The teacher continued with her explanation . . .

  “You should know this,” she said quietly. “The number of people who reach beyond the third stage is very small. Across the entire world, only about 2% of cultivators ever step into the Fourth Stage, Ascension.”

  She underlined the heading on the board. “Within that stage, most remain at the first level. Those who have reached the second level of Stage Four number only around a thousand across the entire world.”

  Her gaze swept the room, and her tone grew solemn. “And the number of people who have gone beyond even that—those who fully passed the Ascension stage—is five. Five, known to the world.”

  A few students gasped. Gonad’s hands clenched on his desk. WINI’s eyes narrowed, not in fear, but in quiet calculation.

  “Remember this,” the teacher said. “Origin Cliff tests courage. Only those who can face their true nature without fear can hear their soul’s whisper.

  “Bloodline resonance may manifest as unique visions or echoes when you stand at the edge. This Awakening process is the same for everyone. Our School of Infinite manages the Awakening passage—that is why we can take you directly there. For people from other countries, our academy maintains passage spaces that allow them to reach this sacred place as well.”

  She folded her hands behind her back.

  “This rite of passage is open to any who are between seventeen and nineteen. Every cultivator must face Origin Cliff to begin their true journey. Elders may guide you to the edge, but the Awakening itself is deeply personal.

  “Legends say the cliff was carved by the first Soul Ascendant, leaving behind a scar between worlds.”

  The image of the cliff glowed on the board, its edge sharp, its depths dark.

  Around WINI, students whispered, some excited, some afraid. Gonad’s heart pounded with expectation.

  WINI stared at the cliff, that strange familiar stirring returning inside him. Origin Cliff… he thought. Maybe that’s where I’ll finally understand what this “thing” inside my mind really is.

  From the back corner, a student stood up. “Teacher,” he called, “I’ve heard some people can control beasts. Which soul type has that ability?”

  It was Carg Capster. At his question, the room’s attention sharpened. Even though most students knew a little about soul types, their knowledge could not match the instructors of the Infinite Academy—an institution directly under the Council of Eternal Void, a name everyone knew but few truly understood. Curiosity rippled through the class.

  The teacher nodded. “Good question, Carg.

  “Listen carefully: in truth, every soul has the potential to communicate with beasts—but only with those that are spiritually awakened from birth.”

  A faint murmur ran through the hall.

  “On the surface, spiritually awakened beasts often look the same as ordinary ones,” she continued. “The difference is the mark on their forehead. That mark reflects the beast’s soul type.

  “And one more thing: unless the beast has reached an advanced stage of its evolution, communication is still possible—if your soul can resonate with it. That,” she said, “is why so few people in the world can truly communicate with spirit beasts.”

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  She drew two simple symbols on the board: a human soul, and a beast’s soul.

  “For unique?type souls, a 40% soul resonance with a spirit beast is enough to open communication. But only about 1% of spirit beasts have soul types compatible with those unique souls. Those rare creatures are called unique spirit beasts, and each of them has an additional mysterious ability that changes from one beast to another. No one fully understands those extra powers.”

  She shifted to the next column.

  “As for rare soul awakeners, they generally need about 60% resonance to communicate safely. The same is true for the beasts—only around 5% of spirit beasts are a good match for rare souls. Among these rare types, awakeners with Natural Souls have the highest chance of forming a bond.”

  Her expression hardened.

  “But remember this above all: even if your soul type and a beast’s soul type are the same, resonance is essential. If you try to force communication without proper resonance, you can damage your true soul. Some never recover from that.”

  She scanned the room. “Any other questions?”

  A hand rose from the middle rows. Aashna stood, eyes bright with curiosity.

  “Teacher,” she said, “I read in a book about someone from a small town on the borders of the Terra continent, Lumen, and the Indus continent. It said there was a person who communicated with a seven?headed serpent—a mythic spirit beast—and that it helped her reach the Soul Ascension realm. Is that true?”

  The room fell silent. Even the air seemed to pause.

  The teacher’s face remained calm, but her gaze sharpened. “Yes,” she said at last. “It is true.”

  A wave of shock moved through the students.

  “That was only possible because she had 100% soul resonance with that spirit beast,” the teacher continued. “I can say no more about her.”

  She clapped her hands once, breaking the spell. “Do not fill your minds with unreachable legends. For now, you should focus on your own Awakening.”

  She glanced at the time. “You may ask one last question. After that, I will not answer any more today.”

  Even before she finished, a hand shot up.

  “Yes, Gonad?”

  Gonad stood, eyes steady. “Teacher, in some cases, people who fail to break through from the Integration stage to the Ascension stage… vanish, right? Because of the pseudo origin stones they use. Is that true?”

  A few students shifted uneasily. This was not a casual question.

  The teacher folded her arms. “You chose a heavy topic, Gonad. But since I allowed one more question, I will answer.

  “Pseudo origin stones have a built?in mechanism that monitors the mental fluctuations of the person using them. The stronger the bloodline and the deeper the soul–body integration, the stronger those fluctuations become.”

  She drew a rough stone symbol, surrounded by waves.

  “If the stone detects malicious intent or mental instability, it begins measuring those waves. If the instability crosses a certain limit for too long, the stone identifies the user as a danger—to themselves and to the world.

  “When that happens, it immediately teleports them away. The destination depends on the intensity of their fluctuations.”

  She wrote three names on the board.

  “If the fluctuations fall roughly between 40% and 60%, there is a 90% chance they will be teleported to the Forbidden Land of the Endless Forest. Many have gone there and returned with great opportunities. The chance of coming back alive from that place is around 80%—if they can stabilize their minds after the breakthrough.”

  She pointed to the second name.

  “If the fluctuations are between 60% and 80%, they are sent to the Dark Forbidden Grounds. The environment there is harsher, the beasts more dangerous. Still, those who remain mentally stable have about a 60% chance of returning.”

  Her hand moved to the final name, and the room seemed to grow colder.

  “If the fluctuations rise above 80%, the stone sends them toward the Deadly Lands. And if they spike between 90% and 100%, they are teleported straight into the core of the Deadly Lands—a region a hundred thousand kilometers wide, home to some of the most dangerous beasts on the planet.

  “In that core region, the death rate is 99%.”

  Someone swallowed audibly.

  “In recorded history,” she went on, “only three people have come back alive after being teleported to the core of the Deadly Lands. The number of deaths recorded from such teleportation's is around three hundred.”

  She let the numbers hang in the air for a moment.

  “Again, do not obsess over distant realms and pseudo origin stones. For you, right now, the important thing is the upcoming Awakening event.”

  She set down the chalk. “That’s all for today. We’ll meet tomorrow for your second class.”