The battle inside the enormous reception hall continued without pause. One formation after another illuminated the platform as candidates entered their respective illusions, and with every passing battle, the atmosphere became heavier. What had initially seemed like a simple test of combat ability had gradually revealed itself to be something far more brutal. The Academy was not merely comparing strength. It was exposing the differences between those who could fight and those who merely possessed the potential to become strong.
Another candidate was thrown from an illusion formation and staggered several steps before finally catching himself. His clothes were completely intact, and not a single wound remained on his body, yet his face was pale and his breathing was ragged. The silver-robed official recorded something on his jade tablet before announcing that the candidate had failed to meet the required standard.
A wave of nervousness spread through the remaining candidates.
Someone whispered, "He lost?"
"He fought for nearly ten minutes."
"That wasn't enough?"
"The Academy really intends to eliminate people during this stage."
Zion remained seated beside Mira and Kellan, his eyes fixed on the various battlefields displayed above the platform. He had already watched enough fights to understand that the difference between the candidates was enormous. Some possessed powerful techniques but lacked battle awareness. Others were physically weaker yet managed to survive through clever positioning. A few had displayed frightening combat instincts that even Zion found worth observing.
Then another candidate entered the formation.
The battle lasted less than a minute.
The opponent was a massive Spirit Beast, yet the young cultivator defeated it with three precise strikes before the beast could even properly adapt.
The candidate walked out without a word.
Kellan stared after him. "Three attacks."
Mira nodded. "Three."
"Is everyone here secretly a monster?"
Zion smiled faintly. "Probably not everyone."
Kellan looked at him. "That's not reassuring."
Before Zion could answer, the voice of a silver-robed official suddenly echoed across the hall.
"Next candidate."
The official glanced down at his jade tablet.
"Candidate Thirty-Seven."
He paused. Then his voice became slightly louder.
"Darius Flamecrest."
The moment the name was announced, the atmosphere changed.
Several candidates who had been speaking immediately fell silent. Others turned toward the platform with expressions of curiosity. Even those who had not interacted with Darius before had heard his name.
Legendary Rank Cultivation Talent. Awakened Bloodline. And one of the most outstanding candidates to emerge from the current recruitment examination.
Darius slowly stood from his seat. Unlike many candidates who displayed nervousness before entering the formation, his expression remained completely calm. His long crimson hair fell behind his shoulders as he adjusted the black gloves covering his hands.
Kellan's grin disappeared.
"Finally."
Mira glanced at him. "You were waiting for him?"
"I've been waiting since I saw his cultivation talent." Kellan folded his arms. "I want to know how strong a Legendary Rank genius actually is."
Zion didn't respond. His gaze remained on Darius.
Ever since the Cultivation Talent Assessment, he had understood that Darius was different from the other candidates. Even before the Bloodline Verification, Darius had carried himself with an unmistakable confidence.
Not arrogance without reason. Confidence built upon something real.
Darius stepped onto the platform.
The silver-robed official looked at him. "Enter."
Darius nodded and stepped into the formation. The moment his foot touched the ancient array, azure light spread beneath him. The surrounding space twisted. His figure disappeared.
◆ ◆ ◆
The battlefield appeared above the platform.
Darius found himself standing in the middle of an enormous wasteland. Dark clouds covered the sky, and countless pieces of broken stone floated several meters above the ground. The wind howled across the barren landscape, carrying dust and sand through the air.
Darius calmly looked around.
"There?"
A low roar came from the distance. His eyes shifted.
Something enormous emerged from behind a ruined cliff.
It was a gigantic ape covered in black scales. Its arms were almost twice as thick as Darius's body, and every step it took caused the ground to tremble. The creature's eyes glowed crimson.
A pressure far stronger than that of the previous opponents spread across the wasteland.
Outside the illusion, several candidates immediately became serious.
Kellan frowned. "That's stronger than the first two."
Mira nodded. "The opponent is being adjusted according to the candidate's ability."
Zion's eyes narrowed. "No."
Mira looked at him. "What?"
Zion pointed toward the formation. "Look at the beast."
