Later that day, at night. Mary came back from work. On the other hand, Jedidiah was reading something. Maybe he was doing his homework.

Not wanting to disturb him, Mary took some time to refresh herself. After that, she came downstairs. She wanted to talk to Jedidiah, but she didn’t see him.

“Jedidiah, where are you? Please, come. I have something to tell you! I bet you will like it!” She called out.

Outside, Jedidiah was practicing his martial arts. After hearing his aunt’s call, he quickly ran inside the house to see what his aunt wanted.

Upon his arrival, his aunt said, ‘Jedidiah, I’ve noticed your love for martial arts. So, I’ve decided to enroll you in the panel martial academy. What do you think?”

“Wait, what?! You’re joking.” Jedidiah says as he starts getting hyper.

“Nope, get ready because I’m taking you there tomorrow.” Aunt Mary replied.

Seeing Aunt Mary’s serious face, Jedidiah was ecstatic! In ecstasy, Jedidiah started jumping everywhere! He literally let loose, void of sort of self-control.

On the other hand, aunt Mary was just standing there smiling as she watched Jedidiah dance about happily.

-----

The following day, after school. Jedidiah worked extra hard. He made sure he had finished all his homework during lunch. After school, he got home and waited patiently for aunt Mary.

Time seemed to pass SLOWLY! The whole room went silent. It was silent to the point that he could even hear the clock ticking. Even his breath became the loudest thing in the house as he waited patiently.

An hour passed. Shortly after, 2 hours had also passed by. At this point, Jedidiah was just about to give up on his auntie. Seated lazily on the couch, Jedidiah could only helplessly look at the door in high hopes that it would open.

Not long after, aunt Mary finally arrives back home. To Jedidiah’s surprise, she wasn’t alone. His uncle, Alex, had just come back from his mission outer-space. As one of the top generals, it’s important that he’s present to lead his men.

In shock, Jedidiah ran quickly and hugged his uncle. It’s been more than a year since he had last seen his uncle. That being said, Jedidiah missed his uncle. However, this also made him more independent and ...mature

“Ah, I missed you too. Don’t worry, your aunty already told me what was going on. I’m so proud of you. So, today, I’ll be going with you guys. I want to see how well your hard work has amounted to. I know you’d make me proud!”

Uncle Alex said as he looked at Jedidiah, whose hands were wrapped tightly around him.

“No problem. As long as I am not dead, nothing is too hard for me.” Jedidiah replied with a carefree tone.

“That’s my boy. Haha,” Uncle Alex laughs heartily.

-----

Sometime after, uncle Alex and aunty Mary got settled and took Jedidiah to the panel martial academy.

It took 3 hours to travel to the panel martial academy. It was very big and grand. Taking over thousands of miles, this academy was not something that can easily be trifled with. In front of them stood a silver-colored Victorian-styled gate that was dozens of feet high. On both sides of the gate were 4 sets of guards who protected the academy from intruders.

Approaching the gate, one of the guards stopped them. This was part of the safety protocols upon arrival for guests and visitors. After asking a few questions like their names, purpose of visitations, sect, and more. He eventually let them in, once he was sure all their answers were correct.

On the other side of the gate, the school looked like a sanctuary. In the middle, there was a road which was made of marble stones. It led straight to the school. On both sides of the road, there were fields of grass that looked vibrant and flourished. At the end of the road, there was a water fountain which seemed to be magical. Every time it sprouted water, the pattern was always different from the other. From the perspective of newcomers, this grand display was very welcoming.

Behind the water fountain, was the first department of the school. It was quite the thing, to be honest. It looked modern. The bricks outside were painted white. On the walls, there were some silver drawings which also helped to beautify the academy. There were drawings of dragons, griffins, hawks, Sabertooth tigers, and more.

To their surprise, there was a great line of people who were waiting to park their vehicles on the right side of the school. Fortunately for Jedidiah, his family-owned an aeromobile car. That being said, cars of this caliber have a special place where they would be parked. And the best part of this was that the parking lot for aeromobiles was on the left side of the academy.

After parking their car, all of them walked into the academy. Inside, there were reception desks on all corners of the academy. These desks were strategically placed there to help ease the tension of the waiting line. This way, people from all walks of life could easily enroll their children into the academy.

When Jedidiah, Alex, and Mary entered the academy, they were greeted by long lines of people. These people were from all types of backgrounds and stature. In front of them, the line seemed to be endless, however, it didn’t take long before it was their turn.

When it was their turn, they were greeted by a female receptionist. She asked for their information and took some time as she typed them into the computer. Not long after, she told them they were clear to go. She gave Mary and Alex a brochure and gave Jedidiah a token. The brochure had everything needed for the parents to know; the events, the teachers, and the tests that their children would be tested with. As for the token, it was a symbol that identified the student. Who would then be accredited a number by which they would be identified by when tested.

Reading the brochure, there was a mini-map that helped direct the student and their family to the waiting hall. This was the place where the students and their families would wait until it was their turn to be assessed.

Following the brochure, Mary led the group to the waiting hall.

The hall was big! Enormous! Words can’t describe how big this hall is. It was rectangular in shape. The walls were painted with a peculiar cream color, almost like an eggshell color. The waiting hall was ‘split’ in half. There were bleachers on one side of the hall in which parents, guests, and even elders sat. On the other side, there were brown chairs that were placed for the students or participants to sit on.

Each seat had a number on it. These numbers represented a student. So, students would have to look around for their respective seats in which they would wait until their turn was called.

When Jedidiah found his seat, he sat down there and waited patiently. To his left and right, there were floods of students seated. However, some seats were not yet filled.

