After Lira had left, her figure vanishing past the courtyard path beyond his window, Lucas turned back toward his chamber, his steps thoughtful, composed. The moment the door shut behind him with a soft click, his composure shifted. Calm, yet deliberate. Focused.
He sat down cross-legged on the mat, the warmth of his morning cultivation still pulsing faintly beneath his skin. The rush of reaching the Expert Rank was still fresh—too fresh. If he walked outside now, letting his new aura leak freely into the world, it would be like dropping a boulder into a pond. The ripples would spread, and fast. Whispers would become rumors, and rumors would swell into chaos.
He wasn't ready for that. Not yet.
People still thought he was in the late Adept Rank, if not barely approaching the threshold of Expert. After all, it had only been a short while since his public duel with Princess Nyx, where he'd already shocked the academy by holding his own against her. If word got out that he had already broken through?
The academy wouldn't remain silent. Students, instructors—perhaps even the higher-ups—would start watching him. Probing. Testing. Some would want to recruit him. Others... would want to crush him.
He breathed in slowly.
His palm opened, fingers forming a subtle mudra—one he'd memorized long ago in his past life. A technique used by high-tier cultivators to subdue their cultivation aura. It was an art not taught openly, for it could be dangerous in the wrong hands. But Lucas was no ordinary student.
He channeled his Qi, concentrating it inward, wrapping it tightly around his core, his Dantian. The pressure was immense. His new Expert Rank Qi rebelled slightly, wild and unrefined still from the breakthrough. But he forced it back into submission—pressing it down, binding it like a storm sealed within a jar.
Beads of sweat formed at his temples as he gritted his teeth slightly. The suppression was painful—not physically, but energetically. His entire being was screaming to release the power, to breathe freely. But he didn't let it.
After several long minutes, the air around him settled.
The powerful aura that had leaked subtly from his body before, that invisible pressure that would've raised alarms among nearby cultivators, was now dormant. Completely sealed.
He exhaled.
Only someone vastly more powerful—perhaps in the Advanced Expert Rank or higher—would be able to sense his true cultivation now. To everyone else, he was just the same Lucas they'd seen the day before. Maybe a bit stronger. But certainly not a newly risen expert.
It was a risky move, but a necessary one.
Lucas stood, stretching his arms with a tired grunt. His robes shifted gently around him as if brushing off the weight of what he had just done. He walked to the window and looked out over the academy grounds. Students moved about below, laughing, training, completely unaware that someone among them had already pierced through to the next threshold.
Good, he thought. Let them stay unaware.
He'd prefer it that way—for now.
Lucas settled onto the edge of his narrow bed in the room, the mattress sagging a bit under his weight. Need a break, he thought, running a hand through his damp hair as he leaned back against the wall. He was waiting for Lira to get back from the errand he'd sent her on. He figured he'd catch a quick rest while she was out.
His body was humming, the Yin energy from Nana still settling into his core, rich and heavy, but he was tired too, the kind of tired that crept in after pushing himself hard. "Just a few minutes," he thought, closing his eyes for a second, letting the quiet of the room wrap around him.
Then a scent hit him—jasmine, sharp and familiar, cutting through the musty air like a knife. "Selene," he thought, his eyes snapping open, his jaw tightening. He could tell she was close, her presence practically screaming at him, and he knew why she was coming.
"She heard about Nana," he thought, a dry smirk tugging at his lips. Word traveled fast in a place like this, and he'd just fucked Nana senseless on that creaky massage table—hardly a secret worth keeping when the walls were thin and moans carried.
Selene was still his girlfriend, officially anyway, even if his heart wasn't in it anymore, and she'd see it as her right to come storming in, demanding answers. Let her come, he thought, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, ready for whatever she was about to throw at him.
A sharp knock broke the silence, and the door swung open before he could say anything. Selene stood there, her hair loose, her eyes blazing with a mix of anger and hurt. She stepped inside, slamming the door behind her, and the whole room seemed to shrink under her presence.
"She's pissed," Lucas thought, watching her chest heave, her hands balled into fists at her sides. Word about him and Nana had spread like wildfire through the academy—students whispering in the halls, giggling over their meals, passing around stories like cheap wine.
"Why'd you fuck Nana, Xavier?" Selene snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass, her arms crossing tight over her chest. "Am I not enough for you? We fucked in your room back at the house. Was that nothing?" Her words spilled out fast, laced with hurt, and she stepped closer, her jasmine scent stronger now, almost overwhelming.
"She's really torn up," Lucas thought, but he didn't flinch, just leaned back a little, his face calm, letting her get it out. "I thought we had something," she went on, her voice cracking just a bit. "You can't just… just go around screwing whoever you want like I don't matter!"
Lucas raised an eyebrow, his smirk fading into something harder. "I'll fuck whoever I want, Selene," he said, his voice low and steady, cutting through her anger like a blade. "As long as I want to. You don't get to tell me otherwise." He stood up now, towering over her, his hands loose at his sides but his eyes locked on hers, unyielding.
She needs to hear this, he thought, not cruel but firm. He didn't owe her explanations. Selene's face fell, her lips parting like she'd been slapped, and he could see the hurt sinking in, her shoulders slumping just a fraction. She's not used to this, he thought, watching her struggle, but he didn't soften.
She swallowed hard, her hands unclenching, and when she spoke again, her voice was quieter, almost pleading. "I… I get it, okay? I can't lose you, Xavier. I know we've had our issues, but I'm still here, still trying. Just… why Nana? She's got a loose mouth, you know that. The whole academy's talking about you now—about how you've got this… this big dick, how you fucked her silly. Every chick here's gonna be after you now, throwing themselves at you." She shook her head, her hair falling into her face, and pushed it back, frustrated.
Lucas blinked, caught off guard for a second. He hadn't expected that—hadn't thought she'd go blabbing to everyone about his cock, turning him into some kind of legend among the students. His cultivation technique meant he needed sex, sure—needed the Yin energy to keep pushing his limits, but it had to be balanced, not some free-for-all with every girl in the academy chasing him.
"Damn that girl...told her not to tell anyone." Lucas thought. That didn't matter anyway as their were onlookers after he had the encounter with Rodeo, Nana just used the opportunity to brag about the sex.
Too much noise, too many distractions, he thought, his jaw tightening. Selene was right about that, at least, even if her reasons were more about keeping him to herself. He didn't say anything, just looked at her, weighing his options, the room heavy with her scent and her words.