The growth of the soul was the most difficult. Whether it was cultivation methods, items, or one-time use natural treasures, anything that could increase soul strength, even slightly, would attract competition from countless powerhouses.
Caleb's already powerful soul, after his sessions of Dual Cultivation, reached a new height. His powerful soul accelerated his enlightenment in the way of the sword, and the Sword Zen level naturally advanced one rank. However, he was still a considerable distance from the Union of Man and God realm.
The rating on the personal panel was simple and clear, increasing incrementally from Beginner upwards. Caleb wasn't sure if Advanced Sword Zen was the Union of Man and God realm, as he had yet to acquire any Mid-Tier skills, let alone Advanced skills.
As for whether there was a rating above Advanced... He believed there was, after all, there were High-Tier, Ultimate-Tier, and Maou-Tier Devil Bloodlines. Although the latter seemed to refer more to strength, stronger strength naturally implied a stronger bloodline. Another reason Caleb felt skills didn't just stop at Advanced was that Sakura Miyajima once told him that the ancestral notes recorded five major realms of martial arts enlightenment. Using the sword as an example, they were: Sword Glow, Sword Qi, Sword Momentum, Sword Intent, and Union of Man and Sword. Union of Man and Sword was the Sword Saint realm. As for the Sword God, the Miyajima ancestors had never produced one, so there was naturally no record.
With the temporary stagnation of his Magic Power breakthrough to A-rank, Caleb put all his energy into martial arts, thinking that even if he couldn't successfully break through the A-rank threshold during the summer, he could at least touch it. Moreover, martial arts greatly increased combat power, which was perfect for Caleb, who was currently stuck at a bottleneck.
Knowing that Caleb was facing a bottleneck, Rias did not assign him any missions during the summer, allowing him to focus on cultivation.
August 26th, less than a week before the start of the new semester. For nearly a month, Caleb was either Dual Cultivating or diligently studying martial arts. During this time, whenever Tsubaki Shinra returned from the Underworld, he would persistently cling to her for one or more Dual Cultivation sessions. Unfortunately, he still failed to draw the Mid-Tier Magic Power Extraction skill. Instead, he managed to extract Tsubaki Shinra's sword skill, and combined with nearly a month of his own sword practice, he successfully upgraded Sword Zen to Advanced.
As Caleb had anticipated, Advanced Sword Zen had not yet reached the Union of Man and God realm. It only allowed him to reach the Master level in martial arts. To break through to A-rank, he needed to continue comprehending the true meaning of martial arts. Sakura Miyajima's Sword Zen was also at this level, and due to factors like physical fitness, she had not formally crossed into the Master level yet. Without a 'master' to guide him, Caleb's martial arts training also stagnated.
Even until the start of the second semester, he failed to break through to A-rank, but his combat power had indeed been greatly enhanced.
September 1st, Kuoh Academy held the opening ceremony. At 2 PM, Caleb packed his bag and hurried to the Occult Research Club.
"Buchou, Akeno-senpai, Koneko... uh, and Kiba, good afternoon." Pushing open the clubroom door, Caleb greeted them in turn. When he saw the certain blonde 'hottie,' he paused instinctively. This guy, whose presence was usually negligible, was actually here today.
Yuto Kiba offered a gentle smile and softly replied, "Uesugi-kun, good afternoon." Caleb shuddered, goosebumps rising on his skin. Why did this blonde guy feel increasingly effeminate after some time apart?
Caleb subtly moved closer to Rias, starting to observe Yuto Kiba out of the corner of his eye. His face was fair and delicate, his figure slender, about 170cm tall, similar to himself. His Adam's apple... was that a throat or an Adam's apple? His chest was indeed flat, flatter than the white-haired loli's. All in all, he looked more like a Uke than the current Caleb and would definitely look great in women's clothing.
Caleb was startled by his sudden thought. He had no interest in Femboys. Shaking the terrifying idea out of his head, he continued his observation. The black uniform trousers tightly encased his thighs, only showing a general outline of his legs. They were slender but not lacking in strength, and his thighs were taut, clearly well-muscled. After all, Yuto Kiba specialized in physical combat, and his swordsmanship was much stronger than Caleb's, who was just a beginner.
