A week rolled by and the Induction Ceremony of the Kandrian Academy had arrived. The event was held in the morning on the thirty-sixth Winter, which would be the sixth of October on Earth. There were multiple Calendar systems used on the panama continent, but the most universal one was the Calendar of systems. The year was divided into 365 days, just like on Earth, but the days were not grouped into months, instead, they were grouped into seasons. The thirty-sixth Winter referred to the thirty-sixth day of the Winter season. This was one of the many differences in the cultures between Earth and Gaea, it had taken Rui a while before he got used to them completely.
"Come on Julian, we might be late!" Rui urged
Julian threw him a helpless sigh.
"We already resolved to leave a whopping half an hour early in anticipation of traffic., leaving any earlier would be silly." He told Rui.
('It's rare to see such a childish side of him.')
"Alright fine, but don't waste anymore time." Rui relented.
"Yes yes."
The reason Julian accompanied him was because all applicants below the age of adulthood of sixteen needed to be accompanied by a Guardian, or an adult who would serve as an acting Guardian. Lashara had requested Julian to accompany Rui as the acting Guardian, and in order to aid Rui in the Induction.
By the time they reached, they were, as perfectly predicted, half an hour early.
"See? We're this early and you wanted to be even earlier." Julian poked at Rui.
"Hey man, better safe than sorry." Rui yawned.
"Sleepy?"
"Not at all."
"You stayed awake all night excited about the Induction, didn't you?"
"…"
Julian sighed, he really did think Rui's childishness manifested when it came to his passion and love for Martial Art. They followed the directions to the Induction Hall after showing their ID and invites to the Guards at the gate.
The Induction Hall was a large facility that seemed to be explicitly designed for presentations of this sort. On the outside, it was large and ostentatious in its architecture, clearly designed to grab attention and demand admiration from its beholders.
On the inside, there was a large stage with a podium upon it at the opposite end of the Hall. The Hall actually descended downwards as one moved forward, with the stage being the lowest in elevation, it had a wide carrying capacity, clearly designed to accommodate the large number of new students and guardians that attended the Induction every year.
"Truly, an extravagant hall that does the prestige of the Martial Arts Academy justice." Julian sighed in admiration.
What held Rui's attention, however was not the Hall itself but its inhabitants.
"So these guys are my batch mates, eh?"
"Indeed, I hope you make a lot friends."
"I didn't come here to make friends." Rui shrugged.
"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to make a few. Good friends can have overall positive impact on your life, maybe even on your Martial Art."
It was possible, Rui supposed.
"Speaking of which, didn't you make a friend in the exam?"
"I knew him for a few hours at most, he's an acquaintance at most." Rui said, before feeling guilty. Kane had saved him in the third round
('Does that make us friends?')
Rui wasn't sure. In his past life, he had never made any friends, his disease and the nature of his career simply prevented him from making any, he'd also developed a relatively asocial attitude due to that.
"True enough, I suppose."
The accepted students were all strong, Rui could feel it. He wasn't sure he could beat most of them in a fight. Even though he was in the top-ten of the second-round, he didn't let it get to his head and bloat his ego. His success in that round was a rather niche outcome and wasn't something that spoke to his overall combat ability. Ultimately, he was younger, weaker and less experienced than pretty much every single other student in his batch.
('The only other kid my age was Kane, and he was a fucking genius who was personally trained by a Martial fucking Sage. I'd have to have my head deep up my ass in order to think I'm comparable to him just because our ranks were somewhat close in the second-round.')
Rui clenched his fist.
('It doesn't matter how strong I am currently; I have a lifetime ahead of me. This is what the Martial Academy is for, after all.')
He couldn't wait for the academic year begin. He intended to grind and train like a madman under the tutelage of the Martial Seniors of the Academy.
Just then, Rui saw a figure board the podium.
Master Aronian surveyed his audience, sweeping his gaze across them.
"Students of the Martial Academy. This time, allow me to welcome you all to the Kandrian Martial Academy not as aspirants, but as members. Each and every single one of you belongs within the walls of this Academy. You have overcome tribulations as well as your peers and proved without a shadow of a doubt that you belong here. Be proud of how far you've come, yet be cognizant of how much you have left to traverse."
