I have been in this world for 6 years and have completely caught up with the standard for my age while having advance once more making five completed cycles of improvements. After my last advancement we did a full body scan and discovered I had truly change structurally since my last scan, meaning it is best if I hold off advancing while at the academy causing me to have to not attend until now.
Fortunately the exponential time it takes to gather and advance has made it so it will probably take me another 6 years just to gather the liquid energy into the amount required to complete the process from liquid to solid and 12 years from solid to expansion plus another 12 years for the expansion process to occur.
It will take me 30 years to complete the next part of my advancement, plenty long enough for me to be long gone from the school.
My mental realm was the size of an average fifty year old and my energy veins were now 16 millimeters thick, of course my control for mental energy was still limited to only an hour at a time but I had reached peak E level from the past advancement.
With many years of life ahead as the average cultivator lives to see at least one hundred if not one fifty I know I have the time to not worry. And that is with normal cultivation, my cultivation enhances and evolves my body means my life will probably be double that amount.
I can now get a few hits off on Lucien when we spar if he doesn't use his mental energy, unfortunately the frequency of him training without it has gone to only once a week and I am now forced to also not use my energy meaning I am once more unable to touch him. But I have begun to learn how to manipulate elements using just my mental energy, and unlike the energy in my energy veins I can only use healing and buffing abilities with my mental energy looks like that is my innate talent if not for my skewed cultivation style.
With my 17th birthday coming up and me being caught up with the basic requirements of my age group I will be heading to the central area by electric train to sign up and test into the Enhanced Being Academy (EBA for short).
With my bags packed and my ticket purchased a week ago I will be leaving tomorrow morning to be there the day after my birthday a week away.
I will be considered a early talent student who due to having a poor health as a child and having to catch up in physical capabilities to my peers has allowed me to come enter in a way that would explain off my control while explaining why I didn't attend sooner.
With me being old enough to go on my own I will be taking this trip in the train cabins specially set aside for students like me.
Entering my cabin, a single person one, I sit my bags on the ground and my plant on the shelf before I head to the commune cart for this train section to meet other students like me, coming in there are 8 others in there 5 girls and 3 boys.
All of them turned to see who had entered I introduce myself while they are all paying attention, "I am Aadi Null I am 17 but was in poor health until my awakening at fifteen so I had to catch up with others in physical aspects before I could attend." Waving I sit on one of the benches in the room with no table in front of me and begin to make small talk with the other boys in the car while the girls on the other side appear to have no interest in us what so ever.
Like this we spend the next week in small talk and who is from where and when did you awaken, how good is your control and so on.
With me freshly turned 17 and everyone knowing each others basic info we arrive at the central city to begin registration and to begin setting up our rooms. Heading to my assigned dorm alone I enter to see the room clearly having someone else already having arrived and set their coats on the coat hanger and shoes in the cubby hole.
Opening one of the two dorms to see which is taken I get an eyeful of a tall blonde man making out with a small grayish haired boy, slamming the door shut and going to the other room I close my door behind me with my face pure red.
Knocking happens on my door and I calm down a second to see who it is, the tall blonde man stands outside my door with a sheepish face, clearly just as uncomfortable at me catching them as I am. "Hello I'm Thomas Reid and am your roommate apologies for what you just saw me and my fiancé were under the impression I wouldn't be having a roommate due to it being based off year and no one else in my year rooms with me due to this precise reason."
Still slightly red due to earlier I introduce myself, "I'm Aadi Null, I awakened at fifteen but due to poor health up until my awakening I was not physically up to standard until now to attend." Seeing understanding flash across his face I then leave the door open and start to unpack my things.
With my clothes put up and my plant sat on the balcony of my room I grab my spear and head to the sparring area located on the map given to everyone at registration, it is quite busy with nearly all the areas claimed for one spar or another. The rules of this area is to get in a rink and see how long with back to back challenges can you last, a mat in the middle is surrounded by people who seem excited.
