God's Slave: Reincarnated Into an Academy of Heavenly Descendants

Stifling silence and murmurs filled the hall, creating a weird and absolute contrast throughout the area.

Some of the students were simply silent in their seats, rocking back and forth, while others discussed hushly among themselves.

Yet through everything, Nolan could see the slight worry plastered on their faces.

It was clear all they were doing was trying to alleviate the monumental pressure that weighed on their minds.

Some did so by talking to others, a little bolder compared to those who handled their anxiety by rocking back and forth and remaining silent.

Contrary to the crowd, Nolan was as calm as the surface of a pond hiding a stalking alligator.

There was no sweat, no rocking back and forth, no talking. He simply sat and waited.

And when the entire world is doing something and you're not, one is doomed to attract some attention, which Nolan did.

But could the Celestial Heirs be bothered?

Perhaps they thought he was simply giving up on ascending, unlike them. That was most definitely a reasonable choice.

After all, why else would one remain so calm while waiting for the result that changed their lifes completely.

Time passed by very quickly, with the Ascendants seemingly taking their time to appear.

This only caused even more monumental pressure on the poor Newcomers.

But just around four hours later, when their minds had almost reached a breaking point, the aura was felt in the air.

Everyone turned up their gazes, spotting the same three Ascendants slowly dropping down from the sky until they landed on the platform.

Instantly, the hushed murmurs stopped, and absolute silence descended onto the platform.

Even the sound of breathing seemed to have been lowered by the students who were all waiting for the judgment.

"Finally, the day arrives when the result of your past three days of hard work will be given to you," the sage-like Ascendant with the white hair and eyes spoke out as she walked forward to the edge of the podium, addressing them all.

"Whether you're someone who has tried his absolute best or someone who thinks he could have done more but was unable to do so due to certain circumstances, I want you all to hear this."

"If you end up failing, it isn't the end of your journey to becoming a powerful or recognized Celestial Heir in the future..." Azathoth announced, his eyes scanning through the thousands of students before him.

He knew well of the monumental pressure on their shoulders, and the result, as he knew it, was nothing short of devastating.

To prevent stupid retaliatory behaviors, he felt he needed to have a word with them all, instead of just shoving the result in their faces and leaving like the academy had instructed.

"If you pass the test, you will only join an even higher and more intensely competitive hierarchy, where you'll need to work thrice as hard as you have currently in this Newcomer place."

"The pressure that will lay on your shoulders will be intense, but it will also be the crucible that will lead to your monumental changes.

"Some of you will still end up dead or dropped out once you reach the Ascendant class."

"So do not think your passing means you are ascending to the heavens in the first step."

"For some of you, it will be worse than descending into the deepest depths of hell!" he called out to them, and mixed emotions appeared in the crowd.

They had all thought being able to move from the Newcomer class to the Ascendant class should be some sort of badge of honor, but it seemed like that wasn't necessarily the truth.

There was more to the Ascendant class than it appeared, and it seemed they still had to work their butts off to a level which had never been worked before to succeed in it.

And death itself was still a possibility.

"For those who have failed, it is also not the end of the road for you. I always love to say, true failure is simply a sign of unpreparedness."

"As negative as it sounds, it is a good thing..."

"You all are like lion cubs, all being raised in a living zoo. But then, there will come a time when you'll all have to ascend and be released back into the jungle.

"In the jungle, you will grow and achieve your full potential, but not everyone is ready to live in the jungle. Not everyone can survive the pressure."

"This test can be seen as a blessing from the academy itself."

"If you have failed this test, that means most likely, you would never have been able to survive in the jungle in the first place. And failure to survive will only lead to your own death or an absolute crush of your will."

"In the end, failure is that sweet mother that protects you from harm and disappointment."

"Even though it might look scary due to its monstrous name and reputation..."

"For those who think that because you have failed you can never make it."

"Noteworthy of mention is the fact that there are a total of five Celestial Ones who have failed their Newcomer test, at least three times!"

"Yet now as I speak to you, they're on an untouchable pedestal, the lives of billions laying in their palms," Azathoth called out to them, his words profound and true, shocking the Newcomers.

Almost everyone knew that anyone who fails the Newcomer test is doomed to an ordinary future, their chance of becoming noteworthy is close to zero.

But now, they were being told there were Celestial Ones, who just like them, had been Newcomers and had failed the Newcomer test a total of three times, yet still were able to achieve such a high level of power.

It seemed fictional, but looking at the Ascendants, he didn't seem like the one to tell them a lie to make them happy.

"In the end, you will always have two choices."

"Either you allow this announcement of your failure to bring an end to you, or you will strive even harder than before, and when the next Ascendant comes, you will rise to the top like a phoenix in one step.

"Hope you all learned a thing or two from that..." Azathoth said as he stepped back from the podium, and the second Ascendant stepped forth, with a small golden scroll in his hands.

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