Shen Yue's hostility

The advanced class at the Holy Orchid Institute met on the top floor of the teaching building, where the lighting was much better than on the lower floors. Outside the windows lay the woods on Academy's Back Mountain, their leaves rustling whenever the wind swept through.

Shen Fei sat toward the back of the classroom, a cultivation manual spread open before him. His eyes scanned the words on the page, but half his attention remained on what was happening around him.

He had submitted his application three days earlier, and today was his first official day of class. His three-star Silver strength hardly stood out in the advanced class. More than half the students were above five-star Silver, and a few had even reached the threshold of Gold rank.

His status as the Sacred Family's eldest legitimate son was enough to open every door at the institute, and enough to make most people keep a politely respectful distance.

The morning theory lesson covered attribute compatibility with high-ranking demon spirits. The instructor read from a manual at the lectern while some students listened attentively and others chatted among themselves.

Shen Fei said nothing throughout the lesson. He wrote down the important points and lingered a few seconds longer whenever something differed from his memories of his previous life.

Several students glanced back at him while the instructor's back was turned, curiosity in their eyes. The moment Shen Fei looked up at them, they turned away again.

No one approached him to strike up a conversation, and no one deliberately picked a fight. To these scions of various great families, an unfavored eldest legitimate son of the Sacred Family was neither worth cultivating a connection with nor worth offending.

This suited Shen Fei perfectly. He had not joined the advanced class to make friends or compete for rankings.

Gaining direct access to the institute's high-level resources was one reason. More importantly, being here made it easier to observe Nie Li's movements and avoid a good deal of unnecessary attention within his family.

The afternoon cultivation lesson took place at the Martial Arts Arena. The students sparred in pairs to reinforce the techniques for exerting force they had just learned. The instructor grouped them by strength, placing Shen Fei in the middle tier against a boy from a collateral branch of the Huyan family.

His attacks were steady, and he controlled his force precisely. After several exchanges, his opponent had gained no advantage, but Shen Fei did not press him either. Their match ended in a draw. During his assessment, the instructor remarked that Shen Fei had a solid foundation and said nothing more.

By the time the cultivation lesson ended, the sun had drifted west. Golden sunlight slanted across the ground of the Martial Arts Arena, stretching everyone's shadows long. The students headed toward the teaching building in small groups, some discussing their matches and others arranging to eat together in the dining hall.

Carrying his sword, Shen Fei walked along the edge of the crowd. He intended to collect his things from the classroom first, then take a detour to look around near the rear hill.

Just as he reached a corner in the corridor, a voice sounded behind him.

"Brother."

Shen Fei paused briefly and turned around. Shen Yue stood several paces away, dressed in a clean institute uniform, his hair neatly combed and a faint smile on his face. He was Shen Fei's younger half brother, and the youngest son Shen Hong currently valued most.

Shen Yue walked over and stopped in front of Shen Fei. His gaze swept over the sword in Shen Fei's hand before returning to his face, his tone as natural as a casual greeting. "What suddenly made you want to join the advanced class? You never used to care much about this, did you?"

"Father told me to come," Shen Fei said. His tone was flat, his expression giving nothing away.

"Father?" Shen Yue raised his eyebrows slightly, then nodded as though understanding had dawned on him. The smile at the corners of his mouth deepened. "No wonder. Father really has been paying you a lot more attention lately."

His words were courteous, but Shen Fei could hear the meaning beneath them. In the past, Shen Hong had ignored his eldest legitimate son and refused to let him touch any family affairs. Everyone had taken it for granted that Shen Yue would be the family's future heir.

Over the past few months, Shen Fei had suddenly begun handling ledgers and documents, and now he had joined the advanced class. There was no way Shen Yue felt nothing about it.

"Did you need anything else?" Shen Fei asked directly, unwilling to talk in circles with him.

"Nothing. I was just curious." Shen Yue clasped his hands behind his back, his posture relaxed, as though he had truly only stopped for a casual chat. "Brother, did you join the advanced class because you want to take cultivation seriously? Or is there another reason?"

Shen Fei looked into Shen Yue's eyes. His younger brother was not very old, but he had plenty of schemes in his head. Once, Shen Fei had thought of him as nothing more than a spoiled young master. Looking at him after his rebirth, he could see the sensitivity and probing intent in every little detail.

The question was not about cultivation. Shen Yue was feeling him out, trying to learn whether his sudden change was aimed at the position of heir.

