After explaining the functions of the Star Awakening Orb, the man looked at the vice principal and nodded.
"Let's begin. Step forward when I call your name. Mei Li!" the vice principal announced.
At the sound of her name, all the students turned their heads in one direction.
There, standing with calm grace, was a girl with long black hair and a face beautiful enough to rival Sister Ying. Everyone looked at her with admiration in their eyes.
Her expression showed no emotion, cold and unreadable as ice.
She walked slowly toward the podium, moving like a swan among cranes. There wasn't a hint of nervousness on her face; she exuded calm confidence.
The vice principal gave a knowing nod. He had expected students like her, those who could uphold the school's pride.
Wei Jian also nodded slightly, which made the vice principal even more pleased.
"Place your hands on it," Wei Jian said.
Mei Li nodded and gently placed her hands on the orb. After a moment, it began to glow. The countless tiny stars within, forming a swirling nebula, began to brighten and spiral inward, drawn toward the orb's core.
They drifted in beautiful patterns, shifting as if guided by an unseen hand, slowly forming the shape of a constellation.
When the constellation was complete, a wave of ice-cold energy burst from Mei Li's body, spreading outward in all directions.
The temperature dropped sharply, more sudden than a thunderclap. Students shivered uncontrollably, their breaths forming mist as they instinctively wrapped their arms around themselves.
Jagged ice crystals formed on the podium and began to spread outward, with Mei Li at the center.
"It's a vision…!" someone gasped, pointing to the sky with a trembling hand—whether from shock or the cold was unclear.
Above, a vision slowly unfolded. Planets blanketed in endless frost hovered in the heavens, and at the heart of it all stood a girl with snow-white hair.
Though her features were unclear, there was no doubt—she bore a faint resemblance to Mei Li.
The vision lingered for a moment before gradually fading. The icy air, which had grown ever more intense, suddenly stilled—as if responding to a silent command. Then it slowly receded, retreating into Mei Li's body.
The change wasn't over yet.
As the frozen energy returned to her, her hair began to shift, strand by strand, from black to glacial white, until it was the color of freshly fallen snow.
"Hahaha…!" The vice principal couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Good! Good! Good!" Wei Jian's eyes widened. He repeated the word three times, unable to hide his delight.
"I didn't expect a Planet-level Job to be awakened today. It's been nearly two years since one last appeared at Cloud City High."
"Planet-level…?" the young man said, surprised. He slowly shook his head. "You're underestimating the vision."
"Huh…?" The principal's eyes widened. "What could possibly be greater than a Planet-level Job?" he asked.
The young man didn't answer. He turned his gaze to Mei Li, who still looked stunned by what she had seen.
"You awakened as a Mage—which is also your Path," Wei Jian explained. "Although the vision didn't show your strength, it revealed your potential. Visions only appear when someone possesses an Aspect."
Mei Li still looked confused.
"Think of your Job as your profession or role," Wei Jian said, noticing her expression.
"There are other Ice Mages, but none of them awakened with a Vision—or possess an Aspect. An Aspect is a unique truth within your soul. It shapes how your power manifests.
"For example, your Aspect is Ice. That means Ice is your truth. You'll naturally have greater control and affinity with ice than any other mage, and that influence will grow with your strength.
"There are different kinds of Aspects, and some are stronger than others. I don't know the level of yours, but it's clearly powerful…"
"Eternal Frost. My Aspect is Eternal Frost," Mei Li said calmly.
Wei Jian was visibly shocked but nodded anyway. "You've passed the test, but there are still others to come. If it were up to me, you wouldn't need to take them. But the rules are beyond me. Still, with your talent, you'll pass with ease. You may step down."
"Okay, go on. You'll be our top student for the upcoming competition," the principal added.
Mei Li nodded and slowly descended from the podium. A clear path opened before her. Her skin emitted a gentle icy mist, and every step left a frosty footprint on the ground.
Some students looked at her with competitive eyes; others with admiration and awe.
The awakenings continued. None of the others had a vision like Mei Li's, but most still awakened powers. Some smiled brightly. Others lowered their heads in disappointment.
"Okay, next! Bao Lin!" the vice principal called out.
Upon hearing his name, Bao Lin glanced once at Wu Yuan and stepped forward. He placed his hand on the orb, and once again, stars flowed into it.
"Earth Knight," the Star Orb announced.
"Hmm… Although it's not a Planet-level Job, it's still Tier Ten," Wei Jian said with mild regret. "If you'd awakened with an Aspect, it would mean two peerless geniuses in one day."
He paused, chuckling. "What am I saying? Even one is worth celebrating across the continent."
"The Earth Knight you awakened is still as rare as phoenix feathers or dragon horns," the principal added. "You've passed the hardest part, but other tests remain. You may step down."
