The suffocating aura that greeted them the instant they emerged from the portal made them all tense up. It wasn't just the sensation of being in the presence of powerful individuals—it was as if the very air itself had been infused with concentrated energy that pressed down on them from all directions. "This is..." Leo started, but found himself unable to complete the sentence, his legs trembling as he struggled to stand up straight. The sensation was unlike anything he'd ever experienced—worse than even his first near-death experience in combat. Brok and Mara, on the other hand, simultaneously crashed to the ground on their knees, breaking both the ground and their knees upon collision. "Oh, come on!" Brok struggled to voice out his complaint, his voice barely above a whisper. "First we get teleported without the right to speak like luggage, then we watch superhuman martial arts demonstrations, and now the air itself is trying to crush us!" Mara was in far worse condition than

Ryder fell onto the soft cushions of clouds that nearly consumed him whole, his body sinking into the comfort like he was in heavenly embrace. "Ahhhhh," he moaned in pure pleasure, his voice echoing across the floating ground. "This is just right." It was like lying on a mattress made of marshmallows that was abnormally soft and at the same time, supportive enough to prevent him from sinking completely through. "I wonder why the Tian supreme leader's residence looks so mediocre," Ryder mused aloud, his voice slightly muffled by the cloud's softness. "Our assigned residence is even better than hers." "Yeah, I agree with you," Leo responded as he crossed his legs, sitting up on his cloud with his eyes closed in all seriousness. He was like someone who had just discovered the meaning of comfort; it was almost laughable. "Maybe she's one of those 'all business, no pleasure' class of people." Below them on the scorching ground, Mara and Brok were still sprawled in dishonorable positi

'If I don't somehow figure out a way to blend in and adapt to this environment, then I won't be able to learn any technique.' Mara's thoughts occupied her mind as she remained on the scorching training ground that was said to be their residence, her palms pressing against the sun-baked surface, reddened up to her elbows. The oppressive atmosphere of the Tian district continued to press down on her with constant force, giving her another set of torture. The shocking wind Akira Tian spoke about was yet to come—one can only imagine how much worse it would make things. 'Master Sung already has low hopes for us. Proving to be worthy isn't something we should have to do every time—for once, let us prove our worth.' Mara exhaled from her mouth so thick that it came out like a cloud of vapor. From the outside, she appeared as someone who is simply in a crawling position, but on the inside she was trying her best. Her emerald eyes, usually bright and full of life, had dulled into grey. Sw

"Hell nahhhh!" Mara screamed from her cloud, her voice cracking with a mixture of disbelief and fury. Her sympathetic concern for Brok moments ago had instantaneously transformed into anger. "Son of a—" she started to continue her comment, but it was suddenly cut off by the arrival of the wind current they had all been dreading. *Dzzzzzzzzzzzzz* The electrical storm finally reached Brok with no obstruction whatsoever, delivering unto him what could only be described as the shock of his lifetime. The crackling energy engulfed his still-kneeling form like a cocoon. "Arrrrrggggghhh!!!!" Brok screamed at the absolute top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the vicinity with such intensity that it seemed to make the very air vibrate. However, instead of receiving the concerned support and worried encouragement he might have expected from his companions who had been having high hopes for him just moments before, he was struck with another wave of humiliation. "Yes! Shock him to dea

Akira gestured upward, pointing her finger at one of the clouds above and continued with a tone that carried both authority and casual confidence. "I decided against using a floating platform because I doubt it would be able to withstand the entire training and lesson." The four companions followed her gesture, tilting their heads to stare at the peaceful-looking floating surface drifting overhead—particularly one with no building. "Really? Why?" Leo asked this time, his voice carrying genuine curiosity. They had been on one of those earlier and he knew firsthand how sturdy they were. They could withstand many such bursts of energy without even showing the slightest sign of flicker in their suspension in the air. The idea that their training could somehow damage a floating platform made him wonder. "It's pretty obvious," Akira responded with a shrug that was like she was gesturing the answer should have been clear without explanation before continuing. "You guys will all have to fig