My footsteps echoed through the grand hallway, each step bouncing off the marble walls and high ceiling above. The sound seemed to chase me as I walked toward my room, creating a steady rhythm that matched my heartbeat.
I couldn't help but look up at the ceiling as I passed underneath. Blue patterns swirled across the white surface like frozen ocean waves, starting small near the walls and growing larger toward the center. Dragons danced between clouds, their scales catching the light from the crystal lamps. Warriors stood tall with swords raised high, and ancient trees spread their branches wide. Each scene told part of my family's story - how the Vale house had risen from simple people to powerful nobles over hundreds of years.
The weight of that history pressed down on my shoulders. I was supposed to continue that legacy, to add my own chapter to the story painted above my head.
I pulled my gaze away from the ceiling and focused straight ahead. My mind was already working, calculating the points I might earn today and planning how to spend them wisely. Every choice mattered. Every upgrade could mean the difference between success and failure in tomorrow's trials.
The hallway stretched on for what felt like forever. Paintings of stern ancestors watched me from golden frames, their eyes seeming to follow my movement. Suits of armor stood guard at regular intervals, their metal surfaces polished to a mirror shine. Servants hurried past with quick bows, carrying trays and bundles to different parts of the mansion.
Finally, I reached my door. The familiar sight of the light brown wood and brass handle brought a small sense of relief.
*Click!*
The doorknob turned smoothly under my grip. The door swung open with a soft creak, revealing my private space. Moonlight streamed through tall windows, casting long rectangles of silver white across the polished floor. My bed sat in the center of the room, its light green blanket neatly folded and soft pillows arranged perfectly.
I closed the door behind me with a gentle push and walked to the bed. The floorboards didn't make a sound under my feet - even the floor in this house was made from the finest materials. I climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged in the center, feeling the soft mattress give way slightly under my weight.
In my hands was the wooden box my mother had given me. The lid was already open, showing the contents inside. A dozen small magic crystals sat nestled in red velvet, each one glowing with a soft inner light that pulsed like a heartbeat. They were beautiful, like captured starlight, but I knew they were more than just pretty stones. They contained pure magical energy - power I could use to grow stronger.
But in the center of the box, standing out from the rest, was one larger crystal. It was about the size of my fist, its surface smooth and perfect. The light inside it swirled like trapped wind, brighter and more active than the smaller ones around it.
*This is what my mother gave me?* I thought, running my finger along the edge of the box. *One medium crystal and a dozen small ones?*
It wasn't much, but it would have to be enough. I had learned early in this new life that complaining wouldn't make me stronger. Only action would.
"Status bar!" I called out in my mind, focusing on the familiar mental command that had become second nature.
The world around me seemed to pause for a moment. Then, a blue light descended from nowhere, carrying with it a mysterious energy that made my skin tingle. The light swirled in front of my eyes, forming letters and numbers that only I could see.
*Ding!*
**[Status Window]**
**Name:** Zhang Wei / Ethan Vale
**Age:** 14
**Realm:** Adept - Minor Realm: Stable Flow
**Techniques/Skills:** Intermediate Swordsmanship (4/10) [+], Language Expert
**Magic Affinities:** Wind (Weak), Earth (Weak)
**Magic:** Azure Wind (Stage: Guiding the Wind) [+]
**Points:** 4 (Points may be used to enhance skills, magic, and knowledge.)
**Missions:**
- Sole Journey [?]
- Road to Extraordinary Strength [?]
I stared at the numbers with mixed feelings. "Only 4 points..." I muttered under my breath. After all the training and studying I had done, after all the small victories and hard work, I still had so little to show for it.
But that was about to change.
My eyes moved to the magic section of my status. I focused on the plus sign next to "Azure Wind" and mentally clicked on it. The advancement information appeared immediately, floating in my vision like words written in blue fire.
