Li Hao, after finishing his cultivation session, stood up. Morning had arrived.
He opened his white, purple, and blue eyes — his gaze calm, carrying a glimpse of serenity.
He took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled slowly.
He walked outside. With how strong his body had become, he didn't need to bathe for a while.
His body had naturally adapted to his living conditions.
Li Hao walked along the stone steps toward the first class for new disciples.
Yesterday, after his arrival, dozens more new disciples had come.
Though there were only about a hundred of them, that was quite a large number.
The number of core disciples was less than 100 out of the 10,000 total disciples in the academy.
The inner disciples made up about 1,000.
Since few disciples ever left the sect, accepting 100 new disciples was already a high intake.
And with cultivation increasing one's lifespan, and new disciples being accepted every two years,
over the span of twenty years, 1,000 disciples could fill the gap left by those who had died or been crippled in cultivation.
Li Hao reached the Grand Pavilion in the outer court.
He looked around and saw the new disciples already gathering in the hall.
He walked in with a calm, unhurried pace, showing no concern or urgency.
The hall was spacious — large enough to accommodate 250 martial students —
but only about a hundred children were seated on mats, each placed just a few centimeters apart.
The air was filled with conversation. Most of the children came from families with some status;
a few even had noble or powerful backgrounds.
Even though each had their own rooms in the academy, their upbringing hadn't made them fragile —
they had been taught to live alone from the age of three.
Li Hao scanned the room and noticed an empty seat in the middle.
He quickly sat down in a lotus posture.
As he looked around, he noticed the other students had varying hair colors,
with golden and blue being the most common.
He was the only one with white hair — a clear contrast.
But Li Hao was different. He walked the path of Immortality.
After a short while, a man who looked to be in his thirties entered the hall.
His black hair was tied into a spiraling bun at the back, and his blue eyes looked like they had seen much.
He wore simple blue martial garments with white underneath — no patterns, no adornments.
Li Hao watched as the man stepped to the front of the room.
He gazed at the students, pausing to assess those who had already settled down.
Without saying a word, his presence alone caused the room to quiet.
The students stopped talking and waited in silence, anticipation growing.
"Mm," the man coughed lightly. Then he spoke:
"Today is your first day at the Martial Academy."
"For those of you who don't come from influential families,
you might be wondering why there's no entrance competition."
"I wondered the same thing back then," he paused, scanning the crowd.
"That's because, in the martial path, there's no accurate way to measure talent."
"You only begin to see true talent once someone reaches the Master Realm faster than others."
"Alright. Since you've all read the guidebooks you were given and already understand the realms,
there's no need to explain that again."
"Let me brief you about the structure of the Martial Academy," he said, folding his hands behind his back.
"As you know, the academy is divided into Outer, Inner, and Core disciples."
"Outer disciples have martial strength between Third Rate and First Rate warriors.
Their base strength starts at 100 Newtons — the standard for those beginning the path."
"The Inner disciples are much stronger.
The weakest among them are in the Master Realm, while the strongest have reached the Transcendent Peak Realm."
"But that's only the peak for Inner Disciples.
As for Core disciples — they are the backbone of the sect, second only to the elders."
"There are few of them, but all are immensely powerful.
The minimum realm of a Core Disciple is the Unrestrained Realm,
and the peak Core Disciples sit at the Pinnacle of the Unrestrained Realm."
"They possess overwhelming force — 819.2 meganeutons —
enough to tear through city gates, crack open temples, or destroy large monuments."
"Above them are the Core Elders, whose power is unfathomable.
Even the weakest elder could severely injure a peak Core Disciple with a single punch."
"The Core Elders range from the early stages to the peak of the Profound Realm."
"At the very top are the Three Prime Elders,
each of whom has lived for several decades and reached the peak of the Profound Realm."
"And then, there is the Patriarch.
A perfect Profound Realm warrior — at the absolute zenith of the Profound Realm —
his strength is unimaginable. He is the pillar of the Martial Academy,
the one who prevents rival schools from threatening our existence."
Li Hao tapped his fingers lightly on his lap, half-dozing off.
Why is he explaining the academy's hierarchy? Don't we already know this? he mused.
After some more talking, the man finally concluded:
"Alright. All of you must focus on your martial training."
"I will be teaching you the basics — how to refine the body with Blood Qi."
"Some of you may already know this, so feel free to leave now.
You may return next week, when I will begin teaching combat techniques."
"You must rise quickly. In three years, the Martial Academy will hold its Disciples Competition,"
he said calmly.
"It will decide who will represent the academy in the Bitter Spring Town Martial Competition."
He paused, looking at the crowd. Some were excited, others optimistic, and a few were reserved.
"This competition is organized by the government and the top sects and forces of the Bitter Spring Town region."
"To those of you who wish to participate, I wish you the best of luck," he said.
He himself was not a top disciple of the Inner Court.
In fact, he couldn't even enter the competition — his martial talent was too weak.
He was the lowest-ranked Inner Disciple.
"Those who can reach the Peak of the First Rate Warrior Realm before the competition
are likely those who have already started their martial path," he thought to himself,
watching the young boys and girls with a hopeful smile.