The city streets bustled with activity.
Today was the Royal Academy's recruitment day—an event held only once a year. For most youth under 18, it was their one chance to rise beyond their station. Cultivators, nobles, merchants, and commoners alike gathered near the academy gates in hopes of witnessing the tests or participating.
Alice stood in the crowd, cloaked in a simple gray robe. Her hood was down, revealing an unfamiliar yet beautiful face—one no one here recognized. Her expression was calm, but her eyes flicked across the crowd like a hunter observing prey.
The Royal Academy was a fortress of knowledge and power. The stone walls stood tall, reinforced with ancient formation runes that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Guards wearing crimson and black armor stood by the open gates, checking the applicants one by one.
Alice reached the front of the line.
"Name?" asked a guard.
"Alice."
"Age?"
"Seventeen."
He gave her a skeptical look, then handed her a jade slip. "Place your palm on this. It will verify your cultivation level."
She did as instructed. A faint red glow pulsed from the jade.
"Qi Condensation, Level 1," the guard announced. "You may proceed."
Alice gave a small nod and stepped through the academy gates.
---
Inside the courtyard, over a hundred hopefuls had gathered. Most were boys and girls from wealthy families, dressed in fine robes. A few wore the colors of local sects. Only a small number looked like commoners—and even fewer stood alone like her.
At the center stood a tall elder with a long beard, his presence commanding. His robes bore the crimson phoenix crest of the Crimson Empire.
"I am Elder Yuan, overseer of this year's recruitment," he began. "You stand here today as hopefuls. Whether you walk away as disciples will depend on your strength, talent, and spirit."
He raised his hand, and a formation array lit up beneath their feet, covering the entire courtyard in a faint golden light.
"Your first test: Spiritual Root Examination."
A large crystalline pillar emerged from the ground, glowing with tiered colors from red at the base to gold at the top. One by one, candidates were called to place their hand on the crystal.
Each time, a beam of light would shoot up, stopping at a certain height—indicating the strength and purity of their Spiritual Root.
A noble girl stepped forward. The light reached halfway.
"Mid-tier Fire Root," Elder Yuan announced. "Pass."
Next, a boy from a merchant family. The light barely reached the second level.
"Low-tier Earth Root. Barely acceptable. Pass."
Alice watched carefully. Most of them had single-element roots. She needed to make a decision—reveal one of her elements, or risk exposing both.
When her turn came, she stepped forward and calmly placed her hand on the crystal.
Darkness pulsed quietly beneath her skin, but she suppressed it.
The pillar flared red, rising steadily—then stopped just below the upper mark.
"High-tier Fire Root," Elder Yuan announced, eyebrows slightly raised. "Pass."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. A high-tier root meant fast cultivation and potential. No one expected such a result from someone in such plain clothes.
Alice stepped back into the crowd without a word.
She had hidden her darkness element successfully—for now.
---
The second test was combat.
One by one, the applicants were paired against each other. No weapons, just Qi and martial skill. Alice watched carefully, analyzing their footwork, attacks, and how they controlled Qi. Most were flashy—strong in spirit but weak in control.
Then her name was called.
She stepped into the arena across from a muscular boy with a cocky grin.
"Hope you're ready to eat dirt, pretty girl," he smirked.
Alice didn't answer.
When the signal was given, he charged in, unleashing a fire palm technique—crude but aggressive. Alice sidestepped it effortlessly. With precise footwork, she got behind him and struck his pressure point with two fingers.
He collapsed, groaning, unable to move his legs.
Gasps rang out.
"Winner: Alice."
Elder Yuan stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Very precise control."
The final test was simple: a written exam about cultivation knowledge, the empire's structure, and the academy's rules. Thanks to her time in the city library, Alice breezed through it.
When all tests were done, Elder Yuan called out the results.
"Fifty-nine of you have passed. You are now Outer Disciples of the Royal Academy."
He paused.
"The Royal Academy is divided into two ranks: Outer Disciples and Inner Disciples. Outer Disciples receive basic instruction, manuals, and access to cultivation grounds."
"But only those who reach the Foundation Establishment Realm and pass the Inner Disciple Trial will be promoted. Inner Disciples gain access to higher-tier manuals, better resources, private tutors, and direct opportunities to enter the capital's main branch."
Alice's heart remained calm. She had no intention of remaining an Outer Disciple for long.
---
The sun dipped low as the new disciples were given robes and identity tokens. Alice now held a black wooden token engraved with her name, rank, and contribution counter. Contribution points could be earned by missions, challenges, and helping the academy—and they could be used to trade for pills, manuals, and weapons.
She was led to a simple dorm building—four floors of shared rooms. Her quarters were small, but clean and quiet.
As she lay on the bed that night, Alice stared at the ceiling.
She had entered the Royal Academy.
She had passed the tests.
She had begun her path.
But this was only the beginning.
She had one year before she turned eighteen.
One year to rise in strength, pass the Inner Disciple exam, and carve a path to the capital's main branch—where true power awaited.
And along the way… she would uncover who in this empire preyed on the weak.
So she could hunt them down—one by one.