The morning slowly deepened into gold. After the instructor dismissed them at the Jade Courtyard, the seven disciples of Group DOS–Z returned to their quarters beyond the south bridge. The dormitory was carved into the mountainside itself — walls lined with luminous stones, the floor polished smooth by decades of footsteps. morning came quickly. Cain sat on the edge of his bunk, quietly studying his reflection in the polished bronze mirror hanging near his bed. The sect uniform — black and white, threaded with silver — fit him better than he expected. The sash at his waist caught the morning light, and his hair, a dark cascade that brushed his shoulders, glinted faintly under it.
Even when he wasn't trying, there was something striking about him — an ease to his movements, an almost unearthly calm behind his eyes. Eren noticed it first.
"Man, even the uniform looks expensive on you," Eren joked, fastening his own belt.
Cain smiled, soft and good-natured. "Maybe it's just the light."
"Or maybe you were born lucky," Keil added, tossing his sash lazily around his shoulder. "Good looks, quiet aura — the sect girls will love you."
"Not interested," Cain replied lightly.
One by one, they prepared — Sera tying her hair with surgical precision, Ryn checking her talismans, Lior adjusting his boots in complete silence. When they finally stepped out of the dormitory, the air was fresh and sweet, the clouds rolling gently beneath the mountain ridge.
---
The courtyard below the training pavilion was wide and paved with smooth gray stone. Waiting there stood a woman in silver-gray robes, her hair tied high, streaked faintly with white though her face remained youthful.
She radiated quiet command.
> "Line up," she said, her voice sharp yet melodious — like a blade cutting through silk. Cain looked at her and remembered he had seen her before.
The seven disciples instantly fell into line. The woman's gaze lingered briefly on Cain, though only in routine assessment.
> "I am Instructor Yara," she continued. "I'll be overseeing your cultivation fundamentals, tactical control, and group synergy training. You may have trained elsewhere, but within these walls, your rank is nothing. Only progress speaks."
Her tone carried the weight of someone who had seen countless disciples rise and fall.
> "Today, we begin with spirit harmonization. You will learn to balance your inner flow with the world around you. For this, we will move into the outer forest — Zood."
At the name, a low murmur rippled through the group.
Instructor Yara raised her hand.
> "Zood Forest is alive. The spirit currents there are volatile. If your hearts are unsteady, the energy will reject you. Follow my orders and do not wander. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Instructor!" they chorused.
Her eyes swept across them once more — stern but not unkind. "Good. Gather your supplies. You move out in fifteen minutes."
---
They moved quickly. Cain adjusted the straps on his spirit pouch, tucking in his talismans and the jade bead Roen had given him before he left the village. It pulsed faintly with warmth against his chest — like a heartbeat answering his own.
Eren nudged him. "First day and we're already heading into the woods. See why i said "A war zone" He whispered to Cain.
Cain slightly smiled.
Eren barked out a laugh loud enough for Instructor Yara to glance their way — a single cold look that shut him up immediately.
---
They departed at dawn's end.
Mist pooled at their feet as the sect towers faded behind them. Zood Forest loomed ahead — vast, ancient, and humming with unseen energy. The spirit wind tugged at their robes, carrying the scent of pine and raw essence.
Instructor Yara led the group with steady, unhurried steps. Her voice carried through the fog.
> "You will not be hunting today. You will listen — to the world and to yourselves. Let your spiritual veins respond naturally. Do not force anything."
Cain followed quietly, every sense alive. The hum in his head — faint but familiar — echoed with the rhythm of the forest. He smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes.
Eren whispered behind him, "Still smiling, huh? You're either brave or crazy."
Cain looked confused not knowing why he said that" When instructor Yara voice spoke out.
"Some of you come from families of name. Some, from nowhere. It doesn't matter here. The sect doesn't favor blood or fame — only results."
Her voice carried the weight of certainty.
"Cultivation begins with awareness — not of strength, but of self. Now Sit."
The group obeyed immediately. The morning air was cool against their skin as they lowered themselves onto the stone floor.
"Today, we begin Spirit Resonance," Yara continued. "The foundation of every cultivator. It is how you connect to the the world's rhythm and force. Do not force it. You concentrate to feel the changes of nature."
Her voice grew softer as she demonstrated — closing her eyes, placing her hand on the earth. The faint lines of spirit energy beneath the courtyard pulsed once, responding to her call.
Focus on your dantian," she instructed. "Draw the world's flow inward, let it meet your spirit. No resistance. No thought."
A light tremor rippled through the ground. Some disciples gasped as faint colors began to swirl faintly around them — white, blue, green — their spiritual affinities taking shape.
Then Cain's energy appeared — silver. Pale, steady, and calm like still water.
Yara paused mid-step, watching quietly. She said nothing, only nodded once.
He was stable. She looked towards the others seeing they were also stable.
After a long silence, she spoke again.
"Good. End the flow."
The air settled. The humming in their ears faded.
Eren sighed in relief. "I thought my spirit veins were going to explode."
Yara's lips curved slightly — not a smile, but something close. "Then next time, learn to control your breath before your spirit."
A few of the students chuckled quietly.
Cain exhaled slowly, his silver aura fading into the morning light.He bowed slightly, murmuring, "Thank you, Instructor."
Yara gave a small nod, her tone even. "For now, you listen. In time, you'll learn to command."
And with that, she turned toward the rising sun. "You all have made progress. Tomorrow, we begin resonance with motion — Spirit Flow Training. Be early."
She left the courtyard, her steps soundless, leaving the seven of them beneath the lingering glow of morning.
Eren groaned as soon as she was gone. "Spirit Flow, huh? Sounds like I'll be coughing blood by noon."
Keil laughed. "At least you'll look cool doing it."
Cain stood quietly, looking at the faint shimmer of silver that still clung to his hands before fading completely. His expression was calm — but his thoughts drifted elsewhere.