Chapter 58: Chapter 49: Training

“You will participate in three major evaluations:”

Evaluation 1 – Combat Assessment: “On Day 3, this ship will pass through the Crimson Nebula sector—a region controlled by various pirate organizations. We will deliberately broadcast our presence and use illusion laws to change the appearance and powers of the ship. Pirates will attack. This is not a drill—they will try to board and capture this ship. Your job is to defend assigned sections. Performance will be measured by kills, territory defended, and tactical decisions.”

Several candidates looked nervous. Real combat against actual pirates?

Evaluation 2 – Comprehension Trial: “On Day 5, you will enter specialized pocket dimensions designed to test Law comprehension under pressure. You’ll face scenarios requiring creative application of your Laws. Speed and efficiency of solutions determine scoring.”

Evaluation 3 – Cooperation Exercise: “On Day 6, you’ll participate in team-based challenges. The academy values not just individual strength, but ability to work with others. You’ll be assigned random teams and given complex problems requiring coordination.”

Meridian’s expression hardened. “Understand this: these evaluations are dangerous. The combat assessment especially. Pirates are real enemies who will kill you if given the chance. We have medical staff standing by, but if you die, you die. The Federation does not coddle its cultivators.”

That sent murmurs through the candidates. Real danger. Real consequences.

“However,” Meridian continued, “you’re also protected. This ship has thousands of Supernova realm soldiers, hundreds of Neutron Star captains, and multiple Black Hole commanders. If a candidate is in lethal danger, we will intervene. The goal is to test you, not execute you.”

She pulled up another holographic display. “Rankings from these evaluations determine several critical factors at the academy:

Initial cultivation resource allocation Dorm placement (better performance = better facilities) Teacher attention priority Access to restricted libraries Mission selection privileges

“High rankers get significant advantages. Low rankers start from the bottom and must prove themselves later.”

Competitive tension filled the hall. Everyone was silently calculating their chances.

“You have 3 normal days until the first evaluation session,” Meridian said. “Use that time to prepare, cultivate, take advantage of the time dilation in your suites or socialize as you see fit. Training sessions are optional but recommended. Dismissed.”

The candidates began filing out, conversations erupting immediately.

“Pirates? Actual combat?”

“This is insane. I thought we’d just travel peacefully.”

“Rankings determine everything. We need to perform well.”

Runar and Celestia walked together, ignoring the chatter around them.

“Day 3 combat assessment,” Runar said quietly. “That’s in less than 72 hours.”

“Against real pirates,” Celestia noted. “Probably Satellite Orbit to Planetary Core realm, given the target. Maybe a few Stellar Ignition if they’re organized.”

“Excellent practical experience,” Runar said. “Better than fighting puppets.”

“Agreed.”

They noticed several candidates glancing at them nervously—clearly remembering the reception hall incidents.

Khan Storm watched them from across the hall, lightning crackling faintly around his clenched fists. He wanted to challenge them so badly, but survival instinct held him back.

Soon, he promised himself. I’ll find the right moment to test myself against them.

Lyra Moon observed them with calculating eyes, her mind already working on schemes.

They’ll rank highly in the evaluations, she predicted. Which means they’ll have significant influence at the academy. Long-term investment is definitely the right approach.

Marcus Sunfire simply grinned at them across the hall, giving an enthusiastic thumbs up. He couldn’t wait for combat.

Runar and Celestia returned to Suite 4701 together.

Celestia had brought some personal items from her own suite—a few cultivation manuals, some spirit stones, and a change of clothes. Nothing excessive.

“Meditation chamber?” Runar asked.

“Let’s cultivate separately first,” Celestia suggested. “You work on Stage 17, I’ll work on Stage 451. Then we can sleep together after.”

“Sounds good.”

The meditation chamber was large enough for both of them to cultivate without interference. They entered the sphere, the Primordial privacy formations activating automatically.

Inside, the qi density spiked to 50,000x normal. The liquid spiritual energy pool glowed in the center, golden starlight mixing with silver lunar essence where their respective auras influenced it.

They sat on opposite sides of the pool, cross-legged, and began.

Runar’s Cultivation:

He activated the Eternal Nexus Ascension technique, his black hole dantian spinning faster. The 1,616 existing orbital spheres began their complex gravitational dance, creating harmonic resonance patterns.

His task: create 101 new spheres to complete Stage 17.

He pulled qi from the pool with perfect precision—each droplet of liquid spiritual energy converted at 99.9% efficiency thanks to his Primordial physique. The energy compressed, refined, and condensed into new orbital spheres.

