Cultivation is Creation

The wooden door creaked open to reveal my new quarters in the lesser spire, and I couldn't help but let out a small sigh. After the grandeur of the academy's exterior – all gleaming crystal and impossible architecture – the reality of an initiate's accommodations was decidedly... plain.

A narrow bed that could have been carved from stone occupied one corner, its thin worn-out mattress not promising any comfort. The simple wooden desk beneath the window looked sturdy enough, though the chair beside it wobbled slightly when I tested it.

At least the view was impressive – the window stretched nearly from floor to ceiling, offering a dizzying vista of clouds drifting far below the floating citadel.

"I'm just glad it's private," I murmured, thinking of the barely-concealed madness I'd seen in the other initiates' eyes. Better a cramped room than sharing space with one of those sociopaths.

I set down the intimidating stack of books the quartermaster had given me on the desk with a large thud. The room was barely large enough for one person, but it would do the job.

"And secure," Azure added. "I'm detecting multiple protective formations built into the walls. Though whether they're meant to keep threats out or keep students in..."

"Probably both." I replied as I ran my fingers along one wall, feeling the subtle warmth emanating from it. "The heating formation alone must be essential up here. I can't imagine how cold it gets at this altitude."

"The ambient temperature at this elevation would be lethal without protection," Azure stated matter-of-factly. "The air pressure alone would—"

"Right, thanks Azure," I cut him off with a small cough. Sometimes I forgot that my casual observations tended to trigger his analytical side. "Well, we'd better get started. Elder Molric expects us to understand the basics by tomorrow."