Cultivation is Creation

The meditation chamber was exactly as I remembered – a vast space filled with floating crystalline platforms arranged in tiers like an otherworldly amphitheater. Thousands of these platforms hung suspended in the air, each one attuned to different levels of the red sun's power.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched the other initiates file in, their movements careful and deliberate as they sought out platforms matching their cultivation level. They reminded me of freshmen on their first day of college – trying so hard to look like they belonged while secretly terrified of making a mistake.

As I made my way toward the higher platforms the whispers started almost immediately.

"Has he lost his mind?"

"Those platforms are for peak Rank 1..."

"Stay away from him, he’s going to explode!"

The concerned muttering grew louder as I passed the middle tiers, but I ignored them just as I had in the previous loop. Their warnings might have been valid for a normal initiate, but I had the Genesis Seed to regulate the energy flow.

A senior disciple – different from last time, but wearing the same expression of concerned authority – stepped forward to intercept me. "Initiate, the higher platforms are restricted to—"

I kept walking, letting the formation's automatic steps materialize beneath my feet. The senior disciple's words trailed off as I ascended past him, probably wondering if he should forcibly stop me or just let me learn my lesson the hard way.

He chose the latter, which was probably wise. Trying to physically stop someone who might be about to explosively crystallize wasn't exactly a safe career move.

As I reached the highest platform, I could feel the difference in energy density. The red sun's power here was like comparing a garden hose to a fire hydrant – the sheer volume of energy pouring down was just as overwhelming as I remembered.

"The other initiates' concern isn't entirely misplaced," Azure commented as I settled into a meditation pose. "The energy concentration at this height would literally cook a normal Rank 1 from the inside out."

"Good thing we're not normal then," I replied silently, closing my eyes and shifting my awareness inward.

The red sun pulsed eagerly as the external energy began pouring in, while its blue counterpart, partially hidden beneath the Genesis Seed's canopy, seemed almost... sulky.

"I believe," Azure said, materializing beside me, "your blue sun is feeling rather left out of all this energy absorption."

He wasn't wrong. The blue sun was definitely radiating an aura of jealousy as it watched its crimson counterpart begin to swell with absorbed power. If a celestial body could pout, this one was definitely doing it.

"Sorry," I thought toward it, though I wasn't sure if it could actually understand me. "But this is a red sun academy. Blue sun energy might raise some awkward questions."

The blue sun's response was to duck further under the Genesis Seed's canopy, its light dimming slightly as if to say 'fine, I see how it is.'

Meanwhile, the red sun was gorging itself on the incoming energy with almost obscene enthusiasm. It grew larger and larger. But unlike previous attempts, it didn't immediately challenge the Genesis Seed. Instead, it continued to absorb energy.

"Interesting," Azure observed. "It seems to have learned from its previous defeats. Perhaps it's trying to accumulate enough power to actually pose a challenge this time."

The red sun swelled further, its surface now rippling with waves of crimson energy. It grew to three times its original size, then four, the five, until it looked like it might explode at any moment. Only then did it finally turn its attention to the Genesis Seed.

The miniature sun swaggered over, practically radiating confidence as it prepared to challenge its ancient rival. It pulsed aggressively, sending out waves of crimson power that would have been impressive if I hadn't seen the Genesis Seed's capabilities firsthand.

The seed's response was... different this time. Instead of simply swallowing the sun, it extended its roots like tentacles, wrapping around the bloated sphere.

The red sun tried to resist, its surface flaring with desperate bursts of energy, but it was like watching a mouse try to fight an anaconda. The roots began to constrict, methodically draining the sun's accumulated power.

"A new approach," Azure noted with interest. "The Genesis Seed seems to be taking its time with the energy conversion process."

He was right. Rather than the quick absorption of previous attempts, this was more like a slow digestion. The roots pulsed with absorbed energy, creating complex patterns as they fed the power back to the seed's core. Finally, when the sun had been reduced to about half its swollen size, the roots lifted it up and deposited it directly into the Genesis Seed's waiting maw.

A moment later, the seed spat the sun back out. But something was different this time – while definitely smaller than its power-drunk state, the red sun was noticeably larger than when we'd started.

"The slow absorption process seems to have allowed for better energy conversion,” I murmured. “And look – the connections to the runes are still intact."

The runic patterns I'd so carefully crafted were still stable, thin streams of energy connecting them to the red sun despite its recent... digestion. The Fundamental Rune in particular seemed to be processing energy more efficiently than before.

