The next day,all students of the Celestial Academy gathered in the Grand Courtyard.Master Li stood before them, reading the results in his calm, steady voice…yet unease flickered behind his serenity.
"Those who passed the trial are Suo and Yue," he said."The others… will retake the test at the end of the year."
A murmur swept through the crowd —silent reproach aimed at that girl, Huo Feng.But the real storm began only when Master Li continued:
"Except for one."
He lifted his gaze toward Huo Feng.In the clear blue of his eyes, truth gleamed.
"She did not merely cross the River of Forgetfulness — she dived into it and emerged again.Such a feat has never been recorded in the Academy.Therefore, she has passed."
A cry tore from Mei's throat.
"What?! She didn't even fly over it, let alone cross!"
Yue retorted sharply,
"Perhaps if you hadn't tried to push her into it before the trial,she might have succeeded sooner — as might have the rest of us."
Gasps rippled through the students.Mei's face paled as she turned to Master Li in protest.
"Lies! Slander! I did nothing!"
Then Suo stepped forward, voice cold as steel:
"You stole her familiar — her earring — and tried to drown it in the river's depths."
Mei trembled, then shouted,
"You have no proof! It's all fabricated!And if she passed, then so did I — I flew over it.I deserve to pass too!"
At that, Huo Feng finally stepped forward.The entire courtyard held its breath, waiting for her words.She spoke calmly, her voice as clear as running water:
"I did not simply cross the river. I descended into it.I faced the shadows of the dead, survived them — and even saved the Grand Master himself.But you… you never crossed at all.You ran from your own failure — with a plan as pitiful as your heart."
She took one measured step toward Mei, her eyes glacial.
"You want proof?"
Suddenly, she turned toward the girl who had once slapped her.Stepping close, face to face, Huo Feng fixed her with a gaze that shimmered with strange power.
"Look into my eyes… and tell the truth."
The girl trembled. She tried to avert her gaze — but couldn't.Huo Feng's stare was like a mirror, one that reflected the soul itself.It was the same aura she had carried from within the Celestial Furnace —a light that burned away falsehood.
The girl's knees weakened. Her voice broke.
"I… no… she didn't order me to strike her!She only told me to provoke her… and then…then she— she took the earring herself!"
A heavy silence fell, the kind that ends trials before they begin.But Mei's cunning was quick to return.She turned to her trembling friend and asked softly,
"Did you see me steal it?""No…""Did you see me throw it into the river?""No…""Did I tell you I planned to drown Huo Feng?""No…"
Mei straightened, defiance blazing.
"Then tell us — do you believe Huo Feng lied?"The girl stammered,"Lied? Maybe… maybe not…"
Mei turned with a smirk.
"There, you see? Even your witness accuses you now.What do you say, Huo Feng?"
Before she could answer, Yue interjected slyly,
"Why don't we ask her directly?"
In a flash, Mei cast a concealment spell over her own eyes,peering deep into Huo Feng's soul —but Huo Feng simply turned away.
"I have no time to waste on you now," she said coolly."But when the time comes…you will regret everything.You'll taste the most bitter defeat imaginable."
Master Li's voice finally broke the tension:
"The result stands.Huo Feng has passed — and that is final!From this day forward, anyone who resorts to deceitwill face a trial far harsher than crossing the river."
Then he turned to her, his tone suddenly sharp — for the first time ever.
"As for you… follow me."
He walked slowly toward his private study,and she followed — quiet, uncharacteristically so.
Inside, he stood before a small pool,his reflection wavering in its waters like a wounded thought.
"Why did you run away yesterday, Huo Feng?" he asked softly,his voice bleeding sorrow and worry alike.
She remained silent.Her eyes were fixed on the depths of the pool,as if she still saw the whirlpool of the day before —a mix of sorrow, anger, and a trace of hatred still clinging to her heart.
He asked again, almost pleading now:
"Did you recognize me yesterday? Did you know who I was?Is that why you ran?"
She raised her gaze, defiant, meeting his eyes.
"Yes. I knew."
Then, leaning forward slightly, her tone sharpened:
"So tell me — what do you want from me?My forgiveness?Something you lost long ago?Or… do you want me to fulfill my promise—and kill you?"
Master Li lowered his head, voice quiet but heavy with clouds of grief.
"I will not tell you what I want… because I don't yet know myself."
He lifted his gray eyes toward her.
"I will only ask you three questions.Answer truthfully — not for me,but for your own peace."
Huo Feng crossed her arms, standing tall before him,like a teacher waiting to judge her student.
"Hmm…" she muttered.
He began,
"Do you remember what I was seeking when I entered the Celestial Furnace that day?I sought the forbidden incantation — for her.For a friend I once swore to protect.Was that wrong?"
"No," she replied instantly.
He nodded slowly, then continued,
"Jin Hai… he was betrayed that day — perhaps by someone close, perhaps by his enemy.He was struck by a poisoned arrow, cursed by the Realm of Shadows.He would not have survived.He would have become something else… something evil.I spared him that fate — spared you that pain.Was I wrong?"
This time she hesitated before answering:
"Perhaps."
He stepped closer, voice dropping lower:
"I was with you… before you were even born —before you emerged from the Celestial Furnace in this form.Did I ever harm you?"
"No," she said firmly, "but you wished to harm my master — the Furnace Elder."
His expression hardened.
"Did he tell you I was the one who betrayed him first?"
She closed her eyes, and her voice came from somewhere far away — from memory itself.
"No… but if you hadn't, he would have."
Master Li inhaled slowly, as though the truth itself weighed more than all his regrets.Then he met her eyes.
"My last question…"He paused, swallowed the tremor in his voice, and said:"I know you hate me now.But could there still be love, hidden somewhere between the shadows of that hatred?Even just a flicker… a spark… a single point of light?"
She didn't answer.Her face shifted between denial and confession —between the past that wounded her, and the present that disarmed her.Her fingers trembled before her lips could move,and when she finally spoke, her voice carried a faint, teasing smile:
"You were allowed only three questions, Master.So I won't answer this one."
She turned and walked away,leaving behind a silence heavier than any reply.
Master Li stood motionless, wounded — yet strangely relieved.Then, slowly, the sorrow that had darkened his features began to fade.The blackness in his eyes lightened… until they shone with a soft, sky-blue glow.
Because she had answered him — in her own way.
She had called him "Master."
Was that forgiveness… or the first whisper of love?