The offices of the Tiandou Royal Academy's Academic Affairs Council were, as usual, quiet in the morning breeze. Scrolls and records were stacked neatly across the polished desk, sunlight spilling in through the tall windows. But the tranquility didn't last long.
"Old Man Meng, where's my wine?"
Lu Yuan barged straight into the Dream Machine office, his familiar drunken stagger making the assistant outside flinch. His voice carried that lazy, raspy edge of someone who had drunk too much the night before—though, in his case, every day was the night before.
Despite the haze in his eyes, there were still a few days he remembered with sharp clarity, and today was one of them.
Every year, without fail, Mengshenji would hand him two fine jars of wine. It had become something of an unspoken tradition, almost like a ritual holiday reserved only for him.
The reason was simple.
The Tiandou Cup—jointly hosted by the Tiandou Royal Academy and the Five Elements Academy—was about to begin again.
By all logic, as the most gifted student of the Academy, Lu Yuan should have been its natural representative, the shining star to uphold their honor. But Lu Yuan didn't care. In fact, he only cared about two things: sleeping and drinking. And when he was forced into something he didn't want to do while still drunk… well, the result could only be disastrous for everyone involved.
Mengshenji had been using those jars of wine every year as a bribe—an easy way to keep Lu Yuan from even thinking about participating. Letting him fight was like letting a wild beast loose in a porcelain shop. If he beat the students of other academies too badly, not only would the Academy lose money and prestige, but it might also sour relationships with allied schools.
But this year…
"There's no wine."
Mengshenji kept a polite smile plastered on his face, but in his heart he cursed at the heavens.
Because this year, the Five Elements Academies had done something unexpected. They had specifically demanded that Lu Yuan participate. They wanted to see for themselves whether the rumors were true—that the so-called "drunken genius" was really as strong as legend claimed.
Mengshenji had tried to refuse. Who in their right mind would willingly unleash Lu Yuan into a student exchange competition? But in the end, he had no choice. The Emperor himself, Xue Ye, had declared that he would personally attend the Tiandou Cup this year. And if the Emperor wanted Lu Yuan present, then no excuse could be accepted.
Mengshenji could only grit his teeth and pray.
"You're kidding me." Lu Yuan froze, then slammed his hand down on the desk. "Old man Meng, you're the Head of the Academic Affairs Council! How can you say shameless things like that? You gave me wine every year, and today of all days you tell me there isn't any?"
"Listen to me first," Mengshenji said quickly. "This year's Tiandou Cup… you're going to participate."
Lu Yuan blinked. Then he leaned back lazily in his chair, his half-lidded eyes glinting with stubbornness. "If I don't participate, I want wine."
The Tiandou Cup, to him, was nothing but a bunch of kids meeting up to punch each other. Why run around fighting when he could be lying at home sipping wine?
"Lu Yuan, you're a student of Tiandou Royal Academy," Mengshenji pleaded. "This is your chance to bring honor and glory to us all. The Emperor himself will be watching, do you understand?"
Lu Yuan squinted as if considering this deeply. Then, with exaggerated seriousness, he lifted both hands and spread all ten fingers wide.
"It's okay. I'll participate. But I want ten jars of the good stuff you gave me last year."
Mengshenji almost spat out blood. Ten jars?! In the past, two had been enough to buy Lu Yuan's silence, and now he wanted ten just to show up? It was robbery in broad daylight!
But what choice did he have?
"Fine. Deal," Mengshenji muttered through clenched teeth. "But on one condition."
"What condition?" Lu Yuan asked without hesitation. His drunken face unexpectedly turned grave. As long as there was wine, he was willing to agree to almost anything.
"I want the championship. You understand? Tiandou Royal Academy must walk away with the Tiandou Cup."
"That's it?" Lu Yuan snorted. "Don't worry about it. Prepare the wine, and I'll knock down every last one of them!" His voice rose boldly, full of drunken bravado. To him, the idea of the Five Elements Academy's so-called geniuses being a challenge was laughable.
Mengshenji's heart should have settled with relief—should have—but then another thought struck him cold.
