Chapter 5 – The Imperial Academy Pre-Trial: The Measure of Potential
So before we get into the chapter Here are the realms of spear bow and archery
Path of the Bow (Archery Realms):
1. Hawk Realm – Basic archery techniques, improved accuracy.
2. Wind Realm – Enhanced arrow speed, ability to shoot while moving.
3. Storm Realm – Multiple arrow shots, enhanced agility, and prediction skills.
4. Phantom Realm – Stealth-based archery, silent and undetectable shots.
5. Eagle Realm – Extreme precision, hitting moving targets miles away.
6. Starshot Realm – Arrows infused with elemental force, capable of bending trajectory.
7. Celestial Archer Realm – Arrows become almost undodgeable, piercing magical defenses.
8. Eternal Bow Realm – The pinnacle of archery, arrows bend space and time, capable of striking past, present, and future enemies.
Sure, here's a more detailed breakdown of the Spear Realms (Path of the Lance) and Magic Realms (Path of Sorcery) in your story:
Spear Realms (Path of the Lance)
The Spear Realms are focused on martial mastery with the spear, a weapon that represents both precision and overwhelming force. Warriors who pursue the Path of the Lance undergo rigorous training to reach each Realm, gaining immense power and skill with their weapon. The Path of the Lance emphasizes speed, aggression, and adaptability in combat, with each level unlocking new abilities that reflect a deeper connection to the weapon.
1. Stone Realm:
Description: The foundation of the Spear Path. Warriors in this realm are adept at basic spear combat techniques, mastering thrusts, sweeps, and counters. They are physically strong and rely on their basic form to overwhelm opponents.
Abilities: Enhanced strength and stamina. Warriors in the Stone Realm can use their spears to pierce basic armor and defend against low-level attacks.
2. Wind Realm:
Description: Warriors enter a phase of speed and agility. Their movements become faster, almost like the wind, allowing them to strike with incredible speed and precision.
Abilities: Increased agility and reflexes, granting the ability to perform multiple strikes in the blink of an eye. They can avoid attacks more easily and perform swift maneuvers, making them hard to hit.
3. Storm Realm:
Description: At this stage, warriors channel the energy of a storm into their spears, allowing them to overwhelm enemies with ferocity and force. Their attacks can cause destructive shockwaves.
Abilities: Ability to create shockwaves with each thrust or swing, causing massive damage to enemies. Their strikes can destabilize opponents and shatter weaker defenses.
4. Lightning Realm:
Description: Warriors in the Lightning Realm can harness the power of lightning itself, channeling it through their spears. Their attacks are fast, precise, and often strike with the speed of lightning.
Abilities: Empowered attacks that can stun or paralyze opponents. The spear itself crackles with electricity, adding an element of unpredictability and shocking enemies on contact.
5. Titan Realm:
Description: This realm marks a mastery of sheer force. Spear wielders at this stage are capable of feats that border on the superhuman. Their strength is immense, and they can turn their spears into weapons of destruction that crush anything in their path.
Abilities: Unmatched physical strength and the ability to channel their will into their spears, breaking through even the toughest armor or magical defenses.
6. War God Realm:
Description: Warriors have transcended mere strength and agility, becoming embodiments of war itself. They can manipulate the battlefield, turning it to their advantage, and inspire fear in their enemies. Their spears become an extension of their will, and they can fight with divine power.
Abilities: The ability to summon war spirits or enhance their spears with divine energy. They can command the battlefield with strategic precision, causing chaos among enemies and ensuring victory in nearly every engagement.
7. Void Realm:
Description: This rare and mysterious realm is attained by those who understand the deeper aspects of combat, achieving a balance between offense and defense. It's said that the warriors in this realm can bend the fabric of reality itself to their will.
Abilities: The ability to temporarily distort space, enabling them to dodge attacks by shifting reality. Their spears can strike from unpredictable angles, bypassing physical defenses.
8. Eternal Spear Realm:
Description: The pinnacle of the Path of the Lance. Those who reach this realm are considered near immortal in combat. Their connection to the spear becomes so profound that they can manipulate time and space with it.
Abilities: Temporal manipulation, where they can slow or accelerate time within a small radius. They can strike with unthinkable speed and precision, becoming legends in combat, nearly unbeatable in battle.
Magic Realms (Path of Sorcery)
The Magic Realms focus on the mastery of the mystical forces that govern the world. Sorcerers seek to understand the true nature of magic and its potential to shape reality. Each realm represents a deeper connection to the elemental and arcane forces of the universe, and the path is highly intellectual and requires deep study and discipline.
