The Academy grounds were bustling with the mid-morning energy of aspiring cultivators. Swords clashed in the distance, and the air hummed with the faint residue of Qi from a hundred different practice sessions.
Kai walked through the stone-paved courtyards, his hands deep in his pockets.
He turned a corner toward the Elite Training Pavilion, intending to head to the Administration Office.
He stopped.
Ahead of him, gathered under the shade of an ancient spirit tree, was a group that radiated arrogance like a physical aura.
It was Group 1. Instructor Li Hua's elite squad.
Ye Qing was there, preening and polishing her sword, laughing at something being said. But she wasn't the center of attention today.
Standing in the middle of the group was a young man Kai rarely saw outside of major ceremonies. He wore the pristine white and gold robes of the Ye Clan's main family, not a speck of dust on them. His hair was tied back with a jade hairpin worth more than Kai's entire house.
Ye Fang.
He stood with his arms crossed, his expression calm and focused, listening to Li Hua with the air of someone who already knew everything being taught.
Ye Qing glanced up and spotted Kai standing in the pathway. Her lip curled instantly.
"Look, Brother," Ye Qing sneered, nudging Ye Fang's arm. "Look who is here. That's the trash... the guy who said he would defeat you in the tournament."
Instructor Li Hua turned, her almond eyes sweeping over Kai. She didn't look impressed; she looked amused.
"Pfft."
Li Hua exhaled a small, dismissive laugh, covering her mouth with a silk sleeve. "Defeat him? Ambition is good, but delusion is a sickness."
Ye Fang turned around slowly. His movement was fluid, waste-free. He looked at Kai with eyes that were terrifyingly indifferent. There was no anger, no rivalry. Just the empty gaze of a human looking at an insect.
"Him?" Ye Fang asked, his voice smooth and bored. "Well, he isn't the only one who said that. There are many students who dream of this in the Academy. Ants always dream of biting the sky."
Kai felt a spike of heat in his chest. It wasn't fear. It was pure, unadulterated rage.
He clenched his fist at his side. The knuckles turned white. His Strength 19 begged to be unleashed, to wipe that bored look off the main family heir's face.
"Oh really?" Kai called out, stepping into their circle. His voice was low, laced with a dangerous edge. "But I am not a common guy like them who just knows how to bark. I bite."
The students around them went silent. The tension in the air thickened.
Ye Fang didn't flinch. He just tilted his head slightly, looking at Kai's clenched fist.
"You say you don't bark," Ye Fang noted calmly. "But you are standing here, making noise while I am training. Are you not... still barking?"
"Hahaha!" Ye Qing laughed loudly, pointing at Kai. "Good one, Brother! He's just a noisy mutt!"
Kai's eyes narrowed. The insult stung because Ye Fang didn't even put effort into it.
"Fucker," Kai hissed. "If you think I'm just noise, then come and fight me right now. Let's settle it here. No tournament. No rules. Just us."
He spread his arms, channeling his aura. He wanted to show them. He wanted to slam Ye Fang into the dirt and show them what "trash" could do.
Ye Fang looked at him for a long second. Then, he sighed. It was a sigh of disappointment.
"Teacher," Ye Fang said, turning his back on Kai to address Li Hua. "I think we should not waste our time on these commoners. It is an insult to my clan to engage in street brawls with branch family waste."
"What happened?" Kai taunted, stepping closer. "Are you scared? Is the genius afraid he might lose?"
Ye Fang stopped. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes cold.
"Scared?" Ye Fang repeated. "No. I just don't want to make my hands dirty. That's it. Touching you would require me to wash my robes."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"And also, I have work to do. So... fuck you."
He turned and began to walk away toward the pavilion. Ye Qing shot Kai a gloating smirk and hurried to follow her brother.
"Hey!" Kai roared. "You coward! Where are you going? I am not finished talking yet!"
Kai launched himself forward. He was fast. He was going to grab Ye Fang by the collar and force him to acknowledge him.
Whoosh.
A shadow moved in front of him. A wave of floral perfume hit his nose.
Thump.
Kai stopped dead.
A hand—slender, manicured, and deceptively soft—was pressed flat against the center of his chest.
It was Li Hua.
She hadn't pushed him. She had just placed her hand there. But Kai felt like he had run into a wall of solid steel. Her cultivation pressure bore down on him, rooting his feet to the spot.
She stood close to him, her beautiful face mere inches from his. Her red lips were curved into a pitying smile that was far sharper than any sword.
"Poor Kai..." Li Hua whispered, her voice like silk wrapping around a throat.
She tapped his chest with her index finger, right over his heart.
"You are so angry. So desperate."
She looked past him, watching Ye Fang disappear into the distance, then brought her gaze back to lock onto Kai's dark eyes.
"I think you should focus more on yourself," she advised, her tone dripping with condescension. "Instead of chasing my group and my best student. You are in different worlds, little boy. Don't break your legs trying to jump a canyon."
She smiled—a dazzling, toxic smile.
Kai didn't blink. He didn't step back. He looked dead in her eyes, his anger crystallizing into something colder, harder.
"Move your hand," Kai whispered.
Li Hua's smile faltered for a fraction of a second at the intensity of his stare, but she just patted his chest mockingly and stepped aside.
They stood there in the courtyard.