After Chun Yeowun was taken to the medical room, the ceremony came to a halt as all the students needed to meditate to heal.

‘Hmmm.’

People were curious as to what would happen to Yeowun who vomited blood out from his mouth, but Left Guardian Lee Hameng’s attention was elsewhere. The first rank to the heir, Chun Muyeon of the Wise Clan, and fifth rank Yuchan of the Blade Clan had endured the first test as if it were nothing.

‘They are beyond expectations.’

Not taking any damage from Hang Soyou’s half-powered attack would require at least hundreds of internal energy.

‘They are beyond the level of students.’

They were already at the level of powerful warriors. It obvious why the rumor of the Wise and Blade Clans taking the throne was spread.

However, they weren’t the only ones who had withstood it without taking any damage. The other members of the six clans endured without much trouble and there were also eight other students who also endured it.

‘I thought they were all weaklings, but this is interesting.’

It felt like there might be powerful warriors in this year’s academy. All in all, that was going to be decided after four years when it was all over.

A total of 415 students passed the first test. It was 200 less than the first test from ten years ago as the test had been more difficult due to Chun Yeowun.

Not everyone knew it, but some of the students who looked back like Mukeum were angry to see the intensity of the test because of Yeowun.

After dragging out the failed students, all the remaining students were officially appointed as cadets and they each were given a bronze tag with the number 3, symbolizing that they were now low-ranked warriors of the Demonic Cult.

“Is this the beginning now?!”

“I will go up to the top!”

Then the students began dividing themselves into groups. Hameng grouped them based on their personal information and the result of the test. Other than the five groups of 20, the other remaining groups had 21 people.

“Do you know why there are twenty groups?”

“Mado!”

Cadets answered ‘mado’ to Hameng’s question. This was due to the instructions on answering with ‘mado’ for any answer that required a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. No other answers were allowed.

“Until you pass the third test, all of you will be tested on the same day and same time.”

The academy had no intention to waste money on training up to the third step which was for high-ranked warriors. Therefore, they had a set amount of time allocated for each of the tests.

“The amount you need to learn the ways of a middle-rank warrior is three weeks.”

‘Only three weeks?’

The cadets were frustrated. They were shocked by the unexpectedly quick pace.

“After three weeks, the twenty groups will battle. Ten groups will be allowed to move onto the next step.”

This meant that two hundred people were going to fail.

“This is the only and last test where you will need to work together, so if you want to compete against yourself within the group, you can happily fail the test and leave.”

Most groups were equally formed, but there were some groups with a fewer number of students from the powerful clans. Thus, they weren’t all that excited.

“This ends today’s schedule. You can return to your dorms according to your groups and rest. Starting tomorrow, you will be taught nicely by the staff that are standing in front of you right now.”

The students then turned to their instructors who were standing there expressionlessly. When they saw the staff members dragging the failed students out by clubbing them with their black clubs hanging on their waists, the students shivered.

“You are dismissed!”

“DISMISSED!”

Students then returned to their assigned dorms. However, one of the students stood in place while everyone left with exhausted expressions. It was Chun Mukeum of the Loyal Clan. Instructor Impeng, who was assigned to Mukeum’s 8th group, walked up to him, “3rd cadet. Why are you still standing there?”

Until the students passed the fourth test, they were called upon by their numbers.

“I have a question to ask, Instructor.”

“You know I won’t answer questions that are not related to training.”

“Yes, sir.”

Instructors did not know all of their students’ names and faces, but they at least knew about the princes of the six clans since they were going to be the future leaders of the cult.

“Good. What is the question?”

“I am sure that I will be the leader of my group.”

‘Hmm.’

This wasn’t announced as it was going to be decided tomorrow, but Mukeum already knew that they were going to have group leaders.

‘They don’t care about the rules.’

He knew the six clans would not keep secrets from their princes regarding the academy, but it was rather disappointing to see it in reality.

“One of my group’s cadets, the 7th cadet, is in the medical room.”

“And?”

“I do not want one of our cadets to be left out or missing so that our entire group fails.”

“What is it that you are proposing?”

“I want to let him know what we had heard today while he was gone so that he will not be left out.”

He thought all of the six princes did not like Yeowun, but it seemed like Mukeum was different. Impeng became pleased and nodded, “Good. I applaud you for your sincerity, and you seem to know about the importance of this second test. So, I will take your advice and go to the 7th cadet and give him the information myself.”

“Huh? N-no, that won’t be necessary. I can go myself…”

“The main building is off-limits to cadets except under special circumstances.”

Chun Mukeum became frustrated.

‘Goddammit! This is bullshit!’

His purpose was to go to Chun Yeowun and break his leg or something, but he didn’t think he wouldn’t be allowed to enter the building at all. He tried to imply that he was the heir of one of the six clans, but he realized his background didn’t apply in this academy and gave up.

“Understood, Instructor. Oh, and can you tell me when the 7th cadet will be returning to us?”

He then needed to wait until Yeowun returned.

Around dinner time, Instructor Impeng went to Chun Yeowun’s medical room as promised. Yeowun was in self-healing mode and was asleep. Impeng couldn’t wake Yeowun who was badly injured and asked Baek Jongmeng on how long it would take for the boy to wake up.

“Hmm. He will need at least two weeks in bed.”

“Two weeks? That will be too long for him to move up to the second step. Can’t he wake up earlier?”

Impeng didn’t like the idea of letting his group fail due to one student. It was survival for the students, but it was a competition for the instructors.

“Well, he doesn’t have any internal energy so it takes time.”

Impeng then had to leave knowing that it would take two weeks for Chun Yeowun to heal.

‘Well, he’s out of luck.’

He thought Chun Yeowun was unlucky, but he later learned that it was not true.

The next day, someone walked into the medical room before dawn. It was Submeng the Crazy Blade.

“Heh heh… apprentice. It’s your teacher.”

He came back too fast.