Episode 1: The Youth of the Present

Skylight Academy was a sacred place in the city of Moonvale. Over half of the strongest
individuals from the wealthiest families and most prominent clans had attended this academy.
Thus, citizens of Moonvale took pride in being able to develop themselves there. If the
opportunity presented itself for one to attend the academy, they would undoubtedly study with
the utmost diligence.
However, it seemed that not everyone felt this way. In a classroom in the academy, there was a
young man fast asleep at his desk.
Lecturing at the front of the room was a young woman, clothed in a long teal dress. She took
notice of this. A wave of anger flashed across her face as she made her way towards the young
man, who was in a deep slumber.
Suhani was seventeen, and an official disciple of the academy, as well as a lecturer for outer
sect disciples. She was blessed with a beautiful face and an alluring body. In the classroom, all
eyes followed Suhani as she moved. Even when she was mad, every move she made was
elegant.
“This guy again! I can’t believe he fell asleep during Senior Sister Suhani lecture again.” It
seemed as if the rest of the class had not noticed their sleeping classmate u[ until that point.
Many of them did not know what to say. It was obviously not their first time witnessing this.
“Senior Sister Suhani is serious eye candy. I don’t know how that guy could have fallen asleep,”
whispered a fellow classmate.
Among all the lecturers, Suhani was without a doubt the most popular. The reason as to why
was evident as soon as one laid eyes on her. She was considered a goddess by many. Her
lectures were always made to a packed classroom. Falling asleep in Suhani’s classroom was
seemingly impossible.
Suhani’s steps were light. She arrived at the young man’s side without making a sound.
Standing in front of the desk as she eyed his face in deep slumber, her beautiful face frosted
over.
“Aarav,” a soft voice said. The voice was not Suhani’s, however; it had come from behind Aarav.
As if he had heard his name called, Aarav’s body moved slightly. With his hands holding up his
head, he slowly opened his eyes. Through his blurry vision he was able to make out two round
peaks.
“So big,” Aarav muttered unconsciously. His voice was very soft, and he had only murmured to
himself, In a quiet environment like this, however, his unexpected comment was heard loud and
clear by the entire class. In an instant, everyone froze, then immediately grew angry again.
“I can’t believe it! How can he be so openly disrespectful to Senior Sister Suhani?!”
“This shameless bastard.” Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Aarav, piercing him as sharp swords
would, which caused him to shiver. He could feel that something was wrong. He shifted his gaze
upward and away from the glorious view in front of him. His eyes landed on a face as exquisite
as jade, but also filled with anger.
“Uh…” Aarav was dumbfounded. It was Suhani! Had it not been Himani calling him?
Turning around, he saw the glaring eyes of a seemingly innocent 15-year-old girl.
Aarav took a glance at the young girl and immediately cursed under his breath. He had been
played; no wonder the cup size had been wrong.
“Senior Sister Suhani, I…” Aarav attempted to explain.
“Aarav,” Suhani coldly interrupted him. She asked, “What is the history behind the establishment
of Skylight Academy?”
It was obvious Suhani wanted to avoid the awkwardness by changing the subject, but Aarav
could clearly feel her anger radiating towards him. He could even feel the Will of Sword flowing
through her body. It was as sharp as a knife, cutting into every inch of his body.
“Three hundred years ago, the Great East Phoenix united the Divine Prefectures of the East
and commanded all dukes to establish martial arts academies in order to promote martial arts.
This was the reason behind the establishment of Skylight Academy,” Aarav answered. Of
course, what he had said had come straight out of the history books. In the unofficial history
books of his clan, another name was connected to this event. However, this tabooed name must
not be brought up.
“What types of occupations are involved with development?” Suhani continued her questioning.
“Development can be divided into martial arts and the art of divination,” Aarav replied.
“Development in martial arts is associated with occupations such as warriors, knights,
swordsmen, and so on. Development in the art of divination involves occupations such as
mages, alchemists, armorers, and so on. Mages can also be divided into subcategories. Of
course, there are also people who are naturally gifted and choose to work on both arts.”
“It seems like you missed one type of occupation,” Suhani stated solemnly.
“I couldn’t have possibly missed anything,” the young man said with a radiant look on his face.
“The Divine Prefecture acknowledges Mandate Sorcerers as the most powerful occupation of
all, as they possess a gift from the Heavens. Most of those who possess rare gifts are Mandate
Sorcerers; conjurers, beastmasters, and astrologers, for example. No matter which artform they
decide to pursue, they are able to surpass all others.”
Everyone in the classroom was focused on Aarav’s words. “Being a Mandate Sorcerer is a
legendary occupation. They operate on the will of the heavens and are blessed by the heavens
as well. Not only that, but even the most ordinary Mandate Sorcerers possess an innate
capability for both martial arts and divination arts.”
Suhani glanced at the young man in front of her, impressed. However, she was still angry. She
said, “I didn’t expect you to know so much about this.”
“Well of course,” said Aarav as he looked at Suhani. “I am a Mandate Sorcerer.”
Pfft! Not far away, a young man began choking on his water, and was now coughing up a storm.
Many pairs of eyes looked at Aarav as if he were crazy.
Everyone began to think that it was possible to be that shameless. Aarav was a legendary
character at school, and his notoriety was well-deserved. Not only had he disrespected Senior
Sister Suhani in public, but he was now falsely claiming to be a Mandate Sorcerer. Could it be
that he was doing this to attract the attention of Senior Sister Suhani?
Who did he think he was? In his three years developing at the academy, he had been stuck on
the Collection Plane of the first level of development, Awakening. His body was weak. It was
clear that he had yet to reach the Enhancement Plane. How could this loser claim to be a
Mandate Sorcerer? How could he be so blatantly shameless?
Suhani’s chest puffed out again; it was truly a magnificent sight. She looked at Aarav angrily.
“Since you’re a Mandate Sorcerer, you must have spirit in your Life Palace. Set the spirit of your
Life Palace free and prove your words to be true.”
“My Life Spirit is still in a deep slumber, it cannot be summoned. It is also the reason why I fell
asleep in class,” Aarav answered calmly.
“Aarav!” Suhani called out abruptly. Her beautiful eyes pierced into those of the young man
facing her. “Three years ago, you arrived at the academy as a 12-year-old boy. Back then, I
observed the entrance talent inspection as an outer sect disciple. Your ability to perceive
Spiritual Qi was at the highest level, shocking the academy. Despite the care of many
instructors, you have not made any improvements in surpassing the first level of Awakening for
the past three years. Having spent your days lazing around, not paying attention during class,
have you developed at all? And now you even dare to falsely claim to be a Mandate Sorcerer,
going as far as using it as an excuse for sleeping in class.
“In these three years, whether it be the Spring Quarter Examinations or the Fall Quarter
Examinations, you always drop out of testing, automatically making you last in ranking
throughout the entire academy. Aarav, do you really not feel ashamed?”
Following Suhani’s enraged outburst was a silent classroom. It was so quiet that you could hear
a pin drop. Everyone watched Suhani as she fumed; it seemed to be the first time any of them
had seen her like this.
Aarav was frozen in shock as well. His dark, black eyes stared at the delicate face in front of
him, which was now red with anger.
Has it already been three years? he thought to himself. Unknowingly, three years had passed,
but the commotion in his Life Palace was still the same, unchanging. He was also a bit surprised
because Senior Sister Suhani, a goddess to many, was usually an ice beauty. However, it
appeared that she had been keeping tabs on him, and doing so since the entrance talent
inspections at that.
The room was filled with a dead silence. Suhani carefully looked over the young man before her
eyes. He had a handsome face with sharp features, with eyes as clear and deep as the night
sky. At the young age of fifteen, his only shortcoming was his thin frame. In a few years, he
would definitely grow to become an attractive man.
Suhani silently questioned herself: Was her tone too harsh? She noticed the slight sadness in
Aarav’s eyes. Her anger dissipated slightly.
“There is still one month before this year’s Fall Quarter Examinations. If you fail or give up
again, no one will be able to save you from being expelled. The academy is not going to let you
stay, do you understand that?” Suhani continued. The class watched. It seemed that the
academy had reached its limits with this guy.
Was he finally going to be expelled? If it did happen, it would be one for the history books. After
all, it was not easy to get expelled from Skylight Academy.
“If he goes, I go.” From the back of the room, someone spoke up rather indifferently. Many
looked over to the young man, who was sitting in a corner. There were looks of envy, jealousy,
worship, and worry as well.
“The academy has already decided that Bhairav doesn’t have to participate in next year’s Spring
Quarter Examinations,” Suhani said. “He can choose to develop at the academy Battle House,
with the society of knights, or in any of the divination schools. His future can’t be tied to you. You
will only hold him back.” Suhani looked at Aarav and sighed. Bhairav and he were destined to
head in two separate directions.
“Hold him back?” The corners of Aarav’s mouth curled into a soft smile, revealing a hint of
cynicism.
“Shut up,” Bhairav said from the back of the room. He stood up, his eyes shooting daggers at
Suhani.
“Sit down,” Aarav said lightly, not turning to look at Bhairav. Bhairav’s gaze dulled as he looked
at the silhouette in front of him. He then took his seat quietly, as if Aarav’s words were absolute
orders to him.
“I’ve decided…”, Aarav had a frivolous smile on his face. He continued as he looked at Suhani,
“I am officially participating in this year’s Fall Quarter Examinations.”
In the back, Bhairav’s eyes sparkled.
After three years, was he finally going to take things seriously?
Over his three years of development at Skylight Academy, everyone knew of Bhairav’s
exceptional talent. His ability to perceive the element of metal was of the highest level. He was
also highly gifted in martial arts. He could continue developing in either of the arts. Even though
he was an outer sect disciple, his Plane was higher than many lecturers at the academy.
But even so, who could really understand Aarav?
“Your body is frail, plus you’re still stuck in the first plane of Awakening, the Collection Plane.
Even if you were to participate in the Fall Quarter Examinations, how do you expect to pass?”
Suhani eyed Aarav, inwardly releasing a deep sigh. Even if he were to start working hard now, it
might already be too late.
“And what if I pass?” It seemed that Aarav did not have a clear understanding of his own
abilities. His voice was filled with confidence.
“If you pass, then you are free to do as you please in the classroom,” replied Suhani.
A peculiar light flashed in his eyes as he took in the captivating figure standing in front of him.
His eyes unconsciously made their way to a place where he should not have been looking. He
asked weakly, “Is it really okay for me to do anything I want?”
This guy…what does he mean by that? many wondered as they stared at Aarav.
“You shameless *sshole, where do you think you’re looking?” The other students had finally
realized what his eyes were trained on. Oh, how they all wanted to hit him. How could he still be
saying such disrespectful things to Senior Sister Suhani?
Naturally, Suhani was aware of Aarav’s gaze as well. The little pity she had for him died in an
instant. Her beautiful eyes glared at Aarav with rage once again. She bit her lip and answered
his question
“Whatever you want!”
Episode 2 - Three Years Had Passed in Collection Plane

Suhani stared at Aarav fiercely. Seeing the smile on his face, she was reminded of what had
happened three years ago at the Academy Entry Talent Inspection. Aarav had only been
12-years-old at the time. In front of all the masters at the Academy, his smile still remained
natural and proud, completely different from the nervousness of the other youngsters.
The test had finally determined his talent to be of the highest level, which meant that his
perception of Spirit and Qi was great. This made him a natural at martial arts.
