The play on the day of school enrollment

Time swiftly passed, and soon September arrived, marking the start of the academic year.

Grand Spirit Academy’s enrollment day was scheduled five days later than all other institutions, a deliberate choice to accommodate exceptionally gifted individuals who might not have found suitable spiritual techniques elsewhere.

By this point, Shangguan Xue had already consumed the Immortal Essence Pill.

However, she meticulously used her spiritual sense to suppress its full potency, allowing only a subtle increase in her innate spiritual energy.

Her intention was to let the medicinal properties gradually infuse into her body; a sudden surge would risk injury, much like the perilous process of refining the morning glow.

Furthermore, an abrupt increase in power could easily destabilize her foundational cultivation.

Consequently, Shangguan Xue still had a small distance to traverse before reaching the Body Tempering Realm.

Donning a red robe, she simply gathered her long hair with a wooden hairpin and, after tidying her attire before a bronze mirror, finally departed for Grand Spirit Academy.

“So early?” Jia Nan inquired from the side.

“There’s a certain play awaiting my arrival,” Shangguan Xue replied with a mysterious smile.

****

“Halt!” A guard of Grand Spirit Academy intercepted a young man.

“Your attire is improper; entry is forbidden!”

The young man’s upper garment lacked sleeves, and his voluminous trousers were missing one leg.

Yet, he seemed utterly oblivious to the impropriety of his attire within the academy’s grounds.

The young man, originally named Hao Jin, had been adopted by a family named Luo and was now known as Luo Jin.

At that moment, Luo Jin, having been halted, erupted in a fit of rage.

‘How dare you block my path!’ Luo Jin thought, as he drew a dagger from his waist with his right hand and lunged at the guard.

His innate spiritual energy had already reached the level of the Body Tempering Realm; even without formal cultivation, his raw strength was far beyond what any ordinary person could withstand.

Yet, the Grand Spirit Academy guard was a practitioner of the Free Roaming Realm; with a casual flick of his wrist, he easily swatted away Luo Jin’s dagger.

Just as the guard prepared to expel the young man who had attempted assault, a figure approached from the distance, prompting onlookers to respectfully clear a path.

The newcomer, with a dramatic flourish of his long robe, bellowed:

“Stop!”

‘Heh, just as expected!’

From a short distance away, Shangguan Xue watched, a cold smirk playing on her lips.

She recognized the arriving figure as Taiming, a teacher from Grand Spirit Academy.

In previous cycles, Taiming, perceiving Luo Jin as an undeniable prodigy, had been convinced that the young man was destined for greatness.

Driven by a desire to secure “merit from following the dragon,” he had not only intervened on Luo Jin’s behalf but had also flagrantly abused his authority within the academy to further the boy’s cultivation.

Yet, once Luo Jin truly achieved fame and power, he callously declared, “Taiming sought recompense for his favors, a crime deserving of death,” subsequently turning the teacher into a lifeless corpse.

‘Indeed, evil begets evil…’ Shangguan Xue murmured to herself, observing Taiming’s theatrical display.

“The Ink Pavilion treats all common folk with impartiality, yet you, a guard of Grand Spirit Academy, judge individuals by their appearance,” Taiming declared, his voice rising.

“This is utterly…”

‘Oh, just shut up already…’ Shangguan Xue seized the opportune moment, loudly cutting him off:

“Those clad in coarse linen garments are never stopped by the guard, suggesting he does not, in fact, judge by appearances.

Is it truly appropriate for you to reprimand him in such a manner?”

Taiming blinked, a thought flashing through his mind: ‘Who exactly are you, daring to criticize me?’

Shangguan Xue, however, was far from finished:

“This individual’s garments are not of poor quality; rather, they have been deliberately fashioned into such bizarre attire, clearly intended to draw attention.”

“Grand Spirit Academy is a place of learning and cultivation; is it not perfectly natural to forbid such individuals from entering?”

‘Damn it! What is wrong with this little girl?’

Luo Jin’s face flushed crimson with fury.

Shangguan Xue had struck a nerve, for he had indeed dressed that way solely to attract attention.

As a transmigrator, and confident in his own considerable talent, Luo Jin had sought to highlight his distinctiveness by adopting such an eccentric style, believing it would convey the message that “all geniuses possess unique personalities.”

Simultaneously, Taiming was seething with indignation.

‘I, a respected teacher, publicly contradicted by a mere girl! This is a blatant insult to my dignity!’

Gritting his teeth, he finally spoke:

“How dare you!”

“Teacher, there’s no need to rush into anger,” Shangguan Xue said with a light chuckle, producing a letter from her robes.

“Perhaps you should examine this first.”

“What?” Taiming scoffed, casually extending a hand, and with a surge of spiritual energy, the letter was drawn into his grasp.

He quickly scanned the contents, noting it was a letter of recommendation for admission.

‘Could it be that the Dean himself recommended you?’ he thought dismissively.

‘Even so, it’s no use; the Dean still owes me a modicum of respect!’

Then his gaze fell upon the signature: Beigong Qingmei.

‘Pavilion… Pavilion Master!’

The moment Taiming saw that name, his resolve instantly crumbled.

As his heart softened, so too did his knees, threatening to give way.

‘A little girl personally recommended by the Pavilion Master… what could her relationship with the Pavilion Master be?

Is she the Pavilion Master’s daughter? Or has the Grand Elder perhaps gifted the Pavilion Master yet another younger sister?’

Taiming, his mind spiraling with wild conjectures, swallowed hard, his gaze upon Shangguan Xue now tinged with a distinct apprehension.

“Does Teacher Taiming have any further matters to address?” Shangguan Xue asked, deliberately emphasizing his name.

‘She knows my name? This is dire.

If she reports this to the Pavilion Master… no, she need only casually mention it to anyone in the main Pavilion, and I’ll be expelled from Grand Spirit Academy.’

Taiming felt a cold sweat break out across his brow.

‘Is it truly worth offending the Ink Pavilion Master for the sake of a mere genius?’

The answer, of course, was a resounding negative.

A genius’s potential might take an unknown amount of time to fully mature, but the Ink Pavilion Master possessed the immediate power to strip him of his position.

Taiming took several steps forward, returning the letter to Shangguan Xue with both hands.

“…Indeed, Grand Spirit Academy is a place for study and cultivation; such attire is clearly unsuitable for entry.”

While acknowledging the validity of Shangguan Xue’s words, Taiming still harbored intentions of befriending Luo Jin.

“My boy, return home, change into more appropriate attire, and then come back.”

Having spoken, he turned on his heel and departed, seemingly too humiliated to remain any longer.

‘What’s happening? Why did he just leave?’

Witnessing the departure of the one who had championed his cause, Luo Jin found himself utterly helpless.

He could only cast a venomous glare at Shangguan Xue, searing her image into his memory.

“Still lingering?” Shangguan Xue questioned, noticing his persistent stare, and subtly edged closer to the guard.

“Just you wait for me!” Luo Jin spat out the threat, then slunk away in humiliation to change his clothes, simultaneously vowing to himself that he would surely kill her one day.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Xue watched his retreating figure from behind, a cold sneer playing on her lips.

‘I imagine you’re quite eager to kill me, aren’t you, you petty, vindictive Son of Fortune?’ Shangguan Xue mused silently.

‘It matters not, for I desire your death even more!’

‘And so, I shall continue with my plan…’

With these thoughts, she passed through the grand gates of Grand Spirit Academy, heading to present her letter of recommendation to the Dean.