Examination

Roaming for an hour, We finally found a good Inn that was not too costly and not too cheap and bad. It was almost 6 PM, so I started doing my daily exercise right after setting our room in the Inn. Since The Examination was going to start early at 6 AM, I only did the exercise for 2 hours before having dinner and sleeping, though Rylee already slept as he only did exercise for 1 hour. ... ... Sheeran and Rylee both woke up at 5:30 AM and departed towards the Examination avenue, which was a bit deeper into this Thunder-Fire Town. This town was just the periphery of the real Thunder-Fire Valley. The Core of this behemoth faction was deeper. After Walking for Half an hour in the same direction, We finally arrived at Examination Avenue. The requirement to participate in this examination was very simple. One had to be under 20 years old, and looking around at the avenue, There are around 500 people, all under 20. In front of us was a big mountain which had 1000 steps stairs and on top of the mountain was a big palace. We asked around and found out that this was the outer palace of Thunder-Fire Valley. It was already 6 AM so Examination should start anytime soon and indeed someone descended the mountain, That person calmy floated down from the Palace on top of the mountain. That person did not completely descend the mountain but kept floating in the air 10 meters above ground level while looking down on everyone. Looking at the face of the person, He looked like a 30-year-old male. " My name is Milliano Tellas, and I will be supervising this examination. The first round is straightforward. You have to reach the top of the mountain by walking on these stairs, simple, right? " Milliano spoke to the people with a smile as everyone, including I, nodded because it indeed seems simple. But I also know that simple does not mean easy. " Alright then, Start climbing now. Those who can not reach the top after 2 hours will be eliminated. " Saying this, Milliano flew back to the top of the mountain. Everyone then rushed towards the stairs and started climbing. Rylee and I also made a dash towards the stairs and started climbing. The mountain was humongous, and the stairs were wide, so there wasn't much friction between the contestants. But problems started to appear after we climbed 300 steps, Many people were already lagging behind as Rylee and I overtook many people. Though slowly but surely, The stamina we needed to climb each step was increasing, and after climbing every step, It felt like someone was putting a bit of weight upon us, and that weight gets higher and higher as we climb each step. After passing the 600th step, even though I was starting to feel tired and heavier, Rylee was faring worse than me, but we kept climbing after adjusting our pace. From the initial 500 some people, Only around 100 were moving steadily like us. After passing the 800th step, only 80 people moved steadily, and Rylee was having a hard time. One and a half hours already passed by when we reached the 900th step, Only 50 people were currently moving steadily. With closed mouth and gritted teeth, everyone moved without wasting even a bit of energy. I was feeling pain all over my body because to climb a step; I needed to muster strength from every single muscle of my body; still, I was fairly confident of passing the 1000th step, but Rylee...his situation didn't seem that optimistic. Another thing to notice was that other than Me and Rylee, who were 16 years olds; Others were near the age of 20. The others who were around our age had already given up on climbing to the top. After 25 minutes, 13 participants already reached the top of the mountain, while I was at the 997th step, and Rylee was at 993rd, and the other remaining participants were between me and Rylee. Surprisingly, none of the 48 people gave up and kept moving at a steady pace, I will be able to reach the top because there are still 5 minutes left before the time is up, but Rylee will have to bring out his potential as with his current pace, if he screwed up even a bit, he wouldn't be able to reach the top in 5 minutes. After 4 minutes, everyone except for Rylee reached the top, and after passing the 1000th step, I felt light like a feather, but then exhaustion hit me, and I slumped to the floor just like everyone else. Now only 1 minute's left, and Rylee is at the 998th step. Looking at him, I shouted, " Don't Give up, Rylee, You can do it, Keep the pace steady, climb the 999th step in 20 sec so you can take more rest to climb the last step. " Rylee's face was red, and his body was trembling. He looked at me and took a step forward while gritting his teeth. He climbed before 20 seconds, so he still has the chance. It's just the 1000th step's pressure is more, so he has to adjust to it before taking the last step upward. In the Last 10 seconds, Milliano, who was standing behind us, started to countdown while looking at Rylee, " 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 ... Milliano stopped the countdown, Because... " Damn, bro, you did it. I almost thought that I had to train here alone, hahaha " I was really happy, Although it's been just a few days since I've personally known Rylee. From the memories, I know that Rylee always prioritized Sheeran on every good thing they came across. Such a true friend is rare. " Alright, The 50 of you passed the first round, but it's not enough to enter the Thunder-Fire valley, There are still 2 more rounds, But of course, you only need to pass the 2nd round to join the Thunder-Fire valley. 