Monstrous Talent? Genius?!

Everyone was now outside. The plains in the middle of the indoor testing grounds were... insanely large. Heian Ciemnosc and everyone else who wasn't from the Academy noticed they were no longer near the Academy itself. They were far away enough to not see its tall buildings and walls, so far they couldn't even see the same prairie that their encampments were in before.

In the middle, there weren’t a few hundred thousand participants wanting to take the Wrath Nihility Academy’s test. This time, only a few tens of thousands remained. But Heian Ciemnosc wasn’t sure if those around were from the south encampments like he was. His Spirit Sense was large but not that massive. And though he had a prowess and advantage that simply put to shame anyone and anything else, he didn’t do that in the middle of some hundred thousand cultivators. Many had cultivation realms he didn’t know about and were just participants.

Right now. Heian Ciemnosc and those from his classroom, which might at least be from the same southern encampments, have been waiting for 10 minutes. When they arrived at the middle, the so-called outside testing grounds, more than a few tens of thousands of people were waiting. Now, it was Heian Ciemnosc’s participant’s classroom turn to linger along with the others.

There was a slightly chubby man with a friendly smile on his chubby cheeks. The man wore a purple robe and had the emblem of the Wrath Nihility Academy on his left chest. As the man looked at the couple tens of thousands, he gave off friendliness and appeared social. After a few words, he simply had everyone else wait for another 2 hours until 6 hours since the beginning of the test went by. By then, the first parts of the ordeal were over, and the remaining participants from the couple of millions were standing in the middle of the testing grounds.

Once everyone seemed to be out, to Heian Ciemnosc’s surprise, there were only a little more than a hundred thousand. But everyone else seemed to be alright with it. He then ignored it. After all, the estimation for this year’s enrollment was 10,000, or even less, for that matter.

“... All of you have done well, and the Academy decided to grant you the chance to form part of it. I am but a Teacher of the Academy, and today, along with some of my Sub Teachers and their Auxiliary Teachers, you will first show your capabilities to us in a… peaceful demeanor. Then, you may be tested with the last test, which I am sure many of you are already anxious to give a go?”

Hearing the Teacher’s words, many wanted to simply yell out in confirmation but looked in respect and silently instead. The Teacher said no more about it and nodded in understanding. Then, he pointed at a few, and those people felt like their sternums glowed for a moment before dissipating.

“Those who I marked immediately come forward. Those who were not, space out and make way for them to reveal their capabilities!!” The Teacher said, his voice loud and commanding but understanding and even ‘asking’ without appearing weak or overbearing. A great demeanor, Heian Ciemnosc had to admit. Everyone began moving like a team, more than a hundred thousand, packed together and without knowing each other, from every possible corner of the world, acted together with an unknown man’s instructions like a mind hive.

Heian Ciemnosc could only follow, and when the moving stopped, a 2 km space in the middle of more than a hundred thousand people was made. In it, a couple of thousands were forming a square shape formation. The Teacher was in front of them, and then the first few hundred spread throughout the 2 km area before remaining still.

“You have not to fear nobody will notice you, even if there is a slightly fantastical fluctuation or your will is strong and solid like the hardest of materials. The Academy will notice, and depending on many more factors, you may be chosen for the last test!” The Teacher spoke again, this time louder but as effortlessly as the old Supervisor from before.

“There will be only one period in which this will happen, no more, but you are the remaining participants to become part of the Wrath Nihility Academy. If you don’t give it your all now and later if you pass. Then you are a disgrace to your people, your Universe, and your blood!!”

“HUAAAH!!” This time, the crowd reacted to the Teacher’s words, as the Teacher himself began shouting. The hundred thousand’s shout was alarmingly violent. Heian Ciemnosc felt his eardrums hurt and blood trying to rise up his throat. If he wasn’t aware of the differences between the Sinvonnia Kingdom and the world, now he did. It was impossible to miss it.

“Very well! Start!!” The Teacher nodded, this time with more enthusiasm at the sonorous roar of the crowd. Shouting the beginning of the first batch’s demonstration, the few hundred selected began making their moves. Some directly employed incredible skills, flashy techniques, and graceful movements. Some changed their attire on the spot, not caring about their nakedness, as they began showing moves filled with meaning and determination. Even the delicate, jade-like pale white skin, tender-looking beauties, and handsome fellas were shameless about it.

