Seifr stood in front of the building that would be where he would receive instruction for the time being. After the confrontation with Kohl, the instructor had immediately led Seifr to the front of the line. He was quickly sorted out and given instruction on where to go as well as a token he could use to obtain a disciple's robe and badge. Wearing the robe was optional, but all disciples were required to have their badge on them whenever they were on the grounds. It had an energy signature imprinted on it for identification, and they could be tracked to quite an astonishing distance, further than the confines of the city.

Seifr learned that fighting was not strictly forbidden, but it had to be done in one of the sparring grounds with either an older disciple or an instructor present. It would not be good if the academy developed a reputation of letting spars get out of hand and allowing noble children to die, whether deliberately or accidentally. When it came to fights between cultivators, death was always a real possibility. Seifr, Kohl, and the gaggle of geese in disguise as nobles who were following Kohl around were simply warned about further hostilities because they were not official students and did not know the procedures for sparring.

Seifr observed the building in front of him. It was three stories tall and quite large. It was not as large as the central hall, but that was the largest building on campus, and for good reason. The central hall contained private quarters available to all of the instructors and staff at the academy as well as a mess hall and other amenities for them. It was tough to be allowed to be an instructor at The Misty Realm, and as such, they had a lot of perks to offer to the best. Instructors naturally were not required to live in those quarters, but there was one set aside even for the instructors who had homes in the city.

There was a field off to the side with a small stage and some bleachers set up for observation. That would be the sparring grounds for this section of the school. Each section had their own main building and sparring grounds, as well as a dormitory available for the students assigned to that section.

The campus was divided up by cultivation base, and the pattern was sectioned off like a compass. The main entrance was from the South, leading north to the central building located directly in the center of the campus. To the Northeast, the section Seifr was assigned to, the students who were of the Common Realm and the early stages of the Mortal Realm were instructed. Directly East was for the mid to late Mortal Realm students. Southeast contained facilities for the Early to mid Elementary Realm. The Late Elementary to mid Nascent Realm could be found in the Southwest. The West housed the Late Nascent Realm to Early Spirit Realm. The Northwest contained the grounds for the Mid to Late Spirit Realm. And finally if a student achieved the Profound Realm before graduating, they would receive instruction in the North facility. Each section contained progressively less students, reflecting society as a whole.

The lowest rank instructor was at the peak of the Profound Realm. Most instructors were of the mid stages of the Earth Realm, and it was rumored that Master Kveld was either at the peak of the Sky Realm or at the early stages of the Heaven Realm. None of the disciples knew for sure, but it was widely known that he was one of the more powerful powerhouses in the entire province. The Blue Vines Sect's most powerful cultivator, the Patriarch, was only at the peak of the Earth Realm. In terms of strength, The Misty Realm was considerably more powerful than The Blue Vines Sect, though the sect did have many times more members, and they did not graduate out of the sect once reaching a certain age or realm.

Seifr finally entered the building for the Common and low-stage Mortal Realm students. As he entered the building, he saw several other students, most younger than him, and all of higher accumulation, standing in yet another line. He quickly realized it was to receive their robes and badges. Seifr had seen some of the older students walking along paths in their robes, and they were mostly of a different color. He guessed it was based on which location one was assigned to, and thus indirectly based on one's cultivation level. For the first section, the robes were simple brown.

As Seifr was standing in line watching the other students get their robes and badges, he finally took note of the people coordinating this endeavor. The girl currently handing one of the new cultivators a badge at the end of the table smiled at all of the new disciples and appeared to be an instant favorite of everyone here. Her smile caused dimples in her cheeks, and she had perfect white teeth. Funny, I've never really noticed anyone's teeth before. As his gaze lingered he took in her long, flowing auburn hair and her brown eyes that seemed to pierce into his very soul when she accidentally locked eye contact with him briefly. He felt a jolt run through his body at her gaze. He had never experienced anything like it before.

I thought I liked blondes! Guess I like brunettes. I didn't see that coming. Seifr chuckled to himself. He noticed that this girl was wearing a blue robe, so she was obviously a disciple from another section. He did not yet know the colors associated with all of the other areas, but he was sure he would find out soon.

Most of the new students attending the academy were the younger nobles who had just reached the threshold for admittance, so naturally the Northeast section where Seifr was assigned had the most new students. Despite that, the disciples who were passing out robes and badges seemed to have their stuff together and had the line moving along at a quick pace. Seifr found himself getting sized up by another disciple who quickly handed him a brown robe that looked like it would fit before gesturing the next student forward.

Seifr slid down the table and came face to face with the young girl handing out badges. She handed one to him and smiled at him as she explained what do to, "All you have to do is grip the badge firmly, and direct your ki through your fingers into the badge. I know that you're not able to manifest ki yet, but these badges are designed to assist with that and will naturally allow the flow of your ki to enter, making a spiritual brand on it. If you lose your badge, you'll have to pay for a new one, in money and blood and tears, haha. Don't lose it." She winked at him at the last statement.

