The training hall echoed with metallic clangs as Class D sparred under Han Li's lazy supervision.
"Form sloppy," he yawned, pointing at Shen Mu. "You'd be dead in a real fight."
Shen Mu growled. "Then let me fight someone real!"
The hall doors creaked open.
A girl stepped inside—silver hair, pale eyes, and a sheath of glass strapped to her back. Her uniform bore a modified insignia: the crest of the Lian family, rulers of the Crystal Valleys.
Mei Lian gasped. "Sister?!"
"Correction," the girl said coolly. "Half-sister. I am Lian Xue, first daughter of the main branch. And I've been assigned to Class D."
Whispers rippled through the students.
Mei Lian trembled. "Why are you here? Father would never—"
"He sent me." Lian Xue's eyes didn't waver. "To judge whether our discarded bloodline is worth saving."
Han Li stepped between them. "Save the family drama for later. If you're here, you fight."
He pointed toward Shen Mu.
"Let's see if you can keep up."
The two squared off. Shen Mu charged with flame-coated fists.
Lian Xue didn't move until the last second.
Then—ting.
Her glass blade shimmered, unsheathed in a blur.
The flame vanished. Shen Mu's gauntlets shattered. He staggered, staring at the fine cut across his chest—shallow, but precise.
Han Li smirked. "Interesting technique. That sword… isn't glass, is it?"
Lian Xue bowed slightly. "Dragonglass. Forged by my mother's ancestors. It cuts spirit before it cuts flesh."
Han Li's eyes darkened.
The Lian clan had sent a message. Even their elites were watching Class D now.
Far away, a shadow watched the duel through a crystal orb.
"So she's arrived... and the game changes again."