Elira continued, her voice steady as she explained the upcoming assessments. "Every six months, there will be an evaluation of your cultivation and a combat assessment. And in a month, we'll have the New Students Tournament, and finally, at the end of the year, there will be a tournament for all first-year students."
Valerius sat up a bit, his attention sharp. He listened carefully, knowing that he needed to fill in the gaps about how things worked here. The tournaments were mentioned, and his mind briefly wandered to the thought of testing his skills, but he kept his focus on Elira as she moved on to the day's lesson.
"We'll start with the general knowledge about cultivation today," Elira said, her voice steady as she explained the basics.
Elira's voice was calm and steady as she addressed the class, her gaze sweeping over the room, glancing briefly at the faces of the students. "In our world, mana flows, and the way to cultivate mana is through the bloodline in our bodies, and with the bloodlines we cultivate mana more efficiently. Our bloodlines shape our talent, which mostly determines how far we can go of course people can still cultivate without bloodlines but the results are less impressive than people with bloodlines." She paused slightly as she changed to a softer tone. "Most bloodlines awaken at the age of twelve, though some awaken later, and a few never awaken at all."
"Your bloodline also dictates which elements you're most attuned to. The elements you're most affiliated with will bring out more of your power, while those you're not affiliated with at all, will be harder for you to control and their power will not be that significant compared to your affiliated elements."
She then glanced around the room, as she continued to explain. "There are six known ranks of bloodlines: Mortal, Arcane, Elemental, Royal, Ascendant, and Legendary. Now Let's take, for example, my bloodline for example, it's called the Sanguine Healer Bloodline. It is an Elemental rank Bloodline, and the elements I have affinities for are Blood, Light, and Earth. So when I use techniques tied to these elements, the power of those techniques is greater than usual. And if I use the Fire element for example…Not so much."
The class was silent, listening intently as she continued. "Another important thing is your physical foundation, Now I know that most of you when your bloodline awakened, most of you went to the Foundation Halls in your cities. Those halls are designed to help you build your physical strength and cultivate your foundation until you reach the age of sixteen, and once you reach the age of sixteen you can start at the Academy. So that doesn't mean once you are in the academy you can forget about training your physical foundation."
Her gaze grew more focused, her expression sharpening as she added, "Now about the cultivation realms, the first cultivation realm is The Mana Core Realm, it is the first step in your cultivation journey. It's divided into three sub-levels: Mana Embryo, Mana Seed, and finally, Mana Core. Once you reach the Mana Core, your next breakthrough will be to Mana Disciple."
Elira paused slightly before proceeding to generally explain the other cultivation realms. Valerius's attention was fully captured despite already knowing much of what she said. He listened closely, without missing any detail.
"That's all for today. Tomorrow, we'll talk about some of the history of the world we live in. And now, you have another class so you will head to the training field for your combat skills lesson."
Upon hearing her words the students quickly hurried their legs excited to move on to the next lesson. Valerius stood up with the others, heading toward the training field. The atmosphere seemed to buzz with energy, a mix of nerves and anticipation as everyone made their way to the training field.
The combat skills lesson would be different from the classroom, It is more practical and he thinks he would quite enjoy it, he could already feel his muscles tensing up, ready for whatever comes next.
---
The training field stretched wide, enclosed by high stone walls reinforced with protective barriers. Rows of magical training dummies stood at the edges, motionless. Several sparring rings were drawn into the dirt, marking where battles would take place.
An instructor stood at the front, his sharp eyes scanning the students as they arrived. Valerius took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders before stretching his arms. Around him, the air buzzed with a mix of eagerness and tension. Some students, especially those from noble families, carried themselves with confidence, clearly trained in combat. Others, less experienced, shifted on their feet, glancing around with uncertainty.
The broad-shouldered instructor stepped forward, his presence a bit intimidating. He had a long scar on his jaw, showing that he had been through many battles. His deep voice cut through the murmurs like a blade.