1. Initiate Realm:
Description: The first step on the Path of Sorcery, where a sorcerer begins to understand the basics of magic. Initiates can cast simple spells, manipulating the elements in small ways.
Abilities: Basic spellcasting, such as creating light, controlling small flames, or moving objects. Their magic is weak but effective for everyday tasks or self-defense.
2. Adept Realm:
Description: Sorcerers at this stage have gained a deeper understanding of magic and can cast more powerful spells. They can manipulate the elements more fluidly and can start learning complex magical formulas.
Abilities: Intermediate-level spells, such as controlling larger elements (like summoning storms or manipulating water). Their spells become more potent and can affect larger areas.
3. Grandmaster Realm:
Description: Grandmasters have complete control over the magical forces they wield. They can summon powerful elemental forces, cast defensive spells, and even alter the environment to their advantage.
Abilities: Advanced spells like creating barriers, controlling the weather, or summoning mythical creatures. They have a strong connection to the elements and can shape their surroundings.
4. Archmage Realm:
Description: Archmages are among the highest of magical practitioners, capable of altering the very fabric of reality. Their magic is nearly limitless, allowing them to cast devastating spells.
Abilities: Ability to manipulate the laws of physics, cast destructive spells that can reshape landscapes, and create magical constructs. They can also use magic to heal or curse with equal efficiency.
5. Sage Realm:
Description: The Sage Realm represents a balance between intellect and power. Sorcerers here have profound wisdom, and their magic becomes connected to universal forces like time, space, or the soul.
Abilities: They can manipulate abstract concepts, such as time (slowing it down or speeding it up), the soul (healing or corrupting), and energy. Their spells are more ethereal and less physically destructive but extremely potent.
6. Heavenly Magus Realm:
Description: A rare and almost godlike stage of magical ability. Sorcerers at this level gain a connection to celestial forces and can manipulate the very essence of the universe.
Abilities: Ability to alter fate, summon celestial beings, or even open portals to other worlds. Their magic can heal or destroy on a cosmic scale and is nearly incomprehensible to most mortals.
7. Celestial Sorcerer Realm:
Description: The Celestial Sorcerer can connect with the forces of creation itself, often achieving what is thought to be divine-level magic. Their mastery over magic is unparalleled.
Abilities: Reality-bending spells, such as creation or annihilation of life, reshaping landscapes, and potentially even altering the flow of time. They can transcend physical and magical boundaries.
8. Eternal Mage Realm:
Description: The highest and most elusive magical realm, where sorcerers transcend mortal limitations. Those who reach this stage are not bound by time or space and can manipulate the very concept of existence itself.
Abilities: Near-omnipotent abilities, capable of rewriting the laws of the universe. They can bend time, space, and even existence to their will, reshaping reality itself .
Now lets get unto the chapter
Narrated by Valen Veridian
4 years Had passed since the cruel truth
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The Imperial Academy stood before us, an unyielding fortress that had shaped generations of rulers, warriors, and strategists. It was not a place for the weak. Those who could not endure would break before they could rise.
This was the path of the strong.
I adjusted the insignia of House Veridian on my uniform, my expression unreadable as I stepped forward. Around me, the gathered heirs of noble families whispered among themselves, their gazes shifting between awe, fear, and determination.
It was here that the future of the empire would be decided.
The academy was where the greatest of our generation would clash, not just with each other, but against the trials designed to break us. And yet, I knew one truth above all:
I would not break.
I had already endured the worst that the world had to offer.
Before the main tests they were conducting a pre trial to eliminate the un worthy by have a trial of Potential.
In this trial we had to place our hand and infuse mana on pillar which would give us our Potential The PotenSword rades were divided into 6 grades and further 4 sub grades
Potential Stages
The Blessing Pillar determined not just our blessings, but also our potential—the highest realm we could ever hope to reach.
Mortal Tier – The limit of ordinary humans, destined to remain insignificant.
Knight Tier – The level of trained warriors, capable but replaceable.
Elite Tier – A step beyond, where talent begins to shine.
Grand Tier – A rare level, marking those with the potential to lead.
Saint Tier – The realm of prodigies, those who could change history.
Divine Tier – A level so rare and powerful that only a handful in history had ever reached it.
No one here had the Divine Tier.
But that did not mean it was impossible to surpass our limits.
We would see who could defy fate.
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The Arrival of the Noble Heirs
Each noble house carried its own legacy, its own ambition. This was not just a gathering of students—this was a battlefield, where the strongest bloodlines sought to carve their names into history.
These were the ones who would shape the empire's future.
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1. House Veridian – The Empire's Sword
Heir: Valen Veridian (Me.)
