Satoru Gojo's assessment

The dark red water blade hovering beside her pale carotid artery dissolved without warning.

Without Cursed Energy to sustain it, the blood-streaked liquid became a few cloudy droplets that slipped past the edge of Mei Mei's purple collar and fell into the soil, sinking deep among the grass roots.

Feng slowly lowered his arm. He maintained his sideways stance, ready to spring into action at any moment, but the rise and fall of his chest settled into a distinctive rhythm.

With each breath, the tiny traces of moisture evaporated into the surrounding air during their fierce exchange seemed to be drawn by an invisible vortex. They formed currents too faint to see, silently gathering against his lightly sweating body and seeping inside.

His nearly depleted Cursed Energy pressure began recovering at a steady yet unmistakable pace.

Mei Mei raised her right hand and casually brushed the pad of her thumb over the shallow cut on her neck.

Looking at the smear of scarlet on her fingertip, she let out a low, husky chuckle. Then she bent down, hooked one hand around the axe handle, and effortlessly hoisted the heavy weapon back onto her shoulder.

"Clap, clap, clap."

The crisp, languid applause abruptly broke through the tension still lingering in the woods.

Accompanied by the faint crunch of dress shoes on dead leaves, a tall, slender figure in black strolled out from the shadow of a nearby canopy.

His striking short white hair gleamed in the sunlight filtering through the leaves. A solid black blindfold completely covered the eyes renowned throughout the Jujutsu Society.

But it did nothing to hide the bright, unabashedly intrigued smile on Satoru Gojo's face.

"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!"

Satoru Gojo strode leisurely toward the center of the training ground, his hands tucked casually into his uniform pockets. His voice rose with the enthusiasm of someone watching a spectacular stage performance.

"Under overwhelmingly superior Physical Combat pressure, you stripped away her vision with minimal Cursed Energy expenditure, then used the Binding Vow of 'revealing your Cursed Technique' to turn the exchange into a lethal counter.

That whole sequence of tactical trades was smoother than the latest limited-edition daifuku."

Mei Mei turned her head. Her pale blue eyes swept past her hanging braid toward Satoru Gojo, who had stopped a few meters away, her gaze carrying the shrewd calculation of a first-rate businesswoman.

"Since his guardian has been watching from the sidelines for free all along, this makes things much simpler."

Mei Mei tapped the side of her neck with her free left hand, her mercenary tone leaving no room for refusal.

"Gojo, between the loss of every one of my surveillance crows and the 'emotional distress fee' for nearly having my carotid artery severed, we need to reassess the price of sparring with this newcomer.

With his gambler's habit of biting back when cornered and the danger he poses, the standard grade-one rate won't cover it-you'll have to pay more. Double."

Satoru Gojo's smile deepened. Far from taking offense at Mei Mei's sudden price hike, he merely tilted his head.

Behind his blindfold, his gaze remained fixed on Feng as the boy recovered his Cursed Energy, as though he were studying a precious work of art that had surpassed his expectations.

Meanwhile, beneath the trees ten paces away, Megumi Fushiguro stayed out of the adults' bargaining.

His dark green pupils contracted, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Feng.

As someone his age, he keenly sensed that something was off.

After such a drastic depletion of Cursed Energy, an ordinary sorcerer's recovery would usually be slow and accompanied by profound exhaustion.

Yet the boy before him simply stood there quietly.

The moisture in the air seemed to kiss his body of its own accord, filling its parched gaps.

He doesn't need to deliberately refine it? He can restore his Cursed Energy naturally just by relying on moisture in the environment?

Satoru Gojo's gaze lingered on the boy for a moment behind his black blindfold.

Through the Six Eyes, he could see Cursed Energy mingled with moisture filling the energy deficit in an extraordinary cycle.

Rather than exposing this unusual recovery mechanism, he suddenly broke into a broad smile, cheerful enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.

"No problem, no problem~ Double it is. I'll drop the bill straight onto those higher-ups' desks. After all, spending a little money to cultivate a precious 'exception' is only reasonable."

Satoru Gojo waved a casual hand, dismissing Mei Mei just as she was about to continue tallying her losses.

Then he strode forward, his dress shoes passing over the shattered remains of wooden sticks, and reached Feng in a few steps.

His tall frame leaned slightly forward, bringing with it the invisible pressure of the strongest sorcerer.

"I only meant to have Mei Mei test your limits in actual combat a little. I never expected you to give me such a big surprise."

Satoru Gojo pinched his chin with his long fingers, pretending to deliberate in distress, though the upward curve of his lips completely betrayed his true intentions.

"Since your Physical Combat, tactics, and fine control of your Cursed Technique have already reached this level, having you follow the usual routine with Megumi and the others, exorcising low-grade Cursed Spirits, would be a waste of your talent."

Satoru Gojo straightened and clapped his hands sharply, startling several birds into flight.

"It's decided! In a few days, I'll arrange a solo mission for you with a little bit of 'difficulty.'

Think of it as your placement test for official enrollment. Look forward to it!"

Megumi Fushiguro, who had remained beneath the trees, finally couldn't help stepping forward.

His dark green eyes held undisguised doubt as his gaze moved between Satoru Gojo and the black-haired boy.

"Gojo-sensei, even if he's strong in actual combat, the Jujutsu Society's mission rankings aren't a joke.

Sending a newcomer who's only been involved with the Jujutsu Society for a few days straight into a difficult solo mission goes against regulations. The risks are too unpredictable."

Megumi Fushiguro instinctively slipped his hands into his pockets, his brows drawn tightly together.

He wasn't objecting out of jealousy, but on the basis of entirely rational tactical judgment.

"You should at least assign one or two assistant supervisors, or have a second-year lead him for a while to observe him.

If he encounters an unknown Cursed Spirit with a domain or some unusual mechanism during the mission, fighting alone leaves too little room for error.

No matter how thorough his tactics are, his Cursed Energy reserves could still be drained completely."

Faced with his student's objections, Satoru Gojo simply reached out a long arm and vigorously ruffled Megumi Fushiguro's sea-urchin-like black hair, leaving the already unruly spikes even messier.

"You're still such a worrier, Megumi. But rules are made to be broken.

A greenhouse can't raise a monster capable of turning this world upside down."

Mei Mei slung the enormous axe back behind her and walked past them with elegant strides.

As she passed Feng, she stopped, a meaningful glint flickering in her pale blue eyes.

"A difficult solo mission? It seems Gojo really is placing a big bet on you.

Good luck, newcomer. Hopefully, the next time we meet, you'll still be able to afford my appearance fee, just like today."

"I understand..." Feng nodded lightly.

A difficult mission was exactly what he wanted. Flowers raised in a greenhouse truly struggled to weather the storms.

Although parts of his memories of the future were missing, Feng was quietly certain of one thing.

Without the strength to match what lay ahead, his future would never be easy. He needed to keep growing stronger.

Again and again.

Strong enough to protect the people he needed to protect.