The black mist dissipated, and a black altar suddenly appeared on this pale land.

It was only five meters in diameter and two meters high, making it the second structure with intense color in this colorless dreamscape.

Rode stared at it, dumbfounded.

The surface of the black altar had no decorative patterns, and its design was very simple.

But in the center of the altar, there was a giant open hand, with a massive eye made of black blood in its palm.

It was exactly the same as the one he had seen before.

Rode looked at the back of his hand again, which was now smooth and unmarked.

So, this eye pattern was meant to summon this altar in the dreamscape?

Rode had a foreboding feeling.

He climbed onto the altar and carefully observed the hand. It seemed to be made of some kind of stone, not living flesh.

This relieved him, and he cautiously extended his hand to gently touch the palm.

Suddenly, a stream of information flooded into his mind.

[Eye of the Spirit]

Pierce through illusions, penetrate the mist, illuminate the soul, discern the essence, observe the peculiarities of all spirits, and understand the flow of the source.

Focus your attention between your eyes, awaken your spiritual energy, and lightly tap your brow to activate the [Eye of the Spirit].

Note, do not directly observe entities with a spiritual energy potential vastly different from your own.

---

The text was in a universal language, accompanied by a voice in his own tone, as if he were speaking to himself.

This successfully bypassed Rode's area of low ability.

The content was rich, not just about the Eye of the Spirit; all related information was included.

Rode read it with great interest, never having found reading a manual so enjoyable.

"Why isn't the obelisk like this?"

Rode was quite dissatisfied. If it weren't for all those cryptic symbols, he wouldn't have had such a hard time.

After careful study, Rode discovered that the activation method for the [Eye of the Spirit] was very simple; the only issue was how to awaken spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy is the power of the soul, the source of all abilities and characteristics.

Training, enhancing, and using spiritual energy are the most important subjects for the Firebearers.

Rode hadn't yet learned the relevant content, but it was in the voice instructions.

Following the method in the voice, after several hours of repeated attempts, Rode finally awakened his spiritual energy.

It was a wisp of mist emitting a faint glow, flickering at his fingertips, with a mysterious connection to his spirit.

"Amazing."

Rode controlled the spiritual energy to flow at his fingertips, feeling this wondrous power.

It was like a ghost, able to appear anywhere in his body at will, but if it left his body, it would quickly dissipate, and its connection to his spirit would break.

After becoming fully familiar with using spiritual energy, Rode focused his attention between his eyes, controlling the spiritual energy to flicker at his brow.

His eyes heated up, and the [Eye of the Spirit] was activated.

His vision became exceptionally clear, but the surrounding scenery didn't change much.

The spiritual energy at his brow was rapidly consumed, and Rode had to continue replenishing it, but the continuous use of spiritual energy made his mind weary.

As soon as his attention wavered, the [Eye of the Spirit] closed on its own.

"Still not very skilled."

Rode thought, but felt it didn't seem to have a particularly significant use.

He didn't try again but instead fell into deep thought.

The appearance of the altar had given him an ability and a piece of information.

Mastering the ability proved that he was the Lord of the Dreamscape, and all changes in the dreamscape were related to him.

If the existence of the eye was to summon the altar, then his suspicion as the ultimate beneficiary was off the charts.

No, that's not right.

Rode rejected this hypothesis.

Despite all the evidence pointing to him, he still believed he was a good person.

Whether others believed it or not, Rode believed it.

"I will definitely clear my name and find the real culprit."

"Perhaps the text on the obelisk holds some clues; I'll go to the library and check it as soon as I wake up."

But how to wake up from the dreamscape?

Rode recalled his last experience; it seemed like something had grabbed his body, and he felt a strong sense of falling, then he woke up from the dreamscape.

He tried to simulate this feeling in his imagination but failed.

He also tried falling or lying on the ground, but that didn't work either.

After pondering for a long time, Rode thought of the lightning-shaped symbol, which had appeared both before and after his crossing.

Maybe it was worth a try.

Rode crossed his thumbs, pointing his left index finger up and his right index finger down, curling the other three fingers, and rotated them 180 degrees to form an interlocking lightning bolt.

His mind went blank for a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in his dormitory.

