As the sun began to rise on the horizon, seven pale moons slowly descended from the sky, and as they vanished below the horizon, the sun’s warm rays flooded the sky with hues of orange, reclaiming its rightful domain.

Deep within the Forest of Death, where mortals are warned not to enter, there were students from the Beast Sect. Their tents ranged from well-built to barely standing, housing students of different origins who were peacefully sleeping until a loud noise startled them—it was Luther.

“Wake up, everyone! We have a big day ahead,” Seth said, prompting the students to hastily put on their shoes and gather around him. some held their weapons while others didn't.

One minute later, 49 students surrounded Luther once again. He stood before them, observing their drowsy faces.

Luther, without any remorse, looked at their half-asleep faces and uttered, “Last night, 5 students died due to a wolf while you were all sleeping.”

Their expressions shifted from peace to fear as they surveyed the outskirts of their camp, spotting 5 dead bodies. These bodies were missing limbs and organs, some ripped open with their internal organs devoured. Their tents were also destroyed. The students were in shock; they hadn’t expected to lose their comrades, especially not while they slept peacefully that night.

“It's a pity; they cried and begged for help, but nobody came. Today, the first thing you'll learn is that your life is solely in your hands. Your enemies won’t show mercy when you beg and cry for it,” Luther said, maintaining a calm expression as he looked at his deceased sect mates.

“Anyway, today you'll review the stages of cultivation,” said Luther, observing the trembling students, feeling a nostalgic sense of fear in their eyes.

“The first realm of cultivating mana is the structural realm. In this realm, you push your body to its limits, breaking and surpassing them repeatedly. Over time, this enables you to sense mana and utilize it throughout your body,” explained Seth.

Everyone listened attentively, not wanting to miss any information regarding mana cultivation.

“The next realm is the gathering realm. Following the structural realm, here you'll sense your mana vein, allowing you to use mana but not store it in your body. Your mana vein is in its infancy, so avoid overusing or straining it, as you’ll need it in higher realms,” Seth continued.

“You may know what comes after that: the core realm, then the foundation realm, but we won’t focus on those today. The structural realm aims to push your body to its peak. At its pinnacle, you'll fracture a tree with pure physical strength and sprint at a top speed of 25 km/h.”

Luther extended his hand and remarked, “To achieve that, we'll focus on your physical structure: endurance, speed, strength, pain tolerance, and surviving when your body fails you. These exercises push past your limits repeatedly. Another aspect is controlling killing intent; by mastering it, you can briefly cripple an enemy, landing a killing blow. Additionally, we'll work on perception. I'll push you to the brink of death, repeatedly, making you face despair.”

Suddenly, Aaron appeared, interrupting Luther's speech, and opened his dimensional ring, releasing thousands of ankle and wrist weights. As they hit the ground, they exploded, creating chaos.

“Put on these weights—four for each person. You'll run through the forest with these on your body. Be wary of bugs,” Aaron instructed. The group, more concerned about managing the weights than the bugs, took his words lightly.

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Luther looked at the struggling group under the weight and said, “You need to follow the forest path, facing many challenges. You must arrive here before noon, or you won't survive. Good luck.”

Fear marked their faces. “What do you mean we'll die before noon? Are you going to kill us?” Confused and overwhelmed, they couldn’t focus.

“Time is mana, so hurry up,” Luther pointed toward the forest, knowing they didn't grasp his words. Students hurriedly fastened the weights to their legs and arms, some already entering the forest.

“Why did you let those 5 children die last night when I was away with the students?” Aaron's voice boomed through a mana link, filled with rage.

Luther smirked at Aaron's question. “It was to set the tone. They need to understand that leaving the safety of the Beast Sect means facing death. Survival isn’t guaranteed,” Luther replied through the same link.

“Yes, but you didn’t give them a chance. Even a deaf man would've heard their screams. Do not play with me, brother. It's our duty to protect them, even if their lives aren’t guaranteed,” Aaron said, staring into Luther's eyes.

“It’s not solely our responsibility. We can't protect them all. Some will die. It's the natural law of cultivation, survival of the fittest. Just like Cindy. Her death wasn’t my fault; she was too weak to protect her beliefs,” Luther retorted.

“No, you’re wrong. She was your lover; you had a duty to protect her, and you failed. You weren't there for her. Her safety was in your hands, and you knew who Tom was” Aaron countered.

“Do not mention his name! Do not test my patience!” Luther's rage flared, his eyes glowing red.

“You speak of responsibility and duty, but where were you when I was locked up? Three years, no contact. You, my blood, abandoned me. Don't talk about failure when you couldn’t protect your best friend,” Luther confronted Aaron.

They faced each other, ideologies clashing, anger and sorrow visible. Luther turned away. “This is my mission. You should follow the code of conduct and not interfere,” he declared, leaving Aaron silent, torn between right and wrong.

As they raced through the Forest of Zora, 49 students were drenched in sweat under the scorching sun. For those from noble families, it was a breathtaking experience, free from family constraints. For commoners, it was eerie. Amidst them, Joseph and Elijah engaged in a teasing contest, exhausted but enjoying themselves.

“What's wrong, Joseph? Tired already?” Elijah asked, unperturbed by the weights but covered in mud.

“Shut up, mud face. You’ve got it easy,” Joseph retorted angrily before slipping and landing in mud.

"Watch out for bugs," Luna cautioned as she swiftly killed a bud with her sword.

"You don't have to push me; I saw it coming," Joseph replied, choking on mud juice.

"Sure you did," Elijah chuckled, knowing the taste of mud from prior experiences.

Despite their banter, they weren’t leading the group; it was the muscle-bound student, Clark, who seemed unfazed by the weights. He led them along the path, not breaking a sweat.

Beside Clark was Jaden, the barbarian from the southern mountains. Jaden, a man of few words, admired his brother, a strong warrior in the Beast Sect like Luther. Clark noticed Jaden's admiration for his brother but realized Jaden never mentioned his brother's name.

“What’s your brother's name?” Clark asked, noting the path leading back to camp.

“His name is Tommy,” Jaden replied proudly, smiling.

After 30 minutes, they reached a surging river, its current violently tearing at the river banks, exuding strong water mana.

The current was formidable, but something lurked beneath the surface—an unseen blue beast.

A commoner, arriving last, impulsively jumped into the river, hoping for an advantage without considering why the others hesitated.

“My leg! Help me, please!” The commoner cried out in fear as baby crocodiles attacked, feasting on his limb. No one moved until a brave soul leaped in, trying to rescue him. With his sword, he killed two crocodiles, but it was too late; the crocodiles ripped his leg from his body, dyeing the river red and tragically ending the commoner's life.