Now that three years had passed, his perception had not changed, unfortunately, nor had his
plane. He had remained casual, lazy, and frequently absent from classes. However, his eyes
were still bright and clear.
“What if you can’t?” Suhani asked.
“It’s your call,” Aarav said.
“Please, do not put Mr. Bhairav’s future in jeopardy.” Suhani looked up at the resolute boy sitting
behind Aarav.
Bhairav’s metal-element perception was of the highest level. He was already in the eighth
Awakened Plane, the Metamorph Plane, and was even stronger than Suhani, who was at the
seventh Awakened Plane, the Mystery. His future should not be tampered with.
“Sure,” Aarav promised. But was this possible?
Suhani walked back to the podium. Her beautiful eyes looked around at all the students, then
she said, “There is only one month before the Fall Quarter Examination. Please use this time
wisely. If you wait until next spring, another batch of new students will join and compete.
Especially you, Viran. You are on the sixth Awakened Plane, the Invincible; and Feng Ms.
Himani , you have stayed on the fifth Awakened Plane, the Juggernaut, for too long. I want you
guys to make progress on the Spring Quarter Examination next year.”
The first level of development was Awakening, which was then divided into nine planes:
Collection, Enhancement, Venation, Adamance, Juggernaut, Invincible, Mystery,
Metamorphosis, and Unmaker.
To become an official student in Skylight Academy, one had to reach the seventh Awakened
Plane, the Mystery, before the age of eighteen, and perform accordingly in the Spring Quarter
Examination.
“I will, Ms. Suhani,” Viran nodded. Ms. Himani made a fist, feeling more determined to reach his
goal.
“You are dismissed,” Suhani murmured. She then began to walk outside, her graceful figure
followed by the eyes of the boys in the room. Finally, after the figure was gone, they all viciously
looked at Aarav, the bastard who, in their eyes, had just been disrespectful toward their
Goddess.
“Aarav, turn around,” a cold voice said in Aarav’s ears, attracting a lot of looks. It was Ms.
Himani , who was seated behind Aarav.
Even at just fifteen-years-old, she was already a beauty, with delicate eyes and exquisite facial
features. Her body was full of youthfulness, endowing her with a sense of purity and
attractiveness. When she stood up, her legs appeared slim and graceful.
“How could you do this?” Ms. Himani stared at Aarav with anger.
Aarav suddenly realized what had happened and laughed. “You are jealous, aren’t you?”
Ms. Himani suddenly froze, speechless. A little while later, she continued, “How will you explain
this to your father?”
“Explain what?” Aarav blinked, then remembered his father having spoken about Ms. Himani
and how she would be a good mother because of her childbearing hips. He couldn’t take his
eyes off of her curves.
“Stop thinking of weird stuff. We are still young; it’s not time to be talking about having kids yet.”
Aarav’s words suddenly brought silence upon the class. The other boys felt nothing but anger.
They believed this bastard was shameless. Just minutes ago he had been flirting with Ms.
Suhani, and now he was talking dirty to Ms. Himani , who was so gorgeous and young. What
was wrong with this guy?
Ms. Himani completely froze. She suddenly remembered that Aarav’s dad had made an
inappropriate joke to her dad about her and Aarav having kids together. She blushed badly,
thinking this shameless bastard was intentionally making fun of her.
“I meant if you were to be expelled from the Academy after the Fall Quarter Examination. How
would you explain that to your dad?” Ms. Himani was breathing hard. Her chest heaved She
was confused about what Aarav was even thinking about. Apparently she did not believe Aarav
would pass the Fall Quarter Examination with only the first Awakened Plane.
“I will pass,” Aarav said as he looked at her, shaking his head a bit.
“Come on, you have been stuck on the first Awakened Plane for three years, yet you are still
confident? Seriously, Aarav, please spell the word ‘shame’ for me,” another cold voice said from
behind him. People looked back and saw that it was Viran, the boy sitting behind Ms. Himani .
Viran had already reached the sixth Awakened Plane, the Invincible. He was such a talented
wind-element mage that he was considered extraordinary in the 15-year-old class of Skylight
Academy. He would hopefully become an official cultivator after passing the Spring Quarter
Examination next year.
While he was speaking, he did not look at Aarav for even a moment. His eyes were drawn to
Ms. Himani . He continued, “Aarav, you are the worst in this class, yet you are talking nonsense
to a talented girl like Ms. Himani . You are obviously getting your confidence from nowhere. No
wonder people say ‘he who knows not, fears not.'”
Viran was actually speaking on behalf of the rest of the class, who were now looking at Aarav.
They believed that he was definitely the most shameless in the class.
Bhairav walked beside Aarav without any attention. His mere existence gave him an aura of
power, which suddenly demanded the respect of the others’ eyes.
“Brother Bhairav,” Ms. Himani mumbled.
“Hi,” Bhairav casually nodded, his eyes locked onto Viran. He was giving him such a powerful
look.
“‘He who knows not, fears not?'” Aarav did not seem agitated by Viran’s words. In fact, he had
heard so many insults over these last three years that it was no longer a big deal. It was
common for people to insult others in an effort to make themselves look superior, especially
when someone beautiful was present.
“You think you are the doctor, don’t you?” Aarav said.
“For development? That’s not even a question, especially compared to you, loser.” Viran was
confident because Aarav had been stuck on the first Awakened Plane for so long, and he was
always absent from class.
“Okay, then tell me how a warrior could beat a double-element fire/metal mage?” Aarav
suddenly asked.
Viran hesitated for a second, then answered sarcastically, “Are you kidding me? Even a
single-element mage would easily defeat a warrior unless the mage were such an idiot that he
let the warrior get into melee range. In a one-on-one battle this would be the only way, let alone
a double-element mage.”
The spells of a mage could attack a warrior from a far distance, which could cause a clear
advantage for the mage over the warrior in battle.
“You idiot. A warrior wins when he is on a higher level plane,” Aarav said satirically. Viran looked
gloomy. People looked at Aarav and wondered how shameless he really was to have asked
such a question.
“You raised a question about battle between different classes without telling me they were on
different planes. Is this question even meaningful at all?” Viran fired back.
“Same plane, huh? What if the warrior had increased strength and enhanced agility?” Aarav
asked again. People suddenly realized that he was making some sense. A warrior that had
increased strength would be good at blitzing. With enhanced agility, the warrior would be able to
get in close range quickly.
“Come on, you are talking about a double-element fire/metal mage. He would have a fire shield
spell and enhanced armor from metal-element spells. Even in close range combat, there is no
chance the mage loses,” Viran sneered.
“Then what if this warrior knew rampage cleavage? This is a specialized armor-breaking
technique. With the power from Strength-concentration, metal-element armor would be nothing
more than a piece of paper,” Aarav continued, “As for the attack from the mage, you know it is
nothing.”
Viran became gloomier. In fact, a Strength-concentration warrior with enhanced agility would
surely evade the attacks of a mage. Aarav was making a good point.
“This conversation is nothing but strategy on paper. Just stop it.” Viran was reluctant to admit his
loss in the debate.
“Right, how could a mage ever lose to a warrior?” someone followed.
“You are just repeating what you know from books, pretending you know everything and that
everyone else is ignorant. Okay, then answer this simple one: How do people differ in
development over the first Awakened Plane, the Collection?” Aarav kept asking.
“A cultivator feels the Spiritual Qi from the universe and collects them in this plane. A mage
possesses better perception over the Qi of a certain element, thus more pure power is gained
from the collection. Therefore, if we are talking about collection of a certain Qi element, there is
a major difference. However, for general development, there would be little difference. For mage
collection, each mage definitely differs in their respective Collection Plane because of their
different elements,” Viran answered slowly, confident that he was including every possibility.
“Idiot.” Aarav glanced at Viran with scorn, then turned his back and walked away.
“What do you mean?” Viran said, frowning at Aarav’s back. “Pretending to have the last word by
walking away when you can’t answer? You loser.”
“Aarav is a douche,” people murmured.
Suddenly, a piercing glow burst out from Aarav’s back. It was a cloud of Qi, spreading all around
him like a brilliant rainbow. The students dropped their jaws in amazement, completely shocked.
Aarav was trying to make a statement. Even people in the Collection Plane could be different;
some could be superior, like he was.
Viran seemed upset about this scene. The glow from Aarav was so brilliant that he could not
believe he was only on the first Awakened Plane, the Collection. Could it be true?
Bhairav followed Aarav and they left. After they had disappeared, the class was still blown away
by what they had just seen.
“I gotta admit, this douche is unique in the Collection Plane.”
“So what? He has been stuck on this plane for three years, of course there is going to be a
difference. If we ever got trapped on the first plane we would be the sam.”
“That’s right. He has been stuck for three years already. How the hell does he have the nerve to
be so arrogant?”
“And how dare he talk dirty to Ms. Suhani and Ms. Himani like that? Damn this scumbag.”
“Viran, take it easy. No matter how much he talks, you would beat him in an instant if he ever
dared to challenge you,” someone told Viran. Others mumbled in agreement.
Viran hesitated for a while, then felt confident again. The others were right; a low level cultivator
like Aarav was not going to confuse him.
“Ms. Himani , that boy is a prodigy. I know you have known each other since you were very
young, but still. Stay away from him,” Lyra said. She was Ms. Himani ’s friend, and was trying to
persuade Ms. Himani to stay away from Aarav. She had always looked down on Aarav, mostly
because she believed Aarav was always showing off when he had no actual ability at all.
“He is out of line, isn’t he?” Ms. Himani also seemed mad.
Lyra noticed that Ms. Himani seemed distracted. She began speaking seriously. “Wake up, girl.
You are going to be an official cultivator soon. It’s time for you to seriously think about your
future. Even being around him will ruin your reputation, but you don’t seem to care about this at
all. Can you imagine what people will think of you in the future? Is it even worth it for a guy like
him?”
Ms. Himani frowned. She was speechless. She had not thought that far ahead yet.
“Time to grow up. Stay away from him, forever,” Lyra said.
Episode 3 - Three Planes in a Day

At Skylight Academy, with Divine Mountain as its background, occupied quite a bit of land. Even
an outer sect disciple would be able to have a personal residence on campus.
Aarav returned to where the residences of the outer sect disciples were located. With Bhairav
trailing quietly behind him, Aarav walked into his own residence.
“Bhairav, I want to give up,” he said slowly as he stopped in his tracks.
“Even if the Mandate has yet to awaken, you’re still incredibly gifted.” Bhairav looked at the
youth in front of him. When Aarav had identified himself as a Mandate Sorcerer, everyone had
laughed at him, but only Bhairav knew that it was no laughing matter.
Aarav was indeed a Mandate Sorcerer.
“I know that. It’s just that I’ve worked so hard.” Aarav smiled bitterly. “It’s been three years. If this
goes on I really will get left behind by you. It looks like I’ll have to work harder.”
“Come on, let’s go train.” Aarav turned to look at the young man behind him. Bhairav was a
head taller than him, with a frame larger than most. He naturally had a strong aura about him.
The two walked into the designated development area inside the residence. Aarav sat down
cross-legged, instantly closing his eyes. A bright airflow surrounded him. The Spiritual Qi in the
small area he occupied was going crazy, and began rushing towards Aarav. Bhairav watched all
of this from behind without a word. At that moment, Aarav was like a formidable vortex,
engulfing all the Spiritual Qi. If the others were to witness this scene, they would be rendered
speechless out of fear.
