The Foundation Festival continued in full swing, laughter echoing across the floating islands as the day wore on. Disciples competed in friendly exhibitions throughout the plazas, drawing cheers from gathered crowds. Children of visiting noble families wandered wide-eyed between the Seven Halls, admiring displays of cultivation and craft they had only ever heard described in stories. Music drifted through the ancient courtyards, warm and unhurried, blending with the scent of festival food and the distant calls of merchants.
To everyone caught up in the celebration, the academy had never seemed more alive.
And yet, beneath every burst of laughter, beneath every cheerful exhibition and every proud display, history itself had quietly begun to watch.
