CHAPTER 15: GOIXI ACADEMY

The three walked out of the communication building after their business had concluded. Outside, they joined Jun Nee, who was waiting with the other guards and Shibi who sat on the roof of the carriage. At the back of the carriage was a white sheet, its surface bumpy and skew because of the body beneath it. Shibi leapt onto Zen’s shoulder, earning him a caress on his head.

“We will leave you at the Academy before we go to preserve the body,” Bhiki said.

“No, I think I will go alone from here on. “ Wang Zen said before he walked over to the body at the back. Placing his hands together he bowed his head before the body, whispering a brief prayer, before returning to the group. “Farewell.”

“Farewell, Master Wang.” Bhiki and the rest of the guards bowed to the boy before moving on.

“I guess this is where we also part ways,” Jun Nee said.

Zen looked questionably at Jun Nee. “Jun Nee, how are you going to survive in the city? You have no belongings with you or any money.”

“But you don’t have any luggage too, Master Wang.”

Zen dug out a crystal from his person. “That’s because all my belongings are in this Vacuum Crystal.”

“Wow, a Vacuum Crystal.” Jun Nee leaned in closer.

Zen nodded, “It is a low quality crystal, so it can’t store much but it has enough space for my belongings. I doubt you have one as even a low quality crystal like this expensive.”

Jun Nee leaned back. “Yes, I don’t have any belongings but I have some money which should help me survive for a while until I find my brother.”

“Okay, then we’ll part ways.” Zen said. “I don’t know what I’ll be doing by then but in three days’ time let us meet here at dusk. I want to ensure that you’re alright.”

Jun Nee smiled, “Thank you, Master Wang. You are kind and I will do that.”

“Then good luck, until we meet again.” Wang said before they parted ways.

-

Wang Zen entered the Goixi Academy Campus. It was a large area, encompassing a whole mountain. A few buildings were scattered about and along the mountain, with other buildings standing along around the large campus. There was a group of buildings, facing the mountain that was in a semi-circle.

Wang Zen’s mouth hung open at the splendid scene before him. He could not understand how Goixi Academy did not take more people with so much space afforded to them. He saw a few people dotted across the wide space. He wandered if this was how it’s going to be for the remainder of the year.

We wandered around the campus, lost as where he needed to go. After an hour of zig zagging, he collapsed onto the grass in a huff. Resigning to sitting there, he gazed at the multitudes of buildings before him, dreading the thought of having to navigate through them again.

“Zen’er?”

Zen shook his head, believing the exhaustion to be making him hear things.

“Zen’er?”

Zen tilted his head. He definitely heard someone call his name. Turning his head, he saw a pair of people around his age. “Jao Fuu and Jao Cong?”

“I knew it was you, Zen’er! I recognise the monkey on your shoulder!” Jao Fuu said, placing her hands on her hips. She had her black silky hair down to the small of her back. She had on a black dress with a red sash on it.

The boy next to her, Jao Cong, waved at him shyly. He had the same but shorter black hair, which fell on his forehead, hiding his eyes from the world.

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“I didn’t know you were going to attend Goixi Academy with us,” she said.

“Me too,” Zen said. “I’m kinda lost. I don’t know where to go.”

“Really? Well, let me see your emblem and we you stay.” She held out her hand expectantly.

“Em-Emblem?”

“Yes,” she said, taking off the red jewel, shaped like the academy’s symbol, from her chest. “They’re like this. They work like a key. They open the cabin written on them. See…” Fuu pointed at the corner of her emblem and yellow text shimmered into being at the corner. “I’ve been assigned A18, which is higher in the mountains and my brother is in B43. What’s yours say?”

“I don’t have one,” Zen said. “This is the first time I’m here.”

“How’s that possible?” she said.

Zen shrugged.

“Maybe he’s a late applicant?” Jao Cong quietly said.

“Is this true?” Fuu asked.

“No,” Zen produced his Storing Crystal. He focussed on the letter stored inside it, moments later, there was a collection of yellow spheres before the letter appeared in his hand. “Here is my acceptance letter.” He handed it over to her.

