The plaza roared with anticipation.
Tens of thousands of young heirs, prodigies, and disciples from across the continent stood in neat formation before the jade gates of the Academy of Martial Ascension. Their clan banners rippled in the air, each sigil blazing with pride — Zenith's golden flame, Drakonis's coiling dragon, Aurelius's black sun, Moonveil's silver crescent, and many more.
But as the murmurs swelled, a silence cut through the crowd like a blade.
A single bell tolled.
The jade gates opened, and a line of instructors marched forth. Their steps were unified, their presence like a tidal wave of martial will. Even the proudest heirs felt their spines straighten, their bloodlines quiver under the weight of true cultivation.
At the front walked a lean man clad in steel-gray robes, his aura sharp and disciplined. His voice cut through the air without effort:
"I am Instructor Kaelen Veylor. Tier Seven, Spirit Convergence. I will instruct the lowest ranks of you who are deemed worthy."
A hum rippled through the crowd. Tier Seven. Already far beyond what most mortals could dream of, yet here he was — a mere entry-level instructor.
Behind him came another, a broad-shouldered woman with crimson hair tied into a knot, her gaze fierce as fire.
"I am Instructor Lyra Duskbane. Tier Six, Battle Tempering. My domain is combat. If you pass today's trial, some of you may be forged under my guidance."
The air around her rippled with heat, and even Zenith heirs glanced at her with wary respect.
The next instructor strode forward, his robes black as obsidian, his presence heavy with crushing pressure.
"Instructor Jareth Kaon. Tier Five, Soul Manifestation. My path is control. Those who survive long enough may learn under me."
The crowd swallowed hard. A Tier Five would be worshiped as a martial legend in the outer provinces, yet here he was, a mid-tier instructor.
Two more followed, their auras even more suffocating.
"I am Instructor Seraphine Vale. Tier Four, Ascendant Path." Her voice was calm, yet each word carried like thunder. "I train only those who show unyielding will."
And then came the last of the instructors, a mountain of a man with hair as white as snow, his aura pressing down like the heavens themselves.
"Instructor Torvak Dran. Tier Four, Ascendant Path. Strength is the only truth. Show me yours, or be crushed beneath mine."
By now, silence reigned. None dared even whisper.
And then… the earth itself shook.
A presence unlike anything the students had ever felt rolled across the plaza — vast, crushing, yet impossibly refined. It wasn't merely cultivation; it was law, bending reality itself.
Two figures stepped forward, each radiating power so immense it felt suffocating.
The first, a tall man with silver hair bound in a warrior's knot, spoke. "I am Vice-Master Kaelor Veydan. Tier Two Peak — a Sovereign one step away from Domain Lord."
The second, a woman robed in midnight blue, her gaze sharper than blades, continued. "I am Vice-Master Sylara Noctis. Tier Two Peak as well."
Gasps echoed everywhere. Two Tier Two Sovereigns stood before them — beings who could annihilate armies with a gesture.
And yet… they were not the peak.
For the ground trembled once more. The sky darkened as a shadow fell across the plaza. From the heart of the academy, a single figure descended, his robes plain yet impossibly radiant, his presence warping the air.
Every student collapsed to one knee instinctively, their bloodlines screaming in recognition.
Even Draven Aurelius and Selene bowed, their proud auras crushed flat. The Zenith heirs lowered their heads. The Drakonis youths clenched their fists in awe and fear.
Kaelith stood still. His knees trembled, his body begged to kneel — but his soul, forged in rebellion, kept him upright.
The man's voice swept across the academy like a divine decree.
"I am Master Orion Kaelis, Lord of the Academy. Tier Three, Domain Lord."
Every word shook the earth. Around him shimmered the faintest outline of his Domain — a sphere where the laws of reality bent to his will. Lightning flickered across the sky, flames danced along the stones, and shadows deepened unnaturally.
Orion's gaze swept over the crowd. He did not look at individuals; he weighed souls.
"You stand at the threshold of the Martial Ascension," he declared, his voice vast. "You are heirs of proud clans, children of bloodlines that clawed toward divinity. Yet hear me well: in this academy, your names mean nothing."
Gasps and murmurs echoed, but none dared defy him.
"Here, only strength speaks. Only perseverance earns survival. Bloodline alone will not save you. Talent alone will not crown you. You will fight. You will bleed. Some of you will die."
The words were merciless, yet the fire in the students' eyes only grew brighter.
Orion raised one hand, and the ground split, revealing a massive stone platform carved with ancient runes. Its surface pulsed with spirit light, forming a vast arena.
"The first trial begins now. You will step onto this platform, one by one, and awaken your resonance with the Martial Path. Those unworthy will be expelled immediately. Those who succeed will be measured, judged, and ranked."
His gaze narrowed, a blade cutting through the heirs.
"Do not disappoint me."
Silence gripped the plaza. Every heir stood straighter, every heart pounded faster.
Kaelith exhaled slowly. Memories of humiliation resurfaced — the jeers, the laughter, the disgrace of failing in this very trial in his past life. The old Kaelith Aurelius had stumbled here, mocked until the day he died.
But this time was different.
This time, Kaelith Varion stood where the boy once cowered.
His eyes glimmered faintly as he stepped forward, the weight of the gods' hatred behind him, the fire of rebellion within him.
Let them mock. Let them doubt. Today, I begin to walk a path none of them can even imagine.
And as the Martial Path platform roared to life, Kaelith's journey into the academy truly began.