his control over it made him dangerous.
Then there was Asil.
He had a fire spirit named Salamander.
When he stepped forward, the ground cracked under the heat. Flames spread, and for a moment, it felt like the area itself was changing. Lava-like bursts formed from the ground.
His power was clear.
Then it was Isshin's turn.
He stepped forward without saying anything.
He drew his sword and adjusted his grip slightly.
Then he moved.
His speed made it hard to follow. With flash step, he crossed distance almost instantly, cutting through large stone structures set up for the test. The blade moved cleanly, slicing through as if there was no resistance.
It wasn't flashy like fire or beasts.
But it was precise.
That's what caught the teachers' attention.
Isshin stepped back once he was done.
Then it was Rune's turn.
Isshin looked over.
He was curious.
Rune had been hiding what he could do this whole time.
Rune paused for a moment, then raised his hand.
A massive rock, easily around fifty meters tall, lifted off the ground and floated in the air.
That alone caught people's attention.
But what happened next made the entire room go quiet.
From Rune's arm, mechanical barrels formed, almost like machine guns, but they didn't look like anything from this world. They were smooth, metallic, and clearly not something related to normal cultivation.
Isshin stared.
"…What is that?"
Even Raijin reacted.
"That power… it doesn't belong to this world," he said, his tone more serious than before. "He didn't get that normally."
Rune didn't say anything.
He fired.
The sound echoed loudly as the rock shattered into pieces. The fragments didn't fall. They stayed in the air, moving, shifting, then pulling together again.
A massive golem formed.
It stood there, towering over everything, easily comparable to a small mountain. Its presence alone made it clear how strong it was.
Golden Core Realm.
First Stage.
The entire room was silent for a second, then filled with murmurs.
The teachers were clearly interested now.
Isshin looked at Rune again.
He had expected something unusual.
But not this.
After that, the demonstrations ended.
Now it was time for the teachers to choose their students.
One by one, teachers raised their hands, picking who they wanted. Some already had students from higher years, so there weren't many spots left for the new ones.
Out of everyone, a few stood out more than the rest.
Falen, with his beast.
Asil, with his fire spirit.
And a few others.
Then it was Isshin's turn.
All of the teachers raised their hands.
Before he could decide, Raijin spoke.
"Go to that one. The one with the cloak and straw hat. There's something about him."
Isshin glanced over.
One teacher stood slightly apart from the others, his face mostly hidden under a straw hat.
Isshin didn't fully understand why, but he trusted Raijin.
He walked toward him.
Some of the other teachers looked annoyed. Others didn't care.
Rune noticed and followed.
"I saw you pick him," Rune said casually. "You probably saw something I didn't."
Isshin didn't respond.
They both stood in front of the teacher.
Before they could say anything, someone else walked over.
A girl.
Long black hair, calm expression, sharp eyes.
"I'm Karin," she said.
The teacher finally spoke.
"Why did you choose me?" he asked.
His voice was calm, but there was something behind it.
Isshin answered first. "Someone that i know told me to."
Rune shrugged. "I just followed him to be honest."
Karin crossed her arms slightly. "I didn't see you earlier with the other teachers. I got curious."
The teacher gave a small nod.
"My name is Khalid," he said. "From today, you three will be my students."
Isshin looked at him more closely.
"This man is probably the strongest in this continent, my instincts tell me he is atleast at the 9th mortal realm, the Transcendent Realm"
Khalid stood there quietly, like he didn't belong with the others.
Then he spoke again.
"You've made a choice that will put a target on your backs."
The three of them looked at each other briefly.
"Other teachers won't like this," Khalid continued. "Some will ignore you. Some will try to get in your way. A few might go further than that."
He paused for a second.
"But none of that matters. I'll make sure you're strong enough that it won't matter."
He said it simply, like it was obvious.
Then he stretched his shoulders slightly.
"Alright," he said. "Let's start."
The three of them straightened up, expecting something serious.
A lecture maybe.
Instructions.
Instead, Khalid said,
"Fight each other."
Isshin blinked. "Right now?"
Karin narrowed her eyes slightly. "Already?"
Rune let out a quiet laugh. "That's one way to start."
"There's no better training than real combat," Khalid said.
Raijin laughed inside Isshin's mind.
Isshin exhaled slowly.
This wasn't like training alone.