Going up I see a silver hair girl kicking the crap out of another more buff girl.
The silver girl sends the buff brunette out of the ring and straight at me, catching her so as not to get crushed I end up drooping her straight after in embarrassment as my right arm had caught her right on her bosom.
With red ears I hear laughter coming from the stage and turn to see the silver hair girl cracking up from her front row view of the events that had just transpired.
Helping the brunette up I begin to apologize for my actions, "I am so sorry for both the position of my grab as well as--" before I can finish the silver hair girl shouts at me "why you letting everyone see how much of a wuss you are apologizing for what you can probably have asked for and she give you?" Before I can even think of a response the brunette shouts back, "Because he got better manners than you and muscles to if the little I could feel when he grabbed me is any indication of the rest of him."
Beat red in the face I look at the brunette in questioning of why she had to add that second part, realizing my embarrassment she gives me a amused and teasing grin.
The silver hair girl appeared to be just as amused and shouts back, "since you got enough muscle to catch her fat ass you should put those muscles to some good use, get up here and show us what you can do."
I know that my position is not meant for a front line fighter using mental energy as my healing and buffing skills only worked on other people and not myself, so although I can enhance my senses and reaction speed my actual close combat strength was limited as I cannot get a powerful enough blow to kill my opponents.
But I won't say that here as no armor except the protection device lodged into our school badge is allowed to be used in this fight, just blunted weapons for sharp ones and lightened ones for ones like hammers and clubs.
I should be able to put up a decent and okay fight even if my shield will break faster due to her having more powerful attacks.
Once the shield breaks or you are out of the ring you lose, the silver haired girls main weapon is the steel flanged mace meaning it is a blunt weapon and has had it's weight reduced to prevent to much damaged caused during the attack.
Grabbing my blunted training spear I had dropped when catching the brunette girl I go into the ring and get into position waiting for the colored cores to stop glowing that indicates the match begins.
Three, two, one begin.
Pushing my mental energy into my nervous system I prepare to evade and block any attacks she does, she rushes at me after a few seconds realizing I have no intention to be the one to attack.
I evade easily again and again, although she is good and her swings fast she is clearly still not completely adjusted and experienced on using her mental energy as she is always ever so slightly off or not quite swinging with max force in the right moments.
She does not appear to be younger then me, actually she looks a year or two older then me with us having potentially similar enough time to adjust to our senses and enhanced reaction speed she should have better control then this. Confused I begin to attack instead of just evading, and I land several consistent ones in the next five minutes to her torso and intestines region, she is not responding fast enough to her senses to properly respond or she is suppressing her senses to much.
The next minute her badge flashes in a red light indicating she has lost as her barrier has fallen, pulling back I nod my head to her and bow with respect.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
In theory I should have been at the disadvantage with me not being able to properly damage the shield but having to whittle it down but she couldn't get a proper hit off so it was far easier and cleaner than I had thought possible.
I can hear no sound coming from the spectators and I see them looking at me in awe, why she is clearly lacking in control and ability to adjust.
I see the brunette from earlier grinning ear to ear in what can only be a smug satisfaction at what had just occurred, appearing to realize I was confused she walks up to the arena and indicates to me too lean over.
Doing so she whispers to me, "Tila is the number one ranking in the early talent students who are 18 years old and is on the 5th floor of the tower."
Surprise that she is the top student of the year above me I look at her and try and see if she is potentially injured after the last fight causing her to be off or have a problem, not seeing any I ask her. "Are you perhaps injured as your control and response time appears to have dipped or are you low on mental energy?" I watch her face turn red in fury as she appears to take insult to my words.
Why it is not like being injured or out of energy is a bad thing, turning to the brunette I see her doubled over wheezing and coughing in laughter.
"I am not low on energy or injured as you are unable to continue on the ring in such situation as the badge would glow yellow in indication of such thing." Turning to the silver girl having clearly calmed herself down and explained why that is not something possible.
