Chapter 73: The Arrival of the Grand Factions

The grand avenue leading directly to the outer courtyard of the Supreme Evolution Academy was a breathtaking showcase of cosmic wealth and terrifying heritage. As Ethan stepped out from the ordinary wooden carriage, the dense, vibrating resonance of countless mixed mana signatures washed over him like a suffocating tide.

Around him, the air thrummed with raw power. The ground trembled under the rhythmic footsteps of ancient beasts, while the sky above remained darkened by the sheer volume of flying vessels and mythical mounts.

Ethan pulled his simple grey hood slightly lower, his crimson-tinged eyes gleaming with cold, calculating insight as he surveyed the arriving factions. To the ordinary onlookers and awestruck cadets, these arriving groups were legendary figures—unreachable deities of the younger generation. But to Ethan, who possessed both his past-life memories and his system’s perception, each prominent figure was a walking treasure chest of karmic luck and stolen opportunities.

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Directly to the north, a massive, hovering war-galley forged entirely from floating Star-Core Steel descended with a heavy, atmospheric groan. The vessel bore the blazing insignia of the **Ignis Empire**.

As the gangway lowered, a young man surrounded by intense thermal waves stepped out. He was **Prince Ignis Valen**, the empire’s famed Chosen One, born with the *Primal Flame Heart*. His long red hair flickered like actual embers in the wind.

*’Valen...’* Ethan thought, a subtle smirk touching his lips as he watched the prince walk past with arrogant steps. *’In three months, during the Secret Realm Trial of the Burning Abyss, he is destined to find the ancient ’Crimson Lotus Core’—an item that would allow his Primal Flame Heart to reach perfect awakening. A pity for him... I will be taking that lotus core long before he even sets foot near the abyss.’*

To the east, a terrifying blizzard abruptly swept through the summer air, coating the marble cobblestones in a layer of crystalline frost. A carriage pulled by three **Frost-Wyrms** made of pure ice glided to a halt. From within stepped **Lady Sera of the Frost-Peak Duchy**, representing the northern **Glacial Sovereign Empire**. She wore a silver dress etched with ancient ice runes, her expression cold enough to freeze blood.

*’Sera,’* Ethan analyzed silently. *’She carries the rare *Absolute Zero Meridian*. Her path to power relies on acquiring the ’Ice-Heart Chalice’ buried deep beneath the Academy’s mirror lake. Once I intercept that chalice, her terrifying ice magic will stall indefinitely at Rank 3.’*

The grand parade of absolute dominance didn’t stop with the human empires.

From the western sky, a terrifying, shadow-casting shadow descended—a multi-headed **Hydra** carrying an opulent black pavilion on its back. This was the delegation of the **Abyssal Demon Sect**, one of the three most feared dark sects on the continent. Stepping off the beast’s central head was **Young Master Malakor**, his pale skin covered in dark, writhing curse tattoos. He was known across the dark lands as a ruthless prodigy who devoured the soul-cores of his defeated enemies.

Beside them arrived the grand elders of the **Heavenly Sword Sect**, floating down on massive, fifty-foot flying broadswords. Their top disciple, **Kaelen the Blade-Maniac**, stood atop the lead sword, his eyes sharp enough to cut through spatial barriers. Behind him stood the disciples of the **Nine-Tail Beast Tribe**, led by a young fox-princess whose golden eyes sparkled with innate charm-magic, driving nearby cadets into spellbound confusion.

*’The Abyssal Demon Sect... The Heavenly Sword Sect... The Nine-Tail Tribe...’* Ethan tracked each group, mapping out their upcoming fortunes in his mind like a grand master arranging pieces on a chessboard. *’Every single one of them has come here to claim a piece of the world’s fortune. They believe this academy is a playground for their glory. They have no idea it will become their graveyard.’*

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Leaving the chaotic clamor of the outer plaza behind, the massive tide of thousands of applicants and their elite guardians moved toward the true entrance of the institution: **The Grand Void Gate**.

The Supreme Evolution Academy did not resemble a mortal university or school. It was an entire independent realm, a pocket dimension anchored directly into the continent’s primary mana vein.

The main entrance consisted of two colossal white-marble pillars that stretched high into the sky, piercing straight through the cloud layers. Floating between the pillars was a massive, swirling vortex of deep violet spatial energy—the gateway into the academy’s internal world.

Surrounding the gate were towering ancient statues carved from black obsidian, depicting the founding sovereigns of the three mega-empires. The statues radiated an invisible, crushing pressure that forced even Rank 4 elders and arrogant princes to lower their heads and walk on foot.

As Ethan approached the threshold, he felt the spatial energy of the gate wash over his body. His blood-magic stirred slightly beneath his skin, effortlessly cloaking his true power and blending his aura into that of an ordinary, low-profile human applicant.

Stepping through the violet vortex, the scenery abruptly shifted.

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The claustrophobic weight of the outside world vanished, replaced by an expanse of breathtaking grandeur.

Inside the academy realm, the sky was a clear, shimmering azure, dotted with hundreds of **Floating Islands** suspended in mid-air by ancient anti-gravity arrays. Waterfalls of pure liquid mana cascaded from the floating islands down into crystal-clear lakes below. Towering spires built from white jade, colossal combat arenas, and ancient training grounds stretched as far as the eye could see. The concentration of natural mana here was at least ten times denser than outside, making every breath feel rejuvenating.

Thousands of newly arrived students gathered in the central **Grand Amphitheater**—a massive, circular plaza built from white dragon-stone capable of holding tens of thousands of people.