What met his eyes was a pale yellow ceiling, painted with a lifelike flame, its warm orange glow flowing through the air, as if it were truly burning.

And he was lying on his bed, hands still forming the symbol.

Loud banging echoed in his ears.

A female voice shouted.

"Open the door, open the door! Are you going to be late on your first day of class?"

For a moment, Rode felt a strange sense of nostalgia, as if he were back in his student days, being urged by a kind, memorable, yet at the time, very annoying class monitor.

But he quickly dispelled this illusion, and his resilient spirit returned to his soul.

I can survive this.

"Coming."

Rode replied, jumped out of bed, and opened the door that had been pounded so loudly, surprised to find a large group of people standing outside.

They were all wearing light blue school robes, holding several thick books.

And the one pounding on the door was the blonde girl, Kassan.

She too had changed into a school robe, her blonde hair tied up, with two strands gently swaying by her cheeks, making her look radiant and charming, yet with a touch of noble elegance.

But at this moment, she seemed very angry, her light blue eyes wide open, her willow-like eyebrows almost standing up.

"Rode! You have the guts to sleep but not to open the door for me? I almost broke the door down!"

Rode scratched the back of his head. "Why you?"

"Why not me?" Kassan retorted, with the air of a class monitor.

Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread.com ].

Wayne poked his head out from behind her, looking slightly annoyed. "She's our group leader. We're all students of the tenth group of the third academy's tenth department. You were sleeping so soundly during the grouping that I didn't wake you up, and we went ahead."

Kassan said sternly, "Today's main class is very important; it's Karaman's 'Extraordinary Souls.' We're starting to learn about spiritual energy, and being late is absolutely not allowed. Do you want us to lose points?"

A petite girl behind her said weakly, "Leader, we should get going; it's getting late..."

Kassan glared at Rode. "Take 'Extraordinary Souls' and 'Basic Combat Theory' and let's go!"

"These two! Are you illiterate? Can't you read?"

Rode didn't argue with her and quickly grabbed the two books she pointed out, joining the group.

The group, led by Kassan, quickly headed out.

She lectured as they walked.

"You all know, as Firebearers of the Star Fire sequence, we should be working even harder. Rode, your first spark isn't great, so you should work twice as hard to ignite another spark by the end of the term. Only then will you have a chance to join the Knights after graduation."

Her attitude was somewhat aggressive, different from yesterday.

But Rode didn't mind, as he was preoccupied with thoughts about the library.

Wayne muttered, "Isn't joining the Knights your dream? Rode lost his memory..."

"Shut up!" Kassan scolded. "Just because he lost his memory doesn't mean he can't have dreams. Your first spark isn't great either; the Guardian Crystal's use is very limited. If you don't ignite a second spark, you won't get high marks in combat class!"

Wayne's face turned red. "I don't need high marks; passing is enough."

Kassan said coldly, "That kind of thinking is a cancer to humanity..."

Wayne retorted fiercely, "What do you mean by cancer? I know my limits; doing what I can is the greatest contribution!"

All the way, the two argued back and forth, while the other twenty or so people said nothing, silently following behind them.

They exited the dormitory building, walked through a tree-lined path, and the view opened up. Countless students in light blue school robes hurried along the cobblestone path, while the distant lake reflected sparkling light under the continuous glow of lights. The teaching area, composed of numerous turrets, towers, and castles, stood at the center of the entire campus, with windows gleaming in the Radiance, making even the oppressive black mist above seem less daunting.

Kassan and Wayne stopped arguing, immersed in the vibrant scene.

At this moment, a booming voice echoed above the academy.

"Good morning, students of Kimberly. Today is the twenty-sixth, and the time is two bells and a quarter in the morning. I am the broadcaster, Kazan."

"I'm delighted to share some good news with you. The Star Observatory just informed me that the fourth Tuesday of Mist Month, the first Moon Day, has arrived at our side! Students, seize this great opportunity, hurry to class, study diligently, and let the Sacred Fire of the royal city burn with your youth!"

"There's only a quarter of an hour until class starts, so don't be late."

With the broadcast tower's announcement, they merged into the crowd, becoming one of the thousands of Firebearer students, heading towards the future they desired.