Chapter 19
Spells like that weren't basic. Even trained practitioners struggled to construct proper Zhen formations without breaking the flow of Qi. It required control, knowledge, and precision.
Yet she had done it casually.
Without effort.
Without hesitation.
And more importantly-
Without being noticed.
He knew many things.
But not this.
Not in this field.
She knows techniques I don't.
The thought didn't bother him.
It interested him.
Beside him, Weiyang was still watching Yu Hang disappear through the door, then slowly turned back toward Wei Zhi, his expression shifting from confusion to realization.
His grin widened.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice slightly but unable to hide the excitement in it.
"Did you do that?"
Wei Zhi didn't look at him immediately.
Her gaze remained forward for a second longer before she answered.
"It's not that hard."
Her tone was calm.
Almost dismissive.
Then she added, as if it were nothing important,
"I can teach you in my free time."
For a second-
Weiyang froze.
Then his entire face lit up.
His eyes widened, almost sparkling, his posture straightening instantly as if all the exhaustion from earlier had vanished.
"Really?"
He leaned forward, both hands pressing onto the desk, unable to contain the excitement rising in him.
"That's great!"
"A new Shu!"
His voice carried slightly louder than intended, drawing a few glances from nearby students.
He didn't care.
To him-
This was valuable.
In this world, Shu was not just skill.
It was everything.
It was the method through which Qi became useful.
A strike.
A defense.
A movement.
A formation.
Without Shu, Qi was nothing more than raw energy-wild, unfocused, meaningless in combat.
Wuming remained still.
Silent.
But his thoughts were not.
Shu... Zhen... Gong... Jue... Dao...
Different systems.
Different depths.
Wei Zhi had just used a Zhen.
A formation-based Shu.
Rare.
Precise.
And not something casually learned by someone her age.
His gaze shifted toward her again.
Brief.
Measured.
Then away.
She didn't brag.
Didn't explain.
Didn't seek attention.
Which meant-
She understood what she was doing.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Weiyang was still smiling beside them, already imagining whatever she might teach him, his excitement completely genuine.
The classroom, meanwhile, continued its slow process.
Another teacher entered shortly after, the door sliding open softly as the remaining voices in the classroom lowered once again. He walked to the front with steady steps, holding a list in his hand, his presence calm but firm.
"Team Nine."
His voice was clear.
"Yui Yuan."
A girl stood up from the second row.
"Zhuo Ya Fei."
A boy followed, adjusting his sleeve slightly as he stepped forward.
"Li Juan."
Another boy rose from the far side.
"Jing Yi."
The last, a girl, stood and joined the group without hesitation.
The teacher closed the list halfway and spoke,
"My name is Tian Ying. I will be your instructor."
No extra words.
No delay.
He turned and walked out, and the four students followed behind him.
Two boys.
Two girls.
Balanced.
The door closed.
The room grew quieter.
Only eight students remained.
Two teams left.
A moment later, another teacher entered.
His presence was sharper, his steps heavier against the floor as he moved toward the front. He didn't waste time observing the room and immediately opened the list in his hand.
"Team Ten."
"Yu Mei."
A girl stood.
"Lu Zai Zai."
A girl followed.
"Zhi Xuan."
Another boy rose, his expression neutral.
"Zi Mao."
The last, a boyl, stood and moved forward.
The teacher looked up briefly.
"Zaimetsu," he said.
That was all.
No explanation.
No pause.
He turned and walked out, and the four students followed him immediately.
Again-
Two boys.
Two girls.
Perfect balance.
The door shut behind them.
Silence settled once more.
Now only four students remained in the classroom.
One final team.
Wuming.
Wei Zhi.
Weiyang.
And the girl with dark pink hair.
The air felt different now.
Quieter.
Heavier.
As if something was about to begin.
Wei Zhi turned slightly toward Weiyang, her brows narrowing just a little as she studied him.
"I thought you were bad at studies," she said calmly. "How are you still here?"
She paused, then added,
"And what about the results of the entrance exams? There was no list shown to us."
Weiyang leaned back in his seat, stretching his arms slightly before resting them again, completely at ease.
"Well, I don't know about you two," he said casually, "but these exams happen every year. The results are put up almost immediately once they're compiled."
He tilted his head slightly.
"There is a chart. A full list of all students who took the exam."
Wei Zhi looked at him.
"And you didn't think of telling us?"
Wuming spoke before Weiyang could respond.
"When did you even go?"
Weiyang pointed casually toward the door.
"When I got out of the examination hall," he said. "It was already being set up. I saw the chart on my way."
He grinned slightly.
"I even helped the servant put the name sheet up on the board."
Wei Zhi stared at him for a second.
Wuming didn't react outwardly, but his thoughts shifted.
So he moved unnoticed even then.
Weiyang, meanwhile, continued without concern.
"My name was there," he added. "So I didn't bother checking again."
His tone remained light.
As if it didn't matter.
As if failing four times before had no weight at all.
Wei Zhi looked at him, her expression flat, almost unimpressed.
"You failed four times," she said calmly. "And succeeded on the fifth?"
Weiyang froze for a second.
Then his face twisted instantly-his brows furrowing, eyes half-lidded with dark shadows beneath them, lips pulling down into an exaggerated, offended pout. He looked like he had just been personally attacked by fate itself.
"Don't be so mean..." he muttered, his voice dragging slightly. "And don't remind me of that."
He turned his head away a little, still making that same sulky expression.
"So what if I failed?" he continued. "My one win is enough for me to forget all my thousands of mistakes."
He huffed lightly, arms crossing as he leaned back, still holding that dramatic, grumpy look-as if the entire world had wronged him, yet he refused to care.
Wei Zhi stared at him for a moment.
Then looked away.