The minority took out their cauldrons, forges, workbenches and fauna, even insects. A fewer number of them pulled out Expectres from their Covert Space bags. Not only did they show their mastery in manipulating souls and life, but also their rich background in order to have such ‘pets’ at their disposal. And a couple of them were really terrifying.

Heian Ciemnosc watched as he noticed the difference between each of them. And if he could, so could the rest watching their rivals for those 10,000 spots. He noticed that everyone seemed to have the knowledge and some rudimentary mastery of the Craftsmaking professions but decided not to show it if they had it. It was a smart move, as not being ‘good enough’ at something meant useless in a test like this which depended on the prying eyes of insurmountably incredible experts.

Those who did show their Craftsmakin profession either had a better understanding and grasp regarding their Craftsmaking job. Or not. But those who did not have a special something that Heian Ciemnosc could barely notice. They had some sort of potential, a specialty which made them have advantage in their professions others couldn’t even fathom.

And once again, if Heian Ciemnosc could see it, so could the hidden experts monitoring and evaluating these people. It didn’t last longer than 2 or 3 hours and a couple of tens of minutes before the first few hundred were finished, and their time was also gone. When it concluded, the Teacher had a blue glow shine upon the chests of some, those were the ones who failed, and the rest who didn’t glow were given the best news yet. But their lives hadn’t changed yet. They still had to be accepted.

It was bound to be a very long process, one in which every participant who wanted to partake in it had to wait until they were called upon. Though many around Heian Ciemnosc were impatient and nervous, some even showing thoughts of leaving through their faces and body language, he saw everyone fight and struggle to keep it in, hoping that would help them.

After night fell, the Teacher, Sub Teachers, and their Auxiliary Teachers took out devices to light everything. There wasn’t any noticeable technological construction nearby. It was all wooden buildings, structures, and plain grass over hundreds of thousands of kilometers without end. It was like this zone was a different place of the world that had nothing to do with the reality they knew of, but that was just a misconception.

Heian Ciemnosc saw many, who thought they wouldn’t be picked up, perhaps until last, and sat cross-legged on the grass and meditated. Some, who had some sort of entourage around them, like a little gang, directly sat down and cultivated!

Of course, it did not matter. Everyone was going to be protected by the Academy. Who would dare try taking his life or crippling his body for the next few days, effectively destroying their chances of participating, when in the middle of the Wrath Nihility Academy’s test?

Slowly but surely, yet without rest, the first day of the test was gone. Over ten thousand people managed to participate before night fell. Most were those without cultivation or with a really damn low cultivation base. But that was only before night. The testing continued even as night fell, where cultivators with more or less ‘high’ cultivation base in the Sinvonnia Kingdom took place, and the non-cultivators and low cultivation base-cultivators took a rest.

They were seemingly not worried about being picked in case a glow appeared on their sternum, and they were right not to worry about it. Throughout the night, Heian Ciemnosc was the only one to keep standing on his feet while everyone else either rested, mediated, or cultivated; he observed as only those with some cultivation base were selected the entire night. While those of low or without cultivation base were left to rest.

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Naturally, he brought attention to himself. How could a person standing from the afternoon to the following morning be normal? Not in terms of cultivation or determination but mentally. Many wondered if the poor, devilishly handsome pale teenager was sick in the head.

Many of the meditating fellas and ladies looked suspiciously and in mild disgust in Heian Ciemnosc’s direction, disdaining his need to seek attention. And those who cultivated felt it impossible to do so with such a person within their ranks. As for those who rested, they were none the wiser until chatting began again within the crowd. The second day began, and chatting was louder than yesterday. But the Teacher seemed not to mind as he continued to select the subsequent batches of participants.

From 3,000 or 4,000, only about 200 to 400 would be selected to go through the final test. The successful participants would then reincorporate themselves into the crowd, not leaving for another place, and nobody seemed to mind that. Every time something happened and seemed as normal as breathing to everyone else, Heian Ciemnosc felt alienated. Not that he cared. He welcomed such a thing.