He spoke calmly with sagely dignity.
"Today, we aim to inform you about the everything you need to know, and ought to know about the Martial Academy. Without further ado, I invite our Honorable Chancellor Callux Haine to begin the presentation."
A strapping younger man walked onto the stage as an applause ensued. Master Aronian shook his hand before deferring the podium to him and walking off the stage. He smiled before cutting straight to the chase.
"The purview of this presentation is to provide you with an overall understanding of how the Academy functions. I shall broadly be going over several categories of topics. The educational services the Martial Academy offers to its students. The responsibilities and entitlements that students possess. The fees structure and means of payment. And finally, the future that lies beyond the Academy."
"The primary service that the Academy provides to its students is, simply speaking, the tools necessary to allow students to reach the Martial Squire Realm. The curriculum is not set in stone universally, beyond the bare foundations. The Martial Path is a deeply personal journey that cannot be universalized, yet the conditions necessary to become a Martial Apprentice and then a Martial Squire are defined. The Martial Academy possesses a vast library of techniques and skills that can freely be explored by students in order to discover their Martial Path, before pursuing it.
The Martial Academy offers the tutelage of highly qualified and experienced Martial Seniors, who have all guided countless students into discovering their Martial Path, and aided them in their Journey down it. We offer a variety of highly refined training regimes and facilities for all physical and performative attributes relevant to Martial Art.
Simply put... The Kandrian Martial Academy is a paradise for those who strive to become Martial Artists!"
As he began rattling about the details, Rui pondered about his words.
('I see, so in order to reach the Martial Apprentice stage and discover your Martial Path, one must explore different types of Martial Art techniques, skills and forms, eh? That makes sense. After all, how else can one figure out what kind of Martial Art they wanna pursue? In that case, having a library of techniques and skills definitely makes life far easier. Hell, is it even possible to become a Martial Apprentice without such resources?')
Regardless, just based off this alone the Academy was already worth every ounce of his time, he probably wouldn't be able to reach the Martial Apprentice stage any other way.
('I'm not like Kane, after all. Without the Academy I'll never be able to obtain these learning resources.')
The sheer amount of resources the Academy dedicated giving its students the most optimal education possible was mind-boggling to Rui. His astonishment only escalated as every time the Chancellor presented yet another ostentatious facility that targetedly trained one particular physical or performative attribute or a foundational skill of some kind.
('Is it really worth it to spend so much on us students? I've heard that only ten-percent of students reach the Martial Squire stage, is it really worth it to spend such a large amount of capital into nurturing less than a hundred Martial Squires every year?')
He wasn't sure. He lacked too much information on the interests and decisions of the Union. Perhaps there were several concrete economic and political incentives to increasing the number of Martial Artists than just money. Perhaps he would learn of these reasons once he jumped up the totem pole of the Martial Union.
('I should stop focusing on abstract irrelevant matters and focus on things have a more direct impact on me.') Rui shook his head.
"… In addition to the facilities, amenities and services I've just gone over there exists the possibility of being tutored by a Martial Master. Of course, this is a decision that is entirely of their own discretion and volition. There are no guarantees, promises or stipulations regarding this. There have been several years back to back where not a single student was chosen by the Martial Masters of the Academy, and conversely, there have been years where a plethora of students were accepted by various Masters. On average, a few students are accepted every year. The benefits, of course, cannot be overstated. In addition to extremely high-quality tutelage, Martial Masters can allow disciples to obtain opportunities that other students cannot, with the vast authority they possess they can easily circumvent the restrictions and barriers blockading resources, knowledge, events etc."
Rui grew excited when he heard that. The prospects of being tutored by a Martial Master was incredibly exciting. Their prowess was known to be extraordinarily high, and unless one was their direct descendent, the prospect of one being accepted as a disciple by one was extremely low, Martial Masters were very powerful, influential and naturally wealthy. It was difficult to earn their tutelage services even with a small fortune.