Bao Lin walked down the podium with his head high and chest puffed. He glanced once more at Wu Yuan, his eyes flashing a silent warning: You're dead next time I catch you.
"Wu Yuan…!" the vice principal called.
"Go, brother. Don't be nervous," Sister Ying said. "Even if you're trash, I'll still protect you…"
Wu Yuan's lips twitched.
He took a deep breath and walked forward.
Wei Jian frowned as soon as he saw him. From the boy's frail body, he didn't expect anything impressive. What could someone so physically weak possibly awaken?
Although Wu Yuan had top grades, he had the weakest body in the class, and that was exactly why he was bullied and looked down upon by classmates like Bao Lin.
Stepping onto the podium, Wu Yuan stared at the Star Awakening Orb in awe.
"Put your hand on the orb," the vice principal instructed.
There was something off in the man's tone, an odd coldness, but Wu Yuan didn't dwell on it.
He placed his hand on the orb.
Just like the others, the stars began to flow in. But then—
Something strange happened.
The stars inside blinked in a frenzy, spiraling out of control. Then, the orb itself started trembling, emitting strange sounds.
The glow intensified until the stars became a blur of light, indistinguishable and unstable.
"Huh…? What's happening?" Wei Jian furrowed his brows. He looked genuinely concerned.
Crack…!
Cracks appeared across the surface of the orb.
Then
Bang!
The orb exploded into countless shards. A blinding flash rang out as starry fragments scattered across the floor. The stars within vanished.
Time froze.
Wu Yuan's eyes went blank.
"…Why is it so quiet?" he murmured.
But the words didn't echo. Instead, they were swallowed, like sparks into the dark.
There was nothing.
No light, no shape, no sound. Only a void, vast and still.
Then, threads of light emerged, thin as hair.
They twisted and wove into glowing strands of shifting code, symbols and sequences shimmering with unknown meaning.
From these threads, the beginnings of traits appeared.
A claw, without a body to wield it.
A wing, featherless and twitching, lost without sky.
A heartbeat, echoing in the silence, though no vessel held it.
They drifted like abandoned blueprints, waiting to be chosen, rewritten… or erased.
Everything, anything, was still forming, or had already formed and vanished.
The place was infinite. Boundless.
Wu Yuan floated through it like a wisp of smoke. He had no body, only thought and awareness. Time didn't pass here.
Each time he passed a shape, plant, beast, or flicker of light, he knew it. He could feel how it was built. Genes. Traits. Instincts. Everything weaving into living patterns.
The sensation defied logic.
"…What is this place?" he whispered.
Still drifting.
Then
"This is what you are."
A flood of memories surged into him.
And suddenly, he understood.
"…Omnigen Sovereign," he muttered.
"This is the Source Genome… Where anything can be born."
"…No. I'm not just in it. I am it."
As he accepted the truth, the lights, the strands, the shapes, all unraveled.
Everything returned to raw code. Collapsing inward.
Then, a soft glow.
A small, radiant sphere floated in front of him. Quiet. Calm. Waiting.
He reached out.
It surged into his chest.
No pain. But something deep stirred.
The place he had wandered had only returned home,to him.
The void shuddered.
Cracks formed in the silence.
Back in the square, not a single person spoke.
"…No job appeared. No aspect. No rating. What even was that?" someone finally said, breaking the silence.
"…What?" Wei Jian's eyes widened. He released his pressure.
Everyone dropped to the ground, unable to withstand it.
"You… boy! Do you know what you've done?" he roared, his aura crushing the air like a storm.
"What's going on? Why… is my body like this?" Wu Yuan groaned, unable to move. His bones creaked under the pressure.
"I'll say it again. Do you know what you've done?" Wei Jian shouted. "Do you know how priceless the Star Orb is?"
"Brother…!" Sister Ying screamed, straining under the pressure. Her hands trembled as she forced herself upright.
Wu Yuan turned. His eyes widened.
"…Sister…!"
His gaze locked onto Wei Jian, and turned cold.
"Why are you doing this?"
His scalp tingled. He felt death pressing in. Still, he endured.
Snort! Wei Jian stepped forward. "You'll find out once I drag you away for your crimes!"
He reached out to seize Wu Yuan.
"Sigh. My body's too weak after all," Wu Yuan whispered. "Looks like… the stronger my realm, the more genomes I can inscribe into reality."
If I try to use power my body can't handle… I'll explode.
"I need energy, just to see what I can make."
He looked down.
At the shattered remains of the Star Orb.
Its radiant core was now a dull remnant.
But within the shards, countless strands of light flickered, shifting through different hues.
Most were broken. A few remained intact.
Even the complete ones had strange structures…