"Nnh….what would make this? About the third time, she's about to intrude on our special moments! I'm starting to think the lonely Teacher Zala may be fascinated by our youthful romance Darcy." Aniela had a rare whine and slight annoyance in her tone.
There were plenty of small annoyances that were easily tolerable for her, from the hassle of getting disdain or the tedious, slow part of Cultivation.
But, one thing she actually could barely put up with is when anyone, no matter their power or status, interrupts her quality time with her Darcel!
Thankfully, with Spirit Sense, no awkward situations arise from getting walked in on.
Darcel, on the other hand, was a bit of the opposite. He simply believes if he has the right amount of power and if the situation calls for it, why should he put up with the annoyance of disdain?
Even the almighty doctors from the Parasol Organization weren't exempt from his snide.
Though with romance?
He only acted on pure instinct, and it wasn't in his blood to hide or cover up his apparent feelings.
Still, Darcel only shrugs while helping Aniela to her feet, saying, "Maybe it's the most amount of action she'll ever see in her life. Besides, even dreary people would want some sort of new shifts."
"Shifts….shifts, huh. Ah….ah! I can tell, despite her buzzing intrusion Today, that Teacher Zala will have a shift for us for the next couple of days."
While looking over to where Teacher Zala was walking, Aniela had this odd intuitive feeling in her gut that never led her astray before.
"Your unique intuition acting up again, airhead? Honestly, at this point, I'm almost starting to believe it's a real power you have." Darcel chided, getting Aniela to shoot him a challenging smile.
She wasn't going to say a word and let her feelings work itself! Though they didn't have to wait long at all since Teacher Zala soon appeared as Darcel stopped talking.
Seeing her gorgeous face, the duo already spotted a surprised yet praising reaction etched on it. A reaction that over these few days, Darcel and Aniela got used to seeing.
If only the duo knew what kind of aura and prowess they spewed off when breaking through to the Nascent Core realm.
When Teacher Zala was making her way to inform the two of important information, she was immediately assaulted with powerful waves of this unfathomable aura.
Right when stepping foot into their courtyard, it was like stepping into another world. And for the briefest of flashes, her eyes could've sworn a magical black, and white color mix took over the whole courtyard.
Accompanying that flash was a snippet of this ethereal aura carrying a unique sensation Teacher Zala never felt before. Furthermore, it was then Teacher Zala could finally sense the duo powerful Nascent Qi.
Observing the always present smiling face of Aniela and Darcel's indifferent one. Teacher Zala just had to shake her head at how casual these two are with their mind-breaking achievements.
"Congratulations on making it to the Nascent Core realm. It was….earlier than I expected. Though I should've expected no less." Of course, this wasn't the first incident of Darcel and Aniela's talents rocking her world.
Over and over again, these two monstrous youths just absorbed everything she taught them like a sponge!
In addition to this, there was also their queer personalities that resemble one particular troublesome girl she knows.
"Teach, seems like the more we impress, the less reactive you get! I think we're going to need to step up our game Darcel." Aniela lightly teased in hopes of seeing a more profound reaction.
"If you were to basically see the same things over and over again just in slightly different variations. Any normal person would start to get unfazed; it's only natural. Though, I'm sure you would somehow find a way to become fazed, Aniela."
Darcel remarked, getting Teacher Zala to lightly sigh.
Even if they're personality does vary from others, high confidence still holds true for all geniuses. Although at least the duo seems a tad more….charismatic with their confidence.
Pushing down such thoughts, Teacher Zala cut straight to the point with them, saying, "Before we go any farther, we have no time to mess around. A vital meeting you two have to attend is coming up."
"Hm? Out of all time, what is so important now?" Darcel questions, still refusing to believe Aniela has intuition powers.
"Today, the disciplinary squad leader, every first ranked student and one other….special extra will meet since they will be leaders when the Black Dungeon Labyrinth expedition starts. And you two are special enough to come since you'll also be working closely with them."
Gauging their reactions, Teacher Zala sort of predicted it.
Darcel didn't look much interested in the meeting though his eyes lit up when she had mentioned the labyrinth. And Aniela just had innate curiosity towards most subjects.
"Ohhh~, meeting the top peaches here already! But that's not the only thing coming up right, Teach?" Aniela cast a brief slightly smug glance at Darcel as she awaited Teacher Zala's answer.
"....Indeed? Well, as you're somewhat guessing it, in just a couple of days, the Asylum of mysteries is opening up to the public. Essentially, you two will be able to explore the hidden, locked side of your Qi, gaining special, deep insights. It'll be especially easy for you two since you have inborn black flaming Qi."
Truthfully, it wasn't a mistake that Teacher Zala thought Darcel and Aniela were born with fire Qi. Darcel had only ever subtly combined his Darkness element with his black flames.
And Aniela only ever used her telekinesis with her black flames. Moreover, neither Darcel nor Aniela had any intentions to correct her or other people's thoughts on their powers.
But hearing that they would get a chance to truly explore their elements' profound depth did ignite a bit of excitement in the two. More so for Darcel since he wanted to know just what's up with his Darkness Qi.
