Lassim approached Master Ferrum. The afternoon light cast long shadows across the ground.
"Master," Lassim stated, hesitantly to slowly awaken his master.
Master Ferrum’s sharp eyes opened and met Lassim’s. "Your progress is commendable, Lassim. You’ve done well under Elder Valeria’s tutelage. I can sense you still have regrets about what happened to Lustria, but the past cannot be rewritten. You’ve done well to channel that into your training, and I’ve seen it all. With your increase in strength, I will have a special task for you."
Lassim absorbed his master’s words, finding a measure of peace in them. "Yes Master?"
Master Ferrum shifted the topic to Lassim’s cultivation progress. "You’ve reached Spirit Incubation 7, Lassim. It’s an unheard of feat in the usual cultivation here in Nexaria to not be held back by the cultivation bottlenecks that would restrict your level by age. I’m still quite puzzled by it."
Lassim listening, tilted his head.
The headmaster continued. "Your potential seems boundless, but I’d like to understand its full extent. With the trial soon to occur, it’s time we pushed your cultivation to its limits and see if we can catalyze your transition to the Spirit Growth stage. With that increase in power, I’d like you to use that strength to protect your fellow first-years during the trial mission.
There are safeguards in place to assist students that may die, but my intuition tells me that it would be beneficial to have your assistance on this matter."
Lassim’s pulse quickened. "What do we need to do, Master?"
Master Ferrum presented a cache of low-grade elemental source stones. "We’ll use these to accelerate your cultivation. This will be my gift to you for the hard work you’ve put in for the last few months as my disciple."
Lassim nodded appreciate it with a smile before settling into a meditative pose on the grass in front of his master’s usual meditation spot.
He summoned his halberd to set across his lap and begun his cultivation technique and extended his mana outwards. The lightning and water tendrils reaching for the stones.
Upon contact, they dissolved into streams of energy, coursing first through his weapon and then completing a circulation through his body before settling the refined energy into his inner world, where his elemental spirits awaited. Their mote forms still slowly absorbing the accumulated pool of energy that had condensed into a gas that filled the space since the start of his cultivation.
The absorption process was uncomfortable and tedious, each stone a torrent of raw power straining Lassim’s spiritual pathways. His body begun to tremble slightly as he quickly rose in power, sweat beading on his forehead. As he endeavored to merge the elemental essence into his body, his strength broke through and reached Spirit Incubation 8.
Master Ferrum observed silently, his gaze never wavering from Lassim’s concentrated form. Time seemed to stretch. The only sounds being the rustle of leaves in the wind and the faint hum of energy being assimilated. The mote forms of both spirits in the inner heart world were now fully solid spheres. They looked almost like eggs that were freshly laid but radiated intense energy.
The outer shells of the eggs were colorful and had designs and runes that represented their elemental affinity’s. Violet with flecks of gold covered the Lightning egg and blue with flecks of white embossed the Water egg. Their presences becoming more solid and designs more intricate with each bit of mana devoured.
Finally, as one more of the pile of stones vanished and absorbed into Lassim’s being. He opened his eyes. "Hmm... it looks like I’ve reached the limit. My spirits are giving me a warning of some sort. I’m currently at Spirit Incubation 9, and probably at the barrier to the Spirit Growth Stage.
I get a bad feeling from my spirits that I shouldn’t continue for now."
Master Ferrum nodded, a trace of approval in his stoic expression. "You’ve done well. Thankfully you didn’t go any further or I would’ve really been shocked to death by your seemingly limitless boundaries. Thankfully it seems even the gods have limits, for now. However, while a strong cultivation base is a foundation and minimum of power, the true gauge of your progress will be the upcoming trial.
Whether you advance to the Spirit Growth stage now or later, your journey should be taken one step at a time."
Lassim stood, feeling a new strength coursing through his veins. "Thank you, Master Ferrum. I am ready for the trial. I also promise to make sure that I help any other first years if they face life-threatening danger."