The frightful flow of air drifted through his body, his inner mind its destination. This was the
location of his Life Palace.
Possessing a spirit in your Life Palace, also known as the Life Spirit, was an attribute of a
Mandate Sorcerer.
Currently, in Aarav’s Life Palace, there was a large ancient tree thick with jade-green leaves.
However, the land around the tree was barren. As the Spiritual Qi drifted into the Life Palace,
the tree greedily absorbed it all. The crisp green leaves rustled, moving without the help of wind.
An apparition appeared under the tree. It was Aarav. He looked at the magnificent tree in front of
him and said quietly, “Three years of absorbing Spiritual Qi, yet it hasn’t made any difference.
You only know how to take. If you’re going to be like this, then I’m no longer going to transfer
any of the Spiritual Qi I absorb to you.”
He had said everything that he needed to say. The apparition he had created with his
consciousness disappeared. The Spiritual Qi that was flowing through his body was no longer
headed in the direction of his Life Palace, but travelled to the rest of his body instead.
A great wave of Spiritual Qi washed over his body. He was ready for the Enhancement Plane.
Right at that moment, however, a strong force emerged, pulling all the Spiritual Qi backward. It
began rushing straight back into the Life Palace.
The sudden change caused Aarav to shudder. Boy, he was pissed. For the past three years he
had sent every last bit of Spiritual Qi he had collected to the Life Palace, but saw no results.
Now it was forcefully taking it away, keeping him from developing.
Just the thought of this made Aarav want to fight. The forceful energy ignored his feelings,
however, and continued its crazed absorption of all the Spiritual Qi. The force then began to
absorb all the energy in Aarav’s body. In only a few moments, Aarav’s complexion began to turn
pale.
sshole! Aarav cursed. Accompanying the raging rush of Spiritual Qi into the Life Palace, he felt
a violent shaking in his head. It seemed as if there was a drastic change going on in the Palace.
His consciousness attempted to interrupt it, but was destroyed by a wild force.
Ah…! A deep growl escaped his lips. Bhairav stood up abruptly, witnessing the change in
Aarav’s body. Not only was his body changing, but all the Spiritual Qi he had previously
collected from around him was rushing towards him as well. Even more, the flowers, grass, and
trees in the surrounding area all began to wilt at an alarming rate. Bhairav’s eyes lit up as he
realized what was happening. He stepped closer to Aarav and took a seat right behind him.
When he placed both of his hands on Aarav’s body, he immediately felt an enormous force. It
absorbed the Spiritual Qi Bhairav had in his own body, just as he thought it would.
Was it finally awakening?
When Aarav woke up, all he knew was that his body felt extremely weak. The sunlight pierced
his eyes as he opened them. A night had passed.
“What…happened?” Aarav sat up and saw the withered plants. Seated beside him was a
weakened Bhairav.
Thinking of the events of the previous day, Aarav closed his eyes, his consciousness entering
his Life Palace. Aarav jumped at the sight of his previously barren Life Palace. There was now a
moon in the sky, shining down on the vast land, as well as mountains and streams. The ancient
tree the Life Spirit had resided in stood as tall as ever, looking greener than ever before. It was
full of Spiritual Qi.
The World Tree. The apparition of Aarav, created by his consciousness, appeared under the
ancient tree once more. Could it be that his old man had lied?
His father had once told him that his ancestors were Mandate Sorcerers who had gone against
Heaven’s will. The World Tree could take the spirit from anything on Earth. However, it had
failed to be passed on, and Aarav was the only one who had inherited their ancestors’ innate
abilities.
Could it be that Freedom Meditation is real? Aarav thought of the Freedom Meditation mantras
he had repeated over and over as a child. He was excited, With his eyes closed, the mantras
flowed from his mouth. He quickly became focused, controlling all his thoughts. It was as if he
was galloping between Heaven and Earth.
Just as quickly, a dense force of Spiritual Qi appeared in his meditative mind. Within that dense
force, he was able to see different colored Spiritual Qi. Those were the purest kinds of elemental
Spiritual Qi. Each color represented a different type of element.
Flames. Aarav’s thoughts locked onto the blazing red Spiritual Qi. It was the fire-element
Spiritual Qi. The World Tree Life Spirit took on the blazing red color; it was truly a dazzling sight.
Suddenly, outside the Life Palace, the fire-element Spiritual Qi flowed feverishly into Aarav’s
body. It wandered into every organ, giving him a strong burning sensation.
Wood-element. Aarav shifted his focus to the green Spiritual Qi using the Freedom Meditation.
His body flooded with wood-element Spiritual Qi, instantly replenishing the energy that had been
taken from him.
Metal, Earth, Wind, Water… Aarav played around with this for quite a while. Finally, he stopped,
opened his eyes, and stared blankly into the space in front of him.
“Is this…real?” Aarav looked down at his hands in disbelief.
“Of course it’s real! You’re a Full-Attribute Sorcerer.” Sitting behind him, Bhairav had clenched
his fists in excitement, to the point that the veins in his arms were clearly visible. He stared
straight ahead at Aarav. “Plus, you’re a Full-Attribute Mandate Sorcerer, who is able to develop
in both martial and divination arts.”
“Then, isn’t my gift…” Aarav’s eyes shimmered.
“Against the will of Heaven,” Bhairav finished. “There’s no one else like you in the city of
Moonvale.”
His face cracked into a big smile. So many of the elders in his family had been unable to inherit
their ancestors’ great gift, yet he had. Was this the Mandate of Heaven? A Mandate Sorcerer,
operating on the will of the Mandate?
“Let’s go.” Aarav stood up suddenly, heading outside the residence.
“Where to?” questioned Bhairav.
“To the back of the mountains,” replied Aarav. The mountains he was referring to were the
Divine Mountain mountains behind Skylight Academy.
“Demons scour the back mountains. Why do you want to go there?” Bhairav asked.
“We’ll just go near the border. Besides, what do I have to be afraid of with you next to me?” He
was out the door before he finished his sentence. Bhairav did not have much to say, so he
followed after him.
Divine Mountain was an extensive chain of mountains. The terrain was steep, and demons
walked the land. Not many people knew exactly how deep the mountains were. It was said that
the reason for building Skylight Academy in front of the mountains was to prevent the demons
from coming out and causing harm to the citizens. At the same time, it also provided a place for
the academy’s disciples to train.
At noon, the two youths climbed up Divine Mountain and stood on a boulder that was resting on
top of a cliff at the border of the mountain range. Looking down at the massive academy
grounds, Aarav exhaled.
It had been three years. Knowing his identity as a Mandate Sorcerer, how could he have
possibly been satisfied developing in only martial arts? There had been no change in his Life
Spirit, creating a hint of disappointment under his proud exterior. It had finally come to an end;
he was going to keep reaching for his dream of becoming a powerful Mandate Sorcerer.
The scorching sun beamed on Aarav as he looked up at its rays. His squinted eyes gave off a
powerful sense of confidence. The Freedom Meditation’s key points were observation and
thought. Right now, he was observing and thinking about the sun.
As Aarav observed and thought about the scorching sun, he stood atop the large boulder. The
rays of the sun turned into flames and permeated his surroundings. They then pierced Aarav’s
body. The forceful blaze of fire flowed around him, reaching every internal organ and each of his
limbs, filling his entire body.
Bhairav watched as Aarav turned into a man on fire in front of his very eyes. Those same firm
eyes showed happiness. The sleeping dragon had finally awakened.
Crackling sounded as Aarav’s skin burned red from the blazing flames. Under the incineration of
the sun’s flames, his body continued changing.
After a long while, Aarav’s skin glistened like crystals, but also bright, like a fire. Within his body,
fiery dragons rushed into every vessel, causing a loud rumble. There was a lot of activity, and
many loud, frantic noises. Luckily, there was no one else at the top of the mountains, so Bhairav
was the only one that heard them.
It was shocking that entering the Enhancement and Venation Planes could cause such a
ruckus.
In the blink of an eye, it was already dusk. The sun was setting, and Aarav’s entire body was
engulfed in flames. It felt like a storm was raging inside his body. His bones were crackling
continuously. He finally stopped when the sun disappeared below the horizon. Slowly, he
opened his eyes. Unexpectedly, a beam of fire shot out from his pupils.
“You broke through three planes in a day,” Bhairav stated in shock. After having been
suppressed for three years, he had broken out in one day. Borrowing the power of the sun for
the calcination of his body, he had powered through both the Enhancement and Venation
Planes in one go. He was now in the fourth plane of Awakening, the Adament Plane. He now
possessed an impenetrable iron body.
“This is too cool,” Aarav muttered. It would have taken at least a few months for an ordinary
person to achieve an iron body. To become a Mandate Sorcerer, he had used Freedom
Meditation to observe and think about the flames of the sun, and with some help from his Life
Spirit, he had been able to achieve it in half a day.
At that moment, he felt completely energized. He stood up and walked over to an ancient tree at
the top of the mountain. With a quick wave of his fist and a loud snap, the large tree that had
once stood in front of him split into pieces. The area where his fist had landed on the tree trunk
was now burned black.
“Even those in the Juggernaut Plane wouldn’t be able to handle a punch from you,” Bhairav
gasped, seeing the result of Aarav’s work. Those in the Juggernaut Plane had immense
strength, but the force of that one punch from Aarav definitely surpassed the strength one would
normally possess in the Juggernaut Plane.
Episode 4 - His Life Spirit Was the Sun

Aarav was shocked by the power of his punch. Delighted by what he had just accomplished,
something suddenly slipped into his mind. He closed his eyes, and his consciousness went into
the Life Palace.
The apparition of Aarav appeared under the World Tree. His eyes filled with excitement. At that
moment, the jade green tree was faintly covered in flames, looking radiant with fire-element Qi.
What shocked Aarav even more was the bright, sun-shaped matter that hung in the sky. It
exuded a breathtaking flame, though it was far from the dazzling effect of the real sun.
The mind of an actual cultivator always had some kind of artifact in their Life Palace. For some,
it would be a mountain or river. For Aarav, it was a bright sun.
This power felt so strong that it almost absorbed the essence of the universe. Aarav was
shocked as he stared at the sun in his Life Palace. Suddenly, he felt as if he were the sun
himself. The Spiritual Qi of the entire universe had flowed inside him, then into his constellation
and the World Tree.
The World Tree now had flames, and the sun above had grown even brighter.
Oh my, this scorching feeling. Aarav felt like he was in the middle of the sun; his joints, muscles,
and bones were continually being forged by the flame of the sun.
My spirit lies in my Life Palace… Aarav mumbled to himself. Suddenly, he remembered
something—something that could possibly be happening. He began to focus, and soon after the
glow of the sun had burst out of his head and shone all over the place. It gave his face a sense
of holiness.
“Your spirit in your Life Palace—is it a sun?” Bhairav asked, standing beside him.
Aarav suddenly opened his eyes. The glow was now gone. He looked at Bhairav, slightly
confused, then mumbled, “I seem to be able to make spirit in the palace…”
He realized the sun in his Life Palace was obviously the spirit. It had boosted his cultivation, and
even showed increased improvement on his body.
Bhairav was thrilled; his eyes opened wide. He stared at Aarav and asked sincerely, “Then
please, create one for me?”
Aarav was speechless. Bhairav was so out of line. How could he even think to ask Aarav to
make him a spirit in his palace after having been thrilled like this?
“Keep an eye on your imagination, buddy,” Aarav nodded, turning away.
