Chris could hardly breathe. Sweat streamed down his face and soaked the tattered shirt clinging to his back, but he could not stop smiling at the silver projection hovering above his palm.The crystal core he had just refined was flawless. Its light filled the mountain cave, turning the rough walls silver and revealing the blood on his fingers.“Seven years of hard work,” Chris whispered. “I finally did it.”Joy made the pain in his body feel distant. For seven days, he had remained inside the mountain, drawing spiritual energy into his body and forcing it through his core. The crystal contained no crack, stain, or impurity.The wealthy children in his village had always said this day would never come. Their parents bought potions and hired private tutors, while Chris survived with an old manual and whatever energy he could gather.Diego, the village chief’s son, had mocked him more than anyone. Whenever Chris spoke about Cultis Academy, Diego reminded him that dreams did not turn beg

The old man finally loosened his grip.“You have one chance,” he warned. “If you make the poison worse, I will kill you myself.”Chris looked at the dark substance moving closer to the man’s heart. “If I make it worse, I doubt you will still be alive to do that.”The old man glared at him but said nothing more.Chris knelt beside him and pulled open the front of his robe. There were no wounds on his chest, yet the skin around his heart had already turned dark. Beneath it, the poison moved through his essence channels like black water spreading through cracks.He placed his palm against the darkest part.The black core reacted immediately.A strong hunger rose inside Chris, followed by a pull so sudden that his hand became fixed against the man’s chest. He tried to lift it, but his fingers would not move.“What are you doing?” the old man demanded.“I am not sure yet, so please shut up and let's not make things more worse for you than it is already.”Before the man could respond, the p

The shock on Rachel’s face came too quickly for her to hide. For one unguarded moment, she stared at Chris as though a corpse had walked out of the mountain and followed her to the Academy.Diego also froze beside her. His confident expression vanished as his eyes travelled over Chris’s chest, searching for the wound that should have killed him.“You are supposed to be dead,” Rachel blurted. “How are you still alive?”Her voice carried across the registration grounds, drawing several curious glances.Chris looked at the woman who had smiled while Diego tore the core from his body. “That is a strange question from someone who should be pretending she knows nothing about my death.”Rachel’s face tightened. Diego touched her arm before she could respond, and the fear in her eyes disappeared behind a cold stare.“I only meant that you entered the mountains alone,” she said. “People die there every day, especially people without cores. There is nothing for you here, Chris, so leave before

Loud laughter rolled through the combat hall as Chris climbed onto the platform.Diego watched him approach with a mocking smile, but Chris met his gaze without the slightest hesitation.“You think I am afraid of you?” Chris asked. “If anything, I am afraid that you might get hurt so badly that you will never recover.”The noise from the crowd rose until it was almost deafening.“He was only trying to be kind to you!” one of the candidates shouted. “Yet you are insulting him for it.”“You should be grateful that someone of Diego’s standing is willing to fight a worthless nobody like you,” another added.Their words did not disturb Chris. His attention remained on the spiritual energy flowing through Diego’s body. It pulsed around his stolen core, then spread through his arms and legs in bright streams that only Chris could see.The coordinator pointed towards the weapon racks lining the walls.“You may both select any weapon you want.”Diego glanced at the polished swords, spears, and

Blood poured from Diego’s lips as he lay among the pieces of broken stone.Every stare inside the combat hall moved from his fallen body to Chris, who remained standing on the platform without any sign of exhaustion. Confusion passed through the crowd as the candidates tried to understand what they had witnessed.Diego possessed a perfect nine-ring core and had trained under the finest instructors the village chief could afford. He had even used the Waterfall Fist, the technique that made his father feared throughout the surrounding territories.Yet he had just been defeated by someone they believed did not possess a core.There's no way it was possible.“That was sorcery!” one student suddenly shouted. “He must have used forbidden sorcery against Diego.”“That explains everything,” another student said. “No coreless cultivator could defeat Diego in a fair fight.”“He cheated before all of us!”“He should be disqualified and driven out of the academy!”The accusations travelled throug