Three months slipped away like sand through an hourglass.
The midday sun bathed the Jia Nan Outer Academy in a warm, golden glow. Inside the vast, quiet expanse of the Library Pavilion, Yoriichi sat in his usual secluded alcove on the second floor, a soft breeze rustling the pages of the ancient texts around him.
He was currently immersed in the intricate, glowing diagrams of a Mid-Level Xuan Class Qi Method scroll titled The Violet-Cloud Method. He had officially transitioned from the foundational Huang Class scrolls to the vastly more complex Xuan Class nearly a month ago.
His routine over the past trimester had been absolute, monk-like, and highly predictable. He rose before dawn to execute thousand-swing drills with his wooden training sword in the privacy of his courtyard, keeping his muscular memory razor-sharp.
He trained his physical body until the early morning bells chimed across the academy, signaling the start of the day. Then, while the rest of the student body flocked to the arenas, the bustling trading sectors, or the lecture halls, Yoriichi retreated into the silent, dusty archives of the pavilion.
'So interesting,' Yoriichi mused, his crimson eyes tracing a highly unorthodox meridian pathway detailed in the Xuan scroll. 'The higher the tier of the Qi Method, the more the internal structure of the human body is fundamentally forced to adapt. It does not just expand the existing meridians; this specific method forces Dou Qi directly into the bone marrow. It essentially evolves the skeletal anatomy to withstand greater kinetic output, altering the very density of the cultivator.'
He had analyzed over two dozen scrolls over the past three months. While the Huang Class methods were relatively straightforward blueprints for basic elemental routing, the Xuan Class methods were like deciphering an alien language.
They required the cultivator to mentally visualize concepts like 'spatial anchoring' and 'elemental marrow fusion'—concepts completely foreign to the biology of his past life. They took significantly more time and extreme mental focus to comprehend.
With a soft sigh, Yoriichi carefully rolled the blue parchment back up. The week-long analysis of this specific scroll was complete.
He placed it back onto its designated, energy-shielded shelf and walked over to the tall, arched window overlooking the central academic sector.
'This Dou Qi Continent is truly magical,' Yoriichi thought, watching the tiny silhouettes of students sparring in the distant, sand-filled arenas, miniature bursts of fire and wind visible even from this height.
'I am beginning to push against the limits of my own anatomical understanding. The complexity of these higher-tier Dou Qi flows requires a level of internal manipulation that my previous life's biology never possessed. Yet, it is exactly this complexity that allows for the creation of gods in this world.'
He adjusted the dark sash of his training robes, feeling the steady, rhythmic hum of the milky-white liquid Dou Qi pooling within his Dantian. Glancing at the position of the sun, he realized the time.
'I need to attend the monthly aptitude testing and receive any new syllabus instructions directly from Tutor Ruo Lin,' he reminded himself. Even for a genius with unrestricted library access granted by the Deputy Headmaster, maintaining a baseline presence in the academy's official roster was a logistical necessity to avoid unnecessary disciplinary actions.
Yoriichi descended the sweeping mahogany staircase and stepped out of the heavy bronze doors of the pavilion, blinking slightly as his eyes adjusted to the bright noon sun.
He began walking down the manicured stone paths toward the central arenas, his footsteps completely silent against the pavement.
"Hey! Xiao Ning! Stop right there!" a loud, booming voice shattered the tranquility of the pathway.
Yoriichi paused, turning his head slightly.
Standing on the steps of a nearby dormitory was a burly, heavily scarred senior student wielding a massive, jagged broadsword. A small crowd of freshmen had already gathered around him, eager to watch the spectacle.
"I am Tie!" the burly youth bellowed, pointing the tip of his sword directly at Yoriichi. "I've heard the ridiculous rumors that you killed a strong Dou Shi and a Rank 2 beast out in the wilderness! I say it's garbage meant to inflate the ego of a pampered clan heir! I officially challenge you to a spar right now. Prove you aren't just a coward hiding behind your sister's skirt!"
Yoriichi's crimson eyes swept over Senior Tie. In less than a second, his Transparent World vision analyzed the senior's stance. He noted the uneven weight distribution on his left heel, the overly tense grip on his weapon that would slow his initial swing by half a second, and the chaotic, unrefined flow of his 4-Star Dou Shi aura.
'Three fatal openings before he even swings,' Yoriichi calculated internally. 'Defeating him would take exactly one step and one strike. It is a complete waste of caloric energy.'
Yoriichi didn't break his calm demeanor. He offered a polite, minimal bow.
"I appreciate the offer and your warrior's spirit, Tie," Yoriichi replied smoothly, his voice carrying clearly over the murmuring crowd. "However, I must decline today. Your imposing aura has already convinced me of your superiority. I concede this battle to you. Have a good day."
Without waiting for a response, Yoriichi turned and seamlessly resumed his walk toward the central arenas.
Tie stood frozen on the steps, his broadsword trembling slightly. He had pumped himself up for a brutal clash, but Yoriichi's instant, polite surrender felt like punching an empty cloud. It was entirely infuriating.
"Look at him," a passing junior student whispered loudly to his friend. "He backed down again. That's the fourth time this week."
"The 'Demon Swordsman'?" another scoffed. "More like the 'Fleeing Scholar.' I bet Elder Zhan Yue made up those wilderness reports just to protect him."
This had become the new normal. During his first month back from the wilderness, Yoriichi had been challenged daily by ambitious upperclassmen eager to test the rumors. However, due to Yoriichi's absolute disinterest and his continuous habit of repeatedly backing down from fights with polite, ego-stroking rejections, they began to view him as weak and cowardly.
Without any actual battles to sustain the hype, the fervor had quickly died down. Now, the challenges came only once or twice a week, mostly from newly advanced students like Senior Tie seeking an easy target to build their reputation.
Yoriichi avoided public spectacles as much as possible. Meaningless spars against standard Dou Shi opponents offered zero friction for his newly solidified 2-Star Dou Shi foundation. Unless it was a Da Dou Shi, or a truly exceptional talent, crossing blades offered absolutely no martial enlightenment.
He soon reached the perimeter of the sprawling Central Arena sector. The grandstands were packed with hundreds of students, the air buzzing with the electric excitement of the monthly assessments.
As Yoriichi navigated through a relatively quiet, arched stone corridor leading to Ruo Lin's designated testing zone, his Transparent World vision suddenly flared with a harsh, blinding warning.
A sharp, highly aggressive spike of lightning-attribute Dou Qi violently condensed directly in his path. The ambient air pressure plummeted, and the scent of ozone filled the corridor.
Swish!
Without a sound, a young man blurred out from the shadows of a stone archway, moving with terrifying, crackling speed. He thrust a long, silver spear forward, wrapped in a vortex of blue lightning. He stopped the razor-sharp tip a mere inch from Yoriichi's chest, the static electricity singing the edges of Yoriichi's dark robes.
Yoriichi halted his momentum instantly. His expression remained perfectly stoic. He didn't flinch, nor did his heart rate elevate by a single beat.
The sudden ambush drew immediate attention. A crowd of nearby students gasped, quickly forming a wide circle around the two youths, sensing that this was not a standard, polite challenge.
Holding the spear was a remarkably handsome young man dressed in a pristine white academy uniform. His brown hair was perfectly styled, his features were aristocratic, and his posture radiated an overwhelming, arrogant confidence.
It was Bai Shan, one of the most notoriously talented—and notoriously arrogant—student in the entire Outer Academy.