After returning from the dining hall, Derek and Art went their separate ways to their respective rooms. Once inside, Derek changed into a light, comfortable outfit — a half-pant and a loose tunic. Then he sat down on the floor in a lotus position, his expression calm yet resolute. ’I don’t think any of the students here will be a real problem for me,’ he thought, closing his eyes briefly. ’But I can’t say the same for the instructors. That’s why I need to continue my training at full pace. If I can advance two more levels in cultivation before leaving the academy, that’ll be a remarkable achievement.’ With that thought, Derek exhaled softly and began to steady his breathing. Once his mind was calm and clear, he started the Void Realm Breathing Technique. Almost immediately, the spiritual energy in the air began to stir, swirling around him like invisible threads drawn by an unseen force. It flowed into his body with increasing intensity. Once inside, the energy was refined into pure Qi, which coursed through his veins and dantian, strengthening every fiber of his being. Time slipped by unnoticed. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into hours. Derek didn’t move an inch, his focus unwavering. He didn’t even pause to rest, his concentration was absolute. Outside, dawn gradually broke. The rays of the rising sun pushed away the darkness of the night, and the soft chirping of birds filled the cool morning air. But Derek still sat in silence, eyes closed. With each breath he released, faint white mist drifted from his mouth, curling upward like ethereal smoke. Two more hours passed before he finally opened his eyes. A faint gleam of satisfaction flickered within them. His entire body was soaked in sweat, yet his expression was calm and content. He slowly stood up, stretching his limbs, and then headed toward the washroom to take a refreshing shower. After finishing his shower, Derek came out, quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes, and walked toward the door. But just as he opened it, he found someone standing outside... Eva, her hand raised midair, about to knock. She froze for a moment, blinking in mild surprise. "Hey. Good morning," Eva greeted with a friendly smile. "Good morning, Senior Eva," Derek replied politely. "Huh? Senior Eva?" she repeated with a small laugh. "You don’t have to be so formal," she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Just call me Eva." "Oh! Alright then. Good morning, Eva," Derek said with a faint smile. "Good! Then let’s begin. I’ll again show you everything you need to know about the place today in detail," Eva said cheerfully as she turned and began walking. Derek followed close behind. She didn’t head toward the dining hall... there wasn’t much to explain there anyway. Instead, she led him directly upstairs. The third floor was mainly reserved for third- and fourth-year students, so she took him straight to the fourth floor. "Let’s start with the training room for cultivators. What do you think?" Eva asked as they walked. "No," Derek replied calmly. "I’d like to start with the weapon training room first." Eva blinked, caught off guard. "Weapon training? But aren’t you a...." She stopped mid-sentence as her eyes fell on the sword Derek was carrying in his hand. Yesterday, he had kept it in his pack, so no one had noticed. If they had, it would have caused an even bigger commotion than before. "Why are you carrying a sword? Aren’t you a cultivator?" Eva asked, her tone filled with surprise. "Yes," Derek replied calmly. "But I like wielding swords as well." "You like wielding swords? But..." Eva trailed off, clearly at a loss for words. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩 ’He’s definitely a cultivator. The house master told me that, and Miss Meridith confirmed it too. So why does he want to wield a sword? He’s not joking with me... right?’ Meanwhile, Derek waited patiently for her response, since he wasn’t yet familiar with the academy’s training rooms. After spacing out for a moment, Eva finally nodded. "Al... alright," she said, though her mind was still full of questions. ’Let’s just see what he’s up to.’ With that, she led him toward the weapon training room. When they opened the door and stepped inside, Derek saw a wide hall divided into twenty smaller sections, sub-rooms, each designed for one student at a time. "Go ahead and use that one," Eva said, pointing toward an empty room. Derek nodded and walked toward it. The rooms had transparent, reinforced doors so others could observe the training without interrupting. He tried to push the door open, but it didn’t budge. Derek looked back at Eva, puzzled. Eva quickly realized what was wrong. "Oh, right! I totally forgot... You need your student ID to enter. The system records your performance data." She reached into her pocket and handed him a card with his name, picture, and information printed neatly on it. "Here. Just touch it to the door, and it’ll unlock for you," she explained. "Once you’re inside, you’ll find eleven buttons on the wall and a bracelet. You need to wear the bracelet. It’s a safety device. If you ever feel like you’ve reached your limit, it’ll instantly stop the training once you press the button on it." She continued, "Out of the eleven buttons, ten are for difficulty levels, from one to ten. The last one is the start button." Derek nodded in understanding, then tapped his ID card against the panel. The door unlocked with a soft sound, and his name and picture appeared on the corner display above the entrance. Stepping inside, Derek glanced around the room. As Eva said, there were eleven buttons embedded in the wall and a sleek black bracelet resting on a small stand. He picked it up and strapped it onto his wrist. Then, after taking a brief look around, his eyes settled on the buttons. ’Let’s start with level one... I don’t know what kind of test this is yet,’ he thought. He pressed the "Level 1" button, then the "Start" button. The moment he did, a section of the floor split open, and a training dummy rose from below, holding a sword. And without any warning, it lunged straight at Derek.