“In that case, are the trial grounds for new students high- or low-difficulty?” one student asked, perplexed. As he did so, he snuck a glance at Yun Ruoyan.

Yun Ruoyan understood his train of thought: based on the upperclassmen’s descriptions of the trial grounds, rookies like them would surely be sent to a lower-difficulty trial. However, that trial still contained quite a number of mid- and high-rank beasts. Even more surprisingly, Yun Ruoyan had managed to obtain a sage-grade spiritual herb, the amaranthine sun.

This seemed to be at odds with what their upperclassmen had described.

“The trial for incoming students is the lowest in difficulty,” Zong Yang affirmed. “Didn’t you guys realize that the beasts within would almost never attack you of their own accord?”

Yun Ruoyan and the other gathered students thought back to their own experiences. Indeed, except for the eight-legged evil spirit, none of the remaining beasts had attacked Yun Ruoyan before she attacked them, or the treasures that they were guarding.

“As for how you obtained a sage-grade treasure… well, it’s probably just luck.” Zong Yang smiled.

News of Yun Ruoyan having obtained a sage-grade treasure in the initial trial had spread, and many of the envious or jealous glances she had received were both because she had been taken as disciple by Li Mo and because of this sage-grade treasure.

Many students were displeased by the fact that Yun Ruoyan had found treasure and a master so quickly after her arrival at the academy. Was she deserving of her luck? Some students loathed her because of their envy alone, but they couldn’t do anything about her. Kongming Academy had a strict policy against snatching others’ treasures that they had obtained during a trial, and Yun Ruoyan had quite a powerful backer in Li Mo.

“Sister Ruoyan, look!” Lin Qingxue suddenly tugged on Yun Ruoyan’s sleeve, then motioned to the entrance of the cafeteria.

A group of people had just entered: among others, there were Rong Yueshan, Yi Qianying, Pei Ziao, Li Furong, Zhao Qiang, and Zhao Xu.

“Nothing good will come out of having 

those 

people gathered together!” Lin Qingxue grumbled. “Snakes and rats!”

Guan Ruliu caught the sudden shift in Lin Qingxue’s usually jovial expression and tone. She had finished eating, and was waiting quietly for Yun Ruoyan and the rest of her group.

“You’ve had a conflict with them?” Guan Ruliu asked. She hadn’t remained at the plaza after the roll call yesterday, so she hadn’t been a bystander. Even the master-disciple relationship between Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan was something that she had only discovered after the fact.

“More like a blood feud, at this point,” Lin Qingxue began grimly. During the trial, Rong Yueshan had manipulated her fellow students into kidnapping her and her sister, before trying to kill them. At least in Lin Qingxue’s eyes, Rong Yueshan could never be forgiven.

“Be especially careful of that youth.” Zong Yang pointed his chopsticks at a male leading Rong Yueshan’s group, then lowered his voice. “He’s one of the 

de facto

 student leaders of the northern college, Guan Tianyu. He just came back from a high-rank trial yesterday.”

Yun Ruoyan glanced toward the tall, broad youth. While students who hadn’t yet entered the three institutions didn’t have the qualifications to enter high-rank trials, Guan Tianyu was apparently the grandnephew of the second elder himself. It was only because of this familial connection that he was able to enter the high-rank trial along with students from the three institutions.

“He’s arrogant and vicious. Because of his relationship with the second elder, there’s no one he doesn’t dare bully in any of the five colleges,” Guan Ruliu murmured, her back toward Guan Tianyu’s group.

[1]

As if feeling their stares, Guan Tianyu looked over at Yun Ruoyan’s group, his eyes glinting. Zong Yang quickly lowered his head, as did many of the other students sitting beside him.

Yun Ruoyan glanced coolly back before lowering her head and starting to eat.

Guan Tianyu was very pleased to see the other students avoiding his gaze, and his lips curled up in a smile. Very quickly, however, his smile froze: Yun Ruoyan had suddenly raised her head and stared at him openly.

The hubbub of the cafeteria seemed to die down in an instant, and the atmosphere turned tense. Lin Qingxue was as stubborn as a calf. Although she had lowered her head as Lin Qingchen tugged on her sleeve, she too glanced up and stared at Guan Tianyu, mirroring Yun Ruoyan’s actions. Her eyes were filled with disdain and loathing.

Guan Tianyu was rather surprised to see Yun Ruoyan’s cool gaze and Lin Qingxue’s hateful gaze staring back at him. Who were these two girls, to be so daring? It had been many years since anyone from the five colleges had dared stare at him so openly.