**Azure Wind - Next Stage: Wind Gatherer**
*"Threading the wind, every move is a fierce gale unleashed."*
**Cost: 8 points** *(original cost reduced from 10 points due to weak wind affinity)*
Eight points. I looked at my current total again - only 4 points. I was exactly half-way there.
Should I upgrade this magical technique or focus on my swordsmanship instead?
I looked down at my current resources. The crystals in the box glowed softly, waiting to be used. There was only one way to find out how much power they contained.
I picked up the largest crystal, the one that stood out from all the rest. It felt warm in my palm, and I could sense the energy swirling inside it like a tiny storm. The moment my fingers wrapped around it completely, the system responded.
*Ding!*
**[Magical Item Detected!]**
**[Item: Magic Crystal]**
**[Quality: Medium]**
**[Description: A moderately sized crystal containing pure mana. Can be absorbed for cultivation and other magical purposes.]**
**[Can be converted into points!]**
**[Do you want to convert? (Yes/No)]**
"Yes," I said aloud, my voice echoing slightly in the quiet room.
Blue light erupted from the status window, brighter than before. It wrapped around the crystal in my hand like glowing ribbons. I felt the crystal grow lighter and lighter until it seemed to weigh nothing at all. Then, in the space between one heartbeat and the next, it vanished completely. Not even dust remained.
**Converting...**
**Conversion successful!**
**Congratulations! You have gained 2 points!**
**Current points: 6**
Two points from the medium crystal. That was good, but not enough. I turned my attention to the remaining crystals in the box. Without hesitation, I picked up the first small one.
*Ding!*
**[Item: Magic Crystal]**
**[Quality: Small]**
**[Can be converted into points!]**
**[Do you want to convert? (Yes/No)]**
"Yes."
This time the process went faster. The blue light consumed the crystal in seconds.
**Conversion successful! You have gained 0.2 points!**
**Current points: 6.2**
Only a tenth of a point for each small crystal. I would need every single one of them to reach my goal.
One by one, I converted the remaining crystals. Each small flash of blue light brought me closer to the power I needed. The pile of crystals in the box grew smaller and smaller until only empty velvet remained.
**Current points: 7.2**
I stared at the final number with frustration. 7.2 points. Still almost a full point short of the 8 I needed for the magic upgrade. So close, yet so far.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips. I leaned back against my pillows, feeling the weight of disappointment settle on my chest like a stone.
My thoughts turned to tomorrow's events. Viscount Vale - my father in this world - had made it very clear that the upcoming trials would be intense. "No rest," he had said, his stern voice leaving no room for argument. "Everything will happen quickly. You must be ready."
There would be combat competition I wouldn't have time to train or upgrade my abilities. Trying to improve mid-battle was something only protagonists in stories could get away with. For someone like me, it would be suicide.
The choice became clear. I needed strength now, not later.
I shifted my focus to the swordsmanship section of my status. The cost appeared immediately: 3.8 points. Much more reasonable than the 8 points for magic, and the price had been reduced because of all my hard work. The system rewarded effort and dedication.
*Talent can be lost,* I thought, remembering something I had read once in my previous life. *Strength can fade. You can even betray yourself. But good habits will never betray you. What you do shapes who you become.*
And I believed, deep in my heart, that I was a hard-working person. That had to count for something.
Without any more hesitation, I focused on the advancement option.
**Upgrade to Advanced Swordsmanship? (Yes/No)**
"Yes."
The world exploded into motion.
My vision blurred and twisted, colors spinning like paint in water. When it cleared, I was no longer in my room. I stood in a different place, watching scenes that felt more real than memory.
*Slash!*
A sword cut through the air under a jujube tree, its blade catching the afternoon sunlight. The tree's red fruit hung heavy on the branches, swaying gently in a warm breeze that carried the scent of earth and growing things.
A young man stood beneath the tree, but his face was hidden from me, blurred like smoke. He held his sword with both hands, moving through form after form with mechanical precision. His feet found the right positions automatically. His arms swung in perfect arcs. His body turned and flowed like water.
