As we crested the crystalline dock, I got my first proper look at the academy.

The floating citadel was even more impossible up close – massive structures of ice and crystal suspended in mid-air, connected by bridges that seemed made of pure light. The red sun's rays caught every surface, creating an array of crimson reflections that made the whole complex look like it was bleeding.

"Impressed?" Vayara asked, noting my expression.

"It's... not what I expected," I admitted. The architecture defied everything I knew about physics, even by cultivation world standards.

"The founders built it to be closer to the red sun's power," she explained, leading me toward what appeared to be the main entrance – a towering arch of crystalline ice carved with countless runic patterns. "Though I suspect they also enjoyed reminding the masses below of their transcendence."

As we approached, I noticed two robed figures floating on either side of the arch, their hoods were pulled low, hiding their features.

"Vayara," one of them called out, his voice carrying that same aristocratic tone I was starting to associate with the Order. "This is unexpected. Your patrol wasn't due back for another week. I didn’t expect you to be back with a stray."

"Circumstances changed, Brother Chen," she replied smoothly. "We have a natural awakening."

Both guardians went very still. Then the second one laughed – a sharp, disbelieving sound. "A natural? Here? The odds of that are—"

"See for yourself," Vayara interrupted, gesturing at me.

The guardians drifted closer, runic patterns shifting across their robes as they studied me. I felt a subtle probe of power brush against my core, their resonance seeking to confirm what Vayara claimed.

"By the Last Light," the first guardian breathed. "It's true. No runes, yet the power flows through him."

"Fascinating," the second agreed. "Though rather crude. The resonance is barely contained."

I bristled slightly at that, but kept my expression neutral. Let them underestimate me – it would make things easier in the long run.

"The elders will want to see this immediately," the first guardian decided, making way for us. "You can pass.”

"First rule," Vayara said as we entered, "never fly without authorization. The temporary rune I gave you is a courtesy for new arrivals. After today, unauthorized flight outside of the training ground will result in... immediate correction."

The way she said 'correction' made me think it involved more than just a stern talking-to. "Understood, Senior Sister."

"Second rule – address everyone by their proper titles. Initiates are Brother or Sister. Those of higher rank are Senior Brother or Senior Sister. Teachers are Master. Elders are Venerable One." She glanced at me. "Mistakes in etiquette are punished severely here."

"For an academy of killers, you seem to have a lot of rules," I observed.

Veyara's laugh was like ice cracking. "Due to initiates' tendency to... lose control, we maintain absolute discipline. Every aspect of life here is regulated, down to when you breathe during meditation."

This wasn't just a school – it was worse than any maximum security prison I'd heard of back on Earth. At least prisoners got yard time and some basic rights. Here, they controlled everything, even your breathing patterns.

"What happens if someone breaks the rules?" I asked, though I was starting to suspect I didn't want to know.

"Minor infractions result in physical correction." Her frost patterns shifted in what might have been amusement. "Major ones..." She gestured to a distant crystalline spire that seemed to glow with a sickly light. "Well, you've seen our garden of failures. Some of them were quite promising initiates, before they decided the rules didn't apply to them."

The casual way she discussed turning people into crystalline decorations made my skin crawl. No wonder she’d been so quick to assume I'd escaped – who wouldn't try to flee from this?

Though, unlike the others trapped here, I had options. I could feel that familiar pull to the cultivation world humming at the edge of my consciousness – a gateway I could choose to take at any time.

Even if everything went wrong, even if I somehow ended up in their garden of failures, my soul would simply return to my real body back in the Wei family compound.

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In a prison built to contain those touched by the red sun's power, I was probably the only truly free person. The Order's absolute control, their carefully cultivated fear, their threats of permanent consequences – none of it could truly bind me.

"Something amusing?" Veyara asked, noticing my expression.

"Just thinking about paths and destinies," I replied carefully. The irony of the situation was almost too perfect – they thought they were gaining a particularly interesting prisoner, when really, they were giving their secrets to someone who could disappear at any moment.

Now I just had to learn everything I could before deciding when to leave.

We walked through corridors that seemed to be carved from solid ice, though the temperature remained surprisingly comfortable. Other initiates passed us, all wearing similar runic robes. They gave Vayara respectful bows and me curious looks.

“Is there an entrance examination I need to complete?" I asked, wondering how quickly I could get access to their cultivation methods.

