Chapter 70: Dean Maxwell

The tension in his body slowly disappeared, and the emotions swirling inside his mind were gradually pushed aside.

By the time another few minutes had passed, Jackson’s expression had returned to its usual calmness.

His eyes were cold and indifferent.

Whatever emotions he had experienced earlier had been buried deep within his heart.

Thirty minutes later, the peaceful residential area of the Golden Radiance District was already far behind him.

The scenery around him began to change.

The towering buildings and modern architecture gradually became less prominent. The number of pedestrians increased, while the roads became increasingly crowded with young Awakened heading in the same direction.

Yet, despite the advanced civilization surrounding him, the area near the academy had a strangely different atmosphere.

It almost felt as though time had been turned back.

There were fewer signs of extravagant technology and more people traveling on foot.

Every now and then, an air-gliding vehicle streaked across the sky.

Most of the passengers were young Awakened roughly the same age as Jackson.

Through the transparent windows, he could see their youthful faces.

Some were excitedly talking with their companions.

Others stared toward the academy with undisguised anticipation.

Their eyes were filled with longing for the future.

These were the young generation of humanity.

Most of them possessed at least six-resonance talents.

Some had already reached the peak of the First Sequence Realm despite their young age.

Jackson’s heart trembled slightly as he watched the endless stream of young Awakened heading toward the academy.

"So many people..."

He couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised.

Given how rare six-resonance talents were supposed to be, there seemed to be far too many of them here.

Every minute, dozens of vehicles flew past him, each carrying young Awakened who looked like they had been blessed by heaven.

For a moment, Jackson almost wondered whether six-resonance talents had somehow become commonplace.

But the thought had barely appeared in his mind before he shook his head.

"Most of them must be like me... people with low talent who have already reached the peak of the First Sequence Realm."

For someone from a poor family, reaching the peak of the First Sequence with a low-resonance talent was practically impossible.

The resources required were simply too expensive.

But wealthy families were different.

They possessed enormous financial resources and connections. Expensive pills, nutritional solutions, cultivation resources, and other treasures could be obtained as long as they were willing to spend enough money.

For the children of powerful families, it was actually unusual for a talented young Awakened to remain stuck at a low realm for too long.

Jackson continued walking with the crowd.

Before long, the road opened into an enormous square.

The area was already packed with people.

Thousands of young Awakened had gathered there, their voices blending together into a constant wave of conversation.

And behind them stood the academy.

Even from a distance, Golden Radiance Academy was impossible to overlook.

Its enormous structures rose above the surrounding buildings, carrying a grandeur that made ordinary universities seem insignificant by comparison.

In this relatively sparse area, the academy had naturally become the center of attention.

Jackson slowed his steps as he looked around.

At a casual glance, he estimated that there were more than two thousand young Awakened gathered in the square.

Two thousand.

That was already an astonishing number.

Yet when he considered the scale of the entire sector, this number suddenly seemed insignificant.

Every year, more than a million people awakened their talents across the sector.

Two thousand people were merely a tiny fraction of that enormous population.

"Hmm... this seems like a difficult situation."

Jackson looked toward the academy.

"I wonder how they’ll handle this..."

From the information he had gathered, Golden Radiance Academy accepted only one thousand students each year.

That meant at least half of the people standing here would leave disappointed.

The thought alone was enough to make the atmosphere feel heavier.

Jackson casually scanned the crowd.

Then his eyes paused.

He recognized several familiar figures standing near the front.

Veronica Green Soul.

Diana Lionheart.

And the arrogant genius, Alexander Drag.

Each of them was a genius of their generation.

They were the kind of people who attracted attention wherever they went, the young elites expected to become future pillars of humanity.

Jackson’s gaze moved past them.

Then suddenly stopped.

A familiar figure had appeared within his field of vision.

Grace.

She stood surrounded by members of the Black Thorn Hunter Organization.

She was dressed in tightly fitted white clothing that accentuated her tall, graceful figure. Her posture was straight, and the aura surrounding her was far more imposing than Jackson remembered.

Even among thousands of young Awakened, she stood out.

People unconsciously kept their distance from her, as though instinctively aware that approaching her without sufficient strength would only invite trouble.

Jackson stared at her for a moment.

Then he calmly looked away.

His expression remained indifferent.

If this had happened a month ago, seeing Grace again might have caused his heart to stir.

Perhaps old memories would have surfaced.

Perhaps he would have wondered whether she regretted her decision.

But that was no longer important.

Jackson had experienced too much in the past month.

He had fought monsters.

He had faced death.

He had watched people die.

He had stood on the edge of life and death more times than an ordinary sixteen-year-old should ever have experienced.

Those experiences had tempered his mind.

Whatever feelings remained toward Grace had already become insignificant.

Jackson simply waited quietly with the crowd.

Then a sudden commotion swept through the square.

"Ohhh! It’s Dean Maxwell himself!"

"Could it be that he’ll be conducting the admissions this time?"

"No way! Why didn’t he appear when it was my turn to be admitted?"

"Last time, when my brother took the exam, it was just a teacher conducting the admission process. Everything went smoothly!"

The noise rapidly spread through the crowd.

Jackson looked up.

An enlightened expression appeared on his face.

"So it’s Dean Maxwell. No wonder everyone is so excited."

Maxwell.

That name alone carried tremendous weight.

According to the information Jackson had gathered, Maxwell was one of humanity’s strongest Legendary-Rank hunters.

More importantly, his offensive power was said to be terrifying even among Legendary-Rank hunters.

For ordinary Awakened, someone of his level was practically a legendary existence.

Jackson followed the gazes of the crowd toward the sky.

A figure was slowly rising into the air.

The man appeared to be middle-aged, with a powerful yet restrained presence surrounding his body.

Unlike what Jackson had expected from someone of such terrifying strength, Maxwell wore a pleasant smile. ℯ

He simply floated above the crowd, looking down at the thousands of young Awakened gathered below.

The noisy square gradually fell silent.

One by one, the conversations stopped.

The countless gazes gathered on the man in the sky.

Maxwell looked over the crowd.

Then he gave a slight nod.

"I am the dean of Golden Radiance Academy."

His voice wasn’t particularly loud.

Yet it clearly reached every corner of the enormous square.

"I welcome you all."