Wait. What if Lu Yuan got drunk inside the arena? What if, instead of fighting the other academies, he turned around and started swinging at his own teammates?
This year, the Tiandou Cup was split into one-on-one duels and team matches. Mengshenji wasn't worried about the solo fights—Lu Yuan could win those in his sleep. But in a team setting, if he lost his temper and hacked apart his comrades… the shame would be unbearable.
"Um… Lu Yuan, maybe during the Tiandou Cup, you should, you know, abstain from drinking for just a few days?" Mengshenji asked with forced cheer.
"No drinking? How many days?"
"During the tournament. Just until it's over."
"Not going!" Lu Yuan turned on his heel instantly.
"Wait, wait!" Mengshenji grabbed his robes in a panic. He could not let this slip away.
"Fine," Mengshenji sighed, defeated. "You can drink. But you have to promise—you won't be late, and you absolutely cannot knock yourself unconscious in the ring."
"That's all?" Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow in disdain.
When Lu Yuan finally staggered out of the office, Mengshenji collapsed in his chair with a long sigh. It had taken more than an hour of bargaining and pleading just to reach this pathetic agreement.
"Those cursed Five Elements Academies…" he muttered under his breath. "They really wanted Lu Yuan to participate? Aren't they just begging to be humiliated? Fine. Let's see how they like being beaten into the ground by that brat."
The next day, the morning theory class ended with the chime of the bell. Students rushed out of the lecture hall like wild horses freed from rein, but a small group of five remained.
Unlike usual, Team Huangdou didn't bolt immediately. Yu Tianheng and the others exchanged uneasy glances before hesitantly approaching the corner where Lu Yuan sat slouched over his desk.
He was clutching a wine jar, humming to himself between long gulps. His voice was low and unsteady, the notes all over the place, but the melancholy in his tune carried surprisingly far.
His brows lifted when he noticed five shadowy faces lean in over his table.
"You brats, are you trying to scare me half to death?"
"Brother Lu Yuan, calm down, calm down!" Yu Tianheng said quickly. "Don't be angry. Here—take a sip. I'll pour for you!"
"What the hell do you want?" Lu Yuan demanded, tapping the table with a dull thud. His words were slurred, but his gaze was sharp. He could tell immediately from their fidgeting expressions that this wasn't a friendly visit.
Yu Tianheng sighed. "Brother Lu Yuan, we just wanted to ask… are you really going to participate in the Tiandou Cup in a few days?"
The news had spread like wildfire that Lu Yuan was joining the competition this year, but after so many years of him refusing, nobody quite believed it. Yu Tianheng wanted to confirm the truth with his own ears.
"Yes," Lu Yuan said flatly, tipping the jar. "Old man Meng gave me decent conditions this time."
Those simple words drained the color from the Huangdou Team's faces.
What kind of cosmic joke was this?!
They weren't afraid of fighting monsters like Feng Xiaotian or Huo Wushuang. But being paired with Lu Yuan? That was a different nightmare altogether.
It wasn't an opponent they feared—it was their own teammate!
The image of the Nether White Tiger technique from their last practice session still haunted them: Lu Yuan spinning it around like a child's toy, sending them flying, bruised and battered.
"Brother Lu Yuan," Yu Tianheng quickly tried again. "You don't need to bother with this year's Tiandou Cup. With your strength, none of them are even worthy to face you. Why not let us handle those weaklings instead?"
"That's right, Brother Lu Yuan," another chimed in nervously. "You deserve to rest. Leave those opponents to us."
Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes. "Hah. I get it now. You brats are just jealous of my wine, aren't you?"
"No, no! Nothing like that! Here, drink, calm down first," Yu Tianheng pleaded, already pulling out a jar from his Soul Guidance Device as an emergency peace offering.
Resigned, the Huangdou Team one by one offered their own jars of wine, their smiles stiff as carved stone.
Lu Yuan laughed, accepting them greedily.
"Now you're being sensible! Don't worry, I won't let you die out there!"
The teammates froze.
Won't let us die? What about just letting us live peacefully?!
Their panic only deepened as Lu Yuan drained another gulp of wine, a carefree smile dancing across his lips.
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