"Listen up, students! My name is Zepharion Vaelmont. I am the Combat Instructor of the First Year students at the academy." His gaze swept over them. "Today, I will be assessing your combat ability."
A murmur rippled through the students, some looking eager, others uncertain. Valerius simply exhaled, his mind already focused on the challenge ahead.
Zepharion's voice cut through the murmuring crowd like a blade.
"Silence!"
The field grew still. His sharp gaze swept over the students before he continued.
"To assess your combat skills, we'll hold a small tournament. In the duels, you can't use mana and no weapons either. Each duel will last a maximum of one minute or until someone surrenders. We'll begin with a match between a student from Class A and one from Class B. Now, who wants to volunteer? Or shall I choose?"
A voice rang out confidently.
"I'll fight!"
A student stepped forward, his olive-green eyes gleaming with excitement. His dark mahogany hair was tied back neatly, and his posture oozed self-assurance.
Zepharion nodded. "Your name?"
"Faelan Veydris, son of Countess Veydris," he answered with a smug smile.
A few whispers rippled through the crowd. The name carried weight, and it was clear that many were impressed.
Zepharion pointed toward a large circle drawn into the ground. "Good. Stand inside the ring."
Faelan strode forward with confidence.
Zepharion then turned to Class B. "Now, who will face him? Any volunteers?"
Silence. The students from Class B shifted uneasily, none eager to step forward.
Zepharion's gaze hardened. "Very well. You."
He pointed at a girl with long black hair and dark eyes. She blinked in surprise before stepping forward.
"Your name?"
She swallowed and answered, her voice steady despite her nerves. "Elara Vaelhurst."
Zepharion nodded. "Get into the arena."
Elara squared her shoulders and stepped into the ring, facing Faelan.
Faelan smirked. "Don't worry, this will be quick."
Elara said nothing, her expression unreadable.
Zepharion raised his hand. "Begin!"
Faelan wasted no time, dashing straight at Elara, his fist swinging toward her face.
Elara dropped low in an instant, crouching beneath his strike. With a swift, calculated motion, she swept his legs out from under him. Faelan crashed onto his back with a stunned expression.
Before he could react, Elara pressed her foot against his chest, pinning him down.
"You were right," she said flatly, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was quick."
Then, without another word, she stepped off and walked out of the ring.
The students from Class B erupted into cheers, while those from Class A looked frustrated, some murmuring their disappointment.
Zepharion, unfazed, called out. "Next pair!"
The duels went on, one after another. Valerius watched carefully, analyzing each student's movements. Some fights were quick, while others dragged on, but many of his classmates ended up losing.
During that time, he got to know Elowen and Cassian better, and they slowly became his friends. Cassian had been placed in Class E because of his low cultivation and the fact that his bloodline hadn't awakened yet. Elowen, despite her higher cultivation, was also placed in Class E, because her father had been politically suppressed for reasons no one openly spoke about.
Before long, only three students from Class E remained: Valerius, Cassian, and Elowen.
Zepharion's gaze swept over them. "Three of you left. Who's going first?"
Elowen stepped forward without hesitation, briefly glancing at Valerius and Cassian. They both gave her a nod.
Zepharion scanned the students before turning to Class A. "Alright, do we have a volunteer?"
The students murmured among themselves. Then, one student leaned toward Bram Ravenflame, whispering something. Whatever was said made Bram's smirk widen. He turned to Alaric and Ronan, his tone casual but edged with something sharper.
"Alaric, you take this one. Ronan, you go after."
His crimson eyes flicked toward Valerius and Cassian, a glint of amusement in them.
'I may not be able to beat you, but your new friends… I can deal with them.'
Alaric Ashrend gave a small nod, stepping forward with an air of quiet confidence. "I will fight, Instructor."
Valerius watched the exchange carefully, his gaze settling on Bram. Something about the way he acted felt off. Then, his eyes drifted past Bram to another student standing just behind him. The boy held his stare, his expression unreadable, but there was a glint in his cold eyes.
'Who is he?'