Night fell upon Twilight Academy, draping its marble towers and floating pavilions in eerie silence. But within the council chambers, whispers stirred.
"He's gone too far," Instructor Zhao muttered, slamming a scroll onto the table. "This… 'Class D' is more battlefield than classroom!"
"He's producing results," murmured Elder Lin, stroking his beard. "Those students were trash. Now they emit killing intent like trained assassins."
"But at what cost?" snorted Elder Mu. "One of the noble families, the Zhangs, reported Bai Wei coughing blood for three nights straight!"
"Yet he reached a cultivation level surpassing even Class A's top disciples," Lin countered.
Silence.
Then Elder Qian, the eldest among them, finally spoke. "There's another issue. That boy Xuan Mu… his cursed energy fluctuated so violently yesterday that a rip in the barrier was detected."
Everyone stiffened.
"We patched it quickly," Qian continued. "But there was something on the other side… watching."
None spoke.
"And," he added gravely, "Han Li didn't report it. Either he didn't care… or he already knew."
Back in Class D's quarters, Han Li stood atop the training roof, staring into the sky.
He knew the council was stirring.
He knew the noble families were growing anxious.
And he knew something worse was coming.
Behind him, Shen Yu approached with a scroll.
"Teacher, the preliminary tournament list is out. Class A to F are preparing. We're… not even listed."
"Good," Han Li smiled. "We'll crash the party."
"But—"
"No one remembers shadows… until they bite."
And far, far away, beneath a mountain tomb, something ancient stirred at those very words.