Dark Ascendant: Bearer Of Death-Chapter 35 Shameless Dog

"Ahahahahaha! Storm!"

The voice boomed through the hall so loud Kaiden almost jumped. "This is great! A miracle has actually walked into our academy! This is incredible!"

Kaiden blinked. The guy sounded like he was about to cry from happiness.

But he kinda got it. From the way the man talked earlier, it wasn’t every day someone awakened a storm ability, especially not paired with a high-tier soul. The whole thing was ridiculous.

Still, the amount of excitement in that voice was crazy.

There was a reason behind it though. Most of the really talented students that entered the academy weren’t random kids from nowhere like Kaiden or Gareth. They were princes, princesses, or someone born into powerful families. People who had connections, backgrounds, and names that made others bow.

Those ones usually went straight into the Acolyte tier, skipping the regular student level completely.

The academy had three main divisions. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The Apprentice tier was the entry level, where almost everyone started. You trained, learned, got tested, and maybe, if you had enough talent, you moved up.

The Acolyte tier was where the talented ones were — people who awakened rare abilities, or who already came from important bloodlines. That was the level where the academy truly started to care about you.

Then there was the Ascendant tier.

Nobody even joked about that one. Those were the freaks. The ones born once in a generation. Some said they weren’t even human anymore — just walking disasters that could destroy cities if they wanted.

Kaiden didn’t know if that last part was true, but after seeing Gareth awaken both a high-tier soul and body ability, he was starting to think maybe the rumors weren’t exaggerated after all.

The air shifted suddenly, and then — just like that — a figure appeared in front of them.

The man’s body shimmered into existence like mist taking form. His robe was a deep blue, lined with gold symbols that pulsed faintly. A long, thick beard hung down to his chest, and his hair looked like it hadn’t seen a comb in a hundred years.

His eyes were sharp though, sharp and bright.

When Gareth noticed him, he immediately stood up and bowed slightly. "Greetings, Elder."

The old man laughed loudly, his beard shaking as he threw his head back. "You don’t have to be this humble!" he said in a warm, fatherly tone.

Kaiden rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might get stuck.

He knew that tone. He’d seen it before back home — that fake politeness people used when they suddenly realized someone was worth kissing up to. This man had probably never spoken that kindly to a student in years. But now that he saw Gareth’s awakening, he couldn’t contain himself.

Kaiden crossed his arms and muttered, "Shameless old man."

Meanwhile, Gareth just smiled politely. "Thank you, Elder."

"Ahahaha, no need to thank me," the man said cheerfully. "You can just call me Elder Daren."

Kaiden almost groaned out loud. Wow, already offering to be on first-name basis. Could you be any more obvious, old man?

Elder Daren’s grin widened. "You have been blessed, child. But remember, raw talent alone is not enough. You must cultivate with discipline, avoid distractions, and most importantly, stay away from the trash around you."

When he said "trash," his eyes didn’t move. He didn’t even have to look directly. Everyone in the room knew who he meant.

Kaiden clenched his jaw, his nails digging into his palm.

He could feel the heat rise in his chest. It took everything in him not to snap.

Unbelievable.

There really wasn’t a place for weaklings in this world. The strong were worshiped, the weak were ignored, and that was just the way it worked.

Kaiden’s eyes darkened as he muttered quietly under his breath, a whisper no one could hear. "If not for the goddess telling me to keep my soul ability hidden, you’d be on your knees licking my feet, you shameless dog."

He bit his tongue right after saying it. The last thing he needed was to get caught mouthing off to some elder.

Elder Daren, completely unaware, continued talking happily like Kaiden didn’t even exist.

"Now listen carefully, Gareth," he said, stroking his beard with both hands. "In your cultivation journey, you will be challenged, envied, maybe even targeted. But you must never let arrogance cloud your mind. The stronger your gift, the more people will hate you for it."

Gareth nodded calmly, not saying anything. He was polite, quiet, and didn’t look the least bit overwhelmed by the attention.

Elder Daren smiled in approval. "Good. Stay that way. Be humble, train hard, and when you face the bottlenecks in your future breakthroughs, remember—discipline will always overcome talent."

Kaiden’s head tilted slightly. He wanted to laugh. Now you’re talking about discipline? You’re literally drooling over this kid’s power.

But he kept quiet.

Elder Daren had already completely forgotten he existed. Kaiden could’ve walked out right now and the man wouldn’t even notice.

That annoyed him even more.

The elder turned slightly, hands clasped behind his back, his tone growing serious. "A storm ability is not a common blessing. You have both wind and lightning within you. Learn to control it, or it will consume you. That is your true test."

Gareth nodded again. "I understand, Elder."

"Good. Good."

Elder Daren’s beard twitched as he smiled proudly, his voice rising again as he prepared to continue lecturing. "Now, about cultivation focus and body strengthening techniques—"