Casting Line Sect, Male Dormitory

  Drip. Drip. "Hmph," Geno waved his sleeve, sending water onto the floor.

  "I guess I couldn't avoid the rain. No matter, I delivered my letter," he muttered.

  Dark brown hair was wet and strung across Geno's face like snakes and his fair skin bore a sharp contrast. He fancied red robes, but everybody in the sect had to wear robes according to their rank, and he was no exception.

  He was clad in white robes, the lowest rank. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the ground before a smile crept up on his lips.

  "Mila, you belong to me. There's no baboon nor ape around to compete with me now." His eyes narrowed, "And if another suitor from the sect approaches you, he won't stand a chance."

  Kkrooom.

  Lightning briefly lit up the room, casting a sinister light on Geno’s face.

  Geno was raised by his parents briefly; he had almost no memories of them. All the teachings he could recall were from his grandfather. He was kind to him and doted on him as if he were his own son. His grandfather taught him the ways of the cultivation world before he even became a cultivator but advised him against making the mistakes that he made in the past.

  "Geno, you can kill, you can slaughter, you can steal, and you can pillage. Anything under the sky that you want can be yours, but you must always ensure you have the power to take it first. If you don't look before you leap, you will end up… just like me." The words of his grandfather echoed inside of his mind.

  Geno was familiar with his grandfather's grievous wound. He revealed a pained expression, knowing his grandfather's prime was cut short.

  "Yes sir. If possible, I would even seek revenge for you. I'll plot and I'll scheme to the top,” Geno said.

  Geno's grandfather patted his shoulder, "Make me proud, son."

  Kkrooom.

  Another flash of lightning revealed Geno's cold eyes, "That fool is lucky he failed the evaluation. I might have really killed him if he interfered with my Mila."

  He then got in a seated position to meditate and began to cultivate as well.

  ‘I am leagues beyond my peers, the gap will only widen from now on,’ Geno thought as he closed his eyes.

  Sssshhhh.

  Elsewhere, the rain came down just as hard.

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  ‘The sound of the rain sure is nice,’ the figure thought.

  Kkrooom, crackle.

  ‘Can’t say I'm a fan of the thunder and lightning keeping me up though,’ he thought.

  Haruki tossed and turned, before staring at his ceiling.

  There were a few decorations in his room that stood out, like a set of armor and an ornamental katana hung on the wall. Right above him, hanging from the ceiling was a small unlit paper lantern, slowly rotating and rocking due to the wind coming through the window.

  “I didn’t think it would be like this... I miss having fun with everyone. Not even my sister is here to keep me company. All I can do is train to the best of my ability, day in and day out,” he mumbled.

  He then smiled slightly, thinking of the little bit of hardships he’s experienced. “Honestly... I've just been running up and down the place like a madman. That’s the only way I can think of feeling the wind, but it isn’t enough. I need to do more, but I don’t know what to do. How the hell does someone raise their affinity for wind? Should I try... diving off a cliff?” He shook his head and then took his pillow and covered his head with it.

  ‘That’s way too dangerous. Forget it, If I'm destined to pass, then I'll pass. I should have been more interested in lightning, I almost had a low affinity for it. I'd run outside and try to get hit by a lightning strike,’ Haruki let out a self-deprecating laugh, ‘Haha, without being a cultivator, that would surely kill me.’

  Haruki eventually found himself drifting off into a slumber once more.

  Meanwhile, on Alnilam Peak

  Shuaaaaaaa.

  Orien listened to the sound of the rain beating onto the ground, and the leaves in the trees above.

  Orien was shivering, his teeth still chattering together. His eyes were trying to stay open to look at the sky, but it proved too difficult with the raindrops coming down, so he closed them.

  He thought that the taste of the fresh rainwater was nice, it made him feel like he was becoming one with nature.

  ACHOO. He rubbed his nose, ‘Is someone thinking of me? Maybe it's Mom or Mila,’ he grinned slightly to himself.

  "This weather doesn't seem to be easing up, Wisp. It'll probably fill my buckets at this rate,” Orien said.

  "Trying to get out of a hike down and back up the peak?" Wisp accused him.

  "Of course not! Just an observation,” Orien hurriedly replied.

  The two spoke a bit as the night dragged on, storming until morning came.

  It was not known when Orien fell asleep, but he eventually did once the rain stopped threatening to drown him.

  He woke up... and then he ate his food and began to train again. He felt like a homeless person and probably looked like one too, but he was in good health and had merely become one with nature while he trained under Wisp’s guidance.

  Night fell and he trained his affinity with Ice.

  As the days went by, some were overcast, providing much-needed shade from the sun while he practiced his martial arts and trained his body.

  Some days it rained, helping to keep him nice and cool.

  He didn't particularly like it when it rained at night as it kept his body at a constant cold temperature, but he persisted. The training was grueling, but he did his best.

  In the blink of an eye, weeks passed by.

  The most notable thing that happened during this time was a sudden stroke of enlightenment for Orien during a particularly freezing cold night.

  "Ice is not just a low temperature or frozen water. No, there is also the absence of warmth to consider as well. Meaning that… I can also embody the cold by forsaking my warmth,” Orien said while shivering.

  "That's it, boy! Now you’re talking! That's quite the perspective. Sounds like you're basically ready, you're going to perform incredibly at the evaluation, I know it." Wisp offered rare praise to the enlightenment, which Orien was very pleased to hear.

  He didn't realize it, but that night, his teeth were not chattering together like they usually did.

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