3rd round is not necessary, But..." Pausing here for a bit, Milliano spoke with a grin, " But don't think that since it's not necessary, then it's not important. It's actually essential if you want to progress fast. The result of the 3rd round will decide your treatment and work allocation in Thunder-Fire Valley. " I always had one question gnawing on my mind, which seems to be a good chance, so I raised my hand. Milliano noticed and said, while looking at me, " Do you have any questions ?" Nodding my head, I asked, " Can an Elemental Warrior defeat an Elemental Sorcerer? " Hearing my question, Larufge smiled and said, " I'll make it simple, An Elemental Warrior can not practice and Master Elemental spells because they don't have Affinity with elements, So they have to refine their body using the external elemental energies, BUT...An elemental Sorcerer has an affinity with elements to practice and master Elemental spells which means their bodies can house elemental energies and cultivate Elemental Energies inside their body, allowing them to create an Elemental Sea, which naturally allows them to use Magical Abilities like this... " Pausing here, Milliano waved his hand, and suddenly, a dense fire started to materialized beside him, taking the shape of a Lion. *Rawr* " There are many types of Elemental Arts and spells. Some can conjure such lifelike Monsters. Some can simply be offensive, like Fire rain, Fireball, Lightning Dome. Some can be supportive, like Wings of Fire... " Milliano once again waved his hands, making The Lion disappear, and a pair of wings appeared behind him. After a few seconds, Milliano dissolved the wings of fire and said with a smiling face, " All these things I spoke and I just showed you, can-not-be-done-by elemental warriors. " Hearing the last part, I felt like banging my head on the wall. The difference between an Elemental Warrior and an Elemental Sorcerer seems so damn big. " But..." Returning my attention towards Larfurge who spoke, I thought, ' My butt!!, Why you stopped ? " Larfurge laughed and said, " But...It's not like you can not become an Elemental sorcerer just because you don't have an Affinity with any element. It's actually straightforward if you want to become an Elemental Sorcerer.." Damn, this guy once again stopped. I could not my self back and asked, " How? How to acquire an Elemental Affinity? " " There are two ways to acquire an Elemental Affinity, First way which is also safest way is to eat an Affinity Pill, There are many wonders in the world, and one of them is Elemental Source, For Example, our Thunder-Fire Valley has Fire Elemental Sources and Thunder Elemental Sources, our Alchemists uses these sources to create Affinity pills of Thunder element and Fire Element which can grant Elemental Affinity of Thunder and Fire to anyone who eats them, but sources are scarce, and so the price of a single pill is something that even a veteran Elemental Sorcerer can't afford it, There are only demand and no market for such pills. " It sounds like even if I spent my whole life gathering money, I wouldn't be able to afford it. Let's hear what's the 2nd way. " The 2nd way is very dangerous, which is what all of you are going through, The Path of an Elemental Warrior.." Smiling mysteriously, Milliano continued, " You know, We don't have a Single Elemental Warrior in our Thunder-Fire Valley because there are only two outcomes for those who walk on this path of Elemental Warrior. 1. You die, and 2. You Become an Elemental Specialist who is a more powerful Existence than a general Elemental Sorcerer." Woahh... Instantly, Uproar started among all 50 people, and I was also gobsmacked hearing these words, which, besides giving me a shock, also made me excited. " But..." Everyone thought, ' Now what's this ' But ' for? ' Seeing everyone turning silent, Milliano continued, " But, In the last 100 years only 11 people became Elemental Specialist in our Thunder-Fire Valley, They are called Elemental Specialist because, on top of now able master Elemental Arts, Their bodies are also Refined, so it's not that grand thing, Every Elemental Sorcerer can become an Elemental Specialist if they want to while Elemental Warriors either die or become Elemental Specialist. " The mood of everyone dampened hearing these cruel words, but I was not affected. As long as there is a chance, I will grasp it. m.w******l.com The Tale of the Void Emperor Chapter 5 - Silver eyes, Rylee awakened ? 