"There's no other reason," Shen Fei said calmly. "I just want to improve my strength."

"That's good, then." Shen Yue smiled, stepped forward, and reached out to pat Shen Fei's shoulder, the gesture familiar and affectionate. "Cultivate diligently, brother. Don't disgrace the Sacred Family."

He did not use much force, but the pat on the shoulder carried a hint of pressure. The words sounded encouraging, yet they were really a warning: remember your place, do not overstep, and do not covet what does not belong to you.

After saying that, Shen Yue withdrew his hand, exchanged a few more pleasantries about minor family matters, then turned and left.

His back was straight and his pace unhurried. When passing students greeted him, he responded to each with a smile. To anyone watching, the brothers appeared to be on good terms, merely exchanging a few casual words about family life.

Shen Fei remained where he was, watching Shen Yue's figure disappear at the end of the corridor before withdrawing his gaze.

He did not take Shen Yue's probing to heart. Compared with the life-and-death struggles when the city fell in his previous life, those petty schemes were as light as a sheet of paper. But he would not grow careless either.

Shen Yue enjoyed Shen Hong's favor and trust, and his words carried considerable weight within the family. If he set his sights on Shen Fei, he could easily disrupt his plans. From now on, Shen Fei would have to act with even greater restraint and leave no handle for anyone to seize.

He turned toward the classroom and collected his things. Rather than retrace his steps, he took another path leading to the lower-year students' Martial Arts Arena.

He remembered that the lower-year students had a preliminary soul force test that afternoon. In his previous life, he had paid no attention to such things at this point. He had only seen the record later while sorting through old archives.

But this life was different. That morning, he had heard several classmates chatting about how Shen Xiu was going to make a wager with a third-year student, with the soul force value from this test deciding the outcome.

He did not need to think to know that the third-year student was Nie Li.

Shen Fei walked slowly along the corridor. More and more of the passing students wore lower-year uniforms, chattering noisily as they headed toward the Martial Arts Arena. It seemed plenty of people knew about the wager and were waiting to enjoy the spectacle.

By the time he reached the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, the test was about to begin. A ring of spectators had gathered, mostly third-year students, though a few older students had come to join the excitement.

A Soul Force Testing Stele stood in the middle of the crowd. Entirely black and half a person's height, it was an instrument the institute used to measure the soul force of low-tier students.

Shen Fei found a spot beside a pillar and stopped there. It was out of the way, with few people nearby, allowing him a clear view of the grounds without easily drawing attention.

He spotted Shen Xiu in the center of the crowd at once.

Several children from collateral branches surrounded her, all showering her with flattery.

As Shen Xiu listened, the smile on her face grew more pronounced. Her gaze swept across to the other side, and she spoke with a hint of disdain.

"Nie Li, there's still time to admit defeat. When the test shows you can't even meet the minimum standard, you'll only be humiliating yourself."

On the other side of the crowd, Nie Li leaned against a pillar in gray cloth clothes washed nearly white. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, his expression indifferent.

At her words, he lifted his eyelids slightly. His voice was not loud, but everyone nearby could hear him. "We don't know who's going to win yet. If you're scared, you can still go back on your word."

"I'm scared?" Shen Xiu sneered as though she had heard a joke. "Why would I be scared of a useless fool at the bottom of his entire year? Enough nonsense. Get started."

The surrounding students burst into laughter, most of them backing Shen Xiu and waiting to see Nie Li embarrass himself. No one thought he could win the wager.

After all, everyone knew that in the two years since Nie Li had enrolled, his soul force had always ranked at the very bottom. He could not even perform the most basic condensation.

Shen Xiu, on the other hand, was a genius of the Sacred Family. She had already reached Silver rank, possessed perception far beyond that of ordinary people, and was widely acknowledged as a future powerhouse.

An instructor approached with a record book and motioned for the two to quiet down. The test proceeded by student number, and Nie Li came first.

Under everyone's gaze, Nie Li walked up to the Soul Force Testing Stele, extended his right hand, and pressed it against the cold surface.

The laughter around him gradually died away. Everyone stared at the Soul Force Testing Stele, waiting for a feeble light to appear and confirm once again that Nie Li was useless.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

At first, the Soul Force Testing Stele showed no response. Then a speck of pale white light appeared where his palm touched its surface.

