Chapter 79: Looking deep inside

The strong leader, Murkel Dockthron, stood there with a frightening presence as he watched over everyone. He had locked eyes with Raze for a few moments but then quickly went to scan each and every one of them.

His dark brown eyes looked almost black, which suited the rest of the attire he was wearing. He wore cloth that was made out of a silk material that moved with him as he turned his body.

It was in a glistening black that had shades of white that seemed to glitter as if he was wearing a robe from space. His long hair, like most of the elders, was tied up in a knot, with the rest of it falling down his back.

"I welcome all of those that have taken part in the assessment this year!" Murkel spoke. He didn't shout yet; with his Qi amplifying his words, it had the same effect as the person who had spoken before him. Only the tone of his voice was far lower, giving them an uneasy feeling.

A large amount of pressure was felt on top of their heads, and many of them wanted to fall to their knees because of this.

"The assessment is to evaluate whether or not you have the ability to not just enter the Pagna world but to become useful to the Dark faction in its struggle fighting off against the Light and Demonic factions!" Murkel continued.

"Our arts have been passed down for generations, through various and large numbers of clans, and now all of you have gathered to show that you have what it takes.

"When you join the academy and display your skills, you are displaying the future of your clan, which is why we have this assessment, to help us curate those that will do well for us."

Murkel lifted his hands and looked toward one of them with his palm open. "If you are successful and show your talent, you shall receive rewards that will help you on your journey: access to portals, to Qi pills, and techniques that have been stored, even those by clans that have been lost. On the other hand."

Murkel looked to the other hand on the other side. "If we judge that you are not fit to join us, you will be left to struggle in this world while others progress above you; the rest is up to you to decide."

The words were sinking in for all of the students. Many of them were confident, since they had the backing of their families to support them; they had been told that they were the rising stars in their families and had eventually reached this point.

Now they were starting to feel the real pressure, all except for those with no names. Some continued to glare at the three of them. They felt envious that they didn't have to go through the same thing that they did. It was only causing the hatred that they held in their hearts to grow a little more.

Taking a step back, Murkel walked off to the side. It appeared that the matter of looking over the students as they went through their assessment wasn't so important to him, at least not important enough for him to stay.

Instead, one of the other two that had arrived on the platform with him stood forward, Gunther.

"There are three parts to the assessment before you are able to join the Pagna Academy. How you perform in all of them will value your position in the academy. However, for the first assessment that I am in charge of, if you do not pass this, it is an instant fail!"

Nervous looks were exchanged among the students in the courtyard.

"What, just from one assessment? That's not really fair; you were the ones that accepted our family donations! You guys are also the ones that accepted our invites, and then you turn us away just like that?"

"The first assessment!" Gunther yelled through all of the talking. He really didn't have the patience for all of this, after having been blackmailed and dragged here pretty much against his will.

"The first assessment will be ensuring every single one of you is a 1st stage Pagna warrior. I will not accept anyone who is close to a breakthrough or has a strong foundation but has not fully formed their dantian; that is all."

Without anything left to say, Gunther leaped from the balcony and landed on the ground lightly. It was strange, as a fall from that height needed some way to break its impact. Yet he had landed so softly.

'I wonder what stage this person is at; if he was standing next to the leader, then shouldn't he be quite strong?' Raze thought.

Immediately, without wasting time, Gunther went to the first student and placed his hand on his back. He closed his eyes, and after around a second, he shouted. "Pass!"

Going onto the next student, he did the same, shouting out the words "pass" again and again, that was until he had reached the eighth student. "Fail!"

"What, but I can use Qi!" The student complained. "I can completely control the Qi used in my fists and hands."

"Did you listen to what I had even said?" Gunther replied. "I said that you had to have formed your dantian fully. That was the only requirement, no more, no less."

Reaching out, Gunther had grabbed the top of the student's ear and started to pull, making it turn instantly red.

"If you aren't going to use these things, should I just pull them off?"

"No, please!" The student begged, to which Gunther let go and went on to the next student.

Unexpectedly, the students were hearing more fails than they thought. Everyone knew one had to be a 1-star Pagna warrior before entering, but had they always been this strict with checking? It was the first that they had ever heard of such a thing.

Around 1 in 10 students would be told that they had failed, and some were from recognizable clans as well.

As they continued down the line, eventually it reached Simyon at 120.

"Pass!"

"Ah, thank the heavens!" Simyon said. "I thought maybe my nervousness would affect me."

"Pass!" Gunther stated again for Safa, and now it was for him to finally reach Raze as well.

'What technique is this person using?' Raze thought. 'Is it the same as what Kron used? If it is, then he shouldn't be able to detect anything so strange. He won't be able to find my magic core.' n--.//./.)-.)1/.n

With this thought in mind, Raze took a confident deep breath and allowed Gunther to press against his back. He blew out, because the sense of touch was an uncomfortable feeling for him, but when he was prepared for it, he could stand it.

He had done this before with Kron as well when he had placed his hand on his back. Usually, breathing or focus on something else worked, so as he took a deep breath out, he also closed his eyes

When Raze stopped his breathing, he looked up and could see Gunther staring back at him.

"You, what the heck are you doing here?" Gunther asked.