"Wee home, Grandmaster."


    Butler Sheng and the rest quickly lined up to salute Dorian.


    "Hmm..."


    Dorian nodded in acknowledgment, calmly taking off his gloves and handing them to Butler Sheng. "Any visitors I should be aware of?"


    "Except for the young Bho master, there have been none during your days of absence," Bewoh replied courteously.


    "And how are my parents?"


    "Their condition is stable with neither improvements nor rpses urring."


    "And the academy?"


    "Ready to receive its first batch of students."


    Everyone had even given their assignments during Dorian''s absence.


    And now that the Grandmaster was back, they reported the current situation concerning the academy and the estate''s matters.


    "And our guests?"


    Immediately, everyone''s face turned solemn.


    "Grandmaster. Apart from the usual troublemaker, the rest are honest." Haru replied, thinking of how many times he had seen the one called Alice acting too mischievously.


    Why couldn''t she focus on her job like everyone else?


    She also seemed distracted and out of ce, with disgust-filled dodgy eyes.


    If he didn''t know better, he would think he had somehow offended her in the past.


    Even more irksome was her tant disrespect and sessful attempts to sneak into the Grandmaster''s bedroom chambers.


    She thought they were clueless and unaware, but they could see all her deceptive acts from the shadows.


    They could''ve long dealt with her, but the Grandmaster said otherwise. It was better to keep her under their eyes to lead those behind her by the nose.


    .


    Ascending the many stairways outdoors leading into the Mian mansion, Haru and everyone else had secretly caught Alice spying on them through a window.


    Hehehehhe...


    It''s really not easy living with a snake.


    Everyone quickly put her matters behind them, focusing on more important things.


    Tomorrow is the big day. The day their lives would take a big turn in their careers.


    But before that, they had to pass tonight''s Ranking-up examinations.


    Thinking like this, the gang of 6 hastily went their way after settling matters with Dorian.


    They rushed to finish their duties and headed straight for the space to continue cultivating.


    And in no time, thest few yet to break through all reached the 2nd Dan.


    Boom!


    An explosion went off in Haru''s mind.


    But he didn''t open his eyes yet.


    ''I must stay put and solidify my strength.''


    He had to stabilize his current strength while also inspecting his dantians.


    No matter how many times Haru did this, it was still amazing to be able to see the qi flowing through the many channels across his entire body.


    He opened his eyes, taking note of what changes urred within him.


    For one, his eyesight was sharper, his eating far better than it was at the 1st Dan, and his strength felt mightier.


    And if his guess was correct, his speed should also be the same.


    But this wasn''t all.


    It was customary that the stronger one would grow, the more powerful the brain''s memory.


    He would be able to recall whatever he read word for word, with the ability growing stronger with each strength growth


    It was just that recalling words or images was different fromprehending them.


    One would still have to use their heads in assimting whatever information they acquired.


    Butler Sheng, Bewoh, and Raulin chuckled while looking at the rest. They were the first to reach the 2nd Dan not too long ago. So they too know how amazing the changes were.


    .


    Whoosh.


    Pandrol suddenly arrived, throwing 3 pills at Haru, Chan-ki, and Zhulyn. Seeing the pill, they recognized it as the one they took when they first reached the 1st Dan


    Rank Solidifying Pills!


    ~Gulp. Gulp.


    The pill dissolved rapidly, releasing its powers. And with proper directing, they channeled its effects through their bodies.


    1, 4, 10... 40 minutes went by before Haru opened his eyes.


    (^?^)


    Done.


    But things weren''t over yet.


    In a sh, he left the training hall and headed towards the booms shelves to do onest review of all he knew.


    To rank up from a No-rank Exorcist to an H-rank, Grade 9 stage, he had to master at least 16 spells, 2 from several categories like protective spells, defensive spells, etc.


    The most important ones would be those used to open the gateways to heaven when doing an exorcism, sending the creature''s soul beyond.


    His skills and mastery of cultivation methods and strength would also be assessed, alongside several other basic skill sets... Especially his weaponry usage.


    In the end, there were so many aspects one would get tested on. But at least 2 out of the many had long been fulfilled.


    First, to get to H-rank in terms of strength, one needs to break past their mortal shells, meaning one had to have at least the strength of a person within the Early stage of the 1st Dan.


    But he had just broken through to the 2nd Dan.


    So he had nothing to worry about when it came to this matter.


    And for his Exorcism/kill points, he had already gathered 130/130, which was the benchmark to be a Grade 1 H-Rank Exorcist.


    Excluding the No-rank phase and the top ranks, other ranks from H to A had 9 grades to pass.


    .


    "Hahahahha~... I did it! I''m finally in the 2nd Dan!"


    "Great! Great! I already feel so powerful!!! With this strength boost, I''ll be able to take my Card of Spikes to a whole new level!!"


    Haru was too excited, thinking of his card battle moves.


    Hehehhe... By the time he was done, Gambit would have nothing on him!


    (^0^)


    Everyone was immersed in their thoughts when suddenly, Dorian appeared in the space.


    Bubuum!


    Their hearts pounded, and their smiles stiffened.


    It was time... Wasn''t it.


    .


    Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.


    -3 hourster--


    The examinations were still going on with everyone in different examination halls. Yet, their thinking was all the same.


    Too strong!...


    The examinations were too strong!!!


    Everyone had no tears but wanted to cry.


    And after an additional 3 hours, they finally emerged, barely passing all examinations.


    Their faces were deadly pale, and their bodies wobbly. Yet, their eyes shone with glee with the notion of passing the many sets of exams.


    If one failed even 1, they wouldn''t be able to advance to the next rank.


    Moreover, each examination wasn''t child''s y, cashing them to use every ounce of intelligence, strength, flexibility, and other attributes to gain sess.


    Damn! They deserve some des!


    (:^π^:)


    When everyone was about to copse, Dorian''s abrupt words caused them to straighten their backs.


    "It''s 5 A.M. Gather your strength and prepare for your duties."


    Today, the Academy would officially wee its first batch of students, Caretakers, and Teachers!