Stronghold Academy was in uproar, most of the students there are privileged and from noble families, so their families have already told them about the opening of the trial ground, a place that every elementalist in the Evolver level wants to go to.
Rumours about the trial ground were already spreading around the Academy grounds, that students without noble backgrounds are already aware of it through their friends and classmates.
So when the students were told that the Academy Director, Director Herald, would meet with all students in the evolver level from different elemental classes, they were already sure it was about the trail ground.
For the past 50 years, the trail ground open every five years, and all Academy in the country of Tarah get a chance to take their students in, each Academy can take 10 of their students in, but prestigious Academy like Stronghold are allowed of 15 students, the royal family as 20 slot, and they will sell some ticket to the lone practitioners who don't belong to no particular Academy, and to people of other countries as business, but the ticket is limited it is a first come first serve case.
Stronghold Academy has 40 students in the Evolver level, 15 of whom will be able to enter the trial ground. They won't be chosen randomly but through a dual competition between each other, and the top 15 winners will enter the trial. That's what has been done in the Academy for years.
Nearly all students of Stronghold Academy were present in the great hall. The great hall and the pyramid where Director's office, are the oldest building in the Academy. It is believed that they existed before the Academy was built 200 years ago, before the last great war. The battle between Lord BloodFire and Lord Snow took place to determine the strongest and who would be the defender of the human race took place at the great hall.
Lord Snow is the Snow Queen's Grandson and has the ice signature of the Snow Queen. For this reason, many believe that Lord Snow would win the battle, but Lord BloodFire won the battle after the battle had gone on for an entire week, making Lord BloodFire the strongest human alive.
Lord Snow left shortly after the battle and no one knows if he is still alive or not, even when the Orcs gave an all out attack agains the human and people thought he will show up to help defend the human territory he didn't, but Lord BloodFire proved to be worthy of the title and together with the other powerhouse of human they defended against the orcs and stop their advancement, a major win against the orc since the Hightower time.
But all that was 200 years ago, and the Great War was 150 years ago. Lord BloodFire is already thinking of dropping the burden of defending the human territory to the next capable powerhouse, so that he can focus on getting to the half god level. Most people believed Lucien, the Earth wall, is the most capable defender of the human race.
Lucien is the Prince of Tarah, one of the four countries in the human territory. Though he is young, he is considered one of the strongest humans alive. He is an earth elementalist, and it is believed no one has ever been able to break through his earth wall, hence earning him the name Lucien the Earth Wall. He remains undefeated by both the human and orc races. Even if you are stronger than he, you can't break his earth wall.
***
Back in the great hall, Director Herald stood before his students to explain the rules of the competition.
"We will have four groups, 10 people in each group. Each group will fight to eliminate 5 of their members." Director Herald start explaining the rules when the hall quiet down "only five people in each group can move to the next stage, elimination can happen in this pattern, either you tap out yourself, or been thrown out of the stage" Director Herald then left the stage, a chubby mblonde hair woman then stepped on the stage, her name is miss Cocker and she is in charge of the competition.
"I will call on the first group now, if you hear your name come up to the stage," Miss Cocker stated. "Jose Brackley, Gida Rose, Ford Pett, Cami Ederson, ....."
Hearing her name, Cami panicked a little, but Maya gave her a reassuring smile. Cami took a deep breath before standing up and walking up to the stage. She had to earn a spot in the trial ground; her father would be very mad if she didn't.
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