The next day arrived, and all the first-year students of the Forge Division gathered in the assembly hall. There were maybe a few hundred students—quite a small number, as Archipelago Academy wasn’t exactly a favorite in the region.

To put it into perspective, the Union was a collection of remnants from old nations, now referred to as states. There were only 13 Unions across the New Earth, each covering vast areas. Some Unions even spanned entire continents, like the Nordic Federation in the New Arctic, the Saharan Empire in Saharasia, and the Oceanic Union in Oceania Prime, which used to be Australia but had since fragmented into several smaller islands.

Archipelago Academy was located in the Indo-Pacific Union, specifically on the continent of Pangaea Nova, a region that used to be Southeast Asia and some surrounding areas. The academy was just one of many in the Indo-Pacific Union.

The hundreds of new students stood in their identical dark-gray uniforms, with boys and girls grouped on opposite sides of the hall. As the opening ceremony began, someone took the stage and started explaining general information, most of which could be found in the student handbook.

It wasn't particularly noteworthy—until the topic shifted to something more interesting: Card Cultivation.

“Everyone in the Card Novice stage can only use their Signature Card,” the speaker explained. “That’s why your goal as students here is to reach the 2nd stage, Card Apprentice, before your second year. Once you do, you’ll be able to develop your card abilities further, because as a Card Apprentice, you can start using 1 additional card.”

The stages of Card Cultivation were widely known, as they determined not only a person’s power but also how rare individuals became at higher levels. The progression went as follows: Card Novice, Card Apprentice, Card Caster, Card Forger, Card Shaper, Card Ascendant, Card Sage, Card Archon, Card Paragon, and finally, Card Transcendent.

Each stage came with distinct abilities that grew more impressive as one advanced—like combining cards, creating entirely new ones, and much more. But the easiest way to distinguish between stages was that with each rank up, a Card Master could wield one additional card at the same time.

For instance, a Card Novice could only use a single card, typically their Signature Card. Upon advancing to Card Apprentice, they could equip one more, bringing their total to two, and so on at each stage.

This didn’t mean a Card Master couldn’t own more cards than their active limit. They could collect as many cards as they wanted. The catch was that only a limited number could be activated at the same time. So, people often had multiple card sets they would switch between depending on the situation.

For example, during travel or exploration, they might activate cards that enhance detection, movement, or radar abilities. But when it came to battle, they’d switch to a set focused on offense or full support, depending on their role in the fight.

Most academies, including this one, only trained students up to the Card Apprentice stage, or at best, some might graduate at the Card Caster level. Given that the basic education here lasted only two years, it was a relatively short training period. Afterward, students would move on to another academy that focused more deeply on their chosen profession as a Card Master.

Reaching the Card Apprentice cultivation stage was Tavian's top priority, especially with the next competition only six months away—a competition that required participants to be at least Card Apprentice level. Typically, it took most people around a year to reach that stage after their initial awakening.

This meant Tavian would have to push himself harder than ever to catch up. Only by advancing to Card Apprentice could he fully showcase his Special Utility Card.

The Card Novice stage was notoriously challenging since he could only rely on his Signature Card, which, for now, couldn’t show its true potential. But Tavian could see the future clearly. He was used to hard work, and there was no way he’d back down now. Every moment he had, aside from sleep, would be dedicated to training and... making money!

He’d need funds to purchase standard cards before he could find them on his own outside. At the very least, this would allow him to join expeditions organized by Card Hunters, where real opportunities awaited.

After the opening ceremony, the new students headed to their first class of the day. As expected, it focused on the most essential topic for any new student: how to cultivate effectively and break through to the next stage as quickly as possible.

In every Card Cultivation stage, there are 10 levels that each Card Cultivator must progress through. Because of this, people often refer to someone's cultivation by combining their stage and level. For example, someone might be referred to by their total level across stages.

Card Cultivation levels are measured by the concentration of Card Essence residing in and evolving someone’s heart. This Card Essence gradually takes over the body, evolving the heart, and this growth is tracked by the Card Device each person wears.

