Outside the ship, the world rushed past in a blur of motion. The forest they had departed from stretched into streaks of green beneath the vessel, trees disappearing into one another as speed carried them forward.
Above it all, the sky dominated Lucius's view, it was so brightly blue with clouds drifting lazily at a distance. This scene was similar to using wind magic to fly. Something he had done often, to get to one place and another. Now he was just able to relax without needing to move at all as they flew.
Lucius sat calmly on the bench, one leg crossed over the other as he leaned back against the wooden support. He closed his eyes and focused inside him, searching for any sign of change within his body.
He listened to his breathing, to the faint hum of the ship beneath him. But there was nothing. No unfamiliar warmth and no stirring energy he could manipulate. The only sensation he recognized was the same steady vitality he had gained when Goddess Celestia restored his body to perfect health. Aside from that blessing, everything felt unchanged.
Suddenly, a faint movement brushed against his hand, accompanied by the soft sound of a page turning. Lucius opened his green eyes and turned his head slightly. The wide sleeve of the girl seated beside him had grazed the back of his hand as she adjusted her book.
The touch was light and he felt a little tickle. A small smile tugged at his lips. When he looked over, he found her eyes already on him, her head still facing forward but her gaze tilted in his direction. Realizing she'd been noticed, her eyes widened, and she lifted the book quickly, pressing it closer to her face to cover her mouth.
Lucius spoke gently, "Hello. My name is Lucius."
The girl stiffened and raised her book even higher, as if trying to hide behind it. Only her pale eyes remained visible above the pages, filled with nervousness and shy embarrassment.
"I'm sorry… for touching you," she said softly.
Lucius let out an amused chuckle that was warm rather than mocking. "That's okay," he replied. "You seemed really engrossed in your book. I didn't mean to disturb you."
She lowered the book in a hurry, panic flashing across her face. Her lips, glossy and slightly parted, hesitated as she searched for the right words.
"No—no," she said quickly. "You were meditating, and I disturbed you."
Lucius hummed quietly at the sound of her voice. She seemed genuinely shy, and clearly surprised that he had spoken to her at all.
"I wasn't meditating," he admitted, a small smile lingering. "I was just bored, so I closed my eyes."
It was only a partial lie he said hoping she would not feel guilty.
She let out a small sigh of relief and placed the book carefully on her lap. Both hands rested atop it, fingers folded together as she finally met him properly.
"My name is Ravenna Evaren," she said.
Ravenna kept her hands folded atop the book on her lap as she played with her fingers occasionally. Lucius noticed the way her gaze flickered between him and the open space ahead, never quite settling for long.
"So," Lucius began lightly, not wanting to startle her, "do you know much about the Clear Sky Sect?"
Ravenna caught Lucius staring at her curiously, she felt her cheeks turned red. Since at a young age, she barely interacted with others besides her mother and just like her mother they both love spending time reading in the library the clan owned.
Ravenna gave a quick small nod, "A little," she said.
Her voice was soft but was glad Lucius was doing the talking. She was not good at speaking, but she did not want to disappoint him, "It's one of the top sects in the Kingdom of Azure Vale. Even people who don't cultivate have heard of it. They protect the northern borders and oversee several regions."
Lucius realized he was lucky to sit next to Ravenna and listened intently, he was not wrong in asking her to get information about this world. Just from the little info, he assumed the Clear Sky Sect seemed to be a protector of the people.
"And the entrance exam?" he asked. "Do you know what it involves?"
Ravenna shook her head, strands of black hair swaying gently. "No. Not the details. Only that it tests aptitude. It will determine how well someone can sense and absorb qi."
"Even though we passed the preliminary test, it only measured whether our bodies could absorb Qi from the Spirit Stone. Not our actual aptitude," she explained.
Lucius hummed thoughtfully, the explanation aligned with what he had just experienced with the stone, which he now understood was called a Spirit Stone.
"Then… do you know what cultivation really is?" he asked, his curiosity barely contained.
It was the question he had been dying to ask. He needed to understand exactly what he was involving himself in—whether the techniques they were about to learn were demonic in nature.
For a moment, she simply stared at him with her white eyes wide behind her silver glasses. Her expression held genuine confusion, as though she were deciding whether he was teasing her.
"…You're joking," she said hesitantly.
Lucius noticed the look and shook his head. "No, I'm serious. I really don't know."
Her lips parted slightly in surprise. She studied his face, searching for signs of mockery, but found none. Instead, she saw only genuine expectation on his face, maybe a little excitement.
"I—I thought everyone knew," she said. Then, more quietly, "But… maybe not."
"Okay… I've read a lot about cultivation. My mother had me study it extensively before I joined the Clear Sky Sect."
She shifted slightly, angling her body toward Lucius, as if the explanation demanded a closer space. Up close, seeing him calmer and kind, she felt more at ease. His green eyes carried none of the arrogance she often saw in other young masters on the ship.
She found herself staring at his face, noting how handsome he was. His blonde hair framed him like the heroes from the novels she loved to read—and he carried himself with the same quiet confidence. Her cheeks flushed subtly, and she shook her head, forcing herself to push the thoughts away.
"Cultivation," Ravenna began, choosing her words carefully, "is the process of absorbing Qi from the world around us and refining it within the body. Qi exists everywhere—in the air, the earth, even living things. Most people can't sense it at all. But cultivators learn how to feel it, draw it in, and make it their own."
"There are stages," she continued, clearly excited as she discussed a topic she had always found most intriguing.
"The first is Qi Refining. That's when you learn to absorb Qi and circulate it through your body. It strengthens you—your muscles, your senses, even extends your lifespan a little. After that comes the Foundation Establishment stage. That's when Qi becomes stable within your body and truly adapts to holding it."
She paused, glancing at him to see if he was following. These early stages were a crucible in themselves—many cultivators spent years just breaking through from Qi Refining to the Foundation stage. Some never succeeded. Mastery of these stages set one cultivator apart from another because the true art of cultivation only began after that.
Lucius nodded slowly. The idea of classifying power in stages wasn't entirely new to him, but the methodical nature of it was different. Each stage required a distinct process to break through. Mana in his previous life had been far simpler.
"So, each stage requires a different approach to breakthrough?" he asked.
"Yes," Ravenna said, a small smile tugging at her lips as she noted his understanding.
"Exactly because cultivation doesn't just make you stronger. It changes what you are, step by step as you cultivate"
She continued and her confidence continued to grow as she spoke. "Once someone absorbs Qi, it can be used for more than just strengthening the body. If you have an affinity, you can manipulate elements—fire, water, wind, earth, lightning… even rarer ones. Techniques exist to guide how Qi is used, and they come in different grades, much like weapons."
Lucius mind drifted to the Blade of Celestial Judgment. The blade had accompanied him since he first awakened his mana, and now he wondered if he could summon it, even though it was tied to his soul.
"Some weapons are ordinary, but others are forged to resonate with Qi. The stronger the cultivator, the higher the grade of technique or weapon they can wield. But I don't know all the ranks yet." Her gaze dropped slightly.
"My mother said that once I begin cultivating properly, I'll learn about them naturally."
"I only know, there are Mortal grade and Earth grade weapons."
Lucius leaned back, absorbing everything she had told him and wondered what rank his own blade would be.
"I see," he murmured.
Ravenna hesitated, then added softly, "Did you really not know what cultivation was?"
Lucius allowed a faint smile to touch his lips and chuckled, "I didn't. But thank you."