The principal's office was quiet.
The kind of quiet that came right before a storm.
Behind a wide crescent-shaped desk carved from spiritwood sat Principal Yun Ren, eyes half-closed, fingers steepled. His long beard trailed down onto the desk as he looked over the four students now standing—some awkwardly, some angrily—in front of him.
To the left, Qiang Ming, expression calm, hands folded behind his back, his massive black hammer nowhere in sight, already dismissed back into his soul.
To the right, still nursing bruises, were Ye Sugei, Xi Xan, and We Wei. All three stood stiff, red-faced, arms crossed tightly. Their clothes were disheveled, one sleeve torn, another's lip split, and Sugei had a lump forming over his left eye the size of a peach.
Behind them stood their parents—six adults in total, three men and three women. Middle-class soul masters and merchants, none particularly powerful, all with eyes that flicked nervously between the principal, their sons, and—
The Duke.
Qiang Shen stood beside his son like a mountain. Tall, dressed in subdued but clearly expensive robes, his presence filled the room. His face was unreadable, but his silence seemed to press down on everyone present.
Principal Yun Ren finally opened his eyes.
"Well," he said, with the weariness of someone used to cleaning up after younger generations. "Quite the entrance, wouldn't you say?"
No one answered.
He turned toward Qiang Ming first.
"Young master Ming, let's begin with this: You are not expelled."
Somewhere in the back, Sugei's mother let out a small gasp. The other parents leaned forward.
"However," Yun Ren continued, his tone sharper now, "you are dangerously close."
He leaned forward, voice firmer.
"You destroyed school property. You hospitalized three of your classmates. Had your control slipped, they could have been gravely injured—or worse. That is unacceptable."
Qiang Ming nodded, expression as unreadable as his father's.
"I understand, Principal. It won't happen again."
Yun Ren raised an eyebrow. "Is that an apology?"
"No," Qiang Ming said calmly. "It's a statement."
A few parents stiffened.
The principal sighed. "You're dangerously good at making enemies without trying, aren't you?"
He turned his sharp gaze to the other three boys.
"Sugei. Xan. Wei."
All three straightened.
"You initiated physical confrontation in your shared dormitory. You verbally provoked a fellow student, mocked his lineage, and then attempted to gang up on him, clearly underestimating his capabilities. Had this been a few millennia ago, the time of Huo Yuhao or Tang San and you'd be dead."
The room fell silent.
Yun Ren's voice was like a whip.
"You three have power. But no control. No respect. No judgment. You should be thanking the stars Qiang Ming didn't feel like making an example out of you."
Sugei tried to speak. "But Principal—"
"Silence."
The boy shut his mouth immediately.
Yun Ren shifted his gaze now to the parents.
"Now to the matter of damage. One-third of a dormitory wing. Foundation cracked. Two spirit-ward arrays compromised. Repairs will take weeks and cost a substantial sum of resources."
The parents paled.
A man—Xi Xan's father—spoke up nervously. "Principal Yun, perhaps we could come to an arrangement—"
"Oh, I'm sure we will," the principal said, voice like ice. "But given the scale of the damage, don't expect the academy to be lenient."
We Wei's mother looked like she was about to cry. "Principal, we… we're not exactly—"
A soft cough interrupted her.
Everyone turned toward the source.
Qiang Shen had raised a hand to his mouth and now lowered it slowly, his voice the first from him that morning.
"If I may?"
Principal Yun nodded.
Qiang Shen took a step forward, placing a hand lightly on Qiang Ming's shoulder.
"My son was the one who ended the conflict. The one who caused the structural damage. Regardless of the instigation, responsibility for the aftermath falls, primarily, on him."
The other parents froze.
"I will cover the full cost of repairs. Quietly. As a gesture of good faith and with the hope that the incident remains absent from my son's permanent record."
The principal's eyes gleamed faintly. "Is that a bribe, Duke Qiang?"
"It is a request," Qiang Shen said, his voice calm. "Backed by payment."
Yun Ren held his gaze for a long moment. Then slowly, he leaned back in his chair.
"So be it. In the interest of peace, and progress... the incident will not be formally recorded."
The relief in the room was palpable.
But the tension wasn't fully gone.
Yun Ren's eyes passed over everyone one more time.
"Let this be the last incident I hear involving Room 307. If I do… well, I may not be so generous next time."
He waved a hand.
"Dismissed."
Outside the office, Qiang Shen and Qiang Ming walked in silence through the gravel path leading to the dormitory building. The father said nothing at first, his hands folded behind his back, gaze forward.
Only when they reached the foot of the stairs did he stop.
He turned and lowered himself slightly, going down on one knee so that he was at his son's level.
Then he smiled—a rare, private expression.
"You did well."
Qiang Ming blinked.
"You're not angry?"
Qiang Shen reached out and patted his son's head.
"You were provoked. You responded with precision and power. And most importantly—you didn't lose control. You held back. That's worth more than blind obedience."
His eyes softened, though his voice stayed strong.
"In this city, if the heavens fall, I will hold them up until you're ready to take over. So be wild, be proud—but also be wise. Su Yang told me to remind you: focus on foundation during these years. Don't rush. Build."
He ruffled his son's hair and stood.
"Make enemies if you must. But never let them stand over you."
He turned and walked to the waiting Soul Car, the chauffeur bowing before driving off.
Qiang Ming stood still, watching until the car disappeared.
Then he turned.
Inside Room 307, the atmosphere had changed.
Ye Sugei had a bag of ice pressed to his jaw. Xi Xan was quietly folding clothes. We Wei, arms crossed, stared at the window.
When Qiang Ming entered, all three looked up.
For a moment, the silence hung heavy.
Then, as if coordinated by fate, all three slowly muttered:
"...Boss."
Qiang Ming's smirk returned.
"Good."
For the first time in years, he felt something unexpected.
Contentment.