I'll now be taking you guys back on a little time travel trip to the past. A bit abrupt, I know, but necessary. So buckle up.
I was maybe eleven years old at the time, give or take a few months. I kept staring blankly outside the classroom window as Liangyu, Jian and Qinyue kept gossiping excitedly beside me during our morning break. The annual martial competitions were rapidly approaching and they wouldn't shut up about how exciting it was going to be this year.
Why didn't I join the enthusiastic conversation? Well, it's because the competitions are exclusively held for those with actual cultivation skills only. No exceptions. And what's the one basic requirement for any person to even begin cultivating? Having qi! Of which I had essentially none.
Every single person on the planet possesses at least some measurable level of qi in their body. Some have it in the negligible range whereas some lucky bastards have it in mind-boggling amounts that defy logic. But all of them, literally all of them, have just enough qi to learn the fundamental art of cultivation or at the very least, learn the absolute basics.
It's not like I had total zero qi though. A person wouldn't even be alive in that case, you need some qi just to exist. I was technically in the negligible range, but even then, I was at the complete bottom of that already pathetic list. Rock bottom.
Eleven years old and I was still stuck learning basic martial arts like hand-to-hand combat and other fundamental techniques which even a baby could probably perform easily after a few months of training. It didn't bother me much in the beginning, but at some point, you sure as hell start to feel disappointed and frustrated.
"Ziyang," Liangyu suddenly called out to me, breaking my depressing train of thought.
I let out a long breath and turned towards them. "What's up?"
"Do you hear that?" Liangyu asked mysteriously, cupping his ear.
"The chattering of the entire class?" I answered, confused about what he was getting at.
"Nah, I hear something else. I hear greatness," Liangyu nodded solemnly like some wise sage. "Greatness is approaching you right now. You'll finally activate your cultivation qi this year. I can feel it."
"Want me to start counting exactly how many years in a row you've been saying that exact same thing to me?" I replied dryly.
"No, for real this time!" Qinyue enthusiastically joined in. "I mean, seriously, how many more years do you think it will even take? You've been excelling at martial arts beyond everyone else, you're performing better than our seniors who are literally three years ahead of us in age and training, and you're in great physical form! Maybe you're just a late bloomer or something and I genuinely feel like the time's getting near. You'll join the competitions soon. I just know it."
"Mhm," I just nodded with a completely flat expression, not believing a word.
Just then, one of the competition coaches, Coach Yuze, entered our classroom to officially take names of interested participants. The process was simple, if you're interested, you simply give your name, they test your skills during trials, and if you pass, congratulations, you're in the games.
Almost all of the students immediately flocked around him like excited birds, my gang included, and eagerly gave their names.
He just wrote down the names in his ledger and started leaving without any fanfare.
"Hold on!" Jian called out. "What about Ziyang? Write his name down too."
Coach Yuze simply looked directly at me for a moment, gave me a dismissive scoff, and left the classroom without saying a single word. You know, it's these little moments that hurt the most. Direct bullying, I can manage and fight back against. But treating me as if I'm worthless trash? That genuinely hurts deep down.
Qinyue shouted at him as he walked away, "Hey! At least give him a chance! Who knows if he'll finally pass this year?!"
"It's alright, Qinyue," I said quietly. "Maybe next year."
It was a painfully silent walk home that day after classes ended. I could tell they desperately wanted to talk about strategies and techniques to use the next day during trials, but they just stayed quiet so I wouldn't feel bad about being excluded. I won't lie, it felt good though. To see that they cared enough to sacrifice their excitement for my feelings. I just said my goodbyes as my lane approached and left them.
That's when the seed of the grand heist began to sprout in Qinyue's scheming mind.
Qinyue gave Jian and Liangyu the very specific kind of look she gives when she's about to do something totally crazy, and wants them to help her do it.
"Nope," Liangyu refused immediately before she even said anything. "Whatever you're thinking, no."
"But they won't even notice!" Qinyue protested. "Besides, it's just the trials! What's the worst that could happen?"
"And what if they catch us in the act? You think it's a negligible offense to just do what you're suggesting?!" Liangyu hissed.
"Come on! We're just kids! I'm sure they'll give us the most lax punishment ever! Maybe just detention or extra chores!"
Liangyu paused to think for a long moment, weighing the risks.
"Let's do it, Liangyu," she said, playing her trump card. "For Ziyang."
It didn't take long for Liangyu to be convinced after that, and he reluctantly agreed to do it.
"So nobody wants my opinion on this plan then," Jian shrugged, already resigned to his fate.
Qinyue put an arm around his shoulders and smiled mischievously. "It'll be fun. You'll love it."
The three of them quickly left their bags at home and ran towards Tianlan Academy as fast as they could. It was almost afternoon now, and they wanted to finish this mission before dusk fell.
Getting back inside the academy after hours isn't really that much of a hassle. I mean, all it takes is a bunch of innocent-looking kids to tell the guards they forgot their books or whatever, and they're in. No questions asked. After that, it's mostly an empty academy with minimal staff, and all they gotta do is proceed to carefully sneak into Coach Yuze's personal chamber.
The three of them slowly approached his chambers, tiptoeing like burglars, went inside, and immediately looked at the trial participation list sitting on the very top of his desk.
"Operation: Add Whatever the Fuck Name You Want Into the Competition List begins now," Qinyue declared with her eyes shining bright with determination.