“…Ren Kurose.”

  For a moment, the courtyard fell completely silent.

  The instructor’s voice had been clear, calm, and unmistakable. Yet the students seemed to need a second to process it.

  Then the whispers began.

  “Ren…?”

  “The low-grade one?”

  “That can’t be right.”

  Many eyes immediately turned toward Akamine Ryu. He stood with his refined crystal glowing faintly in his hand, looking as composed as ever. Several students had already assumed the reward would be his.

  But the instructor repeated the name.

  “Ren Kurose. Step forward.”

  Ren rose from his place and walked calmly to the front of the courtyard. His expression remained steady despite the dozens of stares now following him.

  The instructor studied him for a moment before presenting a small pouch.

  “Your achievement was verified by the academy elder last night. The first successful refinement deserves recognition.”

  Ren accepted the pouch with a slight bow.

  Inside were several crystal shards, each no larger than a fingernail yet rich with condensed energy.

  Behind him, the murmuring only grew louder.

  Some students looked impressed. Others did not bother hiding their displeasure.

  Akamine Ryu remained quiet, though his gaze lingered on Ren for a moment longer than before.

  Near him stood Regisaka Haru, the talented heir of the Regisaka clan. Haru’s expression carried a faint irritation.

  “A low-grade student refining first…” he muttered quietly. “Luck, perhaps.”

  The instructor raised his voice again.

  “That will be enough.”

  The courtyard gradually settled.

  “Classes will begin shortly. Today you will learn how to properly utilize the crystals you have received.”

  The First Lesson

  The students gathered inside the academy hall.

  Sunlight filtered through tall windows, casting pale lines across the stone floor. The instructor stood at the front with a small table prepared for demonstration.

  He placed several crystal shards upon it.

  “Before you attempt reckless cultivation,” he said calmly, “you must understand the tool you hold.”

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  He lifted a shard.

  “These fragments are condensed crystal essence. When properly processed, they can strengthen your main crystal and aid your cultivation.”

  A small brazier was brought forward.

  The instructor dropped the shard into a shallow container and applied heat while guiding thin strands of thread from his fingers.

  The shard slowly melted into a glowing liquid.

  “During battle,” he continued, “your crystal releases energy through thread manipulation. The more pressure it endures, the more its glow will fade.”

  He lifted his crystal.

  The light dimmed slightly as he demonstrated a simple attack. Thin threads shot outward, forming a brief arc of energy before dissolving.

  “After prolonged use, your crystal will weaken. To restore it, crystal shards must be melted into essence and infused back into the stone.”

  The liquid essence was poured carefully over the crystal.

  Its glow brightened once again.

  “This same process is also required during cultivation and leveling.”

  Students leaned forward with great interest.

  The instructor continued.

  “Your threads are the medium through which the crystal obeys you.”

  He extended his hand again.

  Fine strands appeared in the air—thin as silk, nearly invisible until they caught the light.

  “These threads can weave together into patterns. With training, they can shape elements, create attacks, and even reinforce your body.”

  He flicked his wrist.

  The threads gathered and burst briefly into a small spark of flame before vanishing.

  Excited murmurs spread through the room.

  Everyone tried to imitate the motion.

  Threads flickered everywhere—clumsy, unstable, barely controlled.

  Amid the noise, Ren sat near the back of the room.

  His arms were folded.

  His eyes were closed.

  He had fallen asleep.

  The student beside him blinked in confusion.

  “…Is he sleeping?”

  Another student glanced over.

  “He’s not even listening…”

  Even the instructor paused briefly when he noticed.

  A student who had refined a crystal ahead of everyone else… sleeping during the first lesson.

  For a moment, the instructor said nothing.

  Then he simply continued teaching.

  “Each of you holds the same foundation crystal. It is the Tsubasa Stone, the signature crystal of this town.”

  He lifted one for the class to see.

  “Every cultivator here begins with it.”

  When classes ended, students left the academy with renewed enthusiasm.

  Ren returned home quietly.

  Inside his room, he placed the crystal shards on the floor and summoned his Tsubasa Stone.

  It hovered faintly before him.

  He began cultivation.

  Threads extended slowly from his fingers, guiding the energy from the shards into the crystal.

  At first, the process moved smoothly.

  But the further the energy spread, the more resistance he encountered.

  The crystal trembled. The threads strained. Ren’s breathing gradually deepened.

  His experience gave him control, but his body lacked the strength it once possessed.

  Minutes turned into hours.

  Sweat formed along his brow.

  The crystal’s glow brightened, then dimmed again as it struggled to stabilize.

  Finally, Ren withdrew his threads.

  The stone hovered before him, shining slightly stronger than before.

  But it had not fully advanced. It remained just short of Rank 1 Middle Stage. Ren examined it silently.

  “The shards weren’t enough.”

  Without additional resources, pushing the crystal further would risk damaging it.

  He stood slowly.

  There was only one place nearby where he might find what he needed.

  Kurotsuki Ridge

  Night had already settled across the town when Ren reached the rocky slopes of Kurotsuki Ridge.

  The wind moved quietly between the jagged stones.

  Ren approached a spot he remembered well.

  Hidden among the rocks sat an old chest, half-buried beneath dust and moss.

  He placed a hand upon it and released a small pulse of spiritual pressure.

  Threads spread across the lock like delicate veins.

  The mechanism resisted briefly.

  Then it clicked open.

  Inside the chest lay several crystal shards… and something else.

  A crystal stone rested at the center.

  Its surface carried faint patterns unlike any normal cultivation crystal.

  It did not resemble the Tsubasa Stone.

  The energy within it felt… different.

  Ren picked it up carefully.

  Just as he did—

  A sudden burst of force exploded nearby.

  The ground shook.

  Dust and fragments of stone scattered into the air.

  Ren’s eyes lifted toward the ridge.

  Through the settling smoke, several figures slowly stepped forward.

  They had arrived without warning.