The month that followed the rankings was harder than the first.
Nova had expected the routine to continue—morning exercise, combat class, academics, sleep, repeat. But the rankings had changed something. He was no longer just another Class A student. He was 7th place. The lowest-ranked student who had earned his position through combat rather than politics.
People watched him now.
In the dining hall, eyes followed his movements. In combat class, opponents studied him with new intensity. Even the instructors seemed to pay him more attention, their critiques sharper, their expectations higher.
But visibility brought dangers he hadn't anticipated.
Cultivation Fundamentals — Week 5
The class was taught by Instructor Mira, the same severe woman who had overseen the entrance exam. Unlike Thorne's combat-focused sessions or Valerius's physical torture, Mira's class was pure theory—the science of cultivation, the mechanics of breakthrough, the art of meridian expansion.
Today's topic: Breakthrough Acceleration.
"Most of you are 1st Order," Mira began, her voice carrying through the lecture hall. "Some of you—Class S, a few in Class A—have reached 2nd Order through years of pre-academy training. The rest of you will need to break through multiple times during your first year to remain competitive."
She gestured at the holographic display behind her, which showed a detailed diagram of the human meridian system.
"Breakthrough requires three things: mana saturation, meridian readiness, and will. Saturation is simple—fill your core to capacity. Readiness requires technique—stretching your meridians, strengthening their walls. Will is the hardest. You must want to break through badly enough that your body obeys."
Nova took careful notes. His own breakthrough to 3rd Rank had happened almost accidentally—the pressure of the exam, the exhaustion, the academy's dense mana all combining to push him over the edge. But he couldn't rely on accidents forever.
"Let's examine your current levels." Mira pulled up a data slate. "I'll call out names. Respond with your current cultivation rank and primary superpower. We'll establish a baseline for the semester."
She began reading.
"Valerius Chen — Class S."
A boy near the front—dark hair, expensive clothes, bored expression—spoke without looking up. "2nd Order, 3rd Rank. Spatial Manipulation."
Murmurs rippled through the hall. 2nd Order, 3rd Rank was extraordinary for a first year. Nova studied the boy with new interest.
"Isadora Vane — Class S."
"2nd Order, 2nd Rank. Shadow Manipulation." A girl with pale skin and darker circles under her eyes. She looked exhausted, as if her own power was draining her.
"Marcus Stone — Class S."
"2nd Order, 1st Rank. Earth Manipulation."
The list continued through the Class S students, all of them at 2nd Order. Then Class A.
"Seraphina Cross."
"1st Order, 6th Rank. Lightning Manipulation."
"Kaelen Stoneheart."
"1st Order, 8th Rank. Stone Skin."
"Darius Vane."
"1st Order, 7th Rank. Earth Affinity."
"Nova Almond."
Nova stood. "1st Order, 3rd Rank. Teleportation."
Silence.
Then whispers. 3rd Rank was the lowest in Class A by a significant margin. The next lowest—Tessa Blackwood, now in Class B—was 5th Rank. Nova was two full ranks below the weakest student in his own class.
Mira's expression didn't change. "Sit down."
He sat.
The whispers continued.
After class, Kaelen found him in the hallway.
"Don't let them get to you." The larger student fell into step beside him. "Rank isn't everything. You proved that in the test."
"Rank is everything in cultivation." Nova's voice was flat. "Higher rank means more mana, stronger abilities, longer fights. I can't teleport my way through every problem."
"No. But you can teleport through most of them." Kaelen smiled. "Look, I'm 8th Rank. If we fought ten times, how many do you win?"
Nova considered. "Three. Maybe four."
"Exactly. Someone two ranks below me should win zero. Someone four ranks below me—" He gestured. "Shouldn't even be on the same platform. But you are. You win sometimes. That means something."
They walked in silence for a moment.
"Your cultivation is low because you just awakened," Kaelen continued. "The rest of us have been at this for months—some of us for years. Give yourself time."
"Time I might not have."
Kaelen shrugged. "Then make time. Cultivate smarter. Train harder. Use that brain of yours instead of just your powers."
He clapped Nova on the shoulder and walked away.
Nova stood in the hallway, surrounded by students who out-ranked him, and thought about what Kaelen had said.
Cultivate smarter. Train harder.
He had the Iron Foundation Method. He had Nora's journal. He had the Godless System. He had no excuse.
That night, he began a new routine.
Cultivation Log — Week 5, Night 1
Location: Dormitory Room 47
*Time: 10 PM - 2 AM*
The Iron Foundation Method cycled mana through his meridians in an endless loop. Push, hold, release, repeat. Each cycle strengthened the pathways, expanded the capacity, drew more energy from the dense academy air.
Nova sat on his reinforced mat, eyes closed, breathing controlled. The world faded. Only the flow remained.
Mana in. Meridian stretch. Core compression. Release.
Repeat.
By midnight, he had added three units to his maximum capacity.
By 2 AM, five.
He collapsed onto his bed, exhausted but satisfied. At this rate, he would reach 4th Rank in two months. Too slow. He needed faster.
Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow I find a better way.
Combat Fundamentals — Week 5, Day 2
Thorne paired them randomly for sparring. Nova drew a student he didn't recognize—a girl from Class B with fire affinity and 1st Order, 5th Rank cultivation.
She attacked aggressively, flames lashing from her fists. Nova teleported, dodged, countered. The match lasted three minutes before her practice blade found his ribs.
"Good match," she said, breathing hard. "You're faster than your rank suggests."
"Not fast enough."
She shrugged. "Keep training."
After class, Thorne pulled him aside.
