"Omari, even though I'm letting you learn at this academy as my student, you still have to pay the academy fees: 50 spirit stones."
Omari was now sitting on top of one of the class buildings pondering,"Before leaving this academy, I'll have to pay the fees of 50 spirit stones.
Teacher Fang said he would allow me to learn here for the meantime even without the fees,but if I don't show any progress, I will be kicked out and still have to pay the fees."
He sighed,lying down on the roof.
"Fang Lei,what a stingy old man; he didn't even offer his student a place to stay."
Omari closed his eyes,falling asleep; since he was a student here, he decided to live at the academy.
The next day,the morning sun cast a warm glow over the academy's courtyards, illuminating the buildings, light pouring into the classrooms through the windows.
Omari had woken up early and watched the students come into the academy from the roof.After a while, he jumped down; the other students were a little shocked.
"Who is he?"
"Maybe he's a new student."
"What was he doing on the roof?"
The other students talked,their eyes shooting back and forth from each other to Omari.
Omari was used to hearing people talk about him,so he kept on walking, not paying any attention to the other students.
He went into one of the classes in the second building,the one for seniors. Since he was already an Awakened, he was qualified to be a senior student.
The Rising Sky Academy was a fairly small academy;students in the Body Refinement realm were juniors and those in the Awakened were Seniors. Seniors can stay at the academy until they reach the Spiritualist stage. When they reach that stage, they'll have the right to go and join the big sects, become workers at the academy, or go out and pursue their own dreams.
Omari walked into the classroom and sat at the back next to a window.A few moments later, all the students had sat down.
Most of the students started looking at Omari,their murmurs echoing.
"Is he crazy?Why is he sitting there?"
"Even if he doesn't know,he should've asked if the seat was taken."
Omari ignored their whispers,his eyes were closed, meditating while waiting for the teacher to come.
The academy had five teachers,two elders, and the headmaster Fang Lei.
The elders and headmaster Fang Lei taught the seniors,and the rest of the teachers taught the juniors.
In the classroom,a student walked in, his face instantly turning ugly with anger.
"It's Jinhai."
"And behind him is Yufan."
"The new kid is in trouble now."
The other students whispered.
Jinhai and Yufan walked between the small tables,heading straight toward Omari.
When they reached Omari,Jinhai lifted his foot and slammed it on Omari's small table.
Omari snapped his eyes open,startled from his meditation. Jinhai lowered his head, his hand resting on his knee, his voice a low, threatening growl meant only for Omari.
"That seat belongs to Yufan,but since you're new here, we'll let you off with a warning."
"All the students seemed to have chosen their seats randomly,so how can you claim this seat as yours?" Omari replied.
Yufan stepped forward,not even looking at Omari, his gaze cold and dismissive.
"How about you move while we're still being nice?Don't force my hand, new kid."
Omari tightened his hand into a fist;his pupils moved and with the corner of his eye, he stared at Yufan, ready to strike.
"Students,sit down," the head teacher walked in.
It was Teacher Fang.Omari loosened the tight grip on his fist and relaxed. Jinhai and Yufan retreated, going to other free seats.
"We'll finish this talk later,"Jinhai whispered.
Teacher Fang just looked at them and sighed inwardly,"These kids," he thought, shaking his head.
"Today we have a new student,'Omari Siwang'." The teacher made the introductions, the whole class looking at Omari for a bit.
"Who would give their child that kind of name?"
"Siwang,sounds like his parents wanted him dead."
The students'murmurs instantly began.
Jinhai and Yufan looked at each other,"Another prey to rob spirit stones from," Jinhai smirked.
"Let's see how long it'll take to break him;I bet he'll lose that tough guy act within two days," Yufan responded, and the two laughed.
Omari was one of the smallest students in this class as he was only 10 years old,and most in his class were 12 to 16 years old. Why would Jinhai and Yufan let go of such an opportunity?
The head teacher cleared his throat and all the students got quiet.He began teaching about beasts and different herbs. The class lasted at least three hours.
During the whole lesson,Omari listened intently, trying to hoard as much knowledge as he could.
After the theoretical learning,the students were gathered outside, sitting under a tree cross-legged.
"When you become an Awakened,you gain the most important thing in your cultivation journey: being able to sense spiritual energy," Teacher Fang spoke.
He continued,"You need to continuously circulate the natural qi in your bodies so you get used to using it. You need to feel it move around your whole body and make sure to focus on where you want it to go. At first, this process will be a bit painful, but in time your bodies will adjust and you will get used to it. Do it until this process is as easy as breathing; then you'll be considered a proper Awakened."
