Chapter 168: The Chosen Academy (I)

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"Is there something you want to say? I can feel you stealing glances over there," Apollo asked as he glanced at Odessa. Her curious gaze continued to look where his marking above his heart should be. The shape of that tattoo was etched in her mind and it perplexed her.

"Did you do that tattoo yourself, or did it come from your cultivation method? If it's the latter, what kind of cultivation method causes an insignia to appear on your chest. Wait, could it be there's a Divine Cultivation Method in your hand?" Odessa questioned. The more questions she asked, the more the fervent curiosity increased in her eyes.

Shockingly, her previously haughty attitude was nowhere to be seen. This spoke volumes of her ability to adapt and read a situation. Like this, she felt it would be more worthwhile to establish a connection. Not to mention, she was genuinely curious.

Even the majority of the Supreme Family descendants only trained in Heavenly Cultivation Methods. To claim a better version, not only did they need to contribute a decent reputation, they needed to prove their worth was up to par. Furthermore, only the direct progeny of the commanding line in the family was capable of training in their sole Divine Cultivation Method.

'Divine Cultivation Method? Now that I think about it, the system deemed this method to be a Supreme Art. Although I don't know the comparison, seeing as no one in this world mentioned a Supreme Cultivation Method, I think it's safe to assume this goes well beyond this place,' Apollo mused.

"No, I don't have one of those. What I train in is just unorthodox. Why are you so curious? Just because I agreed to think about your offer, it doesn't mean we're friends. We can travel without speech," Apollo answered before moving his eyes away from her.

"So grumpy. I thought it was all just an act earlier, but here I am, the most beautiful girl in our generation, yet you still push me away. Could it be… do you like men?" Odessa muttered with an odd expression. 

In response, Apollo paused. He too, turned towards her with an expression of disgust, "Ask me that question again and see if I don't rip out your tongue. What bullshit is running through your mind? While you are beautiful, I am not one to drool over you humans," Apollo retorted, clicking his tongue.

On the other hand, Odessa picked up on something, "Humans? Aren't you one as well? So why do you speak as if you aren't one of us." Afterward, she leaned closer to inspect Apollo's expression for possible signs of lying.

For a moment, Apollo was silent. Then he uttered a short answer, "Sure."

After that, he fell silent. He stared at the grand gates to the stadium before them, "It seems we can't continue this conversation. Maybe another time," Apollo said as he disappeared by utilizing the Partial Shade Silhouette.

Meanwhile, Odessa's expression became one of deep interest. "He's hiding something. I have to know what it is. Maybe I can use that as leverage to make sure he never defects from my side. If I can do that, I'll effectively claim a Supreme Child as my subordinate! Maybe… He's still hard to control."

Just like Apollo, she too flashed inside the stadium to witness the Academy Choosing Ceremony.

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With a subtle sound, Apollo appeared inside the expansive ring. However, he stayed in an inconspicuous corner. He also listened to Sirius speak as he stood atop the masses in the air.

"Before we begin the ceremony, there are certain things you need to know. Your identification card will detail the overall ranking you received in the trial. Not just the latter, but the former evaluation will be taken into account as well. In fact, it will play a much larger role. After all, potential can't be taught but habits and discipline can be," Sirius announced.

He then followed up by waving his hand. As a result of this action, all of the identification cards began buzzing. Shortly after, a single letter followed by a number between 1 to 60,000 was etched on the cards of those who would enter an academy.

"First and foremost, there is an exception this year. Those of you in 29,999th place and below will enter the 3 bottom academies by default. While you won't be the leading force in reclaiming the world, you can still make for good soldiers. As for those of you above th9see places, take a look at your card," Sirius instructed with a calm tone.

Sure enough, everyone followed as per instructions and looked at their card. As Apollo did so, he was shocked. His place was much higher than he thought it would be due to his disqualification from the second half. While his place wasn't extremely high, it was still fairly good.

[Potential: SSS Rank Evaluation

Combat Evaluation: B Rank (Disqualified)

Overall Ranking: S

Placement: 666th Place]

'This number, I see it often. Perhaps it's a sign. I may need to familiarize myself with it in my free time. It may have a connection to Demons. Nevertheless, I failed to deliver on Gabriel's bet. I didn't enter the top 100.'

"Next, if you tap on the overall ranking, you'll see how many of the academies have chosen to accept you. Additionally, if it reads N/A, then it means the decision hasn't been made yet. If that is the case for you, then wait patiently. We'll just have to carefully examine your strongest qualities," Sirius continued as he turned around to walk back towards his seat.

Meanwhile, Apollo was surprised. On his card, there were 6 Academy Names, additionally, there was even more information.

[Holy Veritas Academy seeks to accept you. Upon entry, a silver apprentice soldier will be given. The benefits that follow are 10 times the regular amount.]

[Sacred Beasts Academy seeks to accept you. Upon entry, a silver apprentice soldier status will be given. The benefits that follow are 15 times the regular amount.]

[Valiant Academy seeks to accept you. Upon entry, a silver apprentice soldier status will be given. The benefits that follow are 12 times the regular amount.]

[Tempest Academy seeks to accept you. Upon entry, a gold apprentice soldier status will be given. The benefits that follow are 5 times the regular amount.]

[Vermillion Night Academy seeks to accept you. Upon entry, a diamond apprentice soldier status will be given. The benefits that follow are 3 times the regular amount.]

In light of the numerous offers, Apollo fell silent. He was shocked to see 5 of the 9 Famed Academies sought him. When it came to information on them, not much needed to be given. Firstly, the seats were organized in a way that gave the participants an idea of each academy.

Secondly, the offers came with background information on the academies. While each academy offered the same course, they all possessed different master practices. For example, Holy Veritas Academy was the holy ground for those walking the path of Restorers. Needless to say, it was monitored by the Crux Family.

But, Apollo was more interested in that last academy. If he was right, then they should specialize in teaching youths the path of Flames and Shadows. In other words, this was the best choice.

However, when he heard Irauk's message in his mind, he chuckled. He knew there was something going on!

'Stubborn lad, do you like how I pulled my weight and got the headmaster of the Vermillion Night to increase your offer by a level. When you get inside, I suggest you extort her to the best of your abilities! Then, you should come back to me and share.'

As he conversed with Apollo, Irauk leaned on his hand with an amused smirk, 'It's because of that boy. That flame I had never seen before came from him. I can feel it. Albeit subtle, it carried an aura similar to him. Maybe he has more on him. He could possibly help me unlock my sealed memories. In turn, I'll make sure his growth is as fast as possible. I feel an omen on the way.'

The stadium fell silent as numerous youths made their decisions. At the same time, Apollo caught sight of Aaron in the corner of his eye. Compared to two weeks ago, his state was much better. The paleness from the repeated trauma to his body was gone, but so was another thing.

The sword that usually hung as his waist was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he didn't carry a weapon at all. He just stood there quietly as he gazed at his options.

"Aaron, did you receive any offers?" Apollo questioned.

Concurrently, Lily appeared next to the two as she gasped at Aaron's arm, "A-Aaron! What happened? Did a beast do that to you?"

"No, this was done by a person. But, don't worry about it. I'll get my revenge later. In the meantime, what Academies will you guys choose?" Aaron inquired as he looked at the two.

Glances were passed back and forth before finally, Lily was the first to answer.