In the side stands of the Martial Stadium, Bai Tian and Wen Yu sat quietly as the ranking battles were about to begin.
As he would soon be visiting Mistveil Island, Bai Tian found himself reflecting on the past six months at Greenwood Academy. Those months had been hellish for him. From the moment he woke up, nearly every hour of his day was spent cultivating. He meditated in the rising sun, attended lectures, then practiced various sword arts he borrowed from the Martial Pavilion.
He still followed the third method of Qi sensing in the Azure Cultivation Technique, but despite his persistence, it had yielded no results.
In terms of cultivation, he had gained nothing in six months, aside from a slight increase in physical strength.
Meanwhile, the other thirty-five students had already made progress in opening their energy channels, with a few talented ones even managing to open their first meridian.
Among those in the Martial Division, he and the two Ma brothers had been recruited specially for their exceptional physical strength. Yet even the Ma brothers had sensed Astral Energy within the first month.
Rumors spread quickly. Many students whispered that Bai Tian had only been accepted because of his background.
At first, he ignored these rumors, believing everything would work out as long as he worked hard. But when even the Ma brothers succeeded while he struggled, doubt began to gnaw at him.
He thought back to Granny Yu. Despite her old age, some people surely remembered her as a Foundation Realm cultivator. Even with her support, Bai Tian hadn't been able to sense Astral Energy. If even the advantage of a Foundation Realm's guidance wasn't enough, how could one possibly succeed by simply entering Greenwood Academy?
Even so, Bai Tian threw himself deeper into both cultivation and study. In knowledge assessments, his results consistently ranked just behind Zhao Mingyu and Wen Yu.
As for martial skills, he was confident no one in the current Martial Division could match him, except perhaps Zhao Mingyu.
But despite his efforts, his cultivation remained stagnant. After reading many books and attending countless lectures, he understood all too well — cultivation was the foundation of everything. At present, he might be one of the strongest due to his physical strength, but it was only a matter of time before others would surpass him if he remained stuck where he was.
"Man, what are you thinking about? Did you get dumb from cultivating like a maniac for the past six months?" Wen Yu chuckled.
Bai Tian smiled at the comment. In truth, despite living in the same house, he hadn't treated Wen Yu like a true friend. He'd been too focused on his own affairs. Yet Wen Yu continued to treat him well. Perhaps, Bai Tian mused, Wen Yu was the closest friend he'd ever had. Back on Mistveil Island, he'd always been a loner, with only Xiao Ya standing close among his peers.
"Yo, brother. Why are you smiling like an idiot?" Wen Yu teased again, curious. He knew Bai Tian's mood had been dark for six months, but today something seemed different.
Maybe it's because he's going home soon, Wen Yu thought to himself. Guess I should be happy too, since I'll get to see my nagging grandfather again.
"Are you happy because you only have to fight in the last three rounds? Instructor Jianhong is clearly biased. I should've been a seeded candidate too! I don't think those Ma brothers could catch me if I decided to run," Wen Yu grumbled.
Bai Tian didn't answer. His mind drifted back to Instructor Jianhong — the man who had helped him so much over the past months. He'd even offered to personally guide Astral Energy for him, but nothing had worked.
A shout rang out, interrupting his thoughts.
"Wen Yu and Lin Yue, come onto the stage!"
It was Instructor Jianhong's voice.
"Damn it, Instructor's cheating again. Why do I have to fight her? Isn't she the fastest girl after Mingyu?" Wen Yu sighed in defeat as he walked toward the center of the arena.
Watching him go, Bai Tian thought carefully. It seems Instructor Jianhong made calculated pairings, removing the four strongest candidates early and pairing up the remaining thirty-two students with care.
....
At the gates of the Martial Arena, a crowd had gathered around two older students. A table stood nearby, a large banner reading "Secret to Wealth" hanging behind them.
"Brother Guo, Brother Chen, what are the odds?"
A group of students shouted eagerly. The boys crowded around Brother Guo, while the girls surrounded Brother Chen.
Bai Tian approached to see what the commotion was about. To his surprise, it was Brother Chen, an older acquaintance he hadn't seen since before joining the academy. Most senior students had been away on their annual missions when Bai Tian arrived, and only began returning in recent months. Since even students from the same division lived in separate areas, Bai Tian rarely crossed paths with them.
