historical

All of the participants for the entrance exam were confident of their RPLs.

They all truly believed that although they probably won't be able to be the number one in RPL, getting into the top one thousand would be a piece of cake!

That was the sort of confidence that top geniuses should have.

The eight thousand remaining kids were the cream of the crop in the entire country in terms of physical fitness and fighting skills. Their confidence was not unwarranted.

"The next five thousand will continue to the fourth segment. The remaining three thousand of you will be disqualified. The Elders will lead you back to the main auditorium where your guardians are waiting. Any questions? No? Good.

There are fifty elders here. Form up into lines in front of these elders and take the test for your RPL. Your name and your rank will be displayed in this hologram."

Grand Elder Shella pressed something on her wrist and a large hologram filled with empty rows appeared behind the gazebo.

"Alright. Begin!"

Almost as one, all eight thousand kids stood up and rushed to the Elders nearest to them. They pushed and jostled their way forward, causing quite a few to fall down and cry out in pain.

"Stop rushing and calm down!" Elder Liam roared loudly in irritation. "I will instantly disqualify anyone caught pushing at other kids!"

His words worked like magic as the crowd of kids instantly stopped their mad rush and instead walked rapidly towards the Elders. There was still a little bit of pushing and jostling, of course, but it was much better.

The lines before each Elder quickly formed as Tes and I finally made our move and queued up last before in Elder White's line.

Very soon, the first kid's RPL score appeared on the giant hologram screen.

Autumn Liu - 78

A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd. Here and there a cry of shock and jealousy could be heard.

"That girl is actually such a high ranking Elite! Agh I am so jealous!"

"Totally unexpected. I heard the previous years had an average RPL score of only 67. To think that just the first kid this year is already 78!"

"She's crazy. I hope the rest aren't as crazy as her."

However, the murmur of the crowd suddenly rose violently into outright exclamations of shock and awe as the second kid's score appeared!

Kage Tarou - 81

"WHAT? ROYALTY? We have a Royal Grade so early in the RPL test?"

"Incredible! We have a Royal Grade this year! Even if there are no more Royal Grades showing up later, it's already much better than most years!" Even an Elder couldn't help but exclaim.

Their shock continued unabated as the third, fourth and fifth names appeared.

Farrel Wu - 77

Terry Goodwash - 78

Austin Jeffreys - 80

"What's going on? Why are there so many monsters this year?"

"Another Royal Grade?!"

On and on, one Elite after another appeared, filling the hologram screen with a long list of 70s. Once in a while, a 60 appeared. But they were by far the minority.

Yes, it was the Mecha Element Effect.

The first generation of pilots with Resonance were not born with it. They developed their resonance due to extended exposure to the Mecha Element. However, due to the extremely high value of having a high RPL, people began choosing their spouses based on their RPL. Their offspring would more often than not have a high level of RPL as well, often even higher than their parents.

And as the second generation gave way to the third, and the third gave way to the fourth, and so on, the separation in society between those with high RPL and low RPL became more and more evident, until it became what it is today.

As more people got the Mecha Element, it was only natural that there were those who got high or even extremely high RPLs. And which school do you think parents will send their kid who has extremely high RPL to?

The National Mecha Pilot Academy of course.

That particular year during my entrance test into the National Mecha Pilot Academy was but an example of the inevitable rise of RPLs in humanity and more evidently, in the academy.

"Look, it's the Long family's turn!"

"I wonder how high their RPL is."

I turned around to look at Victor Long and the rest curiously. They were at the very far end of the peak, maybe forty elders away from where I was standing. But with my powerful eyesight, the distance was not a problem for me.

As expected, Victor Long was in Elder Harris' line.

Victor Long - 89

"WOW! THAT'S INCREDIBLE!"

"ROYALTY! And such a high grade too!"

The crowd stirred once more, even after becoming numb to the endless 70s which had appeared endlessly on the hologram screen.

Hailey Long - 85

Gerald Long - 87

The crowd roared in surprise!

"As expected of the Long family! Three high grade Royalties! Unbelievable. The Long family is getting stronger and stronger each year!"

"We better not mess around with them."

"Incredible." Even the usually quiet Tes mumbled out a comment.

"What's incredible? An RPL of 89? Or the fact that they have three high grade "Royalties"? Don't tell me you're impressed?" I teased Tes.

Tes merely chuckled at me and said, "Both. And yes, a high RPL is impressive."

"Really? If even the Longs for all their obvious lack of character can still be impressive with a high RPL, what will a person with good character and an even higher RPL be like?" I thought out loud.

"Higher RPL than Victor Long? That would mean an RPL of 90 and above." Tes smiled at me and shook her head as though it was an impossibility.

"Yes. What is it called? An RPL of over 90?" I asked her.

"Divine." Tes replied. "Apt, especially if the person has a nice character."

"Divine eh?" I rubbed my hands in glee. I couldn't wait to get my RPL measured and shock the entire crowd! And I especially couldn't wait to see the expressions of the Long family.