Free Web NovelChapter 105: The First Trial
Solomon checked his pockets for a map or a set of directions. The academy system provided absolutely nothing. He assumed the designated training grounds must be nearby since the transit hub dropped him directly in this bustling district.
[LazyCat: no map? typical academy logic lol.]
[GamerGuy: just follow the NPCs Solo Man!]
[LoreMaster: Tianfeng City is massive. Be careful who you follow.]
Fortunately, he spotted a group of familiar academy uniforms navigating through the crowded dirt path.
’I guess trailing behind them is my best option right now. Not that they would know the way, but who knows, maybe they do. It’s better to get lost together,’ Solomon thought. He hefted the enormous executioner’s sword onto his shoulder and walked behind the group of first-years.
He took a good look at his surroundings while walking behind the group. Cultivators in flowing robes bartered over spirit herbs, and merchants yelled from wooden stalls.
The environment actually looked quite ordinary compared to the bizarre dimensions he had seen on the internet. It resembled a standard historical city with slightly more magic involved.
The group eventually approached the towering wooden gates marking the inner city limits.
Solomon stayed a few paces behind the other first-years and stepped through the grand archway right after them. The noisy chatter of the merchants instantly vanished. The bustling dirt road and the wooden stalls evaporated from his vision completely.
He blinked and found himself standing entirely alone on a desolate mountain cliff. The other students were completely gone.
Sharp rocks and swirling mist surrounded him. Solomon tightened his grip on his hilt and scanned the empty crags. The sudden environmental shift felt incredibly jarring.
A quick deduction formulated in his mind. The local instructors were definitely throwing the new arrivals into an immediate evaluation to filter out the weak applicants.
[User12: wait where did everyone go?]
[GamerGuy: classic dungeon trap! bro stepped on a teleport tile!]
[BloodKnight: An illusion array. A standard test of perception for martial artists.]
Solomon chuckled and tapped the flat of his blade. ’An array? I know exactly how to break one of these.’
He reached over his shoulder and firmly grasped the hilt of Eden’s Penance. The divine steel immediately sent a violent electrical shock up his arm to reject his unholy blood. He gritted his teeth and forced his newly awakened aura directly into his meridian pathways.
The burst of internal energy entirely overpowered the weapon’s resistance. The pristine blade vibrated intensely as he channeled his power into the metal.
Solomon planted his boots against the rocky surface and violently snapped his torso. He executed the third form of the Eden Imperial Sword Arts. A blinding flurry of diagonal strikes erupted from his position.
The sweeping kinetic force carved a lethal web of destruction across the illusionary mountain. He seamlessly chained the sequence into the fourth form, dropping his center of gravity and exploding into a forward lunge. freewёbnoνel.com
He compressed his entire body weight and momentum into the tip of the greatsword, thrusting the blade directly into the fractured space ahead.
The fractured space cracked open like a shattered mirror beneath the tip of Eden’s Penance. The desolate mountain environment dissolved into falling shards of white light, completely vanishing from the area.
The students were supposed to use their brains and strength to solve the formation, but Solomon used a different approach.
Solomon lowered his massive greatsword and exhaled quietly while the true landscape revealed itself.
He found himself standing directly in the center of a sprawling stone plaza. Thousands of first-year students from the Live Streaming Academy surrounded him, looking completely bewildered by the sudden transition.
Towering mountain peaks encircled the entire valley, and ancient cobblestone streets wound their way through a massive martial city.
Clusters of people in flowing robes watched the plaza from the very peaks of those surrounding mountains. Down on the ground level, dozens of local instructors and sect workers lined up in neat rows.
"Congratulations on passing the first trial," a burly instructor announced, clapping his calloused hands together to get their attention. "The illusion array filters out those lacking the proper mental fortitude to walk the martial path. You all proved your worth today."
Solomon tapped his floating interface as the chat rapidly scrolled across his vision.
[LazyCat: wait he just broke it instantly lol.]
[GamerGuy: those guys on the mountains look like final bosses.]
[BloodKnight: The scale of this martial sect is magnificent. Pay attention to everything around you, Solomon.]
[User12: I bet those instructors are super strong.]
A sect worker approached Solomon and shoved a neatly folded pile of fabric into his arms. The man pointed a finger toward a long row of wooden changing booths erected near the edge of the plaza.
"Change into your training gear immediately," the worker instructed while handing out more clothes to the nearby students. "We are moving to the next section very soon."
Solomon walked over to an empty booth and pulled the curtain shut. Inside, he quickly swapped his slightly ruined academy combat suit for the local martial attire. The new garments featured loose-fitting trousers and a sleeveless tunic.
He adjusted the fabric and noted how the open design allowed for significantly more freedom of movement compared to his previous uniform
Every single student walking out of the booths wore the exact same outfit regardless of their gender. The academy’s official crest was prominently stitched in silver thread right over the left chest to ensure their origin remained clear to the locals.
Securing his pristine executioner’s sword across his back, Solomon stepped out of the stall. He rejoined the massive crowd of first-years gathering in the center of the courtyard.
The burly instructor waved a wooden staff toward a massive stone staircase carved directly into the mountainside. "Form a line and follow me up the steps," the man ordered loudly. "The next phase of your orientation awaits at the summit."
’Not going to lie, this is fun. Unlike the training sessions in the guilds and organizations outside, this feels calm and interesting. I wonder what the next test is.’
