Winay slipped into sleep almost instantly. After being mentally and physically drained for nearly twenty-four hours without rest, his body finally gave in.

  Some time later—

  Their communication devices rang with an alert tone, sharp enough to wake both of them.

  Gonad jolted awake, his hand moving straight to his device.

  “Oh… it’s already 10:30 a.m. Wini, you’ve packed your luggage too, right?”

  Winay, who had just woken up from the same alert, rubbed his eyes.

  “Yeah, Nad. I already packed. Shall we go?”

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  Both of them left the dormitory and headed toward the central hall, where the instructors were waiting.

  As they walked, Gonad kept scrolling through his communication device.

  “Wini, did you see this?” he said. “Apart from the top fifty students who passed the Trials, all five great academies are offering seats to anyone who broke through to the Communication Realm before dawn.”

  “Oh? I didn’t notice that,” Winay replied. “But it makes sense. Students who can break through that early have both potential and a strong foundation.”

  “Yeah,” Gonad nodded. “Around two hundred thirty students are going to the five great academies. And look—the school even released a choice entry for those who broke through before dawn. More than fifty chose Four Elements Academy, and around sixty chose the remaining academies. But quite a few still haven’t made their choice.”

  “That’s understandable,” Winay said. “Most of them are probably confused and want to decide after reaching the central hall.”

  “Yeah… looks like it.”

  They reached the central hall.

  At the same moment, Aarna entered from the front with Laxsi, while Aashna came in from the left.

  Winay glanced around.

  Looks like many students succeeded in breaking through.

  Suddenly, both Winay and Gonad felt a chilling killing intent directed toward them.

  “Wini…” Gonad whispered. “I feel like someone’s trying to finish me off. Did I offend anyone?”

  Winay calmly turned his head and looked toward a corner at the back of the hall.

  “Hah. She’s still upset because I eliminated her. Don’t worry, Nad—it’s not directed at you.”

  (It was Oscherin.)

  Gonad exhaled. “I thought someone was targeting me. But how did you know it wasn’t aimed at me? Your perception is scary…”

  “Don’t overthink it,” Winay said lightly. “You’ll get there soon.”

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  (Thanks to the Void Eye, I can sense directed intent even without activating it fully. After talking to Ayaril, I realized I can detect subtle energy fluctuations naturally.)

  Winay glanced at Aarna.

  Her energy flow looks much more natural now. After entering the Communication Realm, she shouldn’t suffer backlash so easily from her innate skill.

  Then his gaze shifted to Aashna.

  Her energy is extremely condensed… even more than most people here. Is it because of her soul’s nature? She looks fine, though. Her spirit energy feels comparable to Aarna’s. That’s rare.

  Oscherin, too, felt on the same level.

  Winay continued casually probing the students around him.

  Before eleven, all students had gathered in the central hall, waiting for announcements.

  Suddenly, a burning sensation spread from above.

  Students looked up in shock.

  A massive beast leaped from the entrance straight into the center of the hall—a golden-maned lion wreathed in blazing flames around its neck. A man stood calmly atop it.

  “It’s Sir Kaigal from Wildheart Academy!”

  “That lion just jumped more than a hundred feet in one leap!”

  “How is he controlling it?!”

  Student 23 scoffed. “That’s a spiritual beast, at least at the Greater Beast level. Beasts at that level can do far more than this.”

  Many students fell silent, mesmerized. The lion radiated pride and dominance.

  “That’s a Golden Lion,” Aarna said quietly. “At least peak Greater Beast realm.”

  Excitement spread among students from lesser backgrounds.

  Winay nodded. “It’s impressive. Wildheart Academy specializes in guiding cultivators to communicate with spirit beasts. For people interested in that path, it’s very appealing.”

  Before the excitement settled, black clouds gathered above.

  From within them descended a massive bird, wings spanning nearly twenty meters, lightning crackling around its body. A woman sat atop it with a confident smirk.

  “That’s Miss Ramyas from Four Elements Academy!”

  “And she has a contracted beast too?!”

  “It’s a Dark Cloud Eagle,” Aarna said. “Lightning-specialized.”

  Before anyone could react—

  A sharp, overwhelming pressure appeared in the center of the hall.

  Both beasts trembled slightly.

  Evan Twiland stood calmly, sword energy radiating so clean and sharp it felt capable of slicing diamonds.

  Some students were drawn to Kaigal’s lion.

  Others to Ramyas’s lightning descent.

  And a few had already decided—Twilight Academy.

  Then—

  “Hahaha! You youngsters sure like showing off!”

  A deafening roar echoed as something far more majestic leaped into the hall.

  A white tiger landed, wind spiraling violently around it.

  “What—?! A Wind White Tiger?!” Aashna gasped.

  The earlier displays felt insignificant the moment the tiger released a sharp burst of wind energy.

  “What do you think of my partner?” Robert laughed.

  Evan’s eyes narrowed briefly.

  (When did this old man contract a Wind White Tiger… and one nearing peak of early Ascension?)

  Kaigal and Ramyas laughed. “Sir Robert, compared to you, we’re still children.”

  Before things escalated further, a gentle yet absolute pressure swept through the hall.

  Everyone calmed instantly.

  Rainor appeared at the center.

  “Must you all make this much noise?” he sighed. “Even you, Sir Robert?”

  “Hahaha! I was just having fun,” Robert said. “I thought you might join and show off your Lunar Swan.”

  Rainor shook his head. “Enough. Let’s proceed.”

  “Everyone who has reached the Communication Realm has already received a choice entry,” Rainor announced. “Those who haven’t chosen yet may do so now.”

  The students didn’t hesitate.

  By the end of the selection process, the remaining undecided students also made their choices.

  Mirai stepped forward. “Headmaster, all choices have been recorded.”

  Out of those who had hesitated until the last moment,

  nearly thirty percent chose Twilight Academy, drawn by its precision-focused cultivation path.

  Another thirty percent joined Wildheart Academy, inspired by the sight of contracted spirit beasts and the promise of symbiotic growth.

  Around thirty percent selected Frontwall Martial Academy, valuing its harsh, survival-based training.

  The remaining ten percent chose Four Elements Academy, preferring elemental mastery over brute force or refinement.

  Ramyas stared at the list, surprised—but remained silent.

  After all, Four Elements Academy still had the highest total intake overall.