While Others Evolved, I Understood Reality

Just as Adam had deliberated, he simply went with the flow of the ceremony.

The matriculation ceremony followed the usual protocol: students sat through long minutes of boring speeches from their vice-principal. The man spoke about the academy’s history, goals, and what it expected from its students.

Faculty members who would serve as their instructors were then introduced, along with heads of the various academic departments. That was followed by the introduction of the student council.

The president, a third-year fourth class type student, spoke about the duties of the council and what they stood for. The principal of the academy was a no-show, as he was someone who was rarely seen by students of the academy.

What took the crown of the entire ceremony was the vice-principal calling Adam to the forefront and introducing him as his precious disciple. And as one would expect from the majority of students, they didn’t look too pleased.

Adam did not really care what they thought of him. Perhaps the fame and introductions would have pleased him a bit if he had not gone through what he did. Whether they liked him or not was their problem to deal with.

A round of exploration followed after the boring speeches and introductions.

The different Heads of Department, along with a few instructors, led the charge as they guided the students across the academy, showing them where the various departments were located, what they specialised in and more.

A few questions were thrown here and there, and before long, the entire ceremony was brought to a close, having lasted a couple of hours. Adam still marvelled at how ridiculously large the academy was.

It was like its very own city, as it had everything one could possibly think of. Had he known there was a shopping mall in the academy, he might not have stepped out that day.

With the ceremony over, the students were informed to take the rest of the day off, as their very first class would commence the following day. Many split into groups and went their way, their excitement palpable.

"I’ll see you later, April," Adam said as he turned to the pink-haired girl who had stayed at his side since the very beginning.

"You have somewhere to be?" April asked curiously.

"Yeah... My master said to come find him after the ceremony." Adam briefly explained.

"Oh, okay. Then I’ll see you around."

Adam nodded and made his way to the bus terminal. Since the academy was so massive, there were routine buses that traversed various routes through the academy. Boarding the bus bound for the administration section of the academy.

The ride took a little over fifteen minutes. When he arrived, he was directed to where he was supposed to go. Many gazes followed him as most of the workers there had only seen him on the news.

Arriving on the floor of the vice-principal, Adam came to a stop before a desk with a beautiful woman at the helm. Calling it a desk was an understatement, actually. It looked more like an office fit for a CEO.

The woman had sleek black hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a sharp business suit with her cat-eye glasses casually resting on her face. The woman seemed to be busy with her work, as she had not noticed Adam’s presence.

[Kara Whitmore]

His gaze wandered to the nameplate, cataloguing her name into memory.

"Hello, ma’am," Adam called out softly. "I’m here to see Mr Princeton."

The woman finally raised her head, only to pause for a moment. Recognition flashed through her eyes as she realised who it was.

"Well, well, well... If it isn’t our little infamous troublemaker," the woman said as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. She gave Adam a once-over and nodded. "I must say... Mr Princeton sure has good eyes. And call me Miss Whitmore. Ma’am makes me sound old."

Adam nodded with a small smile before saying, "Mr Princeton told me to come see him after the ceremony was over."

"Ah, yes." The woman directed her gaze to the door on her right and added, "He’s right through that door."

"Thank you," he acknowledged the direction and moved.

"A piece of advice, though."

Adam paused in his tracks when he heard the woman’s words. He turned to face the woman as she continued, "Don’t take Mr Princeton’s generosity for granted. It isn’t his job to protect you from every little thing."

"I understand." he nodded and continued on his way.

While he appreciated the advice, it felt like it came from a place of displeasure. Maybe the woman had something against him as well; maybe she didn’t. It didn’t matter. He was not here to be liked by everyone he met.

Adam pushed the fancy door open and entered, his eyes immediately falling on the person sitting behind a desk at the far end of the office. The man must have been expecting him, as he sat back in a domineering posture with one leg crossed over the other.

"You’re finally here."

Asher said with a knowing smile as Adam came to a stop before his desk and gave a small bow in respect. The vice-principal acknowledged the greeting with a nod and gestured for him to take a seat.

"You haven’t run into any new problems, have you?" Asher asked jokingly.

"With what you and my father did, I don’t think so," Adam replied with his own smile, hinting that he knew what the man and his father had done.

"Haha, I knew you’d figure it out." The vice-principal let out a soft laugh before adding, his tone turning serious. "But that was just by the way. And like my secretary mentioned before you stepped in here, I won’t always be around to save, especially when it involves other students."

Adam nodded.

"The academy isn’t as grand as it looks on the surface. You’ll come to realise this eventually." The vice-principal continued. "My advice is to keep to yourself and your studies."

Adam didn’t really understand what his master meant, but since the man said he would come to eventually learn, he left it at that. He would take things as and when they presented themselves.

"But that is not why I called you over," Asher said as he pulled one of his drawers and took out a small, brown notebook. He passed it to Adam, who received it with a curious expression. "That note contains a Spark refinement/cultivation technique of my own creation. It’s my first gift to you as your master. It should serve you better than the generic one available to everyone."

Adam’s hand shook as he received the notebook. He knew just how valuable such a technique was. So for the vice-principal to pass over his technique spoke a lot about his character.

"T-Thank you, Master."

Adam could barely get the words out. This man had done so much for him in the short time he had known him. Truly, the man was one of a kind, and he was glad to have taken him as his master.

"Don’t thank me just yet. I want to see a breakthrough in your cultivation within the first three months or less." Asher replied in a somewhat serious voice.

"Of course!"

Adam, on the other hand, saw no problems with that arrangement. He had already been meaning to develop his own cultivation technique based on all the observations he had made, and was very close to creating one.

But with the note, that task had become several times easier. With a well-explained principle to draw from, he could create a perfectly suitable one for himself tonight!

"Take this as well," Asher tossed something else to Adam.

Adam instinctively caught the item and realised it was a key fob. His eyes widened as he looked back at his master. "T-This is..."

The key fob in his hand was not for just any vehicle. It was from a high-end sports car brand many teenagers his age would die to have for themselves.

"I know your previous car got destroyed during that incident. This should help make commuting easier. You’ll find the car parked at the forefront’s parking lot." The vice-principal explained as though the favour was nothing.

And it truly was.

What Adam did not realise was that the car was from one of the many bases of the Black Dragons he had raided with Adam’s father. It only seemed fair, as those criminals were the ones responsible for destroying Adam’s first car.

Getting the papers for the vehicle was an easy task for someone of his status.

Adam could not help the grin that appeared on his face. His master had truly made his day. Taking the vice-principal as his master might have been the greatest thing he had done so far.

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