Days went by. Heian Ciemnosc got the nickname of whore attention, taking the ‘best’ out of the participants’ hearts and natures. Meanwhile, Heian Ciemnosc continued to see many different Races do similar or totally different and unique things. Some showcased some type of art, like summoning a weapon out of pure energy and making it fly for a few before becoming exhausted. Others even grew an aura of pure energy and looked overbearing for a few seconds before exhausting themselves.

Their arts, unlike what Heian Ciemnosc saw Crimsonbrekaing Faction do in missions where they had to land somewhere and come out of the spaceships, the participants were just doing flashes and not even doing half of what he saw back then in those missions. Most of those who did such things were expelled in the end, but it seemed like most who did show those flashy ‘arts’ had anything else to prove themselves. It was to do something or nothing for them.

… On the 5th day, Heian Ciemnosc’s turn finally came. However, his batch of participants was also… The last 4,000 participants hadn’t been chosen ever before! The moment he and the rest of those meditating and cultivating participants were chosen was literally at the end, the last ones that nobody usually cared about when 99% of them all had already gone through it!

“Wow, it’s the best participants yet!” - “Do you think they will take all spots? They are the best, after all.” - “Nah, you didn’t understand well or forgot the instructions from before. You’ll see what I mean after their batch is done. Remember, we aren’t the only ones to come here for this year’s assessment.” - “Will the AW amount to anything? He did nothing but stand in one spot for days.” - “Oh, I once saw him get hit on by a few girls. He moved his body to turn his head and look at them. Maybe he has a strong will? Rejecting them all, after all..” - “Nah, maybe he gay.”

“... You will be the last ones for this first half. How do you feel?” The Teacher spoke to Heian Ciemnosc’s batch as they formed a square before him. His face was amicable and easygoing, but Heian Ciemnosc didn’t know if he was teasing them or doing a little mind test right now, right here at this very moment.

“We are good, respected Teacher!” - “We are ready, Teacher!!” - “Hooh hoo hooh!”

Heian Ciemnosc heard so many shouting and some very strong he became slightly stunned. When the Teacher saw such vigor from their response, he nodded at them and then shouted, not giving anyone a ‘special’ glance. “Commence!!”

Step, step, step, step, step, step, step, step!

Many energetic, solid, heavy footsteps resounded throughout the outside testing grounds, making the crowd surrounding them turn silent and focused on their endeavor. Heian Ciemnosc was the only one who didn’t move right away, cleaning his ears as if he was a mediocre country bumpkin without care for cleanliness. His handsome image was tarnished, but he didn’t care and waited until everyone else positioned themselves exactly where they wanted to.

Step step… step step…

Only after everyone was already beginning to showcase their abilities did Heian Ciemnosc start walking. However, instead of taking a few shy steps here from here to there, he went from all the way to the back… to the front. Slowly, he walked through the 4,000 fellow participants with ease, wasting quite some minutes as they were spread widely and before the Teacher.

“What’s he doing? Is he trying to distract them? That’s not allowed!” - “Wait… wait… wait?! He’s- he wants to be at the front?!” - “Look, the attention whore is moving around!” - “Look at him. He doesn’t even have hopes, naaah! So crappy. Here I thought he was some shit. He was equivocally chosen last by the Academy.” - “That must be his shit, trickery. He even confused the Academy!”

Sub Teachers and many Auxiliary Teachers surrounded the spread-out group of participants. Since they did nothing to Heian Ciemnosc, nobody said anything about it, and even the Teacher was uncaring, not looking towards the pale teenager standing out from the rest without doing a thing. The Teacher looked left and right, seemingly leaning over to avoid looking at Heian Ciemnosc, ensuring everyone knew his intentions.

Heian Ciemnosc kept walking, but as he heard their hurls of insults and humiliating words, he didn’t only not care about them. He also grinned, on occasion, at the ingenious and clever phrasing and wordplay of many. They had a talent alright, though girls were the ones to truly show hate towards him, with hateful glares as if he killed their entire families, ganging up to face the monster off together.

Plank.

Heian Ciemnosc stepped just 3 meters in front of the Teacher and, without saying a thing, took out a dull, obscure green cauldron 2 meters tall and only half a meter wide. Its diameter is no more than a couple tens of inches.

It didn’t have legs, so it was more than obvious… this was a poorish and really damn old cauldron!

