The mist by Sea God Lake carried the lingering warmth of the afternoon. The broad, level surface reflected the drifting clouds overhead.
The moment Xiao Yan and Xiao Xiao stepped off the boat, they saw two people standing beside a bench up ahead.
Ning Tian was lowering her head to straighten her golden hair, while Wu Feng stood at her side, listlessly kicking pebbles by her feet.
Hearing their footsteps, Ning Tian looked up. Her gold-and-blue eyes lit up as she waved in greeting.
"Brother Yan, Xiao Xiao, over here." Ning Tian came forward to meet them.
The four gathered together and followed the side path along the lake toward the Outer Court dormitories.
"You two missed quite a show this morning." Ning Tian walked beside Xiao Xiao, mischief dancing in her eyes.
"The Freshman Assessment awards ceremony was held early this morning. Since neither of you were there, it got quite lively."
Xiao Xiao blinked, her curiosity immediately piqued.
"Director Du got angry?"
Ning Tian shook her head and could not help laughing.
"How could he dare get angry at you? During the awards ceremony, Director Du stood on the platform and called for the champion team to come up and receive their prizes, but there was complete silence below. All the freshmen and every class teacher were watching. Director Du stood there holding the prizes, his hand frozen in midair and his face flushed red."
Wu Feng chimed in from the side. "If Sister Tian hadn't realized something was wrong and gone up to explain it to him, he probably would have stood there all morning."
"I told Director Du that Dean Yan had personally come yesterday and taken you away. Guess what happened?" Ning Tian looked at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan stopped walking and casually leaned against the roadside railing, waiting for her to continue.
"Director Du took several deep breaths onstage, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and forced out an excuse. Using a Soul Tool amplifier, he announced to all the freshmen that Student Xiao Yan possessed extraordinary talent, and that the dean had deliberately taken him away before the awards ceremony for an individual trial to test the champion's true caliber."
Xiao Xiao could not hold back a snort of laughter. She bent over laughing so hard that she could not even straighten her back.
Amusement also surfaced in Xiao Yan's eyes. The Outer Court's director of instruction truly had impressive adaptability under pressure.
"Sorry for the trouble, Director Du." Xiao Yan straightened up and adjusted his cuff.
"When we have the chance, we should pay him a visit."
After chatting about that morning's farce, their conversation naturally turned to their upcoming study arrangements.
Ning Tian put away her playful expression and seriously explained the class assignments announced that day.
"With the Freshman Assessment over, the year will be reshuffled into new classes. Class One focuses on assault and control-type students, so Wu Feng and the two of you will definitely be in Class One. I'm an auxiliary-type student, so I've been assigned to Class Three."
Wu Feng frowned upon hearing that, her unwillingness written all over her face.
"I wanted to apply to Class Three so I could stay with Sister Tian, but the academy refused no matter what and insisted on keeping me in Class One."
"Rules are rules. What would an assault-type student be doing in an auxiliary class?" Ning Tian patted Wu Feng's shoulder to comfort her, then looked at Xiao Yan.
"But there's good news for you. Class One's homeroom teacher has been decided—it's Teacher Mu Jin. There's a good chance the academy transferred Teacher Mu to Class One because of you."
Xiao Yan nodded.
With Mu Jin as their homeroom teacher, the privilege to skip class that they had previously agreed upon would remain valid.
They could still spend most of their time cultivating by Sea God Lake instead of listening to foundational theory that meant nothing to them.
"Besides Teacher Mu Jin, the academy has also assigned Teacher Wang Yan as another first-year homeroom teacher," Ning Tian added.
"Teacher Wang Yan has a solid grasp of theory and a good temperament. Your days in Class One should be fairly easy from now on."
After that, Ning Tian casually mentioned the Outer Court core disciple slots and the academy's rewards.
Xiao Yan showed no reaction as he listened.
The empty title of core disciple meant little to him.
As for the academy's standard reward of helping students obtain the best Spirit Rings, his fifth Spirit Ring was meant to be at the Hundred Thousand Year level. If he reported that and Xuan Zi ended up taking him hunting for a spirit beast, that would be truly unbearable.
Xiao Xiao was equally uninterested. She played with the hem of her clothes, her mind already drifting to what they would eat for dinner.
Night fell, and the chirping of insects rose and faded beyond the window.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on his wooden bed. After completing a full circulation of the Art of the Fuxi Emperor, his consciousness sank into the vast Sea of Consciousness.
The river of stars glittered brilliantly, while the Fuxi Bagua Formation Map revolved steadily beneath his feet.
At the very center of the formation, the Mystic Yellow Gilded Gold Eastern Emperor Bell floated quietly. The intricate ancient divine runes across its surface flickered with a dim glow.
In the past, those divine runes had looked like nothing more than a chaotic tangle of lines to Xiao Yan.
His realm had been insufficient. Forcing himself to comprehend such things beyond his level would only cause his spiritual power to suffer backlash.
But things had changed now.
Xiao Yan raised his right hand, and a dark purple radiance swirled in his palm.
The Three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone skill, Void: Immeasurable, activated.
The mysteries of Spatial Law unfolded throughout his Sea of Consciousness along with that power.
That Soul Bone was like a precise key, opening the door to understanding higher-dimensional space.
He stepped forward and approached the Eastern Emperor Bell.
When his gaze fell once more upon the region representing spatial folding and traversal, the previously vague lines began to rearrange themselves within his perception.
One spatial pattern after another appeared clearly, no longer obscure or difficult to understand.
Xiao Yan extended his hand, his fingertips steadily touching the surface of the bell.
There was no rejection and no rebound.
The Eastern Emperor Bell accepted his touch.
Not far away, Electrolux, dressed in a black-and-white robe, was craning his head from the Qian Trigram region, closely watching every movement here.
When he saw Xiao Yan's fingers resting safely against the divine runes, the former Calamity of the Undead's eyes abruptly widened. He strode over.
He stopped three feet away from the Eastern Emperor Bell, deliberately maintaining a safe distance where he would not be blasted away, and stroked his grizzled beard.
"Kid, you've finally entered through the door!" Electrolux made no attempt to hide the praise in his voice.
Back when he had studied these divine runes, he had suffered greatly, getting flung away by the Eastern Emperor Bell every few days.
"With that spatial Soul Bone as a foundation, I can finally understand a little of the spatial divine runes on this Eastern Emperor Bell." Xiao Yan withdrew his hand, sensing his increasingly profound understanding of Spatial Law within his Sea of Consciousness.
Electrolux laughed heartily several times. His originally somewhat illusory figure even seemed to become more solid.
"Good! Good! Being able to begin understanding and controlling the power of this peerless divine artifact is a good thing. Your future is promising, truly promising!"
Life returned to a peaceful rhythm.
In the mornings, they played the qin and flute by Sea God Lake. At noon, they searched the snack street for food. The afternoons were spent in practical combat training for Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng, while the nights were unfailingly devoted to comprehending Spatial Law in the Sea of Consciousness.
Time quietly passed amid that fulfillment and focus.
Spring passed into autumn, and five months slipped by in the blink of an eye.
This academic year's courses were about to reach their end!