Silently, the flying mat soared into the far distance, and silence reigned for as long as they remained therein.


    But soon, everything changed when they arrived in an area where they broke through an unending mountain range.


    What urred after that was the sky suddenly darkening all around them, followed by the entire world bing a light-filled arena of glowing astral light.


    Yes!


    What was supposed to be an afternoon instantly turned into a bright, astral-night sky.


    GASPS


    Gasps of shock could be heard amongst the students, who looked at the entire area with absolutely gobsmacked expressions, and even Nn was no different.


    It was like they had all moved into an entirely different world—a world of endless stars and astral light.


    "This is the Astral Serenity Jungle..." The voice of the grey-haired Protector rang out as everyone listened.


    "This ce used to be an endless deserted area of nothing but golden hot sands."


    "But one day, a figure was born here, and its birth was so mighty that it changed the entire desertnd into a glowing Astral world."


    He called out, and Nn could see reverence shing in the eyes of the Protectors themselves.


    But his head was buzzing chaotically at the moment.


    ''The birth of something can cause an entire world to undergo a metamorphosis, just from something as simple as birth?''


    ''Is he bluffing?''


    Nn thought to himself, looking at the Protectors, but judging from their expressions, he didn''t think they were lying.


    "If one day, you all are able to see this ce or traverse it alone again, I must warn you of the dangers hiding within this area..." the man continued as he turned to them.


    "The birth of a beast caused this entire ce to change from a desert into this. And what you all must know is the fact that this beast still resides here."


    "I have no idea where, but I''m sure the beast never leaves."


    "If there is something it hates the most, it would be an unnecessary loud sound, such as an explosion."


    "So in this area, you must not fight or make too much noise at all. It is a ce that must be passed with absolute respect and reverence."


    "Anyone who dares to make even the tiniest attack in this area will be tempting fate itself, and his or her death will not be avenged by the academy."


    "That''s the rule of the Astral Serenity Jungle: No noise!"


    He warned in a serious tone before facing back to the front and the mat silently wove through the ind, moving further and further ahead.


    ''Even the Protectors seem wary...'' Nn noticed, and the warning was carefully kept in his mind.


    He didn''t want to die because he made noise in some random ce.


    But something else piqued his interest.


    ''I wonder what type of beast it is?''


    '' Maybe a cat or a serpent?''


    Nn mused to himself, a strange thought forming in his head—the possibility of making the beast his familiar.


    ---


    Another two hours passed quickly in the strange Astral world, and once more, they appeared before what seemed to be some sort of strange astral-like cocoon.


    Immediately, they arrived about 100 meters away, witnessing the scene of the astral dome quickly parting to the sides.


    Arge circr vortex appeared, and they all quickly disappeared into it.


    What followed was the sensation of the world flipping upside down and time seemingly stopping, but it was so fleeting that in less than a second, Nn felt the world return to him once more.


    Opening his eyes, he took in the sight before him, and immediately his jaw dropped to the ground.


    "What? What is this?"


    The shocked question rang out, and Nn wasn''t the only one whose jaw dropped.


    Almost everyone around him had the same reaction to the sight before them. It was an unbelievable scene.


    "Wee to the Ascendants'' Hierarchy of the Academy..." The Protectors loudly announced as the mount slowed down its speed and gently moved forward.


    Unlike the Neers'' area of the academy, where Nn could see brick-like buildings, the world before him was a realm of ss.


    The sky above was an astral world illuminated by thousands of stars—stars that were never the same, and ones that Nn had never seen before.


    Some of the stars formed majestic constetions of their own, representing various mythologies.


    Nn noticed constetions that resembled the heads of various creatures, almost like celestial figures: a roaring lion, a soaring unicorn, a winged hippopotamus, a powerful bear-like creature, and a humanoid goddess-like figure with nine wings.


    There were various assortments of such constetions, and Nn felt his lips part in awe.


    Some were inanimate objects, such as a scepter, a crown, a ming red staff, and a dangling chain.


    It was like some sort of grand painting cast across the entire sky.


    Even more spectacr than the sky was the ground itself.


    There were buildings made entirely of ss, and what caught Nn''s attention the most were the various pyramid structures.


    Yes!


    Large pyramid structures that reminded him of the Egyptian pyramids on Earth.


    But instead of being golden and made of bricks, these pyramids were made of ss, refracting the light falling from the various constetions shining upon them.


    On the streets, various students—visibly older than them—were moving around with mind-bending speed.


    Rhey were like phantoms, shing around here and there, and Nn was gobsmacked when he realized something.


    ''That''s their normal walking speed!?''


    Yet it seemed to him like they were running.


    A single one of their steps covered hundreds of meters, making them look like dragonflies shing around.


    Some of the Ascendants turned their heads upwards when they saw them floating above, but they didn''t pay much attention and simply continued with their business.


    It seemed that their arrival wasn''t too surprising.


    ---


    "The Anscendabts hierarchy, like any civilized and organized hierarchy, of course, possesses its own various rules that must be obeyed to live properly in this ce."


    "That is why the first ce you will be going is the Neer Preparation Hall," the man called out to them as they all soared down towards a massive ss-like structure.


    "The Ascents area of the academy is quite vast, so you will definitely need your maps, your new books, and this time, you will be using the Academy''s uniforms."


    "There are also a couple of other items, such as a runic telmunication device to bettermunicate with others."


    "It will also give you ess to most of the events urring in the academy."


    "That device is where your maps are safely stored, as well as where you''ll receive new orders and announcements," he exined as the mat lowered to the ground, stopping a few inches above the ss ground.


    The students all jumped down.


    "You all go in. Therein lies the next step," the grey-haired man said as they turned toward the ss structure.


    Two instructors were just exiting the building and beckoned them inside.


    Quickly, they followed the instructors, but Nn''s eyes narrowed.


    He turned behind him onest time, scanning the horizon, only to find nothing.


    The three protwctors, along with therge mat that covered the entire area, had vanished instantly.


    What was shocking was that not even the lightest gust of wind had been created. It seemed like they had simply faded into thin air.


    "Their power is as mysterious as ever..." Nn mumbled silently to himself, but he refocused as he looked down at the ground where he was walking.


    Everything beneath his feet was ss.


    He grew even more shocked when he pressed his leg down and realized something unbelievable.


    The ss beneath his feet was harder than the ground he was used to in the Neer''s area.


    As he grew stronger, Nn had noticed the ground in the Neer''s area had started to feel like butter.


    With enough power, he could sendbcracks spreading throughout the entire region.


    But when he exerted strength beneath his feet on the ss, not a single sound was made. Nn even felt a tinge of pain in his legs instead.


    "It''s unbelievable." Nn mused, trying to apply more strength as he walked forward until he arrived before the instructors.


    He exhaled miserably.


    [Don''t bother. The hardness of everything here is about ten times greater than in the Neer''s area. And that applies to the thickness of the air as well.] Read exclusive content at m_v-l''-NovelBin


    Th system said as Nn paused his action and they appeared all arrived before the Instructors who led them straight into the building.


    And soon all the Neers entered into the structure causing the peace of the Ascendants Area to return once more.


    Yet, at the top of a structure 100 meters away from the Structures where the Neers had gone into.


    There stood a singr young man, and anotherdy.


    The man sat atop the structure, where the intensity of the air would be powerful enough to carry an entire Neer structure away from the ground, yet he say there visibly unbothered, white hair pping around in the wind.