Bhairav was confused again. “Where to?”
“Time for cultivation. We have to observe some animals.” Aarav laughed, seemingly in good
spirits. The sun was pushing him through planes so fast that it would be entirely possible to
reach the Juggernaut Plane from the Adamant Plane. Though it would require the extreme
coordination of strength and spirit, once he arrived at Juggernaut, he would be able to integrate
his mind, strength, and spirit. Every technique and move would evolve into a new level of power
in the Juggernaut Plane for him. He had to put in the effort.
Divine Mountain was surrounded by herds of demons, even on its perimeter. Soon after they
marched into the mountain area, Aarav and Bhairav were met with a level four Swift Demon
Panther.
“Bhairav, go wait to intercept her; I will chase after her.” Aarav commanded Bhairav. Hearing the
order, Bhairav flew like an arrow, with a momentum that somehow shook the earth. The Panther
sensed the threat, and suddenly tried to run away like a bolt of lightning.
“Soul generates mind, mind guides strength; creator of the universe, break your limit and
unleash all your power…”
Aarav mumbled out the spells of unleashed cultivation power. As he ran, the Panther created a
shadow figure, sprinting in his mind. It seemed that almost every single one of Panther’s moves
were being repeated and slowed down in his mind.
Gradually, his body had unconsciously copied the gestures of the Panther. When he lept into the
air, his right leg curled a bit to burst harder into the next step. It was almost as if he were the
Panther himself. Though he ran fast, he was still not proficient enough for the Panther’s moves,
so the Panther was almost able to get away from him. Fortunately, Bhairav managed to cut off
its escape.
It’s not just strength; it’s the power of the wind. Aarav could perceive the wind-element power
surrounding the Panther. He began to feel that his body had also absorbed energy from the
wind; his clothes rustled, and his movements became even more fluent. Half an hour later, he
merged with the wind, just as the Panther had.
“Bhairav, leave her alone. I’m done.” Aarav stopped running, and Bhairav let go of the Panther.
“You are such a great imitator,” Bhairav complimented. He had watched Aarav gain the essence
of the Panther’s moves in only half an hour.
“I have a sense of wind-element power. As long as I practice my techniques as the Panther has,
I will have her speed. It’s still not enough though. It looks like you have more work to do for me
these days,” Aarav laughed. Bhairav did not say anything, but followed him in silence.
The following few days, Aarav developed in Divine Mountain. He observed and imitated the
movement patterns of monkeys, tigers, lions, and even birds. He progressed every single day.
On the tenth day, he made it to the fifth plane of awakening, the Juggernaut. That day, Aarav
and Bhairav walked deep inside the forest. The earth began to shake lightly, as did the trees
around them. A terrible voice came roaring in their ears.
They looked at each other to make a decision, then walked towards the source of the voice. The
shaking became even worse. Finally, they saw a giant, furious monster, which was over five
meters tall.
“Wow, that is a level nine demon; Ape the Furious.” Bhairav’s eyes looked sharp. The giant
demon was a real threat to him. What was surprising, however, was seeing a graceful beauty
standing right in front of the Ape.
The girl was dressed in all white. Her hair danced along with the wind, as did her skirt. Her facial
features were so perfect that she would definitely be considered a “Helen of Troy” when she
grew older.
“It’s Meera. I know her.” This girl was a legend at Skylight Academy. Aarav marveled at her
beauty.
“Should we help?” Bhairav asked.
“Wait, the Ape is injured.” Aarav noticed that the Ape had wounds all over, while the girl looked
safe.
“Meera.” The Ape suddenly stepped towards the girl with a loud roar. Because of the size
difference, it seemed clear that the girl could not withstand one attack. However, Meera swiftly
flew towards a tree to evade the attack.
The Ape knocked down the tree, then picked it up as a weapon to swing at Meera. The strength
of the throw was terrifying.
The girl remained calm. She bounced all over the air. She also used leaves as her weapon. The
leaves charged towards the Ape as if they were blades, and each one made a sound as they
flew through the air.
The Ape tried to block the leaf blades with the tree in hand. The leaves were everywhere, and
after a while, the tree had almost been cut into pieces.
Gravel and boulders flew all around. Meera fell behind another tree and closed her eyes.
Suddenly, all the flying rubble charged towards the Ape. Each piece of debris was like a small
blade; together, they were eroding the defense of the Ape by cutting into his skin bit by bit. Even
more horrifying was the extreme razor-like lance of rubble that had been formed by Meera’s Qi,
and was pointed right at the Ape.
Such a powerful spell. Aarav was completely shocked. A moment later, he witnessed the lance
pierce right through the eye of the Ape. The giant monster growled in extreme pain and began
to run away. He knocked down every tree on his way.
The girl did not chase after the Ape. She slowly descended to the ground, as if she were a
Goddess gracing the planet with her presence.
“Enjoyed the show, didn’t you?” Meera smiled softly. Aarav and Bhairav walked out of their
hiding spots and looked at the girl, who was their age, in shock.
“You are a multiple-element mage? Are you serious?” Aarav asked.
“I know you.” Meera didn’t answer Aarav’s question, instead choosing to look at him.
“Sounds like I am famous.” Aarav also smiled. He seemed genuinely honored to be known by
the legendary beauty of the academy.
“It was three years ago at the Entry Test of the academy. I overheard what you said when we
first met.”
“Huh…” Aarav sensed the awkwardness in the air, but he soon calmed down and asked, “What
did I say?”
Meera gave him a sweet smile that nearly took his soul away.
“You asked if I was a fairy.” She kept smiling, then turned back into the forest.
Of course. Aarav was paralyzed for a second, then nodded at the figure as she left.
“Looks like you remember it.” Bhairav also watched her as she left.
Aarav thought back to three years ago. When he had first met the then 12-year-old Meera, he
had told Bhairav, “She’s too beautiful to be a human. In a few years she’s going to be a fairy,
and dangerous for men.”
“People say that she has reached the ninth plane of awakening already, and that she majored in
both strength and spells. I cannot imagine how awesome the spells she used were; most people
in the ninth plane of awakening cannot do the same things she did. Rumor also has it that she is
a Mandate Sorcerer. Some great master in the academy already made her their private disciple.
Guys are going after her, but none of them could even remotely match her beauty and talent,”
Bhairav mumbled.
“She’s caught your heart. Am I right?” Futian mocked him.
Bhairav shook his head, then said in a serious tone, “I think she’s here for you.”
“Come on,” Aarav said as he patted the top of Bhairav’s head, “Just stop thinking, then.”
He turned back and suddenly smiled like a child. “To be honest, though, I do want to marry her.
She’s definitely qualified to be a wife candidate,” Aarav chuckled.
Bhairav stumbled upon hearing this. He stared at Aarav from behind. Just a candidate? What a
rude joke.
Episode 5 - Ms. Himani ’s Decision

In the blink of an eye, over twenty days had passed. Two silhouettes were seen leaving the
back mountains, returning to Skylight Academy.
There had been a significant amount of change to Aarav’s body. His eyes had never been filled
with such energy, and his physique was better than ever. As he walked on the academy’s
cobblestone road, it all felt like a dream, as if he had been gone for a long time.
“This rascal is finally back after hiding for so long.”
“He probably couldn’t hide any longer; the Fall Quarter Examinations are only eight days away.”
People in the academy whispered amongst themselves upon seeing Aarav. The events of
Suhani’s lecture twenty some days ago had already spread. This “infamous character,” who
hadn’t broken through a single plane in three years, disrespected their goddess, Senior Sister
Suhani. Then he turned around to flirt with Ms. Himani . Aarav was now the talk of the academy.
“Seems like people are looking for trouble.” Aarav’s hearing had sharpened quite a bit; he could
now hear even the lowest of whispers.
“How do you feel about that?” Bhairav eyed him with pity. Suhani and Ms. Himani were both
extreme beauties. The two were very popular in Skylight Academy and had countless suitors,
especially Suhani. At the ripe age of seventeen, she had the looks and the body to captivate
any man. So, when this guy flirted with both ladies in a day, he irritated many people.
“It’s nothing. I know you have my back,” shrugged Aarav.
“Shouldn’t you be able to handle it by yourself now?” Bhairav asked confusedly. Aarav was
already on the brink of breaking through the Juggernaut Plane; his power might have been able
to surpass someone on the sixth Awakening Plane, the Invincible.
“I have to keep a low profile.” Aarav walked away arrogantly, with his hands behind his back.
Bhairav looked at the hateful figure ahead, completely speechless. Was this the same person
who had announced his identity as a Mandate Sorcerer to the world, despite being stuck on the
first plane? Now that he really was a Mandate Sorcerer, he wanted to keep a low profile? How
could he be any more contradictory?
Not long after, the two returned to the dorm where they resided together. As expected, there
were many other people making their way over there as well. What’s more, it was not just one
group of people, but two. The two groups met along the way and exchanged wary looks, ready
for a fight. Putting their differences aside for the time being, the two crowds became one as they
walked towards Aarav’s residence.
“It’s people from the Society of Knights of the School of Martial Arts and people from the School
of Divination Arts,” said a bystander. Many people were headed in Aarav and Bhairav’s
direction. These individuals were all official disciples of Skylight Academy. It did not seem like
they were there out of jealousy from what had happened with the two girls, things were not that
simple.
The School of Martial Arts within Skylight Academy consisted of the Battle House, the House of
Swordsmen, and the Society of Knights. The School of Divination Arts was made up of the
seven Great Elemental Pavilions. One of the two groups was dressed in silver. These people
were from the Society of Knights, where the strongest knights were groomed.
On the other hand, the second group of visitors was donned in gold. The two metallic colors
reflected off one another. This group was from the Metal Pavilion.
“Senior Brother Ramdayal, a three-star Glory Knight, and Senior Brother Varun, a Metal
Element two-star Glory Sorcerer. I can’t believe they’re here at the same time,” someone
recognized the leaders of the two groups, their intentions were now clear to everyone.
Wow, what an honor!
If both schools were there, then it couldn’t possibly be for Aarav.
Inside the dorm, Aarav stood off to the side and looked at Bhairav, who was standing in front of
the two parties. He smiled lightly. Bhairav had always stood behind Aarav, but even then, he still
shone brightly. His future would only be brighter, Aarav believed in him, just as Bhairav had for
him.
Senior Sister Suhani had previously mentioned that Bhairav would be exempt from next year’s
Spring Quarter Examinations and that he would be free to choose whether to join the School of
Martial Arts or the School of Divination Arts. Back then, Aarav thought that there might be a
possibility the higher ups would take action first and recruit him instead of waiting for him to pick.
Just as predicted, they were here now.
“You should step outside,” Ramdayal said. Naturally, Aarav understood this was directed at him,
so he smiled and stepped outside, not minding too much.
Outside the dorm, a rather large crowd had gathered. Of the thousands of outer sect disciples
attending Skylight Academy, only a handful were personally recruited as official disciples each
year. For this reason, many people would be jealous.
“Bhairav is about to be an official disciple while he’s about to be expelled, what a joke.” The
people noticed that Aarav was alone and so, they felt no need to lower their voices. There were
many others in the academy that did not like him anyway.
“He only made it this far because of Bhairav, without him, Aarav would’ve been kicked out of the
academy ages ago.”
“I’m really looking forward to seeing his performance during the Fall Quarter Examinations.”
Everyone around laughed at Aarav.