From morning until night, he practiced without stopping. When the sun rose, painting the sky pink and gold, he was there with his sword. When the sun set, turning the world purple and orange, he was still there, still moving, still learning.
I watched him through changing seasons. Spring brought new leaves to the jujube tree and fresh grass to carpet the ground. Summer burned hot and bright, making sweat pour down his face, but still he practiced. Autumn painted the world in reds and golds, and the jujube fruit grew ripe and heavy. Winter brought snow and bitter cold that made his breath come out in white puffs, but still he never stopped.
Months became years. Years became decades. The faceless young man grew taller, his shoulders broader. His movements became smoother, more natural, like breathing. The sword in his hands was no longer a tool - it became part of him, an extension of his will.
Then, something changed.
It was a random afternoon, different from all the others only because of what was about to happen. Dark clouds gathered overhead like an army preparing for war. The air grew thick and heavy, pressing down on everything below.
*Rumble!*
Thunder crashed across the sky like the voice of an angry god. Lightning split the darkness, turning the world white for brief, blinding moments. Rain began to fall, first in scattered drops, then in sheets that soaked everything in seconds.
*Whoosh!*
The wind picked up, howling like a living thing. It tore at the jujube tree, bending its trunk nearly in half. Nearby, a wooden house groaned and shook. Its roof tiles flew off like startled birds. The walls cracked and split. In moments, the entire structure collapsed into a pile of broken wood and mud.
The faceless figure raised his head and looked at the sky. Rain streamed down his invisible features, but he didn't flinch or run for shelter. He stood firm, like a mountain that couldn't be moved.
*Creak!*
A sound cut through the storm - wood splitting under impossible pressure. The old jujube tree, which had stood for decades, finally gave way. Its massive trunk snapped near the base with a sound like breaking bones. The entire tree fell toward the faceless man, its branches spread wide like grasping fingers. It came down fast and hard, howling through the air like death itself.
Any normal person would have run. Any normal person would have screamed.
But this was no normal person.
The faceless figure's hand moved to his sword's handle. Time seemed to slow as his fingers wrapped around the familiar grip. In one fluid motion, he drew the blade from its sheath. The steel sang as it cut through the air, a pure note that rose above even the storm's fury.
*Clang!*
A single line of light flashed through the darkness, so fast and bright it was almost impossible to see. The sword moved like liquid lightning, cutting through air and rain and wind as if they were nothing.
The falling tree stopped in mid-air. For a heartbeat, it hung there impossibly, defying gravity itself.
Then it fell apart.
*Thud! Thud!*
Two halves of the massive trunk hit the ground on either side of the faceless figure, missing him by inches. Branches and leaves scattered in all directions. The cut surface of the wood was so smooth it looked like polished glass.
The man stood between the two halves, completely untouched. Rain continued to fall on his face, but he didn't seem to notice. His sword was already back in its sheath, as if the impossible feat had required no effort at all.
"Fast and strong," he murmured, his voice somehow audible even over the storm.
He looked up at the dark sky, letting the rain wash over him.
"I need to be faster and stronger."
*Whoosh!*
The vision shattered like breaking glass.
"Ha!"
I gasped and opened my eyes, finding myself back in my room. My heart was pounding like I had just run a mile. Sweat covered my forehead despite the cool air from the windows.
But I felt different.
New knowledge filled my mind - not just facts or techniques, but muscle memory and instincts that felt as real as if I had lived them myself. My arms tingled with unfamiliar strength. My back felt straighter, more solid. When I moved my shoulders, they responded differently, with more precision and control.
I knew, without testing it, that I was faster now. Stronger. More skilled than I had been just moments before.
The system had given me decades of training in the space of a few heartbeats. And tomorrow, when the trials began, I would be ready.
**Current points: 3.4**
I smiled, feeling confident for another time since arriving in this world. Whatever challenges awaited me, I would face them with the strength I had earned through my hard work.
The path of power stretched out ahead of me, and I was ready to walk it.