That morning, sunlight streamed through the wooden window of the dormitory. The hurried footsteps echoing in the corridor stirred Li Yuan, Mu Yi, and Fan Tu from their beds.
From the window, they saw several simple carriages arriving one by one in the academy courtyard. Other children — about twenty of them from various villages — stepped down from the wagons, their faces tired yet filled with curiosity.
"They're here," Fan Tu said as he stood by the window.
One by one, the newcomers were introduced and assigned to the same room. The atmosphere grew livelier, but a quiet tension lingered — the students didn't know each other yet, and everyone remained cautious.
A boy with short hair tied back with a cloth band and sharp eyes approached Li Yuan. He was bigger than most boys his age, with the gaze of someone used to fighting. His name was Feng Lu, from Qingcao Village.
"You were the first one to arrive here, right?" he asked bluntly.
Li Yuan simply nodded.
"You have any idea what's going to happen in this place?" Feng Lu continued.
Li Yuan looked at him with his signature pale gray eyes — calm, yet deep as an endless ravine.
"No one told us anything," he replied.
"But I have a guess…"
Feng Lu raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear it."
"They didn't bring us all this way just to teach ordinary martial arts. This academy feels like… a place to filter people. Like they're looking for someone — for something bigger."
Feng Lu stared at him for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"Some kind of special force, maybe?" he muttered.
Li Yuan gave a faint smile. "It's just a guess. But those who fail… I don't think they'll be sent home. I can feel it — in the way they look at us."
The room grew heavier after those words. Some of the other children who overheard the conversation exchanged glances — some anxious, others visibly fired up.
Outside the room, a large bell rang three times — the signal for the official welcoming and announcement ceremony.
"Let's go," said Mu Yi, standing and tightening his sash.
"Time to see what's really waiting for us."
Li Yuan, Mu Yi, Fan Tu, Feng Lu, and the others stepped out. The morning light greeted them — warm and golden — but beyond that light… lay the shadows of a future still unknown.