The academy courtyard was strangely quiet after the duel. Students whispered in corners, some still glancing toward the arena, as if Mo Fan's victory had broken some unspoken law of the school. Many had once believed Yu Ang was untouchable. A few believed Mo Fan was just a troublemaker with luck.
Now they knew differently.
Xu Mang and Lu Jun walked across the courtyard side by side, their steps echoing softly in the evening air. They had grown used to passing students who stared, whispering about the three of them—a group whose cultivation had suddenly leaped far beyond the academy's normal pace.
Eventually, they reached one of the outer buildings where the academy's administration wing was located. The place was empty except for a few lingering teachers. Xu Mang stopped beneath the small stone archway.
"So," he said quietly, "the timeline is shifting. Mo Fan's duel came earlier than it should have. The early commander appeared before the sacred spring arc. And the Mu Family is already tightening their surveillance over Bo City."
Lu Jun leaned his back against the wall. "Each event is happening slightly ahead of schedule. Not out of order, but faster. Like the world is accelerating to catch up to something."
Xu Mang nodded. "Exactly. That means we need to move faster too."
Lu Jun crossed his arms. "I'll leave for Pearl Institute early. One year before him. I'll secure a place, gather resources, and prepare the environment for when Mo Fan arrives. Pearl Institute is where the next wave of geniuses appear. If we're not ahead when that happens, we'll fall behind."
"Agreed," Xu Mang said. "Pearl Institute will be crucial for our generation's breakthroughs. And… it's where the politics get deadly."
Lu Jun smirked. "Deadly is where we excel, isn't it?"
Xu Mang gave him a look. "Speak for yourself."
Lu Jun laughed under his breath.
"And you?" he asked.
"Imperial City," Xu Mang replied. "The Mu Clan still holds the technique we need. And something tells me the city will open its gates for political reasons once the refuge transfers begin. I can slip in then, under the guise of a minor affiliate. I'll look for the Transfer Technique."
"And Mu Ningxue?" Lu Jun asked, watching him carefully.
Xu Mang looked toward the horizon, where a faint line of snow drifted in the air.
"She'll leave for the Tiansheng Mountains soon. I won't need to push her. Her talent will draw her there on its own. Once she trains there, she'll return as the version of herself that appears much later in canon. Stronger. Sharper. Colder in the right way."
Lu Jun hummed softly. "Then everything is falling into place."
Before Xu Mang could answer, they felt a presence behind them.
Zhan Kong stood there, arms folded, his expression unreadable. The faint scent of smoke and wind still clung to him; he had returned from a patrol beyond the walls.
"You two," he said quietly. "Walk with me."
They followed him across the courtyard to the empty track field. Moonlight pooled across the ground, turning the area silver.
Zhan Kong didn't waste time.
"The commander beast you saw two months ago was not the true threat," he said. "The real horde is moving. Slowly, carefully, but with purpose. I've tracked several packs migrating toward the outskirts near the reservoir. Something is drawing them."
Lu Jun's voice dropped. "The Sacred Underground Holy Spring."
Zhan Kong didn't react outwardly, but his eyes narrowed slightly. "You two are sharper than you look."
Xu Mang faced him fully. "Captain, how long before it begins?"
Zhan Kong looked past them toward the dark forest. "Weeks. Maybe less if the spring's energy leaks. The city doesn't know it yet, but Bo City is standing on a crack."
They stood in silence for a moment.
Zhan Kong continued. "When it happens, I won't be able to protect the academy. I'll be dealing with the larger threats. You two—and Mo Fan—will need to protect whoever you can."
Xu Mang nodded slowly. "We understand."
"I know you do," Zhan Kong said. "That's why I'm telling you."
He walked past them, his voice drifting behind him like a whisper of steel. "Prepare yourselves. Your real trial hasn't started."
They watched him vanish into the night.
A faint wind passed through the courtyard.
"You heard him," Xu Mang said.
"Yeah," Lu Jun replied. "Everything we've done so far was just warm-up."
Later that evening, Xu Mang crossed paths with Mu Ningxue near the academy's entrance. She was standing under a lantern, her hair catching the light like silver threads. Her eyes rose to meet his.
"Are you certain about what you said?" she asked. "About the mountains."
"More certain than anything else," Xu Mang replied. "Your growth here will be slow. But in the Tiansheng Mountains, your talent will awaken properly. You'll reach a realm even the Mu Family can't predict."
She looked down at her hands, pale fingers glimmering with tiny specks of frost.
"And if I leave," she said softly, "I won't be here when the disaster strikes."
"You'll survive the disaster because you're gone," Xu Mang said. "And when you return, you'll be strong enough to change the future. Mo Fan will need allies like you."
Her expression softened just slightly, something faint and fragile flickering beneath her calm.
"I'll go," she whispered.
Xu Mang nodded and stepped away.
Tomorrow, the academy would return to teaching as if nothing had changed.
Tomorrow, the Mu Family would meet to discuss the aftermath of Yu Ang's defeat.
Tomorrow, Bo City would continue pretending life was normal.
But Xu Mang and Lu Jun knew the truth.
The real story was about to begin.