The next morning...
Academy City awakened earlier than usual.
From every inn, residence, and guild hall, streams of young applicants poured into the streets.
Some wore the crests of powerful noble houses.
Others represented famous sects.
Many, like Kieran, carried no emblem at all.
Yet every pair of eyes looked toward the Sacred Peaks.
Today...
Registration would begin.
---
Before sunrise, Darius gathered everyone in the courtyard.
"This is where my commission ends."
The applicants fell silent.
"For the past few weeks, I have been responsible for bringing all of you here safely."
He smiled faintly.
"The rest..."
"...depends on yourselves."
One by one, the applicants bowed to him.
Even the arrogant youths who had looked down on the Wanderers at the start of the journey did so sincerely.
Travel had changed them.
---
Old Mountain lumbered over to Kieran.
The giant bear lowered his enormous head.
Kieran instinctively placed a hand on its forehead.
"...Thank you."
The bear let out a deep rumble before turning away.
The elderly Beast Tamer chuckled.
"It seems Old Mountain likes you."
"I've rarely seen him greet someone like that."
Kieran smiled.
"I like him too."
The old man laughed.
"Then perhaps you'll meet again."
---
Soon...
Thousands of applicants converged at the foot of the Sacred Peaks.
There...
An enormous white staircase climbed toward the Grand Academy.
It seemed endless.
Wide enough for hundreds of people to walk side by side.
At its base stood a stone archway.
Above it were carved four elegant words.
Seek Truth. Walk Forward.
Nothing more.
---
Mira tilted her head.
"That's... simple."
Selene quietly replied,
"Simple things are often the hardest to live by."
Ronan merely looked at the stairs.
"There are exactly one thousand steps."
Mira stared.
"...Did you count?"
"No."
"I read it."
He pointed toward a weathered plaque beside the staircase.
Mira covered her face.
"I forgot you do that."
---
The applicants slowly began climbing.
Unlike what many expected...
There was no pressure.
No hidden formation.
No test.
Just...
Steps.
Many whispered in confusion.
"Is this really part of the Academy?"
"I expected something grander."
Kieran simply climbed.
One step after another.
Without rushing.
Without slowing.
---
Halfway up...
He noticed an elderly groundskeeper sweeping fallen leaves from the edge of the staircase.
The man smiled at every applicant who passed.
Most barely acknowledged him.
A few offered polite nods.
Kieran stopped.
He bowed respectfully.
"Good morning."
The old man returned the bow.
"Good morning."
"That's a lot of leaves."
The old man chuckled.
"They never stop falling."
Kieran smiled.
"I met someone like you on the road."
"Oh?"
"He said today's leaves deserve today's effort."
For a brief moment...
The old groundskeeper stopped sweeping.
Then his eyes softened.
"A wise man."
"He was."
Kieran replied sincerely.
After another respectful bow...
He continued climbing.
The old groundskeeper watched him until he disappeared among the crowd.
Then he quietly resumed sweeping.
---
At the top of the staircase...
A breathtaking sight greeted every applicant.
A vast plaza stretched before them.
White stone reflected the morning sunlight.
Ancient trees lined the edges.
Towering halls surrounded the square.
Hundreds of Academy instructors moved calmly through the crowds.
Yet despite the thousands of people present...
The plaza felt peaceful.
Not chaotic.
Disciplined.
---
Registration itself was surprisingly orderly.
Applicants approached long rows of jade desks where Academy officials recorded their information.
Name.
Age.
Origin.
Previous instruction.
Recommended profession, if any.
When Kieran's turn came...
The elderly registrar looked up.
"Name?"
"Kieran."
"Age?"
"Twelve."
"Origin?"
"The western mountains of the Gardenia Empire."
The registrar wrote calmly.
"Primary discipline?"
Kieran paused.
"...I don't know."
The old man looked up.
"You don't know?"
"I've learned many things."
"But I haven't walked far enough to know which Path is mine."
The registrar smiled.
"An honest answer."
He stamped Kieran's registration tablet.
"Accepted."
---
Just as Kieran stepped away...
A ripple passed through the plaza.
An Academy instructor had begun demonstrating a simple sword form for gathered applicants.
"It appears ordinary."
He said.
"But tell me..."
"What is its greatest flaw?"
Dozens immediately raised their hands.
"The final stance."
"The footwork."
"The lack of Magna."
The instructor shook his head each time.
Kieran watched quietly.
After several moments...
He spoke almost to himself.
"It isn't incomplete..."
"It teaches restraint."
The instructor's head snapped toward him.
"What did you say?"
Kieran blinked.
"I thought..."
"The form deliberately ends before the finishing strike."
"So students learn not to overextend."
Silence.
The instructor slowly lowered his practice sword.
Then...
He smiled.
"You've seen it."
Several nearby instructors turned toward Kieran.
One asked softly,
"Who is that boy?"
Another shook his head.
"I don't know..."
"But this is the second report I've heard today."
---
Far above the plaza...
Inside a quiet pavilion overlooking the registration grounds...
The Headmaster sat with a cup of tea.
An elder approached and bowed.
"Headmaster."
"There is an applicant..."
The Headmaster smiled before the elder could continue.
"The one who keeps answering questions?"
The elder looked surprised.
"You already know?"
The Headmaster looked toward the bustling plaza below.
"I don't know his name."
"But I know this..."
"He listens before he speaks."
"And those who do that..."
"...often surprise the world."
His gaze lingered on Kieran for only a moment.
Then he calmly returned to his tea.
The entrance examination had not even begun.
Yet somewhere deep within the Academy...
The name Kieran had quietly begun to spread.
Not because of strength.
Not because of cultivation.
But because of an understanding that seemed far beyond his years.
End of Chapter 67