"Thanks. I'm Seifr. I noticed that we're about the same age, and even though my accumulation is low right now, most of the other disciples here are two or three years younger than me. With that in mind, I think it's a good idea for me to make friends with people my own age outside of my section. What's your name? And what's the blue robe for?" Seifr had never had a difficult time speaking to anyone, and he put forth his charm to learn this young girl's secrets.

"Haha. I can agree to that. My name is Celia, and I'm at the Third Class, the one to the Southeast for the beginning Elementary Realm students. I just reached the 1st Stage Elementary Realm a couple days ago. I've been here for three years, ever since I was thirteen." Celia gladly divulged this information. There were multiple students helping pass out the materials for the new students, so she did not feel pressured to have Seifr move along right away.

"Oh wow, that's amazing. Sixteen years old and already at the Elementary Realm. So I take it the blue robe is for the Third Class?" Seifr stood there and continued his questioning.

"You catch on quick. Here, I'll explain it to you real fast, then I have to get back to work. First Class wears these simple brown robes. It's easy to clean dirt and mud off of and doesn't stain much. The Second Class wears a tan robe, because they're expected to be able to take care of their property better. Third Class is the first class to assign the color not based on utility, and as I've told you, it's blue. The Fourth Class wears a red robe, because they do more fighting in the sparring grounds and on missions outside of the city than the previous classes, and red hides blood easier. I don't know if that's the actual reason, but that's what all the disciples say anyway. The Fifth Class wears violet, and I'm not sure what, if anything, that signifies. The Sixth Class wears black, and the Seventh Class wears white. You might wonder why the most advanced students wear white, and not the most basic students. Why do you think?" Celia tilted her head as she asked this question. She was very animated talking about the different functions of the school and seemed genuinely interested in helping Seifr learn it.

Seifr scratched his head as he pondered. "If I had to guess, I would say that the most advanced students are expected to be able to maintain their clothes in a clean state at all times?"

"That's 75% right. The other quarter is that they're in the Profound Realm and thus can just channel their ki to clean their clothes while wearing them. Cheaters." That last was delivered with Celia sticking her tongue out cheekily. "Ok ok ok. Time to move on. I have to get back to work."

Seifr gave a small bow in appreciation. "Thanks, Celia, I hope I can see you again soon. You were very helpful." Seifr was not entirely sure, but he thought he saw a slight blush on Celia's face as he delivered his parting message, and she nodded her head in reply.

Seifr walked off with the crowd to the stairs leading to the second story. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he saw that there was yet another line. Is it never going to end? This line was moving faster than any before it, though. Seifr quickly reached the front and discovered that this line was to hand out keys to chests in the dormitories and a map and guide to the campus. I suppose assigning the chests prevents confrontations with students trying to select their own bunks in the dormitories. That makes a lot of sense, actually. There was a number "16" carved onto the key.

Seifr thanked the disciple and wandered over to an area where more disciples had congregated. He did not know where to go from here, and the only way to find out was to ask.

Seifr approached one of the young disciples. "Do you know where we go from here?" Seifr queried.

"That's it for the day. Today's just an administrative day where we get sorted out. We're lucky in that we got here early. Someone will be by the dormitory in the morning to wake everyone and lead us to the orientation and first classes on cultivation," the young boy amicably responded to Seifr's question.

Seifr looked at the boy he had spoken to, and noticed that he was about 13 years old and of the 2nd Stage of the Mortal Realm. His attire was neat, but not posh or aristocratic like some of the other students. Seifr had a high first impression of the boy because he did not seem to put on any airs, and he did not immediately look down upon Seifr's accumulation even though he was a couple years older.

Seifr extended his hand in greeting. "My name's Seifr. I'm not a noble, but my family is pretty well off. My father arranged for me to attend the school through his contacts in the peerage. What about yourself?" Seifr was not ashamed to admit this, because all of the students attending The Misty Realm were no strangers to nepotism.

The young boy clasped hands with Seifr and there was a strange gleam in his eye when he responded. "I'm Seth, and I'm also the son of a wealthy family. What's your surname, my family runs the Heirn Caravan."

Seifr was pleasantly surprised to find that this young Seth was also the son of a merchant family. He smiled and replied, "My surname is Kyain, and my father is Morcai Kyain. But don't tell anyone else, I don't feel comfortable letting just anyone know I come from a merchant family. Obviously I don't mind telling you, haha."

Seth stood there and looked at Seifr dumbfounded for a moment. "Wow, you're the son of the owner of the Kyain Trading House? Our families actually do a lot of business together. But you guys are on a completely different level than we are."

Seifr pulled out the guide he had been given and raised his eyebrows at Seth. "Well new friend, want to go explore the campus grounds?"

"Sure thing. I think this will be the start of a long friendship," Seth replied. Seifr was happy to have made a friend without first having to get into a fist fight with him for the first time. He had had acquaintances that he had never fought and was on friendly terms with, but almost all of his friends started out holding him in contempt. He wondered what this new experience would be like and how it would shape their friendship in the future.