The wind whipped through Shen Hao's hair as he soared through the early morning sky, his Qi cloak flaring gently. The ground below was calm, peaceful. The ruin — hidden beneath the earth — was behind him now.
Or so he thought.
Mid-flight, his eyes widened.
"…Wait… wait… WAIT!!"
He stopped mid-air like a bird hitting glass.
"I forgot to SEAL the ruin!!"
The image of the open underground chamber, the scroll pedestal still glowing faintly, flashed in his mind. He'd left the slab entrance wide open.
Inside his head, chaos exploded.
Lingfeng: "NOOOO, MASTER!! NOT AGAIN!"
Elder Golem: "Didn't our previous master tell you that sealing your legacy site is the first thing to do after success?"
Younger Golem: "I believe he mentioned it… multiple times."
"I just fought a lightning elemental!" Shen Hao snapped. "I DESERVE A LITTLE SLACK!"
With a groan, he spun mid-air and bolted back toward the forested ridge near his neighborhood — the one where the stone entrance was buried.
A few minutes later, he landed near the clearing. Dew clung to the grass. Birds scattered from nearby trees. The rectangular stone slab that marked the ancient stairwell was still exposed — and very obviously magical.
Golden runes flickered across its surface like a flashing neon sign screaming: "HEY! ANCIENT POWER HERE!"
Shen Hao groaned and dropped to one knee.
"Okay… formation sealing... let's do this properly."
He began sketching glyphs along the slab's edges using spiritual ink stored in his ring.
But then—
SPLAT!
His brush slipped. Ink dribbled across the wrong rune.
BOOM!
The slab coughed out a puff of smoke — and smacked Shen Hao in the face with a tiny shockwave of dirt.
"MASTER," the elder golem sighed, "you inverted the core glyph."
"Thank you, I noticed," Shen Hao grunted, brushing grass out of his mouth.
Second try. Then third.
Lingfeng: "Okay but… if this was a formation exam, you'd have been executed three mistakes ago."
Shen Hao muttered a few words that weren't fit for ancient scrolls.
Finally, on the fifth attempt, the runes lit up in a smooth, even glow. The slab pulsed once — and vanished under an illusion of grass and earth, perfectly hidden.
The ruin was sealed.
Shen Hao stood, brushed off his pants, and mumbled, "No one saw that."
Lingfeng snorted.
"You sure about that?" said the younger golem.
"Shut up, all of you."
He turned, took one long breath, and took off toward home.
By the time Shen Hao landed on the balcony of his apartment, the sun had just cleared the horizon. Orange light poured across the city. He stepped into his bedroom, slid the door closed, and collapsed into bed, letting out the deepest sigh of the week.
"Finally…" he whispered. "Some peace…"
BANG!
The door flew open.
"SHEN HAO!!"
His mom's voice crashed into his soul harder than the Infernal Fangbeast.
"GET UP! You're going to be late!"
Shen Hao bolted upright. "For what?!"
His mom stood in the doorway holding a folded uniform and a backpack.
"For school!"
"…What school?"
She frowned. "Your new high school. In Mexico. We enrolled you last week."
Shen Hao blinked, face blank. "You did WHAT?"
"You start today," she said casually, walking in and dropping his clothes onto the chair. "Uniform's ready. Backpack's packed. Books, notebooks, pens, everything. Hurry up or you'll be late."
"But—I—You—HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?!"
"You sleep all day. We figured it was better this way."
Inside his mind, Lingfeng screamed.
Lingfeng: "BROOOOOO—THIS IS WORSE THAN THE LIGHTNING GUARDIAN!!"
Elder Golem: "Should we eliminate the academic threat?"
Younger Golem: "What if school has guardians too?"
Mo Han: "Compose yourself. A trial is a trial, no matter the battlefield."
"I hate all of you," Shen Hao muttered, dragging himself to the bathroom.
By 7:50 AM, Shen Hao stood in front of the school gates.
His uniform was crisp. Shoes clean. Hair combed. Backpack slung neatly across his shoulder.
No one looking at him could tell he'd spent the night almost dying in a lava ruin.
He stepped forward — and of course — bullies.
Three guys leaned against the gate wall like low-budget anime villains. The tallest stepped forward.
"Yo, new kid. What's your name?"
Shen Hao blinked slowly. "I don't have time for this."
The second guy laughed. "Oh, tough guy. Thinks he's cool."
Shen Hao didn't even say a word. He took one step forward — just one.
The air thickened.
His Qi pulsed once, silent but strong. A wave of pressure hit the three boys like invisible gravity.
The tallest guy turned pale. "Uh… never mind, bro. Have a good day."
They stepped aside without another word.
Lingfeng: "OOOHHHHH!!! THAT'S MY MASTER RIGHT THERE!!!"
Elder Golem: "That intimidation efficiency… flawless."
Mo Han: "Still... wasteful Qi use."
Shen Hao passed through the gates like royalty.
The classroom was bright and spacious. Shen Hao knocked once, then entered.
A few students glanced up.
The teacher looked up from his attendance list. "Ah, you must be the new transfer. Shen Hao, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Class, this is Shen Hao. He recently moved here. I hope you'll all welcome him."
Murmurs spread across the room.
Shen Hao's eyes scanned the desks… and then paused.
Near the back, next to the window — a girl sat quietly, sunlight catching in her hair like spun copper. She was flipping a page in her notebook, completely unaware of how time froze around her.
Shen Hao blinked.
Inside his head, madness erupted.
Lingfeng: "WOAH. WOAH. MASTER. MASTER. DO YOU SEE HER?!"
Younger Golem: "Heart rate rising. Pulse elevated. Symptom of crush?"
Elder Golem: "Master. Focus."
Mo Han: "Tch. Ridiculous."
Shen Hao: "ALL OF YOU—SHUT. UP."
The girl looked up.
Their eyes met. Just for a second.
She gave him a soft, polite nod. Nothing dramatic — but somehow it lit a fire under Shen Hao's brain.
He nodded back with all the energy of someone trying not to combust.
"You can sit next to her," the teacher added. "That spot's open."
Shen Hao: Of course it is. Of course it's next to her.
He walked calmly across the room and sat down.
But inside?
Lingfeng: "Maaaaster Shen Hao is falling! He's FALLING HARD!"
Younger Golem: "Crimson Core Detonation? No. Romantic Core Activation."
Elder Golem: "This may require further observation."
Mo Han: "I'm meditating."
Class started. Geography. Mountains. Rivers. Blah blah blah.
Shen Hao tried to focus, but the girl's pen tapping was like a subtle rhythm that shook his brain.
Then his pen rolled off the table.
She picked it up — and handed it to him.
Their fingers brushed.
BOOM.
In his mind:
Lingfeng: "HAND TOUCH. HAND TOUCH. IT'S OVER!!"
Elder Golem: "Tactile contact confirmed."
Younger Golem: "This must be fate."
Shen Hao: "I AM HERE TO ASCEND. NOT TO FALL!"
She smiled faintly.
Shen Hao turned away immediately, face burning.
And for the first time that day… he didn't have a comeback.