Entering the Academy

Bluestone Town was much larger than Starfall Town. Houses with gray-tiled roofs and white walls stood in rows along a main street paved with bluestone. Teahouses, cloth shops, and general stores lined the road, while people who had risen early for the market crowded the street and vendors' cries rang out one after another. Long Tian walked along with a bundle on his back, looking this way and that, finding everything new. In all his life, the farthest he had ever gone was the mountain god's temple at the western end of town. He had never seen a town this lively.

He asked for directions along the way and soon found the academy.

It occupied a sizable compound enclosed by a blue-brick wall about ten feet high, its top covered in withered vines. Two vermilion wooden doors stood open beneath a black plaque bearing the words "Bluestone Town Junior Soul Master Academy" in bold, vigorous gold strokes. Two stone lions stood before the entrance. The male lion, its left paw resting on a ball, looked imposing and stood taller than Long Tian.

Long Tian looked up at it for a moment, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

Beyond the entrance lay a broad courtyard with a level bluestone surface in the center. Several ginkgo trees grew along either side, most of their leaves already yellow and rustling down whenever the wind blew. Directly opposite the gate stood a three-story wooden building with a sign reading "Hall of Instruction." A few children in matching short gray cloth jackets were sweeping the courtyard. When they saw Long Tian enter, they stopped and looked at him curiously.

"Are you new here?" a little girl with her hair in two buns asked in a clear voice.

Long Tian nodded. "My name's Long Tian. I'm here to register."

"To register, find Mr. Wang on the first floor of the Hall of Instruction." The girl pointed at the wooden building, then added, "Mr. Wang's really fierce, so be careful."

Long Tian thanked her and headed for the Hall of Instruction. The first floor of the wooden building was a spacious hall furnished with several tables and chairs. A painting of mountains and rivers hung on the wall, its brushwork rich and flowing. A middle-aged man in a dark green robe was bent over a desk, writing something. He looked up at the sound of footsteps. The man was around forty, with a lean face, slightly high cheekbones, and copper-framed glasses perched on his nose. His gaze behind the lenses was calm and sharp.

"You're Long Tian from Starfall Town?" The middle-aged man set down his brush. His voice was neutral, revealing neither pleasure nor displeasure.

"Yes, Mr. Wang." Long Tian stood properly, took the tuition money and a letter of introduction his father had prepared from his bundle, and held them out with both hands.

Mr. Wang took the letter and glanced over it, then looked at Long Tian, his gaze lingering on him for a moment. He took a palm-sized white jade disc from a drawer and pushed it to the edge of the desk. "Put your hand on it. Let me see your Martial Soul."

Long Tian placed his right hand on the jade disc as instructed. It felt warm and smooth to the touch. A low hum followed, and golden and black light rose from its surface, intertwining to form the illusory images of two small dragons that slowly swam above the disc. Though the light was far less intense than it had been on the day of his awakening, the fierce dragon might was still unmistakable.

Mr. Wang's pupils contracted slightly. He took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on before leaning closer to examine the two illusory dragons. After a long while, he straightened up and adjusted his glasses, the expression on his face difficult to read.

"Twin Martial Souls, Light and Dark Twin Dragons, Innate Full Soul Power..." he murmured, as though speaking to Long Tian and yet also to himself. "Twenty years ago, an unrivaled genius with Twin Martial Souls appeared in Spirit City. Their Martial Souls were the Clear Sky Hammer and the Blue Silver Emperor. But those two Martial Souls of yours, one hard and one soft, complement each other. Your light and darkness... heh, even water and fire, which restrain each other, can barely coexist. Light and darkness clash—it's downright deadly."

Long Tian's heart skipped a beat. He pressed his lips together and said nothing. He remembered the agonizing pain when he had brought his hands together that night, and his chest still held a lingering fear.

Mr. Wang was silent for a moment. He took a thin booklet from a shelf, flipped through a few pages, and picked up his brush to add a line at the end. "Long Tian, age six. Martial Souls: Radiant Sacred Dragon, Shadow Sacred Dragon. Innate Soul Power: rank ten. Class assignment: Class C." After writing, he tore off a page and handed it to Long Tian. "Class C is in the eastern side courtyard. Turn left when you go out and follow the path to the end. You've been assigned Room D-3. Find Uncle Zhao, the steward, to collect your key. Every fifth day of the month is a rest day, and every tenth day is an assessment. Got that?"

Long Tian took the slip of paper and was about to thank him when Mr. Wang suddenly spoke again. "Oh, there's one more thing."

He raised his head and looked straight at Long Tian through his lenses. "The academy teaches two subjects: Soul Power cultivation and practical combat application. Class C is the beginner class, where we teach the most basic meditation and Soul Power guidance. Having Twin Martial Souls is both a blessing and a complication. Until you learn to stabilize the two powers separately, you must not attempt to fuse them. Do you understand me?"

"I understand," Long Tian answered solemnly.

Mr. Wang waved him out. Only after Long Tian's footsteps had faded beyond the door did he slowly lean back in his chair, let out a long breath, and rub the space between his brows, a trace of worry appearing on his face. He had taught at the academy for twenty years and seen no fewer than a thousand students awaken their Martial Souls, but Long Tian was the first of his kind. The Light and Dark Twin Dragons sounded mighty enough, but if anything went wrong... He shook his head and thought no further.

Long Tian left the Hall of Instruction and followed Mr. Wang's directions through a covered corridor to the eastern side courtyard. It was much smaller than the front courtyard. A great banyan tree with luxuriant branches and leaves stood in the middle, with several stone tables and stools beneath its shade. Seven or eight children of similar age were gathered under it. Some were playing with pebbles, while others held books and muttered as they read. When Long Tian entered, they all looked over curiously.