She unfurled it and read the letter, “This-This is not an acceptance letter. It’s an invitation letter.” Both the twins’ faces held the same shocked expression.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, it’s a… a g-good thing.” She said, struggling with words. “Invitations are only sent out to the most prominent prodigies. I mean, Cong’er and I are pretty good but even we had to apply like everyone else.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. “Are you sure you did not steal it and forge it to bear your name?”

“Yes,” he snatched the letter from her, “I forged nothing.”

“Well, you should go to the examiners hall.” Cong said. “There, you’ll be scanned and assigned a room based on your rank and level.”

“Alright, lead the way!”

-

The examiners hall was in a large building. They did not allow him to bring Shibi along, so the red furred monkey had to stay outside while they went in. The hall was laid out in red and yellow carpet. They walked between rows of empty chairs. Only the front chairs were occupied with students, awaiting their turn to be scanned. In front, there was a long table with cultivators seated on it. Zen and his companions reached the front.

They observed a boy who was seated at a table, facing one of the experts with a bronze disk between them. The boy touched the disk and it shone green four times. The boy hung his head in shame. A few words were exchanged between him and the expert and the boy left. His departure followed by a chorus of laughter.

Fuu glared at the laughing boys. “How scummy, laughing at a stranger’s misfortune,” she whispered.

One of the boys looked at the three, he was the biggest, round with wealth and his eyes held an arrogant look about them. He swaggered to the three. “Ah, Fuu, nice to see you again.”

Fuu looked at the brute with a scowl on her face, “I’m sorry, I don’t know you.”

“What? I am Xaun Boa.” He said, thumping his thumb on his big chest. “We met at the ball your family hosted last.”

“Oh? Well then I am happy for you,” she said in a non-too happy tone.

“Who is this?” he rounded his gaze at Zen. “Your boyfriend?”

“I’m Wang Zen, her cousin.” I stared at him, challenging his gaze.

“Wang? How can a commoner be the cousin of a noble?”

“I’m not a commoner,” Zen said.

“Hmpf, at least. Honestly, I don’t understand why we have to study with the commoners but they keep streaming in. There’s one there.”

Zen and Cong looked to where Bao had nodded. Fuu, who was mostly ignoring Bao, looked towards the direction his cousin and brother were looking at them. There was a boy, standing with three older kids. The boy had long hair falling to his shoulders. His skin was pale and smooth, as if it had hardly seen the sun. As if feeling their gaze upon him, he turned to look at them, briefly showing them his deep green eyes before he turned away.

“His so… beautiful!” Fuu held her cheeks as she took the man’s form in.

Bao scrunched his nose in disgust. “Beauty is a useless trait in a man. If a man is beautiful, he is weak!”

Fuu scowled at that.

“Xaun Boa!” the middle practitioner called.

Bao smirked, “Now, watch me Jao Fuu. Watch what real power is.”

Bao walked up to the long table.

“Go to the 3rd examiner,” the old man said. Bao walked to the examiner seated next to a sing written, 3.”

“How does this examination thing work?” Zen asked Cong as Bao sat before the examiner and placed his hand on the disk.

“The disks were made to be sensitive to ones’ cultivation base.” Cong began. “By touching it, it flashes either green, yellow or red. The number of flashes represents rank; the colour represents level while the brightness represents the purity of qi. Green is Beginner, yellow is Intermediary and red is novice.”

Bao placed his hand on the disk. It flashed yellow once… twice.. three times!.

Zen and Cong were taken aback by Bao’s power, while Fuu looked none too impressed. Bao rose to his feet, a smirk plastered on his face as he raised the emblem, the yellow writing, ‘A26’ slowly rippled away.

“Is there an entrance threshold?” Zen said, quickly.

“Of course,” Fuu said, unknowingly sending his heart speeding forward.

“What is it?” Zen said. He knew his cultivation base was at Beginner Rank 3 aand began ferverently hoping that the threshold was there.

“The threshold is beginner,” Fuu said.

Zen breathed a sigh of relief.

“At Rank 5,” she completed.

Zen stiffened. There was no way he would get through the threshold. He wanted to leave, go back home before Bao and his posse laughed at his impending failure but…

“Wang Zen!” The elder examiner called out.