The obsidian mountain grew larger with every step.
Jin, Nyx, and Luna walked through the pristine white streets of Zenith City. The golden dome covering the massive Academy pulsed steadily above them. It was a flawless, terrifying shield. It kept the politics of the Apex Empire out. It kept the absolute power of the Dean in.
They finally reached the outer perimeter.
There was no moat. There were no crude wooden spikes or iron fences. The Genesis Zenith Academy did not need cheap defensive structures. It relied on pure, overwhelming intimidation.
Jin stopped. He tilted his head back.
The main entrance was a pair of colossal open gates. The gates were heavily framed by two massive pillars. The pillars were not carved from stone. They were forged from the actual, petrified spines of two ancient, dead dragons.
The bones were thick, grey, and completely indestructible. They spiraled hundreds of feet into the air. The sheer ambient Aether radiating from the dead dragon bones was heavy enough to make Luna gasp for air. She gripped Nyx's cloak tightly to keep her knees from buckling.
Suspended high in the air between the two massive dragon pillars was a colossal display.
It looked like a massive, floating screen, but it was not made of glass or wires. It was a flat, perfectly smooth slab of dark void-stone. Across the center of the dark stone, the words Genesis Zenith Academy were written in elegant, flowing cursive.
The letters were not carved or painted. They were made of pure, liquid Aether.
The bright golden energy constantly flowed and shifted through the cursive strokes. It was a living, breathing piece of calligraphy. It was magic in its most arrogant form.
Jin stared at the glowing letters. He felt a sharp, sudden pain directly behind his eyes. His Foundation Level 4 core vibrated erratically.
"Do not stare at the sign, My Prince," Nyx warned quietly. She did not look up. "The calligraphy was written by the Dean himself. The brushstrokes contain his martial intent. If a low-level cultivator stares at the flowing Aether too long, their brain will hemorrhage from the pressure."
Jin immediately looked down at the ground. He blinked hard. The sharp pain behind his eyes slowly faded.
He understood the message completely. The sign was not just a nameplate. It was a filter. It was the corporate logo of a monopoly, designed to remind everyone walking through the front door exactly how small and weak they were.
He took a deep breath. He composed himself. He was a manager. He had walked into massive, intimidating corporate lobbies on Earth to negotiate hostile contracts. The scale was bigger here, but the game was exactly the same.
You find the gatekeeper. You state your business. You leverage your network.
Jin walked forward. He approached the center of the massive gateway.
Two guards stood at the base of the dragon pillars. They wore the standard, form-fitting silver armor of the capital city. They did not carry weapons. They did not need them. They were elite Nascent Soul experts.
Jin stopped ten feet away from the guard on the right.
He did not cower. He did not bow aggressively. He stood straight. He reached up and slowly pulled the heavy brown hood back from his head.
He exposed his face. He was dirty, exhausted, and pale, but his aristocratic features were clear. He had the sharp jawline and the dark eyes of the Apex royal bloodline.
The silver-armored guard looked down at him. The guard's eyes were cold and completely devoid of interest. To a Nascent Soul expert, a Foundation Level 4 boy in a dirty canvas shirt was no more significant than an insect crawling across the pavement.
"Halt," the guard said. His voice was not loud, but it carried a heavy physical weight that pressed against Jin's chest. "State your business. Vagrants are not permitted past the pillars."
Jin ignored the insult. He kept his voice completely flat and professional. He did not beg.
"I am not a vagrant," Jin stated clearly. "I am here to see a faculty member. Please tell Advanced Instructor Shara that her nephew is here to meet her."
The guard's cold expression shifted slightly.
The guard analyzed the data. The boy looked like a miserable scavenger. But he spoke with absolute, unwavering confidence. And he had just dropped a very specific, high-level name.
Advanced Instructor Shara was not a low-level teacher. She was senior management. She commanded immense respect within the obsidian mountain. Furthermore, everyone in the capital knew that Shara was the younger sister of the former Queen of the Apex Empire.
If this dirty boy was her nephew, that meant he was a prince of the imperial bloodline.
The guard looked closely at Jin's face. He recognized the bone structure. The resemblance to the late Queen was faint, but it was there.
The guard then looked past Jin. He looked at the tall, dark figure standing quietly behind him. He looked at Nyx's heavy grey cloak and the cracked obsidian visor. The guard's Nascent Soul instincts flared sharply. He could not sense any Aether radiating from the woman, but every cell in his body screamed that she was incredibly dangerous.
The guard made a rapid tactical calculation. If the boy was lying, Shara would simply order them thrown into the street. If the boy was telling the truth, and the guard turned a royal prince away, Shara would likely peel the guard's skin off.
It was a simple choice.
"Wait here," the guard commanded.
He turned to his partner on the left side of the gate. He gave a short, silent nod. The second guard stepped forward, moving to the center of the entrance to block the path completely.
The first guard turned around. He walked briskly past the massive dragon pillars and disappeared into the sprawling, obsidian courtyards of the Academy.
Jin stood in the bright sunlight.
"He went to verify," Nyx stated in his mind.
"I know," Jin replied silently.
The second guard stood in front of them like a silver statue. He did not speak. He just watched them with hard, unblinking eyes.
"You will wait for half an hour," the remaining guard announced coldly. "If the Instructor does not confirm your identity, you will be removed from the perimeter. Forcefully."
"We will wait," Jin said.
He crossed his arms over his chest. He prepared for the delay.
Thirty minutes was a long time to stand in the sun, but Jin used the time efficiently. He ran a complete review of his current assets and his contingency plans.
If Shara accepted him, he had a foot in the door. He had a safe bed. He had a base of operations to begin deciphering his Null Gene and acquiring a Gene Legacy.
If Shara rejected him—if she hated the Emperor so much that she refused to help her own blood—the situation would become critical immediately. They would be stranded in Zenith City. They had the heavy spatial pouch full of high-tier cores, but without a sponsor, they could not rent a permanent fortress. Kaelen's spies would eventually find them in the public districts.
Jin looked up at the golden dome humming above the mountain.
He needed this corporate merger to work. He needed the Academy's absolute protection.
He glanced back at Luna. The girl was sweating heavily in the heat, but she stood completely still. She did not complain. She was proving her worth as a silent, compliant asset. Nyx was a shadow, completely unbothered by the sun or the intimidating guard.
The minutes ticked by slowly. The massive floating Aether sign above them continued to flow and shift, casting a faint golden glow over the white stone street.
Jin watched the entrance. He waited for his aunt. He waited to see if he was going to be an executive inside the mountain, or a hunted animal on the streets.