"Good, and thank you, my disciple." A proud gleam in Master Ferrums eyes flickered. "Now, go get some rest. I want you to spend the next few days getting used to your new strength before I have you all gather to face the Trial."
"Yes, Master." Lassim replied.
Over the course of the next week, Lassim continued to train with Elder Valeria and practice the [Aegis] technique. His proficiency increasing with every bout.
Eventually, on one morning that coincided exactly with 6 months from their initial enrollment, the entire academy’s first-year’s jade bracelets flashed with red lights. They were all summoned to the Academy’s entrance courtyard once again.
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The academy courtyard was bustling with activity as Vice-Headmaster Evelyn took the stage. Her sultry steps up the stage commanding a silence to spread among the gathered first-year students. Her eyes swept over the crowd.
"Attention, students," she began, her voice clear and authoritative as it cut through the morning air. "The time has come for your next ranking trial, an event that will not only test your prowess but also once again determine your standing within our academy. If you are unsatisfied with your previous placement, this is your chance to overcome it.
I hope you all trained diligently and can show improved results."
She paused, allowing her words to resonate with the audience. "Regarding the trial, in just a few moments we will transport you to an Elemental Plane. It is a domain where the forces of the Veridian Continent have imprisoned abyssal legion creatures inside. These monsters, although weakened and no longer under the direct influence of the Dragal, are formidable adversaries.
Do not ever forget that each is still a true monster and former member of the abyssal legion."
A murmur of excitement ran through the crowd.
Vice-Headmaster Evelyn continued, "Your performance in this trial will be monitored and ranked like the previous one. Each of you will receive points based on the power level of the abyssal creatures you defeat.
These points will be reflected in real-time on your jade bracelets just like the last trial." She gestured to her own bracelet, which glowed briefly under her touch and showed a status screen with the students ranked by their current rankings. Lassim’s name was at the very top, reflecting his previous win on the first day’s trial 6 months ago.
"Remember, these abyssal creatures, while isolated in this prison plane and weakened, are still dangerous. The elemental plane itself has been shielded with sensory arrays to hide it from the Dragal. This should ensure that you face these foes without their masters’ influence or mind control that typically makes them such a terrifying enemy to face en mass. However, do not let down your guard.
Survival is your first priority. If you are in danger, we have enabled the teleport distress beacon on your bracelets. Should you find yourself in an extremely dire situation, you can press the button and your current points will be frozen while the arrays that surround the elemental plane will extract you via teleportation back to this courtyard.
The Vice-Headmaster’s gaze hardened, emphasizing the gravity of her next words. "This trial will last for 24 hours. After which, the gateway will close, and you will be returned here with the same teleportation. The top ten performers, those who accumulate the highest points, will be awarded a special prize—Veridian mana fruits. These fruits are rare specialties of our continent.
They are capable of boosting your cultivation and slightly tempering your body’s mana pathways. I encourage you all to do your best to obtain one of the fruits as you couldn’t buy one at an auction even if you wanted to."
Excitement buzzed through the students at the mention of the rewards. The allure of such valuable prizes was great.
"Prepare yourselves," Vice-Headmaster Evelyn concluded. Now imbued with a motivating force she continued. "This is an opportunity to prove your strength, to challenge your limits, and to distinguish yourself among your peers! Prepare yourselves!"
With that, she stepped back, allowing the academy’s elders that stood behind her to activate the formation at the center of the courtyard. Runes illuminated on the floor, weaving into the air and creating a portal that shimmered. The other side was unseen as the surface of the portal only looked like a bubbling cauldron of pink water.
The edges of portal were stable but seemed to tear the fabric of space and made the student’s eyes water if they stared of them too intensely.
Lassim, standing next to Lustria and Sirium, felt his determination rising. He would try and obtain the first tank again, and show off his hard work to his masters. He was determined to also honor his promise and save any students that might face harm so great that they couldn’t activate their bracelet’s teleportation beacons in time.
Glancing at Sirium and Lustria, he saw mirrored resolve to succeed and secure a top 10 spot in their eyes. They each shared a group nod before facing the portal.
Together they stepped forward and set foot on to the other side.