Suddenly, Caleb's eyes narrowed. Wait... that area on him seems flat? Since Rias and the others were all wearing uniform skirts, Caleb could only look down at his own crotch. It was clearly bulging, and especially after sitting down, the uniform trousers pressed tighter, forming a small peak. He glanced at Yuto Kiba again... It was completely flat, without any bulge.
Could it be that Yuto Kiba... had a developmental issue! It must be a side effect of the Holy Sword Experiment, leading to a very small, or completely absent, 'little brother' down there! The Adam's apple was probably for the same reason.
Withdrawing his gaze, Caleb slowly lowered his head, mourning for the poor Kiba-kun in his heart. Due to his preconceived notions, he didn't consider any other possibility. One example of a disguised gender was enough with Yuuki Shinamura. Surely, Yuto Kiba, who had always been male in the anime, wasn't also hiding his gender, was he?! The character that never appeared, only on the cover art, couldn't possibly be the real body, could it?!
Caleb was the weakest person present, and his supposed stealth was seen by Rias and the others. They were initially puzzled by his occasional glances at Yuto Kiba. Following his line of sight and the incredibly expressive changes in his facial expressions, Rias and the others' looks gradually became strange.
"Akira, are you misunderstand..."
"Buchou." Yuto Kiba forced a stiff smile. "When I resolve that matter... I want to tell you myself."
Rias sighed. "Alright. Actually, you don't have to carry this burden alone..."
Yuto Kiba lowered his head. "I understand the reasoning, but I can't do it." Rias was taken aback, then fell silent. Yes, everyone understands the reasoning, but how many can actually do it? Wasn't she herself the same way... Akeno Himejima's expression also darkened upon hearing this, becoming emotionless. Even Koneko Toujou, who was eating snacks, stopped her movements, clearly in low spirits.
Caleb noticed the change in atmosphere. Based on his memory, the group was clearly thinking about the emotional block that constantly weighed on their hearts. This uncomfortable ambiance immediately made him lose the desire to ask what Rias had intended to say earlier.
"Buchou, Akeno-senpai..." Caleb forced himself to break the silence. "Although the break was great, isn't it a bit grim to be so down on the first day of school?"
"Honestly, to think that Akira, the last one to join, has to adjust the mood." Rias was the first to cheer up, pursing her lips. "I'm really an unqualified Buchou."
"Ara ara~ So even the Buchou-sama makes mistakes sometimes~" Akeno Himejima also used teasing Rias to sweep away her previous gloom. Rias shot her a meaningful glare, warning the devious Akeno Himejima with her eyes. They had been living and eating together since they were seven or eight years old. If they really started digging up dirt on each other, Rias wasn't afraid. Akeno Himejima knew when to stop and didn't continue provoking Rias, covering her mouth with her small hand and giggling to the side, like a fox spirit that had stolen a chicken.
"Ahem." Rias turned back, composing her expression as she spoke to Caleb. "Akira, there's a placement test tomorrow. While your strength is certainly fine, we still have to go through the process."
"Placement test? For the Underworld Academy?" Caleb asked in confusion. "I heard others talking about a test last semester, but I never went once."
Rias slightly lifted her chin, settling in to explain. "Akeno, you explain it to Akira."
Akeno Himejima rolled her beautiful eyes, reluctantly taking on the role of explainer. Who told her she was Rias's Peerage? Even though she knew Rias was getting back at her for teasing her earlier, she could only comply obediently.
"Because you joined midway and were just a normal person before, the rest of last semester was considered your adjustment period." Akeno Himejima seriously explained to Caleb. "The Underworld Academy operates on a Last-Place Punishment System. We couldn't exactly have you, someone who knew nothing, or had just cultivated magic power, participate in the test with the others."
"Last-Place Punishment System..." Caleb felt like he finally understood why Rina Hamazaki and the others had been so desperate, resorting to force to get him to Dual Cultivate. Since he had been using the [Insight Eye] for so long, and given his strength, his mastery of it was probably no worse than the naturally-born Rina Hamazaki, perhaps even better.
"What is the punishment for last place?"
"The most severe punishment is expulsion. Usually, it's special training." Akeno Himejima thought for a moment and added, "The special training is very difficult. If you can't endure it or refuse the training, you will also be expelled."