"You mean... become a real Martial Warrior?"


Luna's eyes went wide as saucers the moment the words left Lucas's mouth.


"Wait, are you saying..."


"Yep. I've already mastered The Art of Cultivation."


Lucas nodded slightly, cutting her off before she could finish. He knew exactly what she was going to ask.


"That's impossible," Luna said, shaking her head vigorously. "Instructor Yates explicitly said that if your Origin Points aren't high enough, you can't sense the Origin Force. Plus, without a professional guide, you could seriously hurt yourself..."


"That applies to the ordinary version," Lucas interrupted, a mysterious smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.


"The ordinary version?" Luna frowned. "Is yours special or something?"


"Of course." Lucas paused, letting the suspense hang in the air for a few agonizing seconds. "Mine is the newly optimized Art of Cultivation."


Luna looked completely thunderstruck. Her jaw practically hit the floor. "Are you serious? A newly optimized version?"


She started bouncing on her toes, excitement taking over.


Lucas quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. "Shhh! It's top secret," he whispered theatrically. "You can't go blabbing this to anyone."


Luna's eyes bulged, and she nodded frantically against his hand.


"Mmph—you jerk, you're suffocating me!" Luna gasped as he finally let go, taking in huge gulps of air. "Stupid Lucas."


She glanced around the room nervously before leaning in close, dropping her voice to a whisper. "This optimized version... did Wolfe teach you?"


Lucas blinked, caught off guard. He quickly recovered, putting on his most serious face. "Yeah. But like I said, it's classified."


"Don't worry," Luna promised, tapping her lips. "My lips are sealed. Tighter than a bank vault."


Lucas nodded approvingly and instructed Luna to sit cross-legged on the floor. Following the method he had already mastered, he began to slowly guide her through the steps.


Luna's Origin Force stats were actually impressive—thirty-one points. That was higher than Lucas's had been when he started. Logically, she should have been able to feel the energy flow pretty quickly.


But an hour ticked by. Then another. Luna still felt absolutely nothing.


"Lucas!" she panted, looking exhausted and sweaty. "Are you pranking me? Is this a joke?"


Lucas rubbed his temples, feigning disappointment. "Sigh. I guess your talent is just too terrible. Anyone else would have felt it ages ago."


"My talent is not terrible!" Luna puffed out her cheeks, looking like an angry chipmunk. Fueled by spite, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused inward again, determined to find that elusive energy.


This time, it didn't take long.


Her eyes snapped open, sparkling with surprise. "I... I think I feel it! I sense the Origin Force!"


"Really?" Lucas was genuinely surprised.


He had found the Origin Force easily because of his high Spirit Power—basically his perception stat. Usually, even people with thirty-five Origin Points struggled to sense it on their first try. But Luna had actually done it.


"Okay, don't lose it," Lucas instructed. "Try to control the energy you're feeling. Spread it out. Make it cover every part of your body evenly..."


The night wore on. Just as Lucas was starting to nod off, jolted awake by a triumphant shout.


"Hahaha! I did it! I can release the Origin Force!"


Luna scrambled up from the floor, practically vibrating with energy.


Lucas shook the sleep from his head and focused. He could feel it, too—Luna was controlling the energy inside her, forcing it out through her pores. It formed a thin, shimmering layer of Essence, like a second skin over her body.


"When you release it like that, the Origin Force forms an Essence film," Lucas explained, sounding like a textbook. "It acts as armor. It can protect you."


He gestured to the shimmering air around her. "You can also project that energy outward to slam into an opponent. It creates an Origin Aura—basically, pure pressure. Vance hit me with it once. It felt awful, like the air got heavy."


Luna's eyes darted around, a mischievous glint flickering in them.


Suddenly, the protective film around her shifted. Instead of clinging to her skin, the Origin Force erupted outward like a gas explosion, aiming straight for Lucas.


"Learned that fast. Not bad," Lucas said, nodding in approval.


Luna stared at him, confused. "Hey! Why didn't you flinch!?"


Luna stared at Lucas, her eyes popping out of her head. He looked completely fine. Not a scratch.


"Duh," Lucas smirked, looking pleased with himself. "I'm a Martial Warrior. I've mastered the Origin Force. You really think your cheap parlor tricks are gonna work on me?"


He rolled up his sleeves and started stalking toward her.


"What... what are you doing?" Luna stammered. The guilt was written all over her face as she scrambled backward.


"Take a wild guess!" Lucas snapped. "You got some nerve trying to use Aura Projection on me."


Thwack.


Lucas rapped his knuckles sharply against her forehead.


"Ow!" Luna clutched her head, glaring daggers at Lucas Lane. She looked like she wanted to scream but knew she couldn't. If looks could kill, Lucas would have been dead a dozen times over.


"Alright, show's over," Lucas said, yawning and stretching his back. "Practice controlling the Origin Force until you've actually got a handle on it."


He was wiped out. Between school and secret training sessions every night, he was running on fumes.


"Fine, fine."


Luna turned to leave, but then she froze. She spotted a long, dark object standing in the corner. It was a box made of black sandalwood.


"What is that?" Her eyes lit up with instant curiosity.


"That? Nothing. Don't touch it," Lucas warned, stepping in front of her.


"Why not?" Luna peered around him, her curiosity turning into a mischievous grin. "Ooh, wait. I get it. It's something dirty, isn't it? Is it—"


Lucas went to flick her forehead again, but Luna was too fast this time. She dodged back, covering her head defensively.


"Lucas, you're acting totally guilty!" she teased. "I'm telling Uncle and Aunt!"


Lucas groaned. Major headache incoming. It was the middle of the night; his parents were definitely asleep on the second floor. Since his room was all the way up on the fourth, he hadn't been worried about the noise before, but Luna yelling was a different story.


"Okay, you win. It's a weapon."