The strongest people here were barely at the second stage broken vessel realm, with a tiny portion of the participants being at the third, there were even some at the first stage!
'No, I guess I'm the anomaly here.'
He had basically skipped through to the fourth stage. The basic cultivation manual he'd received was too weak and only gathered small amounts of mana, not nearly enough for a breakthrough. Luriel estimated that if he uses it, he might be able to reach the sixth stage in about a year or so, which was painfully slow for him. Of course, those nobles probably had better cultivation manuals but even then, it's not enough.
'Is that all cultivators do all day? Sit and wait to advance? How boring.'
After waiting for a while, he realized some people have yet to finish their test. He quietly made his way to the corner of the hall and sat down. Realizing he might have to wait for a while, he closed his eyes and began cultivating. Even a little progress is better than none, after all.
An unknown period of time had passed when he decided to stop and observe the newcomers. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a familiar pair of red eyes staring at him. Taken aback, he instictively tried to back off.
-Bang!
And hit his head on the wall.
Naturally, this much was nowhere enough to hurt him. Having composed himself, he greeted the owner of the red eyes , who was now laughing her ass off, in a slightly irritated voice.
"Haven't you heard of personal space?"
"Ha-ha, sorry. I just wanted to see your reaction, and it was definitely worth it!" After another round of supressed chuckes, Fier continued in a serious tone. "Although, you shouldn't cultivate out in the open like that. It's fine since we're inside the academy testing grounds but you need to be causious in the future. Congratulations on reaching the fourth stage, though."
'Right, I guess I was pretty vulnerable.'
Since cultivation requires one to focus on his/her mana pathways, which limits their senses in the real world. If it was an assassin instead of Fier, he would've died without knowing how.
"I know, don't worry. Also, thanks. Althought... the little stunt you pulled received a lot of attention."
Most people in the hall were now looking at them. Some whispering, others laughting and some, observing. With the number of participants growing exponentially, he hightened his senses once more.
'Nothing out of the ordinary, however, there are some exceptions.'
Apart from Fier and himself, there were three people at the fourth stage Broken Vessel realm.
'There's also that guy. I can't see through him. He should be at the fifth stage.'
Of course, his cultivation might even be higher but considering their age, the fifth stage should be the highest they go. Out of those at the 4th stage, one was a boy with a seemingly fragile body, wearing a dark cloak similar to Luriel's, hiding his features. There seemed to be nothing special about him.
The other was also male, with long, blond hair and emerald green eyes. He had this smile on his face that practically screamed 'I'm friendly'. He was dressed in a common mercenary outfit, with the addition of a peculiar emblem on his right chest. Seeing it made Luriel frown slightly.
'The royal family's emblem. I didn't know a prince would be attending the academy. Wait no, it could be someone recommended like me. Scratch that, he's too handsome to not be a prince.'
Lastly, a teenage girl with blue hair and eyes, like the endless sea, filled with mystery. There was no emblem indicating what family she might be from. However, there seemed to be something off about her.
'I can't put my finger on it but, she's definitely the strongest out of the other 4th stages, including myself...'
Noticing the direction of his gaze, Fier warned him.
"It's best you don't openly stare at her. She's the daughter of marquess Marg. Her name is Emily Marg and she is, well, an asshole."
Seeing the deadpan look on Luriel's face, she continued with her explanation. "She's spoiled like most nobles here and thinks everyone except the dukes and princes are below her. If anything doesn't go her way, she's throw a tantrum and use her family's power to 'fix' it. Stay away from her at all cost."
"Alright, I get it... What about him?"
He was inquiring about the boy at the fifth stage who was walking without a care in the world, as if he owned the place. His features were nothing noteworthy, dark hair and eyes and an ordinary looking face, with no indication that he's a noble. Luriel's first thought was that he was recommended as well but he wanted to be certain.
Fier's answer however, left him speechless.
"How am I supposed to know? Probably some homeless orphan with talent that a noble family found and nutured. Or just a random guy from the street? The possibilities are endless, really."
Finding himself at a loss for words, Luriel sighed and tapped on the floor next to him, indicating for Fier to sit down as well. They started chatting and soon, almost the entire hall was filled up, but no one surpassing the 3rd stage appeared.
-Tap.Tap.Tap.
Hearing footsteps coming their way, both Luriel and Fier turned to look at the one approaching. They were suprised to see one of the 4th stage boys, the one with a cloak covering his body and face. Now that he was in front of them, they could see his face, which had a gruesome scar over his left eye. He spoke with a dry, hoarse voice filled with ridicule.
"You... aren't you a little too weak to be recommended by Hans Prizal? Compared to him back when he was at the 4th stage, it's like comparing a pile of shit to the royal palace."
'No way this fucker came out of his way just to compare me to a pile of shit.'
Although Luriel was visibly pissed, he supressed his anger and instead asked.
"An acquaintance of Hans'?"
Before the boy could respond, a blidning light sprouted from the center of the hall, enveloping the entire area. A large amount of mana burst forth from the center, its power pressing down on them like a mountain as the surroundings shifted.