As the noise swelled, one truth settled heavily in the hearts of all who had come:
The Imperial Examination had begun.
This rare convergence of students from all corners of the empire was like watching storms gathering over a single sky. And in the middle of this brewing tempest stood Wuxie.
He was calm. Not the kind of calm that comes from ignorance or false bravado, but the stillness of someone who had already touched power most could not imagine.
His silver Lushan robes fluttered slightly as he walked into the hall, his hands resting behind his back, the familiar glint in his eyes returning.
But unlike the others, Wuxie wasn't anxious.
He was smiling.
Because for the first time in a long while… he wasn't bored.
He scanned the massive hall, not as a nervous contestant, but like a tactician observing a battlefield.
