After an unknown amount of time, Lu Ping slowly opened his eyes.
The afternoon sunlight was still warm, and the rustling of leaves was still pleasant to the ear.
On the surface, he was still the same Jujutsu High student standing dazedly in the clearing, with no outward abnormalities whatsoever.
But if Satoru Gojo, who possessed the Six Eyes, had been present at that moment, he would have been horrified to discover that the shadow beneath the young man's feet, once merely a physical optical phenomenon, was now radiating an abyssal aura capable of swallowing even light itself.
It was Lu Ping's Domain Embryo.
A pitch-black kingdom vast enough to contain an army of thousands.
The young man calmly lowered his head and glanced at the darkness by his feet, so thick it seemed impossible to disperse.
There was no wild joy, nor was there any excitement.
Only a calmness that felt entirely natural.
He raised his wrist and checked the time ticking across the screen.
17:45.
There were only fifteen minutes left until the dinner meeting at the school gate that he had arranged with Suguru Geto and the others.
"Time to eat."
Lu Ping quietly muttered to himself.
He slipped his hands back into the pockets of his casual pants and started walking toward Jujutsu High's main gate at an unhurried pace.
The breeze lifted the loose strands of hair over his forehead, and the young man's back looked relaxed and composed.
As he left, the shadows cast by the forest behind him resumed their gentle swaying.
Jujutsu High's vermilion torii gate cast a long shadow beneath the lingering evening light, disappearing into the lush greenery lining both sides of the stone steps.
With both hands in his pockets, Lu Ping steadily descended the stone steps.
The leap