The Kobayashi estate stood apart from the rest of Hoshino City.
High stone walls surrounded the compound, etched with faint runes worn smooth by time. Ancient pine trees lined the inner paths, their roots cracking the stone beneath them as if the land itself bowed to their presence.
Kenji Watanabe stopped at the entrance.
His breath caught.
"So… this is a family gate."
Beside him, Riku Kobayashi folded his arms proudly. "Yeah. Not the biggest. Not the oldest. But stable."
Kenji nodded slowly.
Stable.
That single word carried weight.Crossing the Threshold
A pair of guards stood at the main gate, dressed in traditional martial robes. Their eyes sharpened when they saw Kenji.
An outsider.
Riku stepped forward. "I brought him to observe only. No trial. No awakening."
One guard hesitated.
Then nodded. "The elders approved observation."
The gates opened with a deep, grinding sound.
The moment Kenji stepped inside, his body reacted.
Not pain.
Not pressure.
But clarity.
His breathing deepened without effort. His posture straightened. His skin prickled faintly, as if the air itself carried structure.
"…This place feels different," Kenji murmured.
Riku glanced at him. "Most people don't notice. But you've been Body Refining long enough."
Kenji swallowed.
So this is what proper cultivation feels like.The Path to the Platform
They walked along a stone path leading deeper into the estate. The farther they went, the quieter it became. No birds. No insects. Even the wind seemed restrained.
At the end of the path stood a circular stone platform carved directly into the earth.
At its center rose a monolithic gate.
It was not a door.
It was not a wall.
It was a standing ring of stone, seven meters tall, carved with layered sigils that shifted subtly when viewed from different angles.
Kenji stopped breathing.
"…That's the gate?"
Riku nodded. "The Kobayashi Life Spirit Gate."The Gate's Presence
Kenji didn't need anyone to tell him.
The gate was alive.
Not sentient.
But aware.
His skin crawled as his senses brushed against it. The gate didn't pull at him—it waited.
Judging.
Measuring.
Kenji took an unconscious step back.
Riku noticed immediately. "You felt it."
Kenji nodded stiffly. "It's… watching."
Riku smiled faintly. "Good. That means your foundation isn't hollow."The Elders Arrive
Footsteps echoed.
Three figures approached the platform.
Elders.
Their cultivation was restrained, hidden beneath calm expressions. But Kenji's instincts screamed.
Danger.
The middle elder stopped in front of them.
He had long silver hair tied neatly behind his back, his posture straight despite his age. His eyes were sharp, clear, and unclouded.
"Riku," he said calmly. "You brought a guest."
"Yes, Elder Kobayashi Tetsuo," Riku replied, bowing respectfully. "This is Kenji Watanabe. He only wishes to observe."
The elder's gaze shifted to Kenji.
It was like being weighed on invisible scales.
"…Interesting," Tetsuo murmured.
Kenji bowed deeply. "Thank you for allowing me to be here, Elder."
Tetsuo studied him for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"Ask your questions," the elder said. "Observation without understanding is meaningless."
Kenji's heart pounded.The First Question
Kenji steadied himself.
"…Elder, how does the Life Spirit selection truly work?"
Tetsuo gestured toward the gate.
"The gate does not give power," he said. "It reveals alignment."
Kenji frowned slightly.
"Most believe they choose their Life Spirit," the elder continued. "That is only half true."The Illusion of Choice
"When a cultivator enters the gate," Tetsuo said, "their consciousness is drawn into the Life Spirit Domain."
Kenji listened intently.
"They are presented with options," the elder went on. "Forms. Presences. Concepts."
"Those are not spirits waiting to be claimed."
"They are reflections."
Kenji's breath caught.
"Reflections… of the cultivator?"
"Yes," Tetsuo said calmly. "The gate mirrors the soul's structure. It filters possibilities."
Riku nodded. "That's why compatibility matters."
Kenji swallowed.
"So if someone aims too high…"
"They are rejected," the elder said bluntly.Rejection Isn't Gentle
Tetsuo's voice remained calm.
"The gate does not care about ambition. It cares about stability."
Kenji clenched his fists.
"What happens if someone forces it?"
Tetsuo's eyes hardened slightly.
"Some are expelled violently."
"Some suffer mental fractures."
"Some never wake up."
Silence fell.Why Observation Matters
Kenji took a breath.
"Elder… why allow someone like me to observe?"
Tetsuo studied him.
"Because you did not ask to awaken," he said. "Only to understand."
Kenji bowed again.
"Those who rush power," Tetsuo continued, "burn themselves."
"You are walking instead."Ranks Explained Properly
Kenji hesitated before asking his next question.
"…Why is Green the highest rank known in our realm?"
Tetsuo looked at the gate.
"Because the realm itself is limited."
Kenji stiffened.
"Life Spirit rank is not only about talent," the elder explained. "It is about world capacity."
Riku nodded. "The realm can only support so much resonance."
"Correct," Tetsuo said. "Green-ranked spirits already strain the balance."
Kenji's mind reeled.
"So Cyan, Blue, Purple…"
"Require worlds that can bear them," the elder finished.The Cost of High Rank
Kenji's voice was quiet.
"If someone did awaken a higher rank here…"
Tetsuo's expression darkened.
"They would either be suppressed…"
"…or destroyed."
Kenji felt cold.
"So legends of higher ranks…"
"Come from greater realms," Tetsuo said. "Or from eras when the world itself was stronger."A Look Into the Gate
Tetsuo raised a hand.
The gate shimmered.
For a brief moment, Kenji's vision blurred.
He saw—
A vast void.
Countless lights.
Some dim.
Some bright.
Some terrifying.
Then it vanished.
Kenji staggered back, breathing hard.
"That," Tetsuo said calmly, "was only the outermost layer."
Kenji wiped sweat from his brow.
"…I wasn't even inside."
The elder nodded. "And yet your mind held."
Riku stared at Kenji.
"…That's not normal."A Warning
Tetsuo turned to Kenji.
"You are not ready to awaken."
Kenji bowed deeply. "I know."
"But," the elder continued, "when you are…"
His gaze sharpened.
"Choose stability over ambition."
Kenji nodded without hesitation.Departure
They left the platform quietly.
As Kenji stepped beyond the estate walls, the pressure lifted.
He exhaled shakily.
"…Now I understand."
Riku smiled. "Yeah. Awakening isn't a gift."
"It's a contract."
Kenji looked back once more at the distant gate.
He wasn't afraid.
But he wasn't eager either.
Not yet.
Kenji did not awaken a Life Spirit that day.
But he gained something far more valuable:
Understanding.
Power had rules.Awakening had cost.And the gate did not reward desire—only readiness.
The path ahead was clearer.
And heavier.