Alright.
Below is Chapter 9, written in a Va
The Main Training Hall of Starcrest Academy was never quiet.
Even when instructors demanded silence, the place hummed—cultivation auras brushing against one another, suppressed energies clashing invisibly, ambition thick enough to taste. Today, however, the noise wasn't power.
It was judgment.
Kayden Arin stood near the back of the hall, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded as if he were bored. In truth, he was listening to everything.
Every whisper.
Every glance.
Every unspoken hierarchy forming in real time.
This was how the academy worked.
Not by rules alone—but by perception.
At the front, Instructor Halden Voss stood with his arms crossed, gaze sharp and calculating. He had the look of someone who had buried more students than he had praised.
"From today onward," Halden said, voice echoing through the hall, "you will no longer train as individuals."
The murmurs grew louder.
"You will be divided into groups. Not by favoritism. Not by background. But by cultivation balance."
Kayden almost smiled.
Balance, he thought.
That word always meant control.
"Each group," Halden continued, "will consist of three cultivators. You will fight together. Train together. Fail together."
Fail together.
That was the part no one like.
"Group A."
The first names rang out, and immediately heads turned.
"Eren Vale. Mila Ryn. Rowan."
A ripple of approval passed through the crowd.
Fire elemental. Mind cultivator. Beast-bound. Solid foundation.
Eren grinned openly, flames flickering faintly around his fingers. Rowan's stone-hound beast spirit manifested briefly behind him, massive and intimidating. Mila simply adjusted her glasses and said nothing.
Strong start, Kayden noted.
"Group B."
"Harven Holt. Silas. Lena Moore."
Body forger. Shadow beast. Mind cultivator.
Harven cracked his knuckles, muscles tightening unnaturally. Silas smirked like he already owned the academy.
Kayden exhaled slowly.
Everyone is already ranking each other.
"Group C."
"Drake Cole. Nora Vess. Owen."
Two mind cultivators and a body forger.
Balanced, but fragile.
"Group D."
Kayden's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Marek Thorne. Kira. Tomas Reed."
The room reacted instantly.
Marek.
Earth-element user.
Kayden could feel it even now—the weight of Marek's aura, grounded and stubborn. Marek's jaw tightened, fists clenched at his sides.
He hadn't forgotten the humiliation of the Awakening Hall.
Good, Kayden thought calmly.
Anger makes roots grow deep.
"Group E."
"Ava Frost. Leo Pyre. Mina Stone."
Ice. Fire. Body forger.
A volatile combination.
Students whispered openly now, ranking groups, predicting dominance.
Then—
"Group F."
The air shifted.
Kayden felt it before his name was spoken.
"Kayden Arin. Rayden Wolfe. Liora Ashwyn."
Silence.
Then—
"What?"
"No way."
"That's unbalanced."
Kayden didn't move.
Rayden Wolfe did.
Lightning crackled around Rayden's body, his eyes flashing dangerously as he turned to look at Kayden like he had just been insulted by reality itself.
"How," Rayden said loudly, not even bothering to hide his disdain, "does a weak fellow end up on my team?"
The hall froze.
Kayden met Rayden's gaze calmly.
No fear.
No anger.
Nothing.
That irritated Rayden even more.
Instructor Halden's aura surged.
"Wolfe."
The lightning snapped back into Rayden's body like a leashed beast.
"This academy does not form groups based on ego," Halden said coldly. "You will learn discipline—or you will be removed."
Rayden clenched his teeth but said nothing more.
Beside them, Liora Ashwyn watched Kayden quietly.
Her eyes lingered on him longer than necessary.
"Group G."
"Hugo. Vince. Ella Night."
Two body forgers and a mind cultivator.
Brute force and control.
"Group H."
"Zane. Noah. Theo."
Wind elemental. Two mind cultivators.
The final group.
The structure was complete.
Halden surveyed the hall.
"These groups will remain fixed for the next phase of training. Learn your strengths.
Cover your weaknesses."
His gaze paused briefly on Kayden.
"Dismissed."
The moment students began dispersing, Rayden turned fully toward Kayden.
"You," Rayden said flatly, "don't slow me down."
Kayden tilted his head slightly.
"I wasn't planning to," he replied.
Liora blinked.
Rayden scoffed. "Good. Because if you collapse in combat, I won't carry you."
Kayden shrugged. "That would be awkward."
Rayden stared at him.
"…You're strange."
Liora let out a soft laugh.
"That makes three of us," she said, stepping between them. "Since we're a team now, maybe we should start by not killing each other?"
Rayden looked away.
Kayden said nothing—but inside, the system pulsed faintly.
[Notice: Host placed under direct hostility.]
[Threat Level: Low.]
[Recommendation: Observe.]
Always observe, Kayden agreed silently.
Whispers and Watching Eyes
As Group F walked across the academy grounds, eyes followed them.
Some mocking.
Some curious.
Some calculating.
Kayden felt a familiar sensation.
Predators noticing prey.
But predators didn't know when prey had teeth.
Rayden broke the silence again. "What path are you, Arin?"
Kayden considered lying.
Then decided against it.
"Sealed," he said.
Rayden snorted. "Figures."
Liora frowned slightly. "Sealed doesn't mean useless."
Rayden shot her a look. "It usually does."
Kayden smiled faintly.
Usually.
Across the courtyard, Marek Thorne stood with his group.
His gaze locked onto Rayden.
The humiliation still burned—but something else was there now.
Recognition.
Marek clenched his fists, earth energy rumbling beneath his skin.
"wolfe," he muttered. "I won't lose to you again."
Kayden didn't hear him.
But the system did.
[External hostility detected.]
After an hour .
Instructor Halden's voice echoed once more.
"Groups F and D. Training Arena One."
Rayden grinned sharply.
"Looks like we start early."
Marek stepped forward from Group D.
Earth energy surged around him like rising stone.
Kayden walked calmly into the arena.
Liora swallowed.
Rayden cracked his neck.
The gates slammed shut.
Halden's voice boomed.
"Begin."
Marek moved first.
The ground erupted.
Rayden launched forward, lightning tearing through the air.
Chaos exploded.
Kayden stayed still.
Too still.
Liora glanced at him. "Kayden—?"
Kayden stepped forward.
The earth beneath his foot stilled.
Marek froze.
Rayden skidded to a halt.
For half a second, everything went silent.
Then—
Kayden sneezed.
"…Sorry," he said mildly.
Liora stared.
Rayden blinked.
Marek lost his balance as the earth reacted late, dumping him unceremoniously onto his back.
The arena erupted with laughter.
Rayden stared at Kayden.
"…You did that on purpose."
Kayden shrugged again.
"Maybe."
The system pulsed, amused.
[Comedy Value: +1]
And somewhere deep within Kayden—
Power stirred.