Time had passedswiftly.

For Echo, every day atTrolys Academyhad been anew challenge, anew lesson, and astep forward in his journey.

He had started at the academy at the age ofseven, full ofcuriosity and determination.

ateight years old, he was already on theverge of reaching the Second Energy Realm the Realm of Initial Energy.

His growth was consideredaveragein this world.

There were studentswho progressed faster—geniuses who reached theSecond Energy Realm before turning eight.

And there were others who wereslower, struggling to even sense their inner energy.

But Echo didn’t care about comparisons.

He wasfocused on his own path.

Instead of racing ahead without understanding his abilities, he took the time tomaster his fundamentals.

Because for him,knowledge and control mattered just as much as raw power.

The Power of Writing Skills

One of Echo’sgreatest advantageswas his unique ability—

The power towrite skills.

Over the years, he had written and testedmore than 50 different skills.

Each one was a result oftrial and error, careful observation, and strategic refinement.

Some skills allowed him tomove faster than the wind, turning him into a blur.

Others gave himenhanced strength, letting him lift weights far beyond what his body should be capable of.

Some even focused ondefense, allowing him to withstand attacks that would have injured a normal person.

Yet, despite all these abilities—

His power did not increase drastically.

At first, Echo wasconfused.

Why wasn’t hegrowing stronger at an overwhelming rate?

He had assumed that if he kept writing new skills, he would eventually surpass all limits.

But after countless experiments, hediscovered something important—

The skills he writes have power limits within the world he is in.

Understanding the Rules of This World

It wasn’t that his skills were weak.

It was that this world itself hadrules.

If he wrote a skill thatincreased his strength, it would only make him as strong as someone at his current energy levelcould naturally become.

If he wrote a skill thatboosted his speed, he wouldn’t suddenly become faster than a high-ranking warrior—

He would only move as fast as someone in his realm was capable of.

This realization wasboth frustrating and enlightening.

It meant thatno matter how many skills he wrote, he couldn’t cheat the system of this world.

He still had totrain.

He still had toprogress through the realms.

His skills could give him anedge—

But they couldn’t let himskip the fundamentals of strength and energy growth.

Adapting to His Limitations

Instead of seeing this as asetback, Echo saw it as achallenge.

If his skills had limits, then he would learn topush those limitsin other ways.

He started focusing onperfecting his energy control, making sure he could use hisfull strength efficiently.

He practicedcombat techniques, refining his movement and reaction speed.

And he beganexperimenting with skill combinations, finding creative ways to maximize his abilities.

A Journey Just Beginning

Ateight years old, he hada long way to go.

He wasn’t a genius who broke all records.

He wasn’t an underdog who had to struggle desperately.

He wassimply Echo—

A boy with an ability unlike anyone else, determined to use it to its fullest potential.

With that mindset, hecontinued forward.

---

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

Hundreds of students filled the stands surrounding the arena, their voices merging into a chaotic roar of anticipation.

The academy duels were always a grand event, but today’s match wassomething special.

The combatants were not just any students—

They were amongthe strongest in Trolys Academy.

On one side stoodSimla, a prodigy in mana control.

He was aThird Realm fighter, standing at the peak of theUnified Energy Realm.

His shortred hairgleamed under the midday sun, and hisblack robeflowed lightly with the wind.

His opponents never took him lightly.

After all, Simla’smana controlwas nearly unmatched.

He could shapepure energy into attacks, formshields, and enhance his movements in ways that others could only dream of.

Facing him wasTilas, an equally formidable opponent.

Unlike Simla, Tilas did not rely onmana—

His energy was pure strength.

Tilas wasslim but muscular, hisdark brown hands contrasting with his pale white body.

Hisblack hairhung loosely over his forehead, and hisblack gloveshid the thick calluses formed from years of intense physical training.

His fighting style was brutal.

Speed. Power. Precision.

That was all he needed.

The referee raised his hand, silencing the crowd.

"Begin!"

The moment the words left his mouth,Tilas exploded forward.

