Ernst Institute

"Goodbye, Uncle Lucas."

A few days later, at the registration office outside the Ernst Institute, Garen said goodbye to Lucas and joined the line.

Today was February 8, the final day for registration at the Ernst Institute.

Looking at the enormous semicircular gate, over fifty meters wide and more than twenty meters tall, with complex, mysterious runes carved across it, Garen couldn't help but marvel. As expected of the continent's number one magic institute.

As Garen looked around, he suddenly heard two children talking in front of him.

"Hello, my name is Reynolds. I'm from the O'Brien Empire."

"Hello, my name is Linley. I'm from the Fenlai Kingdom in the Holy Union."

Hearing those familiar lines, Garen was startled. He hadn't expected to be so lucky as to end up in the same class as Linley.

He wasn't the sort to strike up conversations with strangers, so he simply listened as the two talked. Soon it was Reynolds's turn, followed by Linley's.

Both of them finished their tests quickly.

"Garen."

When one of the institute's teachers called his name, he hurried over.

After handing over his admission letter, he had to take another test.

"Elemental affinity: Fire-style and Wind-style, both superlative."

"Spiritual force: sixty times that of his peers."

The recruiting teacher and the testing staff were all astonished by his talent.

Reynolds and Linley had been about to look for their dormitory, but the results left them staring at Garen in shock.

Is this what the Ernst Institute is like? Superlative affinity in two elements and spiritual force sixty times that of his peers? That's insane! they both thought.

Garen hadn't even unleashed his full potential. Otherwise, his spiritual force might have reached seventy times that of his peers. After all, he was already a level-three mage.

After paying the enormous tuition fee of five thousand gold coins, Garen quickly received his student ID and dormitory key.

Ding! Side Quest complete: Enroll in the Ernst Institute. Reward: Tiger Stripe Secret Manual.

Talk about getting exactly what he needed. The Tiger Stripe Secret Manual was just what he was looking for.

None of the Four Ultimate Warriors could cultivate other battle qi manuals. Now that he had the Tiger Stripe Secret Manual, cultivating as a warrior should be much faster than using the Qi-Gathering Stance.

After Garen turned six, his father had taken him for a magic test, but hadn't tested the strength of his bloodline. It seemed the Tiger-Striped Warriors had truly fallen into decline—even his father didn't know he belonged to their clan.

Looks like I'll have to find a way to awaken my father's bloodline, too. Otherwise, he can only train his body, and he'll probably top out as a level-six warrior.

Looking at the key in his hand, numbered 1988, Garen set off to find his dormitory.

He passed dormitories 1981, 1982, and 1983, and soon came to the door of Dormitory 1987.

"You're behind the times, George. Our institute has more than one freak like Dixie. There's another one named Garen. He also has superlative affinity in two elements, and his spiritual force is sixty times that of his peers. He's not much worse than Dixie—another freak. He was right behind Linley and me when we registered. If you don't believe me, ask Linley."

"Yeah, Reynolds isn't making it up. It's true. I was shocked, too. I'd only heard about Dixie, but I saw Garen with my own eyes."

Just then, Reynolds happened to spot Garen passing by the entrance, looking for his dormitory.

"Speak of the devil."

The four boys in Dormitory 1987 all turned to look.

Garen caught most of what they'd said and realized they'd been talking about him.

"Hello, I'm Garen. I'm staying next door, in Dormitory 1988."

"Hello."

George, Linley, Yale, and Reynolds all greeted him, introducing themselves as well.

After exchanging a few brief pleasantries, Garen headed to his own dormitory.

Once inside, Garen did a quick cleanup and made his bed. After putting his things away in the cabinet, he realized no one else had arrived at the dormitory yet.

After resting for a while, he began planning his future cultivation.

He'd originally planned to focus mainly on magic, but now that he'd awakened as a Tiger-Striped Warrior, he would naturally make warrior training his priority and magic his secondary focus.

He couldn't neglect magic, either. Having read the original story, he knew that the Chief Gods had created magic as a simplified version of the Laws and Mysteries. Studying magic could offer insights into the Laws and Mysteries.

Besides, magic was very useful in the early stages. Once a Wind-style mage reached level five, they could fly, and magic was also a way to attack targets from a distance.

The main purpose of cultivating magic was to train his spiritual force. Spiritual force would remain important even after reaching Paragon.

After making his plans, Garen left the dormitory and first wandered around the institute to familiarize himself with the surroundings. Then he went to explore the hills behind the institute. For his warrior training, he would need to find a quiet spot with a good environment where no one would disturb him.

The Ernst Institute truly was the continent's best. Its scenery was beautiful, and it had a deep history; it had once trained several Saint Realm powerhouses.

That evening, when Garen returned to the dormitory, he found he was still alone. He wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad about having the room to himself.

Just as he left to get dinner at the dining hall, he ran into the four boys from Dormitory 1987.

"Hey, Garen, we're heading out to eat. Want to come with us?"

Yale invited him.

"Sure. I was just going to the school dining hall. I heard the food there is pretty good."

"Come on, it's your first day here. Why eat at the dining hall? I'll treat you to a proper meal today."

Yale said this with great enthusiasm.

"Sounds good. Thanks for treating me. I'll buy you all a meal next time."

Garen didn't refuse. With his strength, it wouldn't be long before he could hunt magical beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, so earning gold coins wouldn't be difficult.

Besides, the system had rewarded him with ten thousand gold coins, and there was still some money left on the Magic Crystal Card his father had given him. He could certainly afford a meal.

They soon arrived at a luxurious hotel.

Yale generously ordered a table full of dishes and some juice. The five of them dug in and chatted about amusing things. They were all around the same age, and gradually grew closer.

At one point, after catching the smell of meat, the "Shadow Mouse" Bebe wriggled out of Linley's arms and quickly devoured a chicken and several large pork legs before he was full. Then he climbed back into Linley's arms and went to sleep.

After returning to the dormitory, Garen took out the Tiger Stripe Secret Manual and began his first cultivation of Tiger Blood Battle Qi as a Tiger-Striped Warrior.

The blue battle qi circulated throughout his body. Every muscle and tendon absorbed energy, and the first session was remarkably effective. Garen's physical strength improved rapidly.

Two hours later, Garen stopped cultivating and opened the system.

Garen

Warrior Level: Level 3 (1098/2000 experience)

That single session had given him a full thirty experience points.

That was more experience than he'd get for killing a level-three magical beast. The first session might have been especially effective, but even if he gained only a dozen or so points per session later on, cultivating twice a day would still let him reach level four in a little over a month. After transforming, he'd be level six.

Talent really was important.