Path to Transcendence

The entire group had repeatedly told Julius to stay away from Liam. They didn't like the guy and were always on guard against him. So when Julius saw the guys staring at Julius from afar, Julius pretended like he hadn't seen him. He scanned his gaze right by Liam and continued on his way to the back of the line.

Julius made sure to keep an eye out for Liam with [Spatial Perception] as well as making sure to watch out for any aura attacks. He didn't have Lily or any of the others with him today. They were doing some early morning training before their first class. Julius didn't want to show Liam that he had the ability to use aura, not if he could help it at least.

Julius was able to make it through the line without having a problem. Nobody bothered him or made trouble for the first year for eating in the wrong cafeteria. Lily's claim of him must have done more than he thought.

He was about halfway done with his meal when he got interrupted by the feeling of multiple people walking up behind him. Julius had made sure he tracked Liam's position the entire time, so it didn't come as a surprise when Julius felt him approaching with his buddies.

Liam slid into the empty seat next to Julius and gave him a pat on the back.

"Hey! Sorry we didn't get properly introduced yesterday. My name is Liam, what's yours?"

Julius had already decided that he would play nice with Liam, at least for now. There was no reason for him to cause problems with the young Abram scion. The others might be able to get away with it because of their families and strength but Julius didn't have the same luxury.

He put on a kind smile and looked at Liam in the eyes, "It's Julius. Aren't you the guy who came up to the table the other day?"

Liam narrowed his eyes and Julius felt aura drift off of Liam and reach out to Julius. It was actually a very impressive display of aura control. It clearly wasn't the aura of someone who was untrained or inexperienced in it. There were no leaks or strays, the aura was well-contained and used purposefully.

Julius had also decided beforehand that if Liam tried to pull the same stunt as before, then he wouldn't slap the probe away. Julius had practiced with Declan before coming to Goldencrest. One thing he learned was how to defend yourself with aura without letting the other person know they were being thwarted. It wasn't so much as an application of aura, but a control of your mind and emotions. He hadn't got very good at it yet, so many emotions slipped through his grasp. But that made his aura feel more natural to anyone worth their salt and Liam was seemingly one of them.

Before it made it to him, Julius made sure to control his breathing and activated [Savage Dance]. The skill would help Julius control his thoughts and his emotions. Usually, Julius didn't crank up [Savage Dance] so much that it completely desensitized him anymore, but this time he muted many of his emotions.

By the time Liam's aura started to feel and probe around Julius, Liam would only be able to feel the calmness and serenity of Julius. It would be like a pond, with soft ripples dancing across its surface.

Liam pressed even deeper, trying to dive into Julius's aura, but he didn't get very far. He was already pressing too hard for a Tier 1. Any more and he could start hurting Julius, therefore he stopped and pulled his aura back.

This all happened within a few seconds, and during this time Liam had been looking directly at the smiling Julius. His friends off to the side were looking at each other. They must've felt Liam's aura, especially the later half, as it was more than even they thought was appropriate.

Finally, Liam smiled with the same smile Julius saw last time and replied to Julius, "Yeah, that was me." Then Liam bent down closer to Julius's ear and whispered, "Between you and me, I have had a little crush on Aubrey for years, but I haven't convinced her to give me a chance yet." Liam sat back up and sighed dramatically, looking like a puppy that had just been kicked.

Julius watched as Liam put on his show. He had to admit that Liam was very good. If it wasn't for the fact that the guy had just invaded Julius's own aura just a few moments ago, he might have been convinced that he wasn't a bad guy and just a normal guy pinning after a girl.

"Well, when I saw you earlier, I just wanted to drop by and introduce myself properly this time. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask for me, okay?" Liam said to Julius with a kind hearted smile plastered on his face the entire time.

Julius maintained his own smile throughout the interaction and said, "Thanks, I will remember that." The whole time he didn't break his gaze with Liam's ice-blue eyes.

Julius was able to feel that Liam wasn't appreciating that Julius was looking right into his eyes, and wasn't acting nervous like maybe he was expecting. However, Liam didn't show anything and got up, saying goodbye before leaving Julius to his own devices.

Julius still hadn't dropped [Savage Dance] or his guard, he could still feel Liam's aura lingering around feeling out Julius. It was only after a few minutes that Julius felt Liam's aura recede and he took a deep breath in relief.

He lowered [Savage Dance] slowly. Julius's temper had been about to tip over, it was only due to the skill that he hadn't lashed out in anger. Bit by bit, Julius was able to get a handle on himself, decreasing [Savage Dance]'s influence in increments.