“Instead of worrying about me, why don’t you worry about yourselves. If you mess up during the
exam, it’ll be really embarrassing,” Aarav replied as he leaned on the wall nonchalantly.
“How arrogant.”
“Fits his reputation.” Everyone stared and discussed Aarav. Even though Bhairav always
followed Aarav, he was going to become an official first. Shouldn’t Aarav be ashamed?
Aarav closed his eyes and tried to block out the noise. Not long after, the Society of Knights
exited the dorm. As they walked past Aarav, their leader halted.
“I heard that Bhairav’s father works as a manager for your family clan,” Ramdayal said, without
a single glance at Aarav.
“Yeah.” Aarav nodded.
“People are indeed often blinded by others’ family backgrounds; but, as they grow older, they’ll
come to understand that people from different worlds should not collide. The more arrogant you
are now, the more petty you will be later in life. The people you once knew will soar so high
above your head that you won’t even be close enough to reach out and touch them,” Ramdayal
said coldly and walked away.
From the very beginning, Ramdayal never spared a glance at Aarav, he was worthless in his
eyes.
Aarav was confused, his eyes followed Ramdayal as he departed. Aarav was sure Bhairav
would not have made a choice without asking for his opinion first, and Ramdayal knew that. So,
why did Ramdayal say all those things to mock him? Were they not complete strangers?
The group from the School of Divination Arts also started to leave. Varun glanced at Ramdayal’s
figure ahead of him, his eyes then landed on Aarav. “You’ve got some guts, flirting with a senior
sister like that.”
“Uh…” Aarav was speechless. Had the gossip reached the official disciples?
“Ramdayal is from the Society of Knights of the School of Martial Arts, and even though Suhani
is from the House of Swordsmen, they’re still from the same school.” Varun left this for Aarav to
think about as he walked away. Aarav thought about that for a while and his eyes lit up. He
finally understood Ramdayal’s cold attitude towards him.
Bhairav looked as if he had something to say when he saw Aarav re-enter the dorm.
“Don’t waste your time thinking about this. How can they ask you to just decide like this? Isn’t
this a mockery of your abilities? Don’t choose either school; if nothing happens, they’ll be able to
see what a genius you are at the Fall Quarter Examinations.” Bhairav was dumbstruck by what
Aarav said. It didn’t seem like Aarav wanted to discuss this situation, so even though Bhairav
already had his thoughts on the topic, he simply nodded.
Bhairav trusted Aarav more than he trusted himself.
It was seven days before the Fall Quarter Examinations. Early in that morning, a bell rang all
across the Skylight Academy campus.
People left the dorms and all headed in the same direction.
Around this time every year, the academy would gather all the outer sect disciples and make
announcements regarding the Fall Quarter Examinations. It was also a time for pre-examination
inspections.
The outer sect disciple gymnasium was enormous, able to accommodate tens of thousands of
people with ease. Even though the outer sect disciples filed in continuously, the gymnasium
remained unfilled.
The outer sect lecturers had arrived early on. Suhani was wearing something tight-fitting that
showed off her curvaceous figure and attracted the attention of all those around her.
“He’s here.” The news had come from a small group in the crowd. They were all making a fuss
while looking in the same direction. From that direction, came two people.
“I heard that senior brothers from both schools went to recruit Bhairav yesterday. That sort of
treatment isn’t for just anyone. How dare that loser walk in front of Bhairav like that?” Everyone
watched the school’s “infamous character”, and they were not too happy with him. Bhairav was
going to be someone important in the future, but what was Aarav going to amount to? Probably
nothing.
None of this bothered Aarav though. Others could not possibly understand his relationship with
Bhairav.
“Senior Sister Suhani,” Aarav greeted her with twinkling eyes. With a face and a body like that, it
was no wonder that a Glory Knight like Ramdayal wasted his time getting mad at a nobody like
him.
Suhani’s face fell when she saw Aarav. “Where have you been these past days?”
“I went cultivating, of course!” he replied. “Since I made a promise to you, I should give it my all.”
It did not seem like he was lying, so her expression warmed up a bit. As long as it was possible
to encourage him to develop, and he did not do too badly during the Fall Quarter Examinations,
maybe it would be possible to persuade the academy to give him some time.
“Have you progressed into the Enhancement Plane?” Suhani asked.
“Senior Sister, I’ve already stepped into the Juggernaut Plane,” he said with a serious look on
his face.
After she heard his words, her face fell once again and she glared at Aarav. She couldn’t believe
that she actually trusted him, and that she was even considering putting in a good word for him.
“Haha…!” Everyone around began to laugh. Viran walked close to the two and questioned
Suhani while staring at Aarav, “Senior Sister Suhani, what should we do about this guy?”
“You’re running out of time, Aarav! If you want to stay in the academy, you have to pick up the
pace and try harder to reach the Enhancement Plane.” Suhani was a bit disappointed. Thinking
back on the entrance talent inspections three years ago, it seemed like such a waste.
Aarav seemed to understand how she felt, his face broke out into a warm smile. Even though
she didn’t seem to believe him, he knew she truly cared about his well-being.
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I won’t let you down.” His smile was a display of his pride, the
morning sun shone off his handsome face.
Suhani’s heart warmed at his words, but just as she began to feel this way, Aarav said, “Don’t
forget what you promised, Senior Sister.”
“You…!” She stomped her feet and turned to walk away. She was only a young
seventeen-year-old, she did not know how to deal with this type of thing.
Many people were dumbfounded. They glared at Aarav furiously, but also with a bit of jealousy.
Even though it was quite shameless of him, they were jealous that he could joke with Suhani
without worry.
“Why waste your time on a person like him?” A male lecturer stepped beside Suhani and asked.
She spared him a glance and said, “He is actually quite gifted. I still don’t understand why he
couldn’t manage to break through the Collection Plane over the span of three years. Maybe a
miracle will really happen at this year’s Fall Quarter Examinations.”
“I really don’t understand why you have such high hopes for him.” The fellow lecturer beside her
shook his head and looked at Aarav with disdain.
At that moment, Aarav wondered and questioned Bhairav, who was standing beside him, “How
come no one believes me when I tell the truth?”
Bhairav had no answer for him. Who would believe that anyone could make it from the
Collection Plane to the Juggernaut Plane in less than a month?
“We’ll become official disciples in the Spring of next year. Should we give Ms. Himani a hand as
well?” Aarav asked.
Bhairav took a quick look at Ms. Himani and nodded. If she was able to develop with Aarav,
then she could definitely make it to the Mystery Plane by the Spring Quarter Examinations.
Aarav located Ms. Himani and began to make his way over. The crowd made way for him
unwillingly. Of course, this was because he had Bhairav behind him.
Before he could get close enough to her, someone stepped out in front and blocked his way. It
was Ms. Himani ’s best friend, Lyra.
“What do you want?” Lyra asked emotionlessly.
“I want to speak with Ms. Himani .” Aarav gave out a smile.
“I know. You can say what you need to from here,” she said.
Aarav lifted his head, ignoring Lyra, as he looked towards Ms. Himani and said, “I have to talk
to you.”
“It’ll be the same if you said it from over there.” Ms. Himani was avoiding his eyes.
“Ms. Himani , what do you mean by all of this?” Aarav was confused by this situation.
“You don’t understand? It means that Himani doesn’t want to be near you. So, mind yourself,”
Lyra answered.
Aarav’s gaze sharpened and he turned serious. However, Ms. Himani continued to avoid
meeting his eyes.
“Forget it.” His eyebrows unfurled and he spoke softly.
“Aarav wanted to ask you to train together from now on,” Bhairav spoke out abruptly from his
spot off to the side, his gaze sharp as always.
Aarav was shocked as he turned towards Bhairav. He was never a man of many words, but the
Bhairav that Aarav was looking at now looked extremely mad.
At this point, Ms. Himani lifted her head and noticed the look in Bhairav’s eyes. She then
greeted him timidly. “Bhairav.”
Their interactions attracted the attention of others. Aarav wanted to invite Ms. Himani to train
together? That’s rich. Was he dreaming? However, it was Bhairav who brought this up, so no
one dared to interfere.
“I know that Ms. Himani really looks up to you, but do you really think that Aarav is worthy
enough to have her train with him?” Lyra asked Bhairav.
Bhairav paid her no attention, his eyes were still focused on Ms. Himani . “I want to know what
think.”
Ms. Himani clenched her small fists. She was shaking. She looked at Bhairav, then at Aarav.
Shaking her head, she replied, “Bhairav, we’re all grown up now, I think it would be best for us to
keep our distance.”
After saying this, she let go of the breath she had been holding in. A rock had finally been lifted
off her shoulders, and she was feeling much more relaxed now. However, she knew that she
had just lost something.
Aarav finally got the answer he had been waiting for, although it was not the answer he had
hoped to hear. He smiled bitterly and shook his head. She really had grown up.
Episode 6 - The Dragon Is Coming

Ms. Himani ’s answer met the expectations of her peers. They believed Aarav was too bold
asking Ms. Himani to cultivate together, which seemed like poorly disguised flirting. How rude
was that?
Even though people knew they had some history together—mostly friendship over the years
since they were young—it still meant nothing, especially when it came to boundaries. When Ms.
Himani had said they were both adults, she had apparently been making her point.
“Rejected, huh.” People mocked Aarav seeing him in this position.
In fact, Aarav had been so bold that he had left himself no leeway. Seeing their expressions,
Aarav soon realized what the others were thinking of him. What a cheap novel show he was
creating. He shook his head and left.
I am such a fool for asking her in public. It was my fault, pushing her into a place where she had
no choice, Aarav sighed.
“Can’t you tell that she was obviously making a point when she let Lyra stand between you?
Come on, man, you’ve known each other for so long. She told you to keep your distance; what
does that mean? Cutting off all ties?” Bhairav seemed angered by Ms. Himani ’s attitude. He
looked like a ferocious lion.
“It’s okay. She is only fifteen; she is still young, and easily persuaded by others.” Aarav did not
seem ashamed by what had just happened. In fact, he was still trying to stand up for Ms. Himani
.
“Don’t forget what she just said,” Bhairav said with authority, “She was throwing those words
right in your face. Why can’t you understand your friendship with her is O-V-E-R. She made her
choice.” Bhairav knew Aarav better than anyone else. He looked cynical, but deep inside he
was warm and understanding, especially towards people he knew well. He knew that Aarav was
trying to forgive Ms. Himani and give her another chance.
However, Bhairav was not going to just let it go. He felt that he must protect Aarav’s pride and
self-esteem for him. He knew what Ms. Himani had just missed out on.
He never forgot what his father had told Aarav; people saw things the clearest when they were
down in their lives. It was not a big deal, because one day, when you became a king, the world
would kneel before you.
…
A noise in the crowd came from the battle arena, drawing the attention of the students. Aarav
and Bhairav looked back and saw several people flying over the arena. They had wings that
held them suspended in midair.
“They are seniors from the College of Sorcery; wind-element mages, who can actually
condense air to create wings with wind-element spells and fly with them.”
The crowd watched in admiration, as they were still in the Awakening Planes, trying their best to
break out of their physical constraints and combine their spirits and bodies in perfection. These
mages were in the Glory Plane, which meant they were proficient in all kinds of spells.
In the Divine Prefectures, mages outranked ordinary cultivators. Only the wind-element mages
were able to fly in the Glory Plane.
“We are here to inform you that a certain area of Divine Mountain has been cleared,” a flying
mage said, “In this area, there will only be demons and monsters within the Awakening Plane
levels. The following seven days will be the hunting season before the Fall Quarter Examination.