"Now, this sounds like a good time! So? When is the meeting going to start? Or can we just go now? I'm curious to see all the famous peaches here." Though Teacher Zala wasn't quite sure why Aniela referred to them as peaches, she nodded nonetheless.
"If you want, we shall go now."
….
Promptly and in no time at all, Teacher Zala led the duo through the Academy's Core level.
The Vice Principal let the duo stay in the Core level's special genius area. There was positively no doubt in her mind that the duo talent surpassed all Core level students.
Walking through this part of the Academy, Darcel and Aniela could admit to this area's unique aesthetic. Frankly, all the duo did while in the Core level was just stay in their own room and courtyard.
They did get a change in uniform to the dark purple one, but other than that, they hadn't bothered with the distinct differences of Core level students.
But taking a closer look now, the two notice the design of this level was of this dazzling dark purple one, much like their uniforms.
Everything in the Core level as well was fancier and more intricate in scheme.
There were also far fewer students and teachers roaming around the halls since achieving a Core level status is no ordinary feat for students.
While taking in this area's striking look, Teacher Zala soon led them to a beautiful blooming dark purple courtyard. The breeze was incomparably fresh here; plants and trees all blossom, exuding a unique tranquil here.
Currently, the duo notices only four students already in the courtyard, chatting it up with each other—none of which neither Darcel nor Aniela could recognize seeing around the Academy.
But just at first glances and senses, the duo could tell these students certainly was a cut above most of the students here. There was one aura in particular that stood above the three other students.
The four students had also instantly turned their attention to the duo as soon as they arrived.
It was three handsome young men and one beautiful young woman. In particular, one of the handsome young men looked eerily similar to the beautiful young woman.
These two had shoulder-length black hair, similar charming facial features, and even the same crystal clear blue eyes. Among the four students here, there were varying reactions across the board.
The girl's eyes sparkled with intense interest gazing on Darcel and Aniela. Two of the boys zeroed their eyes on them since this was the first time seeing the new rising stars.
They did believe the duo's outrageous prowess considering Teacher Zala was with them, and they had also broken through to the Nascent Core realm already!
Without even talking did Darcel and Aniela created a silent pressure of talent on them.
The only one left who completely froze up seeing the duo was the young boy, Opin.
His senses nearly shattered his mind once feeling Darcel and Aniela levels. That massive chasm once felt before suddenly became even more endlessly vast….
"Ah! If it isn't the two infamous to famous stars of the Zakira Academy! We finally get to talk after all this time; you've left quite an impression on me ever since your duels."
Boldly, the only girl there walked up to the duo, her voice containing this hint of sweet playfulness. The girl, Hao Cao, felt no indignation about simply introducing herself despite what the other boys might be thinking.
And Hao Cao could tell, at least Aniela appreciated this since she noticed her spouting a charming grin while she walked up to them. Darcel only just plainly regarded her.
"You just now left quite a first impression on me! At least your eyes and words are certainly good….what's your name?" Honestly speaking, Aniela wondered if this was the first time someone in their generation tried to amicably reach out to them.
This was already a refreshing change of pace compared to what they fared against before.
Getting close to them, Hao Cao tried to say,
"Ah, I'm-"
"This is Hao Cao, and I'm her Elder brother Hao Bao, a pleasure to meet bo-"
"Acting real shameless once again, Bao~. After you slept in on the day of their duel, now you suddenly care about their stardom~?" The boy who bears a resemblance to Hao Cao grew a bit awkward from his sister teasing tone and interruption.
He obviously couldn't just sit behind and let his younger sister get ahead in forming connections. But he also couldn't refute her words since he actually just stayed in his room on the day of the duo's duel.
Swiftly, Hao Bao tried to shift away from this by asking, "Cultivation is arduous, but enough about that! We still haven't even gotten your names yet?"
Darcel and Aniela found siblings' actions a bit amusing. Though the real kicker for them was Hao Cao.
From their auras, the duo could sense Hao Cao was obviously weaker than Hao Bao. They had then guessed she must be that one special extra Teacher Zala mentioned.
Pushing the thought for later, Aniela brightly introduces themselves, saying, "My name's Aniela. And I hope we don't bore you to sleep Today! Just ask your sister, she knows how….entertaining we can be~."
Immediately Hao Bao was put into a bit of a stutter since this teasing, playful voice dreadfully reminds him of his odd sister.
"Fufufu~, I already quite like her." Hao Cao had to give it up. Even if her interest was more into Darcel, Aniela certainly was an endearing, charming person you would want to befriend.
"It's Darcel. And I suppose you're not such a bad bunch….so far at least." Compared to Aniela, Darcel just bluntly said his feelings without a hint of that bright smile she holds.
Though on his face was a small, confident smirk that was endearing in its own way.
While they introduced themselves, Opin had still stayed rooted to his spot. The utterly overwhelming crushing the duo did was still fresh in his mind. Although the boy next to him wasn't going to wait any longer.
"I also suppose you two aren't such a bad duo after all. The name Jamas, nice to meet both of you." The other boy who suddenly jumped into the conversation had the look and presence of a calm, hardworking disposition.