As time passed, the empty seats gradually became full. The hall also became noisier. Students could be seen conversing from each side of the hall. Even Jedidiah himself was fortunate enough to make a friend or two here,

From every side of the hall, a voice rang out loud and audibly, “Hello, my name is Qin Shi. Today, I will be your instructor.”

As the voice rang out, the chatters and murmurs which filled the hall died out speedily. People were looking all over to search for who was speaking. Even the adults were also looking for the speaker.

Not long after, a middle-aged man appeared in front of the students. He had brown eyes and hair on his head. He also wore a cream-colored overall garment and some green straps which ran over his shoulders.

“Please, numbers 1 to 100, make your way up to the front of the waiting hall. You guys will be led by another teacher. Please, behave yourselves and don’t make trouble!” He said.

After that, the man disappeared. It was almost as though he was a piece of dust blown away. He just vanished without a trace.

Well, unfortunately for Jedidiah, he was not amongst the first 100. He was number 270. This made Jedidiah feel sad because he was practically the last set of students to be called in. However, this is not what he wanted. He wanted to be one of the first set of students. This way, he would get a feel of what the test would be like, and an idea of how he could overcome it.

That being said, Jedidiah had to wait 3 extra hours. During this long waiting period, he was extremely bored. Students were not allowed to socialize with one another. So, Jedidiah couldn’t speak with his uncle and aunt regardless of how much he wanted to. It was a rule.

Left stranded, Jedidiah tried to befriend his peers, but for some reason, they all felt irritated by his presence. To his left, there was a boy who wore a golden and silver-colored garment. He had a small man bun that was neatly packed by what looked like a crown on his head.

Looking at him. At first, he didn’t seem to notice Jedidiah’s gaze. However, it didn't take long for him to notice Jedidiah’s innocent eyes all over him.

“How dare you look at me, do you know who I am? I am Radrock, the first son of Baron Tah. I hail from the royal house of Elvis. So, if you know what is good for you, you better kneel and bow to your master, peasant”

Hearing this, Jedidiah was at a loss for words. One thing about Jedidiah is this; there’s a lot of things he tolerates. However, treating him or someone else like an animal was just something he hated to see.

Now, he is being treated like a peasant, Jedidah chose not to lose his temper. This time, he chose not to lose face for his uncle and aunt. Instead, he was going to strategically deal bountifully with his enemies. Now, please, do not be mistaken, Jedidiah doesn’t think this kid worthy enough to be his enemy because he knows nothing of this person. However, he plans to take his time to learn more about this dandy, Radrock.

After making up his mind, Jedidiah finally pays attention to Radrock. Or at least, he pretended to do so.

“Oh, forgive me. I didn’t know it was you, your highness. Please, forgive your subordinates. They have made a horrible mistake and they are sorry.” Jedidiah says as he pretends to be a remorseful slave.

He did all of this because he wanted to know the heart of this stranger, Radrock. Who does he think himself to be, to be able to talk so highly of himself? This action has long gotten over Jedidiah, and in return, Jedidiah was really ho[ing to meet him during the test trials.

Now, although Jedidiah was confident in himself, he wasn’t sure about the strength of his enemies. So, he decided to do the smart thing; Test Radrock’s strength during the tests. By observation, Jedidiah believed he could find out more about this loudmouth than what was actually seen.

******

Not only that. After Jedidiah was entertaining Radrock, he also tried to befriend the neighbor to his right. This time, Jedidiah wanted to be more professional in his way of approach.

Clearing his throat, he decided to introduce himself.

“Hello, my name is Jedidiah, and you?” Jedidiah asked kindly with a warm smile that ran across his face.

Only for this person to turn around, It ended up being Gustus. Yes, the same Gustus who humiliated him a year ago. This is the very same Gustus who belittled him and squandered his dreams; to one day become a powerful king and more in the future.

Seeing each other, their eyes were locked upon each other. Jedidiah was filled with mixed feelings. Only for him to think that things would get better, his thoughts were wrong. On the other hand, he was also shocked. He never knew that ‘Fat Gustus’ would one day aspire to learn martial arts. I mean, with all his weights, and flaps of skin, how can he even practice martial arts? Anyway, that wasn’t the issue. Jedidiah has constraints, he still intended to be cordial to Gustus.

“Jedidiah? What are you doing here? Wait, don’t tell me a waist like you are really going to try out for the academy?” Gustus asked spitefully.

“Yes, I do. I plan to try out for the academy, just like you.” Jedidiah replied.

“Ahh, okay. What number are you anyway? If you are in the same group as me, compete with me. That’s if you dare. Don’t blame me for teaching you a lesson then.” Gustus said tauntingly.

“Haha..you’re on. I’m number 270. Don’t worry, I will be looking forward to fighting with you later. Maybe you can back up your words, or maybe you would learn to shut up after this.” Jedidiah said calmly.

People around them who heard what was going on turned and looked over at Jedidiah and Gustus. They were all shocked at what they had heard. Although Jedidiah never openly threatened Gustus, just by his tone alone, it was already enough to steer up indescribable fear in the hearts of many.

Due to this, a small circle had already been unconsciously formed. Looking around, Gustus was ashamed and furious because he noticed some people laughing at him. Some were even mocking him as they watched expectantly for his reaction.

However, he was at a loss for words. Angry, Gustus had no other choice but to turn around angrily as he plotted against Jedidiah.

Happy, Jedidiah was very satisfied. He sat down expectantly as he waited for his number to be called.

----

Some hours later, the first and second set of potential students had already been tried. Jedidiah did not see them, however, he knew that they were over because Qin Shi came over and called in Jedidiah’s group.

“Okay, you guys are the last set. Please come with me.” Mr. Qin Shi asked kindly as he led the group towards the testing space.