Upon entering the dormitory, Thomas proceeded directly to his assigned bed. As he settled onto the mattress, the pristine white sheets wrinkled and folded beneath his weight.

“What is your relationship with Elaine?” Jianwei asked, walking over to his bed.

“Know each other due to unfortunate circumstances,” Thomas said lightly, taking another cigarette.

Liang Jianwei's brows frowned, and he used his soul essence to control the smoke and lead it out the window.

“You’re going to make the room smell like smoke, you know?” Jianwei said, waving his hand in front of his face.

Thomas shot him a glance, put the cigarette down, and crushed it. The smoke smell lingered for a couple more minutes, and the room became silent. Jianwei looked towards Thomas.

"Do you smoke regularly? It seems like you smoke a lot." Jianwei commented, lying down on his bed. Thomas took off his hat, which was concrete grey, and put it over his face.

“Yeah, I smoke every day. Gets rid of my stress, you know? Not to mention that I don’t give a fuck about my health." Thomas said under the hat, his voice muffled. Jianwei shook his head and spoke.

"Well, you should care about your health. Smoking is a terrible habit." Jianwei said. Thomas scoffed and spoke.

"So what if I smoke? Not like it affects anyone besides myself." Thomas said under the hat, his voice muffled. Jianwei rolled his eyes and spoke.

"Besides, you smell really bad." Jianwei continued. Thomas removed the hat from his face, sat up, and glared at Jianwei.

"Like you smell any better," Thomas muttered. Jianwei chuckled, laid back on his bed, and relaxed.

The moonlight shone through the windows, casting a silver glow in the room. Liang Jianwei was meditating with his soul essence on his lap. Thomas was playing around with his revolver, the barrel spinning, echoing throughout the room. Jianwei didn't open his eyes and concentrated on training, Thomas's antics becoming a blur. Time ticked by, and the moon slowly moved across the night sky.

The next time Jianwei opened his eyes, the sun was already starting to shine, casting its rays of light on his body. He looked over at Thomas, who had his hat over his face and his legs crossed, unaware he was awake.

Jianwei didn’t bother him and began to get changed into the Cerulean uniform. The coat was navy blue with silver trims, matching well with the gloves and boots. Jianwei wore all the Cerulean attire and stared at himself in the mirror. The uniform looked pretty good on him.

Thomas also woke up and began to get changed into the Cerulean outfit.

“Damn, why do we have to wake up so early? It's fucking 5:45 am in the morning." Thomas complained. Jianwei chuckled and spoke.

"Well, it is the academy. We have to follow their rules, no matter how ridiculous." Jianwei said, walking outside of the dorm and Thomas following closely behind.

They walked out of the academy and made their way through the streets. Thomas yawned loudly and stretched his arms, the Cerulean logo glistening in the sun. People were making their way towards the academy's main building as well.

Jianwei and Thomas went through the crowds until they saw Senior Yang leading the ensigns toward the main building.

"Alright, everyone line up!" Senior Yang shouted. The ceruleans formed a line and waited for their orders.

“Although we ran a basic check to see if you could join us, we still need a comprehensive check of each person, such as what branch you will go to or your rank. Follow me to the assessment centre." Senior Yang said, walking towards the academy.

The ceruleans followed senior Yang, their minds curious. Jianwei was wondering what was going to happen during the assessment.

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They made their way toward the assessment centre, and senior Yang led them through a series of long corridors until they reached the testing hall.

The expansive testing hall stretched before them, adorned with grandeur. Thousands of cerulean-clad individuals filled the space, patiently awaiting the commencement of their tests. Majestic pillars, decorated in white with opulent golden trims and complemented by elegant blue stripes, stood tall throughout the hall. The floor, crafted from marbled stone embedded with azure gemstones, exuded an air of nobility, enhancing the overall grandeur of the surroundings.

At the room's centre stood a commanding statue depicting a man with sleek, obsidian wings that exuded an air of sharpness. Behind him, a cerulean emblem added a mystique, creating a focal point that captured the attention of all within the hall. Senior Yang led them to the front of the statue and spoke.

