Chapter 47: All Gathered
Hearing the voice, Derek turned around and froze for a moment.
It was Art Flamel, the renowned alchemist from his past life whom Derek met during the test last week.
"So it really is you," Art said with a warm smile as he approached. "That was one hell of a show last week. I mean, you were smashing those boulders like they were made of clay."
"Thanks," Derek replied with a polite smile, though inwardly he was panicking a little.
’Please don’t ask how I knew you were from an alchemist family... please...’
But Art didn’t ask anything.
Instead, he simply extended his hand with a friendly smile. "I’m Art Flamel."
Derek accepted the handshake. "Derek Hale."
"It’d be great if we both ended up in the Elite Class," Art said with a chuckle. "But with your skills, you’ll definitely make it there. I, on the other hand, will probably just barely squeeze into the normal class."
"We can’t be that sure," Derek replied lightly. "After all, I’m only a cultivator."
Art’s smile faltered for a moment. "That’s..." he began, but couldn’t find the right words. Everyone knew how difficult life was for cultivators in this academy.
"Don’t worry," Derek said, noticing Art’s awkwardness. "Let’s go. The orientation is about to start."
With that, the two of them walked toward the gathering area.
As Derek appeared, dozens of heads turned in his direction.
Everyone had seen his overwhelming performance in the second round, and even though most hadn’t witnessed the final one, the stories told by their parents had left them utterly stunned.
Under the weight of countless curious gazes, Derek and Art quietly joined the group.
"That guy... he’s a monster," one boy whispered.
"Yeah, right? He shattered those boulders without even breaking a sweat," another replied.
But then, a girl with a ponytail spoke up from the side. "You guys have no idea. If you knew what his cultivation level is, you’d understand what kind of freak of nature he really is."
"Really?! Why? Don’t tell me he’s already F-Class?" the boy who had first called Derek a monster asked in disbelief.
"No," the girl said calmly. "He’s already E-Class."
She had been present during the first phase of the test. She had seen it with her own eyes.
The moment she said that, everyone instinctively turned to look at Derek.
"He... he’s an E-Class?! Is that even possible?"
Dozens of stunned faces stared at him as if they’d just seen a ghost.
While some were awestruck by his talent, others looked at him with thinly veiled envy. To them, it felt almost like Derek had committed a crime by being that strong.
Among the crowd, two boys and a girl stood out. They all wore noble robes like a few of the other students, clear signs that they came from high-born families.
"Monster, my ass," one of the boys spat bitterly. "I’ll show him who’s boss soon enough."
The boy beside him quickly agreed. "Yes, Young Master Leo. No matter how high his cultivation realm is, he could never compare to you. After all, he’s just a cultivator."
The boy in the noble attire, Leo didn’t reply. He simply smirked, a sneer twisting his lips.
Nearby, the other noble pair, one boy and one girl were also glaring at Derek. The boy leaned toward the girl and muttered, "What do you think, Selina? You think he’s from one of the legacy families like us? Otherwise, how could someone reach E-Class this fast?"
The girl named Selina didn’t reply immediately. She kept her gaze fixed on Derek for a few seconds, her expression unreadable. Then she finally spoke.
"From one of the legacy families, huh? I don’t think so. Look at his clothes," she said flatly.
The boy beside her followed her gaze and studied Derek’s attire.
Selina continued, her tone thoughtful. "Would a boy from a legacy family dress that shabbily? I doubt it. And even if he were, we’re from legacy families too, yet we haven’t even reached F-Class. No... something else is going on with him."
Her words hung in the air. After that, both of them fell silent, quietly watching Derek’s every movement.
Meanwhile, Derek and Art stood together among the gathered students, chatting casually with the others to pass the time.
Everyone was waiting for all the successful candidates to arrive before the orientation could begin.
Out of a hundred candidates, more than ninety were already there and only a few were still missing.
Then, a sudden wave of murmurs spread through the crowd as everyone turned toward the entrance. Noticing the commotion, Derek also turned around and looked toward the gate.
Through the gate, Cecilia Glaciblade had just stepped inside. She then started walking with calm confidence toward the gathered group.
"It’s her," Derek whispered under his breath.
Cecilia kept walking straight in their direction. For a moment, everyone thought she was going toward Derek and would talk to him. After all, she didn’t get to end her duel with Derek during the final phase of the test.
But just as she reached them, she stopped, folded her arms, and turned her gaze elsewhere, pretending not to notice him.
Seeing that, Derek couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. ’She wants to talk, but she won’t.’
Meanwhile, several boys nearby were practically dazzled.
"She’s so gorgeous," one of them murmured. "Should I go talk to her?"
The boy beside him smirked. "Sure.. if you don’t mind a sword pressed against your throat afterward."
"Uh... right," the first boy said, instantly losing his courage. "Forget it."
Soon after, the last of the successful candidates began arriving one by one.
When everyone had finally gathered, the massive doors of the main academy building creaked open.
An elderly woman emerged, flanked by two middle-aged instructors. She wore a tall, pointed hat that rose like an arrow toward the sky, and in her hand gleamed a silver wand.
When they reached the students, the elderly woman stopped. Her voice, though weary with age, carried a melodious authority as she spoke:
"Welcome, everyone."