One sphere formed every three minutes—a speed that would make any cultivator weep with envy.

His Heaven-Defying Comprehension Mantra processed everything simultaneously: calculating orbital paths, adjusting gravitational resonances, ensuring perfect synchronization across all spheres.

Around him, faint starlight began to manifest—his body entering the Universal Fusion Body Tempering state. All 1,049 Laws activated simultaneously, fusing into his cells, bones, meridians, dantian.

Life and Death Laws spiraled together, granting regeneration. Space and Time Laws compressed his cultivation process. Gravity and Force Laws stabilized the orbital mechanics.

It was like watching a universe form in miniature.

Celestia’s Cultivation:

She activated the Void Empress Ascension technique, her dantian manifesting as an empty space that paradoxically contained infinite potential.

Her task: advance from Stage 450 to Stage 451—each stage requiring increasingly astronomical amounts of energy.

She pulled qi from the pool in massive quantities, her Primordial Void Empress physique converting it with near-perfect efficiency. The energy flowed into her dantian’s void, creating new layers of spatial depth.

Her five Laws—Ice, Water, Space, Void, Time—all activated in perfect fusion. Ice and Water created frozen concepts. Space and Void created dimensional depths. Time added temporal layers.

The result was her cultivation technique’s unique feature: each stage didn’t just increase power linearly, it increased dimensionally. Stage 451 would contain more power than Stages 1-450 combined.

Around her, the temperature dropped significantly. Ice crystals formed in the air, each one containing perfect spatial geometry. The void itself seemed to deepen in her presence.

Time Passed:

They cultivated in synchronized silence, two geniuses pushing their techniques to the limit.

The time dilation meant that six hours inside equaled 36 minutes outside. They’d easily finish before morning.

Runar completed Stage 17 in exactly 5 hours and 47 minutes.

1,717 orbital spheres now rotated in perfect harmony, their gravitational resonance creating power that made the meditation chamber’s formations strain slightly.

His cultivation speed had increased to ×5,200,000 (up from ×4,800,000). Each new stage brought exponential improvements.

Celestia completed Stage 451 in 7 hours and 52 minutes.

Her dantian void had deepened into a new dimensional layer, power surging through her meridians. The advancement felt qualitative—she was noticeably stronger now.

They both opened their eyes simultaneously, meeting each other’s gazes across the pool.

“Success?” Runar asked.

“Stage 451,” Celestia confirmed. “You?”

“Stage 17. 1,717 orbital spheres.”

They stood, the cultivation session complete. The pool’s liquid spiritual energy had decreased noticeably—they’d consumed perhaps 70% of it in one session. Even as they watched, formation arrays throughout the chamber activated, drawing qi from the tower’s main reserves and refilling the pool automatically. Within seconds, it had returned to perfect capacity.

“Convenient,” Celestia observed. “Self-replenishing formations. Supreme-grade at minimum.”

“The Federation doesn’t do things halfway,” Runar agreed.

They deactivated the meditation chamber and returned to the main suite.

Current Ship-Time: 03:47 (early morning)

They had less than three days until the first evaluation—the combat assessment against real pirates in the Crimson Nebula sector.

“We should rest,” Runar suggested. “Recuperate before planning our next cultivation session.”

Celestia nodded, then looked at him with an expression that was simultaneously vulnerable and determined. “I want to cuddle with you.”

Runar smiled warmly. “Then let’s sleep.”

They changed into comfortable sleeping clothes—simple, practical, appropriate.

The massive bed was more than large enough for both of them. They lay down together, Celestia curling against Runar’s side, his arm around her shoulders, her head on his chest.

“I missed this,” Celestia murmured. “The last few weeks on Telstra, we couldn’t do this. Too many people watching, too many expectations.”

“I know,” Runar said softly, his hand gently stroking her hair. “But we’re together now. And we’ll stay together.”

“Always together,” Celestia confirmed, her eyes already closing.

They didn’t need sleep—their cultivation levels meant they could go months without rest. But this wasn’t about biological necessity. It was about emotional comfort, about the intimacy they’d built over sixteen years in the Pocket Universe.

Celestia’s breathing deepened, becoming slow and regular. Runar held her gently, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against his side.

Outside their suite, the Absolute Infinity continued its journey through space. Thousands of other candidates were cultivating, training, scheming, preparing for the evaluations ahead.

But inside Suite 4701, two particular geniuses simply rested peacefully, secure in their strength and their bond.

The suite’s formations created perfect darkness and silence. The high qi density passively strengthened their bodies even in rest.

Hours passed in comfortable tranquility.

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