The Silent Weather descended in a spiral, its dragon-emblazoned sails folding neatly as the ship drifted toward Aria's colossal landing docks. Wind whipped across the deck, carrying scents of salt, sap, and smoldering forge smoke from the city below.
Feng Jian stood motionless at the railing, blindfolded, letting the layers of air currents whisper their secrets into his mind.
Maria leaned close, her voice low but teasing.Maria (whispering): "Almost forgot—you can't really see through that seal, can you?"
The crew glanced at Jian as they passed, some raising brows at his covered eyes. Rumors already sparked among them: a noble's hidden birthmark, a scar, perhaps a vow of silence. But only Maria knew the truth.
With a nod from Mark, Maria reached up and peeled the thin seal away. The cloth mask fluttered like a feather in the sharp breeze, revealing short brown hair and eyes as dark as obsidian. Jian blinked rapidly, the world flooding into him.
Jian (quietly): "Crazy… how clear everything is."
Maria stiffened. She had whispered—but he had answered her before the seal was even gone.Maria: "Wait. How did you hear me just then?"
Jian's tone remained calm, clipped, almost indifferent.Jian: "I channel Qi in the air, convert the vibrations into sound, and redirect them into my mind. For sight, I release Wind Qi and read the reflections."
Her lips parted. That level of Qi manipulation was something taught to veteran scouts, not a boy his age.Maria: "You're… incredible. But there must be limits. Four hundred meters? Beyond that, it blurs?"
Jian inclined his head.Jian: "Precisely."
He lowered his gaze, as if dismissing the matter entirely. But the simplicity of his explanation only deepened Maria's unease. His methods were elegant, dangerous, and far too advanced for someone just beginning Academy life.
The Landing Dock
The ship moored at one of five pillar-like landing platforms, each rising five hundred meters into the air. The platforms were spaced evenly, two hundred meters apart, resembling the spread fingers of a giant hand gripping the sky. Below, Aria City sprawled—a tapestry of spires, bridges, and marketplaces woven around the World Tree's roots.
From the edge of the platform, Jian spotted a crimson banner snapping in the wind—the sigil of the Ming Kingdom, rivals of his homeland. His jaw tightened, though his expression betrayed nothing.
Mark clapped his hands together, his voice booming.Mark: "Well, kid, this is where I leave you. Beyond that arch lies the Seven-Star Academy. Don't stumble. Don't shame the Steel name."
He turned to Maria, grin crooked.Mark: "Take care of him. Make sure he doesn't kill half the students by accident."
With a careless wave, he vanished into the city below, already humming about taverns and forges.
Maria exhaled sharply.Maria: "He really just… leaves you like that? Typical."
Jian only shouldered his pack, silent.
The Purple Gate
At the far end of the dock stood the arched gateway—a construct of obsidian stone veined with amethyst lines, its frame pulsing with condensed Qi. The air around it shimmered, warping like a mirage.
Maria gestured toward it, her voice softer now.Maria: "Your first teleportation gate. Step through, and you'll be on Academy grounds. Once you're inside… there's no turning back without completing the trials."
Jian studied the gate, the way the Qi currents bent inward like waves collapsing into a whirlpool. He drew a slow breath, the air cold against his tongue.
Maria (murmuring, almost to herself): "What are you really seeing behind those eyes?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward. The air buzzed, his hair lifting as if charged with lightning. With Maria close behind, Jian crossed the threshold.
The world dissolved into violet light.
On the Other Side
When the light faded, they stood upon marble steps descending into the Seven-Star Academy's outer courtyard. The air was heavier here, charged with Qi so dense it shimmered visibly. Towers rose in all directions, built of white stone threaded with living roots from the World Tree. Floating lanterns illuminated pathways, each flame a wisp of condensed spirit energy.
And above all, the World Tree itself loomed. From this vantage, its trunk was no longer distant—it was all-encompassing, a wall of living bark and light, its roots sprawling beneath the academy grounds like rivers turned solid.
Students bustled across the courtyard: cloaked figures sparring with staves, scholars jotting frantically on rune-etched tablets, merchant carts laden with monster-core trinkets. Some glanced at Jian—at the newcomer with the dark eyes and unreadable expression.
Maria leaned close again, her curiosity unmasked.Maria: "Feng Jian… do you even feel nervous?"
Jian's answer was the same as always: short, absolute.Jian: "No."
And though her lips curved in a skeptical smile, something in her chest tightened. He wasn't arrogant. He wasn't naïve. He was simply… unshakable.
The bells tolled, their sound rolling like thunder across the courtyard. The trials of the Seven-Star Academy were about to begin.