Blessings: Ares (War), Thanatos (Death) – S-Rank
Potential: High Saint Tier
House Veridian did not rise through inheritance—we forged our destiny through strength. We are the sword of the empire and its most loyal guardians.
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2. House Evernight – The Shadows of the Empire
Heir: Selene Evernight
Blessing: Shadow Empress (Stealth & Illusion) – S-Rank
Potential: Mid Saint Tier
Masters of espionage and intelligence, the Evernight family ensures the empire's enemies remain invisible corpses before they can strike.
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3. House Vortigern – The Empire's Shield
Heir: Galahad Vortigern
Blessing: Archangel Michael (Holy War) – S-Rank
Potential: Mid Saint Tier
A warrior of unshakable honor, Galahad carries the legacy of the empire's mightiest knights, those who fight not for personal glory, but for duty.
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4. House Caelum – Lords of the Sky
Heir: Lucian Caelum
Blessing: Storm Deity (Wind & Lightning) – S-Rank
Potential: Mid Saint Tier
Rulers of the skies, their aerial cavalry dominates battlefields with unrivaled speed and precision.
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5. House Dragunov – The Dragon Slayers
Heir: Siegfried Dragunov
Blessing: Dragon Slayer (Fire & Strength) – S-Rank
Potential: Mid Saint Tier
A warrior without equal, forged in battle, feared even among his peers for his sheer strength and tenacity.
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6. House Morvan – Masters of Wealth
Heir: Cyril Morvan
Blessing: Merchant King (Wealth & Schemes) – S-Rank
Potential: Low Saint Tier
Power is not always found in swords and magic—Cyril controls the empire's wealth, and through it, the future.
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7. House Lysander – The Divine Vanguard
Heir: Seraphina Lysander
Blessing: Goddess of Light (Holy Magic & Purification) – S-Rank
Potential: Low Saint Tier
A warrior-priestess said to receive divine revelations, a beacon of light in a world filled with shadows.
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8. House Albrecht – Masters of Alchemy
Heir: Vesper Albrecht
Blessing: Philosopher's Gift (Alchemy & Transmutation) – S-Rank
Potential: Low Saint Tier
A genius whose knowledge surpasses even the greatest scholars, seeking forbidden truths that others fear to pursue.
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The Commoner Contenders
Then there were the commoners.
Among them, I saw Marcus Alderwood.
A name that should have been forgotten, a remnant of a dynasty long erased. But he would not let go of the past.
Where I sought to protect the empire, he sought to tear it down.
He was strong—there was no denying that. His presence alone had earned him a place among us, and the academy's trials would forge him further.
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1. Marcus Alderwood – The Rebellious Flame
Blessings: Lucifer (Rebellion), Goddess of Light – S-Rank
Potential: High Saint Tier
He was a contradiction, a warrior blessed by both divine light and the archangel of rebellion. A symbol of conflict.
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2. Ellis Runestone – The Hawkeye Archer
Blessing: Artemis (Archery & Precision) – S-Rank
Potential: Mid Saint Tier
A master archer whose arrows never miss their mark.
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3. Michael Ollivier – The Battle Strategist
Blessing: Hermes (Tactics & Speed) – S-Rank
Potential: Mid Saint Tier
A genius on the battlefield, able to predict and counter his enemies before they even move.
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Their presence was a reminder—the empire was changing. Strength was no longer limited to noble bloodlines.
And that was why this academy existed.
To separate the worthy from the weak.
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The Pre-Trial: Measuring Potential
The first test was not a battle, but a simple truth.
A stone pillar stood at the center of the courtyard, ancient runes glowing faintly across its surface.
This was the Blessing Pillar, an artifact that would measure both our blessings and potential—a reflection of what we were born to achieve.
One S-Rank Blessing – Low Saint Tier.
Two S-Rank Blessings – High Saint Tier.
The crowd murmured as the results were revealed, each noble heir standing tall as their destinies were confirmed.
And then, it was my turn.
I stepped forward, placing my palm against the pillar.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
For a moment, there was nothing—then, golden-red light erupted from the pillar, tendrils of energy crackling through the air.
Blessings: Ares (War), Thanatos (Death) – S-Rank.
Potential: High Saint Tier.
Then, Marcus stepped forward.
His fingers brushed the stone, and instantly, radiant and abyssal light clashed, forming a storm of opposing energies.
Blessings: Lucifer (Rebellion), Goddess of Light – S-Rank.
Potential: High Saint Tier.
The crowd fell silent.
Marcus and I were equals in potential.
For now.
But potential was not the same as strength.
This academy would test more than just our talent—it would test our resolve.
And I would prove that strength alone is not enough to change the world.
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End of Chapter 5