Heaven Dou Imperial Academy – The Main Gate
The carriage, drawn by four majestic horses, rolled to a smooth stop in front of the academy's massive iron gates. It was a vehicle fit for royalty, gleaming in the afternoon sun.
A crowd of students gathered. They whispered excitedly.
"It's the Royal Team!"
"They've been gone for two weeks."
"I bet they went to a secret luxury resort to cultivate."
"I heard they were fighting dragons."
The carriage door opened. Or rather, it tried to open.
Yu Tianheng, eager to get out, grabbed the handle. He forgot about his new strength stats.
CRUNCH.
The handle was crushed flat. The metal shrieked as the entire door mechanism was ripped out of the wood frame.
Yu Tianheng stepped out, holding the detached door handle in his hand like a broken toy.
"Oops," he said.
The students gasped.
Then, they gasped again.
The Royal Team stepped out. They didn't look like royalty.
Dugu Yan's hair was a bird's nest. Her expensive dress had a patch of dried mud on the hem.
Osler looked like he had been sleeping in a bush which he had.
The Graphite Brothers smelled like a bonfire.
Yu Feng had a feather sticking out of his ear.
But as they walked toward the gate, the crowd parted instinctively.
It wasn't because of the smell. It was the pressure.
They walked with a heavy, synchronized rhythm. Their eyes were sharp, scanning the crowd for threats. They looked like veterans returning from a war zone, not students coming back from a field trip.
Arthev stepped out last. He looked relatively clean, holding his book. He glanced at the broken door handle in Yu Tianheng's hand.
"That will cost 10 gold coins, Captain," Arthev noted.
"Put it on my tab," Yu Tianheng sighed, tossing the handle to a stunned guard.
"Sorry. My hand slipped."
-------
The Cafeteria
Spark, wearing his chef's hat which was still too big, was ladling stew. He was bored.
"Potato soup," he droned. "Again. Someone kill me."
Then, the doors banged open.
The Royal Team marched in. They didn't walk to the VIP section upstairs. They walked straight to the buffet line.
"Meat," Shi Mo growled.
"I want all the meat."
"Noodles. Bread. Rice. Anything that isn't a root." Osler demanded.
They piled their trays high. It was a mountain of food. The other students watched in horror as the elegant Dugu Yan stacked five steaks onto her plate.
Spark watched them approach. His eyes narrowed beneath the hat.
"They're back," he whispered into his comms.
"And they look... feral."
"Observe," Whisper ordered from the library.
Yu Tianheng reached for a tray.
Crack.
The tray snapped in half in his grip.
"Dammit!" Yu Tianheng yelled. "Why is everything so fragile?!"
"Use two hands," Arthev advised, sliding a metal tray over. "Distribute the pressure."
Yu Tianheng took the metal tray gingerly, like it was made of glass.
Spark's eyes widened. "He broke a tray? Just by picking it up? That's excessive grip strength."
Arthev reached the counter. He looked at Spark.
"Chef," Arthev nodded politely.
"Student Arthev," Spark replied, trying to sound like a grumpy cook.
"Soup? It has no rubber today."
"Excellent," Arthev said. He leaned in slightly.
"You changed the recipe. Less salt. More heavy cream. A bold choice."
Spark blinked. He had added more cream because he spilled it by accident.
"You have a good palate," Spark muttered.
"I analyze composition," Arthev said, taking a bowl.
"By the way, your left shoe squeaks. It indicates a loose floorboard in the pantry... or a concealed weapon compartment."
Arthev smiled, a polite, terrifying smile and walked away.
Spark stood frozen. He looked down at his shoe. He looked at Arthev's retreating back.
"Whisper," Spark hissed. "He knows about the shoe."
"He is messing with you," Whisper sighed.
"It is a psychological tactic. Ignore it."
"He's in my head, man! He's in my head!"
--------
The Board of Education
Three elderly Contras sat behind the mahogany desk. Meng Shen-Ji, the head of the Board, looked at Qin Ming.
"Welcome back, Teacher Qin," Meng Shen-Ji smiled.
"We heard the team went for... intensive survival training. I trust it was productive?"
"Very productive," Qin Ming said calmly.
"We have significant growth across the board. Improved stamina, reaction times, and team cohesion."
"Excellent," the second elder nodded.
"And cultivation levels?"
"Most are stable," Qin Ming said. "However, Captain Yu Tianheng has broken through to Rank 40."
The elders sat up straight.
"Rank 40? At his age? That is a record!"
"Truly the genius of the Blue Lightning Clan," Meng Shen-Ji praised.
"We must organize a hunt for his fourth ring immediately. A 5,000-year beast would be optimal."
Qin Ming coughed. "Actually... we already acquired the ring."
The room went silent.
