The night air of the Jia Nan Academy was vastly different from the stifling, blood-scented winds of the Black-Corner Region just beyond its walls. Here, the atmosphere was saturated with a pure, heavy worldly energy that made the very flora glow with a faint, bioluminescent light.
Yoriichi and Xiao Yu strolled slowly along a winding cobblestone path that meandered through a lush, communal garden. The gentle babbling of a nearby stream and the soft chirping of spiritual insects provided a peaceful, melodic backdrop to their quiet conversation.
For the first few minutes, they simply chatted heartily about the exhausting two weeks of journey and the sheer, overwhelming scale of the Outer Academy.
"See how different the energy feels here. I really had missed this. It's like breathing pure liquid, right?," Xiao Yu remarked, stretching her long, slender legs as she walked, a relaxed smile on her face. "Anyway, where did they end up putting you? Which male dormitory block were you assigned to?"
Yoriichi kept his gaze forward, his hands resting comfortably within the wide sleeves of his dark robes.
"Courtyard 404, Sector C," he replied simply.
Xiao Yu's footsteps abruptly stopped. The crunch of gravel ceased.
Yoriichi paused, turning back to look at his sister. Her eyes were wide, blinking rapidly as if she hadn't quite processed the words.
"Wait..." Xiao Yu said, her voice rising an octave in sheer disbelief. "Did you say... Courtyard?"
"Yes," Yoriichi confirmed, his expression mild. "A self-contained estate with a small rock garden, a central cherry blossom tree, and a dedicated meditation room. It was quite majestic, I must admit. A highly conducive environment for absolute focus."
Xiao Yu's jaw practically unhinged. She stared at her brother as if he had just casually announced he owned the moon.
"But... but that is impossible!" Xiao Yu sputtered, her hands flying to her hips. "Didn't Elder Su and Teacher Ruo Lin officially assign you a 'C' Rank? Xiao Ning, only the absolute top-tier 'A' Rank monsters and the 'S' Rank anomalies are given independent courtyards! Everyone else is stuffed into shared multi-level dormitory blocks with four to a room! A private courtyard here is grander and vastly more expensive to maintain than the primary estates in our own Xiao Clan!"
Yoriichi's crimson eyes narrowed slightly in thought. He had assumed the luxurious accommodations were standard for the prestigious academy.
Xiao Yu's initial shock slowly faded, replaced by a sudden, dawning realization. Her shoulders, previously held high with the pride of an older sister, visibly slumped.
"They must know," Xiao Yu murmured softly, her gaze dropping to the cobblestones. "Teacher Ruo Lin or Elder Shu... they must recognize that you possess far more potential than a simple one-star Dou Zhe. Especially after that incident at the hot springs with the beasts. They gave you a 'C' rank on paper to avoid a public uproar, but they are secretly granting you 'S' rank resources behind closed doors."
She let out a long, heavy, incredibly sad sigh. The vibrant energy she had carried just moments ago completely evaporated.
Yoriichi remained silent, his keen senses picking up the sudden, profound shift in her emotional state.
"I don't know what I can do anymore," Xiao Yu confessed, her voice thick with a vulnerability she rarely showed anyone, let alone the brother she used to scold. She looked up at the glowing canopy of the trees, a bitter, self-deprecating smile touching her lips. "I have been at this academy for years. I have trained until my bones ached, but I have never achieved anything truly significant. I am just... average."
She turned her eyes back to Yoriichi, her expression heartbreakingly sincere.
"Ning'er, you are a monster now. You, Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yan... you three are going to rise and shake this entire continent someday," she said softly, wrapping her arms around her own torso as if to shield herself from the cold reality. "But I... I will still be stuck on the ground, just looking up at the sky, watching you fly away. I won't be able to protect you anymore. I just... I wish you luck, brother."
Yoriichi's heart, usually beating with the slow, controlled rhythm of a seasoned grandmaster, thumped just a fraction slower.
He gazed at the proud, stubborn girl who had spent her entire life trying to be the protective older sibling, only to realize the world was moving too fast for her to keep up.
In his past life, he had seen this exact despair in the eyes of his older twin brother, Michikatsu—a desperate, clawing fear of being left behind by a genius, a fear that had ultimately corrupted his soul and turned him into the very demon Yoriichi had to hunt.
Yoriichi would absolutely not allow history to repeat itself.
They resumed their walk in heavy silence. A few dozen paces later, Yoriichi suddenly stopped.
He turned his body fully toward her, his gaze dropping momentarily to the ground before slowly, deliberately rising to meet her tear-pricked eyes. His crimson irises burned with an intense, unyielding conviction that pinned her in place.
"Sister," Yoriichi spoke, his voice an incredibly deep, resonant rumble that carried the absolute weight of a blood oath. "You will not be left on the ground."
Xiao Yu blinked, taken aback by the sheer gravity radiating from him.
"I will not allow it," Yoriichi continued smoothly, taking a measured step toward her. "I will teach you. I will personally reconstruct your physical foundation, refine your Dou Qi circulation, and instruct you in advanced Dou Skills. I will forge you into a blade sharp enough to cut through this academy's hierarchy, so that when the true battles come, you will stand side-by-side with me, not behind me."
Before Xiao Yu could even process the overwhelming promise, Yoriichi slightly raised a single eyebrow, his stoic face adopting a remarkably dry, deadpan expression.
"However," Yoriichi added strictly, "I will not be with you every second of the day. If you accept my tutelage, you will give me your absolute, undivided effort. I will not tolerate any laziness, casual complaining, or skipping routines just because your muscles ache. My training will make that weighted metal vest feel like a silk robe."
Xiao Yu felt a hot rush of tears rising to her eyes, completely blurring her vision. Her heart swelled with an overwhelming, suffocating warmth. He wasn't leaving her behind; he was reaching down to pull her up with him.
"Are you... are you sure?" Xiao Yu choked out, a single tear spilling over her eyelashes and tracing down her cheek. She sniffled, her insecurities making one final, desperate stand. "Wouldn't I just be... a massive burden to you?"
Yoriichi took another step closer, looking down at her. The corners of his lips twitched, and he offered a playful, remarkably dry response.
"Yes. Absolutely," Yoriichi said without missing a beat.
Xiao Yu froze, a sudden spike of guilt and indignation hitting her chest.