10 - 13 minutes " Alright, everyone, The 2nd round will start in 5 hours. You all can take rest in those cottages," Milliano spoke while pointing at an area on the left side, " After 5 hours, we will enter the palace for the 2nd round." Everyone then headed towards the cottages to take a rest because, after such an intense struggle of climbing to the top of the mountain, everyone was spent. It didn't take long for 5 hours to pass as Milliano's voice boomed while they were taking rest inside their cottages. Soon everyone came out after hearing the voice. Seeing that everyone was ready, Milliano led all participants into the palace for the 2nd round. " The 2nd round is also very simple: you all have to stay in two zones for 5 minutes. " Milliano spoke after leading everyone inside the big palace. The palace was very big as it covered the whole mountain top. The Palace hall had 3 doors. One at the front, One at the right, and one at the left. First, Milliano led everyone towards the Right side door. As soon as everyone entered, intense heat greeted everyone's face. In the middle of the room was a pool of lava. " All you have to do is to stay inside that pool of lava for 5 minutes..." Pausing here, Milliano looked at everyone with a small smile as all participant's faces turned White after hearing about the test. " but don't worry, That pool of lava is not real lava, It just Fire Elemental Energy turned into the appearance of real lava. But the pain you feel after entering this pool of lava will be the same as the real lava, The only difference will be that you all will not die but endure the pain of your skin, bone, and organs burning. It's just 5 minutes, not that hard, right? " Everyone wanted to beat up this guy after hearing, " not that hard, right? " Milliano smiled, seeing everyone's expression, " The 2nd round starts now, Your 5 minutes will start as soon as you enter the pool, Everyone will have to enter the pool in 10 minutes until then, you can take your sweet time. " Nobody moved, Because they wanted to see someone else go first. First or last, The experience will be the same, and so I jumped into the pool of lava. Milliano's eyes shone as he nodded, ' This type of resolve is not found in many people. ' After jumping into the pool of lava, I did not feel anything for the first second, But then came hell. " Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...." I could not help but let out a scream. But as soon as I remembered what happened to me in my previous life, I gritted my teeth as I stopped shouting. The pain was even was spreading inside my body as my organ started to feel the pain that could make someone insane. But I steeled my resolve and fortified my mind as I endured through this whole ordeal, ' This is nothing, what I will have to endure in the future could be more painful than this, THIS IS JUST A GODDAMN FIRST STEP. " Strangely, I could feel the pain lessening.....NO. The pain is not lessening, but My tolerance of pain just went up a notch. I could also feel my body strengthening, Wait...could this be one of the ways to refine my body using Elemental energy? Seeing what was happening in the pool, Larfurge nodded his head, ' This lad is good. ' Soon 5 minutes passed as I came out of the pool. After that, Participants started to jump into the pool, Some people just fainted after staying in the pool for 1 minute, and few others fainted after coming out of the pool. After 7 minutes, Rylee said, " Bro, how did it feel? " I said with a serious face, " I can only say it was the most painful thing I experienced, but as long as you keep your mind firm and don't give in to the pain, you will succeed, I think that this pool of Lava condensed from Fire elemental energy is not that simple, Just don't give in to the pain and Keep your mind firm and you will pass, that's all I can say. " " I see. " Nodding his head, Rylee gritted his teeth and jumped into the pool. As soon as she dived in. He started screaming, well screaming can alleviate the pain, as it serves as a good outlet, many participants screamed for 5 minutes before coming out of the pool. Rylee also adopted that method as he started screaming. Rylee started to show signs of giving in after 3 minutes as his expression gave away his inner thoughts. And I didn't want to let that happen, " Rylee, We are going to train together, i will not accept if you lose, so you better get your shit together and pass this round. " ' Keep the mind firm and don't give in to the pain, I came together with Athon, and I will not return alone, DEFINITELY NOT. ' Rylee stopped screaming and gritted his teeth as he seemed to have found the key to endure through this trial. 5 minutes passed as Rylee came out with a smile that was uglier than crying. I went ahead and gave a hard pat on his back, " There you go, It really wasn't that hard right? " Rylee, " Not hard, my a-s. " Milliano laughed, hearing our exchange. " Yep, It really isn't that hard, You just need sufficient resolve and tolerance of pain, After all, Walking on the path of Elemental warrior is not child's play, If you can't even endure through this, then you will 100% face death in the future while training. " Everyone who was left nodded, hearing those words. Out of 50 people, only 23 passed this round, More than half were eliminated just like this. Seeing everyone ready, Milliano spoke, " Now let's head towards the 2nd zone. " One of the participants raised his hand and spoke, " Will we not be given some time to rest this time? " " Nope, The 2nd Zone is part of the 2nd round, No rest. " saying, he led everyone to the left side door of the palace hall. Entering the 2nd