Omari closed his eyes and felt the spiritual energy rushing in his body,moving from each body part to another. He gritted his teeth, a bit of pain rising in his veins. The rest of the students were also deep in meditation, moving spiritual energy around their bodies. Some had sweat running down their faces and some gritted their teeth in pain.
Orange spiritual energy was rushing through Omari's body,but his face quickly got serious when he felt a different energy following behind his spiritual energy. A green wave of energy was contaminating his spiritual energy.
He focused and tried to wall it off,but it felt like trying to hold back a tide with his bare hands. A searing, acidic pain flared in his meridians, warning him that forcing it would cause real damage.
After a while,he was circulating the two energies around his body. Stones started to vibrate, some bouncing up and down on the ground. A wave of pressure exploded from his body, pushing a few students away.
Omari opened his eyes and they were glowing green,but the glow quickly faded fast.
"What was that?"
"Did someone have a breakthrough?"
The students started asking each other.
Teacher Fang's face remained a placid mask,but his mind raced, "What was that energy? A child this age shouldn't have that kind of energy; who is he? I have to tread carefully; this child might be dangerous even for me."
He kept his voice even as he addressed the class.
"Tomorrow we will be doing combat class,so come prepared. Within a month, the selection will begin, so practice diligently." Teacher Fang finished off.
The class was done for the day,and all students would practice for a while on their own before heading home.
Jinhai and Yufan were already making their way towards Omari.
Head Teacher Fang noticed them,"Omari," he called.
Omari turned and walked to Fang's side.
"That was impressive pressure during meditation;how did you achieve that?" Teacher Fang asked.
Omari felt it from the question,"Teacher Fang is definitely trying to get me to tell him about that weird green energy. I can't tell anyone about it until I know what it is," he thought.
"I just circulated my spiritual energy like Teacher Fang taught us,and I have to say it is very effective; the student's view of teacher has increased highly," Omari praised with a light bow.
Head Teacher Fang let out a soft laugh,impressed by how Omari handles things.
"Teacher,are the students allowed to use the library?" Omari asked.
"Yes,the books in the library are for the students, but no library book is allowed to leave the academy."
Omari quickly bowed one more time,saying goodbye to his teacher, and made his way to the library.
"In class we learned about beasts and cultivating,but I need more information about this world," he thought.
At the academy gate,Jinhai and Yufan were robbing spirit stones from the weaker students, one stone to pass. Those who couldn't pay would receive a beating first before heading home. Only about five students received respectful bows from Jinhai and Yufan and passed without paying anything.
"Yufan,I think the new kid might be scared to go home," Jinhai sneered.
Yufan smirked,"We'll catch him tomorrow; no use being scared now. Wasn't he acting all tough and mysterious in the classroom?"
Yufan and Jinhai laughed,collecting the last spirit stone for the day, and headed home.
In the library,there were a few students reading. Omari ignored them and started looking for the first book to read. A flash of the white lion that he fought appeared in his mind, and he instantly grabbed a few books about beasts.
He sat down on a chair and started reading his books.The scent of paper lingered in the air; his sharp eyes moved quickly, scanning page after page filled with inked sketches of different beasts.
He completely ignored everything,forgetting about time, and drowned himself in the books he was reading. Each beast he would see would bring curiosity about what beast would pop out on the next page.
After a few hours,a deep yawn finally pulled him from the pages. He stretched, his joints cracking in the profound silence. He was alone.
The solitude,which he usually wore like armor, now felt heavy, pressing in on him. For a fleeting moment, he wondered what it would be like to leave the academy with the other students, to have a home to go to. Past memories started to flood his mind, remembering his days in the mortal world. Remembering how after school he would go home excited to see the only person who could brighten his day, his mom.
With a deep sigh,he took all the books on beasts on the desk and started placing them back on the shelves.
After he was done,he started looking for more; he needed to know what the lion beast he faced was called and all its tricks before challenging it again.
He got the two last books on beasts that were in the library and went back to his seat.He sat down and lost himself in the books again, taking in every bit of knowledge he could find in those books. After almost an hour, Omari was feeling tired and sleepy. In that moment, he remembered how the weird green energy in his body flared up and the thought of being haunted in his sleep by his three victims made him feel uneasy, like he might just die in his dreams.
He forced himself to keep reading,and while he was on the last book, his eyes widened.
"The Majesty Lion Beast."