"You hunted without academy supervision?" Meng Shen-Ji frowned.
"That is reckless, Qin Ming. But... fine. What did he get? A Thunder Tiger? A Storm Eagle?"
"A Thunder-Scale Wyvern," Qin Ming stated.
"A Wyvern?" The third elder gasped.
"A sub-dragon? Those are rare! And powerful. How old?"
Qin Ming took a deep breath.
"Approximately 9,500 to 10,000 years."
Clatter.
Meng Shen-Ji dropped his teacup. It didn't break, it just rolled sadly across the desk, spilling expensive tea everywhere.
"Ten... thousand?" Meng Shen-Ji whispered. "Black Ring?"
"Yes. It is Black."
"IMPOSSIBLE!" The second elder slammed his hand on the table.
"The limit is 5,000! A Soul Ancestor cannot absorb a Black Ring! He would explode! His soul would shatter!"
"He is outside," Qin Ming said.
"Would you like a demonstration?"
Five minutes later.
The three elders stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Down below, Yu Tianheng stood by a stone statue of the academy's founder.
"Fourth Skill: Thunder Wyvern's Descent!"
BOOM.
The statue vanished in a crater of violet lightning and dust.
The elders stared at the destruction. Their mouths were open. Their beards were trembling.
"He... he has scales," Meng Shen-Ji mumbled. "Real scales."
"Who?" the second elder turned to Qin Ming.
"Who approved this? Who calculated the absorption rate? Was it you, Qin Ming?"
"No," Qin Ming shook his head.
"It was the student, Arthev."
"The Sage?" Meng Shen-Ji's eyes widened.
"The boy from the arena?"
"He has a theory," Qin Ming explained.
"The Vessel Theory. He believes the body is a container, and if you reinforce the container with extreme physical stress, you can hold more pressure. He calls it... Science."
"Science," Meng Shen-Ji tested the word. It tasted like madness. And power.
"We need to talk to this boy," Meng Shen-Ji decided.
"If his theory is replicable... if we can produce more students who can absorb Black Rings at Rank 40... the Heaven Dou Academy will dominate the continent."
-------
The Library – Late Night
Arthev walked into the library. It was empty, except for the Librarian organizing scrolls.
Whisper saw him come in. He winced slightly. He had finally scrubbed the blue dye off his face, but his skin was still a little raw from the scrubbing.
"Student Arthev," Whisper said, his voice tight.
"No mystery boxes today, I hope?"
"No boxes," Arthev replied, placing a stack of books on the counter.
"I am returning Edible Fungi of the Star Dou Forest and Basic Trap Mechanics."
"Did you catch anything?" Whisper asked casually.
"A rabbit," Arthev said.
"And a Wyvern."
Whisper froze. He looked up. "A... Wyvern?"
"Big lizard," Arthev clarified.
"Very rude. It tried to eat our healer. The Captain had to put it down."
He leaned on the counter.
"I need new books, Mr. Silas. Do you have anything on... 'Heavy Pressure Adaptation'? Or perhaps 'Bone Density'?"
Whisper pushed his glasses up.
"Are you researching for the Captain?"
"I am a curious scholar," Arthev smiled.
"I like to know why things don't break when they should."
He tapped the counter.
"Also, do you have any books on Pest Control? We had a rat problem in the camp."
Whisper's heart skipped a beat.
"Rats?" Whisper asked, keeping his face blank.
"That should be in section E."
"Thanks," Arthev shrugged.
He picked up a book from the New Arrivals shelf, Section E.
"Goodnight, Mr. Silas. Try not to spill any more ink."
Arthev walked out.
Whisper watched him go. He touched his earpiece.
"Spark," Whisper said. "He knows about the rat."
"I told you!" Spark yelled in his ear. "I told you he was onto us!"
"You did," Whisper said calmly.
"The game has changed. He knows we're watching, and he's deliberately controlling what we see."
"So... can I blow him up now?"
"No," Whisper said, a dark smile forming on his face. "Now... we enroll."
"Enroll?"
"The team needs a sparring partner,"
Whisper said. "A consultant. I think it is time Mr. Silas retired... and a new combat instructor arrived."
-------
Dormitory C
Arthev sat on his bed. He held the Stone in his hand, tossing it up and down.
'You poked the bear,' Matatabi warned. 'Or rather, the rat and the ghost.'
'I poked them to make them move,' Arthev replied. 'If they stay in the shadows, I can't act them. I need them to step into the light.'
He closed his fist over the stone.
He lay back on his pillow.
From the room next door, he heard a loud crash.
"Sorry!" Yu Tianheng shouted.
"I broke the bed frame!"
Arthev chuckled.
"Sleep on the floor, Captain," he whispered.
"It builds character."
To be continued.....