First Order

Biodata

Definition

First Order is attained when an individual's Fate Card completes its initial transformation from an unranked state through the condensation of Aspect Power. Solin, for example, advanced from zero to First Order · Blood Law after completing his Breathing Technique and Power Burst abilities. 52

It is not merely the possession of an Aspect-related ability. Even a basic Nature-Phase ability can raise a person far above ordinary combat capability, but becoming a true First Order transcendent requires a further completed transformation. 4

First and Second Order are generally considered the apprentice stage. Third Order is the watershed at which a person becomes a formal professional with an individualized core ability. 579

The First and Second Orders are devoted to filling gaps in innate abilities and solidifying one's destiny. They precede the major mutation at Third Order, when accumulated abilities, Aspect Power, knowledge, and secret arts are used to open a new core card slot. 177

The designation also applies to plants, medicines, materials, and crafted objects containing or utilizing ranked Aspect Power, rather than exclusively to human practitioners or beasts. 90 98 110 120 144

Power Progression

Paths to Attainment

The Blood Law path does not require the same combination of abilities for every practitioner. Unlike Solin's two-ability breakthrough, Mick and Ray each advanced with Breathing Technique Lv.3 as their only listed ability card. 52 53

Access to appropriate knowledge and resources can influence the choice of Aspect. Sylutia initially set Radiant Moon aside because she lacked its required secret arts knowledge, while Iona's Blazing Sun cultivation depended on rare resources beyond the expectations of ordinary students. 24 53

Rank Characteristics

• First Order transcendents possess condensed Aspect Power, but their combat ability can vary enormously depending on physique, bloodline, abilities, equipment, and training. 116 118
• A powerful First Order Lizardman could defeat five or six ordinary First Order freshmen due to its innate body and bloodline advantages. 116
• First Order abilities may grant substantial physical enhancements. A Blood Law user can gain increased strength, speed, vitality, or reaction time through techniques such as Breathing Technique and Blood Muscle. 9
• First Order beasts have crossed beyond ordinary animals. A mutated Forest Wolf with the Crimson-Dyed Wolf Fate Card becomes a Fang Beast after completing its Blazing Sun transformation. 2
• Rank alone does not guarantee victory. Knowledge, technique, external tools, and synergistic abilities can allow a lower-order genius to contend with stronger opponents. 207
• With an ordinary adult's mental power treated as approximately 1, a typical First Order transcendent has roughly 2–5, while a practitioner of the Moon-Attribute Three Aspects has roughly 3–9. These are general ranges rather than fixed values for every individual. 180
• First Order Fate Cards can provide different bodily adaptations even within the same Aspect: Solin's emphasizes agility and reactions, Mick's emphasizes strength, and Ray's emphasizes robustness. 52 53
• First Order Mist Shadow scouts are capable of concealment and rapid movement that ordinary soldiers cannot reliably match. Countermeasures include opposing scouts, reconnaissance specialists, and Wizards with mental-sensing abilities. 241

Ability and Equipment Limitations

• Ability-slot planning matters before Third Order. Learning unrelated abilities can obstruct the combinations and fusions required for a future profession, such as the Iron Knight. 126
• Most gardeners cannot master the Blossom Method until Second Order. Fewer than one in ten can learn it at First Order, and doing so requires considerable time. 120
• Knowledge and synergistic techniques can overcome ordinary same-order limits. Sylutia combined Dew Prayer Technique, Branch Combing Technique, Natural Perception, and Emerald Pupil Potion to cultivate multiple First Order plants while still First Order herself. 207
• First and Second Order Mages are comparatively weak within the Mage system, generally restricted to one or two limited spells. Spell Pages and Spell Furnaces expand their options at Third and Fourth Order, while Fifth Order mastery removes those earlier casting constraints. 641
• First Order equipment can provide meaningful protection without making its wearer invulnerable. The Woodland Association's Dark Brown Light Armor, made from First Order beast leather, is described as capable of effectively resisting First Order attacks. 144 145

Temporary Rank Enhancement

A sufficiently developed Castle ability can temporarily raise First Order soldiers beyond their normal rank. The Lone Iron Knight's Soldier Buff Lv.5 can enhance twelve nearby First Order soldiers into Second Order Halberd Guards or Light Cavalry Attendants. This is a temporary battlefield enhancement rather than a documented permanent advancement of their individual Fate Cards. 224

Documented First Order Fate Cards

Other Documented Practitioners

First Order Resources and Creations

Ordinary First Order Aspect Power products are described as generally costing approximately one to three gold coins. This benchmark made the ten-gold-coin asking price for the advertised Eyeball Fruit conspicuously expensive. 121

Advancement Beyond First Order

Third Order advancement cannot be achieved through simple accumulation alone; it requires an original core ability and a breakthrough in knowledge, concepts, and experience. 233

Established professions nevertheless provide structured routes toward that individualized result. Prospective Iron Knights, for example, prepare Iron Armor Protection and Breathing Technique for fusion into Steel Body, upgrade Steel Edge Blade into Blade of Sharpness, and combine Synchronization Technique with Rapid Charge to form Horse and Rider as One. A subsequent trial integrates these abilities into the completed profession. 126

Later instruction distinguishes the established advancement processes available through First to Third Order from the deeper personal understanding required for the Fourth-to-Fifth Order transition. Early cultivation therefore benefits greatly from inherited secret arts and verified methods, even though the Third Order core remains a manifestation of acquired experience. 177 523

Institutional Status

• At the Golden Radiance Plain, First Order students are not permitted to change their assigned outpost; this becomes possible after reaching Second Order. 123
• The Woodland Association's First Order student supply standard includes quarterly food, a choice of Blood Wine or Meditation Incense, and a Blood Healing Potion, plus annual crafting material and two sets of clothing or armor. 144
• A normal First Order student serving as Patrol Cavalry earns approximately ten gold coins annually, an amount usually insufficient to cover advancement and study costs without additional work. 132
• First Order hunters in Valley City may earn roughly fifty silver coins per month on average, while skilled adventurers may earn more at greater risk. 241
• The restriction on changing outposts applies to Woodland Association First Order students generally; after reaching Second Order, students may spend points to transfer. 123
• Bede emphasizes that First Order students receive limited supplies and low task rewards, while many abilities remain difficult to cultivate. Advancing brings benefits exceeding three times the First Order level, although assignments also become more demanding. 126
• The Four Seasons Alliance permits Second Order students to become provisional members, while formal membership generally requires Third Order. First Order is therefore below the stated threshold for these recruitment benefits. 143

Assessments and Local Recognition

• Killing a First Order monster was discussed as the likely second objective of the entrance assessment undertaken by Scholar Heide's students. Unlike the first objective, which a well-prepared ordinary person could complete, this represented a genuine test of talent and strength. 91 98
• Eight students in the Scorched Stone City assessment cohort had reached First Order. Local authorities regarded them as elite students and potential future pillars of the city. 98
• Viscount Xuefeng celebrated the students' successive First Order breakthroughs by inviting them to a castle banquet and providing each with a set of winter clothes. 59
• A Valley City recruitment notice offered First Order or higher hunters fifty silver coins per month, compared with approximately five silver coins per month for ordinary workers. 241

---