The success of the Azurewood Forest mission strengthened the bonds among the Special Students.
Although they had only recently begun working together, shared experience in the field created a level of trust that formal introductions could not.
For the next several weeks, Senior Instructor Arvind organized regular joint training sessions.
These sessions were designed to sharpen teamwork, expose weaknesses, and prepare the students for more dangerous expeditions.
For Krishak, they also provided an opportunity to observe the strengths and limitations of some of the academy's most talented young cultivators.
Before the first session, Krishak reviewed each teammate carefully.
Dev Khurana
Disciplined and courageous, but occasionally too direct in his approach.
Ananya Mehta
Excellent healer with strong situational awareness, though lacking confidence in offensive techniques.
Ishita Roy
Highly intelligent and creative, but physically fragile and prone to overthinking.
Raghav Sethi
Skilled summoner with good battlefield instincts, though his coordination with Skyrend still had room to improve.
Each possessed significant potential.
With proper guidance, all four could become exceptional.
Arvind activated the advanced arena and selected a scenario involving a ruined village under attack by multiple beast types.
The objective was to protect several simulated civilians while eliminating threats.
The first attempt exposed several weaknesses.
Dev pushed too far ahead.
Ananya divided her attention.
Raghav focused excessively on aerial support.
Ishita hesitated when forced to improvise.
Krishak and Lunafang adapted quickly, but even they could not fully compensate for the team's inefficiencies.
The simulation ended with partial failure.
After the exercise, Arvind invited the students to evaluate themselves.
Krishak spoke only after the others finished.
"Our individual abilities are strong," he said.
"But our decision-making is sequential rather than integrated."
The others listened closely.
He continued.
"Dev commits before battlefield conditions are fully shaped."
"Ishita waits too long for perfect solutions."
"Raghav and Skyrend need tighter synchronization."
"Ananya underestimates her ability to influence the fight."
His tone was calm and factual.
No one felt criticized.
Only informed.
During the second simulation, the team adjusted accordingly.
Ishita pre-positioned control arrays.
Dev held his charge until enemy movement was restricted.
Raghav coordinated attack timings with Skyrend more effectively.
Ananya used water techniques to disrupt opponents while maintaining healing support.
The difference was dramatic.
The team completed the scenario with no civilian losses.
Arvind nodded in approval.
"Excellent improvement."
Over the following sessions, Krishak's role as an informal strategist became increasingly clear.
Despite being the youngest member, his battlefield judgment was consistently the most reliable.
Dev approached him after one training exercise.
"You analyze combat like a veteran.'
Krishak replied with a small smile.
"I've spent a lot of time thinking about fundamentals."
Dev laughed.
"That's an understatement."
Krishak also benefited from the training.
Ishita shared several advanced concepts related to formations.
Ananya explained specialized healing techniques.
Raghav discussed the practical challenges of summoner contracts.
Dev demonstrated spear principles emphasizing range control and momentum.
Krishak absorbed every useful detail.
Knowledge, no matter how basic, could often be refined into something greater.
Even though, he was a celestial being, he didn't have knowledge of all the worlds in a universe.
As most of the world do not have similar cultivation systems. Let alone a world which just had a cultivation system established in merely about centuries ago.
Lunafang and Raghav's wind hawk, Skyrend, gradually developed a friendly rivalry.
Their practice bouts were fast-paced and highly competitive.
Skyrend relied on aerial mobility.
Lunafang used concealment and explosive speed.
The contests pushed both spirit beasts to improve.
Though neither understood human words fully, each clearly recognized the other as a worthy counterpart.
After one particularly successful training session, Arvind spoke privately with Headmaster Rudra.
"The team responds naturally to Krishak' s guidance."
Rudra nodded.
"Leadership often reveals itself without formal appointment."
Arvind hesitated.
"At times, he seems far older than his years."
The Headmaster smiled faintly.
"So I have noticed."
As the weeks passed, the Special Students became an increasingly cohesive unit.
Their coordination sharpened.
Their trust deepened.
And their confidence grew.
Krishak was pleased.
Strong allies would be valuable in the years ahead.
The Starlit Ruins expedition drew closer with each passing day.
And when they entered that ancient site, the difference between a collection of talented individuals and a true team might determine who returned safely.