A heavy, gravelly voice suddenly boomed throughout the courtyard, vibrating in the very marrow of the students' bones.
"All applicants! Enter the Great Hall and stand before me!"
The speaker was the Professor in charge of admissions, a man radiating the unmistakable pressure of the Middle-Phase Gold Stage. In the stories Ryan had read back on Earth, protagonists often fought across entire realms as if the laws of physics didn't apply. Here, that was a lethal delusion.
In the 7-Step Realm, the gap between phases was an abyss. A Middle-Phase warrior could systematically dismantle ten Early-Phase opponents. A Peak-Phase expert could suppress a hundred Middle-Phases without breaking a sweat. To bridge a major stage gap—like Silver to Gold—wasn't just difficult; it was a death wish.
Evolution was a slow, agonizing grind. To move from Early to Middle Silver, Ryan had spent two years just saturating his body with mana until his "vessel" was full. Resources like the Silver Pearl were rare shortcuts. Most cultivators spent their lives in the lower stages, which was why Gold Stage experts were usually old, and Dharma Stage masters were treated like living myths.
The students filed into the hall. The Professor—a man named Noah, who headed the Martial Arts department—did not walk. He hovered several meters above their heads, a feat only Gold Stage cultivators could achieve naturally.
"There will be three tests," Noah announced, a predatory smile touching his lips. "The first begins now. Endure."
Without warning, he released 50% of his mana.
The air in the hall turned to lead. The Stone-stage applicants, who had only come to test their luck, turned pale. Then came the sound: Thud. Thud. Thud. They fainted in rows. Those in the Bronze Stage dropped to their knees, their lungs burning for air, while the Peak Bronze students stayed upright only through sheer, trembling willpower.
"Clear the failures!" Noah barked. Helpers rushed in from the wings, dragging the unconscious bodies away like discarded sacks of grain.
Noah's smile widened. He liked this batch. He decided to turn up the heat, unleashing 80% of his power.
The remaining Bronze students collapsed instantly. Some were so furious at the sudden spike in pressure that they cursed Noah's entire bloodline before their eyes rolled back into their heads.
Soon, only ten remained standing. Seven were drenched in sweat, their knees buckling. Only three looked truly composed: Ryan, David, and the Noble youth.
Noah didn't stop. He pushed his aura to 90%.
The other seven hit the floor. One of them, a boy named Lucas, glared up at the ceiling, his mind a stream of colorful profanities aimed at Noah's mother. He wasn't fainted, but he was pinned to the stone.
The Noble youth looked toward Ryan, his breathing only slightly elevated. "I am Alex Kellen, of the Kellen House in the North."
Ryan didn't turn his head. "I didn't expect a Great House of the North to send their heir to the West."
"I wanted to travel," Alex replied, a competitive glint in his eye. "I wanted to see who could stand the longest."
"I don't care," Ryan said flatly.
Alex laughed and shouted upward, "Professor! Increase the pressure!"
Noah let out a boisterous roar of laughter and unleashed 100% of his Gold-Stage aura. The pressure tripled instantly. David, who had been holding on through pure loyalty, finally reached his limit. After five agonizing seconds, his legs gave out and he collapsed into a seated position, gasping for air.
Only Ryan and Alex remained standing. Both were now beads of sweat, their muscles twitching under the invisible hammer of Noah's mana. Ryan calculated the situation rapidly. Standing out too much is a liability. Being 'The Best' makes you a target. Being 'Second Best' makes you a talent to be watched, but not feared.
Just as he felt he could hold on for another minute, Ryan deliberately buckled. He sank to the floor and raised a hand in a signal of surrender.
Alex looked shocked. He had seen the steadiness in Ryan's eyes; he knew the other boy had more in the tank. But Ryan didn't care about ego.
"Enough!" Noah shouted, pulling back his aura. The air in the room suddenly felt light, almost dizzying. "All those who remain, pass! Wake the others!"
As the helpers revived the fainted students, Noah addressed the four hundred who had survived the first cut.
"You are now students of this Academy," Noah bellowed. "But remember: ranking is everything. Your performance in the follow-up tests will determine your resources."
He gestured to a large board manifesting at the front of the hall:
RankMonthly Reward
Top 10 - 200 Middle-Grade Mana Stones
11 – 100 - 100 Middle-Grade Mana Stones
101 – 200 - 50 Middle-Grade Mana Stones
201 – 300 - 20 Middle-Grade Mana Stones
301 – 400 - 5 Middle-Grade Mana Stones
"And the last-ranked student of every batch?" Noah's voice turned cold. "You will be demoted to repeat the year. In this Academy, if you don't climb, you rot.