I blink but how is someone with such low control the top student of the early talent students for her age, she may not have had as long as me to train her control and senses but she should be able to last at least five to ten minutes with complete control.
Not saying anything else so as not to offend her anymore I turn to see other students murmuring and pointing at me clearly I was going to be the gossip of the day.
Silver hair girl grabs my arm and drags me behind her while the brunette follows, "We're going to the cafeteria for dinner you can join us in exchange to tell us about you training regiment, if you help us then I'll introduce you to the student council so as to help you get a good footing in the political sphere."
The silver haired girl explains as we come to a courtyard about five minutes from the sparring area, going into the glass door the smell of food hits me along with the chatter going all over the room.
I can feel different curious and envy filled gazes as I walk with the silver haired and buff brunette through the cafeteria to the window with no line in front of it, "I'm using my student badge to bring two people with me to eat today." Silver haired girl said.
The gold colored door to our left opened and we followed after her, I am just going with the flow as I had already accidently insulted her earlier.
The door closes and the sound is far more subdued with only about a hundred people in the room at this time, they turn to us and stare at me in interest clearly the silver hair girl didn't bring other people then the brunette with her often.
"Whos the new guy with you Tila, you or Nali finally get a boyfriend for yourselves?" A few snickers go through the room at the red heads words. Tila roles her eyes while Nali shouts back "I don't do boyfriends I do fuck and runs you would know that with how long you chased me after we got it on Tyler."
I blink at their interactions, clearly everyone hear knew each other and were not afraid to air each others dirty laundry for everyone to hear and know.
Sitting in a cushioned seat beside Tila the door we entered through opened once more and in walked my roommate alongside the gray haired boy from earlier, spotting me in the room I see surprise go across his face as he heads over this way.
Sitting down next to me Thomas asks Tila, "So how you meet Aadi here Tila you aren't the one most known for their friendliness."
I can see the curiosity shining in Thomas's eyes, Tila responds in a blunt voice with "he beat me in a spar at the practice court so I brought him here in exchange for him telling me his usual practice routine." I see shock go through Thomas eyes at those word turning to look me up and down.
"He beat you in a spar, I thought he was a wimp due to him being an excused late early talent entry." Now it is Tila's turn to be surprised.
Turning to me she asks, "Are you a late entry early talent student, I thought with your height you were just a new early talent student." I feel offended for all of a second before I realize almost everyone was taller than me and that I probably was considered below average for someone even one year younger than me much less for my age group.
"I was sick due to rapid mental realm expansion as a child and was unable to meet the physical requirements to enter the school at the age of fifteen due to my poor health, it is what has left me so small as well." Rapid Mental realm expansion is the excuse given for why my mental realm is abnormally large. It just so happened to be a common problem for those born with below average mental realms that due to innate talent swell to rapidly causing severe headaches and physical weakness due to limited energy.
It is even known to kill some people who's mental realm swell beyond what their body can handle, it is this worlds version of broken veins but not 100% lethal like in my world because the rapid growth stops when you awaken.
With that out of the way we begin to talk about my training regiment when food arrives we continue talking until the bell rings for closing, getting up with the three of them we head back to our respective dorms to sleep. Like this my following week is wake up eat with the other four, spar with Tila eat lunch go to look around the town fortunately no one is a big shopper so no need to try on clothes, mostly we look at weapon shops and bookstores with a snack at a café.
When Monday rolls around classes start and they are the same courses I took with Nilan for the past 6 years just more age appropriate, but come the afternoon and physical training and mental energy usage practice occurs.
Walking into the enclosed gymnasium the size of 5 of my old schools training grounds we see obstacle course set up along the left side and practice area on the right.
The black hair 30 year old looking teacher is standing at the in front of the two sections waiting for everyone to come up. "Most of you already know what we are going to do today but for the new student and you few who seem to consistently get confused" he looks at Thomas next to me who is grinning clearly knowing he is calling him out. "We will begin with a basic test of your current physical strength to see who has been slacking off these two months and who has kept up with their training, treadmill first then weight lifting followed by obstacle course set to normal setting everyone to their assigned treadmill."