He realized this was the betting area and grew curious. Since he wasn't fighting until the later rounds as a seeded candidate, he figured there was no harm in watching.
"The odds are one to two for Junior Luo Yue, and two to one for Wen Yu," Brother Chen said with a charming smile that made the girls around him flush.
"Ladies, our Junior Luo Yue is the favorite. I'll be personally betting on her. Who wouldn't bet on such a sweet, beautiful junior?" Brother Chen added, pulling out portraits of both fighters.
One was a stunningly drawn picture of Luo Yue, while the other was an ugly caricature of Wen Yu. Students who didn't know them well immediately leaned toward Luo Yue after seeing the portraits.
"I'll bet five Golden Azure coins on Junior Luo!"
"I'll put two on Luo Yue too!"
Voices rose from the crowd as Brother Guo jotted down the wagers while Brother Chen handled the bettors.
Bai Tian laughed at the scene. In truth, Wen Yu was one of the better-looking guys in the academy, but Brother Chen was clearly rigging the odds with his bad portrait.
Everyone turned to look at Bai Tian, the only one laughing.
Brother Chen recognized him too. He hadn't expected the brat from that random encounter months ago to be a Greenwood Academy student.
"Ignore that idiot! Now, who else wants to bet on Junior Luo?" Brother Chen said dismissively, turning back to the eager crowd.
Bai Tian hesitated. He knew Wen Yu had the better chance of winning, but he didn't like leaving things to luck. In the end, he decided against betting.
Three loud bells rang, signaling the battle was about to begin. Bai Tian returned to his seat in the corner, where only a few students from other divisions were seated.
To his surprise, Zhao Mingyu soon approached and sat beside him.
She wore a fitted dark blue battle robe reinforced with light armor on her shoulders and forearms. Her long hair was tied in a high ponytail, her sharp eyes calm and confident.
"Who do you think will win?" she asked.
Bai Tian wasn't especially close to Mingyu, but they'd spoken a few times before. He knew many guys liked her but kept their distance, both because of her strength and her background.
Bai Tian, however, had no fear of her background and didn't feel unworthy. His goals mattered more. He wasn't particularly attracted to her, and so their conversations had always been casual.
He was surprised, though, that she'd chosen to sit here — it seemed too coincidental.
"Wen Yu should win. He's fast, though I don't know much about Luo Yue," Bai Tian replied.
"Yeah, that annoying guy's fast. He's only good at talking behind people's backs. I guess that's why he's good at running," Mingyu muttered. Bai Tian still caught her words.
Looks like she hasn't forgotten about that incident after all, Bai Tian thought with a grin.
....
In the arena, Wen Yu gripped a longsword, while Luo Yue wielded twin daggers.
Instructor Jianhong stood between them. "When either of you can no longer defend yourselves, admit defeat. Knowing when to advance and when to retreat is a strength."
Both nodded and readied their stances.
"Start!"
At the signal, Wen Yu's sword clashed with Luo Yue's daggers. Wen Yu had believed his sword skills superior, especially after training with Bai Tian, but he quickly realized he was at a disadvantage.
Damn it, I didn't think this girl was this strong. Are there nothing but freaks in this batch? Wen Yu cursed inwardly.
His sword technique was indeed better, but Luo Yue's physical strength overwhelmed him. He quickly understood that in the early stages of cultivation, combat still relied heavily on physical strength, and neither of them had opened a meridian yet. This was a battle of strength and endurance.
Recognizing this, Wen Yu decided to use his real advantage: cultivation.
He was very close to opening his first meridian. His only problem was that Wind element techniques took slightly longer to advance, as Wind belonged to the outer elements.
He had practiced only two techniques so far — Breeze Cutter Swordplay, and Cloud Steps.
Since his sword technique wasn't working, his only option was his movement technique.
Cloud Steps was a renowned Wind element technique, considered powerful even in the Foundation Realm.
He sighed. But there's a problem. The Meridian Opening chapter of Cloud Steps is all about running as fast and efficiently as possible.
It even suggests throwing away your weapon to save energy unless it's valuable.
My reputation's going to take a hit for this. But fine — let's do it.
With a dramatic sigh, Wen Yu threw away his sword and started running.