"The scenery is really nice."
Led by this rather familiar first-year Jujutsu High student, Kenmyo Isayama finally arrived at the actual location of Jujutsu High.
"Our Tokyo Jujutsu High's barrier was personally set up by Lord Tengen; it's quite safe inside, and no one can invade here."
Yu Haibara proudly introduced the situation here to Kenmyo Isayama.
"Is that so? How reliable."
Kenmyo Isayama looked up, seeing something like a barrier covering the sky, protecting the area. Tengen, he silently committed the name to memory.
Otherwise, with such a large mountain range, Cursed Spirits would eventually be born and intrude here.
Tokyo Jujutsu High is situated in the center of a basin formed by several mountains that constitute the 'Enzanroku,' covering a vast area, surrounded by lush green vegetation.
The foot of the mountain and the mountain itself were clearly two different styles; as desolate as it was below, it was equally magnificent above.
The buildings Kenmyo Isayama saw along the way were primarily wooden structures, imbued with a strong religious atmosphere.
Buddhist pagodas and shrines were visible everywhere along the roadside, with white walls and black tiles, green walls and wooden railings, single and double eaves, and various wooden corridors connecting them, making it feel like walking through a giant shrine.
The financial backer of Jujutsu High is the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association, and the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association is truly a "big spender"; they built a school in the mountains that looks like a palace.
In the distance was the main teaching building, about 8 stories high, with the top floor resembling a shrine, retro-style dormitories, a cafeteria, training grounds, a reading room, and so on—all the facilities a normal school should have.
"If I had accepted Mr. Yaga's invitation to enroll back then, I might be a student here studying now."
Kenmyo Isayama thought to himself.
"Isayama-senpai, would you like me to give you a tour of our school?"
Yu Haibara noticed that Kenmyo Isayama seemed very interested in Jujutsu High, so he asked.
"No, thank you, Haibara-kun."
Kenmyo Isayama shook his head; he wasn't here to be a tourist.
"I'm just looking around."
"Oh, I see. No problem."
Not being able to show Kenmyo Isayama around his proud alma mater made Yu Haibara a little disappointed, but he quickly recovered.
So he suggested,
"In that case, Isayama-senpai, I'll just take you directly to where Suguru Geto-senpai and Gojo-senpai are."
"Thank you, Haibara-kun."
This time, his expectation was met, and he didn't refuse, so Yu Haibara resumed leading the way with Kenmyo Isayama following behind.
After walking for a while, hearing what sounded like intense explosions and the sound of rocks shattering in the distance, Kenmyo Isayama's doubts grew stronger.
"Haibara-kun, do you attend Jujutsu High on weekends too?"
Kenmyo Isayama had found it strange earlier that it was a weekend, yet that guy Geto said he was at school and busy.
Kenmyo Isayama thought he had been given a task by a teacher at school and was busy, so he decided to talk another day.
After all, Cursed Spirits don't care about your days off; no, on days off, these ghostly things just come out to cause trouble whenever they want.
But Suguru Geto explained over the phone that he was at school, and if it was urgent, Kenmyo Isayama should just come to Jujutsu High to find him.
Suguru Geto knew that Kenmyo Isayama almost became his classmate, and his identity wasn't particularly sensitive; he was a legitimate insider, so letting this "outsider" into Jujutsu High was no big deal.
"Huh? No."
Yu Haibara paused for a second after hearing Kenmyo Isayama's question before realizing.
"Isayama-senpai, today is our first-year students' monthly assessment."
"Assessment?"
After Yu Haibara's explanation, Kenmyo Isayama understood what the so-called assessment was; it was probably similar to his school's monthly exams.
"The third-year seniors are all busy getting higher-level certifications, so only the second-year seniors can spare time to supervise our assessment together."
Kenmyo Isayama could understand that for Jujutsu Sorcerer, whatever they were assessed on, it couldn't be like his school's math and science exams; it must involve more dangerous things, accompanied by certain risks.
The profession of a Jujutsu Sorcerer is unlike others; the casualty rate remains high, and if the fundamentals aren't solid at Jujutsu High, lives can be lost.
"Then, Haibara-kun, you..."
Kenmyo Isayama remembered that Yu Haibara was also a first-year student, so why wasn't he taking the assessment?
"It's fine, Isayama-senpai."
"Hehe, I've actually already finished my assessment."
Yu Haibara rubbed his nose, saying proudly,
"Don't let my appearance fool you; I'm quite capable. General Grade 3 Cursed Spirits are no problem, and I can even handle Grade 2 Cursed Spirits a bit."
Kenmyo Isayama looked at Yu Haibara's bright smile, realizing that having the strength to exorcise a Grade 3 Cursed Spirit alone could make one so happy.
No, perhaps this is the norm.
Watching his happy expression, Kenmyo Isayama suddenly realized he had fallen into a severe "strength anxiety."
It was truly being "poor" without strength that scared him, and now he was seizing every opportunity to become insanely strong.
For a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, if Kenmyo Isayama used "Prospero's Blade," it would only take a few slashes.
For a powerful First Grade Cursed Spirit, Kenmyo Isayama should be able to exorcise it with Uncle Lan's help.
As for Special Grade Cursed Spirits, he hadn't encountered any, so he had no reference.
"So, with my current strength, I should be considered a master in this world, right?"
Kenmyo Isayama thought to himself.
"Haibara-kun, you can exorcise Grade 3 Cursed Spirits in your first year? That's amazing."
The emotionally intelligent Kenmyo Isayama was very cooperative, praising him,
"When you graduate from Jujutsu High, you'll immediately become a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer."
"No, I'm far from what the seniors are."
Yu Haibara scratched his head shyly, his eyes filled with longing.
"Especially Suguru Geto-senpai and Gojo-senpai; they are hailed as the strongest duo in the current Jujutsu World."
"The strongest, huh..."
While Kenmyo Isayama and Yu Haibara were talking, they were already nearing their destination.
This was the back mountain of Jujutsu High, an endless forest divided into a maze-like training ground for students to conduct practical exercises, where the first-year students were undergoing their assessment.
"Isayama-senpai, since the assessment is in progress, we can't enter. Let's wait here."
Kenmyo Isayama and Yu Haibara arrived at the viewing stands, where screens displayed live footage of the ongoing assessment.
Kenmyo Isayama noticed that the assessment content was quite diverse, and candidates would take a considerable amount of time to complete it.
"That guy Nanami, his strength has improved again."
Yu Haibara said with an envious tone,
"He actually reached the final assessment location a full thirty minutes faster than me."
Kenmyo Isayama also noticed that rather slender, somewhat foreign-looking blond youth, because his final assessment location was particularly close to them.