In the blink of an eye, Feng Lingtian had been at the academy for a year.
One night, the dormitory building lay in complete darkness. Without any warning, an alarm suddenly rang out, shrill and piercing.
More than twenty junior freshmen were jolted awake. Someone shouted frantically in the darkness, "What is it? What is it? What happened?"
Another voice answered, "Sounds like an emergency assembly! I've heard the senior students talk about it before!"
"Why didn't anyone tell us?!"
Sounds of frantic scrambling rose one after another. Some collided in the corridor, some could not find their shoes in the dark, and some ran the wrong way before doubling back. There were not many of them, but the darkness magnified all the chaos, filling the narrow corridor with bangs and crashes.
When Feng Lingtian rolled out of bed, Zhong Yue woke up too. Pulling on his shoes, Zhong Yue shouted toward the fourth bed, "Su Ran, emergency assembly! Wake up!"
Su Ran was the roommate who slept in the fourth bed. His Food-type Martial Soul was Wind Grain, and he was mild-tempered and usually quiet. He sat up groggily, his eyes not fully open, and stared blankly into the darkness before him, as though he had yet to register what had happened.
Zhong Yue had already pulled on his shoes and rushed out. At the doorway, he glanced back, saw Su Ran still sitting dazedly on the edge of his bed, and shouted again, "Hurry up!"
Only then did Su Ran seem to have a switch flipped, and he slowly began looking for his clothes. He answered, his voice still husky from sleep, his tone carrying a little resignation at being woken, but he was neither hurried nor impatient.
Feng Lingtian took it in and made a mental note. Su Ran needed a little time to adjust when woken suddenly. If there was an emergency in the future, he would have to wake him first to leave him time to react.
Feng Lingtian withdrew his gaze, pushed off, and dashed out the door. His Peregrine Falcon Martial Soul's sensitivity to air currents made him a little faster than ordinary people in the dark.
When he reached the training ground, only one person stood there-Lu Hanxiao.
In the moonlight, Lu Hanxiao's figure was especially clear. He stood half a head taller than his peers, with a thin frame and narrow shoulders, like a bamboo pole that had yet to fill out. His skin was very pale, the cool pallor of someone who rarely saw sunlight, making his features particularly distinct. His face was rather long, his chin pointed, his nose high and straight, his eye sockets slightly recessed, and his lashes long and curling, with a trace of youthful immaturity that had yet to fade completely. His eyes were the most distinctive feature-a narrow pair with slightly upturned corners and irises so pale brown they looked as though they had been washed in water. His gaze was detached when he looked at people, not out of coldness, but genuine indifference, as though most things in the world were not worth lifting his eyelids for. He wore a blue-green robe, its fabric far better than that of ordinary students and its workmanship fine, with subtle patterns embroidered along the collar and cuffs.
Lu Hanxiao stood quietly in line, exactly as he did during daytime classes, as though the earlier chaos had nothing to do with him. Feng Lingtian was the second to arrive, but he noticed that Lu Hanxiao's breathing was as steady as if he had strolled over from the dormitory.
The junior freshmen arrived one after another. Some were still fastening their buttons, some had one bare foot, and some had even put their trousers on backward. Instructor Qin stood before the line, holding a Soul Guidance Lamp whose light swayed slightly in the night breeze.
Once everyone had arrived, Instructor Qin glanced down at the clipboard in her hand.
"First place, Lu Hanxiao, Snowy Owl Martial Soul. Second place, Feng Lingtian, Peregrine Falcon Martial Soul. Third place, Ji Ning, Hummingbird Martial Soul. Fourth place, Jiang Lin, Spirit Eyes Martial Soul. Fifth place, Zhong Yue, Wind Armor Black Tortoise Martial Soul."
Instructor Qin put away the clipboard and swept her gaze over everyone, her expression turning stern.
"You've been at the academy for over a year now and have long since grown accustomed to academy life. Outside of classes, you've all become lax." She paused. "For Soul Masters to improve, cultivation alone isn't enough. You cannot let your everyday vigilance slip either. From now on, the academy will hold random nighttime assembly drills without advance notice."
Instructor Qin's gaze passed over the top five, and she said, "You five did well."