Prince Ignis, Lady Sera, Young Master Malakor, and the other imperial Chosen Ones occupied the front rows, surrounded by their respective factions, their arrogance unhidden. Ethan quietly backed into the middle rows, blending seamlessly into the sea of ordinary students.

Amidst the swirling sea of thousands of students and grand imperial delegations, Ethan’s sharp, crimson-tinged eyes subtly shifted toward the eastern wing of the Grand Amphitheater.

There, surrounded by an oppressive, radiant aura of divine mana, stood the holy delegation representing the **Church of Magic and Knowledge**.

Clad in pristine white-and-gold robes embroidered with intricate runic symbols of enlightenment, the Church’s disciples stood apart from the worldly empires. They possessed an air of supreme detachment, looking down upon the surrounding nobles with quiet, sanctified disdain.

At the very front of the Church’s ranks stood two familiar figures.

**Arthur** stood tall, his stance rigid and cold. Beneath his heavily enchanted white robes, Ethan could feel the faint, restless resonance of the imperial-tier *Flame Sword Bone* embedded in his chest—a lethal artifact Arthur had barely managed to absorb during their chaotic escape from the ruined Secret Realm. Arthur’s face was hardened, his gaze devoid of its former youthful na?veté, hardened by betrayal and surviving on the brink of death.

Standing a few paces behind him, wearing a dark-gold cloak that failed to hide his tense, trembling hands, was **Kael**.

Kael’s eyes flickered nervously across the vast amphitheater, filled with a volatile mix of paranoia, toxic envy, and unspoken resentment. Every time the surrounding crowd whispered Arthur’s name with reverence, Kael’s jaw clenched tightly. The bitter humiliation of his defeat in the Secret Realm had left a festering wound in his pride, driving him deeper into dark obsession.

Ethan watched the pair from beneath the shadow of his grey hood, a cold, amused smile playing on his lips.

*’As expected...’* Ethan thought, his mind calculating their trajectory with absolute precision. *’Both of them survived the downfall of King Vane and anchored themselves firmly to the Church’s faction. Arthur believes his sword bone makes him the chosen protector, while Kael is drowning in his own jealousy, looking for any opportunity to tear Arthur down from his pedestal.’*

However, as Ethan’s gaze scanned the high-ranking priests and paladins standing guard around Arthur and Kael, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Someone crucial was missing.

The supreme figure who had personally rescued Arthur and Kael from the collapsing Secret Realm—the **Priestess of the Church**, the high-ranking Rank 7 powerhouse known across the continent as the *Holy Madam*—was nowhere to be seen.

In her place, leading the Church’s delegation, was merely an elder high priest holding a silver staff of divine judgment.

*’Interesting,’* Ethan analyzed silently, adjusting his cloak as the crowd around him began to disperse. *’A Rank 7 entity like the Holy Madam wouldn’t simply skip the opening ceremony of the Supreme Evolution Academy without a critical reason. Either the injuries she sustained while breaking through the spatial collapse of the Secret Realm were far more severe than the public knows... or she has been summoned back to the Church’s Holy See to answer for the loss of the Emperor’s Golden Lotus Magic Flame.’*

Ethan knew the truth that the Church was desperately trying to hide: he himself had consumed and integrated that imperial flame into his own body using his blood-magic clone and the Red Fire Fairy, achieving Dual-Flame Harmony.

He took a slow step backward, melting effortlessly into the tide of departing cadets.

*’Without the Holy Madam’s direct protection watching over them here at the academy, Arthur and Kael are nothing more than unsheltered pawns,*.

As the sun began to sink below the horizon, casting deep golden rays across the floating islands of the academy realm, Ethan turned his back on the Church’s delegation, disappearing completely into the sprawling shadows of the student quarters.

Suddenly, the ambient noise in the massive amphitheater vanished.

Without a single sound, the spatial fabric high above the central podium warped. A solitary figure stepped out from empty air, standing casually in the sky without relying on any visible flight arrays or beast mounts.

It was an old man. He wore simple, unadorned grey cotton robes, and his long white beard flowed down to his chest. He looked completely ordinary, like a frail elder from a rural village. Yet, the moment he appeared, the entire independent realm seemed to hold its breath. The floating islands stabilized, the cascading mana waterfalls went quiet, and even the most arrogant Rank 4 elders standing near the back dropped to their knees in instinctive submission.

This was the **Principal of the Supreme Evolution Academy—Ancestor Vane**.

Ancestor Vane swept his calm, translucent eyes over the thousands of young elites gathered below. His gaze was so profound that it felt as though he were looking directly into the souls of every single individual present.

"Welcome, young seekers of power," Ancestor Vane spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it resonated clearly inside the mind of every person in the amphitheater.

"You come from grand empires, ancient sects, and sacred bloodlines. In your homelands, you were called prodigies, princes, and chosen ones," the Principal continued, his tone devoid of fluff or flattery. "But the moment you stepped through the Grand Void Gate, your titles, your wealth, and your imperial backing became utterly meaningless."

A heavy, suffocating aura descended from the sky, pressing down on the shoulders of every student. Several weak-willed nobles turned pale, their knees trembling under the pressure.

"In this academy, there is only one currency: **Strength.** There is only one law: **Evolution.** The weak will serve as stepping stones, and the strong will carve their names into the cosmos," Ancestor Vane said, a faint, sharp light flickering in his old eyes. "Tomorrow, the Entrance Trial begins. Prepare yourselves... or be crushed into dust."

With those final words, the Principal’s figure faded into shimmering light, vanishing completely into the void.

Standing silently amid the trembling, intimidated crowd, Ethan slowly raised his head. A cold, dark smile curved his lips beneath his grey hood.