It has been a long week since Markus exhibited complete dominance over his peers.
The gates of the Valerian Royal Academy were wide open. Students who passed the trials received admission letters, which were verified by the entrance before they were allowed to pass through.
Markus walked through the main archway. Beside him, Rosanne walked with a slight prance in her step, the pallor from the poison completely gone thanks to the state-of-the-art medical pod at the Blackwell estate.
Students patiently lined up in three rows at the center of the academy, waiting to receive their student badge and dormitory assignments.
Each student would receive:
A student badge with their student ranking inscribed
2 sets of obsidian-trimmed uniforms
1 Room card
A contribution tracker
A Tier-1 Dimensional Storage ring
A Code of Conduct
Students ranking in the top 10 would further receive additional resources:
Rank 1: 1000 Mana stones, 50 contribution points
Rank 2-4: 500 Mana stones, 30 contribution points
Rank 5-10: 200 Mana stones, 15 contribution points
Professor Candle and Professor Cora arrived through the central core of the academy, stepping out of the lift from the floors above.
"Welcome, young survivors." Their intense gaze swept over the 300 freshly minted students. "You are here because you proved your worth, and you will have to continually prove yourselves in the next 3 years. In this institution, your family names mean nothing, your inherited wealth means nothing."
They paused, eyes gazing through the crowd of students, lingering on Markus for a second.
"The only currency worth its weight, Valerian Royal Academy (VRA) Contribution points. You will earn contributions through missions, combat, and merit. The points unlock valuable resources, unique cultivation areas, and personal guidance from level 60 and above awakeners."
"Last but not least, your spot in this academy is not set in stone; students from other academies have the right to challenge you all every semester. The winner ascends to join us, the loser gets cast out to a lower-tier academy."
"Some students bloom at a later stage, and do not think your current strength is sufficient. In the VRA, the moment you stop growing is the moment you begin to fall."
"Now follow us to the first-year dormitories."
The students split up into 2 neat rows, scrambling towards the northern exit, heading for the Residential Area.
The residential area was modeled after the Roman Colosseum, with rooms circled around a central sparring stage.
"This sparring stage is purely for sparring purposes and betting contribution points; no permanent or fatal injury is allowed."
Professor Candle looked over to Markus and sent him a cheeky wink.
"Alright, go to your rooms, take a quick break, put your things down, the headmistress will be conducting your first introductory class in 30 minutes."
Markus tapped his keycard against the smooth jade sensor of the door, and the array formation carved into the wood flared open.
Enchanted oak slid open to reveal the mana-saturated sanctuary of his room.
Within the four corners of his room lay four tier-5 mana purification orbs.
The academy recently upgraded its facilities by incorporating the mana purification orbs Markus invented.
(I guess this is the benefit of the first-ranked student, such pure mana density.)
Markus jumped onto the soft silk sheets in the middle of the room and took a deep breath.
**
Soon, students trickled into the central auditorium.
If you listened closely enough, you could hear the auditorium chairs squeaking, nervous students twitching in their seats.
An exquisite rock formation appeared behind the auditorium lectern.
From within, Headmistress Elena Quartz appeared, the rock formation opening into a beautiful lily.
"Good morning, it's nice to see all 300 of you young sprouts eager to learn and grow at this academy."
"Look at your hands, to the commoners in the cities below, they are tools for toil, for scholars, they are tools for writing. But for us?" She raises her own hand, and a small, perfect stone sphere materializes.
"To me, they are the guardians of society; they serve as conduits for the elements around us."
This will be the first general class, Elemental Manipulation.
"Most of you here can 'throw' a fireball or 'push' a gust of wind. That is not manipulation. That is recklessness."
She steps forward, gaze locking onto Markus, before sweeping across the hall.
"Elemental Manipulation is not about ordering elements to change. It's about subjugation. It is your job to shape the elements through your will."
"But for those who can endure the weight of elemental laws… You will not just will the elements. You will become them."
"Some of you, naturally talented above S tier, can already feel the elements around you. Those below S tier, do not despair, with focused meditation, you can sense the elements with determination."
Headmistress Quartz raised her hand, and the stone sphere began to liquefy, swirling into molten glass.
"To master an element, you must first understand its concepts," she stated, projecting her voice through the silent hall. "But to manipulate them, to bend the very laws of physics, requires harmony."
"Your first task is simple, yet most of you will fail by lunchtime," Elena declared, a thin smile stretched across her lips.
"Concentrate, focus, sense your awakened element and shape it into an orb, reach into the center and condense it tightly into a bead."
Elena manifested 10 stone orbs into the air and condensed them into 10 floating beads of jade.
"What I just did there was something more profound; I not only condensed the stone orb, I also changed the property of the stone into jade."
Headmistress Quartz stepped back and encased herself within her movement skill, disappearing from the Auditorium Hall.
An assistant staff member stepped forward and took charge of the remainder of the class.
"If I can complete the task the headmistress assigned, may I visit the library?" Markus questioned, in his palm, a pitch-black orb of space warping within itself, turning into a small bead.
The other students looked at Markus with awe, some with envy.
They understood that Markus was a generational prodigy. While they are learning to crawl, he is already sprinting.
"Ah, you may leave for the library, student Markus. I'll report your progress to the headmistress, well done!" the teaching assistant smiled at Markus.
"Rosanne, I'll see you at lunch. I'll go check out the library; there are a ton of things I need to research." Markus squeezed Rosanne's cheeks, causing her to lose focus.
"Big brother, you always bully me," Rosanne pouted, her orb of light dissipating into stars.