"Teacher Wu, I'm not planning to join any organization for now." Jiang Mingyuan sat up on the sofa. Tang Wulin had wanted to reach out and stop him, never expecting those words to come out of his mouth.
Wu Changkong nodded, his expression as calm as ever. He had never expected all these children to agree to join the Tang Sect right away.
As a teacher, he wanted his students to think for themselves rather than impulsively join the Tang Sect because of him or the stories they had heard growing up. It would be best if they could experience a few things before making their decision.
Wu Changkong swept his gaze over Tang Wulin and Xie Xie again and said evenly, "You can go back and take your time thinking it over. Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, I also hope you'll reconsider whether joining the Tang Sect is what you truly want. You're still young, and there are many things you don't understand yet. Joining a major organization has far-reaching consequences. I don't want you to regret today's choice in the future."
After hearing Wu Changkong's words, they each lowered their heads, sinking deep into thought.
Stories of the Tang Sect were widespread across the continent. Growing up, they had heard their parents or neighbors tell those stories countless times, so they had long since developed a fondness for the Tang Sect.
Wu Changkong's words had opened their eyes. The Tang Sect was good, but the problem was that it was too big and too good. As one of the continent's foremost organizations, joining it was nothing like simply applying for a job. There were far too many things involved behind the scenes.
Seeing their expressions, Wu Changkong's lips curved into a faint smile. He rose from the sofa and clapped his hands to draw their attention.
"All right, go back and think it over. Today's assessment ends here. All of you passed."
After returning to Eastsea Academy, they gathered in Tang Wulin's room.
"The two of us still intend to join the Tang Sect." After discussing it, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi remained firm in their original choice.
Even the usually carefree Xie Xie wore a troubled expression now.
"I'd better go home and ask my family."
And Tang Wulin? He undoubtedly wanted to join the Tang Sect. His parents had told him stories about it throughout his childhood. But if Brother Yuan didn't join, wouldn't that mean they would have to part ways in the future?
Jiang Mingyuan sat in a chair, leaning to the right with his right elbow propped on the desk. His wrist rested naturally against his cheek, his fingertips idly tapping the skin beside his ear. He took in everyone's expressions.
"Let me give you a piece of advice. You have to take responsibility for your own actions."
All four turned their heads at once, their gazes landing on Jiang Mingyuan.
"A massive organization like the Tang Sect isn't somewhere you can join or leave whenever you please. You might be able to get in today through Teacher Wu's connections, but if you regret it someday, leaving won't be so simple."
"Besides, we're all still young. We've got at least several decades ahead of us. Why hand over our freedom so early?"
Take Jiang Mingyuan himself, for instance. Although he had become Leng Yaozhu's disciple, he had never said he would join the Spirit Pagoda. Everyone assumed he was a member, but his name truly wasn't in its employee records.
Of course, he had spoken to Leng Yaozhu about this as well. He had originally thought she would refuse, but to his surprise, her answer had been very straightforward.
"As your teacher, I support your decision. You're all still too young to understand what joining an organization really means. It's good to go out, travel, and see more of the world."
Early the next morning, sunlight slipped through a gap in the dormitory curtains, carving a long, narrow strip of light across the floor.
Jiang Mingyuan climbed out of bed as usual. With his eyes half-closed, he stretched out of habit, listening to the soft pops of his joints.
Then, shuffling along in his slippers with his wine-red hair in a tangled mess, he swayed toward the bathroom.
"Mm... Why do I feel a little heavy today?"
Muttering to himself, Jiang Mingyuan approached the toilet on unsteady feet and pulled down his pajama pants, about to relieve himself.
In an instant, Jiang Mingyuan froze as though he had been electrocuted.
Droplets fell from the faucet and struck the porcelain with crisp, clear taps.
"Aaaah!!!"
Xie Xie, who had gotten up early and just returned from his run, happened to be passing by when he heard a cry from Jiang Mingyuan's room. Thinking something had happened, he instinctively burst through the door and rushed inside.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
A bottle of shower gel flew out through the open bathroom door and struck Xie Xie squarely between the eyebrows. He immediately collapsed, falling into a sleep as peaceful as a baby's.
"What happened?" Wang Jinxi had heard the noise too and hurried over. The moment he entered, he saw Xie Xie lying on the floor, his fate unknown, and instinctively assumed an enemy had launched a surprise attack.
What he failed to notice was Jiang Mingyuan standing behind the door, his hair hanging loose, quietly reaching out to place a hand on Wang Jinxi's neck.
With a click, Wang Jinxi also crumpled to the floor.
The next to arrive on the battlefield was Zhang Yangzi. Jiang Mingyuan, who had been about to dispose of the two bodies, was speechless.
Why are you all showing up so fast, one after another?
After lining up the three "corpses" and covering them with a cloth, Jiang Mingyuan returned to the bathroom. Standing before the sink, he stared at himself in the mirror in disbelief, his brain crashing as he sank deep into thought.
Jiang Mingyuan remembered still being in his male form before going to sleep. He shouldn't have had any sleepwalking symptoms, so he couldn't possibly have gotten up in the middle of the night and used Martial Soul Possession to turn into his female form.
He immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, but as he looked at his reflection and the pale golden flames drifting around his body, he discovered to his despair that he was already in Phoenix Form!
"I'm done for, done for! I can't change back! What's going on?!"
Jiang Mingyuan anxiously paced in circles around the bathroom, failing to notice another figure quietly arriving at his door.
"Brother Yuan?"
Tang Wulin had no idea what had happened. He had gone downstairs for a morning run with Xie Xie, but a stop at the cafeteria to eat had delayed him, so he had returned a few minutes later.
Jiang Mingyuan stopped and raised his head, meeting Tang Wulin's eyes.
In fact, very few people knew about Jiang Mingyuan's female form so far. Among those close to him, only Tang Wulin and Na'er knew.
Of course, the Spirit Transmitter who had awakened his martial soul certainly knew, but Jiang Mingyuan had no way of knowing whom that man had told.
Tang Wulin had sharp eyes, and he immediately noticed something was different about Jiang Mingyuan. Brother Yuan's originally bright red, short hair had become wine-red hair reaching his waist. His features looked more feminine, and his figure seemed more petite.
Most importantly, although the swell of Jiang Mingyuan's chest was slight, it was definitely there.
Tang Wulin instinctively sensed that something had happened. Without so much as looking at the three "corpses," he stepped straight over them.
Reaching the bathroom doorway and seeing Jiang Mingyuan's anxious expression, he couldn't help asking, "Brother Yuan, what's wrong?"