The light was faint at first, as though it might go out at any moment. Then its brightness began to rise steadily, shifting from pale white to pure white, then to a faint yellow, before settling firmly at the Bronze-rank mark.

The entire training ground fell silent in an instant.

Those standing close rubbed their eyes, thinking they had seen wrong. Those at the back craned their necks, unable to suppress their cries of astonishment.

Some whispered that it was impossible. Others suspected the Soul Force Testing Stele was broken. Still others murmured among themselves, wondering whether Nie Li had secretly used some sinister method.

The smile froze on Shen Xiu's face. She took half a step forward and stared at the yellow light on the Soul Force Testing Stele, her eyes filled with disbelief.

The instructor was stunned as well. He looked down and flipped through his register, then looked back up at the Soul Force Testing Stele to confirm that the reading was correct. He cleared his throat and announced the result. "Nie Li, one-star Bronze soul force."

The moment his words fell, the crowd boiled over. The students clamored with discussion, their voices as noisy as a marketplace. No one could accept the result. A universally acknowledged failure had suddenly tested at one-star Bronze soul force. It was more absurd than a tale from the Arabian Nights.

Nie Li withdrew his hand, his face expressionless, as though he had known the result all along. He turned toward Shen Xiu and said evenly, "You lost."

"If you make a wager, you have to accept the loss," Nie Li said, looking at her without any change in his tone. "Remember what you promised."

Shen Xiu clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. She shot Nie Li a vicious glare, said nothing, and turned to push her way out of the crowd.

The children from collateral branches who had accompanied her hurried after her, trying to console her as they walked and saying that a single test meant nothing.

With no more spectacle to watch, the spectators gradually dispersed as well, heading toward the dining hall or the dormitories in small groups while discussing the test result.

The crowd around the Martial Arts Arena grew thinner. Shen Fei remained in his original spot, his gaze resting on Nie Li.

He had watched the test closely. The instant Nie Li pressed his palm down, the fluctuation in his soul force had been unusual. It did not seem like the product of ordinary cultivation, but rather the effect of some special cultivation technique.

Nie Li's strength was definitely greater than one-star Bronze. He had most likely deliberately suppressed the result of the test.

Just then, as though sensing something, Nie Li suddenly turned his head and looked straight toward Shen Fei.

Their gazes collided across half the Martial Arts Arena.

Shen Fei neither hid nor looked away. He simply stood beside the pillar, looking back calmly.

Nie Li's eyes were just as they had been during their last encounter in the Black Market: calm, sharp, and faintly scrutinizing. He had clearly recognized Shen Fei. His brow creased almost imperceptibly, then smoothed again.

Neither spoke, and neither nodded in greeting. After they stared at one another for several seconds, Nie Li withdrew his gaze first. He turned, picked up the cloth bag he had left on the ground, and walked away without looking back. His gray-clad figure soon disappeared through the exit of the Martial Arts Arena.

Shen Fei stayed where he was for a little longer before slowly heading back.

Most of the setting sun had already sunk below the horizon, staining the sky orange-red. The breeze in the corridor carried the evening chill and felt pleasant against his skin.

He knew perfectly well that today's test was only Nie Li's first step. Nie Li concealed far more than he revealed. And after suffering this setback, Shen Xiu certainly would not let the matter rest. She was bound to cause Nie Li more trouble in the future.

For him, that was not a bad thing.

Shen Yue's wariness, Shen Xiu's resentment, Nie Li's careful advances. Every person and every event was moving along its own course, gradually weaving together.

He did not need to rush to choose a side or make a move. He only needed to remain in the shadows, watch it all unfold, and place his own piece on the board when the time was right.

By the time he returned to the Sacred Family estate, dusk had fallen. The steward stood in the entrance hall. Seeing him return, he approached and said that the master was waiting in the study and wanted him to come over.

Shen Fei nodded in acknowledgment. He returned to his room first to put away his things and straighten his robes, then headed toward the study.

The lanterns in the corridor had all been lit, their warm yellow light falling across the blue stone slabs. His steps were steady, and he had already worked out what to say. Shen Hong had most likely summoned him to ask about the advanced class, though it was also possible Shen Yue had said something after returning.

Whatever it was, he could handle it.

He was no longer the impatient young man he had been in his previous life.

After giving it some thought, he decided that he ought to have teammates of his own now. The first person who came to mind was Xiao Ning'er. It seemed he would have to show her that he meant no harm.