The first morning in Academy City felt different.
Before sunrise...
The streets were already alive.
Unlike Ardent Crossing, where merchants were the first to begin their day...
Here...
The first sounds came from cultivators.
The rhythmic clash of wooden swords echoed from distant courtyards.
Someone practiced spear forms in a public square.
Another meditated beside a canal as Magna gently flowed around him.
To Kieran...
The entire city felt like one enormous classroom.
---
After breakfast, Darius gathered the applicants.
"Registration begins in three days."
"Until then, you're free to explore."
He paused before adding,
"But remember."
"The Academy's rules begin the moment you step into this city."
Several applicants exchanged confused looks.
Mira raised her hand.
"But we aren't Academy students yet."
Darius smiled.
"Exactly."
"That's why many people fail before the examination even begins."
---
The group dispersed.
Mira immediately wanted to visit the marketplace.
Selene searched for the largest bookstore.
Ronan headed toward a weapons district.
Kieran simply walked.
As always...
He wanted to observe.
---
The city was divided into districts.
The Scholar's Quarter.
The Artisan District.
The Beast Exchange.
The Alchemist's Row.
The Arena Ward.
Every street possessed its own atmosphere.
Every person seemed to pursue a different Path.
Some cultivated the sword.
Others the spear.
Others still devoted themselves to medicine, runes, formations, or the study of Magical Beasts.
For the first time...
Kieran realized that cultivation wasn't merely about becoming stronger.
It was a way of life.
---
As he wandered into the Scholar's Quarter...
He noticed a crowd gathered around an elderly professor.
The old man stood before a stone tablet covered in faded runes.
"So then..."
The professor asked.
"Why does this formation fail?"
Several young cultivators answered confidently.
"The engraving is incomplete."
"The Magna supply is insufficient."
"The array is too old."
The professor smiled.
"Incorrect."
Every answer had been wrong.
---
Kieran remained at the edge of the crowd.
He studied the formation.
Not the runes themselves...
But the empty spaces between them.
After several moments...
He quietly murmured,
"It isn't failing."
The professor's ears twitched.
"What did you say, young man?"
Kieran hesitated.
"I..."
"I may be mistaken."
"Speak."
The professor encouraged.
Kieran stepped closer.
"The formation wasn't designed to activate continuously."
He pointed toward several worn sections.
"The missing runes weren't damaged."
"They were intentionally left incomplete."
"So..."
"It requires another formation to complete it."
Silence.
The old professor stared at the tablet.
Then...
His eyes slowly widened.
He laughed.
A full, hearty laugh.
"Wonderful!"
"Wonderful!"
He struck his cane against the ground.
"I've been asking that question for thirty years."
He turned toward his students.
"And none of you noticed the obvious."
The students looked between Kieran and the stone tablet in disbelief.
One finally asked,
"...Who are you?"
"Kieran."
"Are you an Academy student?"
"Not yet."
The professor smiled even more brightly.
"I certainly hope you will be."
---
Word of the exchange spread faster than Kieran realized.
By the time he left the square...
Several students were already whispering.
"Did you hear?"
"A new applicant corrected Professor Edwin."
"Impossible."
"He did."
"And the Professor praised him."
---
Meanwhile...
High within one of the Academy's towers...
An elderly instructor received a communication talisman.
He read the short report.
Then raised an eyebrow.
"A non-cultivator?"
He looked toward another instructor.
"It seems..."
"This year's applicants are becoming interesting."
---
Unaware of the growing whispers...
Kieran continued exploring.
He eventually arrived at a quiet courtyard.
At its center stood an ancient tree.
Dozens of students sat beneath its branches reading, meditating, or discussing philosophy.
No one argued.
No one shouted.
The atmosphere itself encouraged thought.
Kieran sat beneath the tree.
Not to meditate.
Simply to listen.
The conversations around him drifted naturally.
"...The Sword Path values decisiveness."
"...No, intent matters more than technique."
"...Water overcomes stone through persistence."
"...Then why does lightning split mountains?"
Every discussion offered a different perspective.
Kieran listened to them all.
Not searching for who was right.
Trying to understand why each believed they were.
---
Far above...
Hidden within the Academy grounds...
The Headmaster stood beside an open window.
He overlooked Academy City below.
Without warning...
His gaze settled upon the ancient tree.
He couldn't distinguish faces from this distance.
Yet...
Something drew his attention.
A faint smile appeared.
"How curious..."
He said quietly.
"The wind has brought someone who listens."
He turned away before anyone else noticed.
The Headmaster did not yet know Kieran's name.
Nor had he seen the Ancient Foundation Seal.
But for the first time in many years...
He found himself looking forward to the entrance examination.
End of Chapter 66