"This is the current Commodore of the Cerulean, Chen Raven. He has achieved countless feats and is considered one of the strongest ceruleans. His statue is at the entrance of all testing halls to show our respect for him." Senior Yang said. Liang Jianwei nodded and looked back at Thomas, who was bored out of his mind.

“Right beneath him, you will notice a blue orb. Step up and touch that orb to start your test." Senior Yang commanded. The ceruleans got in line and placed their hands on the blue orb. The blue orb glowed brightly and scanned their entire bodies.

The boy felt his soul essence tremble and come out of his body alongside a burst of soul power.

A black ivy plant wrapped around the boy's body. It also had spikes coming out of it, but none touched the boy’s body.

Soon after, four stars floated around the boy, meaning the boy was only at rank four. Senior Yang wrote down the boy's name, rank, and the soul essence.

“Not bad, rank four while your soul essence is the Black Tar Ivy. Step to the side and let others come.” Senior Yang said.

The boy nodded and stepped aside, allowing others to come up.

A couple of minutes would pass as a few boys and girls would come up. Once they placed their hands on the blue orb, stars would fly around them, indicating their rank. Senior Yang would write down their names and soul essence.

"Thomas Andersen, step forward." Senior Yang said.

Thomas walked up to the orb, his steps lazy as he placed his right hand on the blue orb.

The orb lit up, Thomas' soul essence was summoned into his left hand, and nine stars circled around his body.

"Rank nine, soul essence is a revolver. It seems like you're about to hit the bottleneck as well, huh. Your test is over, Thomas." Senior Yang said. Thomas flicked his wrist and put away his revolver.

"Whatever, let's just hurry this along," Thomas muttered, stepping to the side and allowing others to take their test.

People began commenting on Thomas’ test, praising him and his strength.

“Huh, a rank 9? That should be the most talented one. After all, it can’t be over rank 10.” A boy said, whispering to the girl next to him.

“He’s so handsome.” The girl said, sighing deeply.

The boy on the side felt his heart-shattering. His love ended before it even started.

“Elaine Victorium, step forward.” Senior Yang’s voice echoed throughout the room, quieting the noisy atmosphere.

Captivating the room's gaze, Elaine, whether due to her beauty or the resonance of the name Victorium, drew every eye upon her. Stepping forward gracefully, she donned the Cerulean uniform, accentuated by a flowing yellow silk garment that enveloped her from nose to hand. As her hand touched the orb, it illuminated, triggering a cascade of events.

Tremors coursed through her body, unleashing a surge of soul power. A delicate light purple flower soul essence emerged, hovering gracefully over her head, accompanied by seven radiant stars. With a decisive motion, she withdrew her hands from the orb.

“Rank seven, soul essence is the Nine Tears of Death.” Senior Yang said.

Elaine nodded, not surprised by her rank, and walked away.

A few people didn’t take their eyes off her, even though she already showed her ranking. Their eyes dodged as she looked back at them.

Liang Jianwei continued to wait his turn until Senior Yang finally called his name.

"Liang Jainwei, step forward." Senior Yang called him forward.

Affirming with a nod, Jianwei advanced towards the blue orb, placing his hands upon it. A subtle tremor coursed through the orb, and the room gradually filled with mist. As the blue orb intensified its glow, Liang Jianwei sensed a rapid surge of soul power coursing through his body. A colossal star materialised above his head, accompanied by three stars gracefully orbiting around him.

Li Weiyang's eyes widened in awe while Thomas' gaze narrowed slightly.

The room fell into a profound silence, disbelief etched on the faces of onlookers as the extraordinary scene unfolded.

“Rank 13? How is this even possible!” A voice sounded out, shattering the silence. Senior Yang composed himself and wrote down his name and soul essence.

"Step to the side, Liang Jainwei, and let others take their tests." Senior Yang said.

Jianwei nodded his head, not surprised at his rank. He had already pushed through the bottleneck after the battle with those thugs back at his village; it was only logical alongside his talent and endless training.

The ceruleans discussed Liang Jainwei and the rank 13; some were envious, while others praised him. Thomas rolled his eyes and lit another cigarette, ignoring the cerulean around him.