Chapter 49: Rewards

The ten candidates remained near the front of the examination hall.

Ben stood beside Amanda and Maya, waiting for the academy representatives to distribute the rewards.

The other top-ranked candidates were also gathering near the platform.

Ben recognized a few of them from the ranking list. Adrian Valcrest, who had secured first place, stood a short distance away. He was a young man with short golden hair and a confident expression.

Several people had gathered around him, congratulating him on his achievement.

Serena Frost and Kael Draven were standing nearby. Both seemed accustomed to receiving attention, and neither appeared particularly surprised by their rankings.

Ben looked at the group for a moment before turning his attention toward the instructors.

A middle-aged woman wearing the Jupiter Academy uniform walked onto the platform. She carried a small metallic case, followed by two attendants.

"First of all, congratulations to the ten candidates who achieved the highest scores in this year’s entrance examination."

She looked across the group.

"Your performance has demonstrated that you possess the potential to become valuable members of Jupiter Academy. However, remember that your current ranking is only a starting point. Once you enter the academy, your future will depend on your own efforts."

She waved her hand.

A large screen appeared behind her.

[Top Ten Rewards]

[Rank 1: Adrian Valcrest]

Legendary-rank Sword Art

100,000 Celestial Stones

10,000 Academy Credits

Exclusive cultivation resources

[Rank 2: Serena Frost]

Epic-rank Technique Selection

70,000 Celestial Stones

7,000 Academy Credits

Exclusive cultivation resources

[Rank 3: Kael Draven]

Epic-rank Artifact Selection

50,000 Celestial Stones

5,000 Academy Credits

Exclusive cultivation resources

[Rank 4: Evelyn Ashford]

30,000 Celestial Stones

4,000 Academy Credits

Epic-rank Resource Selection

[Rank 5: Ben Parker]

20,000 Celestial Stones

3,000 Academy Credits

Epic-rank Resource Selection

[Rank 6-10]

10,000 Celestial Stones

1,000 Academy Credits

Advanced cultivation resources

Ben studied the list.

Twenty thousand Celestial Stones and three thousand Academy Credits.

It was a decent reward.

He was particularly interested in the Academy Credits. Amanda had previously mentioned that students could use them to access various facilities, purchase resources, and exchange for techniques.

They were essentially the academy’s internal currency.

The woman continued.

"Your rewards will be transferred to your student accounts once you complete your admission registration. The physical rewards and resource selections will be distributed separately."

She gestured toward the first candidate.

"Adrian Valcrest, please come forward."

Adrian stepped onto the platform.

The woman smiled.

"Congratulations on securing first place. Your performance was excellent, and we hope you will continue to achieve great things within Jupiter Academy."

"Thank you."

One of the attendants opened the metallic case and took out a black storage box.

The woman handed it to Adrian.

"Your Legendary-rank Sword Art is stored inside. You will also receive the remaining rewards through your student account."

Adrian accepted the box.

He looked satisfied, but his expression remained calm.

After him, Serena Frost stepped forward and received her reward. Kael Draven and Evelyn Ashford followed.

Soon, it was Ben’s turn.

"Ben Parker."

He walked toward the platform.

The woman looked at him with a little more interest than she had shown the previous candidates.

"Congratulations on securing fifth place. Your performance was particularly impressive considering that you do not belong to any of the major families."

"Thank you."

She nodded.

"Your results across all five examinations were consistently high. Your performance in the Wisdom Trial and Comprehensive Trial was especially good."

Ben listened quietly.

The woman continued.

"Your rewards will be transferred to your student account after registration. As for your Epic-rank Resource Selection, you may choose from the available options at the academy’s resource department."

One of the attendants handed him a small black card.

"This is your provisional admission card. It contains your examination results and will be linked to your student account after registration."

Ben accepted it.

The card was smooth and had the Jupiter Academy emblem engraved on its surface.

He examined it briefly before putting it away.

"Thank you."

The woman nodded.

"Welcome to Jupiter Academy, Ben Parker."

Ben returned to Amanda and Maya.

Maya immediately asked, "What did you receive?"

"Twenty thousand Celestial Stones, three thousand Academy Credits, and an Epic-rank Resource Selection."

Maya nodded.

"That’s quite good."

Amanda smiled.

"Those credits will be useful. You can exchange them for cultivation resources, techniques, and access to certain training facilities."

Ben looked at the card in his hand.

"Can I use them immediately?"

"After completing your registration, yes."

Ben nodded.

He was already thinking about how to spend them.

He had several things he wanted to improve, and the academy’s resources might help him make faster progress.

Meanwhile, the reward distribution continued.

Once the final candidate received their reward, the academy representative returned to the center of the platform.

"Now that the rewards have been distributed, I will explain the next steps."

The screen changed.

[Admission Registration]

[Registration Period: Three Days]

[Academy Orientation: After Registration]

[Classes Begin: Next Week]

"All successful candidates must complete their admission registration within the next three days. During registration, you will receive your student identification, dormitory assignment, and access to the academy’s internal system."

The woman paused.

"Students ranked within the top thirty will also receive additional accommodation privileges. You will be assigned to the advanced student residential area rather than the standard dormitories."

Ben raised an eyebrow.

That sounded convenient.

He did not know much about the academy’s residential arrangements, but better accommodation was always welcome.

The representative continued.

