It was 8 in the morning. The Walters were on their way to the martial sector. The reporting time for the test was 9am and being late even by a second resulted in disqualification.

As they reached the sector the taxi stopped and an automated voice informed them that public transport was not allowed to enter the sector and that they would have to continue further ahead by themselves.

The taxi was self automated by an AI program like most vehicles in the city. All cities had the similar setups to prevent accidents. But if a civilian wanted to drive he had the right to, but most preferred to sit in the back seat instead. The Walters reached the gate of the sector and saw a few guards in front guarding it.

Around them people from various backgrounds could be seen. Families could be seen coming out of expensive looking cars, while some came in taxis like them. James saw mixed expressions amongst the other competitors. Some had haughty expressions, some seemed too confident while there were some who had a nervous look on their faces.

The guard at the gate looked at them and asked the purpose of their visit. After showing the application form of the academy and proper identities the Walters were let inside.

There was a pathway ahead of them. They walked for about a min when they saw another gate in front of them. That gate was huge about 20 meters in length and 15 meters in breath. There were two guards standing outside. Children could be seen entering through the gates but their parents were not.

The Walters approached the guard who said that from this point onwards only the child was allowed in. After entering the academy grounds the child had to go straight ahead where he will see a gathering. He must wait there for further instructions.

After showing the papers and id James was allowed to enter the gates. He hugged his parents who wished him luck and entered the academy grounds.

In front of him lay a cemented pathway which led to a massive building in front. There were gardens on either side of the pathway. The academy area was covered by huge walls of around 25 meters. It was also said that a powerful defensive formation was also active around it to bar any intruders from entering.

James could see some buildings on the extreme right and left side of his view which seemed to be far behind the building in front of him which made him think that this building must be where the reception would be.

As he reached the the building he saw children around his age entering the gates who were most likely also there because of the entrance exam. James entered the inside and in front of him was a huge open space.

There was a reception in front while there were seating arrangements on either side of this wide hall. There was another door opposite to the one he entered from near the reception. There was no ceiling to this floor, the top was bare and one could see above till the height of the building. He could see many rooms on the different floors above. Some people were actually looking down towards him and the other exam takers from the railings.

He went up to the receptionist who was a beautiful young lady. She looked at him and with a smile asked for his papers. James submitted his form along with an id. She requested him to take a seat and wait till the exam starts.

10 minutes were still left for the exam to start. James sat down on a chair and waited patiently. He did not mingle with the other competitors fearing that they might say something that might make him nervous or lose concentration. He simple closed his eyes and meditated. Soon 10 minutes were up.

A middle aged man and a young woman came inside the hall. The man looked at the guards and spoke in a commanding voice,

"Close the gates. Not a single person is allowed to enter inside now. "

He looked at the students and with a smile he continued,

" Welcome to Sky Blaze Martial Academy young ones. I am your examiner. There are about 241 of you present here wishing to enter the academy. But only a 100 of you will be selected. The rest unfortunately will be rejected. Your selection will depend on your performance in the exam. For now, follow me towards the examination room. "

The children followed the man to the second floor of the building. On this floor there weren't many rooms. They entered a room where the door had 'Examination Room' printed. Inside they saw a huge open space. They were many seats in the room and all had a headset beside them.

"All of you have to take a seat and put on the headset. As you can see its a virtual reality headset. You will be transported to a virtual space where your exam will be conducted."

" There will be 2 challenges you will need to face and based on your performance in completing those challenges you will be ranked. The top 100 students will pass the test while the others will be rejected. The time limit is 15 minutes."

James had read that around 200 years ago with the advent of true virtual reality where it was possible to send a person in a virtual space with his mind, had led to a huge change in the workings of the society.

However a lot of its applications where restricted and put under scrutiny to ensure that people knew what was reality and did not lose their mind in the virtual space.

Around 160 years ago the examinations for martial schools were started to be taken in these virtual worlds instead as it offered the same environment for the examination as previously used in reality.

James sat on one of the seats in 5th row from the front as the ones ahead got occupied very quick. The students waited for the signal of the examiner.

"Before you start any questions? " asked the examiner.

" Sir how are we graded in terms of performance? " asked a girl.

" For that let me tell you a bit about this year's exam. You will all be transported to a corridor where after you cross it, you shall enter a room. There a 3rd stage beast will be in waiting. You need to kill it and the exam shall end. You will have a total of 15 minutes to complete the test. "

" Failure in completing any of the two tasks results in disqualification. As for the how you will be graded, that will depend on factors such as the time taken, your skill with the chosen weapon, movement etc. I cannot divulge all the parameters but these are the basic ones. " said the examiner.

" OK with that said let's begin. Everybody put on your headsets. I wish you luck"

James put on the headset. It wasn't even a proper headset. It was just a sort of band which was placed on the forehead. He closed his eyes and with a click it activated.

James opened his eyes and found himself in a long corridor which seemed about a 100 metres long. He could see the exit ahead. He took a long breath and took a step. In the silent virtual space only his footsteps could be heard. He walked 3 steps when suddenly he felt something.

The ground where he just placed his foot felt a bit hollow than what he felt previously. The hollowness generally won't be felt as it was very minute feeling. However as he was a 3rd stage Form realm cultivator, with his heightened senses he was able to capture the feeling. He was sure that the step ahead was a trap as the ground would be hollow in front.

This sudden realisation made him careful as he now understood that this corridor was a dangerous place filled with traps and that each step had to be taken carefully otherwise he would be disqualified.

He took a step towards the side and felt the ground. It felt as hard as before when he started walking. He walked slowly and again checked the floor. The corridor was only 100 meters long, but to James it suddenly felt like a huge distance.

Time was running out and he couldn't waste it by being slow. He knew he was being graded according to time. With a look of determination he concentrated hard and tried to move faster.

He didn't want to lose here and disappoint his parents. He wanted to be in the best Academy in the kingdom. With these thoughts he marched ahead trying to move as fast as he could. After about 2 minutes he reached the exit.

As he reached the exit he saw a large room in front of him. It looked more like a stone room. It was empty with nothing inside it. Suddenly a message arrived in front of him asking him to select a weapon. James clicked the weapon tab and an array of weapons could be seen on the screen in front of him.

He didn't have experience with any weapon apart from a knife sadly. His father said that he was too young for a weapon like a sword or a gun and that a knife in the beginning was suitable enough.

He chose the knife and the message disappeared. Another message popped up saying "Starting Spirit Beast Simulation"

A 3rd stage spirit beast appeared in front of him. It looked at him viciously as if wanting to tear him apart. On the contrary though, James just smiled at the beast and readied his knife.

"This is going to be so easy"

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Notes- to my readers, I hope you like the chapter. The next chapter will be up in a awhile as I think I'll be able to complete it soon. If you find any mistakes or have any suggestions do comment and inform me:)