Some hours later, the first and second set of potential students had already been tried. Jedidiah did not see them, however, he knew that they were over because Qin Shi came over and called in Jedidiah's group.

"Okay, you guys are the last set. Please come with me." Mr. Qin Shi asked kindly as he led the group towards the testing space.

After that, Jedidiah and all the others followed Mr. Qin Shi. The training room was huge! It looked ancient. There was nothing special about it. The walls were made of bricks, almost looking like clay. The floor of the arena was made of clay. From the perspective of onlookers, the arena was just a room; not painted, made of bricks and clay.

On the floor, there were no seats but mats for the potential students to sit down on. Now, the arena was in the middle of the room. Around it, there was a red square that outlined the arena. It was not elevated but leveled. It was the same level as the ground, the only difference is that it was made of clay. The clay was not solid like rocks or bricks. However, it was in a semi-state. It was like a wrestling pad; not too hard, and not too soft at all.

"Please, all of you should sit down on the mats before you. Before we start, I want to tell you the order of events that will take place shortly. That being said, be quiet and shut up.

The first test would test your comprehension of martial arts. In this test, you will be given some pictures, runes, and rules. You will be graded based on your ability. Do not try to cheat, because not everyone will get the same thing. For all you know, you may all have different types or versions to comprehend. That being said, you will be given the burning length of a candle. Once it burns out, each person who fails to comprehend something will fail the test and will be asked to leave the academy.

The second test will be a fighting test. In this one, you have choices to choose from. In this game, you are either a challenger or fighter. If you are a challenger, you can choose an opponent of your choice to fight. Once your opponent is chosen, you can not change it if they agree to fight you. If you lose, there are no excuses.

Or, you can choose a random opponent. In this case, it would be an open challenge; anyone from the congregation can choose to fight you. At that time, you MUST fight all your challengers. So, be wise.

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If you are a fighter, you can choose to fight your challenger or reject it. Let your wisdom not fail you. If you choose to accept the challenge of your challenger, you must fight your challenger. If you fail, that's fine. You can only lose twice. However, it will be better for you to fight your challenger and win than to lose.

You only have two chances to reject the challenge of a challenger. If you reject the challenge of your challenger, you will have one more chance to reject another challenger. However, once you have used all your rejection options, you must fight your challenger.

That being said, the academy of panel martial arts is fair. Boys are allowed to fight girls and vice versa. However, do not forget that you can always reject or quit.

Each of you will fight up to five times. That means, everyone will fight at least once in this trial. Each of you must win up to four games to be considered 'safe'. If you win 3 out of 5 games, you will have another chance to challenge others within your ranks. Anything lower than 3 wins will lead to you failing the test. Only the best are accepted here, so you must work hard, and be wise.

As for the last test, it would be a bloodline test. This way, it would help us train you into a better warrior in the future. Depending on the grade of your bloodline and your performance on these tests, you can be recruited by high-ranking elders. The higher the elder, the more perks you can get from this academy.

Remember, we do this to prepare you for the outside world. It is cruel out there, and you must be ready for it. Right now, most of you are around 7 years old. That means you have 3 years left before you get a chance to enter those higher institutions. Once you enter it, you are considered to be a fish entering through a dragon's gate. At that point, your futures are said to be set. Anyone who comes out of them can become a leader or even elders in their own sect.

So, during these 3 years here at our academy, you must work HARD to prepare. Be wise, good luck. The test starts now." Mr. Qin Shi said frankly

Please, follow me." Mr. Qin Shi said as he looked at the congregation before him.

While Mr. Qin was talking, the children were filled with all types of dread and emotions. Some were happy, and some were scared. Amidst the congregation, Jedidiah was just smiling. He knew this was his only chance to finally take hold of his destiny. This is his first step to making his dream come true. His first step to making a name for himself. His first step to being a 'man'.

"EHMN, I said come with me" Mr. Qin Shi repeated himself once more.

After that, students started to get up from their mats as they lined up neatly behind Mr. Qun shi as they followed him to another room to the left of the arena.

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