"Once your registration is complete, you will be free to explore the academy’s public facilities. However, certain areas will remain restricted until your classes begin."

She looked across the candidates.

"That concludes the admission ceremony. Welcome to Jupiter Academy."

A round of applause spread through the hall.

The candidates began leaving the examination area.

Ben turned toward Amanda.

"Do we need to complete the registration today?"

Amanda shook her head.

"You have three days. There’s no need to rush, but I suggest completing it as soon as possible."

Maya nodded.

"We can take you to the registration building. It’s not far from here."

Ben looked toward the exit.

"Then let’s go."

The three of them left the examination hall.

Outside, the area was still crowded. Several candidates were meeting their families, while others were speaking with representatives from different organizations.

Ben noticed that a few people were looking in his direction.

He ignored them.

However, as they walked toward the academy’s main building, someone called out.

"Ben Parker!"

Ben stopped and turned around.

A young man was approaching them.

He appeared to be around the same age as Ben, with dark brown hair and a well-built physique. His clothes were expensive, and a silver emblem was attached to his chest.

Ben recognized him.

He was Marcus Veyron, the candidate who had secured sixth place in the overall ranking.

Marcus stopped in front of them.

His eyes briefly moved toward Amanda and Maya before returning to Ben.

"So you’re Ben Parker."

"That’s right."

Marcus looked at him for a moment.

"Congratulations on fifth place."

"Thank you."

Marcus smiled, although there was something slightly competitive in his expression.

"I watched your performance during the final examination. You were quite good at finding an opening in the formation."

Ben nodded.

"It was mostly observation."

"Perhaps."

Marcus glanced toward the academy building.

"Anyway, we’ll be classmates soon. I hope we get the chance to compete again."

Ben gave him a polite smile.

"Maybe."

Marcus seemed satisfied with the answer.

He turned and walked away.

Maya watched him leave.

"That was Marcus Veyron. He’s from the Veyron Family."

Ben glanced at her.

"Is there something special about him?"

"His family is quite influential. They control several resource mines and have a long history of producing powerful cultivators."

Amanda added, "He is also one of the more talented young members of his family. You should expect to meet people like him frequently inside the academy."

Ben nodded.

He had already understood that Jupiter Academy was filled with talented individuals from powerful backgrounds.

He would have to get used to it.

The three continued walking.

Soon, they arrived at a large building with the words ADMISSION AND REGISTRATION written above its entrance.

Several candidates were entering and leaving.

Ben stepped inside.

The interior was spacious, with multiple service counters arranged in rows. A large holographic display showed different registration procedures.

An attendant noticed them and approached.

"Are you here to complete your admission registration?"

Ben nodded and showed his provisional admission card.

The attendant scanned it.

A moment later, a holographic screen appeared.

[Candidate: Ben Parker]

[Final Rank: 5]

[Admission Status: Confirmed]

[Registration: Pending]

"Please place your hand on the identification scanner."

Ben followed the instructions.

A faint blue light passed over his palm.

Several seconds later, the screen changed.

[Identity Verification: Successful]

[Student Account: Created]

[Student Identification: Issued]

A small metallic card emerged from the machine.

The attendant handed it to Ben.

"This is your student identification card. It will be used to access academy facilities, make purchases, receive resources, and record your academic progress."

Ben examined the card.

His name and student number were displayed on its surface, along with the Jupiter Academy emblem.

The attendant continued.

"Your rewards have also been transferred to your student account."

Ben checked the information.

[Celestial Stones: 20,000]

[Academy Credits: 3,000]

[Resource Selection: Available]

He was satisfied.

The attendant then opened another screen.

"Since you ranked fifth in the entrance examination, you qualify for the advanced residential area. Your assigned accommodation is located in the eastern residential district."

A map appeared.

Ben looked at the highlighted building.

"Is that where I’ll be staying?"

"Yes. You will have a private residence with access to the advanced residential facilities. Your student card will unlock the entrance."

Ben nodded.

That was better than sharing a room with several other students.

The attendant handed him a small information device.

"This contains the academy map, student regulations, facility locations, and other important information. You can access the same information through your student account."

Ben accepted it.

"Thank you."

"You’re welcome. Your admission registration is now complete."

A notification appeared on his card.

[Welcome to Jupiter Academy]

[Student Status: Active]

Ben looked at the message.

After all the preparation and the entrance examination, he was finally an official student of Jupiter Academy.

He put the card away and turned toward Amanda and Maya.

"Registration is complete."

Maya smiled.

"Then we can finally take a look at your new residence."

Amanda nodded.

"Let’s go. I want to see where they’ve assigned you."

Ben followed them outside.

As they walked toward the eastern residential district, he opened the academy map on the information device.

The map displayed an enormous campus.

There were training grounds, research buildings, libraries, resource departments, medical centers, residential districts, and several other facilities.

Ben scrolled through the available locations.

The academy was practically a city of its own.

’This place is much larger than I expected.’

He continued examining the map.

There were even several restricted areas marked with red symbols. Their descriptions indicated that access required special permission or a sufficiently high student rank.

Ben became interested.

There were clearly many things he could explore after settling in.

For now, however, he needed to become familiar with the academy and understand how its internal system worked.

He looked ahead.

The eastern residential district was already visible in the distance.

His new life at Jupiter Academy was about to begin.