I Cultivate 10,000 Times Faster

"Character means nothing if he dies in the first week," the Third Elder countered coldly. His fingers still tingled with the residual energy from his attempted attack, frustrated that the Seventh Elder had intervened. "Six months in the Hellfrozen Abyss for a mere Genetic Soldier? We might as well have executed him cleanly. At least that would have been merciful."

The Fifth Elder, mistress of shadow and darkness, floated forward slightly. Her form seemed to flicker between solid and incorporeal. "Perhaps that's the point. If he survives, he'll emerge stronger. If he dies…" She shrugged elegantly. "Then he wasn't worthy of the academy's investment in the first place."

"Cold," the Fourth Elder commented. His voice was like wind through canyons—present everywhere yet impossible to pin down. "But not inaccurate. The Abyss has always been our ultimate testing ground. Those who emerge from it become legends."

The Sixth Elder, radiant with light that forced even her fellow council members to avert their eyes slightly, interjected with a voice like ringing crystal. "He killed two students. One arguably by accident, the other clearly in self-defense. Yet we send him to near-certain death for six months? Some might call that excessive."

"Some might call it justice," the Third Elder snapped. "My nephew may have been flawed, but he was blood. Family. That boy took him from me, and now he'll pay the price for his arrogance."

"Your nephew was a schemer who used other students as weapons," the Seventh Elder said, his voice carrying the finality of absolute authority. He tapped his walking stick against the air, and reality itself seemed to resonate with the impact. "If young Levi hadn't killed him, someone else would have eventually. Better it happened now before Chris could cause real damage to the academy's reputation."

The Third Elder's face twisted with rage, but he said nothing. Contradicting the Seventh Elder openly was dangerous—the old man's mastery of earth and stone was so absolute he could crush continents if sufficiently provoked.

Sub-Dean Scarlet, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, finally spoke. Her child-like form belied the ancient power she commanded, and when her voice emerged, it carried harmonics that suggested multiple beings speaking in unison. "The First Elder's assessment is most accurate. The boy has character. I tested his mind earlier and found… resistance. Unusual for one so young and relatively weak."

The elders turned their attention to her. Mind-reading resistance at the Genetic Soldier realm was extraordinarily rare—it suggested either a powerful bloodline, a special artifact, or natural mental fortitude that defied normal cultivation progression.

"His bloodline?" the Second Elder asked. She had been quiet until now, her form constantly shifting and flowing like water seeking its level. "The reports mentioned something unusual during his battles. Four arms, enhanced regeneration, crimson scales…"

"Classified," Scarlet said flatly. "By my authority as Sub-Dean. The boy's bloodline is his own business unless it poses a direct threat to the academy. So far, it has not."

The Third Elder scoffed. "Protecting him even after judgment? Your favoritism is showing, Scarlet."