Today, the long - awaited day to head off to school finally dawned.


    Tiannan University was nestled in the capital city of Tiannan Province.


    To reach the university, Kael first needed to take a bus from Shixi County to Donghe City.


    Subsequently, he would board a train there and journey to the provincial capital.


    In present - day Blue Star, within the realm of Daxia, although the extraordinary had made its appearance, the majority of professionals did not operate on this plane.


    As a result, ordinary folks seldom had the opportunity to interact with the extraordinary world.


    In the few hundred years since the establishment of Daxia, the development of magic within the extraordinary society had been nothing short of meteoric.


    In contrast, the progress of mortal technology had been rather sluggish.


    After all, the upper echelons of Daxia were populated by extraordinary professionals.


    Naturally, their primary focus was on matters directly related to themselves.


    For them, the pursuit of more potent enchanted equipment demanded a significant investment of time and effort.


    When the upper echelons paid little heed to the common populace, it was only natural that the bureaucrats followed suit.


    Consequently, over the past century or so, the advancement of ordinary technology in Daxia had ground to a virtual halt.


    Meanwhile, various aspects of the extraordinary society were hurtling forward at breakneck speed.


    Kael purchased a train ticket and boarded the train bound for the provincial capital.


    As a reserve professional who had successfully awakened his spiritual power, he enjoyed a slightly more favorable treatment compared to ordinary individuals.


    He was spared the discomfort of cramming into a crowded carriage.


    Seated comfortably, Kael embarked on his first journey out of Donghe.


    In fact, this marked his maiden train ride in over a decade.


    Even though he had already witnessed a plethora of miraculous phenomena in the Spirit Realm and had attained the rank of an apprentice - level mage himself,


    the experience of sitting on the train and watching the scenery on either side of the tracks whiz by still filled him with a sense of wonder.


    ...


    The journey stretched on for over four hours.


    Once the train reached its destination, Kael alighted, lugging his luggage.


    The existence of social stratification was palpable everywhere, and this was especially pronounced within Daxia.


    The train had been at the station for some time.


    Those who disembarked first were all bona - fide professionals.


    These professionals had occupied the more opulent carriages at the front of the train.


    The interiors of these carriages were exquisitely decorated.


    Only after all these established professionals had departed did it become the turn of apprentice - level professionals like Kael.


    These apprentice - level professionals were not solely composed of students.


    There were also some retired soldiers among them, individuals who would never manage to ascend to the Black Iron rank in their entire lives.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Upon exiting the ticket - checking gate, Kael''s eyes fell upon a table placed in the passenger reception hall.


    A conspicuous sign was affixed to it, reading:


    Tiannan University!


    "Hello, senior. I''m a freshman this year," Kael greeted as he approached, presenting his admission notice.


    "Hello, junior. Follow me," a male student responded. He rose from his seat, perused the notice, and then led Kael to a lounge.


    "Please take a seat here, classmate. We''ll be leaving for the university at five o''clock."


    "Thank you, senior."


    Kael settled into a chair in the lounge and surveyed his surroundings.


    There were already seven or eight individuals seated in the lounge.


    Judging by their youthful countenances, they were likely all freshmen of this year.


    "Hey, bro, where are you from?" A young man seated beside him leaned over and inquired in a friendly, familiar tone.


    "From Donghe," Kael replied, casting a glance at the young man.


    Shixi County fell under the jurisdiction of Donghe City.


    "Pleased to meet you. I''m Su Hao. I''m from Baishi," the young man introduced himself, extending his hand.


    Baishi City was another city within Tiannan Province.


    It wasn''t overly distant from Donghe, where Kael hailed from.


    "Kael," Kael said as he shook the proffered hand.


    "Bro, are you a spellcaster or a warrior - type professional?" Su Hao inquired with a smile.


    "A spellcaster. What about you?"


    "I''m a warrior - type professional..." Su Hao''s eyes betrayed a hint of envy. Indeed, he had every reason to be envious.


    Even among professionals, a distinct hierarchical pecking order existed.


    Among spellcasters, mages reigned supreme, followed by druids, bards, and warlocks.


    Beneath the spellcaster tier, warrior - type professionals also had their own classifications.


    Those warrior - type professionals who could train as knights were considered the elite.


    Next in line were functional warrior - type professionals such as rogues and hunters.


    The most common and basic of them all were warriors, who occupied the lowest rung of the professionals'' hierarchical ladder.


    The reason was simple: there were simply too many warriors.


    With such a large number, their competitiveness in the field waned significantly.


    Subsequently, the two struck up a conversation in the station lounge.


    Su Hao hailed from a well - to - do family.


    His family also boasted professionals.


    His father was a Silver - rank knight, possessing formidable combat prowess.


    The faculty he had applied to at Tiannan University was the Knight Academy.


    As for Kael, he had naturally applied to the Mage Academy.


    "Have you heard the news?" Su Hao lowered his voice conspiratorially.


    "What news?" Kael asked, his curiosity piqued.


    Su Hao then continued, his face taking on a mysterious air, "Among this year''s freshmen, some have already broken through to the Black Iron rank."


    "What!?"


    Kael exclaimed in astonishment.


    "It''s only been two months since the spiritual awakening. How could someone have already reached the Black Iron rank?"


    "You see, it''s not all that surprising. Some people are blessed with exceptional aptitude, and their families have provided them with meditation methods or breathing techniques perfectly tailored to their constitution. "


    "It stands to reason that they would progress more rapidly in their cultivation."


    "Moreover, there are numerous potions available that can accelerate the cultivation process. Consuming these potions at the apprentice rank can significantly boost one''s cultivation speed."


    "Furthermore, while the spiritual awakening of the general populace typically commences at the end of the semester, some individuals took the initiative to undergo spiritual awakening as soon as the school term began. "


    "In fact, some were even earlier. They might have embarked on their spiritual awakening journey as early as eleven or twelve years old."


    "At such a tender age, how could they possibly survive in the Spirit Realm? What if they encounter life - threatening dangers?" Kael furrowed his brow in confusion.


    "Hehe, you''re missing the point. Their families are wealthy enough to outfit them with a complete set of enchanted equipment. "


    "They also carry some scrolls that can be used by ordinary individuals. Unless they find themselves in a truly dire situation, their chances of survival are far greater than those of us common folks."


    "I''ve even heard that there''s an extremely expensive potion. If consumed within the Spirit Realm, it can enhance the probability of a successful awakening."


    Su Hao expounded, shaking his head in a self - assured manner.


    Upon hearing this, Kael couldn''t help but be taken aback.


    Pondering further, it indeed made sense.


    The children of high - rank professionals already had a substantial head start in life compared to him.


    It was common knowledge that even affluent ordinary families would spare no effort to secure better equipment for their children during the spiritual awakening process to ensure their survival.


    Naturally, high - rank professionals would be even more determined not to let their children lead ordinary lives.


    They had the means to provide an even more extensive array of resources.


    Kael mused that perhaps what Su Hao had divulged wasn''t all that astonishing.


    After all, his own family occupied a relatively middle - to - lower position within the professional hierarchy.


    Presumably, within the families of higher - rank professionals, there were even more remarkable resources at their disposal.


    For now, Kael could only speculate.


    It was akin to a peasant trying to fathom how an emperor might use a golden hoe for farming.


    Without ascending to that echelon, it was virtually impossible to truly understand the full scope of the situation.


    The joys of the wealthy were beyond the comprehension of Kael and his ilk, let alone the possibility of experiencing them.