The Evolution Chronicles

"Who the heck is in here?!" A loud voice jarred Daniel awake from the short nap he had decided to take. His earlier bout had tired him out, and so, he decided to use the opportunity to rest. Earlier, he had spread out his belongings, covering the bare mattress with a thin sheet, and arranging his other belongings in his closet. Now, his room looked much more lived in.

He quickly sat up, getting into a defensive pose. The long and arduous journey through the dangerous forests had left him more than a little tense, as he prepared himself to be attacked by a wild beast. He subconsciously reached for his blade that was supposed to be strapped to his back, grasping at empty air, before coming to realize where he was. He was in his room in the Nine Peaks Sect.

He heard the sounds of footsteps quickly making their way inside, stopping for a moment, before turning in the direction of his own room.

'I guess my roommate is back.' Daniel nodded to himself as he stood up, just in the same moment that the door to his room burst open. There, a dark haired young man, most likely in his early twenties, stared down at him, his dark eyes, almost black, intense. He had short, spiky black hair that stuck to his forehead with sweat. His physique was one of a true athlete, as muscles upon muscles built upon each other, forming a lean, but powerful build.

He could only be described using a single accurate phrase: Chick Magnet.

Daniel resisted the urge to choke on his saliva. While he was quite handsome, by societal standards, this roommate of his definitely broke the rules!

'Did Wendy set me up or something?' He narrowed his eyes slightly, before snapping his attention back to the present, and to the glaring man that was standing before him. He donned his signature smile before extending his hand for a hand shake.

"Hi, I'm Daniel, your new roommate." He smiled graciously. His smile had melted the hearts of even the coldest women, he was sure it would at least calm his roommate that seemed to be glaring, not just daggers, but instead, steel spears at him!

"Oh, I see." The young man's glare seemed to lessen ever so slightly. He sighed and slung the white towel that was in his right hand over his shoulder before taking Daniel's outstretched hand. "My name is Han. Pleasure to meet you, I guess." He rolled his eyes slightly in annoyance. Daniel didn't know whether to be offended by it or not.

"You guess?" He quirked up a brow instead.

"It was only a matter of time before I got paired with someone. I guess it is kind of okay that my roommate is such a decent person." He sighed before turning and walking out of the room, with Daniel right behind. The attitude of this Han was quite intriguing. Just a few moments ago, he seemed ready to rip Daniel's head right off, but now, he seemed to have turned into a deflated balloon.

"So, what class are you?" Daniel asked when Han stopped in the kitchen to fetch himself a cup of water.

In sword schools, instead of 'years', students were separated using the terms of 'classes'. These classes were split depending on the skill and rank of the student in question. There were only three separate ranks of classes. First, Second, and Third Class.

Third Class students were usually the normal bunch, who showed no signs of becoming anything extraordinary at their level of strength. These students made up roughly 85% of the student body of the Nine Peaks Sect. Although there was very little chance that they would able to transcend their mortal limits, the Nine Peaks Sect retained them, as it would have been foolish to do otherwise. If there was a sudden war between sword schools, or nations, it would be these students who would take on the roles of the vanguard, their powerful, elite training coming to good use there.

Second Class students on the other hand were those students who showed the potential, or had already transcended their limits, and had left the mass of regular swordsmen and swordswomen, in order to become something more. These students were usually Pseudo-Sword Initiates, or those who had shown a special quality that warranted a greater investment in their growth. These students took up another 13% of the student body.

First Class students were the top of the barrel, the cream of the crop, the best of the best. These students were the Sword Initiates that had been nurtured by the Nine Peaks Sect. They ranged from the First Stage Initiates who had gained Insight, all the way to the Third Stage Initiates who had gained Comprehension of a Sword Style. These students were at the top, just below the Swordmasters who headed the school.

To become a Sword Initiate, a swordsman needed to grasp onto the essence of a Sword Style. The stages of coming to adapt and become one with that Sword Style could be divided into three stages.

The First Stage of Insight. In this stage, the swordsman in question would have just grasped onto the essence of a Sword Style, literally gaining insight into the workings of the Sword Style in question. The difficulty for one gaining Insight was set by how complex and difficult to adapt the Sword Style was.

The Second Stage of Understanding. This stage was the threshold that indicated whether a Sword Initiate would progress any further in that Sword Style. Without gaining a basic understanding of a Sword Style, a swordsman would remain unable to progress his way of the sword forever.

The Third Stage of Comprehension. This final and most crucial stage was when a Sword Initiate had truly grasped and understood the essence of a Sword Style. Upon reaching this stage, it would only be a matter of time before the Sword Initiate in question would break through to the level of a Swordmaster!

Han turned back to face Daniel, a barely noticeable glint in his eyes as he eyed Daniel.

"I am a Second Class student."