The next morning, a shrill sound woke everyone in the dorm. Reith shot up from his bed in a flash.
"What the–" he grumbled, looking at his bedside table. It was just 6 a.m.
Reith sighed. "I want to sleep more," he muttered to himself before laying back down.
Maybe a little sleep wouldn't hurt, he wanted to say, but his eyes had already closed.
The bed was surprisingly comfortable and warm, unlike the one he had in the church that made him wake up each morning feeling like a log of wood.
The bell rang again, and Reith frowned in his sleep.
"You need to work hard to find Reisa. This isn't the time for more sleep. You are meeting with the Regional Insignia."
It wasn't until Ruach's voice echoed in his head that Reith finally stood up.
He smoothened the dark blue duvet on his bed, whispering to it that he was coming back.
Rushing into the showers, Reith began preparing for his meeting with the boss of the region, the popular president of the city: the Regional Insignia.
"He must be very strong," Reith smiled to himself as he gave his hair one last comb to the back.
He was all set. Books ready, writing materials packed. After meeting the Regional Insignia, he was sure they would be directed to their various classes.
The hallway of the dormitory was very spacious, and various paintings hung on each side of the path. Reith took them in.
In one, a man stood confidently, his head resting on top of a severed beast. In another, there was a picture of a piece of paper, and in the paper, a shepherd held a wounded lamb.
The image that caught Reith's eyes was a crowned child standing on top of a pillar. His golden hair moved wildly in the air, and surrounding the pillar, ten grown men bowed to the child.
"Display of strength? Or influence?" Reith muttered to himself.
He looked at his Phone11 and realized he had twenty minutes to reach the meeting area.
Picking up the pace, Reith arrived only to find the others already gathered. Jeran was there, tapping his feet on the floor.
Reith appeared with an awkward smile. He must have gotten the meeting time wrong.
Jeran glared at him. "If you keep acting so nonchalant, you'll lose opportunities that might be served on a golden platter to you."
His words made the other students giggle, but to Reith, it hit like a block of cement.
"I'm sorry," Reith murmured, but Jeran didn't seem to care.
Turning to face everyone else, Jeran spoke.
"I'll bring in the Regional Insignia, but in the meantime, I want you all to prepare your cultivation path emblems and wait for my return. Your progress will be gauged."
After giving them a few tips on how to power up their emblems, Jeran took his leave.
Reith slumped his shoulders. Getting scolded this early in the morning was about to ruin his whole day.
Just as he was lost in thought, someone hit him on the shoulder.
"You should really work on your time management."
It was a voice Reith knew too well.
"Isho!" He turned around sharply with a wide smile. "You're here!"
The gloomy cloud that had hovered over Reith instantly vanished.
The quick change in his expression made Isho chuckle a bit. "Yeah. I arrived at midnight. Sorry I didn't tag along."
"It's fine! I'm glad you're here," Reith smiled, and Isho nodded.
"Let's not waste any more time. Let's activate our emblems. Urek wants her privacy, so I'll see you soon," Isho said and walked away to a corner when Reith nodded.
Reith brought out his book.
The Heavenly Path.
The words hung on his lips like a ghost on a gravestone.
He was currently at the Initial Stage of the Core Realm, and since then, he had not grown any stronger.
Reith opened the first page of the book, and the same words stared back at him:
"The true path to cultivation begins with a single step."
He didn't know what to do with the phrase at first. He'd thought of asking Ruach later on. Maybe then he could figure out the true way to cultivate his path.
Gazing around, Reith saw that every student sat in a cross-legged position, holding their emblems in their hands.
He simply couldn't understand what they were doing.
"Special training," Reith muttered to himself.
These students came from very wealthy families, so it was possible they had special assistance after awakening their paths.
At the academy in Canridge City, every student was basically taught theories. The only practicals came when they reached higher levels and needed to learn how to open the twelve human meridians.
Reith sat on the floor too, resting his back against the wall, away from the center.
"Opening my meridians gave me the ability to access hana and use it, but…"
Reith's mind flashed back to his first memory with hana. It had felt like every cell in his body was set on fire.
"Ruach, mind helping me out, please?" Reith muttered when he saw no other method was working for him.
A translucent figure appeared in front of him.
"The hana here is pure. Not as pure as you'd need, but it's better than your city," Ruach answered.
"I noticed it too. It was easier to make it flow through my body. But how do I advance in my cultivation? I don't really know how to use my path," Reith said, furrowing his brows.
Before Ruach could answer, Reith asked again, "What's my path's elemental affinity?"
Ruach smiled. "That… you'll have to figure out yourself. But for your cultivation technique, I think you need one that works well for you and matches your path. I can help you with that."
Reith looked at the book in front of him and sighed.
"I'll need a cultivation technique… and I guess that would cost a lot." He chuckled, then sighed again.
"You might have to get a job," Ruach said.
However, before Reith could reply, a voice echoed in the air.
"Welcome, esteemed students, to the Regional Dragon Apex Academy."