Zhu Zhuqing Came Calling!

Cao Kun watched the seven students, each wearing a different expression, without feeling much of anything.

He had offered them guidance partly because Flender had asked him to, and partly because it was part of his Mount Buzhou plan.

By planting seeds of influence in these future talents, who would one day be renowned across the continent, he might reap unexpected rewards.

Of course, his most important goal—Tang San—had already been partly achieved.

He had sown doubt, making Tang San realize he had taken the wrong path in cultivating Blue Silver Grass and that someone had deliberately led him astray.

He had also pointed him toward Ultimate Poison, a direction that... seemed right.

That was enough to change the course of Tang San's growth and lay the groundwork for Cao Kun's later plans.

"That's all for today's lesson."

Cao Kun added, "What I've said is only my own opinion. Whether you take my advice, and how you train, is up to you."

"For the next few days, train on your own. Dismissed."

With that, he turned and drifted away. His white-clad figure soon disappeared beyond the training ground's entrance.

The seven remained where they were, unable for a long while to shake off their shock and return from their thoughts.

The sunlight was still warm, but it was as if a stone had dropped into each of their hearts, sending ripples outward.

The freshmen in particular felt it.

Their first lesson at Shrek Academy had unfolded in a way none of them expected, leaving a deep mark on their memories.

For Zhu Zhuqing, the impact was especially complicated.

The black-clad girl stood alone by the crude window of her dormitory. Cold moonlight traced her lovely but tense profile.

Cao Kun's remarks about going it alone and working with others had pierced the icy shell she habitually wrapped around herself, like an icicle driven straight into her deepest fears and longings.

She came from the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire, a cold and ruthless clan that pitted its children against one another.

From birth, her fate had been bound tightly to another name: Dai Mubai.

Only by defeating every rival and standing beside Dai Mubai at the end could she survive and escape the suffocating shackles of her bloodline.

She was used to being alone. She was used to hiding her unease behind indifference and placing all her hopes in growing stronger.

Because she knew that in the game called survival,

anyone could become an enemy.

Even... the blond young man to whom she was engaged, who was struggling in the same whirlpool of fate.

Cooperation? Trust?

To her, those were dangerous luxuries.

And yet... Cao Kun's words had shone a faint light through the walls of everything she thought she knew.

A true assassin was no lone wolf... A dancer in the shadows had to know how to use her surroundings, even the opportunities her companions created...

Had she been wrong? Was the way she had always believed she must live so narrow, so full of flaws, in the eyes of someone truly strong?

What unsettled her even more was the voice that had sounded directly in her mind as Cao Kun left, faint as a mosquito's buzz yet unmistakably clear:

"If you want to change your fate, come find me on the Back Mountain tonight."

Change her fate?

Those words held an indescribable power over Zhu Zhuqing.

Wasn't escaping her destined fate why she trained with everything she had?

Yet deep down, hadn't she felt a trace of despair?

Dai Mubai seemed strong, but the infighting within the Star Luo Imperial Family was brutal.

Could the two of them really fight their way through?

And even if they succeeded, would the life waiting for her truly be the freedom she wanted?

Could this Grandmaster, who had appeared out of nowhere with unfathomable strength and an insight sharp enough to chill her, really... change her fate?

Doubt, hesitation, inner turmoil, and a small flame called hope, long suppressed beneath the ice, tangled together in her heart.

She thought about it all day, until night fell completely and the stars grew dim.

At last, as eight o'clock approached, the final trace of hesitation in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes gave way to resolve.

She silently changed into a black outfit better suited for movement, melted into the night, avoided everyone, and slipped toward the depths of the Back Mountain—an area the freshmen considered Forbidden Ground.

Dense trees cut the moonlight into fragments. A thin mist hung among them, and the air was cooler than at the academy. Even the Soul Power seemed a little denser.

Zhu Zhuqing stayed alert, pushing the keen senses granted by her Nether Civet Martial Soul to their limit as she listened for the slightest movement.

There were no traps as she had imagined, nor any powerful Soul Beasts blocking her way.

There was only a cleared path winding deep into the woods.

After following it for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, she emerged into an open space.

At the center of a carefully tended clearing stood a simple, elegant courtyard beneath the moonlight.

Bluestone walls enclosed bamboo-and-wood buildings, a pavilion with upturned eaves, and a silent old well.

Strange flowers and plants she had never seen grew around the walls, giving off a faint fragrance that soothed her senses.

Strangest of all, though the courtyard stood right before her, it felt faintly cut off from the surrounding forest, as if it existed apart from the world.

A girl in a pale green dress was already waiting at the entrance.

She was strikingly beautiful, with jade-green eyes that gleamed like gems in the moonlight and a smile that was gentle yet distant.

Zhu Zhuqing wondered who she was, and what her relationship was to Cao Kun. "You came."

Dugu Yan's voice was clear and pleasant. "The young master said you'd come tonight. He was right."

Zhu Zhuqing stopped short, her guard rising.

Cao Kun had known she would come?

"Come with me. The young master is waiting for you." Dugu Yan turned, pushed open the half-closed gate, and went inside.

"You're fortunate to have caught the young master's eye!"

"Fortunate?"

Zhu Zhuqing paused at the word.

After a moment's hesitation, she clenched her fists and followed.

The courtyard was even more peaceful than it looked from outside.

Moonlight washed over the smooth stone path. Trees and flowers spread along either side, their subtle fragrance drifting through the air.

A warm orange-red glow shone faintly from the octagonal pavilion in the center, accompanied by... an unusual aroma of spice and meat.

Dugu Yan led Zhu Zhuqing straight toward the main room.

The door stood open, and even the usually cool, composed Zhu Zhuqing paused at the sight inside.

The room was not lavish. Its furnishings were simple, though the tables and chairs were all made of fine rosewood, and several landscape paintings hung on the walls.

But in the middle of the room sat something unlike anything she had ever seen.

A copper pot of unusual design stood over a bright charcoal fire. Red chili oil bubbled within it, sending up clouds of steam as thinly sliced meats, fresh vegetables, and other ingredients she could not name simmered inside. They all looked delicious.

And Cao Kun, the white-clad Grandmaster who had seemed so profound and otherworldly during the day...

Right now, he was...