Ning went into the Frolane Empire from Grandfort city, and then took a carriage to go across the Frolane Empire.
He completed the journey in about 10 days, using 3 different carriage rides.
To his surprise, people toward the south used weaker Essence beasts to help with the travel. These beasts were much stronger and faster than normal horses and didn't tire as easily.
They also didn't need as much food, making them perfect for transportation.
Clara hadn't lied when she said that travel in the south was faster. The Essence in the south was also quite thick, compared to the Crowler Empire.
Ning crossed the border of the Frolane Empire, going into the Blackhawk Dominion.
The Blackhawk Dominion was internally separated into 5 different regions, all of which were controlled by a major family.
The main region, the Blackhawk Region, was controlled by the Blackhawk family, who the other 4 families reported to in the end.
For all intents and purposes, they were the royalties of this piece of land.
The school Ning was supposed to go to, the Blackhawk Academy was in the very same Blackhawk Region, in a city known as Arandale city.
The Arandale city was located at the base of a massive mountain range that separated one half of the Dominion from the other. The city was massive, holding upto 3 Million people in the city alone.
The city was very advanced when compared to the rest of the cities in the Glacien Continent, and had the best of the best Essence users here.
In fact, Ning even heard rumors of Essence Soul realm fighters being easily found in this city. That was something the Crowler Empire, or even the Frolane Empire and the Oseger Empire could not brag about.
Essence Soul realm was quite difficult to reach there after all.
When Ning finally arrived in the city, he couldn't help but be shocked by everything he saw. Over his life, he saw many things that were far more prettier and amazing than what he was looking at, but for some reason, he could easily dissociate himself from those memories and fully enjoy what was before him.
He saw the light boards that lit in front of various shops and stores. Ning looked at his own sword and hilt and knew he needed to enter one of those stores very soon.
He could put that for later, however, since there wasn't much time before the academy began taking new students.
He and Clara had spent the last month preparing for this very moment. Now that he was here, he wasn't going to mess it up.
Ning didn't waste any time and walked straight out of the city, going to the base of the mountain range. After all, that was where the Blackhawk Academy was located.
The Blackhawk Academy stood proud at the base of the mountain, right outside the city, and was massive enough to be a small city on its own.
Ning found a line of people waiting outside the academy and was surprised at just how strong everyone looked.
He hadn't entered the Essence Sense realm, but he could still tell that most of them were stronger than him.
"Hi, did I arrive late by any chance? Have the tests already started?" he asked the person at the end of the line.
"Oh, no no. You're in time," the person said. "This line is so you know when your test is."
"My test?" Ning was a little surprised. "Each person's test is individual?"
"No, no, we find out the date of the test, that's all," the man said. "These people take tests in batches as there are too many people joining each time, so we are here to find out which match we're in."
"Ah, I see," Ning said, finally understanding what was happening in front of him. 'I hope I don't accidentally end up becoming a teacher. Until that time, I have no good set of knowledge regarding the topics at all.'
He waited in line for at least 3 more hours before he was finally allowed into the academy to find out when his test would be.
However, before getting that, there was a small set of questions he had to answer.
There were 3 people in front of him, each in their 60s, and they all started asking questions one by one.
What is your name? Where are you from? Do you think this place is for you? Do you have the money to learn?
These sorts of questions were asked one after another, so Ning gave some truthful answers. The old people didn't give much response to the answers, other than a stamp of approval so he could take the actual test.
Ning looked at the information he was given. 4 days.
He had to stay out for 4 days before he could take the test? He was fine with that. There were times he had waited for worse. This was nothing.
Ning had to remain indoors for the rest of the days, as he couldn't go out to just as he pleased.
Unlike the Crowler empire, the Blackhawk Dominion held many beasts that could easily latch onto his scent, making it impossible for him to work here at all.
In fact, because of his sword's scent, the journey until here had been something that caused nearly major problems for him.
Thankfully, he had the brilliant idea of using his sheath as the thing that held the scent, so that the beast wouldn't go for his sword.
The beast that pulled the carriage got used to the scent, and some while later, Ning got rid of it. That way, he had finally been able to come back.
On the day of the test, however, Ning couldn't take any chances. So, he cleaned his sword and himself to the best of his ability, and finally went to the Blackhawk Academy.
If Ning were to pass these tests, he could easily become one of the strongest powerhouses in the whole world.
