Xiao Han handed over his documents as instructed.
The teacher picked up the form and glanced at it. When he saw the age listed as "18," the special "P-G" prefix on the Martial Artist certification badge, and the cultivation marked as "Sixth Level of the Warrior Realm"...
He finally raised his head and looked Xiao Han over with a hint of scrutiny.
"Oh? Eighteen years old, Sixth Level of the Warrior Realm? Your basics are decent."
His tone was flat, giving no indication whether he was praising him or something else. Instead, it carried an accustomed indifference:
"From Beihai City? For someone from a small place, that cultivation is pretty good. But this is the Imperial Capital Academy. The Sixth Level of the Warrior Realm is only a starting point here."
At that attitude, Xiao Han raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. The Sixth Level of the Warrior Realm was enough to cause a sensation in Beihai City, yet here it earned him nothing more than "a starting point"?
He did not argue. "Teacher, where should I go next?" he asked calmly.
"Take this temporary identity tag over there to have your information entered, then wait for your class assignment."
The teacher tossed him a metal tag, then lowered his head to fiddle with his terminal again, looking as though he couldn't be bothered to say another word.
Xiao Han caught the tag, thanked him, and turned toward the information entry area.
As he waited to have his information entered, several freshmen who had also come to complete their enrollment walked past.
One of them was a tall young man with an unrestrained aura. Faint fluctuations of the Martial Master Realm emanated from him, drawing glances from the people around him.
"See him? He's the top scorer from Jiangnan Province. They say he awakened an SS-rank Berserk War Ape and had already reached the Second Level of the Martial Master Realm before enrolling!"
"Gasp... the Martial Master Realm! We're still struggling in the Warrior Realm, and he's already a whole major realm ahead of us!"
"That's nothing. I heard there are several monsters in this year's special admission class. Not only do they have SSS-rank Martial Souls, but their cultivation is unfathomable. There are even rumors that someone awakened an existence beyond SSS rank..."
"Beyond SSS rank? Is that true?"
"Who knows? Anyway, the Imperial Capital Academy has no shortage of geniuses and monsters. An S rank is only considered outstanding here. Only SSS ranks qualify to enter those core circles."
The discussion reached Xiao Han's ears in snatches, giving him a more direct understanding of just how fierce the competition at the Imperial Capital Academy was.
Are S ranks everywhere, and only SSS ranks considered core members? My two SSS+ Martial Souls don't seem to put me at the absolute top here, either.
Still, he was not discouraged. Instead, he found it even more interesting. If he could crush everyone as easily as he had in Beihai City, it would be far too dull.
The information entry was soon completed. The teacher in charge looked over Xiao Han's documents, then pulled up the record of his awakening ceremony. He seemed somewhat puzzled that Xiao Han had two SSS+ Martial Souls but had not been specially admitted. Still, he asked no further questions and merely said in a perfunctory tone:
"All right, your enrollment is complete. Based on your overall evaluation, you've been assigned to the Martial Arts Institute, first year, Class Seven. Here are your official student badge and dormitory key. Go to the dormitory area and find your room yourself."
First-year Class Seven? An ordinary class?
Xiao Han accepted the badge and key without a ripple of emotion. He could roughly guess that it might have been because, although he had displayed two SSS+ Martial Souls at the awakening ceremony,
he had not revealed his true combat strength. On top of that, the Martial Artist certification had only been a basic assessment, so his overall evaluation naturally would not be very high.
That works too.
He had never liked drawing attention. Being assigned to an ordinary class would save him quite a bit of trouble, and he could develop quietly while first familiarizing himself with the academy's environment and rules.
Once he was strong enough, the so-called class divisions would mean nothing at all.
After putting his things away, Xiao Han turned and left the reception area, ready to head to the dormitories.
The Imperial Capital Academy covered an enormous area. Fortunately, it had an internal shuttle system.
Following the map on his badge, he took a shuttle to the freshmen's dormitory area.
Buildings of all styles flashed past the window: cultivation towers emitting dense spiritual energy, research centers brimming with futuristic technology, and enormous training grounds and entrances to trial mystic realms scattered throughout the campus.
The spiritual energy within the academy was far denser than outside. The students walking through it all had steady auras and sharp eyes; not one was weak.
Even the air here seemed to be filled with the scent of competition and striving.
Xiao Han's gaze was calm, but undercurrents were already surging in his heart.
His life at the Imperial Capital Academy had officially begun, with him as an ordinary student in Class Seven. Beneath its calm surface, it was destined to be anything but ordinary.
Imperial Capital Academy, Martial Arts Institute, first year, Class Seven.
Compared with the magnificent buildings outside, full of futuristic flair or ancient charm, Class Seven's classroom seemed especially... plain and unadorned. Standard alloy desks and chairs, one enormous smart teaching screen, and that was it.
The spiritual energy in the air was also far less dense than at the reception area or on the main roads outside, though it was still considerably stronger than in Beihai City.
When Xiao Han entered the classroom, more than twenty people were already seated inside.
Most of the students looked curious about their new surroundings and a little reserved. They chatted quietly in twos and threes, forming several loosely defined little groups.
Their auras mostly ranged from the upper levels of the Martial Apprentice Realm to the Third or Fourth Level of the Warrior Realm. That would have been fairly good outside, but at the Imperial Capital Academy, they could indeed only be considered ordinary.
His arrival attracted little attention. Only a few people glanced casually at him before turning back. Clearly, an unfamiliar face with a restrained aura and an unremarkable appearance was not enough to hold their attention.
Xiao Han casually chose an empty seat by the window and sat down.
Before long, a middle-aged male teacher walked in, wearing an academy uniform. His hair was meticulously combed, but there was a hint of weariness and perfunctoriness in his eyes.
His name was Zhou Kai, and he was Class Seven's temporary homeroom teacher.
"Ahem, looks like just about everyone's here."
Zhou Kai cleared his throat. "I'm your homeroom teacher for the coming year, Zhou Kai," he said, his voice not very loud. "I assume you all learned the rules of the Imperial Capital Academy before coming, so I won't waste words. The strong are respected, and resources must be fought for. Don't expect meat pies to fall from the sky."
He paused and swept his gaze around the classroom as though completing a task. "Today we'll start with a simple assessment, theory and practical combat, so I can get a general idea of your level. Don't be nervous. It's just for reference."
As soon as he finished speaking, a rather burly young man in a small group at the front of the classroom gave a snicker. His aura had reached the peak of the Ninth Level of the Warrior Realm, and his voice was just loud enough for those around him to hear:
"Reference? It's just going through the motions. Some people could get the best assessment results in the world, and wouldn't they still have to stay in Class Seven?"
The young man was Lei Ming, at the Ninth Level of the Warrior Realm. His Martial Soul was said to be a B+-rank "Earth-Splitting Savage Bear." He stood out like a crane among chickens among the freshmen of Class Seven and was, to some extent, the leader of a small group in the class.
His family also had a bit of background in the Imperial Capital. Although he could not get into one of the top genius classes, he felt thoroughly superior in an ordinary class.
As he spoke, his eyes flickered almost imperceptibly toward Xiao Han, clearly hinting at something.