"Rise!"


    The voice seemed like nothing more than a whisper, yet everyone in the hall felt it reverberating within their heads.


    Immediately, they all rose to their feet as Nn finally took the chance to properly identify the facial features of the Protectors.


    There were a total of two women and one man, all appearing to be around the age of 40, though Nn knew well that their real age was likely twice that.


    ording to what he had read in the library, the Protectors had been in the academy for close to centuries now.


    There was no way they were as young as they appeared to be.


    Even though they were all d in the same white robes that covered most of their bodies, their faces were distinctive.


    The first female had purple skin and a visibly bald head.


    What drew the most attention to her were the strange tattoos that covered her scalp and her snake-like eyes.


    The second female looked more humanoid, with pitch-ck hair and eyes.


    She appeared slightly older, with no visible emotion in her dark eyes.


    The man, who had called them to rise, was a handsome figure with gray hair and an elderly smile on his face.


    Compared to the other two Protectors, his aura felt the most inviting and safe to Nn.


    "Congrattions to all of you who stand before me," the man said. "You''re about to move on to the next hierarchy of our mighty Celestial Academy.


    "Just like the Neer hierarchy, where you are all from, the Ascendant hierarchy is a ce to learn and increase your strength, so as to fulfill your purpose of creation.


    "It is not the highest peak of existence, nor a ce for rxation."


    "Instead, it''s a phase of serious building up for your future.


    "For those of youmitted to being noteworthy and focused on performing your celestial duties perfectly but whock either the knowledge or the power to do so, I can assure you that within the Ascendant hierarchy, you will be able to obtain what you desire—both power and knowledge."


    Without further ado, the man raised his hand, and something appeared within his grasp.


    It was a golden handkerchief, gently hovering in the air.


    Before the students'' eyes, the handkerchief morphed, bing a mat that grewrger andrger until it almost covered the entire airspace above them.


    In the next instant, the purple-skinned female stretched out her hands towards them, and Nn''s face changed as he felt the gravity around him disappearpletely.


    "What the...?"


    Before he could react, he was whisked up into the air, along with hundreds of Neers.


    Instantly, they allnded on the wide mat, which was big enough to contain all the students standing side by side.


    There was still enough space that, if they all slept next to each other, it would still cover themfortably.


    Nn found himself among the first row of students, mere meters away from the three Protectors who stood at the utmost top of the mat.


    After everyone was settled on the floating mat, the purple-skinned woman raised her hands and gently pressed the air in front of her.


    A purple aura quickly emanated from her arms, forming a dome that covered the entire area, enveloping them like a cocoon.


    Once it did, the dome became invisible, allowing them to see the area once more.


    It was almost as if the purple dome didn''t exist, but Nn knew it did.


    He could no longer feel the wind rustling his hair, something he guessed was the reason the dome had been erected—to protect them from the powerful air currents in the sky.


    "We''ll be moving forth now," the man said.


    Immediately, the mat began moving forward, soaring into the distance and gradually picking up speed.


    Nn had expected some type of imbnce from the students, but he noticed that everyone was able to stand upright, as if their legs had been glued to the mat, which shouldn''t have been possible.


    "A flying mat, huh?" Nn mused to himself with furrowed brows.


    "Why do I feel like I''ve heard this before somewhere?"


    He soon shrugged it off, focusing on the area around him.


    Since he was at the front of the mat, just behind the Protectors, one could argue he had the best view among the remaining students, and Nn wasn''t about to let that go to waste.


    The first thing he tried to do was identify his way back to the Neer area.


    He attempted to memorize the path, but he guessed it was mostly straightforward since they had been moving in a straight line, flying above an unending forest below.


    As much as the students wanted to whisper and murmur amongst themselves, the ce waspletely silent, with none daring to make a sound.


    Nn didn''t have anything to say in the first ce, so he found the silence quitefortable.


    Hours passed by quickly as the mat moved forward at an incredibly fast pace.


    Yet, nothing but the unending forest range stretched beneath them.


    "Hmmm," a slight murmur escaped Nn''s lips.


    In the silence, it was a bit loud and attention-grabbing, but Nn was in his own world and didn''t mind the gazes.


    "Why do I feel like..." Nn mused quietly to himself.


    "Like what?" A voice rang out in front of him.


    It came from none other than the bald purple-skinned woman.


    Nn was taken aback by her question but answered, understanding the situation at hand.


    "It''s like we''ve passed through this ce three times now," he said.


    Nn called out to the purple figure, and immediately, he brought about the lowering of the other students'' heads, who all looked at the vast green forest beneath them with furrowed eyebrows.


    However, there wasn''t much they could say.


    To them, they had all been passing through an unending forest range, and Nn saying they had been passing through the same ce three times seemed, somehow, crazy.


    But they also weren''t sure, and instead, grew suspicious.


    If Nn was correct, why were the Protectors making them pass the same ce a total of three times?


    Just what was happening?


    "Your observation is correct, young Kratorian," the purple woman called out to him as she looked at the ground where they were traveling.


    "Below is not a forest range, but a massive illusion array that turns the world below into an illusion."


    "It''s a pretty powerful illusion array, enough to deceive the majority of you," she said to them, in an umon Jamaican ent.


    Nn rxed a little, confirming to himself that he was right about the fact that they had passed through here before, and the reason was due to the array below, which was nothing but a massive illusion.


    But that also brought about its own questioning.


    Just what was below them that needed such an extensive illusion array to cover?


    Since the area below was not a forest range, what exactly was beneath them? Another set of buildings? Researchbs belonging to the academy? Why did the academy need to put an illusion array below?


    The questions were stifling to Nn, but his facial expression didn''t change.


    Right now, Nn could feel two gazes on him—the gaze of the grey-haired man and the purple-skinned woman who had answered the question.


    Anyone who heard the purple-skinned woman''s exnation had the same thought, especially the students standing beside Nn.


    And without a doubt, they all wanted to ask why the academy was using an illusion array.


    Yet none of them spoke up.


    The reason was simple: fear.


    The presence of an illusion array to block off their view meant that the academy most likely didn''t want others, especially the neers, to learn what was going on below.


    If they wanted to, they wouldn''t need to use an illusion array.


    That meant whatever was below wasn''t their business, and if they dared ask, who knew how the Protectors would respond?


    Irking the Protectors was nothing short of death, so they all kept quiet, waiting for Nn to ask the question.


    But Nn didn''t open his mouth anymore and simply turned his gaze away from the forest area.


    "He''s a pretty smart young man…"


    Thought the grey-haired man whose thoughts reverberated through the mind of the remaining two other protectors.


    "He''s weird."


    Another thought came out and it was from the third woman with pitch ck hair and eyes that feel down her white robe.


    "To notice the illusion array, one will either have a special eyes that allow them to notice abnormalities."


    "An Heavenly Disciple Stage Awakener wouldn''t know that even if they have the best eye bloodline."


    "The only thing left is him having focused in the illusion array for so long that he is able to identify very minute simrities in an area from another area."


    "How many of the students here are focusing on the forest at all. It''s such a boring thing yet here he is."


    "That''s why I say he is Weird."


    The dark haired protector exined herself to the lthers who agreed.


    It was really abnormal.


    "Good, I will say. Only the abnormal ones make it to the end..."