You may hunt in this area to test your own gains from the past year, as well as hone your
techniques in real combat and imminent danger.”
Another flying mage began speaking, “You’ll leave this place sooner or later. Without being
seriously tested by real situations, you will never become a true cultivator. However, safety must
be your priority. We suggest you partner up with other people to look out for each other.”
People nodded to show that they understood what was happening. Every hunting season before
the Fall Quarter Examination, the academy would clear the area to make sure that it was safer
than usual. However, some daredevils would still go into Divine Mountain, even when it had not
been cleared.
“During the Fall Quarter Examination, the academy will hold a homecoming event. People from
the City of Moonvale will come to watch, possibly even your parents. Make sure you perform
well during the event, and do not let them down.” The mage continued giving information most
students already knew. The Fall and Spring Quarter Examinations were remarkable events for
both the Skylight Academy and the city as a whole.
The Fall Quarter Examination was bigger than the Spring Quarter Examination because the
latter was for the selection of official students, and focused only on a few people.
“Okay, now go and prepare yourselves.” The mage waved goodbye, then the group flew
towards Divine Mountain.
The arena buzzed with excitement. People gathered around for the Fall hunt. This was an
opportunity no one should miss.
“Aarav, what’s your plan?” Suhani asked Aarav from a distance.
“What do you mean by ‘plan,’ Ms. Suhani?” Aarav looked at her.
“It’s a great opportunity, especially for you. You could go with Bhairav. It will be safe. Also, you
may reach a new plane during the hunt,” Suhani said.
“Nah, not this time,” Aarav shook his head. After all, he had just come back from the mountain.
He figured he should save himself the trouble.
Suhani stared at him and said, “You are still young. Relationships are not everything. Do not
give up on yourself after being turned down once.”
Suhani was worried about Aarav feeling defeated after the apparent rejection he had received
from Ms. Himani .
Aarav blinked, and realized Suhani misunderstood what had happened. He scanned the
shapely body of Suhani and mumbled, “You know, I’m not that young.”
Suhani fell speechless for a second. Soon she realized that Aarav was hitting on her and
became angry. She turned around and said, “You’re hopeless.”
Seeing she was mad, Aarav laughed even more. “My pleasure, Ms. Suhani.”
Suhani stopped, then kept walking.
“She’s nice, you better consider her,” Bhairav said. Aarav looked at him with confusion.
“Consider what?”
“She could be a wife candidate.” Bhairav looked serious.
Ugh, this guy… Aarav rubbed his head. One could really be influenced by his friends.
…
The academy was full of activity these days. Endless groups of people were marching towards
Divine Mountain, most of whom looked high-spirited. It happened every year; but in a few days,
they would return frustrated, defeated, and injured.
During the hunting season, the academy cleared the area for students, making sure the
monsters were safe to deal with. However, some level seven, eight, or even level nine monsters
would still be a nightmare for some unfortunate students.
This hunt served as a trial, but also as a purgatory.
Under the mountain, students entered in groups. Some of them looked familiar.
“Look, it’s Ms. Himani .” People noticed the girl in this particular group. She was dressed in
scarlet. She looked even more attractive and charming than usual in such a beautiful dress.
“The guy next to her, who’s that?” Some people were surprised to see a charming young man
next to Ms. Himani , in addition to her friend Lyra.
“He’s Ravi, Lyra’s cousin. He is the pride of the Sharma family. He’s already in the highest plane
of awakening, the Unmaker. He’s with Ms. Himani for the hunt? No wonder she…”
People thought of that some poor guy who had experienced a harsh rejection at the hands of
Ms. Himani . They shook their heads and sighed with pity.
Keep their distance? Then why the heck was Ravi here?
They could not help imagining how frustrated Aarav would be if he saw this.
“He was rejected so badly. I guess he’s going to quit the Fall Exam.” After seeing Ravi
accompany Ms. Himani into the mountain, people began to gossip.
Aarav soon heard about this from the others. He was a bit confused as to why he had somehow
become the main character. Even though he had never thought about pursuing Ms. Himani , he
still felt slightly pissed off. It was not out of love, but pure agitation.
Still, he did not mind much, anyway. He had a more important job to do before the Fall Quarter
Examination, which was to further cultivate into a new plane.
Days later, in the dorm, Aarav was cultivating quietly. The burning flames of the sun were all
over his body. It forged his joints, muscles, and bones. He owned the life spirit of the sun, which
indicated that he was supposed to major in fire-element techniques.
While he was on Divine Mountain, he had perceived wood-element Qi from plants, and
water-element Qi from waterfalls. However, they did not compare to the power from his life spirit,
the sun. He wondered whether he was being too greedy. It had only come about by accident.
Someone was approaching. Aarav stopped his work and looked at the approaching figure.
“Bhairav, what happened?”
He knew that Bhairav would not bother to come in unless something terrible had happened.
“People were evacuating the mountain recently, and some of them brought back terrifying
news,” Bhairav said.
“What is it?” Aarav was caught in curiosity.
“Some claimed that they saw a dragon in the cleared area.” Bhairav’s eyes were lit up with
excitement.
“A dragon?” Aarav’s eyes also shined brightly. He was shocked that even after being cleared,
the hunting grounds still had a dragon.
The mere presence of a dragon would bring the entire city of Moonvale into a panic. They only
ever seemed to show up in the restricted area. The dragon was a sign of pure power; the
emperor of demons and monsters.
“Do you believe it?” Aarav asked.
“Some swore that it was true. The academy should have evacuated the whole place already. If
the academy actually had, it could possibly be true,” Bhairav said.
“Let’s go for a walk.” Aarav stood up and walked towards the yard. By now, many students had
returned. Some students refused to go into the mountain, knowing that they were incapable of
ensuring their own safety.
When the two arrived at the mountain, they saw people fleeing in groups, which seemed
unusual. They looked at each other, then someone in the crowd asked, “What’s going on?”
“Some true evil broke out of the restricted area. The masters are now demanding that everyone
leave the area as soon as possible,” someone answered.
“A true evil? Is it something that cannot be killed by the masters?” People were shocked.
“I heard it was a giant Thunder Boa, thousands of years old, with a threatening sense of
demonic power. No one can do anything to her for now.”
The crowd bubbled with excitement. Aarav and Bhairav felt slightly confused. What was it
exactly? A Boa, or a Dragon?
Episode 7 - The Inscriber

Hordes of people were making their way out of the mountains. Some felt lively, while others
were drained of energy; almost all of them, however, had discussed the topic of the demon boa
as they traveled.
The instructors had already made a decision. Those who claimed to have witnessed the demon
boa must have been mistaken. After all, demons in cultivation may have a similar appearance
as a dragon.
Aarav saw a familiar figure making her way down the mountain road. Although Ms. Himani ’s
bright red clothing was covered with a thin layer of dust, her beautiful face remained clean and
radiant. She seemed to be in a good mood, chatting with Ravi, who remained at her side.
After seeing Ms. Himani and Ravi together, many people peeked unconsciously at Aarav. Their
actions confused Aarav.
When Ms. Himani noticed this, she could not help but take a look at him herself. However,
when her eyes landed on him, she quickly looked away, not wanting to make eye contact. Her
conversation with Ravi halted.
Beside her, Ravi took notice of her sudden quietness. His eyes followed the descent of road and
found Aarav a distance ahead of them. Even his side profile oozed with pride; his smiling eyes
showed his carefree nature. After a quick glance, Ravi looked away.
Aarav paid little to no attention to his classmates. Turning to Bhairav, he asked, “Do you think
the academy would keep it from us if it was a dragon?”
Bhairav stayed quiet for a little bit, then nodded slightly. “Yes.”
“Let’s go check it out before they place the entire mountain on lockdown.” As soon as the words
left his mouth, Aarav’s legs carried him up the mountain in a sprint once again.
Bystanders stopped to take everything in. Ms. Himani stood in shock. She stared as he made
his way up, getting closer to her. Did her actions finally break him?
She continued to stare as he came closer, her lips twitched. Just as she was about to speak, he
breezed right past her. So, he wasn’t coming for her.
Bhairav brushed past Ms. Himani and Ravi, but not without a chilling glance.
“What are they doing?” It seemed that everyone else had thought the same as Ms. Himani , but
they were all mistaken. Why were the two of them going back up into the mountains at a time
like this?
“Is he crazy? He didn’t want to go before, but now that a demon boa had been sighted, and
everyone had to be evacuated, he wants to go back up?”
People were unable to understand Aarav’s logic, but even Aarav did not know what he was
doing. However, this was a dragon they were talking about, a creature from the legends. If it
was beneficial to observe animals under the Freedom Meditation, what would happen if it was a
dragon?
Bhairav wanted to know what dragons looked like, too.
The main road leading to the top of the mountain was blocked off, senior brothers of the Skylight
Academy stood guard at the blockade. Only people leaving the mountains were allowed to pass
through. It was good that Aarav and Bhairav were prepared for this. They took a small side road
far from the main, a shortcut of sorts.
They passed by several blockades on their way up, but these obstacles only heightened their
curiosity and at the same time confirmed their suspicions of a cover-up.
“We can’t keep wandering blindly, which direction should we head in?” Bhairav had enough of
sneaking around in the mountain forest.
“We should go where there the largest amount of people is being evacuated,” Aarav said with
determination. Bhairav immediately understood, they began to travel towards the most heavily
regulated area.
Time passed little by little, the sun had descended and the night had come, making it easier for
the two to continue unnoticed.
“There seem to be fewer and fewer people around. We must be in the center of the lockdown
zone. Let’s test out our luck and wait here.” Aarav leaned his back against a nearby tree, resting
his tired eyes. The sky got darker; the area had a strange silence. No demon activity was
detected.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning brightened up the night sky, casting a light on the tightly knit forest.
Presently, everyone on guard in this area looked up with a solemn look on all their faces.
Was it here?
Thunder rumbled, flashes of lightning appeared more and more frequently. Aarav felt excited,
but also nervous at this strange sight.
“A Dragon, it’s really a dragon!” a voice rang out from somewhere in the area.
Aarav jumped up from the ground he was sitting on, eyes locked on the sky ahead of him.
There, he saw it, a dragon dancing in the night sky. This creature, a couple thousand feet long,
disappeared into thin air and reappeared in a different location. The rumblings got louder and
louder. The whole area was engulfed in lightning and thunder.
“Dragon…” Bhairav stared at the sky. It was impossible to put into words what he was feeling.
From above came multiple figures, their aura brighter than anything else. A simple look at their
silhouettes was enough to let people know that they were individuals with extreme power. They
must be the best of the best.
Another figure appeared in midair. This person looked to be middle-aged, and was extremely
handsome. In his presence, the men from before retreated slightly. It was obvious that this man
was greatly respected.
“That is not a dragon.” The middle-aged man watched the creature in the sky with his hands
resting behind his back. His first words sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
“It only looks and acts like a dragon. This creature was purposely released here,” the man
continued, “to create a creature that replicates a dragon so perfectly, they must have been in
contact with a real dragon. How could this be and why have they come to Divine Mountain?”
“So that’s why it hasn’t caused any harm since its appearance. If it were a real dragon, we’d all
be goners,” said one of the men in the group.
“Even though it’s not real, we still don’t know what its appearance at Skylight Academy means.”