“HAHAHA!” - “He took that out?! Hahahaha!” - “Ugh, I liked that? My~...” - “Wha- ehehe! Whatta- what’s he gonna do with something like that? Threaten the Teacher? Haha…” - “Not a joke, he can simply go: ‘Teacher or you accept me now, or the image of this cauldron in your precious test will be engraved forever in your mind when you dream’ - HAHAHAHA…”

“... Will you start now, boy?” Unlike the minds of the other participants, including the silent change in the facial expressions of those doing their best at this very moment, the Teacher was calm and looked at Heian Ciemnosc directly once the teenager got close enough and presented his cauldron.

“Mn,” Heian Ciemnosc looked at the Teacher, ignored the rest, and began taking out some stalks, wild grasses with some dust on them, clearly from being stepped on and from this same prairie! It wasn’t required to imagine what kind of reaction the onlookers would have. They obviously contained mock and true-authentic disdain. But after the teenager nodded, he began to work on whatever he was planning.

Heian Ciemnosc first asked the Teacer for a lot of water, and noticing Heian Ciemnosc without a Covert Sapce bag, the onlookers quieted down slightly but still mocked his delusive mind. Then, Heian Ciemnosc began to heat up the cauldron with his dark Power Energy acting as sustenance, his left hand groping its lower end lightly as that unique Power Energy in everyone’s eyes was shoved into the cauldron’s butt.

Even the Teacher became surprised, his eyes staring fixedly at the dark Power Energy but finding no peculiar affinity with the rarest Darkness element. The Teacher even thought as he nodded at the soft and smooth warming cauldron out of instinct. It was a job well done though it was just a menial thing to consider. ‘Indeed, it’s just like his personal information. No Elemental affinity. But why is his Power Energy so…blackish?’.

As the Teacher wondered, so did the hidden experts who couldn’t grasp his Power Energy’s details before but were now aware that this kid, this teenager… was indeed something. Heian Ciemnosc began to shove one stal of dusty, stepped-on grass. It became a wisp of smoke, and bubbles could be heard forming inside the cauldron after Heian Ciemnosc threw it up. He was tall enough to only need to lift his right arm a little while his left hand kept on heating the cauldron.

After 3 minutes, no more bubbles were heard. At that moment, Heian Ciemnosc threw another 2 stalks, each with different amounts of dust, looking different depending on how badly treated they were as people stepped on them. One had less dust but was stepped on until it was crooked and ugly even. The other was full of dust but almost untouched, as if it had remained below other blades of grass the whole time and only received the remaining dust that fell to the dirt.

After the 2 stalks of grass went in, no more bubbles were heard, only the sounds of their bodies immediately disintegrating, and a grass scent came out of the cauldron’s mouth as Heian Ciemnosc lowered both hands to heat up the cauldron. Suddenly, there was no apparent sound, but even as no Spirit Sense went into the cauldron respectfully, the Teacher, Sub Teachers, and hidden experts could tell there was a change in the water within the cauldron.

It was being molded by the dark Power Energy, which didn’t fully become fuel to warm the cauldron or to increase its temperature to very high degrees. The water churned, left and right, and slightly up and down as if it was playing with 2 extremes of the inner walls, tracing its body of water and caressing it playfully. Yet, the medicinal properties began to condense at the center, which remained immobile as the water moved only from its sides and a few inches below the surface in the middle.

The surface in the middle was calm and unmoved, as if nothing was going on, and the medicinal properties condensed even stronger every second. But when the water was only filling half a meter of the cauldron, Heian Ciemnosc threw another 5 stalks of grass, as dusty and mistreated as the first 3. Heian Ciemnosc threw them all at once without technique or grace, simply letting them look like babies thrown into the air, only to fall into the hot embrace of disintegration.

Like the stalks of grass before, they made no sound than disintegrating. But this time, they did so all the way to the bottom of the water and became medicinal fragments quicker than the pair from before. Heian Ciemnosc returned his palms and fingertips to grope the cauldron’s butt. Thus, it resumed its crazy, bizarre burning as the medicinal fragment at the bottom joined the water’s medicinal properties on the surface.

When they passed through the moving water, they went through as if ethereal. Smoothly merging with the already medicinal properties, enhancing it and enlarging its body even more, and the water continued to become steam as it drifted out of the cauldron’s mouth.

…