Three Days Off:-
They were given three days off.
Three whole days away from Wangshou Academy and its relentless trials.
The academy was, without question, the best in the realm. Its training was rigorous, its standards unmatched. But even the finest blade can break from overuse, and even the most disciplined pupil deserves a reprieve. At least students in boarding schools got vacations—why should cultivators be any different?
For LuPeng, the announcement was nothing short of liberation. His excitement was almost childlike, his grin impossible to hide. Three days away from the suffocating, toxic training of his master was a blessing he intended to savor.
Wenli, however, did not share his joy. Freedom meant little when one had nowhere to go. Worse, she had two people who followed her with the loyalty and dependence of disciples to their master.
Once—long ago—she had been the daughter of one of the most prestigious families in the land. But the massacre had taken everything from her. In her real world and now in this one, she had been stripped of home, name, and safety.
If she left Wen Ru behind during the break, he would be at the mercy of those disciples who had not been granted the honor of a vacation. And Wen Ru… he would not survive it. He was already a target for cruelty—skinny, timid, and unprotected save for her presence. Without his "anchor," the bullying would escalate into open torment.
Zhao Feiyun, the ringleader of those who despised him, had a particular talent for humiliation. Once, she had thrown him into the icy water reservoir in the middle of winter, forcing him to crawl out drenched and shivering. This time, Wenli knew she would not stop at mere humiliation. There were whispers that the disciples had been practicing Heaven's Pin, a cruel immobilization technique. A few strikes to the right meridians, and Wen Ru could be left paralyzed for hours, lying helpless on the cold flagstones while the others "trained" around him.
Hualia was another matter entirely. She was Wenli's closest friend—her only friend, in truth. But what to do with her during this short reprieve? And then there was that cursed pact Wenli had been forced to make with her nemesis… a chain she could neither break nor ignore.
XiMei, at least, was thrilled by the announcement. She wore her enthusiasm openly, the corners of her mouth refusing to flatten. They were the only group in their division to earn this reward, granted for their undefeated teamwork in the last series of missions.
Originally, Dean Liu had intended the honor for just the three of them—Wenli, LuPeng, and XiMei. But with Wenli's "extra baggage" and the general nuisance they posed to the academy (more mouths to feed than hands to train), she saw fit to include them all. In her eyes, it was a graceful way to rid herself of certain troublesome presences, if only for a few days.
Dean Liu's rules were iron. And in Wangshou Academy, she was the law. One of those rules was explicit: "Never train a person who has not contributed to the academy." Wenli's parents had once poured their entire fortune into securing her invitation here, but that meant nothing now. Dean Liu had assigned her to the poorest and least respected master in the entire institution.
She favored those she liked, and discarded the rest without a second thought.
For example—LuPeng and Wenli. Tossing them out in the name of "vacation" was, to her, the best use of the moment. Not that she intended to cut them off completely—LuPeng's fighting skills were exceptional, and Wenli, despite her setbacks, was still the Blue Phoenix.
LuPeng would master the Seven Swordsmanship with ease, even if cultivation itself was a struggle for him due to his unique shortcomings. For him, the sword was not just a weapon—it was the path forward.
Wenli, on the other hand, had paused her own pursuit of sword mastery for reasons she kept to herself. Yet Dean Liu was certain the Blue Phoenix's path would one day lead her to the resting place of the Purple Phoenix—a destiny she clearly intended to exploit.
As for XiMei—Dean Liu tolerated her. Outspoken, stubborn, and clever, she was not Wenli's closest friend, but she had earned her respect. If not for that fateful mistake on the day groups were chosen, Wenli would never have been paired with her.
It was at least a good thing,
XiMei was the only child of an old man—and even that was by adoption.
The elderly couple who raised her had been childless their entire lives. One cold morning, they found her lying at their doorstep, wrapped in a fraying red cloth. The old woman nearly stepped on her, mistaking her for a discarded bundle. Only the sudden shriek from beneath the cloth had saved the child from a crushing foot.
No one knew how XiMei had obtained her invitation to Wangshou Academy when she came of age. The old couple only remembered a hooded stranger visiting their home years ago, speaking briefly about "opportunity" and "destiny." They had dismissed it at the time—until the sealed scroll arrived on XiMei's sixteenth birthday.
In the Celestial Orbit Room....
The Celestial Orbit Room was unlike any other place in Wangshou Academy. It was the one chamber where disputes ceased, tempers cooled, and law held sway without question.
Its domed ceiling shimmered like a frozen lake of midnight, reflecting a sky that was not the sky outside. Stars pulsed and shifted as though alive, drifting in slow arcs that mirrored the constellations of the Nine Heavens. Silver threads of light wove between them, forming pathways that seemed to lead into infinity.
The air was warm but weightless, carrying the faint scent of sandalwood and night-blooming jasmine. The floor was polished obsidian, so flawlessly reflective that one felt suspended between two skies—the one above and its perfect twin beneath. Standing there was like stepping into a dream you never wanted to wake from.
It was here that the "Not-So-Smart Group" sat, spaced only a few meters apart but bound together by something far stronger than proximity. The phoenix hairpins they wore marked them as a unit, but their bond had been forged in the heat of shared danger—months of missions where they had risked their lives for one another.
"Teacher LuPeng," Wenli asked, tilting her head toward him, "where will you go for these three days off?"
He leaned back, gazing up at the shifting constellations. "I'll just wander around and enjoy the night skies," he said casually.
"You don't have a place to stay?" XiMei asked, frowning slightly.
LuPeng simply shook his head. He offered no further explanation.
XiMei hesitated, then brightened. "I… happen to have a place we could stay."
Both LuPeng and Wenli turned to her in mild shock.
"I live with my parents down the mountain," she explained. "I could bring you all there. But… we only have three bedrooms."
LuPeng chuckled, a quiet sound. She was… cute. Irritatingly, disarmingly cute.
"So what?" Wenli asked, amused.
"You used to live in luxury," XiMei pointed out. "And you're bringing Hualia, your servant, and that pitiful boy—no offense. I'm not sure you've lived the kind of life my parents have. And Teacher LuPeng… well, I don't know much about you either."
Her seriousness made them both laugh.
"You're amusing," Wenli said.
"You were really worried about that?" LuPeng added.
XiMei blinked, then shook her head quickly. "I… was bothered for nothing." She joined their laughter, the sound echoing gently in the starlit chamber.
The next morning, Wenli, LuPeng, XiMei, Hualia, and Wen Ru walked out of Wangshou Academy's gates together. For the first time in months, they were free from the weight of training, the sting of punishment, and the choke of strict rules.
Three days.
Three days to do whatever they pleased.
And for some of them, that was more dangerous than any mission.