"I believe," Azure said thoughtfully, "if we continue this cycle, each iteration should result in a slightly larger, more condensed core."

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"Which means more energy available to the runes," I finished. "Let's test that theory."

We watched as the process repeated again and again. Each time, the red sun would gorge itself on incoming energy until it reached the point of bursting. The Genesis Seed would then drain it through its roots, process the energy, swallow what remained, and spit out a slightly improved version.

After about twenty cycles, the pattern was clear – the red sun was definitely growing, albeit slowly. More importantly, its energy was becoming more refined, more concentrated. The connection to my runic network was strengthening with each iteration.

"Forty-seven... forty-eight... forty-nine..." Azure counted as we continued the process. After the fiftieth cycle, he paused to analyze the results. "Remarkable. Your energy capacity is now approaching what would be considered mid Rank 1. The density of the core has increased by approximately thirty-seven percent."

I nodded, pleased with the progress. "A few more cycles and we should reach mid—"

The world shook.

Not just my inner world – the physical world outside snapped back into focus as an explosion rocked the entire academy. The meditation chamber's crystalline platforms swayed dangerously, their usual stable hovering disrupted by whatever force had struck the barrier outside.

Around me, other initiates were jolted out of their meditative states. Confusion and panic spread through the chamber as more explosions followed the first, each impact sending tremors through the ancient structure.

"What's happening?"

"Are we under attack?"

"The barrier – something's wrong with the barrier!"

The senior disciples tried to maintain order, but I could see the fear in their eyes. They knew what this meant, even if they didn't want to believe it.

A massive explosion drowned out all other sound, and suddenly I felt it – the barrier's complete and total collapse. The protective energies that had surrounded the academy for millennia simply... vanished.

The chamber erupted into chaos. Initiates scrambled to reach lower platforms, no longer worried about maintaining proper meditation posture. Several senior disciples were shouting instructions, trying to organize an evacuation, but their voices were lost in the general panic.

I remained seated on my platform, a small smile playing at my lips. "Well," I said quietly, "it seems my time is up."

With that, I closed my eyes one final time and focused on the feeling of being separate from this body. Slowly, my conscious separated from Tomas's body like slipping out of a well-worn coat.

As my soul rose from the physical form, I watched as the other initiates completely ignored Tomas's slumped form. They were far too focused on their own survival to notice one apparently unconscious student.

I drifted higher, passing through the chamber's ceiling as easily as mist. Part of me worried that the Lightweavers might be able to detect my disembodied soul – their blue sun arts were supposedly more attuned to anything related to the soul. But the white-robed figures trading devastating attacks with the Skybound seemed completely oblivious to my presence.

"Either their rank is too low to detect you, or your soul is different to the inhabitants of this world,” Azure murmured.

The sky above the academy was pure chaos – Skybound and Lightweavers clashing in spectacular displays of power, their attacks lighting up the heavens like competing fireworks displays.

I felt the familiar pull trying to draw me back to the cultivation world, but I resisted it for moment. There was something I needed to check first. My soul drifted higher, giving me a better view of what was going on.

Rising higher and higher above the academy, I watched as the floating citadel shrank beneath me. From this vantage point, I could see everything, maybe I could find out who disabled the barrier.

But the battlefield was too chaotic, the damage too widespread to pinpoint its origin. Not that I was particularly surprised – anyone skilled enough to disable these barriers would hardly leave obvious evidence of their sabotage.

"The perpetrator likely acted well before the attack began," Azure noted. "Any traces would be long gone by now."

I was about to respond when movement near the barrier's apex caught my attention. I spotted a group of figures that practically radiated authority – the Skybound elders, gathered in emergency conference. Their usually immaculate robes were disturbed by the spiritual winds of battle, their faces grave as they discussed whatever had allowed their supposedly impenetrable defense to fall.

Elder Molric joined their discussion with uncharacteristic seriousness, his normal manic energy completely absent.

Then another figure simply... manifested. Not with any dramatic entrance or flash of power – one moment there was empty air, the next he stood among them as if he had always been there. Even from this distance, I could feel the absolute authority he radiated. This had to be the Headmaster I'd heard mentioned but never seen.

But the pull of the cultivation world was getting stronger now, harder to resist. I wasn't able to pick up on what they were talking about, with one last look at the academy, I let go, allowing my soul to be drawn back along that familiar path between worlds.

The void embraced me like an old friend, its streams of energy guiding me home.

Reality began to fade around me, the sounds of battle growing distant as I followed the suns' connection back to the cultivation world.

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