In Tavian’s case, his Card Device showed that he was at Level 1, the very beginning of Card Novice. To reach Level 10, he would need to cultivate diligently. Once at Level 10, he’d need to break through to the next stage, Card Apprentice, which would be Level 11. The pattern continued like this—Level 21 would signify the start of Card Caster, Level 31 would mark the beginning of Card Forger, and so on.

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Most of the students in the class seemed bored with the material. They were far more excited about collecting as many Cards as they could and gaining power, even though the path to achieving that wasn’t as simple as they imagined.

When the class finally ended, many felt relieved, eager to escape what they considered a dull lecture. Tavian, however, soaked up every detail, knowing it would be crucial in optimizing his cultivation process.

He thought he should talk more with the glasses boy about this—he seemed knowledgeable.

Tavian realized he hadn't even memorized everyone's names yet.

The next class, taking up the majority of their schedule, was outdoors: physical training.

Once everyone gathered, the instructor barked an order: "Five laps around the Forge Division academy, or no dinner for you!"

Tavian took off first, pacing himself at a steady tempo, knowing five laps wouldn’t be easy.

Wait... how far is five laps, anyway?

"Is the teacher insane?!" a few boys complained nearby. "One lap’s gotta be at least 1.5 miles (2.5KM)!"

Tavian overheard the whining and smirked. That distance was still within his endurance. He kept his pace steady, letting a few groups of students rush ahead of him, knowing slow and steady would win this race.

To cultivate effectively, he reviewed the lessons from earlier class. There were three main methods: training the body, the mind, and the spirit that someone could do.

First, training the body. This was crucial for enhancing the synergy with Card Essence. A stronger and more conditioned body allowed for better channeling of Card Essence, making it more effective in battle.

While leveling up naturally improves physical strength, intense physical training further boosts the body’s ability to endure the strain of using powerful cards. This was especially important for cards that required a physical component, such as speed or defense, enabling the user to handle the increased physical stress when using multiple or high-tier cards.

Second, training the mind. This involved mental discipline and meditation, focusing on absorbing and controlling Card Essence.

A calm, focused mind enabled better precision in card usage and faster execution of card abilities. By honing mental control, a user could synchronize with their cards more effectively, leading to smoother casting, and improved energy efficiency.

Finally, training the spirit. Unlike mind training, which focused on card control, spirit training involved deepening the connection with the cards themselves. This required activating cards for extended periods, allowing the user to resonate with the cards’ energy on a spiritual level.

By cultivating the spirit, a user could unlock hidden potential within their cards, such as accessing rare abilities, reducing cooldown times, or improving the overall effectiveness of higher-tier cards. Spirit training also prepared the user for advanced card techniques, like upgrading, combining, or even creating new cards at higher cultivation levels, as it strengthened their bond with the cards' essence.

In simple terms, training the body means physical exercises, training the mind involves meditation, and training the spirit requires activating your card for extended periods of time.

Balancing all three—body, mind, and spirit—was key. Only through a balanced approach could a cultivator unlock the full potential of their cards and progress to more advanced stages of card cultivation. Each aspect complemented the others, ensuring the synergy of physical endurance, mental control, and spiritual resonance resulted in a more powerful and versatile Card Master.

Damn! So many things to learn. Let’s just focus on what's in front of me right now.

Tavian smiled to himself and continued running at a steady pace, watching as others began to tire out, even though they were only on the second lap. Some of his roommates had already given up.

He noticed the fat boy sitting by the side of the path, clearly exhausted, still on his second lap, while Tavian was already on his third.

Tavian jogged over and patted the fat boy on the shoulder. "Come on, a tanker needs strong stamina!" he said with a slight grin.

"Shut up, boss. I'm not giving up, just taking a break," the fat boy replied, wiping the sweat off his face.

"You don’t want someone else taking your dinner, do you?"

"Now that motivates me more!" the fat boy laughed, standing up.

They started running together, Tavian deliberately adjusting his pace to match the fat boy’s. Soon, the rest of their roommates grouped up behind them.

"Come on, fatty!" someone cheered from the back.

"Shut up, I don’t need your encouragement," the fat boy grumbled.

Tavian couldn’t help but smile too, enjoying the lighthearted interaction as they all ran together.