door, we were shocked, Literally shocked. Have you ever seen lightning within your arm's reach? Like if you so much as to want, you can touch it. This place is exactly like that. The lightning sparks occasionally come near us, giving us a mild shock. " This place is filled with Lightning Elemental Energies, as you can see, The platform in the middle has much more fierce lightning, and it will become even more fierce when you stand there. To pass this round, You all have to stand on that platform for 5 minutes, Just as simple as the previous round. " Everyone had the same thought, ' screw your simple. ' " Alright, similar to Fire Zone, You all have to stand in that platform in 10 minutes and stay there for 5 minutes, Time starts...Now. " As soon as Milliano finished speaking, I dashed towards the platform in the middle of the room. As soon as I stepped on the platform, clouds started to gather over my head, and after a second, lightning started to strike me like whips. With not even a second to take a break, Lighting struck me continuously, After a few strikes, I lost the ability to move my body as intense pain even more than what I felt in the previous round assaulted me, It felt even more dreadfully because I was unable to move my body as numbness and intense pain ravaged my body inside out. If it was not controlled by some sort of powers as if it was real lightning, I would've already turned into Ash. BUT as long as my resolve is unwavering, My endurance will also keep increases enabling me to get through this hellish situation where you can't control your own body while suffering intense stinging pain constantly. After 5 minutes, the lightning strike stopped as the cloud dispersed. Still, I felt like I stayed inside for not just 5 minutes but 5 days, that's how it felt, staying paralyzed while feeling intense pain inside the body, This lightning bolts dealt more pain inside the body while paralyzing the outside body.....it was 100% worse experience than staying in Lava Pool. Even though lightning stopped striking me, I could not move a bit due to my body being paralyzed. At this time, Milliano waved his hands towards me, and something magical happened, I felt like countless insets started crawling all over my body for 1 second. Then everything disappeared, The Numbing sensation disappeared, Paralysation disappeared and even the intense pain I was feeling inside my body disappeared. I ran back towards where everyone was staying as Larfurge spoke, " I will cleanse everyone's body of intense pain as long as you can pass this test, If you fail, then you will be carried off and will be taken care of by normal method which will take a few days to get rid of pain from your bodies. " Soon, Participants started to enter the lightning Platform one by one. After me, 2 people went at the time, where both of them failed, they respectively lasted 3 and 4 minutes. You can't even scream in this test as your whole body will be paralyzed. Participants only had 5 minutes left because they wasted 5 minutes watching me, so the remaining 17 participants, including Rylee, arrived at the platform. It was definitely big enough to hold more than 100 people, so there was no worry about the crossfire from their respective lightning clouds over their heads. 3 minutes passed, and 11 participants fainted and were carried over through telekinesis by Milliano. 7 participants, including Rylee, were left on the platform, Rylee seemed like he was going to faint anytime soon, But this time I did not say anything. The reason being that, looking in his eyes, I could feel that he was already beyond his limits, but he was still pushing and enduring through this hell to pass this test. Time passed, After 30 seconds, one of the remaining participants fainted, who then got carried over by Milliano. ' Hmm...is it my imagination? or.... ' Milliano, who was looking at participants, suddenly thought To Clear his doubts, he flew on top of the platform, And as he looked below at one of the participants, his body trembled. ' No way....am I dreaming? NO, DEFINITELY NOT...It looks like we obtained a hidden gem. ' The look on Milliano's face one that was of extreme excitement. At this moment, Sheeran also noticed something on the platform. Rylee's eyes started to change colour, it kept getting a hue of silver with each passing seconds. After just a few seconds, His eyes turned silver as Lighting bolts could not hit Rylee anymore. I saw clearly as one lightning bolt that was going to hit Rylee somehow did not hit him as it landed on his right side instead, But from the actions of Larfurge, I could feel that this was definitely a very good thing. And there was only one good thing I could think of right now, and It was that Rylee, somehow, By a twist of fate or Divine intervention or whatever. Rylee somehow awakened means he somehow gained an affinity with an element, though from the silver colour in his eyes, I don't know what Element is that. After that last participant who failed, the remaining 5 participants, including Rylee, passed the taste, but Rylee's eye suddenly closed as he started floating, Seeing this scene, Milliano sent everyone except Rylee away from the platform as he looked intently at Rylee.