Orion woke well before dawn, a habit long beaten into him by years of relentless training. The academy grounds were dead quiet, the winding stone pathways outside Dormitory Seven still entirely empty of the incoming crowds. He preferred it this way; early mornings meant fewer distractions, less ambient noise, and fewer opportunities for Luna to pick fights with random strangers—though, knowing her, that last one was never a guarantee.
The cultivation chamber hidden beneath the dormitory exceeded every expectation. The moment Orion stepped inside, the sheer density of the ambient mana hit him. It was incredibly pure, drawn and refined by intricate wall inscriptions so advanced that even Cipher stirred within his spiritual space. Access to a node like this was something a Silver-ranked cultivator would happily kill for, yet the academy simply handed the keys to incoming first-years. Orion wasn't about to complain.