His speed was shocking.

One second he was standing still—

The next, he was already in front of Simla, his fistwhistling through the air like a cannonball.

Simla barely had time to react.

With an instinctive wave of his hand,a barrier of mana formed in front of him.

BOOM!

Tilas’s punchcollided with the barrier, sending a shockwave through the arena.

Cracks formed in the magical shield—

But before it could shatter, Simlaleapt backward, putting distance between them.

"Fast," Simla muttered.

Hethrust out his palm, and a massivewave of mana surged forward, aiming to engulf Tilas.

But Tilas was alreadyon the move.

With a swift sidestep, hedodgedthe attack and charged again.

This time, he didn’t aim for a simple punch.

He twisted his body mid-sprint, channeling all his energy into a devastatingspinning kickaimed at Simla’s ribs.

Simla had no time for a shield.

Instead, he did something unexpected—

He absorbed the impact.

Using a technique only top-tier mana users could perform, he redirected Tilas’s momentum, softening the blow.

Even so—

The force wasimmense.

Simla was sentskidding backward, his bootstearing through the stone tilesof the arena.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

The fight had barely begun, yet both combatants hadalready displayed their incredible abilities.

Simla steadied his stance, wiping a small trickle of blood from his lip.

"You hit hard," he admitted.

Tilas smirked. "And you block well."

They locked eyes.

Both knew—

This fight was far from over.

Simla’s Mana Mastery

Simla took a deep breath, raising his hands.

The air around himbegan to ripple.

Managathered at his fingertips, twisting into a glowingblue sphere of energy.

Tilas narrowed his eyes.

He had seen this technique before.

Simla’sMana Burstwas a dangerous skill—

A blast of condensed energy that couldknock an opponent out instantlyif they were hit directly.

But Tilas was prepared.

Before Simla could launch the attack—

Tilasvanished.

A sudden burst of speed propelled him forward, closing the distance in an instant.

Simla released theMana Burst, but Tilastwisted his bodymid-dash, dodging by a hair’s breadth.

Then—

With all his power, Tilasdrove his fist forward, aiming for Simla’s chest.

A Split-Second Decision

Time seemed to slow.

Simla knew that if he took this hit, he wouldlose.

But at the same time—

If Tilas got too close, he wouldn’t be able to dodge his next attack.

So Simla did somethingbold.

He didn’tdodge.

He didn’tblock.

Instead—

He let the punch hit himon purpose.

BOOM!

The impact wasearth-shattering.

Simla was sentflying, crashing into the far side of the arena.

But in that instant—

He had already beguncasting his counterattack.

While mid-air, hemanipulated his mana—

Andfired a compressed energy wave straight at Tilas.

Tilas barely had time to react.

By the time he realized what had happened—

The attack had already struck him.

Silence filled the arena.

Both fighters weredown.

Simla lay on his back, his breathing heavy.

Tilas was on one knee, trying to push himself up.

A moment later—

The referee raised his hand.

"DRAW!"

The crowd erupted.

It had beenone of the most intense matches in academy history.

Neither fighter had won—

But neither had lost, either.

And in the end, both hadgained something valuable from the fight.

---

The crowd was still buzzing with excitement after the intense match between Simla and Tilas.

However, among the sea of students in the stands, one figure remained unimpressed.

Echo sat with his arms crossed, his expression blank as he watched the fighters being carried off the stage.

"This isn’t entertaining at all; it’s just a high-level children’s fight."

His voice was calm but filled with disappointment.

To the average student, the battle had beenlegendary—a display of skill, power, and talent.

But to Echo... it wasnothing special.

He leaned back against the stone bench, staring up at the sky for a moment.

It had beenfour yearssince he entered Trolys Academy.

And in those four years, he had beensteadily improving, refining his abilities, and uncoveringthe true potentialof his unique gift.

"I’m eleven now, and I’m in the Second Realm..." Echo muttered to himself.

TheRealm of Initial Energy—a stage where one’s body and energy aligned, allowing for better control and efficiency.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com