That morning was cold.
A thin mist draped the stone path stretching from the gates of Qinglong Academy.
My steps were slow, yet certain.
Behind me, a place that had become home for three years.Ahead of me, a world I had never fully seen—vast, unfamiliar, and unpredictable.
I carried little with me:only a small satchel with a journal, some dried food,and a wooden pendant from my father—Li Haoming.
I held it for a moment before slipping it into my robe.Each step pressed against the earth as if heavier than usual.Not from burden,but from farewell.
A man stood at the main gate—Instructor Yusang.
He said nothing at first.Only watched me with calm eyes.
"Li Yuan," he finally spoke,"are you sure of your choice?"
I nodded.
"I can't remain here…This world calls to me."
He gave a faint smile,then held out something—a small scroll, roughly drawn. A map.
"This isn't a gift.Just something to keep you from being truly lost.The world beyond isn't like the Academy.There are no rules. No protection."
I accepted it with both hands.
"Thank you—for everything."
Yusang patted my shoulder gently.
"Don't return until you've found your own answer."
I passed through the gate.
As I stepped outside,the wind felt different—freer.The sky, wider.The air, wilder.
My heart trembled.Not from fear,but because this was my first step as myself.
The first step into a world unknown.The first step to seek understanding.The first step to finding who I truly am.
Along the path that descended from the academy,I saw fields I had only glimpsed through windows.Now I could touch them.
Wild grass brushed against my robe.Tiny insects danced without fear.A lone bird flew across the sky.
It did not know where it was headed,yet it flew on.
"I'll be like that," I whispered to myself.
The sky above stretched open.Clouds moved slowly.Sunlight pierced through the gaps,painting the world like a living canvas.
I didn't know what tomorrow would bring,who I would meet,what I would learn.
But one thing was certain…
"I won't stop walking.Not until this world, and I, understand one another."
And so,my journey began.