"You're relying too heavily on teleportation." The instructor's voice was quiet, meant for Nova alone. "Against lower-ranked opponents, it works. Against higher-ranked opponents with experience, they'll learn to predict you."
"I know."
"Then why do you keep doing it?"
Nova hesitated. "Because it's what I'm best at."
Thorne studied him for a long moment. "Your best isn't good enough yet. You need to develop other tools. Physical combat without powers. Tactical planning. The ability to fight when your mana runs dry." He gestured at the training platform. "The inhibitor bracelet exists for a reason. Use it."
He walked away.
Nova stood alone in the emptying combat hall, thinking about Thorne's words.
Develop other tools.
He looked at the inhibitor bracelet on his wrist. During morning exercise, it was mandatory. During classes, it was optional. He had been removing it for combat training, wanting access to his teleportation.
Maybe that was the problem.
He left the bracelet on.
Week 5, Day 3 — Morning Exercise
Under 2x gravity, without teleportation, Nova ran with the others.
His body still ached from the previous night's cultivation. His muscles screamed with every step. But he kept moving, kept pushing, kept refusing to fall behind.
Valerius noticed.
"Almond. You're still wearing the inhibitor."
"Yes, Instructor."
"Combat class isn't for hours."
"I know."
She said nothing else, but her eyes followed him for the rest of the session.
Week 5, Day 4 — Cultivation Theory
Mira introduced meridian mapping—the practice of identifying which pathways were underdeveloped and focusing cultivation efforts there.
Nova studied the diagrams intently. His own meridians, according to the Godless System's scans, were unevenly developed. The pathways connected to his teleportation ability were strong. Others—particularly those governing physical enhancement—were weak.
Focus on the weak points, he decided. Balance the system.
That night, he directed his cultivation toward the underdeveloped meridians. Progress was slower—these pathways resisted expansion, unused to the flow of mana. But by morning, he felt a difference. Small, but real.
Week 5, Day 5 — The Gathering
A message appeared on his interface during lunch.
CLASS S INVITATION
Host: Nova Almond
Event: Monthly Gathering — Class S and Top 10 Class A
Time: 8 PM Tonight
Location: Sky Tower, 47th Floor — Privileged Lounge
Note: Attendance optional but recommended.
Nova stared at the message.
Class S. The privileged fifteen. The students who existed above the ranking system, protected by family wealth and political connections.
They wanted to meet him.
Why?
He thought about refusing. About staying in his room, cultivating, avoiding whatever game they wanted to play.
But curiosity—and caution—won.
Know your enemies, his past self whispered. Know them before they know you.
He accepted.
The 47th floor lounge was unlike anything Nova had seen in the academy.
Rich fabrics covered the furniture. Actual food—not the dining hall's mass-produced rations—filled tables along the walls. A bar served drinks that probably cost more than Nova's monthly stipend.
And in the center, surrounded by attendants and sycophants, sat the fifteen students of Class S.
Valerius Chen noticed him first. The spatial manipulator rose from his seat with fluid grace, a smile playing at his lips.
"Nova Almond. The teleportation boy who thinks he belongs in Class A." His voice was pleasant, but his eyes were calculating. "We've been watching you."
"I'm flattered."
"You should be." Valerius gestured at a seat. "Sit. Talk. Let's get to know each other."
Nova sat.
The other Class S students watched him with varying degrees of interest. Isadora Vane looked bored. Marcus Stone looked curious. A dozen others he didn't know looked simply... dismissive.
"You're 1st Order, 3rd Rank," Valerius continued. "Lowest in Class A. Yet you're ranked 7th overall. That's... unusual."
"I fight well."
"You cheat well." The words were flat, accusatory. "Your teleportation lets you bypass fights you should lose. Without it, you'd be Class C at best."
Nova met his eyes. "Is there a point to this?"
Valerius smiled. "The point is that we notice. The point is that your rise has attracted attention—not just from us, but from people outside the academy. People who don't like unknowns disrupting the natural order."
He leaned forward.
"My family controls the largest spatial transport network on the continent. We notice when someone with teleportation appears from nowhere. We notice when that someone fights like they've had decades of experience. We notice when that someone has silver hair and gold eyes that flicker when they think no one is watching."
Nova's blood ran cold.
Gold eyes. He saw.
"I don't know what you are, Nova Almond." Valerius's voice dropped to a whisper. "But I know you're not just a village boy with a lucky superpower. And I'm going to find out the truth."
The lounge fell silent.
Nova stood slowly.
"Find what you want," he said. "You won't like what you discover."
He walked out without looking back.
That night, he didn't sleep.
He sat on his cultivation mat, cycling mana through his meridians, thinking about Valerius's words. The Class S student had noticed too much. Had seen too much. If he started digging—
The Godless System can hide me, he thought. But not completely. Not if they have access to records, to informants, to resources I can't imagine.
He needed to grow faster. Needed to become strong enough that exposure didn't matter.
He checked his interface.
CULTIVATION STATUS
Rank: 1st Order, 3rd Rank
Progress to 4th Rank: 23%
Estimated Time at Current Rate: 6-8 weeks
Meridian Development: 67% optimized
Bloodline Activation: 17%
RECOMMENDATION: Accelerate cultivation through resource acquisition. Higher ranking = better monthly stipend. Better stipend = faster growth.
Higher ranking, he thought. Top of Class A. Maybe even—
He stopped the thought before it completed. Class S was protected by politics, not merit. But if he could reach 1st Order, 5th Rank, 6th Rank—if he could prove himself undeniable—
Then they can't ignore me. Then they can't bury me.
He closed his eyes and resumed cultivation.
Morning came too soon.