The Martial Unity

By the time the last student of the Exploration Stage broke through, not a single one of them could believe what had just happened to all of them.

Suddenly, they had all broken through to the Apprentice Realm.

To say they were shocked was an understatement.

What had happened defied the natural order.

Yet, before they could even process their experience, they felt dizzy, falling unconscious.

"What did you do?" the headmistress asked, growing concerned. "I wiped out their memories of the experience," Rui calmly replied. "I cannot have them remember what it was that led to their breakthroughs to the Apprentice Realm."

Of course, he was quite positive that there were very few, if any at all, people capable of replicating the process. Part of the reason that these breakthroughs unfolded much quicker than they ever had in the past was because he applied not just the VOID algorithm to the process but also the SOUL System, allowing him to show them, through their clones, the very inception of their intent.

In other words, he was the only one capable of triggering this particular kind of breakthrough. Still, he found it worthwhile to ramp up the security measures and ensure that he wiped out their memories on the matter.

This was despite the fact that he had no experience doing so. All he had was the distant lesson that he had gotten from Master Zeamer back when he had still been a new Martial Senior for the most part.

He had to admit that he was only able to get it because his targets were new Martial Apprentices while he was a Master with a high affinity for combat.

"Alright." He heaved a sigh. "We're done here. Thankfully, it only took half an hour. I don't think I could bear to waste any more time on a somewhat frequent basis."

However, while he walked away nonchalantly, the headmistress braced herself for the ramifications of his actions with grave severity.

This was not something that could be blown under the rug to avoid the public shock that it would cause. How could one explain hundreds of students breaking through to the Apprentice Realm in a single day?

It was a miracle, the likes of which were so unlikely that she had a higher chance of breaking through to the Sage Realm. She knew that she would have to deal with the consequences herself, of course, while the true perpetrator simply washed his hands of the event and moved on.

Once the parents and guardians of the students were informed of the breakthroughs of the students, a collective shock struck the Martial Community.

It was a miracle, the likes of which were so unlikely that she had a higher chance of breaking through to the Sage Realm. She knew that she would have to deal with the consequences herself, of course, while the true perpetrator simply washed his hands of the event and moved on.

Once the parents and guardians of the students were informed of the breakthroughs of the students, a collective shock struck the Martial Community.

Not a single one of them could believe the news. As more and more people confirmed the simultaneous breakthroughs of a large number of exploration-stage students, they became increasingly confronted with reality.

Somehow, all the exploration-stage students of the Verlaine branch of the Martial Academies had broken through to the Apprentice Realm.

An uproar erupted not just within the Martial Communities but also in other circles across the political class of the Kandrian Empire.

How could it not? They were faced with something that was almost certainly a product of the creation of the Martial Academy. "What is going on, Headmistress Alaya?" In an office in the Verlaine branch of the Martial Academies, the headmistress found herself sitting opposite a large number of demanding parents who had chosen to collectively confront her on what had happened.

She met their strong gazes with a calm expression. "Whatever could you be referring to?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Headmistress." The man sitting opposite her narrowed his eyes. "Something deeply unnatural has happened to our students. Not only is it almost certainly not an organic development, but we know that the Martial Academy is somehow responsible for it. Our children don't even remember what has happened."

She stared at him for a moment before sweeping her gaze across the rest of the parents who had also appeared at the Martial Academy, demanding explanations.

Most of them were prominent members of the Martial Community.

They were high-ranking members of powerful Martial Families that had rooted themselves in the Kandrian Empire.

Yet, she wasn't worried.

"This is the will of the Sage Council and the Emperor of Harmony."

The demanding parents stiffened as their eyes widened with shock.

The fact that the two most powerful forces in the Kandrian Empire had joined hands on this initiative shook them.

Yet, it made sense.

Only they would have the authority to dictate an event of such revolutionary magnitude. Instantly, their defiance melted away like ice in the summer sun. None of them wanted to find themselves impeding the will of the two greatest power blocs of the nation.

"If you have any issues with what has happened," she continued, "you may consult them and demand an explanation."

"…Upon self-reflection, we have unanimously come to the realization that we have been rude and ill-spoken. We would like to take this opportunity to apologize for our conduct and assure the Martial Academy that we are pleased by their dedication and the results that they have produced."

"Indeed. In hindsight, this is something to be quietly celebrated, not loudly complained about."

"Forgive our imprudence, Headmistress Alaya. It appears that we may have overstepped."

Headmistress Alaya smiled at the sight of all the hot-blooded parents swallowing their earlier words and retracting everything they had said before.

"Not at all," she replied with a composed tone. "I would like to apologize to all of you for being unable to provide you with more information. I hope you understand that this is cause for rejoicing, not recalcitrance."

Very soon, they peacefully departed her office without anything further to say.

Headmistress Alaya heaved a sigh.

The Emperor of Harmony and the Sage Council had considered informing the parents ahead of time to mute their reaction but ultimately decided against it. It would cause a larger leak in information. In the first place, there was absolutely zero hope of ever hiding this. It was definitely impossible, and any effort to do so would be wasted. Short of locking all the Apprentices up from the rest of the world, there was simply no way to hide their breakthroughs.

The Emperor of Harmony and the Sage Council knew this.

They knew it but did it anyway.

The trigger had been lit, and the race had begun.

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