Raijin handed Isshin a mask.
It was black, simple, but had a strange presence to it.
"Wear this," Raijin said. "If you ever get into trouble, it will help hide your identity."
Isshin took it and looked at it for a moment before putting it away.
Isshin was strong enough to utilize Raijin's qi to some extent, he forgot about using his own qi since he was forced to use Thunder qi for the last couple of years and his main qi was sealed, due to his limited knowledge, he did not question Raijin. So they moved.
They continued moving toward the mainland.
The journey wasn't quick. It took days, moving through rough terrain and forests. Along the way, Isshin hunted a few Body Refinement and Golden Core Realm Beasts. It helped him stay sharp and also gave him something to sell later.
During those days, Raijin talked more about the world.
"Below the Sages," he said, "there are the Seven Greats."
Isshin listened quietly.
"Yggdrasil, the God of Earth. Agni, the God of Fire. Kura, the God of Frost. Fujin, the God of Wind."
Raijin paused briefly before continuing.
"I'm the God of Thunder. Erebus controls darkness. Ares is the God of War."
Isshin nodded slowly, taking it all in.
Raijin didn't say more after that, even though it felt like he could have.
Isshin didn't question it.
Instead, he focused on his own goal.
He wanted to get into the Verdant Dragon Academy.
But he already understood something.
Strength alone might not be enough.
Connections mattered too.
Before reaching the mainland, they stopped at the Jade town.
It was a large place, and the most noticeable thing was the magic tower standing at its center. It represented thunder, the same element Raijin controlled.
Isshin needed money, so he sold the beast cores he had collected.
In total, he got around 20 gold coins.
It was a decent amount.
But his clothes didn't match.
When he entered a clothing shop, the workers looked at him like he didn't belong there. They were about to send him out, but when Isshin showed the coins, their attitude changed immediately.
While browsing, he heard some other people speaking. "the entrance exam for the academy should open soon right?" "yeah the verdant dragon academy is accepting new students right now" "i heard my brother's son is trying to apply for it"
He thought for a second
He just picked what he needed.
By the time he walked out, he looked completely different.
A black shirt, a white-collared jacket, and proper pants made from better material.
He no longer stood out in a bad way.
Next, he went to the magic tower.
There was an event going on.
People were competing inside.
Isshin entered and went to register. The person at the desk barely looked at him and just handed him what he needed.
Inside, there was already a fight happening.
A crowd had gathered around two fighters.
Isshin observed quietly.
Using his system, he checked them.
Rui, 17 years old, Body Refinement Realm 6th Stage.
Koji, 18 years old, Body Refinement Realm 7th Stage.
The system was able to analyze the names of the people based on several factors around. The system tries to find any cues, maybe from their clothes, their surroundings and what Isshin already knows, based on those information, it tries to find the information regarding the object or person using its own Intelligence
Isshin didn't say anything, but he could tell they weren't on his level.
The fight ended with Koji winning.
Koji looked around confidently.
"Anyone else?" he said.
Raijin told Isshin to go ahead.
Isshin stepped forward.
The crowd reacted immediately.
Some laughed.
A few pointed at him.
"A kid?" someone said.
Isshin ignored them.
The fight started.
Isshin moved first.
He used Thunder Qi to boost his speed.
Koji didn't even react in time.
Isshin closed the distance instantly and placed his hand on Koji's chest.
"Thunder Qi Palm."
The attack landed.
Koji dropped immediately.
Silence.
The crowd didn't know how to react.
Everything changed in an instant.
Then someone appeared.
The tower master.
Isshin turned slightly, noticing him.
The atmosphere shifted as everyone acknowledged his presence.
He looked young, but his presence was different.
Strong.
Very strong.
Raijin spoke quietly. "Saint Realm."
Isshin didn't know much about the Realms yet, but he understood
The tower master walked closer.
"Follow me," he said.
Isshin didn't refuse.
They moved to a quieter area.
The tower master looked at him. "you shouldn't be fighting those hooligans randomly, a kid like you will get in trouble?"
Isshin shrugged slightly. "I didn't know."
The tower master frowned a bit at that, clearly annoyed with whoever let him through like that.
Then he looked back at Isshin.
"Well i called you over here just to let you know about it, is there anything you want?"
"I want to get into the Verdant Dragon Academy," Isshin said. "I need someone to vouch for me, I am an orphan."
The tower master was pretty surprised, he understood that Isshin had somewhat potential.
The tower master leaned back slightly, thinking.
"I can do that, well its mainly my job to give out recommendations for free scholarships for children like you"
The tower master nodded and handed him a letter.
"This will get you in."
Isshin took it.
"Thanks," he said.
As he left, a thought crossed his mind.
"Is the Academy bad or something? That was easier than I expected. "