"Are you Fu Yang?"
Fu Yang, who had just noticed Cin Yan blocking his path, rolled his eyes lazily and replied without looking at her as he continued walking, "No."
"Oh… sorry, I just… I thought—" Before she could finish, Fu Yang had already disappeared from sight, his movements fluid, deliberate, leaving only a faint ripple of dust behind him.
Shi Tian and Sha Tian, flanked by another girl, Mo Rian, approached Cin Yan. Their expressions were a mixture of curiosity and barely contained irritation.
"Is he Fu Yang or not?" Mo Rian asked, tilting her head with interest.
Cin Yan's gaze remained steady, her lips curving faintly in a cold, measured smile. "He said no," she replied. "But it's clearly him. Humph. I wanted him to forget the past and look toward the future… but what arrogance. He's just a rat that stumbled upon a piece of cheese."
Mo Rian chuckled, shaking her head. "Not a rat… a beggar, maybe. I heard a rumor that Fu Yang once begged in the market."
Shi Tian's face darkened with anger. He clenched his fists, his teeth gritting as he glared in Fu Yang's direction. The urge to confront him, to strike him down for his audacity, bubbled within him—but Cin Yan's hand pinched his arm firmly.
"You remember what we were told, right?"
Shi Tian sighed, releasing his tension reluctantly.
"My, my… aren't you two too close?" Mo Rian teased with a soft laugh, observing Cin Yan's glare and Shi Tian's reddening face.
Shi Tian stammered, attempting to cover his embarrassment. "Haha, no no, what are you saying, Sister Mo? Hahahaaa…"
On the sidelines, Sha Tian watched silently, a dark expression etched across his youthful face. Yet beneath that shadow, a flicker of something new—curiosity, perhaps admiration—stirred quietly.
---
Meanwhile, Fu Yang sat alone in the academy canteen, eating in silence. Before him rested two spiritual stones, their transparent white surfaces glimmering with a deep bluish core. Each pulsed faintly with spiritual energy, a rare and valuable commodity.
"Spiritual stones… but at my stage, I can't cultivate with them directly. Only spiritual sand can help me refine my energy."
He paused, considering the situation carefully. "I need spiritual plants to purge these lingering impurities faster… but I must do it without attracting attention. The caravan will depart in four days. If I miss this chance, I'll wait another year."
Fu Yang knew the urgency was not immediate. At the current stage, his body could handle the purification slowly, but by the golden stage of Skin Tempering, the impurities would have sunk too deep, and even high-grade techniques would require nearly a full year to expel them fully.
"I can't wait that long," he muttered. His resolve hardened, eyes narrowing with determination.
Finishing his meal, he gathered his bag containing the spiritual stones and moved toward the market.
---
Evening had fallen when Fu Yang arrived at the bustling market. Dressed in his training clothes, his face partially obscured by a gray mask, and hair tied neatly, he moved cautiously through the crowd.
A sign caught his attention: Special Plants. The tent smelled faintly of earth and herbs, a warm and intoxicating mixture. Inside, rows of spiritual plants gleamed in the dim light, each labeled carefully: Scarlett Moss, Moon Dew Grass, Cloudpetal Flower, Pure Drew Lotus.
Although these were low-grade spiritual plants, they were still expensive—enough to drain a careless buyer's savings.
Fu Yang's gaze landed on the Pure Drew Lotus, pale blue leaves glimmering faintly under the lantern light. These were commonly used by cultivators in the Skin Tempering stage.
He approached the shopkeeper. "How much for this?"
The older man studied him carefully, noting the boy's unremarkable appearance. "Eight spiritual stones per pot," he replied cautiously.
Fu Yang didn't hand over the stones immediately. Instead, he bargained, subtly, carefully. Ten minutes passed, and the price finally dropped to six spiritual stones per pot, with an additional five common healing leaves thrown in.
Payment made, he collected the plants and vanished quickly, avoiding all attention. Back at the academy, he slipped in through a rear entrance, construction workers oblivious to his movements.
In his quarters, he placed the Pure Drew Lotus on his desk, taking a slow breath of relief.
"Huu… that was easier than I expected."
His gaze fell upon the plant. "It won't die unless it's physically damaged. I only need to hide it… or if discovered, a well-placed lie will suffice."
Satisfied, he sank into meditation, the cool night wrapping around him like a cloak.
---
Elsewhere, the various factions received gifts from elders:
Mo Mi displayed a large crane skin to Mo Rian with a sense of pride. In the Tian faction, Li Tian presented a bear skin to his sons. Elders distributed beast skins to their children or close relatives among the inner disciples.
Rion Yan gave a tiger skin to Cin Yan.
"Grandpa, is it male or female?" Cin Yan asked, tilting the hide with curiosity.
"What? It doesn't matter. You only need to accept it. Otherwise, I'll be upset."
Cin Yan laughed softly. "Okay, okay… I accept it. Thank you, Grandpa."
Rion Yan chuckled, shaking his head.
"Why are you laughing?" Cin Yan asked, eyes wide.
"Nothing, nothing. Tell me… did you like anyone today? Any boy?"
Cin Yan's face flushed crimson, and she bolted away, muttering, "Y-you idiot, Grandpa!"
Rion Yan's laugh echoed in the room, light and warm, as though the world outside did not exist.
For external disciples, however, the story was different. Often from poor families, they could only receive their beast skins after completing their training—a stark reminder of the divide between the inner and outer disciples.
---
That night, a knock came at Fu Yang's door. Calm and expectant, he recognized it immediately. A messenger sent by Academy Head Xiang Xi had come to deliver a beast hide reserved for inner disciples.
Opening the door, Fu Yang received the package. Inside lay exactly what he anticipated: a boar hide.
"Haa… I don't need this anymore," he muttered, tossing it aside. He returned immediately to his cultivation, sinking into the silence of the night. Outside, the air had grown cold, the first whispers of winter creeping across the academy grounds.
---
Two months passed like this, quiet and relentless. Fu Yang cultivated in isolation, unseen, unnoticed. Other students ignored him entirely, and he welcomed it. The solitude ensured his secrets remained intact, his progression uninterrupted.
Cin Yan and the other inner disciples trained tirelessly as well, their growth steady, their spirits sharp.
Shi Tian, by contrast, remained imprisoned—not only for the incident with the frogs but for other indiscretions. Though Li Tian could have used his influence to secure Shi Tian's release, he feared Rion Yan's displeasure. The boy's offenses were simply too abhorrent, even for a father protective of his children.
Fu Yang observed all of this quietly, filing away every detail, every movement, every interaction, as if storing pieces of a map he alone could read. Every whisper, every glance, every shadowed hallway—fuel for his strategy, a record for his eventual ascent.
And so, the academy continued its rhythm, each day passing like clockwork. Snow had not yet fallen, but the air had grown colder, harsher, as though warning the children that only those who endured the cold, the hunger, and the struggle could hope to rise.
Fu Yang's heart beat steadily. Patience, observation, cultivation. Everything else—the ridicule, the division, the arrogance of others—was irrelevant. The game was beginning, and he was ready.