The middle-aged man floated in midair, looked down at the group of youths, all of them had
come from a different direction. “You guys have quite some guts.”
Below him, were Aarav and Bhairav. It turned out they were not the only ones who didn’t leave
the mountain, others were probably curious about this legendary creature as well.
“These rascals.” Someone in the group of men scolded the youngsters. How dare they break in
during a lockdown?
Aarav thought of nothing but the dragon in the sky. He kept recalling the movements of the
dragon.
The Freedom Meditation was in progress, lightning and thunder went off within his Life Palace, a
dragon appeared as well.
Thunder Spiritual Qi rushed to gather around Aarav as the lightning coursed through his body,
his consciousness was faltering. In his eyes, only the mystical dragon existed.
Every scene was engraved deep in his mind.
A flash of lightning abruptly struck him between his eyes. The image of the dragon bored into
him.
The fearful vibrations of thunder took over Aarav’s entire body, causing him to growl deeply at
the sheer power. He was no longer able to break free from this state, every movement of the
dragon was engraved deeply in his mind.
Upon the sight of the magnificent dragon approaching him, Aarav shuddered slightly, but was
unable to move away.
“Watch out!” Bhairav shouted when he felt something amiss, but it was too late. The dragon
charged at Aarav at a crazed speed and entered his body through the spot in between his eyes.
Aarav let out an ear-splitting scream with the thundering pain, it was as if a real dragon had
entered his mind.
“Boom!” His mind shook and his consciousness scattered.
“You’ve finally…grown up.” A voice sounded in his mind, his body fell straight back. The
anomalies in the area disappeared.
“What’s this?” The group of men wanted to know. Their eyes focused on Aarav’s fallen body.
“What just happened?”
“What an unlucky guy. It looks like he was attacked by the fake dragon,” someone said.
“That was so gutsy, let’s check to see if there’s anything wrong with him,” said someone else.
“He’s fine.” The handsome, middle-aged man spoke. By Aarav’s side, Bhairav looked up to the
man and heard him say, “Entrust him to me for now, I’ll bring him back and have him examined.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. However, Bhairav had something to say about this, “Elder, may
I come along?”
“Don’t worry; nothing will happen to him. I’m just going to be at the academy,” said the
middle-aged man. There was something strange about his eyes that made people willing to trust
him and thus, Bhairav nodded. “Please take care of him, Elder.
When Aarav finally awoke, he did not feel a single shred of pain, which he thought was strange.
His consciousness slipped into his Life Palace. Just as he thought, above the Word Tree was an
area of lightning and thunder. A dragon flew around the sky, a truly majestic sight.
“I can’t believe it actually came into my Life Palace.” He was shaken up. After fainting, he could
hear something, but he couldn’t recall what it was.
He had already fainted twice since officially beginning to develop. When he thought of how
unlucky he was, he could only smile bitterly. If he could benefit from it somehow though, he
wouldn’t mind fainting a couple more times.
As if he could feel that something was out of place, he shot up and realized that the clothes he
was wearing were not his own. It was also obvious to him that he was not in his own dorm.
Standing up, Aarav pushed open the door, and was able to see that he was in a quiet, elegant
residence. Ahead was a pavilion, and quietly seated there was a young lady. It looked like she
was drawing, beside her was a middle-aged male, sipping on tea. It was such a peaceful scene.
With a light foot, Aarav made his way to the pavilion. His gaze fell on the young lady’s drawing.
She was using a special type of paper, and she wasn’t drawing; she was continuously inscribing
lines and streaks. From those inscribings seeped a bit of Spiritual Qi.
“This, it’s an amulet.” Aarav was shocked. This young girl in front of him knew how to inscribe
scrolls?
Then wouldn’t that make her an Inscriber? That’s so awesome!
“Have you seen one before?” The middle-aged man put down his teacup and looked towards
Aarav.
“Not in person, I’ve only seen them in books,” Aarav replied. “A shield is inscribed on the scroll
paper with Metal Spiritual Qi. This must be a defense spell.”
“You can see it?” The middle-aged man was surprised.
“Yeah.” Aarav nodded. Through Freedom Meditation, his ability to perceive Spiritual Qi had
improved greatly.
The man smiled and asked, “Do you want to learn?”
“Yes!” He nodded again and immediately bowed to pay his respects. “Disciple, Aarav, would like
to pay formal respects to Master.”
He worked fast.
Aarav understood the importance of being an Inscriber. It was a more rare occupation than
being a Sorcerer. It was also a high-status occupation. An Inscriber also had to be a gifted
Sorcerer.
“You’re as shameless as they all say.” The young girl put down the pen in her hand and looked
at Aarav.
Aarav didn’t care, he just smiled. Seeing her amazing looks, he said, “Hey, beautiful. So we
meet again.”
Episode 8 - The One with All the Attention

The girl who had just showed up was Meera, the legend of the academy.
She had become a legend not only for her unmatched beauty, but for the fact that she had
managed to ace every test of the Fall Quarter Exam from the first year she had been admitted.
“You call her a beauty?” The middle-aged man looked at Aarav with confusion as Meera stared
at him.
“Professor, she is just too gorgeous to be human,” Aarav laughed and explained. It was
apparent to him that there was some relationship between the professor and Meera, which
made the compliment necessary.
“Okay. Sounds like you know how to talk.” The professor smiled and sipped his tea, then looked
at Aarav. “Everyone in this academy could be your master. If you want to learn more in the
future, come see me; I would be okay with you calling me master.”
Meera was confused by her father. He had stopped accepting students for so long; how talented
would Aarav have to be to get him to make an exception?
“Greetings from Aarav, your humble student,” Aarav saluted.
The professor nodded and said, “I never cared about these unnecessary and over-elaborate
formalities. The Fall Quarter Exam is about to start. Go prepare yourself.”
“What? Today?” Aarav was shocked. He had not realized how long he had slept.
Ding, ding, ding. As if responding to him, the academy bell rang, the sound reverberating all
over the place. Aarav looked off towards the distance. It was finally time.
“Jieyu, send him out,” the professor told her. Meera noticed that Aarav looked a bit proud.
“Come on, let’s go.” Meera began leaving.
“I haven’t changed yet.,” Aarav said. The clothes on him had to have belonged to the professor.
“Then go change.” Meera was giving him the cold shoulder. Aarav caught up to her and asked,
“So, what should I call you? Ms. Meera Senior or Ms. Meera Junior?”
“Neither.”
“Well then, fox it is,” Aarav shrugged, “What plane are you in now, fox?”
Meera ignored his questions.
“People say that you are a Mandate Sorcerer, is that true?” Aarav kept asking still without a
response.
“Have you ever dated anyone?” Aarav would not not let her go. “No comment means yes.”
“No.” Meera slightly bit her lips as she stared at him with anger.
“Me neither; what a coincidence.” Seeing her angry actually made him smile.
Meera suddenly stopped. When Aarav looked back at her, he noticed that her young and
delicate face was shining in the rays of the early morning sunlight. This made him forget
everything he had had on his mind.
“You are seriously shameless.” Meera turned around and left. A smile appeared on Aarav’s face
when he saw her gradually disappear.
The academy was busier than ever today. Crowds of people were continually entering the
academy.
Every Fall Quarter Exam, the big local chiefs of Moonvale would join the event, as would the
parents of the current students. They were all qualified for entry. Those who could not enter
would wait outside, looking forward to finding out which students had stood out this time.
Although all the exam participants were kids, the eldest of whom were still under eighteen, the
stars of this exam would definitely be prominent chiefs of Moonvale in the future. Most of the big
chiefs that watched this event were also former students of the academy. The exam drew
attention from all over the city.
“The legendary girl of Skylight Academy, Meera, has aced the written test all three years. I bet
she will take our breath away this time.”
“Tejesh has been right behind her in second place for the past three years. He might outperform
her.”
“Ravi, the son of the remarkable Sharma family, is already in the Unmaker Plane; in fact, he has
already qualified to be an official student. Rumor has it he wanted to be official along with the
unquestioned No.1 of the Fall Quarter Exam, so he refused to be official without the exam. This
might be his last try.”
“Don’t forget the son of the chamberlain for the Rathore family, Bhairav. He would have been an
official student last Spring if it weren’t for Aarav. Remember, he is only fifteen.”
The crowd outside spoke as if they knew everything about the academy. It showed how
influential the academy was around the city.
Aarav returned to his dorm. Bhairav was reassured seeing him back, and asked him, “Are you
alright?”
“I’m better than alright,” Aarav laughed. Suddenly, his body started cracking with the sound of
thunder. Thunderbolts ran through his body with absolute control from his mind.
“Wow, amazing; that is the power of the Invincible Plane.” Bhairav was surprised that Aarav had
it made into another plane with the power of thunder. It seemed the interaction with the dragon
had made him even stronger.
“You can try some basic spells now,” Bhairav said.
“Not enough time, buddy. The Fall Exam has started,” Aarav said.
“Your father is coming to the event to watch you.”
“He’s coming?” Aarav was shocked for a moment, then smiled. He realized that this time might
be a big surprise for his father.
Aarav changed, then he and Bhairav left the dorm for the battle arena.
The arena was equipped with three thousand desks, all lined up in rows. In the front, over the
staircases, there were many official students and professors from the academy. The stands on
the sides were filled with people, including the big chiefs of Moonvale and parents of the
students.
Aarav’s presence drew some attention, most of it out of confusion. The story of him being
rejected by Ms. Himani , and Ms. Himani being accompanied by Ravi during the hunt, had
spread all over the city. Then there was the story of his altercation with the demon boa in Divine
Mountain. He was only adding to his notorious reputation; in fact, he looked tough. Few would
survive after being attacked by a demon boa.
“The academy officially announced it was a demon boa that attacked you,” Bhairav told Aarav.
Aarav nodded and scanned the far corner of the stand, then smiled.
“Come on,” he said, running towards the corner.
There was a small group sitting there. Ranjeet Rathore was chatting with another middle-aged
person. He saw Aarav coming and called out, “Listen, I am only here for you, do you
understand? If you perform horribly, never tell anyone that you are my son again.”
Aarav felt humiliated. “Seriously, dad? Not in public. Can you at least try not to embarrass me?”
“Now you know you have a reputation to protect?” He was surprised at Aarav’s response, as he
had heard how shameless his son could be.
“I feel so sad,” Aarav said, patting his own forehead.
“Stop pretending. Did you offend my future daughter-in-law?” Ranjeet Rathore just would not let
him off the hook. Aarav soon found that Ms. Himani was sitting quietly next to Mr. Rajveer. She
avoided making eye contact with him.
“Ranjeet Rathore, when the hell did I promise you that my daughter would be your
daughter-in-law? Stop that nonsense,” Sanjeev told Ranjeet Rathore.
“Uncle Feng…” Aarav was disturbed by what was happening.
“Boy, how are you doing in your cultivation recently? Any better?” Sanjeev asked him.
“Of course. There has been some progress. Otherwise I would not have shown up for the
exam,” Aarav told him.
“Good for you. You are still young; you should focus on your cultivation. Do not think and talk
about nonsense like your father.” Sanjeev stared at Ranjeet Rathore.
“Roger that,” Aarav laughed.
“Bhairav, we really have some expectations for you this time,” Sanjeev said, looking at Bhairav.
“Okay.” Bhairav seemed indifferent.
“Go prepare yourselves for the exam,” Sanjeev said. They nodded, then Aarav and Bhairav
turned around and left. Later, Ms. Himani left in another direction.
