Master Earth's booming declaration had settled like thunder across the training ground. " Reach me. Touch my shoulder. 3 hour."
And then, without flair or spectacle, he lay down flat in the center of the field, arms crossed over his chest, as if daring them to try.
The Initiates knew what this meant. Most of them had done this before. And yet, a visible ripple of excitement passed through the crowd.
A few moments of silence passed before Master Earth's calm voice followed, "Someone Explain it to new student ."
Rudra blinked. Harry leaned toward him, already half-grinning. I'll explain."
Harry's tone dropped to a whisper as he gestured toward the circular field.
"This is Master Earth's gravity domain. It's split into five zones—each ten meters wide, centered around him."
Rudra watched the invisible lines marked faintly by the dust.
Harry continued. "Zone One is the outermost. Gravity there is doubled. Manageable. Then it starts compounding. Zone Two? Four times. Zone Three? Eight. Zone Four? Sixteen."
"And the last?" Rudra asked, already doing the math.
Harry whistled low. "Zone Five is thirty-two times normal gravity. It'll crush you flat if you're not ready."
Rudra nodded slowly. The numbers were staggering. "Has anyone reached the last zone?"
Harry shook his head. "Not this term. A few have barely stepped into Zone Four. Most don't even try. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes. But…" he added with a grin, "it's also the best training there is."
"How so?"
"Under that much pressure, your body's forced to adapt. Muscles strain. Bones reinforce Body gets refined. But more importantly—your Prāṇa doesn't just flow. It gets refined. Forced into tighter, cleaner currents. Body and energy both get tougher. That's why everyone looks forward to this lecture especially level 3 initiates this is extremely beneficial for them who are about go through there first transformation. And this lecture only happens once every fifteen days."
Rudra's eyes remained fixed on the domain. His awe was quiet but real. The sense of oppressive weight radiating outward from the field was like standing at the edge of a storm.
To casually maintain a domain like this… What level is Master Earth even at? It wasn't just raw strength—it was control. Precision. He had never seen anything like it in his life.
He swallowed his rising anticipation. This was what strength looked like. This was what he had to surpass.
The first person to step into the domain was Vaishnav.
He didn't hesitate. His steps were calm, focused. The moment he entered Zone One, the pressure pressed down on him. Rudra could see his knees bend slightly, his steps slowing just enough to show the weight.
But it wasn't a challenge for him. He paused, adjusted his breathing, let his body adapt—and continued.
Zone One was just the beginning.
As Vaishnav crossed deeper, more Initiates began to move. They all took their time, pacing themselves, testing the pressure with each step. No one wanted to burn out early—not in front of the whole class, and certainly not before Master Earth.
Vaishnav reached Zone Two after a few minutes. The shift in gravity was clear—he began to sweat lightly, movements becoming more deliberate. He spent longer there, clearly trying to conserve energy before attempting anything further.
Some students were cautious, still standing at the edge. Others had begun to crawl forward, already panting under the weight. More than one student was already trembling in Zone One, cheeks red from strain.
Harry and Rudra hadn't moved yet.
Rudra stood still, observing every movement with a quiet intensity. His arms were folded, his eyes flicking from one Initiate to the next.
"You can go ahead," he told Harry. "I want to watch a little more."
Harry gave a small smile. "No rush. Domain's not going anywhere."
That's when Rudra noticed someone else.
A boy stood at the edge of the field—eyes closed, arms folded. His breathing was so slow he could've been asleep.
He hadn't moved at all.
"Who's that?" Rudra asked.
Harry followed his gaze. His tone dropped immediately. "Ronald Clain. From House Clain. Big noble family. Strongest Initiate in Gamma. Stay out of his way if you can."
"Why?"
Harry's voice was quiet. "He's arrogant. And narrow-minded. Doesn't take well to being shown up."
Rudra simply nodded, storing the information away.
As if on cue, Ronald opened his eyes. His gaze was distant but sharp. He stepped forward—not fast, not slow. Calm. Measured.
And then he entered the domain.
Unlike most, Ronald didn't pause in Zone One. He simply adjusted his posture and continued. A minute later, he passed through Zone Two as well. By the time Vaishnav was still adjusting in the second zone, Ronald had surpassed him, striding into Zone Three with a composed calm that rattled more than a few spectators.
Even Rudra could see it.
Ronald's body didn't resist the weight—it flowed with it. His Prāṇa wasn't flaring wildly; it was contained, tightly wrapped within him. Silent, but potent.
Vaishnav noticed too. His eyes flicked sideways as Ronald passed. His jaw clenched. Sweat rolled down his temple.
With a visible shift, Vaishnav surged his Prāṇa. His aura flared—not wildly, but with renewed effort. He was clearly not going to let Ronald show him up so easily.
More and more students had now entered Zone One. The field looked like a battle of endurance. Some were crawling. Others had already collapsed.
Master Earth remained motionless, eyes closed, his presence filling every inch of space.
"Alright," Harry said, stretching. "Time to get crushed. Let's go."
Rudra nodded.
He stepped forward.
The moment he crossed into Zone One, he felt it.
Weight.
Not just physical. Something deeper. As if the very air wanted to pin him to the ground. The sensation wasn't foreign—but here, it was focused. Layered. Engineered.
He took another step.
His spine straightened, body shifting naturally to compensate. Prāṇa stirred within him like a coiled river waking from slumber. He suppressed his prana because he wanted first train his body and he wanted to see how far can he reach by solely relying on his body.
Rudra Spends few minutes adjusting to increased gravity it did not much of a affect on him because of his strong body so he stars moving forward.
Zone One didn't slow him down.
Not even slightly.
He let his arms hang loose and moved without urgency. His eyes didn't scan the field anymore. He'd seen what he needed to. Ronald had made his statement. Vaishnav was grinding with stubborn force. The rest were battling themselves.
Now it was his turn.
He reached the ten-meter line—the border of Zone Two. The pressure thickened instantly. It pressed into his lungs, clawed at his bones.
He smiled faintly.
Let's see how far I can go.