What was that arrogant prick's problem?

Julius had wanted nothing more than to punch that smug motherfucker right in the face and then shove a condensed spike up his ass. Even though the Silas guy in the interview had been rude, it was nowhere on the level of Liam's attempt.

Silas had been trying to get a general reading, nothing that intrusive just a bit impolite. Liam though, had fully pressed Julius's aura. Even if Julius didn't have an aura skill, he might have still been able to feel Liam's unpleasant assault.

The group was definitely not exaggerating when they said Liam was a presumptuous little turd. Julius made sure to remember this moment, he would get that prick back one day.

For now, Julius had to keep his cool and remain patient. There was already so much on his plate, Liam was the least of his problems.

It was finally time for Julius's first official class. It was a bit exciting, although he had lived in this world for years by now, he still couldn't believe he was going to a genuine magic academy. Granted his first class probably had no interaction with magic, it was supposedly a physical training class so it might just be training with their regular bodies with no mana or aura enhancement.

Julius was walking across campus to where the class was going to be held. When he got there Julius saw around a dozen first-years who had gotten there before him. However, in front of him was quite impressive. The place where their class would be taking place was a huge field, much like a track and field facility. There was a big open beautifully manicured grass field with a big running track surrounding it. There was also equipment that resembled a barbell and dumbbells in a section off to the side.

It looked like everything Julius would expect for training one's physique. The professor hadn't arrived yet, but Julius and the other dozen or so students were early, so it wasn't unexpected.

Edgar had told him that most classes were grouped in bunches of around fifty for each class. That meant that there were still over thirty more kids that had to arrive.

Since he was early, Julius found himself a nice spot in the grass and pulled out a book to read while he was waiting. It didn't take long for more students to arrive, and as it got closer to the official start time, Julius saw that over three-fourths of the class had made it.

He looked over at the large clock placed on a tall pedestal and saw that there were only a few more minutes before it started. However, just as he was wondering if the professor was going to be on time, he noticed a strong presence approaching the field.

Julius turned around and saw a very muscular young man walk toward them. Julius didn't know if he didn't have good aura control or if he was doing it on purpose, but his presence was completely uncovered. It wasn't like Liam's earlier attempt, the aura wasn't trying to intrude on their own. However, it did smother them in its intimidating embrace. Letting them all know that this professor was at least a Tier 3 and was stronger than them. Julius sensed around him to gauge the other student's reactions, and he could safely say that it was working.

When the professor finally got to them, his aura withdrew and he looked around and stared each of them down. Julius also took the time to observe the man. Their professor was muscular, but not to the point of being too muscular. Each part of his body was well-defined and he looked like he was cut from marble. On top of his chiseled face and well-groomed black beard, he was a good-looking man.

Julius noticed some of the girls in the class looking a bit too attentive at the professor. Not that he could blame them. The man was good-looking.

Their professor didn't waste any time and introduced himself. "I am Professor Edwards and I will be your Physical Training professor for the rest of the year. Starting every day we will meet here and you will sign in with your badges at this station," he pointed at the device looking like the ones in the library and training facilities. "After you do that, we will start with cardio, before we move on to other things. We won't do the same things every day, but you will quickly see that there is a pattern that we-"

He was interrupted by the sound of laughter. Julius and everyone, including Professor Edwards, turned to see the commotion. There was a group of boys and girls entering the field late. Julius and the rest of the students saw their new professor's face turn ugly as he watched the ignorant kids stroll their way to them.

The idiots weren't even paying attention and didn't see the increasing annoyance on Professor Edward's face. It was only when they stopped and sat down that they noticed the professor glaring at them.

There were a few of them who looked properly ashamed of their late entrance, but most of them were still whispering to each other and laughing with one another.

Julius watched as Professor Edwards walked up to them, his aura was restrained but anybody with two eyes and a brain could see he was pissed.

"Is there something funny you guys would like the share? Maybe the reason why you all showed up late to your first class?" Professor Edwards asked sternly. His aura leaked out more and more with each word.

One of the boys, whether out of bravery or stupidity spoke up. "I am sorry professor, we woke up late this morning." The boy didn't sound sorry in the least and Julius was sure that Professor Edwards thought the same thing.

However, surprisingly the professor didn't reprimand the students any further and turned back to the rest of the class, "You guys get started running, no enhancements." He pointed at the track and the class quickly got up to their feet and started jogging around the track. The people who were late joined as well.