“What’s wrong with these kids? Do you have any idea?” Ranjeet Rathore frowned, feeling
confused. Aarav and Ms. Himani had quarreled with each other all the time when they were
young. Something must have been wrong if they were just staying silent.
People spoke casually amongst themselves. Even though it was only the written test today, the
audience still showed high interest. Knowledge was as crucial as talent, and served as the
foundation for their futures. The weaker students with profound experience could beat out those
who were stronger than them in the future.
The students entered and took their seats. There were three thousand of them. How grand it
was!
Aarav and Bhairav entered and sat down in a row. Aarav took a deep breath. This was his first
time taking the Fall Quarter Exam. It was impossible not to be nervous.
“It’s her! Meera!” A girl entered and suddenly drew all the attention from the crowd.
She was in a light-colored suit, but she was so beautiful that she seemed to shine over
everyone.
“God, such a beauty.” The students were amazed.
“She is so gorgeous, and she is only fifteen. I bet three years from now she will be a ‘Helen of
Troy’ for the boys.” People believed that with her beauty and talent, she would definitely be a
troublemaker in the future. Even some of the big chiefs knew that she had quite a history.
“People say that Ravi was rejected by her?” In the stands, a member of the Sharma family
seemed disappointed by these words.
“It’s okay. With such talent, how can you expect her to accept any boy in this city? It’s a pity for
Ravi, though. He would have been an official last year if not for her,” someone said to the
member of Sharma family, trying to comfort them.
Yep, she is a fox. Aarav also noticed her and the fact that she had drawn everyone’s attention.
No one else could ever manage to do this except her.
Meera stood for a while, scanning the rows for a spot. Soon she began walking again. All the
students that had already sat down were praying to themselves that she would stop next to
them.
However, none of their fantasies came true. She finally stopped and picked a seat. People
stopped praying, and began to wonder who was the lucky bastard she had chosen to sit next to.
Suddenly, they all froze in shock, completely baffled by her choice.
Episode 9 - The Written Examinations

Meera sat down beside Aarav. This was the same Aarav who had opted out of exams for three
years, gotten rejected by Ms. Himani , and was about to be kicked out of Skylight Academy.
“What a lucky dog.” Many people were very jealous. How come he got to sit next to Meera his
first time joining the Fall Quarter Examinations?
Furthermore, Meera was sitting in an aisle seat, which meant that only one person had the
privilege of sitting next to her. Seeing this opportunity given to Aarav, one could only imagine
how the others felt about this.
Aarav could feel the hateful stares directed at him. He took a glance at the girl sitting beside
him; she was sitting there silently, elegant and natural. It was as if she had no idea who he was.
This fox, she definitely did this on purpose, Aarav thought to himself. He had originally planned
to participate in the exams quietly, but now he had become the center of attention for all the
wrong reasons.
As more and more people gathered around, the area surrounding Meera became the most
sought-after seats. People glared at Aarav as they passed by. Then, a delicate-looking youth
approached him and asked, “Can we switch seats?”
Aarav looked up, his eyes meeting with a boy about the same age as himself. His delicate face
glowed with pride, his voice natural.
“It’s Tejesh.” Many people’s attention was still on where Aarav’s was. Tejesh had placed second
in the written examinations for the past three years. He had always wanted to surpass Meera
and a lot of people knew he had a crush on her.
Tejesh had not only done extremely well in the written examinations; he was also extremely
gifted. He was already on the seventh Awakening Plane, the Mystery Plane, his ability to
perceive Fire Spiritual Qi was also at the highest level. He truly was a genius. Losing to Meera
only in the slightest bit, he was still one of the best outer sect disciples.
Aarav looked at Tejesh and thought, Wow, now that’s rude.
“Of course…” said Aarav. The people around him were stunned. Was he really just going to give
up that easily?
“…not,” he finished. Hearing these three words, the smile on Tejesh’s face was now frozen. He
saw Aarav’s smile; it looked like he was mocking him.
“I know you. You gave up on participating in any examinations for three years and are about to
get kicked out of the academy. A person like you shouldn’t be wasting time here.” Tejesh was
not mad; he was simply trying to mock Aarav back.
“But I want to.” Aarav was still smiling.
“Then I hope that it won’t be too embarrassing for you after the written exam,” Tejesh laughed
lightly. “But then again, it wouldn’t be the first time.”
After mocking Aarav, Tejesh gave Meera a look before he headed back to his seat. He sat back
down and got extremely serious, like a warrior before a battle.
“What a sad life.” Aarav looked at Tejesh’s silhouette with great pity.
Aarav’s rejection did not shock anyone. This was what he really was: a legendary, arrogant
loser. However, his legend would come to an end after this year’s Fall Quarter Exam. Aarav was
going to be expelled.
As the outer sect disciples entered, the official disciples surrounded the entire gymnasium.
There were three thousand tables, but only a little over one thousand people were participating
in the Fall Quarter Examinations. After all, a lot of the first-year outer sect students lacked the
confidence to get a decent grade. They knew it was difficult to do well, so they chose to opt out
of the examination and keep a clean slate than to have a bad grade on their permanent record.
However, to give up participating in the examination for three years like Aarav had done was
simply unheard of. This was why he was a legend. Even the academy had had enough of him.
At the front of the gymnasium, many of the official disciples were present. Suhani stood there
and glanced in Aarav’s direction. After three years, he was finally here. He wasn’t giving up on
the exams again. Let’s hope for a miracle.
“Tejesh already made a deal with the School of Divination Arts. After the Fall Quarter
Examinations end, he’s going to be admitted into the school as an official disciple. I don’t even
know where that useless loser, Aarav, got the guts to talk to him like that,” said Ramdayal. He
was chuckling lightly beside Suhani.
Suhani’s eyebrows furrowed. Aarav did have some problems, but she still wouldn’t call him a
useless loser. “Do you have something against him?” she asked Ramdayal.
“Of course, I do!” Ramdayal felt no need to hide his feelings. “How dare he say those things to
you in class. I really don’t understand why you have such high hopes for him. Why do you waste
your time on him?”
Suhani did not know what to say to defend herself. Maybe it was because she could not forget
the amazing results he had achieved during the entrance talent inspections three years ago. He
should not have ended up like this.
“It’s time, hand out the test papers,” said an elder seated behind the two. Official disciples rose
out of their seats and began to distribute the written examinations. This meant that the Fall
Quarter Written Examinations had officially begun.
The enormous crowd was in complete silence. The people who came to observe the
examination process consisted of parents and family, as well as many well-known individuals of
the city of Moonvale. They understood that they had to stay quiet too.
As everyone got their test papers, Ms. Himani took a deep breath. She hoped to rank well in
this year’s Fall Quarter Examinations and gain the privilege to access the second-floor of the
Skylight Academy library. This way, she would have unlimited access to some of the most
powerful spells.
Viran glanced at Aarav before looking down at his test paper. When he noticed the beautiful
Meera seated beside Aarav, he could not hide the look of jealousy on his face. Viran had always
had a crush on Ms. Himani , and Meera was the girl of his dreams, unreachable. How was
Aarav worthy of sitting next to her?
Meera remained quiet after receiving her test papers, probably because she was just that
confident. Somewhere near the front of the room, Tejesh’s fists clenched tight and then relaxed,
in preparation for the exam.
As for Aarav, he looked through the test questions once and a smile appeared on his face. He
then picked up his pen; his very first Fall Quarter Examination was finally here. He knew many
people were waiting for him to make a fool out of himself and looked forward to seeing him be
expelled. What a pity; they were about to be disappointed.
The test questions went from easy to difficult, starting with basic questions about cultivation.
Most students were able to answer these questions.
Aarav’s pen danced across the test paper. He answered the questions with ease.
“Interesting,” said Aarav as he read one of the test questions. During a battle between a knight
and a sorcerer, the sorcerer’s elemental Spiritual Qi runs out. If you were the knight, what would
you have done? What if you were the sorcerer?
He scribbled down his answer quickly.
Time was passing by quickly. Some students were now sweating. Towards the back of the test
packet, the questions got more abstract and more difficult to answer.
Unknowingly, Aarav was already on the last question. This question seemed easy enough.
The question was: A group of martial arts cultivators and a group of divination arts cultivators on
the same plane and level fought. Which side won?
This was a freebie. In a group battle, the martial arts cultivators would have people from a
variety of occupations. Naturally, the divination arts group would also consist of a variety of
elemental sorcerers. If the sorcerers worked together, the amount of power they possessed
could destroy the opposing group. There wouldn’t be much fighting.
Aarav thought of this and smiled. After writing down his response, he put his pen down.
Coincidently, Meera had also just placed her pen down on her desk beside him.
The two looked at each other. Aarav gave her a provoking smile. All Meera did in response was
glare at him, but no matter what she did, she remained breathtakingly beautiful.
Nobody amongst the test-takers noticed their little exchange, but at the front of the room,
someone took notice of Meera.
“She’s still the same, always the first one to finish,” said an elder at the academy. She was
always the focus of the room, even if she just sat quietly, focused on her exam.
“That’s not true, the young man next to her finished just before her, but his responses are
probably rubbish,” said another elder. He smiled and shook his head thinking of how hard it
must have been for Aarav to focus with Meera sitting next to him.
“Wow, look how quickly he finished. You worked so hard to give him a fighting chance, but all
he’s thinking of is how to put on a show to attract a girl’s attention.” Ramdayal’s words were
directed at Suhani. Her eyes went to Aarav and she felt a twinge of disappointment.
Slowly, more and more people finished up their exams, some excited, some not so excited.
Finally, an elder stood up on the stage and signaled the end of this year’s Fall Quarter
Examinations.
The official disciples were waiting. Once the elder stood up, they moved forward to collect test
papers.
Even though the test papers had been collected, everyone remained seated in the gymnasium.
Skylight Academy’s Fall Quarter Written Exams had always been graded on the spot, and the
results were announced the same day.
A group of academy elders and outer sect lecturers graded the exams together with great
speed. As they graded, the students looked on nervously, while the audience chatting lightly.
When the lecturers began to separate the test papers by score, the atmosphere intensified.
After a while, one of the lecturers walked up to face the students, holding a list. Everyone knew
that the list of people who had passed this year’s Fall Quarter Examinations would be
announced first.
“Li Yu, Fang Yun, Mo Hanjiang…” With every name the lecturer announced, students began to
relax one by one. Of course, there were also many who looked very disappointed, as they had
hoped for better results.
Other than the list of those who passed, there were also lists of Rank 3, Rank 2, and Rank 1
students yet to be announced.
After the names on the first list were announced, it was revealed that there were seventy-two
people in Rank 3, thirty-six in Rank 2, and only three in Rank 1.
Suhani listened carefully. After the list of rankings was announced, her disappointment
heightened. If he could not even pass the written exam, then he was destined to be kicked out
of the academy.
Her eyes drifted toward Aarav and she let out a deep sigh.
Seated in front of Aarav, Tejesh laughed coldly. “Just as expected. You were going to fail
regardless, why embarrass yourself like this?”
Ms. Himani also looked at Aarav. Her eyes reflected her disappointment, but it disappeared
shortly. Wasn’t this what everyone expected?
“Aarav, remember what you said in class last time? Now that you’re about to be expelled,
doesn’t it feel like a big slap in the face?” Viran asked loudly from far away, causing many
people to avert their attention towards Aarav. Secretly, they were all happy that this shameless
bastard was about to be expelled.