Only I am left standing as the rest go to their respective treadmill, the same treadmill we use at home. The teacher approaches me and says, "you follow me and the treadmill I give you is the one you will use from this point forward."
The treadmill in the very back is my assigned one as the other ones are full on the row I am on, turning it on I begin to run like I do at home and an hour later a whistle blows. The students go to the weight area while I stand in front of my treadmill waiting for the teacher to tell me which of the weight lifting spots I'm on.
I'm in the middle area this time around as the rows for weight lifting are smaller and so the row wasn't filled up like with the treadmills.
Another hour and the whistle blows, I had not done much weight based training as my body type is not one meant for heavy muscle and if there is to much it could interfere with my speed. Finally I wait in front of the weight lifting section at first but the guy next to me says, "No need to wait only ten people can go at a time on the obstacle course so no assigned equipment is needed."
Following behind him we all line up in front of the area with the obstacle course, large screens are up above most likely to let the teacher get a better look at how the student is doing and let others look and learn.
"Since it is the new students first day he will be in the first group along with Thomas, Saal, Nula, Nicole, Jason, Bailey, Ezra, Marc, and Jill." A mix of yellow, blue, brown, and purple hair walks up with no clue who is who I go to the first opening and wait for him to tell us to go.
"3,2,1 start."
Like that I run pushing my energy into my nervous system to allow increase reaction speed, control, and increase in my senses. Climbing over a rock wall I slide down the other side and hopping over the moving logs in water a blunted flying knife comes at my stomach area dodging it with little trouble and not even slowing down the weapons start to come in, arrows as I use rope to get across a pit, more knives for another climbing rock darts for a narrow cavern area and arrows again for a crawling section.
With little trouble and without slowing down I can sense them far before they even get close and get just enough out of the way that it doesn't touch without having to move too much. I had learned to dodge by Lucien one to many times while practicing and if I was tired by the end then I was in for a beating so preserving as much energy as possible while dodging is a habit I had picked up to avoid as much pain as possible.
Leaving the course I am only breathing slightly harder than when I went in from the exertion, going waiting for the others to finish so as to know what to do now about two minutes later Thomas emerges with a small pink strip of color on his left upper arm.
Seeing me he comes over grinning and puts his arm around me while saying, "well if you aren't at least this good there is no way you could beat Tila, maybe I need to start joining you two for practice some time." The others start to pile in over the next five minutes with varying amounts pink, bright orange, and neon green on them.
Everyone sits on the seats provided at the end that have differing amount of paint residue on them, clearly some people had come out much worse if these seats were any good indication.
Joining them we all sit in silence as many of them are slightly panting with some even slightly gasping for air clearly having pushed themselves hard. Even Thomas had a small pant to him after the workout and course we have done, feeling I may have not pushed hard enough I wait to see what the coach says after if I need to step up more then I will.
After an hour of people running the course and a ten minute break after to let others relax some the coach calls everyone to the front of the gym again to go over their current fitness level.
"Some of you know you have slacked off while most of you had kept about the same amount of fitness you had before leaving only Thomas and Jill have had any increase in their physical fitness since last tests before you left. Now take you papers and prepare for you slackers to begin more heavy training to get back up to standards, you will be entering the tower a week from now if you are up to standard while those who aren't will get personal training time with me instead when they are meant to be in the tower."
Taking the paper when he hands it to me he says, "I want you to stay behind for a talk."
I must have been considered slacking off as I didn't push myself this time, sighing I open my paper to read.
------------------------------------
Name: Aadi Null
Age:17
Awakening age:15
Energy type: buff/healing
Main weapon: spear
Energy levels: U/N
Energy control: U/N
Current health: In peak health
Physical fitness: S grade
Sense control: U/N
Reaction speed: U/N
---------------------------------------