The moment the announcer's voice faded, the arena shifted into a strange, solemn stillness.

Almost simultaneously, every remaining team moved. One after another, they sat down in their designated areas, forming circles with their teammates. After that, the team captains placed the stone tablets carefully at the center, as if they were sacred relics rather than mere tools.

No one spoke. They all knew the truth.

Learning Divine Sense within five hours was close to impossible. But impossibility did not mean surrender.

Even if they failed to fully comprehend it, they wanted to go as far as they could. In this trial, how much one understood mattered just as much as whether one succeeded.

No one wanted to fall behind. Everyone went into the lotus position. Eyes closed. Breaths steady. They calmed their mind by drifting the chaos aside.

High above the arena, the instructor who had delivered the Headmistress's orders returned once more to her side. His name was Vansel. Though he wasn't a house master, he was equally strong and capable as each of the house masters. He was the headmistress's personal assistant, or more like an advisor.

Vansel stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes fixed on the scene below. "The second trial has started exactly as you expected," he said after a moment, his voice low. "I only hope… that all teams don't fail at once."

The Headmistress let out a soft chuckle, unbothered. "You worry too much," she replied calmly. She leaned back slightly, her gaze sweeping over the seated students. "Half-yearly ranker's test is arranged every six months to measure and reward talent. And then to help them grow. So tell me — what better measure of talent is there than the ability to comprehend?"

Vansel frowned faintly. "Your reasoning makes sense," he admitted. "But… why now? And why Divine Sense of all techniques?"

He turned toward her, eyes sharp. "You know how difficult that technique is. Even adults who have shone their entire lives struggle with it. Many never succeed at all."

The Headmistress shook her head slowly.

"Youth is the best time to push limits," she said. "To broaden one's barriers. To break what is always believed to be unbreakable." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And it is not only the talent of these students I wish to test."

Vansel paused. "…You mean," he said carefully, "you really changed the entire trial because of that boy, didn't you?"

"Yes." She admitted it without hesitation and then inhaled deeply. "You saw what he did in the previous trial," the Headmistress continued. "A cultivator learning a weapon technique is rare. But manipulating weapons without touching them?"

She let out a quiet breath. "You understand what that means."

Vansel's expression darkened. "…Weapon mastery." He whispered.

"At his age," she added. "That's already insane. But that's not all. Not only did he achieve enlightenment, but he also did it in the middle of battle."

Her lips curved upward. "That is far more terrifying."

Vansel's eyes sharpened. "You're expecting too much," he said firmly. "I admit the boy is exceptionally talented. But comprehending Divine Sense within five hours?" He shook his head. "That's nothing but a pipe dream. Even the prodigies who are considered gems of every generation would take at least a month."

The Headmistress's smile only widened.

Instead of answering directly, she asked softly, "And how many of those prodigies received enlightenment before the age of thirty?" She turned her head slightly. "How many mastered a weapon technique at eleven?"

Vansel froze. He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat. He simply turned his gaze back toward the arena, where every remaining team sat in silence, struggling against the impossible.

The gallery surrounding the fighting arena was anything but quiet.

Whispers clashed with whispers, debates ignited and spread like wildfire.

"This trial is completely unreasonable!"

"Really?! But I think this is what separates monsters from geniuses!"

"Linda will definitely comprehend the most. Her foundation is solid."

"What about Emma? She's the third strongest student in the academy."

"She's always calm under any pressure. That matters when it comes to comprehending a technique."

Others shook their heads. "No one will succeed. This is Divine Sense we're talking about."

Opinions clashed, names were mentioned, and expectations rose and fell.

But none of it reached the arena floor.

Down below, the world had narrowed. Like everyone else, Derek sat cross-legged, the stone tablet resting before him.

He read the lines again and again, and after each time, he closed his eyes — trying to truly grasp the meaning behind the words.

Information did not pour into his mind like words.

Instead, it unfolded like a whisper.

A teaching. A riddle. Not instructions — but guidance.

The lines carved into the tablet resonated deep within him.

'Eyes cannot detect illusions, but your senses can.

When you see, you see only the surface — never what lies beneath.

Do not see.

Do not let obstacles and falsehoods delude your mind.

Hear the heartbeat of everything.

Feel the shift in the atmosphere around you.

Comprehend the pressure pressing against your body.

See not what your eyes reveal...

But what is truth?'

Derek's breathing slowed. He did not rush.

He did not panic due to the short time frame.

He continued to read the lines and try to make sense of them.

'Eyes cannot detect illusions…' His fingers curled slightly. He let go.

He stopped trying to see. He stopped trying to understand.

He simply… listened, tried to feel. He already had a good understanding of this sector. After all, he had to grasp the basics of it to master lightning pace. But now, to really see without eyes was not that easy either.

At first, there was nothing. Then...

A faint rhythm. Not a sound. A presence.

The pressure of existence itself brushing against his awareness.

For a split second, it felt as though a black-and-white light flashed before his eyes — even though they were closed. And in that fleeting moment, he saw Emma, seated opposite him, sitting in a lotus position.

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