Niklaus

In a world powered by the cultivation of potent Spirit Souls, Ren is an outcast. Born with a chaotic, primordial power that renders him "Aether-deaf," he is seen as a worthless dud in a society that values strength above all else. His entry into the prestigious Eldorian Spirit Master Academy marks him as a target for scorn and ridicule from the powerful scions of noble houses.
But Ren’s seeming weakness hides a terrifying potential, a secret recognized by only one person: a mysterious and powerful GAMA Elder who takes the boy under his wing. Forced to live a double life, Ren endures public humiliation as the academy’s worst student while secretly undergoing a brutal and unorthodox training regimen. He learns to turn his weakness into a weapon, mastering a unique art of manipulating the physical world that defies the known laws of cultivation.
Using his sharp intellect and invisible arts, Ren achieves a series of impossible victories against opponents far stronger than himself. However, his success doesn't bring glory; it brings suspicion. Each baffling victory makes him a greater enigma, attracting the unwanted attention of not just his academy rivals, but also a powerful, shadowy organization that sees his unique existence as a dangerous anomaly that must be understood—or erased.
Now, Ren must navigate a treacherous world where every display of his true ability could lead to his destruction. He must unravel the secrets of his forgotten bloodline and master the raging storm within his soul, all while hiding his power from allies and enemies alike. For in a world where might is right, the greatest threat is the one that no one ever sees coming.

Disclaimer: Inspired by Douluo Dalu (Soul Land)

Aerthos: Soulforged

The echo of the breakthrough faded, leaving a profound and absolute silence in its wake. Ren sat in the center of his room, the feeling of his new power a deep, humming river flowing through his veins. He was an Aether Apprentice.

"The first step is taken," Zephyrion's voice was a low hum of satisfaction. "You have might. Now you must learn to wield it. This 'Thunder's Needle' is but the first sentence in the vast library of Raijin arts."

Before the spirit could continue, Ren felt a presence outside his door. It was not a student. It was the immense, familiar pressure of Elder Tian, his arrival swift and silent. There had been no alarm, no campus-wide alert. The Elder, with his profound connection to the Aether, had personally felt the massive energy vacuum created by Ren's self-inflicted tribulation.

Ren opened the door. The old man stood there, his face not angry, but etched with a deep, weary gravity. He stepped inside, his gaze taking in the residual ozone and the undeniable, stable power now radiating from Ren.

"Rank 11," the Elder stated, his voice quiet. "In a single night." He looked at Ren, and there was no demand for an explanation, only a tired acknowledgment of an inevitable truth. "The lie is over. There is no narrative that can explain this away. I have spent my life playing a patient game, Ren. You, with your terrifying talent, have just thrown the board into the fire."

He paced the small room. "I can no longer hide you. My political maneuvering can only shield a talented student, not a living miracle that breaks every known law of cultivation. To hide you now would be to make us both targets of a GAMA-wide investigation."

He stopped, a new, decisive strategy already forming in his eyes. "If we can no longer hide your power, then we will legitimize it. We will give it a rank and a purpose so clear that no one dares question it, lest they question the authority of the High Council itself."

"The GAMA charter allows for the accelerated promotion of initiates who display 'overwhelming prowess in the face of existential threats'," the Elder stated. "Your stand against the Void-Tainter is our justification. I will personally authorize your promotion and your first official mission as an Apprentice."

"A C-Rank Rift has been stabilized in the northern territories," he continued. "A 'Rift Core' is forming within it, a dangerous catalyst that must be destroyed. I am assigning a specialist squad to the task."

The Elder's gaze hardened. "You will be on that squad. Your squad leader will be Captain Eva Rostova, one of my most trusted former disciples. She is a veteran Aether Apprentice of Rank 18, and she will be your commanding officer. Your mission is to be her weapon. You will follow her commands. You will learn to work within a team. You will demonstrate that your impossible power can, in fact, be controlled."

He paused, a flicker of cunning in his eyes. "The squad requires a specialist to provide real-time analysis of the Rift's unique conceptual energies. Due to her insightful, if incomplete, analysis of the simulation failure, and at my strong recommendation, that specialist will be Anya Volkov. She has been granted provisional Apprentice-level clearance for this mission only."

The trap was elegant and inescapable. He was giving Ren rank and legitimacy. But he was also placing him in a new, more rigid cage—a formal GAMA military squad, led by one of his loyalists, and watched by the one person who knew his power was a lie. Anya was not Ren's leader, but in many ways, she was his warden.

"This is your new path, Ren," the Elder concluded. "You will no longer be a ghost. You will be a GAMA-sanctioned weapon, under GAMA command. The mission briefing is at dawn. Your new life begins now."

Chapter 70: A New Kind of Truth