Jamas wore a different version of the uniform, this time it being a splendid bright lighter purple color.
He had a sharp, serious face that spells out his personality and a decently strong aura that most certainly towers above the three students here.
"Oh? Finally, build up that nervous courage to talk to new ones, Jamas~?" Hao Cao lightly jested, getting Jamas to snort.
"You're sure talking big, coming from the one who held the most anticipation about meeting them." Already, Darcel and Aniela could tell, at least these three, know each other for a little bit of time.
Frankly, the duo thought there would be a more prominent division between these top-ranked students, but this reality was a welcoming change.
Hao Cao's smile grew a bit wider; however, before she could respond, a lively person entered the scene.
"WAHAHAHA!! ALREADY MEETING THE NEW HOT SHOTS, HUH?!?"
A bolstering blooming loud girl voice blared in the whole courtyard. The first thing Darcel and Aniela could tell was this one held absolutely zero noise control.
Looking over at the students' faces, they also saw exasperated reactions. Jamas and Hao Bao were lightly groaning while Hao Cao's smile had even tightened a bit.
Glancing to where the loud voice was coming from, Darcel and Aniela saw another top tier beautiful girl causally strutting over to them.
Undoubtedly, not only his voice attention capturing her appearance also forcefully took your attention.
This girl had to be the bustiest youth the duo had ever witnessed! She was charmingly sexy with bountiful D-cups breasts, a bewitching curvaceous body, and a large plump behind.
On top of her head was stunningly gorgeous long pink hair that ran all the way down to her juicy behind.
Her uniform as well differs from the standard. It was the same dark purple uniform the duo wore, but she had personally designed her sleeves, making it far shorter to showcase her clean, beautiful skin.
The biggest thing Darcel and Aniela note about this girl was her powerful radiant aura. It majorly surpassed all of them here to the point where the duo was sure this girl could slap Jamas in one move.
Truth be told, besides thinking this girl should adjust her volume a bit, Darcel didn't have any problem with this kind of energy. Since right by him, Aniela proved why he's used to lively people.
She had immediately walked up to the loud girl, directly asking, "Hey, nice energy! What's your name?"
The pink hair girl broadly smile and strut out her hand, telling her,
"Shai Xia! Yours?!"
In the same eagerness, Aniela clamped her hands with her, sweetly laughing in the process, telling her,
"Hehehe~! It's Aniela! I can tell already you're exciting to be around!"
Tightly gripping her hand, the two girls stared into each other's eyes as Shai Xia laughingly said, "Wahaha!! Finally! Someone who can match my tempo! It's been too long!"
"Haah….of all things to hear in the morning….learning that we now have another one of her in our ranks is already tiring." From close by, Darcel heard the tired sigh of a sweet soothing voice.
Looking over to this girl, Darcel had immediately regarded her more than the other students.
She had a more strict calm beauty compared to the other girls. Her body was an athletic well-toned one spouting a dependable vibe about her.
She was the only one that wore unique designer glasses and even had a specific hairstyle. She had long light brown hair braided into a hair bun with gorgeous strands of her hair running down her neck.
Her uniform consisted of a new design, with it being an elegant mix of blue and purple.
And being the last one to show up, Darcel sensed she was by far the strongest youth he ever felt since coming to this planet!
The chasm between her and Shai Xia was hugely vast though her aura was much calmer and collected. Without putting much thought into it, Darcel could guess this girl had to be the disciplinary squad leader.
While Aniela and Shai Xia was having their energetic meeting, this strict looking beauty walked up to Darcel, also hearing Hao Cao say,
"Fuuu, well, their kinds of personalities aren't so bad. People like them are practically the life of the party."
The brown hair girl only shook her head at Hao Cao's explanation once nearing Darcel. She held out her hand, telling him,
"My apologies for not showing up to your duel. That day I had prioritized my work, not realizing we have such a great rising star in our Academy. My name is Joyce, yours?"
Hao Cao, Hao Bao, Jamas, and even Opin were at a slight shock. Since when did this professional and rigid girl suddenly become so amicable?!
Darcel, however, had no information about her personality and evenly stared into her stunning brown eyes. Taking her soft, smooth hand, Darcel told her,
"It's Darcel. And I guess it's also intriguing to meet with a star that's already peaking."
"She's only the peak star here because she has cheats to speed up long and boring cultivation!" When Darcel finished talking, Shai Xia walked back over with Aniela in tow.
Aniela went back to Darcel's side while also saying, "Oh?! I didn't think this Academy already had cheaters turned to stars beside us?"
"Haah….it's not cheating but just a part of my family arts. Xia, all your excuses amount to in Cultivation is you just being lazy and uncaring."
Hearing the cold but undeniable truth caused the already excitable girl to get riled up even more!
Although before she or anyone else could say anything, a steel-like sharp, powerful voice cut through the courtyard, blaring in everyone's ears. They all knew this voice; it only belonged to the profound Vice-Principal!
"I see everyone has arrived and is getting along now….good, we can get straight down to business."