Something stirred in Feng Lingtian's mind. During the last cross-country class, Instructor Qin had only read out their names. This time, she had announced their Martial Souls as well, and even added that they had "done well." It seemed the emergency assembly recorded more than just who was fast and who was slow. If the academy selected a team in the future, it would probably also consider their performance in these assessments.
Feng Lingtian drew his thoughts back and looked at the other two.
Ji Ning stood at the edge of the crowd, small and thin, wearing a gray cloth outfit washed almost white, his hair cropped close to his scalp. He stood there quietly, completely unlike the other scrambling freshmen. Noticing Feng Lingtian's gaze, he raised his eyelids briefly, then lowered them again.
Jiang Lin stood nearby, his breathing already steady. He rarely spoke, but he consistently placed near the top in every test. It had been true of the cross-country run, and it was true of the emergency assembly too.
As for Zhong Yue in fifth place-Feng Lingtian glanced over to find him bracing his hands on his knees and panting. Making the top five as a defense-type was already quite impressive.
Instructor Qin added, "The top five should go to the logistics office tomorrow to collect their outstanding-performance resources. This is the academy's rule. Aside from the special case of the first cross-country run, only the top five in subsequent assessments will receive outstanding-performance resources. The rest of you will simply collect basic resources once a month."
Several freshmen began discussing it in low voices.
"It's been twice now, and first place hasn't changed hands. It's always Lu Hanxiao."
"Feng Lingtian's been really consistent too. Second every time."
"Zhong Yue and Jiang Lin too. They make it into the top five every time."
"They've got real ability. If we can't beat them, we can't beat them. We have to give them that."
Feng Lingtian said nothing. He committed Instructor Qin's words about the resource rules to memory. As for the discussions, he had his own judgment too-anyone who consistently made the top five could not be lacking in talent or foundations.
Instructor Qin offered a few brief comments, then let the freshmen return to rest.
After they were dismissed, moonlight fell across Lu Hanxiao's profile on the way back to the dormitory. Feng Lingtian noticed a faint golden glow in his eyes, unlike during the day. This was a feature of the Snowy Owl Martial Soul when activated-night vision. Where others could barely move a step in the darkness, it was no different from daytime to Lu Hanxiao.
Back in the dormitory, Zhong Yue collapsed onto his bed as soon as he came through the door.
"I'm exhausted. That was more tiring than the daytime cross-country run."
Lu Hanxiao had already sat down by the window, holding a book.
Zhong Yue turned his head toward him. "You came first. Why aren't you reacting at all?"
Lu Hanxiao's page-turning fingers paused, then continued. "What reaction?"
"Be happy, smile, say something. You're acting like you didn't even run."
Lu Hanxiao was silent for a moment. "Finishing the run is enough."
Zhong Yue opened his mouth, then closed it again. Two seconds later, he suddenly asked, "Were your eyes glowing just now?"
Lu Hanxiao did not look up. "Moonlight."
"Moonlight can make people's eyes glow?" Zhong Yue scratched his head and turned to Feng Lingtian, his eyes saying, "He's brushing me off again."
Feng Lingtian did not meet Zhong Yue's gaze. He sat down beside his own bed and began undoing his wrist guards.
Lu Hanxiao wasn't brushing him off, he thought. He just didn't think these things needed saying. Snowy Owl Martial Soul, night vision, moving through darkness as though on level ground. He came first, yet his soles were clean, and his breathing hadn't even faltered. After coming back, he sat by the window and opened a book, as though nothing had happened.
He had come first, yet acted as though he had never run.
This person kept his depths hidden.
As for Ji Ning, Feng Lingtian only remembered how he had stood at the edge of the crowd. Small and thin, neat from head to toe, completely unlike the other scrambling freshmen. When Instructor Qin read his name, he had not even raised his eyelids.
Another one who did not like talking.
Su Ran was the last to return. He gently pushed open the door and, seeing that all three had already lain down, softened his footsteps as he walked to his bed. Zhong Yue rolled over and mumbled, "What place?"
Su Ran said softly, "Didn't notice."
Zhong Yue murmured an acknowledgment and fell asleep again.
The dormitory grew quiet.
Four people, four kinds of quiet. Lu Hanxiao did not want to speak, Su Ran felt there was no need to speak, and Zhong Yue only fell quiet once he had said everything he wanted to say. As for Feng Lingtian himself-he was listening.
Thinking of the training awaiting him tomorrow, Feng Lingtian slowly closed his eyes.