Unconvinced.
Wei Zhi glanced at Wuming, then at Weiyang, her tone calm but curious.
"How was the exam for you?"
Wuming answered without hesitation.
"Hard."
Weiyang immediately snapped his head toward him, annoyed.
"Yeah, hard-and easy for you," he said with a slight glare.
Wuming didn't react to the tone.
"I got every question right."
There was a brief pause.
Weiyang blinked once, then scoffed.
"Oh yeah?" he said. "From what I remember, you were second place."
Wuming's eyes shifted.
Slightly.
Weiyang leaned back, looking toward the window as he added casually,
"Some girl was first."
That made Wuming look at him properly this time.
"Who?" Wei Zhi asked.
Weiyang shrugged lightly.
"Yinghua."
Wei Zhi gave a small smile.
"I see," she said. "Everyone can make mistakes."
Wuming said nothing.
Wei Zhi continued, "How much did she score?"
Weiyang made a face, still looking away.
"Full."
His tone carried mild irritation.
Then his gaze shifted forward, toward the girl seated ahead of them.
Dark pink hair.
Straight posture.
Quiet presence.
He tilted his head slightly, resting both hands behind his neck.
"...Is she our last partner?"
Wei Zhi glanced at him.
"Yeah. You noticed her now?"
She nudged his leg lightly.
"Move, idiot."
Weiyang groaned.
"Not you too..."
But he shifted aside anyway.
Wuming stayed where he was.
Watching.
Wei Zhi stood up and walked forward.
Her steps were calm, unhurried, as she approached the girl. When she reached her, she raised her hand slightly and smiled.
"Hi."
The girl looked up.
For a second, her eyes softened.
Then she smiled back-warm, gentle-and lifted her hand in return.
"Hi."
Without hesitation, she moved slightly to the side and pulled Wei Zhi down beside her, making space as if it was natural.
"Nice to meet you," she said softly. "I'm Lan Yinghua."
Wei Zhi's brows lifted just a little.
"Oh? The topper of this year?"
Yinghua smiled wider, her eyes closing slightly with it.
"Yup."
There was no arrogance.
Just quiet confidence.
Wei Zhi studied her for a moment, then asked,
"Why didn't you come earlier? It's been a while since the second last team left."
Yinghua paused.
Her gaze shifted slightly-
Then, almost unconsciously, she looked behind.
Wei Zhi followed that glance.
And saw him.
Wuming.
Still seated.
Watching.
His eyes were steady.
Intense.
Unmoving.
Yinghua's cheeks flushed faintly as she quickly lowered her gaze, looking down at her lap.
Wei Zhi turned her head fully this time, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Stop scaring her, Wuming."
Wuming didn't respond.
He didn't look away either.
Yinghua hesitated, then slowly lifted her head again.
"Is... is that Wuming?" she asked softly.
Wei Zhi nodded.
"Yeah."
Yinghua looked between the three of them, her eyes bright with quiet curiosity.
"So... you three are friends?"
Wei Zhi tilted her head slightly.
"Hm. Sort of."
Yinghua's face lit up instantly, her smile soft but genuine.
"I'm looking forward to being part of this group," she said. "After all... we're Team 7, right?"
Wei Zhi smiled back, small but real.
"Yeah."
Behind them, Weiyang watched the two girls.
Pretty, he thought.
But not like Wei Zhi.
Both had striking eyes-but Wei Zhi's were rare, pure forest green, deep and steady, something only a few people in the world possessed. Yinghua's, on the other hand, were softer-teal, almost like polished jade, gentle and bright at the same time. She really did look like a cherry blossom.
Though her hair was slightly darker than what he imagined.
His thoughts broke when Wuming's voice cut in.
"Hey."
Weiyang turned his head.
"Was the exam this year really that easy... or that hard?"
The question hit him so suddenly it felt like something heavy had dropped straight onto his head.
"...What?" he said, blinking.
He turned toward Wuming, who wasn't even looking at him-his gaze was still resting somewhere near the girls.
"Are you mocking me?" Weiyang added, narrowing his eyes. "What's with you?"
Wuming spoke flatly,
"Duffer. I meant a girl scored higher than me in the written exam."
A pause.
"The one about types of Shu and Zhen."
Weiyang frowned.
"You're not some genius, Wuming," he said. "And why do you even care?"
Wuming's tone didn't change.
"How hard was it for you?"
Weiyang let out a breath.
"I already told you-I'm not good with studies," he muttered. "And stop calling me a duffer. You're not that much better."
Then, as if all energy suddenly left him, he dropped forward onto the desk, resting his cheek flat against the surface.
He looked sideways at Wuming.
Wuming didn't look back.
Ahead, Wei Zhi's voice cut through again-
"Stop staring, Wuming."
Wuming shifted his gaze away without a word and turned toward the window.
Outside, sunlight poured in-bright, warm, almost blinding against the calm stillness of the room.
He watched it silently.
From outside, faint noise drifted in.
Soft chatter.
A few girls had gathered near the corridor, their attention fixed inside-on him.
Weiyang noticed.
Then-
Without a word, Wuming stood up.
Reached forward.
And closed the window.
The light dimmed instantly, cutting off both the sunlight and the view.
Silence settled back into place.
Weiyang let out a short laugh from where he lay on the desk.
"You're really something," he said. "Don't you like attention?"
Wuming turned his head slightly, looking at him.
Weiyang was still lying there, cheek pressed flat against the table, eyes half-lidded as he stared back.
Waiting for an answer.
Wuming's gaze remained on him for a moment, calm and unreadable.
"I simply don't want people to waste their time on me," he said. "Unwanted attention from useless people is the worst thing."
The words were quiet.
But heavy.
Weiyang didn't answer immediately.
End of 19