“When did she make it to the fifth gate?” an elder blurted, stunned.
They had all been talking just moments before—Feng Yuqin was still stuck at the first gate then. Even the elder in charge of the Array Hall looked stricken. If anything, his expression was worse than the others’. At Feng Yuqin’s age, facing an array like this, even advancing to the second gate in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn was unheard of. Yet here she was at the fifth.
It was absurd.
Jiang Chengyun’s face lit with surprise the instant he saw the result. He recovered quickly, though, and forced a composed smile. “She’s so young. Her strength might not be obvious yet, but with that level of array technique she couldn’t possibly be outstanding in everything. One person’s attention is limited.”
Others nodded along. If her array skills were so extraordinary, she must have poured most of her effort into them—leaving little left for alchemy. If only they knew that Feng Yuqin had scarcely trained arrays at all; most of her time had gone into cultivation and medicine, aside from a brief stretch experimenting with temporary teleport arrays in the Xuan Yu Realm.
“Elder Fan, she can't possibly be good at alchemy. You should reconsider,” the Array Hall elder said bluntly. He knew well how much energy mastering this kind of array consumed. Someone this gifted in arrays would almost certainly be mediocre at pill-refining.
But Jiang Chengyun was a favored alchemist in the academy—second only to the Grand Elder. The Grand Elder secluded himself in long retreats; the rare pills he did make were reserved for the dean or those who had made outstanding contributions. That prestige made Jiang greedy. He bristled at any implication he might lose face.
“Tian Hongkai, are you trying to pick a fight with me?” Jiang snapped.
Tian’s expression tightened. “I’m only saying we’re from the same academy. No need to make it personal.”
“He was the one who suggested the wager,” Jiang shot back. “As elders of the academy, our words should carry weight.”
Elder Fan glanced at Jiang. “Exactly. If you make a bet, say it and stand by it. Don’t lose and claim you never meant it.”
Jiang snorted. “I should be the one to say that—after all, it was only idle talk, no written contract.”
Elder Fan’s eyes narrowed. “You want it in writing?”
Before anyone could react, another elder stepped forward. “The dean already said so. No need for paperwork.”
But Elder Fan suddenly waved his hand. A sheet of contract paper materialized between his palms. In a smooth motion he wrote the wager across it, then pressed his palm to the surface. Spirit-force flared, stamping his name into the paper like a seal.
The room went quiet. A written pledge was one thing; binding it with spirit-signature made it near-impossible to withdraw. Even Heaven itself would not allow a revocation.
Jiang’s mouth dropped open. He hadn’t expected Elder Fan to be so reckless. Before anyone could stop him, Jiang grabbed the paper and, with a frown, used his own spirit-force to sign his name.
Silence pressed down on the gathering.
“Jiang Chengyun…” the Vice Dean couldn’t restrain himself. “You did that on purpose.”
Jiang leveled a hard look. “What, you expect Elder Fan to back out if he loses? The dean has spoken. The contract is written. There’s no turning back now.”
“I won’t lose,” Elder Fan said calmly.
Jiang laughed coldly. “You’re confident, huh? All because of some scrap-haired girl.”
Tian Hongkai joined the murmur. “She’s so young—look, she’s already at the sixth gate. Her gift for arrays is obvious; she can’t be good at alchemy too.”
Others chimed in. “One’s energy is limited. Even with natural talent, you can’t excel at both. Elder Fan, you’re bound to lose.”
“No one expected this to happen today,” the Vice Dean muttered, glancing at Elder Fan. He looked composed—too composed—and unease flickered across the Vice Dean’s face. “You really believe she’s better at alchemy than Jiang?”
“I have faith in her,” Elder Fan said simply.
They snorted, certain he was dreaming.
Inside the array, Feng Yuqin didn’t have the faintest idea of the commotion outside. To her, the trial seemed laughably simple; there was no real challenge to it. Her little companions—Xiaoying, Xiaojin and Hunbing—sensed her boredom and exchanged exasperated looks.
“Master, why don’t you just dispel the array?” Xiaojin chirped. When she usually tackled a nine-gate array like this, she could break through all but the final gate in under twenty breaths.
“Keep a low profile. I have other business at the Sacred Heaven Academy,” Feng Yuqin said.
Xiaojin perked up. “Other business? What is it?”
Xiaoying and Hunbing joined in, curious.
Feng Yuqin sighed. “Lately things have been brewing. The demonic clans are more active on the Wild-Dragon Continent—and don’t forget the Five-God Realm’s interest in the place.”
“There’s no sign of the Five-God Realm yet,” Xiaoying frowned.
“When I arrived at the academy I received a message from Wind-Wing. Agents of the Five-God Realm have already entered the Wild-Dragon Continent,” Feng Yuqin replied.
Xiaoying froze, then said, “So that’s why you made that deal with Elder Fan just now?”
“Exactly. If someone wants information, they need to show the strength to earn it.”
“With how this array reads,” Xiaoying said, “your power clearly surpasses theirs.”
Feng Yuqin said nothing more; she still didn’t know the full extent of the situation outside. She spent a few more breaths and moved through the last gate.
When she stepped out at the array’s exit, only about half an incense stick’s worth of time had passed.
Elder Fan’s face broke into a satisfied smile. He looked to Tian Hongkai. “If you were her age, how long would it have taken you to clear it?”
Tian’s face tightened into a strange expression. After a beat, he said, flatly, “I couldn’t have gotten through.”
Silence fell again, heavier this time.