The ape suddenly roared. Its pressure surged.
Kellan's expression changed. "It's getting stronger already."
Zion nodded. "The Academy is probably increasing the difficulty because of Darius's combat ability."
On the battlefield, Darius remained completely motionless.
The ape suddenly disappeared. A violent gust exploded across the wasteland.
Darius's pupils contracted. He tilted his head. A massive fist passed beside his face.
Boom!
The ground behind him exploded.
Darius didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward.
His right hand clenched. Crimson flames suddenly erupted around his arm. The air distorted from the heat.
The ape turned around and swung its other fist.
Darius raised his arm.
Boom!
The two collided. For an instant, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze. Then the ground beneath Darius's feet shattered.
Yet he remained standing.
The ape's expression changed.
Darius smiled. "You're strong."
The flames surrounding his arm suddenly intensified.
"But you're too slow."
He twisted his waist and drove his fist forward.
Boom!
The impact struck the ape directly in the chest. A terrifying wave of crimson energy erupted. The enormous beast was sent flying across the wasteland before crashing into a rocky cliff.
The entire cliff shook.
Several candidates inside the hall stared in disbelief.
Kellan's mouth opened. "He just punched it?"
Mira's expression became serious. "That wasn't ordinary physical strength."
Zion nodded. "The flames amplified his attack."
Inside the illusion, Darius slowly lowered his arm. The ape climbed out from the broken rocks. Its body was damaged, but it wasn't defeated. Instead, the wounds across its chest began closing.
Darius's eyes narrowed. "Regeneration."
The beast roared and charged again. This time, it was much faster.
Darius moved. The ape's claws tore through the space where he had been standing. Darius spun around it, flames gathering around his legs. He kicked. The flaming strike slammed into the beast's side.
The ape stumbled but immediately swung its arm backward. Darius crossed his arms.
*Boom!*
The impact forced him backward. His feet carved two long lines into the ground.
The ape didn't stop. Another punch. Then another. Then another.
Darius blocked the first. Dodged the second. The third grazed his shoulder.
He suddenly vanished beneath the creature's arm. His eyes sharpened.
"Too predictable."
Flames erupted beneath his feet. He launched himself upward.
The ape looked up. Darius reached its head. His right hand was already surrounded by concentrated crimson flames.
"Flamecrest Art..."
The fire around his fist compressed until it became almost completely silent.
"...Crimson Meteor."
He punched downward.
*BOOM!*
A column of fire descended from the sky. The ape was swallowed by the explosion. The wasteland shook violently. Dust and flames covered the battlefield.
Several candidates instinctively leaned forward. The enormous display became almost impossible to see through the smoke.
Then a figure emerged.
Darius.
He landed several meters away, his crimson hair fluttering in the heated wind. Behind him, the flames slowly faded.
For several seconds, nothing moved.
Then the smoke parted.
The ape was still standing. But barely.
Its body was covered in cracks, and one of its arms hung uselessly at its side.
Darius looked at it. The faint smile on his face disappeared.
"So that's how it is."
The ape suddenly slammed its fists against the ground. The entire wasteland trembled. Countless rocks rose into the air before shooting toward Darius like arrows.
Darius's eyes narrowed. He raised one hand. A wall of crimson flames erupted before him.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The rocks struck the flames and shattered.
But the ape was already behind them. It charged through the fire. Its fist came toward Darius's face.
Darius barely raised his arm. The punch landed.
*Boom!*
His body flew backward and crashed into the ground.
The candidates gasped.
Kellan jumped to his feet. "He's hurt!"
Mira grabbed his sleeve. "It's an illusion."
"I know that!"
Darius slowly pushed himself up. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. For the first time since entering the battlefield, his expression became genuinely serious.
He wiped the blood away with his thumb. Then he looked at the ape.
A strange light appeared in his eyes.
"So that's what the Academy wants."
The flames around his body began spreading. Not wildly. Not explosively. They became increasingly concentrated. The air around him began trembling.
The ape roared and charged.