“Who are they?” Guan Tianyu asked Rong Yueshan, who stood by his side. Rong Yueshan was the second elder’s new disciple, and had significant authority and status of her own in the northern college. Furthermore, because her uncle Rong Tianhai was an instructor of the northern college, she had the qualifications to walk by Guan Tianyu’s side. Her shrewdly deferential and respectful behavior easily ingratiated her to him.

“That girl with the birthmark is Master Mo’s new disciple, Yun Ruoyan. That round-faced girl by her side is her cousin, Lin Qingxue. Finally, that other girl who’s eating beside them is also Yun Ruoyan’s cousin, Lin Qingchen,” Rong Yueshan replied.

“

She’s

 the new disciple that Master Mo took on?” Guan Tianyu seemed shocked. “Why is she so ugly?”

Many of the students had seen Yun Ruoyan’s birthmark, revealed after Rong Yueshan’s icy daggers had sliced her gauze patch in two. After that, Yun Ruoyan had been the recipient of many a curious glance, as though they were trying to see beyond her gauze patch at the startling disfiguration it hid.

Somewhat displeased by all the attention, Yun Ruoyan decided to stop putting on a gauze patch altogether. After all, her purpose in attending Kongming Academy was to train and cultivate, not to be popular. Revealing her disfigured face would keep away the superficial and draw out friends who truly wanted to interact with her.

Li Mo approved of Yun Ruyoan’s decision, because she looked far too pretty with a gauze patch on. On the other hand, her now-ugly appearance allowed Li Mo to relax.

“Senior Brother, she’s ugly in heart and mind as well,” Yi Qianying added from the side.

“I can see that.” Guan Tianyu narrowed his eyes. “Anyone who dares stare back at me can’t be normal.”

“Senior Brother, Yun Ruoyan is Master Mo’s disciple. It’s best if you don’t provoke her,” Rong Yueshan said.

“Yesterday, Miss Rong, Master Zhao, and Miss Zhao had an altercation with Yun Ruoyan in the plaza, and Master Mo argued for his new disciple one-sidedly,” Li Furong continued, gritting her teeth. “Because of Master Mo’s presence, Yun Ruoyan was able to claim Miss Zhao’s precious pearl for herself, and she even forced Master Zhao to kowtow to her and acknowledge his mistake!”

“Is that so?” Guan Tianyu frowned. The southern college was headed by the first elder and was of a higher standing than the northern college, but the students of the southern college tended to behave in a subdued manner on account of the stringent guidelines established by the first elder.

On the other hand, the northern college was led by the second elder, who was ambitious and aggressive. As if inheriting these characteristics, the students of the northern college tended to be bossy and domineering.

“To have kowtowed to her…!” Guan Tianyu looked at Zhao Qiang and Zhao Xu. Their expressions were ugly, but they didn’t speak. The Zhao siblings weren’t from the northern college, but they seemed to have formed a group with Rong Yueshan and the others. As their 

de facto 

leader, Guan Tianyu naturally had to defend his underlings.

“All the more reason to meet her for myself.” Guan Tianyu snorted, then began walking in their direction.

Rong Yueshan and Yi Qianying exchanged a malicious glance with each other: they might be afraid of Li Mo, but at least one person wasn’t!

“Guan Tianyu’s walking over,” Zong Yang hissed anxiously. The other students seemed to be equally anxious, and each of them buried their heads in their meal.

Guan Tianyu walked up to Yun Ruoyan’s table, but he turned to face Zong Yang instead. Zong Yang seemed friendly and personable, but it was exactly that type of personality that was easiest to bully in Guan Tianyu’s eyes. Indeed, Zong Yang had been shafted quite a few times by students from the northern college.

“Junior Brother Zong, how’s your appetite today?” Guan Tianyu smiled a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Ah? Haha, it’s alright.” Zong Yang stood up and replied with a nervous laugh.

“It looks like the meatballs are somewhat raw.” Guan Tianyu frowned.

“Ah?” Zong Yang immediately shook his head. “How could that be? It’s not raw, not at all!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Guan Tianyu took Zong Yang’s chopsticks from his hand and stabbed them into a meatball on Lin Qingxue’s plate. It had been steaming hot, but it quickly turned cold as soon as Guan Tianyu had picked it up. A thin layer of frost began forming on its surface.

In front of the crowd, Gaun Tianyu held the meatball up to Zong Yang’s mouth. “This is surely raw. Otherwise, wouldn’t this junior sister have consumed it? But if you don’t think it’s raw, then why don’t you eat it, so it won’t go to waste?”

1. Guan Ruliu and Guan Tianyu have no familial connection; the characters that make up their surname are homophones.

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