Caelion looked at us.
Not calmly this time.
His eyes carried a predatory gleam, like a hunter observing prey before the chase began.
The room fell silent.
Then—
BOOOOM!!!
The chair beneath me exploded.
Instinct took over before my mind could process what happened.
My body blurred.
I reappeared several meters away from my original seat.
Fragments of energy and debris blasted across the chamber floor.
My instincts had screamed at me a split second before the explosion.
Danger.
I glanced back at where I had been sitting.
The seat was gone.
Reduced to scattered fragments.
We are here to train, not listen to bedtime stories, I thought.
Around me, the others had also escaped the explosion at the last possible moment.
But unlike me, they weren't untouched.
Some had singed sleeves.
Others were covered in dust and scattered debris.
A few looked slightly shaken.
Clearly the explosion had been intentional.
A test.
A simple reaction test.
And Caelion was watching carefully.
Every movement.
Every reaction.
Every delay.
Then—
"Hmmmm…"
A low mechanical hum echoed through the chamber.
The gravity generator activated.
At first the pressure was subtle.
Then it increased rapidly.
My body sank slightly.
About twenty times gravity, I estimated immediately.
The weight pressed down on my shoulders like an invisible mountain.
BOOOOM!
Energy surged through the chamber as everyone instinctively powered up.
Auras ignited.
Divine energy flared.
They reinforced their bodies to withstand the pressure.
For cultivators at our level, 20× gravity alone wasn't impossible.
But if calculated differently…
Inside this chamber, the gravitational amplification interacted with the environmental pressure fields.
Which meant the actual force on our bodies was closer to—
Two hundred times outside gravity.
And that changed everything.
Not everyone had trained their physical body for something like that.
Most cultivators relied heavily on energy reinforcement.
Their muscles and bones were rarely pushed to such extremes.
Most of their previous training had been casual.
Sparring.
Energy manipulation.
Basic exercises.
Nothing like true body conditioning.
Unlike them…
I had two advantages.
A brother who never let me slack.
And a system that trained me properly.
My body had endured gravity training before.
Still—
Even I felt the pressure.
Then I noticed something.
Everyone else was standing firm.
But their movements had slowed slightly.
Their muscles tensed harder.
Their breathing became heavier.
Meanwhile…
My body adjusted naturally.
Interesting.
My pupils flashed blue faintly.
The change happened unconsciously.
A small smile formed on my face.
This is getting interesting.
Across the chamber, Caelion noticed.
Our eyes met.
For a moment neither of us moved.
Then his gaze sharpened.
The same predatory look appeared in his eyes again.
Like a hunter finally spotting a worthwhile target.
---
SWISH!!!
Something cut through the air.
My instincts screamed.
I tilted my head slightly.
A blur passed right beside my face.
A faint hum followed the motion.
Then—
BOOOOM!!!
A small explosion erupted behind me.
I turned.
Standing several meters away was a creature.
A white tiger.
Its body was nearly my height.
Its muscles were compact and perfectly balanced.
But something about it was strange.
The energy surrounding it felt…
Artificial.
I focused.
Immediately I understood.
Energy construct.
More specifically—
An energy clone.
And judging by the energy signature…
It belonged to Caelion.
The tiger's aura wasn't overwhelming.
In fact, its raw power seemed lower than most people in the room.
But something about it was dangerous.
Its stance.
Its gaze.
Its posture.
Experience.
That was the problem.
Even if its raw power was limited…
Its combat instinct was not.
And that made it terrifying.
Around the room, the others were facing similar creatures.
Every person had been assigned a training opponent.
Energy beasts formed by Caelion's power.
Testing us.
---
The tiger and I locked eyes.
For half a second.
Then—
SWISH!!!
I moved first.
My body shifted to the side.
The tiger lunged where I had been standing.
Too slow.
Or so I thought.
The tiger adjusted mid-movement.
Its claws twisted toward me with unnatural precision.
I ducked.
The claws sliced through the air above my head.
The speed changed.
Increasing gradually, I realized.
It's measuring me.
The beast wasn't attacking at full speed.
It was raising its speed slowly, gauging my limits.
Smart.
Very smart.
Around me, the other students were reacting as well.
Some dodged.
Some blocked.
Others struggled.
A few had already been forced backward by their opponents.
Clearly these constructs were tailored to match each person's level.
---
The tiger attacked again.
Claw.
I dodged.
Claw.
I dodged again.
Then a tail strike came from the side.
I bent backward.
The tail passed inches above my chest.
No wasted movement.
No unnecessary attacks.
Every strike flowed perfectly into the next.
Claw.
Kick.
Bite.
Tail strike.
A seamless chain of attacks.
This thing fought like a trained warrior.
Not a beast.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Across the chamber I noticed the others weren't doing as well.
Many had already switched to blocking.
Their arms glowed with defensive energy as they absorbed blows.
But blocking in 200× gravity drained energy quickly.
Dodging was more efficient.
If you could keep up.
Meanwhile, I continued moving.
Step.
Shift.
Slide.
Every attack missed by the smallest margin.
My movements were smooth.
Effortless.
Efficient.
But the tiger was adapting.
Its attacks were becoming faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
It had already raised its speed three times.
And each increase was subtle.
Gradual.
Almost unnoticeable.
Except to someone paying attention.
So that's the game, I thought.
He's testing reaction speed, adaptability, and stamina at the same time.
Smart training.
Very smart.
I glanced briefly toward Caelion.
He sat calmly in his elevated seat.
Watching.
Analyzing.
Evaluating.
Our eyes met again.
His expression didn't change.
But I could tell something.
He had noticed.
---
The tiger lunged again.
Faster this time.
I stepped aside.
Claw strike.
I slipped past it.
Then came the bite.
I tilted my head.
The jaws snapped shut inches from my neck.
Too slow.
But the tiger immediately corrected.
Its next movement was faster.
Then faster again.
Then faster again.
Now the air around us was slicing with every strike.
Claws tore through the gravity-heavy air with explosive force.
Still—
I dodged.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Across the room someone shouted.
Another student had been knocked off balance.
His opponent pinned him instantly.
The training beasts were ruthless.
No mercy.
No hesitation.
Exactly like real combat.
---
The tiger stopped suddenly.
Its muscles coiled.
Then—
SWISH!!!
It vanished.
Fast.
Very fast.
My instincts screamed again.
I turned—
Claws were already descending toward my shoulder.
I twisted sideways.
The claws scraped across my sleeve.
Barely missing flesh.
Closer.
Much closer.
The tiger landed gracefully.
Its eyes glowed faintly.
Now it was serious.
I smiled slightly.
Good.
My pupils flashed blue again.
This time the change was stronger.
Sharper.
More focused.
For the first time since the fight began…
I leaned forward.
My stance shifted.
No more passive dodging.
Now I was interested.
Across the room, Caelion leaned forward slightly.
Just slightly.
But he had noticed.
The predator had finally decided to move.
And the hunt…
Had just begun.