Darius lowered his body. The flames gathered around his right fist. This time, there was no hesitation.
He stepped forward.
The ape swung its fist. Darius moved beneath it. The creature tried to follow. Darius twisted. Its second fist missed.
He stepped inside its range. His fist struck the beast's abdomen.
*Boom!*
The flames exploded inward. The ape's enormous body lifted from the ground.
Before it could fall, Darius grabbed its arm and pulled it downward. His knee slammed into its chest. Then his elbow struck its jaw.
The ape staggered. Darius didn't give it a chance to recover. He attacked again. And again. Every movement connected naturally into the next.
A punch forced the creature's head aside. A kick struck its knee. A spinning elbow smashed into its ribs.
The ape attempted to counterattack, but Darius was already moving. He wasn't simply overpowering it anymore. He was reading it — the same way the Academy expected its candidates to read their opponents.
The ape suddenly opened its jaws and unleashed a roar that shook the battlefield.
Darius's expression hardened.
The creature's body expanded. Its muscles swelled. Its pressure climbed once again.
The candidates watching the battle fell silent.
Kellan swallowed. "You're kidding."
Mira shook her head. "It evolved again."
Zion's gaze sharpened. "No."
Mira looked at him. "What?"
Zion watched the ape carefully. "The Academy isn't making it stronger randomly." His eyes narrowed. "It's responding to Darius."
The elderly examiner, who had been watching silently from above, glanced toward Zion for the briefest moment before returning his attention to the battlefield.
On the platform, Darius suddenly laughed.
"So that's your answer?"
The ape roared.
Darius's flames erupted.
"Then I'll give you mine."
He lowered his stance. The flames around his body condensed into a blazing crimson silhouette. The battlefield trembled beneath his feet.
Then he disappeared.
The next instant, he appeared directly in front of the ape. His fist struck. The sound of the impact echoed through the illusion. The ape's body bent backward.
Darius didn't stop.
A second strike. Then a third. A fourth. Each attack came from a different angle, forcing the creature backward across the wasteland.
The ape tried to retaliate. Darius slipped past the attack. It swung again. He ducked. A claw came from the side. He blocked it with his forearm and immediately countered with a flaming kick.
The creature crashed into the ground.
Darius appeared above it. His right fist burned with terrifying intensity.
"This battle..."
He brought his fist downward.
"...ends here."
*BOOM!*
The entire illusion flashed crimson.
When the light faded, the ape was lying motionless in the shattered wasteland.
Darius stood above it. For several seconds, neither moved.
Then the creature dissolved into countless particles of light. The wasteland disappeared.
◆ ◆ ◆
Darius returned to the reception hall.
Not a single injury remained on his body. His clothes were completely intact. Only his slightly heavy breathing revealed that the battle had pushed him harder than the previous candidates.
The silver-robed official stared at his jade tablet for several seconds before finally speaking.
"Candidate Thirty-Seven has completed the first stage."
Silence filled the hall.
Then someone whispered.
"That was..."
"Insane."
Kellan slowly sat back down. "I take back what I said."
Mira glanced at him. "Which part?"
"The part about wanting to fight him."
Zion smiled.
Darius walked back toward his seat. As he passed Zion's row, their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
Darius continued walking. But for a brief moment, Zion noticed something in his eyes.
Not hostility. Not arrogance.
Recognition.
Darius had noticed him too. And judging from that brief glance... he hadn't forgotten the anomaly that had occurred during the earlier assessments.
Kellan leaned toward Zion. "He looked at you."
"I noticed."
"Do you think he wants to fight you?"
Zion looked toward Darius's back. "Maybe."
Mira smiled faintly. "Then I suppose we'll eventually find out."
Before Zion could answer, another formation suddenly lit up. The official announced the next candidate.
But this time, the atmosphere was different.
The candidates had just witnessed the strength of a Legendary Rank genius. And many of them had begun to realize something terrifying.
Darius Flamecrest might be powerful.
But he wasn't the only monster inside Star Realm Academy's recruitment examination.
The battle continued. And somewhere among the remaining candidates, the next name was already being called.
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