Chapter 32: They Sure Were Shocked!
Ethan waved Rin goodbye before following Mr. Davin out of the training grounds. The cheers, complaints, and heated discussions behind them gradually faded into the distance as the two walked along the academy pathways in silence. They were only a few steps away from the main gate when Davin suddenly slowed his pace breaking the comfortable silence between them.
"Ethan."
"Yes, sir?"
"You did exceptionally well today."
Ethan blinked in surprise before turning to look at the instructor.
"When the results are officially announced, I’m confident you’ll qualify for the Rift and Dungeon practical exercises. You really managed to shock everyone..." Davin paused for a brief moment before a faint smile appeared on his usually stern face. "Including me."
Ethan smiled politely, doing everything he could to hide the nervousness threatening to show on his face.
Yeah...
That was definitely not what he had wanted
At least...
Not yet.
Standing out this early wasn’t part of his plan. He had only wanted to survive the assessment, quietly improve his rank, and continue cultivating in peace. Instead, he had somehow become one of the biggest topics among both the instructors and students. It seemed the moment he had chosen to survive by becoming stronger, standing out had become unavoidable.
Still, there was no point regretting it now.
"Thank you, sir," Ethan replied with a modest smile. "I just tried my best."
Davin nodded in satisfaction.
"Well, whatever you’ve been doing, keep it up."
As they continued talking, they soon arrived at the academy gates.
"I’ll leave you here," Davin said before turning around. "The Principal has been waiting."
With that, he walked away, leaving Ethan standing alone.
Only then did Ethan notice Principal Ronan waiting quietly a short distance away with both hands folded behind his back.
The moment their eyes met, Ethan instinctively swallowed.
For some reason...
This man always gave him the feeling that he could see straight through every secret he was trying to hide.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Ethan hurried over before greeting respectfully.
"Good afternoon, Principal."
Ronan acknowledged him with a simple nod before speaking.
"I heard you performed rather well during today’s assessment."
Urgh...
News really does travel fast.
"You could say so, sir," Ethan answered with an awkward smile.
The Principal observed him for a brief moment before nodding again.
"Good."
"I only hope your rank has improved alongside your ability to clear the assessment."
He turned around and calmly began walking.
"Follow me.We’re heading to the Evaluation Room.The administrative heads of the academy are already waiting."
The administrative heads?
Ethan’s heartbeat immediately sped up.
This was it.
This single evaluation would determine whether all those sleepless nights, unbearable pain, and near-death cultivation sessions had actually been worth it.
Without another word, he silently followed behind the Principal.
The academy buildings gradually changed as they walked deeper into the administrative district. Compared to the lively training grounds, this area was noticeably quieter. The buildings were larger, the decorations more refined, and even the atmosphere carried a sense of authority that made Ethan unconsciously straighten his back.
After several minutes of walking, Ronan finally stopped before a pair of enormous double doors engraved with intricate silver patterns.
Without hesitation, Principal Ronan pushed them open.
"Come in."
Ethan stepped inside before glancing around immediately, the room was surprisingly spacious.
Bookshelves lined both sides of the walls, while complicated arrays glowed faintly beneath the polished marble floor. At the very center of the room stood a crystal pillar nearly twice Ethan’s height. Countless golden runes slowly drifted inside the transparent crystal like tiny stars suspended in water.
Around the room sat four people.
Three elderly men.
One middle-aged woman.
Each of them dressed neatly in attires that screamed expensive.
The moment Ethan entered, all four pairs of eyes landed on him.
Cold, Indifferent and Judgmental.
Ethan immediately greeted them politely. "Good afternoon, seniors."
...
Silence.
Not a single one of them responded.
Instead, they merely looked at him before shifting their attention elsewhere as though acknowledging his greeting wasn’t even worth the effort. Even when they glanced back at him they just continued observing him as though he were nothing more than another disappointing student wasting their valuable time.
Ethan resisted the urge to snort.
Arrogant fuckheads.
He didn’t even bother hiding the eye roll that escaped him.
Seriously... would saying hello kill them?
Their attitude honestly didn’t bother him much.
If anything...
It only strengthened his determination.
Go ahead and look down on me.
Let’s see if you can keep those expressions in another few minutes.
Ethan hoped they would enjoy being proven wrong. Well that’s if he had successfully ranked up though.
Principal Ronan ignored the awkward atmosphere and calmly gestured toward the crystal pillar.
"Ethan. Stand before the evaluation pillar."
"The Rank Evaluation Crystal records the current state of every Guide’s Mental Sea and spiritual foundation. Place both hands on the crystal and slowly circulate your spiritual energy exactly as you normally would. Do not force it, and do not suppress it. The pillar will determine your current Guide rank on its own."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Taking a slow breath, he walked toward the towering crystal.
His palms felt damp.
Calm down...
You’ve already done everything you possibly could.
Whether it worked or not...
I’ll know in a few seconds.
Standing before the crystal, Ethan slowly placed both hands against its cool surface before closing his eyes.
Almost immediately, the crystal began humming softly.
A warm current spread from Ethan’s palms through his entire body as though the crystal was carefully examining every inch of his spiritual foundation.
The compressed spiritual energy hidden within him responded instinctively.
One second...
Two...
Three...
Suddenly—
The entire crystal erupted with a brilliant golden light. Causing everyone in the room to instinctively looked up.
The runes spun faster and faster before finally gathering together near the very top of the pillar.
A single glowing letter slowly appeared.
D–RANK.
The entire room fell completely silent as every single administrative head froze where they sat. Their expressions crumbled into complete disbelief.
Even Principal Ronan’s usually calm eyes widened ever so slightly.
One of the elderly men abruptly stood to his feet, his chair scraping loudly across the polished floor.
"You..."
His eyes widened as though he had just witnessed something impossible.
"You’re... you’re an F-rank guide..."
"How is this possible?"