The academy was… he wasn’t entirely sure what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t anything grand. Nor was it impoverished— at least in any obvious way. It looked a lot like any of the other buildings he’d seen— wood paneling on the walls, simple tiles on the ground, doors for classrooms upon classrooms and further hallways still, all spilling off into further depths. A few posters had been hung up on the walls, simple, colorful things urging the students to try their best, or join some club or another, or be mindful of their peers… nothing particularly noteworthy.

  They ignored all of them as they walked further into the building.

  It was the sort of place that should have been vibrant, filled with students walking around between classes and staff working to keep the building functional— and in the absence of those, felt almost profoundly empty. It didn’t help that its architecture lacked the large glass windows and bright electric lighting of the more modern library, shadows pooling in the corners and shifting amongst the vaulted ceilings above. It made the whole place feel far larger— imposing, darkly, than it might have otherwise.

  “Lexi. I’m glad you came.” The sudden voice caught him almost a bit by surprise, given the solitude they’d walked through up to then— but he recognized the voice quickly enough. Standing in the same suit he’d used to officiate the graduation ceremony, the principal stood beside a pair of double doors, looking unbothered by the heavy atmosphere. “We’ve been waiting.”

  Lexi grimaced, just slightly. “So she actually did come. I expected as much, but…”

  “When her interests are crossed, she can be… proactive.”

  “Of course that’s what happened.” Lexi scoffed. “Come on, Yuxan. I know that you had something to do with this.”

  Yuxan’s mask of pleasant politeness fell away, replaced in a moment with something far more blank. “I merely took your concerns with the gravity that they deserved.” Even his aura was constrained inwards on itself, leaving only a blank void where there had once been a guarded warmth— a useful skill for those who spent a lot of time around higher realm cultivators.

  “We both know that’s a lie, but— come on. Let’s get this over with.”

  “Did you tell your new friend what to expect?”

  “Of course not.” A faint hint of a smile played across her face, and Mingtian had the sinking feeling that someone was playing games with him— who, he didn’t know, but it was not his favorite feeling in the world. “Or are you stalling?”

  “I would never.” He pushed open the door to— an auditorium of some sort, and bowed mockingly, waving them in. “The Precinct Councilor graciously took time out of her busy schedule to meet you two. Don’t keep her waiting.” Mingtian took a step into the room and—

  Suddenly, pressure.

  His knees buckled beneath it for a second before he cycled his domain, the sunlight streaming in through high windows for a moment glittering just a little bit brighter with the unconscious action. Even Lexi and Yuxan both stumbled a little, though being in Shedding saved both of them from the worst of the spiritual pressure.

  Lexi quickly turned to him— blinked when she realized he was still standing— then turned back to Yuxan, a smug look on her face. “Told you. He’s made of sterner stuff than that.”

  “Interesting.” It was not Yuxan who responded. Instead, as the spiritual pressure redoubled and all three of them were forced to a knee, it was a single woman— dressed in a sharp scarlet outfit, standing on the stairs a few steps down from them— who spoke. “You were not wrong, Principal Lan. You must have a strong spirit, to have withstood that. Have you ever undergone training?”

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  The pressure on them relaxed, and Mingtian stood before he realized the other two had stayed kneeling. “No. No training— no more than what small presence I learnt from my work in formations,” he completely and utterly lied straight to her face. It was more difficult to keep himself from laughing at the absurdity of bowing to a petty tyrant like this than it was to say the lie in the first place.

  “Formations? You have skill in that field?”

  Yuxan, of course, leapt in the moment the councillor gave him the opportunity. “He’s an expert of significant skill, despite being a hobbyist. He’d be an incredible asset for the academy, if he was willing to teach.”

  “Really now?” The councillor hummed for a moment, then withdrew the last of her spiritual pressure, striding down towards the auditorium stage— clearly expecting them to follow. A single table adorned the space, three chairs placed around it— two on one side and one on the other. It was obvious who was meant to stand.

  So, as the others took their seats, Mingtian stood, and reminded himself for the umpteenth time that he’d brought this upon himself.

  The councillor leaned back in her chair. In a dignified manner, though Mingtian couldn’t help but think her petty play from earlier undermined that pretty heavily. “So. I imagine you’re the Leng Mingtian I’ve heard so much about recently?” He nodded. It’s nice to formally meet you. I’m the councillor for this precinct, Qin Guxi.”

  He gave her a shallow bow. “Nice to meet you.” Wow, he was so good at lying.

  “I heard something interesting the other day, about a new student who moved into the Precinct. One of those cats, if I’m not mistaken? It concerned me, you see, because none of the facilities here are built to withstand the sort of forces a Shedding-step cultivator of that kind could bring to bear. For the student’s safety, I don’t think that it would be for the best for them to be allowed to stay.” How disingenuous. He could almost believe Janus when he said it, but her? Her lack of sincerity was painfully obvious.

  Lexi scoffed. “We knew you were going to try this.” This time, when Guxi’s spiritual pressure washed over them like a wave, it carried with it an unmistakable touch of promised violence. It didn’t phase him, but he could see Lexi’s subtle flinch and the way that Yuxan paled slightly. “We—” she managed to force out regardless— “aren’t your subordinates. The rules are clear… unless you want to bring the sect down on our heads?”

  Guxi gave them a small smile, and her killing intent washed away as though it’d never been present in the first place. “Of course not. I wouldn’t ever risk that— they make the power of their hammer apparent every year, don’t they?” With the graduating class— suddenly, the whole ‘shock and awe’ of that circus made a lot more sense. It wasn’t for the mortals who watched, but rather a reminder to the cultivators, that their petty plans and small dreams were all being watched. “No, I just want his entry to be delayed a year.”

  “That still countermands the sect’s authority.”

  Guxi cocked her head. “It makes sense though, doesn’t it? To give the school some time to prepare?”

  Lexi all but snarled. “You’re inviting doom on those of us who want to advance the rational way. If this gets into a report, and the sects see it when Yuxan and I request the resources to advance to Opening…”

  “Nonsense. They don’t punish minor infractions like this, and the rewards are well worth the risks. When Young Master Qin joins the Bloody Saffron Sect, the entire precinct will bask in the reflected glory. We’ll finally become something more than one of the poorest precincts in the city.”

  “Something that could be done with either Lexi or Avyr, if that’s all you’re looking for.” Guxi glanced over at him, surprised— as if she’d not even thought that the mortal at the table might interrupt their proceedings. “Both of them are talented young cultivators.”

  “Lily isn’t a cultivator,” was the Principal’s instant response, to which Mingtian just shrugged.

  “She’s a budding formations master, dedicated to the path of cultivation. She will become a cultivator, one day. I’m sure of it.”

  “But will they have loyalty to the precinct? Even if they miraculously manage to join the Bloody Saffron Sect without any assistance—” unspoken, the assistance that she would be, had been giving her… son, he assumed— “then will they have the loyalty to the precinct to champion it in the sect like the Young Master?” Unspoken— the loyalty to her.

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