"Oh, a newcomer?" A chubby, round-faced boy was the first to come over. He held out a hand with a grin. "I'm Zhao Xiaopang, from Class C! What's your name?"

"Long Tian."

"Long Tian? Great name!" Zhao Xiaopang clapped him on the shoulder as though they were old friends. "Come on, come on, I'll take you to see Uncle Zhao and get your key. Then I'll show you around the dining hall. They've got meat buns this morning, and if we're late, they'll all be snatched up!"

Zhao Xiaopang pulled Long Tian along as he ran deeper into the courtyard. Long Tian glanced back at the others under the tree. Most of the children merely looked him over curiously, but none followed. Only a little girl with a ponytail smiled at him before lowering her head to read again.

After collecting the key, they found the dormitory, a small room shared by two people. Its furnishings were simple: two wooden beds, two wooden cabinets, and a table. A small window opened in the wall, with a pot of half-withered asparagus fern on the sill. Zhao Xiaopang said Long Tian's roommate was called Liu Quan. His family lived in town, and he usually commuted rather than staying at the academy, so Long Tian would have the room to himself for the time being.

Long Tian put down his bundle, folded the new clothes his mother had sewn, and placed them in a cabinet. He touched the safety charm against his chest, then followed Zhao Xiaopang to the dining hall.

The dining hall stood on the western side of the front courtyard. It was a spacious, tile-roofed building furnished with more than a dozen long tables. The aroma of breakfast drifted out, and Long Tian's stomach betrayed him with a growl. Zhao Xiaopang burst out laughing and pulled him inside to grab a seat. The two had just sat down in a corner when the entrance to the dining hall suddenly fell quiet for a moment.

Long Tian looked up and saw a youth in a silver-white brocade robe standing outside the threshold. He was tall and slender, with a cold, stern face, and a jade pendant swayed gently at his waist. His gaze swept across the dining hall before settling precisely on Long Tian.

It was him. The person who had asked the old farmer about him at the town entrance.

The white-robed youth strode over, and the children around him involuntarily parted to make way. He stopped at Long Tian's table and lowered his head slightly, looking down at him from above. They held each other's gaze for a moment. Then the corners of the youth's mouth curved upward, and he spoke neither loudly nor softly, just enough for everyone at the surrounding tables to hear.

"You're the one who awakened the Light and Dark Twin Dragons? My name is Qin Feng, a Spirit Hall trainee deacon dispatched from outside. I've come on Spirit Hall's orders to verify your Martial Soul aptitude."

The dining hall instantly erupted in a buzz of conversation. Spirit Hall! The most powerful Soul Master organization on the continent! The meat bun in Zhao Xiaopang's hand fell onto the table as he stared at Qin Feng, dumbstruck.

Long Tian tightened his grip on his chopsticks and looked up to meet Qin Feng's gaze. "Verify? How?"

Qin Feng gave a faint chuckle, stepped back half a pace, and extended his right hand. He turned his palm upward, and the illusory image of an ancient-looking longsword appeared. Pale silver radiance flowed along its blade, and a keen, cutting presence instantly enveloped the area for several yards around. "Simple," he said. "Let me see the power of your twin dragons with my own eyes."

A hush fell over the dining hall.

Long Tian set down his chopsticks and stood. He only reached Qin Feng's chest, but his back was ramrod straight, with no intention of backing down. He raised his right hand and stirred the golden vortex inside him-

Crackle!

Golden light flashed, and several golden dragon scales surfaced on the back of his hand, shining brilliantly in the morning sunlight.

Qin Feng's eyes lit up. He was about to speak when a stern shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard. "Who dares start a fight in the academy without permission?!"

Footsteps rapidly approached. Long Tian and Qin Feng turned at the same time to see Mr. Wang striding toward them, his face dark, with two senior students following behind. Mr. Wang glanced at the illusory longsword in Qin Feng's palm, then at the golden dragon scales on the back of Long Tian's hand. His voice was cold as ice. "Even a Spirit Hall deacon must follow the rules of my little academy when he comes here. Put away your Martial Soul. If you have something to say, come to my room."

Qin Feng's expression did not change. He smiled slightly and closed his fingers, and the illusory longsword vanished without a trace. He cupped his hands toward Mr. Wang. "You're right, Mr. Wang. I was presumptuous."

He looked down at Long Tian again, something more meaningful entering his gaze. Lowering his voice, he said, "Six years old, and you can already use your Martial Soul at will right after awakening it... It seems you really are rather interesting. Today isn't convenient, so I'll come and seek your guidance another day."

With that, he turned and left, his white robe billowing in the morning breeze. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared beyond the courtyard gate.

Long Tian stood where he was, his left hand clenched into a fist inside his sleeve. The black vortex had nearly burst out just now as well, but he had forcibly suppressed it. He gazed in the direction Qin Feng had disappeared, one thought turning over and over in his mind. Is this person a friend or an enemy? Spirit Hall... what do they want with me?

Mr. Wang came over, patted him on the shoulder, and sighed. "Eat first. I'll tell you about Spirit Hall later."

Long Tian nodded and sat down again, lowering his head to take a bite of the bun. The aroma of the meat filling spread across his tongue, but he could hardly taste it. Outside the window, fallen ginkgo leaves carpeted the ground in gold. The bleak autumn wind blew, rustling the withered leaves of the potted asparagus fern.