By the time Mo Chen arrived at Notting Academy, the courtyard had already filled with students.
Some were speaking loudly in groups. Some were practicing awkwardly with clumsy movements. Some were standing aside and watching. The academy was small compared to the larger schools of the empire, but to children of this age, it felt like a whole new world.
Mo Chen walked in without drawing attention.That suited him.
The academy routine had already started to become familiar.Classroom.
Theory.Basic spirit power exercises.
Then free time.
He sat near the window in class, listening when he needed to, and letting silence do the rest. The teacher explained soul power circulation, the difference between martial soul categories, and the importance of foundation. Most of the students only half understood, but Mo Chen listenedcarefully. Even simple knowledge mattered in a world where strength decided everything.
At break time, he often went to the library.
The library was small, but it held enough old books to matter. There were records on spirit beasts, notes on martial soul development, and old cultivation manuals that had been copied too many times to be beautiful, but still preserved their value.
Mo Chen did not search for miracles.
He searched for patterns.
He read slowly, memorized what mattered, and connected it with what he already knew. He was especially interested in how spirit power behaved in
the body, how different martial souls reacted to training, and how habits shaped advancement over time.
The library was quiet.That was why he liked it.
And there, in the middle of the second week, he began spending more time with Zhao Kai.
Zhao Kai was the kind of boy who could be irritating without even trying. He wore cleaner clothes than most students, spoke with confidence, and carried the easy arrogance of someone who knew his family had some standing in the city.
He was not hostile every time, though. That was what made him interesting. One afternoon, when Mo Chen was sitting alone by a shelf reading about spirit beast habitats, Zhao Kai pulled out the chair across from him and sat
down."You come here every day," Zhao Kai said.
Mo Chen kept his eyes on the page. "It is quiet."
Zhao Kai laughed softly. "That sounds like a reasonable answer."
Then he leaned back and folded his arms. "I don't understand you."
Mo Chen turned one page. "You do not need to."
That earned a brief pause.
Then Zhao Kai grinned. "You always talk like that?"
"Like what?" "Like you already decided everything."
Mo Chen finally looked at him. "No. Like I decide what matters."
Zhao Kai stared at him for a second, then laughed again. "Fine. That's better than being boring." Not as close friends.Not as rivals.Something in between.
Zhao Kai would speak about the city, his father's position, academy gossip, and the students he considered worth watching. Mo Chen would answer when needed, ask a few precise questions, and rarely reveal more than necessary.
Still, the arrangement worked.Zhao Kai brought movement.Mo Chen brought silence.
And the library saw them both often.