Reith rose to his feet, and his eyes trembled.
It wasn't just him, the same reaction went through everyone present.
This was the Regional Insignia, right in front of them.
His hair had a golden tint, matching the robe that flowed down his back.
He carried his body with grace and there was a soft smile on his face, aligning his smiling blue eyes.
But why did he look so…
"He's a child?" Reith muttered, and someone gave him a sharp nudge in his ribs.
"Show some respect," Isho harshly whispered.
Reith grimaced as he massaged his sides. His head had been lowered along with the others.
He had heard so much about the Regional Insignia, and how the man… the teenager?
Anyways, the Regional Insignia had been especially famous, especially in the Canridge city.
The Canridge city, although quite subpar to other cities, was the closest to the sea, and there was a time when it was in dire trouble.
Reith had heard the story from his grandfather.
A twin-head Mastiff Water dragon, as tall as three men combined, raged in the city, spraying shots of water and fire from its two jaws.
The dragon had terrorized the city for days and killed many people.
His grandfather even said he was part of the people selected to fight, and he had barely escaped.
This happened during a time when even cultivation paths had not existed, and humans had to go through the hard struggles of moving mana into their meridians.
The Regional Insignia had appeared, and he had defeated the dragon after fighting for a whole day.
It was magnificent.
Reith remembered his grandfather had told him that the Regional Insignia did not bother to rest and went back to the battle, because at that time, the region was at war.
When Reith heard the story, he had been amazed and very expectant.
"I'm sorry." Reith smiled softly. He had spoken out of place.
But Reith could not place his finger on something.
The air seemed calm and this was the Regional Insignia, so where was the pressure?
'When Jeran appeared for the first time, his spiritual energy almost brought me to my knees,' Reith thought to himself.
Suddenly, he felt something like a hand wrapped around his body, and it tried to squeeze him to a pulp.
Hot sweat immediately flowed down his head.
Reith instantly looked up and realized the Regional Insignia was looking directly at him, with a small smile on his face.
Reith gulped hard, but that made things worse, because his throat refused to work according to what he wanted.
His own body was going against him.
The walls of the hall felt like they were vibrating, and the roof seemed like it would fall at any time.
The Heavenly Path trembled, and the pressure vanished, causing Reith to heave a sigh, but he did not dare look up again.
The Regional Insignia removed his gaze from the boy that caught his interest, and he examined the rest of them.
Reith watched as every student went down to the ground, their bodies flattened against the floor.
"Big brother..." Jeran spoke up. He did not know if he should speak or remain silent.
A laugh rang out.
"Yes, yes. You are right, Jeran. I just wanted to test their willpower," the Regional Insignia smiled, and the presence vanished as quickly as it came.
Isho only had his knee on the floor. His path had helped him take a part of the pressure.
The rest of the students inhaled as soon as the pressure left them, as the fear had even made their body systems stop.
"Not bad... Not bad."
The Regional Insignia stepped forward, coming down from the podium, his eyes lingering on Reith.
He knew that boy would surprise him.
"Welcome, everyone. My name is Leon Lohengrin," he said before sitting down on the podium.
"Forgive me for seeking comfort while you all stand, but you see, I am quite aged."
Reith wanted to cough blood and tell this man-kid to go look in the mirror.
He even looked younger than Reith.
The students simply bowed their heads.
Leon had an innocent smile, and he kept speaking.
"You are all welcome. Region's Top-Tier Training Academy, popularly known as the Dragon Apex Academy.
In this academy, you will... hmm," Leon paused, and then he turned to Jeran with an awkward smile.
"I forgot, what would they do again?"
The students inhaled sharply hearing the Regional Insignia.
Did he say he forgot?
Reith felt a smile creeping onto his face when he looked at Jeran's reaction, but he bit his lips to prevent anything from happening.
"Yes, My Lord," Jeran said sharply.
Reith was a bit surprised. Even though Jeran had a confused expression at first, his stance showed the amount of respect he held toward his elder brother.
"The Dragon Apex Academy is, in simple terms, a training academy.
You will learn to master new skills, hone your skills, and even decide your future path in life.
A lot is expected from you, since you are here under the recommendation of the Regional Insignia himself," Jeran said with a thick tone.
"Excuse me, Sir."
Someone raised his hand, interrupting Jeran, but the man did not seem to care, as he motioned to him promptly.
Reith raised his brow.
He was sure that Jeran would have scolded him if he was the one.
The old man did not even try to hide the bias.
Jeran nodded.
"Yes, Yemir. I'm listening."
Yemir bowed, and then he spoke.
"What if we do not meet certain expectations?" he asked, averting his glance.
Yemir's gaze locked onto Reith, and Reith was smart enough to understand the meaning.
"Okay, I understand you," Jeran started.
"But I would let the Regional Insignia answer the question, as he is in charge of you all.
I am merely a subordinate," Jeran answered, and Leon could not avoid chuckling.
Then he turned to Yemir.
"Well, not meeting my expectations would mean failing the Final Selection, and you do not want that.
Anyone who failed the Final Selection would simply remain in a spot until they are able to pass it.
But one failure would mean that the region would no longer back you up, even if you pass later on."
Leon said it in a cool voice, but it was a rather complicated situation.
"Pardon me, Sir."
It was Reith who spoke this time.
"What is the Final Selection?"