The outer district was different from anything Wei Chen had imagined.
Where his hometown's streets were dirt paths between wooden buildings, the capital's outer district had cobblestone roads and structures built from stone and brick. Three-story buildings towered where single-story homes would stand back home. Shops lined every street, selling goods Wei Chen had only heard about in stories.
But the outer district was also clearly the poor section. Buildings showed age and neglect. Streets were dirtier than the merchant district he'd passed through. People moved with the wary tension of those accustomed to danger.
Wei Chen walked east, following the small map Zhang Wei had provided. His hometown clothes marked him as rural — clean but unfashionable, practical but provincial. People noticed. Some stared. Most ignored him.
A beggar called out for coins. Wei Chen kept walking. Instructor Feng had warned him — show weakness in the outer district and predators would swarm.
Two blocks later, three young men stepped into Wei Chen's path. Teenagers, maybe fifteen or sixteen. Street clothes. Confident postures. One carried a club. Another had a knife.
"Lost, country boy?" the one with the club asked. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
Wei Chen assessed quickly. Three opponents. Older. Larger. Armed. But not mages — he could feel the absence of magical presence.
"Not lost," Wei Chen said, keeping his voice level. "Just passing through."
"Passing through costs a toll. Three silver." Club-boy gestured. "Pay up or we take payment another way."
Wei Chen's hand moved to his belt, where Lian Xiu's knife rested. The movement was subtle but clear.
The three teenagers exchanged glances. Club-boy's smile faded slightly.
"You really want to pull a blade on three guys who know this district better than you?" His tone tried for threatening but landed closer to uncertain.
Wei Chen pulled magic. Just a little. His shadow stretched unnaturally, darkening beyond what the afternoon sun should cast. The edges writhed slightly, like living smoke.
"I'm a Darkness mage heading to Shadow Sanctuary," Wei Chen said quietly. "You're three street thugs trying to rob the wrong person. Walk away. Now."
The calculation was instant on their faces. A Darkness mage meant danger. Shadow Sanctuary meant trained danger. Three silver wasn't worth the risk of injury or worse.
Club-boy stepped back. "Sanctuary, huh? Should've said so earlier. We don't mess with you people."
They left quickly, disappearing into an alley.
Wei Chen released his magic, continuing east. His heart was pounding but his hands stayed steady. First real confrontation in the capital. First time using his reputation as weapon rather than burden.
It felt... good. Practical. Efficient.
Maybe Shadow Sanctuary's philosophy about Darkness magic was right. Fear wasn't weakness. It was leverage.
Shadow Sanctuary appeared suddenly, hidden among older buildings like it didn't want to be found.
No grand entrance. No obvious signage. Just a narrow alley leading to a courtyard, and in that courtyard, a building that felt wrong in ways Wei Chen couldn't quite articulate.
The architecture was strange — angles that seemed slightly off, shadows that fell in directions that defied the sun's position. The stone was dark, almost black, and absorbed light rather than reflecting it.
Two guards stood at the entrance. Both wore dark gray robes. Both radiated the presence of magic — intermediate level at minimum, possibly advanced.
Wei Chen approached, bag over his shoulder, trying to project confidence he didn't entirely feel.
"I'm here for the entrance exam," he said.
The guard on the left studied him with eyes that seemed to see through surface details. "Name?"
"Wei Chen. From the Western Lands."
"Age?"
"Nine years old."
Both guards looked surprised. The right guard spoke for the first time. "Nine? You're young for Sanctuary admission. Most applicants are twelve to fifteen."
"I have a recommendation letter from Elder Shen." Wei Chen pulled out the sealed letter, handing it over carefully.
The left guard took it, examining the shadow-infused seal. "Elder Shen. Water Academy instructor turned independent teacher. Legitimate credentials." He looked at Wei Chen again. "The letter says you're intermediate-level Darkness with seventy-eight percent sub-magic mastery. Accurate?"
"Yes."
"Prove it."
Wei Chen pulled magic, creating shadow constructs. Not simple extensions — full manifestations. A shadow blade coating his hand. Tendrils moving independently in three different directions. A brief flicker of shadow concealment that made his outline blur.
He held it for thirty seconds, then released. His core ached slightly but remained stable.
The guards exchanged looks. The right guard nodded slowly.
"Impressive for nine years old. Elder Shen doesn't exaggerate your capabilities." He gestured toward the building. "Entrance exams begin in three days. First floor, registration desk. They'll assign you temporary housing and explain procedures."
"Thank you."
Wei Chen walked through the courtyard, feeling the weight of the building ahead. This was it. Shadow Sanctuary. The place that would either make him into something exceptional or break him trying.
The entrance hall was dim, lit by what looked like captured shadows rather than torches. A desk sat near the back wall, staffed by a middle-aged woman with sharp features and sharper eyes.
"New applicant?" she asked without looking up from her ledger.
"Yes. Wei Chen. I have a recommendation from Elder Shen."
"Place the letter on the desk. Do not break the seal." She took it, verified the seal's authenticity with a tool Wei Chen didn't recognize, then filed it away. "Entrance exam is in three days. Until then, you're housed in applicant dormitories. North wing, third floor, room twenty-three. Here's your temporary identification."
She handed Wei Chen a small wooden token marked with shadow-infused symbols.
"Meals are served in the common hall — breakfast at dawn, lunch at midday, dinner at dusk. Miss a meal, you don't eat. Training facilities are restricted until after the exam. Questions?"
