Morning Departure
The dawn air was crisp and sharp, the kind that stung the lungs yet woke every fiber of the body. Feng Jian stood silently at the rail of the colossal skyship Silent Weather, its hull carved with the Steel Family's crest: a sword at the eye of a roaring windstorm, with snowflakes etched around its edge.
The vessel wasn't just a ship—it was a fortress adrift in the clouds. Its banners whipped violently in the high winds, each one embroidered in white, green, and blue—the heraldry of the Wind Dragon Clan's Advanced War-God 8-Star Attack Force, an elite unit whispered about in soldier's songs.
Beside Jian, Mark stretched and breathed deep, a grin pulling at his sun-worn face.Mark: "Smell that? That's not dawn, that's the scent of power. The skies bend when this beast sails."
From behind, Maria joined them, her boots light on the wooden deck. She leaned closer to Jian, her breath warm in the cold.Maria (whispering): "Cool, right? That's an 8-Star War-God vessel. Do you realize what you're standing on? Some warriors wait their whole lives just to see one."
Her voice softened, almost regretful.Maria: "And you—training blind and alone all this time—no wonder your strength feels so raw."
Mark shot her a sidelong glance, grin widening.Mark: "Raw? He's sharper than most polished blades. Sister, from here on, you'll give him the refinements I can't. Teach him the Asura System, teach him how to walk Academy halls without looking like a wild wolf."
Jian, stoic as ever, said nothing—though inside, his chest tightened. The Asura System. The Academy. A world beyond anything his father's halls had shown him.
The Asura System
Later, as the ship cut across frozen tundras and snow-rimed peaks, Maria led Jian to the observation deck. The wind lashed his cloak, cold against his skin.
She unfurled a silver scroll, its ink glowing faintly.
Maria: "Listen carefully. The Asura System isn't just a test. It's the Academy's core gift from the World Tree itself. It turns your life of cultivation into something measurable—something that can be refined without guesswork."
Her finger traced the glowing lines.
Natural Qi Level: your years of pure cultivation. You'll need at least fifty years before the System even acknowledges you.
Elemental Qi Type & Rank: aligned with monster-core affinities—Wind, Fire, Dark, Ice, more. The ranks ascend from mortal grades—G, F, A—to King tiers, all the way to True King (10★) and beyond, into the myths of Martial Legends.
Class: your body's answer to your Qi. Heavy Knight, Wind Warden, Frost Sentinel… the System defines your combat role and feeds you skills to match.
She looked up at him, sharp eyes studying his blindfold.Maria: "Yours will be… complicated. Wind as your core, Shadow riding beneath, Ice simmering around the edges. At Aria, once the Asura binds to you, you'll see it all. Real-time stats. Growth in plain sight."
The wind howled around them, rattling the rail. Jian only inclined his head, his voice flat.Jian: "Understood."
For a moment, Maria smiled. There was something magnetic in the way he absorbed knowledge without fuss, without protest.
Sight of Aria City
By afternoon, the skies cleared, and the first glimmers of Aria appeared.
Maria's hand shot out, gripping Jian's sleeve.Maria (softly): "Look."
The clouds parted—and the World Tree rose into view.
It was impossible, a living miracle. The trunk alone was so wide it seemed to hold up the sky, roots plunging into the sea below. Its branches climbed endlessly, some disappearing into the clouds, others stretching across the horizon like the arms of gods.
And at its base, cradled by roots the size of mountains, lay Aria City—a jewel of stone and living wood.
Spiraling walls, fifty meters high, encircled the Academy's heart, each wall veined with glowing runes. Skyships darted in and out of massive ports carved into the bark itself, like ants crawling across a titan's skin.
Floating citadels hung suspended by shimmering Qi currents beneath the branches, their towers linked by bridges of light. The air was filled with sound: the hum of engines, the calls of hawkers from the harbor markets, the clang of bells announcing incoming vessels.
And at the core—where sea and sky kissed—spread the World Sea, a lake so vast it mirrored the heavens. Waterfalls spilled from the roots of the Tree into its basin, and clouds drifted low enough that the sea itself seemed to touch the sky. The sheer scale made Jian's chest tighten. The **World Sea was no mere lake—it was a cosmos turned liquid, its surface glowing faintly as though it reflected every star above.
Wind rushed past them, sharp and salty, carrying the scent of iron, ocean, and tree-sap.
Mark stepped up, his voice booming across the deck.Mark: "Welcome to Aria City, boy. This is the forge of legends, the home of the Seven-Star Academy. Every warrior worth naming has walked through its gates."
He pointed toward the harbor, where dozens of ships floated like drifting leaves around the Tree's roots.Mark: "In fifteen hours, you'll set foot in the Academy itself. Tests, trials, the System—all waiting. From here on, it's not about what you've been. It's about what you'll become."
Jian's blindfold stirred in the wind. Beneath it, his lips moved, quiet as the breeze.Jian: "I'll surpass it."
Maria turned, studying his stoic form against the grand horizon. Her fingers curled unconsciously around her frostblade. Something inside her whispered: This one… he'll shake the heavens.