The trials of entry
Chapter 9: The Trials of Entry
The Apex Academy entrance exams were the stuff of legend.
Every ten years, the academy held its grand evaluation to select the best and most talented individuals from across the continent. It was not just a competition—it was a rite of passage. This year, however, was different. The announcement that the top 30 would earn a chance to enter the mythical World Space sent shockwaves through the powers.
And every one of the 20 ruling families had come prepared to make sure they were represented.
For the first time in nearly a century, even the Five Transcendents of the Celestial Fang Clan were rumored to be watching.
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The Grand Testing Arena was a colossal floating platform layered with glowing sigils and ever-shifting terrains. Thousands of students stood in perfect formation. Each one wore the symbol of their family or faction—proud, determined, and ready to dominate.
The platform floated beneath the twin suns of Vaeloras, casting a golden sheen across the vast sky. Flags bearing the emblems of all 20 ruling families flapped in an unseen wind, each radiating subtle but oppressive auras of lineage and power.
Tory Vale and Jim stood near the center, cloaked in plain robes with only a small silver badge indicating they were independent guild members. No entourage, no noble bloodline, no ancient weapons. Just two boys who had fought beasts and bled in the wilderness to earn their place here.
That alone made them targets.
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Trial 1: The Written Test - "Legacy of the World"
Each student sat at a floating desk made of transparent rune-crystal. An old examiner in layered robes snapped his fingers, and a vast array of glyphs appeared in the air above their desks.
"You will be tested on geography, power structures, cultivation theory, beast classifications, and legacy knowledge," the examiner said. "You have one hour. Begin."
Tory didn't hesitate. The System synced instantly with the floating interface. He absorbed the questions, processed the logic, and wrote answers with confident precision. Not just correct—he refined some of the theory, pointing out flaws in historical classifications.
Jim, beside him, bit his lip and focused. He was no scholar, but years of listening to Tory rant about beast physiology and world events had their benefits.
Nobles snickered at the two of them—until the results appeared.
> [Written Evaluation: 100/100 - Highest Rank Achieved] [Tory Vale - Score: 100] [Jim - Score: 91]
Whispers spread. Many had expected Selia Aeloria, heir of the Eastern Sea, to top the charts. But an unknown orphan had taken first.
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Trial 2: The Physical Test - "Crushing Boundaries"
The arena restructured itself. Spires rose from the ground, and platforms tilted with shifting gravitational pulses. Candidates were to cross the terrain while carrying 300-pound beast cores and evading collapsing tiles, blade vines, and artificial storms.
Tory allowed gravity to assist him subtly. The beast core he carried shimmered slightly as his personal gravity zone warped it ever so slightly, making his sprint balanced and his landing perfect.
He didn't draw attention to it. The System confined his Reality power to keep him hidden.
Jim, on the other hand, flashed like a comet. He activated five elements in rhythm—wind for speed, lightning for power, flame for propulsion, earth for defense, and water to cool his overheated limbs. He moved like a warrior-dancer, leaping from spire to spire.
Explosions of wind and flame erupted behind him as he landed at the finish line.
When the rankings came up:
Jim: 1st Place
Tory: 2nd Place
Nobles stopped laughing.
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Trial 3: The Reaction Test - "Blades of Light"
Candidates were placed in circular formations. Dozens of enchanted orbs floated around them. Each orb would fire unpredictable bolts of light at speeds exceeding 700 mph. The candidate needed to either dodge, block, or counter every single bolt.
Tory stood perfectly still.
As the first bolt came, the world slowed around him. He felt the lines of space bend, subtly twist, and in that curve, the bolt deviated just slightly—missing him by a breath.
To others, it seemed like sheer luck. But inside the confines of the System, Tory was altering localized space around him like a master sculptor.
He lasted the full three minutes.
Jim danced through the bolts, using lightning-speed dodges and elemental shields. His reactions were on par with the top 5% of the field.
> Tory: 3 minutes (Perfect Evasion) Jim: 2 minutes 42 seconds
Kael Zeyvorin, third son of the Skyborne Citadel, cursed loudly.
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Final Trial: The Will Domain - "Fractured Selves"
This was the hardest test.
A vast dome of translucent energy covered the arena. Each candidate lay down inside a glowing circle. Their minds were injected into a simulated psychic domain where their greatest fears, failures, losses, and regrets would confront them in endless waves.
Tory saw fire. The orphanage burning. Jim dead in his arms. The matron begging for help. Jason laughing from the shadows. The world mocking him. He saw himself failing—weak, useless, betrayed.
But he did not fall.
Instead, he spoke two words: "Not real."
He shattered the illusion by sheer force of will, rising from his circle less than two minutes after it began. The instructors stared, stunned.
> [Willpower Rating: S+] [Fastest Completion Time: 1 minute 54 seconds]
Jim emerged a few minutes later, teeth gritted but smiling. "Got through. That thing is evil."
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Final Rankings:
By the time the final scores were calculated, tension filled the air like lightning before a storm.
Floating above the arena, runes compiled the four test categories and generated the official top 30.
1. Tory Vale - Independent - Lord Realm Stage 4
2. Selia Aeloria - House Aeloria - Lord Realm Stage 5
3. Jim - Independent - Lord Realm Stage 3
4. Kael Zeyvorin - House Zeyvorin
5. Lura Durnhallow - House Durnhallow
...
6. Xan Umbra - Umbra Sect
Every one of the 20 ruling powers had at least one person in the top 30, as tradition demanded.
But Tory Vale, the unknown, the orphan, the 'powerless boy', was ranked first.
Gasps rippled through the audience. Elders from the factions narrowed their eyes.
> [World Space Qualification Confirmed] [Celestial Observation Permission Pending...]
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As the crowd dispersed and students were assigned to elite dorms, a golden-eyed woman watched from a high balcony. She wore black robes embroidered with stars and void serpents.
One of the Five Transcendents of the Celestial Fang Clan.
She narrowed her eyes at Tory.
"Reality does not tremble often. But this boy..."
She turned to the air.
"Seal his presence. Watch his dreams."
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Tory felt it—a presence probing his mind. The System flared and suppressed it.
> [Transcendent Scan Detected. Emergency Shield Engaged.]
Jim walked beside him, unaware. "You good?"
Tory smiled faintly. "Yeah. Just tired."
But in truth, something had changed.
The world had begun to watch.
And soon, it would burn.