"What does the entrance exam involve?"
"If you don't know by now, you're not prepared." Her tone was flat. "Anything else?"
"No."
"Then go. Don't cause trouble. Don't practice magic in the dormitories. Don't fight other applicants before the exam. Break any of those rules and you're expelled before testing."
Wei Chen took his token and left, following signs to the north wing.
The applicant dormitories were sparse but functional. Long hallways lined with small rooms. Shared bathing facilities at the end of each floor. The whole place felt temporary, like the Sanctuary didn't expect many occupants to stay long.
Room twenty-three was tiny. A narrow bed. A small desk. A chest for belongings. A single window that looked out over the courtyard.
Wei Chen set his bag down, unpacked methodically. Clothes in the chest. Knife under the pillow. Shadow quartz on the desk. The wooden charm from Lian Xiu stayed on his wrist.
He sat on the bed, letting the reality sink in.
He was here. In the capital. At Shadow Sanctuary. Three days until the entrance exam that would determine everything.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
Wei Chen opened it to find another applicant — a boy maybe twelve years old, intermediate height, confident posture. His clothes were quality fabric, well-tailored. Money, clearly.
"You're the nine-year-old everyone's talking about," the boy said. Not a question.
"Word travels fast."
"Always does. I'm Han Tao. Been here two days already. Thought I'd introduce myself before we're competing in the exam." He extended his hand. "No point making enemies before we know who survives."
Wei Chen shook it, noting the firm grip. "Wei Chen."
"I know. The guards mentioned you. Intermediate Darkness with near-Grandmaster sub-magic mastery. That's impressive." Han Tao's smile was friendly but assessing. "Most applicants are intermediate with sixty to seventy percent mastery. You're above average."
"So are you, probably, or you wouldn't be here."
"Fair point. I'm intermediate Darkness, seventy-two percent mastery. My family has connections to the Sanctuary — three graduates in the last two generations. But connections only get you through the door. The exam doesn't care about bloodlines." He gestured down the hall. "There are twenty-three applicants total. The Sanctuary typically accepts five to eight. So roughly one in three to one in four odds."
"Better than I expected."
"The mortality rate comes later, during actual training. The entrance exam just tests if you're worth investing in." Han Tao leaned against the doorframe. "Dinner's in an hour. Want to meet some of the others? Better to know your competition."
Wei Chen considered. Han Tao seemed genuine enough, though Wei Chen recognized the strategic value of being friendly. Build alliances before the exam, leverage them if necessary, discard them if they became liabilities.
"Sure."
The common hall was larger than Wei Chen expected, with long tables and benches. Maybe fifteen applicants were already present when Wei Chen and Han Tao arrived.
The diversity was striking. Ages ranged from nine to sixteen. Some wore rich clothes, others looked barely better off than beggars. Some carried themselves with noble confidence, others with the wary tension of survivors.
But all of them had Darkness magic. Wei Chen could feel it — that particular cold presence that marked his element.
Han Tao made introductions. Most names blurred together, but a few stood out.
Ming Yue — thirteen years old, advanced Darkness magic, came from Dark Marshlands originally. She looked at Wei Chen with open skepticism when Han mentioned his age.
"Nine years old with intermediate magic?" she said. "Either you're a prodigy or Elder Shen's recommendation is exaggerated."
"Guess we'll find out during the exam," Wei Chen replied.
Chen Ling — fourteen, beginner-level Darkness but apparently exceptional with shadow manipulation techniques. Quiet, observant, with scars on his hands that suggested rough training.
Zhao Feng — sixteen, intermediate Darkness, came from a merchant family. Friendly like Han Tao, but with sharper edges beneath the smile.
And others. Each with their own story. Each with their own reasons for being here.
Dinner was simple but adequate — rice, vegetables, meat stew. Wei Chen ate steadily, observing the social dynamics.
Cliques were already forming. The noble-born applicants clustered together. The poorer applicants stayed separate. The older ones looked down on the younger. The advanced-level mage — Ming Yue — held herself apart, superior and isolated.
Wei Chen stayed near Han Tao, not quite joining his group but not sitting alone either. Strategic positioning. Visible but not threatening.
After dinner, most applicants dispersed to their rooms or the common area. Wei Chen returned to room twenty-three, exhausted from travel and the weight of new surroundings.
He lay on the narrow bed, staring at the ceiling. The building felt different than anywhere he'd been before. The shadows moved wrong. The silence was too complete. Magic permeated everything, subtle but present.
This was Shadow Sanctuary. Home for the next three years if he passed the exam. A wasted journey and mountains of debt if he failed — Liu's loan only activated upon acceptance, but the emotional cost of failure would be far heavier than any financial burden.
Wei Chen pulled out the wooden charm from Lian Xiu, holding it in the darkness. A reminder of home. Of people who believed in him. Of promises to return.
Three days until the entrance exam.
Three days to prepare mentally for whatever the Sanctuary would throw at him.
Three days until everything changed again.
Wei Chen closed his eyes, letting exhaustion pull him toward sleep. Tomorrow he'd explore more. Learn the layout. Study the competition.
Tonight, he just needed rest.
The capital was overwhelming. Shadow Sanctuary was intimidating. The other applicants were talented and dangerous.
But Wei Chen had survived worse. Had overcome isolation, poverty, limited resources. Had trained under Feng and Elder Shen. Had built skills and connections and resilience.
He was ready.
Or as ready as anyone could be.
The entrance exam would prove whether that was enough.