I Cultivate 10,000 Times Faster-Chapter 145: [143] Abyssal World!

"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."

"My favoritism?" Scarlet's eyes flashed dangerously, and her miniature dragon familiar—which had been coiled quietly beneath her—suddenly raised its head and released a threatening growl that made even the elder council members shift uncomfortably. "I just crippled the boy with a single strike to teach him respect. If that's favoritism, Third Elder, perhaps you'd like me to demonstrate true prejudice?"

Silence.

Nobody wanted to test Scarlet when her temper flared. The woman might appear as a child, but her cultivation was at the absolute peak of what this realm could contain without ascending to higher planes of existence.

The First Elder diplomatically changed the subject. "The matter is settled. Young Levi will spend six months in the Hellfrozen Abyss. If he survives, we will reassess his standing in the academy. If he dies…" The ancient cultivator's expression softened slightly. "Then at least he'll die as a student who faced his punishment with courage rather than a fugitive hunted by the academy's enforcers."

One by one, the elder projections began to fade, returning their consciousness to their physical bodies atop their respective mountains. Within moments, the vast chamber was empty save for Scarlet, who remained floating in the center, her eyes fixed on the spot where Levi had stood.

"Interesting boy," she murmured to herself. Her dragon familiar chirped questioningly, and she reached down to scratch behind its crystalline horns. "He activated his bloodline instinctively to block my mind-reading, even while injured and exhausted. That suggests his body moves to protect him even when his conscious mind isn't directing it."

She smiled—a expression that would have terrified any student who saw it. "Six months in the Abyss. Most die within one month. Peak talents sometimes last three months before succumbing to starvation, injury, or the other prisoners. But this boy…"

Her smile widened. "This boy might just surprise everyone."

With a flash of displaced air, Scarlet vanished, leaving the chamber truly empty.

⸻

Levi was dragged through Chaotic Star Academy's corridors by the two Fiend Warrior guards, his feet barely touching the ground as they maintained a grip that allowed no resistance. Students scattered as they passed, their eyes widening with shock and curiosity.

"Is that the first-year who killed two students?"

"I heard he's being sent to the Abyss!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"The Hellfrozen Abyss? For six months? He's dead for sure."

"What did he do to deserve 'that' punishment?"

The whispers followed them like a plague, but Levi kept his expression neutral. He wouldn't give these spectators the satisfaction of seeing fear or regret on his face.

The guards led him to a section of the academy he'd never seen before—the Disciplinary Enforcement Wing. Unlike the beautiful gardens and elegant architecture of the main campus, this area was stark and utilitarian. Gray stone walls. Minimal decoration. The only embellishments were formation arrays that pulsed with power designed to suppress cultivation and prevent escape.

They descended a long staircase that spiraled downward into the earth. Down, down, down they went, passing level after level of what Levi assumed were normal prison cells for students who'd committed minor infractions.

But they didn't stop at those levels. They kept descending.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of stairs, they reached a massive door constructed from some kind of black metal that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Runic inscriptions covered every surface, their meanings beyond Levi's current understanding but clearly representing incredibly powerful sealing formations.

One of the guards—a stern-faced woman with a scar across her left cheek—finally spoke. "Student Levi Borne, you have been sentenced to six months confinement in the Hellfrozen Abyss as punishment for killing two fellow students. Do you understand the terms of your sentence?"

"I understand," Levi replied evenly.

"Then know this," the second guard added, his voice like grinding stone. "The Abyss is a contained dimensional fragment connected to our world through this gateway. Within it, you will find yourself unable to use Astra energy or activate your talents. Only your physical body will function normally."

"You will be fed once per month," the female guard continued. "The food will be delivered through a spatial portal at a randomized location within the Abyss. If you're not there when it appears, you miss that month's meal."

"The Abyss contains other prisoners," the male guard said grimly. "Some are academy students who committed grave crimes. Others are captured criminals from the outside world. Still others are dimensional beasts that proved too dangerous to kill but too valuable to completely destroy. All of them will be stronger than you physically, and none of them will hesitate to kill you for food, territory, or simple entertainment."

"If you die," the female guard concluded, "your body will be retrieved and returned to your family with academy honors as befits a student who faced judgment. If you survive the full six months, you will be released and permitted to resume your academy studies. Do you have any questions?"

Levi had many questions, but he could see from their expressions that further delay was pointless. "No questions."

"Then step through the gate."

The guards made complex hand seals in perfect synchronization, and the runic inscriptions on the black door blazed with crimson light. The door didn't open—instead, its center transformed into a swirling vortex of darkness that seemed to lead into absolute void.

Levi took a deep breath, reached into his pocket to give Luna and Aurelia gentle scratches—they squeaked worriedly, sensing the danger ahead—then straightened his shoulders and walked toward the portal.

Just before he entered, the male guard spoke one last time. "For what it's worth, kid… good luck. You'll need it."

Levi nodded once, then stepped into the darkness.

The sensation was unlike any dimensional portal he'd experienced before. Instead of the usual squeezing and stretching, this felt like falling through infinite space while simultaneously being compressed into a single point. His senses screamed contradictory information—up was down, hot was cold, sound became taste and sight became touch.

Then, abruptly, it ended.