The final step.
Kael placed his foot upon it without changing his pace.
A cool mountain breeze greeted him as he crossed beneath the towering stone gates.
He had arrived.
Before him stretched an enormous stone plaza paved with polished white granite. Ancient pine trees lined the edges, their branches swaying gently in the wind.
Beyond the plaza...
The true Martial High finally revealed itself.
Towering training halls.
Elegant pavilions built into the mountainside.
Stone bridges connecting separate peaks.
Waterfalls cascaded from the cliffs into crystal-clear pools below.
Training grounds occupied nearly every open space.
Some were filled with wooden dummies.
Others with weapon racks containing every imaginable martial weapon.
Farther in the distance...
A massive circular arena dominated the landscape.
Its walls rose like a fortress.
Even from here, Kael could feel the weight of its presence.
"...Beautiful."
He whispered unconsciously.
---
Around him...
Applicants reacted differently.
"We made it!"
"I actually made it!"
Several collapsed onto the stone floor in relief.
Others proudly laughed.
Some quietly looked toward the academy with shining eyes.
One young man kissed the ground.
"I never thought..."
"...I'd really reach Martial High."
Nearby, Rowan dropped onto the plaza with a loud groan.
"My legs..."
"...I don't think they're mine anymore."
Kael crouched beside him.
"Can you stand?"
"I'll try."
After several attempts...
Rowan managed to sit upright.
"...I survived."
Kael nodded.
"You did."
---
Far above the plaza...
The instructors observed the arriving applicants.
One by one...
The names of those reaching the summit were recorded.
The elderly instructor quietly wrote upon his scroll.
Contestant 2480.
Completed the Ten Thousand Steps.
Beside him, a younger instructor smiled.
"He never once changed his breathing."
The elderly instructor nodded.
"And did you notice something else?"
"What?"
"He never looked toward the summit."
The younger instructor frowned.
"...You're right."
"He simply kept walking."
---
Elsewhere...
Han Zhen reached the plaza.
His robes were soaked with sweat, but his expression remained proud.
He glanced around.
Most applicants were still climbing.
Then...
His eyes landed on Kael.
The mountain youth was helping Rowan stand.
Han Zhen frowned slightly.
"...He arrived already?"
He couldn't remember passing him.
Nor could he remember being overtaken.
Somehow...
The ordinary-looking youth had simply appeared.
"...Strange."
---
Not far away...
Jian Yu silently adjusted the sword at his waist.
His breathing had only slightly quickened.
One of his fellow disciples smiled.
"As expected of Senior Brother."
"You finished among the first."
Jian Yu didn't answer immediately.
Instead...
His gaze briefly rested on Kael.
"...Who is he?"
The disciple followed his eyes.
"The gray-clothed one?"
"He doesn't seem remarkable."
"...Perhaps."
Jian Yu quietly replied.
"But I never saw him struggling."
---
Meanwhile...
Zhao Lian accepted a cup of water from one of her attendants.
She thanked them before drinking.
As she lowered the cup...
She noticed Kael helping an exhausted applicant stretch his cramped legs.
She smiled faintly.
"He seems kind."
Her attendant nodded.
"Kindness won't help during the tournament."
Zhao Lian looked back toward Kael.
"...Perhaps."
"But it says something about the person."
---
A loud bell suddenly echoed across the plaza.
BOOOOOONG!
Every conversation ceased.
The Headmaster stepped onto a raised stone platform overlooking the thousands of applicants.
His calm gaze swept across them.
"Congratulations."
"You have passed the first examination."
A wave of relief spread throughout the crowd.
Many smiled proudly.
Others sighed deeply.
The Headmaster continued.
"Do not misunderstand."
"This was not a test of strength."
"It was a test of perseverance."
"Many powerful martial artists failed to reach this summit in years past."
"Many seemingly ordinary youths walked calmly to the end."
His words caused many applicants to exchange glances.
Some lowered their heads thoughtfully.
Others remained puzzled.
The Headmaster raised one hand.
Immediately...
Hundreds of Martial High disciples appeared from every direction.
Their movements were disciplined.
Silent.
Orderly.
Each wore black robes embroidered with silver clouds.
"These senior disciples will guide you to your temporary residences."
"You have until sunrise tomorrow to recover."
"The Entrance Tournament begins with the first bell."
A ripple of excitement passed through the plaza.
Tomorrow.
The real competition would begin.
---
A cheerful young disciple approached Kael and Rowan.
He looked no older than twenty.
His smile was warm.
"You two."
"Follow me."
Rowan stood with some difficulty.
"My legs still hurt."
The senior disciple laughed.
"After climbing ten thousand steps..."
"They should."
Kael looked around curiously as they walked.
Everywhere he looked...
Students were training.
Some practiced swordsmanship beneath waterfalls.
Others meditated atop enormous rocks.
One group exchanged swift punches in perfect synchronization.
Another practiced spear forms under the supervision of an elder.
The academy was alive.
Not with noise.
But with purpose.
---
As they crossed a stone bridge...
Kael suddenly stopped.
On a distant peak...
An elderly man dressed in plain robes slowly swept fallen leaves from a courtyard.
Nothing about him seemed remarkable.
Yet...
For reasons Kael couldn't explain...
He instinctively looked twice.
The old man seemed to notice.
He paused his sweeping.
Then smiled faintly toward Kael before resuming his work.
The senior disciple noticed Kael had stopped.
"What is it?"
Kael pointed toward the distant peak.
"...Who is that?"
The disciple looked.
"The old groundskeeper?"
"I think so."
"I've seen him sweeping ever since I entered Martial High."
"He rarely speaks."
Kael nodded.
"...I see."
He didn't know why...
But something about the old man's calm presence felt strangely familiar.
---
High above the academy...
On the same distant peak...
The old groundskeeper slowly raised his head.
His cloudy eyes followed the departing youth.
A faint smile appeared.
"...So..."
"...another interesting child has arrived."
He returned to sweeping.
As though nothing had happened.
Yet hidden beneath the simple rhythm of his broom...
His eyes carried a depth that seemed to have witnessed countless generations of Martial High rise and fall.
Far below...
Kael continued toward the dormitories.
Tomorrow...
He would step into the arena for the first time.
But tonight...
Neither he nor anyone else realized...
That more than one pair of eyes had quietly begun watching the ordinary mountain youth.
Not because of fame.
Not because of status.
But because, every so often...
Martial High welcomed someone who walked a path unlike anyone else's.
And those people...
Often changed history.
End of Chapter 20