"Usually," she replied, "initiates must survive a resonance trial to prove their worth. But for someone who can already manipulate the red sun's energy without runic support..." She shook her head. "It would be redundant. The elders will want to evaluate you personally."

"The elders themselves?"

"Indeed. Your situation is rather unique. Being a natural awakening will draw significant attention. In fact," her voice took on a thoughtful tone, "I suspect they'll fight over who gets to claim you as their disciple."

"You make that sound like a bad thing?"

"It paints a target on your back." Her voice dropped lower. "Even if an elder chooses you, they won't protect you from the others' schemes. In fact, it often makes things worse. Their games can be... lethal."

"Politics," I sighed. "Some things are universal."

"Indeed. Though here, political failures tend to end up as decorative crystals." She stopped before a massive door made of what looked like frozen lightning. "The elders await. Remember your etiquette, and try not to die."

"Any last advice?"

"Yes." She turned to face me fully. "Whatever you do, don't lie to them. They'll know, and the punishment..." She shuddered slightly. "Just don't."

The doors swung open silently, revealing a circular chamber that seemed to float in open air. The walls were transparent crystal, offering a dizzying view of the clouds far below. Seven figures sat in thrones arranged in a semicircle, each radiating power that made my skin crawl.

I'd never met a sect elder back in the Azure Peak Sect – they were too far above my station to bother with low-level disciples. But now, standing before these beings, I finally understood what the word 'transcendental' truly meant.

"Master," Azure whispered in my mind, "their power signatures are... terrifying.”

I couldn’t help but agree. Their presence was overwhelming. Each one felt like a force of nature given form, their power so dense it distorted the very air around them. The red sun's light seemed to bend toward them, as if even it acknowledged their authority.

"Step forward, child," one of them commanded. His voice resonated with multiple harmonics, like several people speaking in perfect synchronization.

I approached the center of the chamber, trying not to show how much their combined pressure affected me. The Genesis Seed pulsed reassuringly in my inner world, its familiar presence helping me stay centered.

"Vayara tells us you can channel the red sun's power without runic stabilization," another elder said. This one's runes crackled with electrical energy. "Show us."

I reached for the crimson core nestled within the Genesis Seed, letting its power flow through my meridians. The familiar red lines traced themselves across my skin, following the pathways the seed had created.

"Interesting," a female elder murmured. Ice crystals formed and melted around her with each breath. "The resonance is crude, but stable. How long have you had this ability?"

"A few weeks.”

"Impossible," one of the elders scoffed. His runes burned with intense flame. "Without stabilization, he should have transformed or died within hours."

"Unless," another countered, this one surrounded by swirling winds, "he's a Natural."

There it was, that word again, like it was a formal classification.

"It's not unprecedented," the ice elder agreed. "There are records of others who could instinctively channel the red sun's power. Though none in recent memory."

"The headmaster should be informed," the flame elder said.

"The headmaster is in seclusion," the wind elder reminded him. "This cannot wait. The boy needs proper training immediately, before his resonance destabilizes."

"I will take him," the flame elder declared. "Fire resonance is clearly dominant in his core."

"Nonsense," the lightning elder countered. "Look at his control – he needs precision training. Lightning resonance would suit him better."

I watched with a mix of amusement and concern as they argued over me. It felt oddly nice getting the protagonist treatment for once, though Vayara's warning about painted targets kept it from going to my head.

"He should start at the bottom, like everyone else," one elder insisted. This one's runes had an earthy quality to them. "Natural or not, proper foundation is essential."

The others dismissed his suggestion almost immediately. "Waste of potential," the wind elder said. "He needs specialized training to stabilize his unique resonance."

"The choice should be his," the ice elder said finally. All eyes turned to me. "Well, child? Who would you have as your master?"

I'd expected some kind of test - loyalty oaths, probing questions about my background, anything to ensure I wasn't an enemy agent.

But as they waited for me to choose, I understood why they hadn't bothered. To them, I was less than an ant. My potential schemes or hidden loyalties meant nothing in the face of their overwhelming power.

"They likely have other means of surveillance," Azure suggested. "Being a Natural probably means you'll be watched constantly."

"You're right," I thought back. "We should assume everything we do will be monitored."

The thought made me pay closer attention to the elders themselves, studying their power signatures more carefully. Most of them radiated energies that were, no surprise, completely foreign to me.

"Master," Azure's voice held a note of surprise. "That one on the left... are you sensing what I'm sensing?"

I was. There, almost hidden beneath the crimson energy – one of them had a trace of something I recognized.