Morning at the Azure Mist Sect arrived loudly.
Not because of birds.
But because **Qiao Feng was yelling**.
"WHY does training start before my soul wakes up?!"
Shen Yu rolled over on his mat.
"Your soul woke up years ago. It just refuses responsibility."
Qiao Feng sat up, hair sticking in all directions.
"That's slander."
Han Rui was already awake, neatly dressed, folding his blanket with the care of someone who feared chaos might notice him.
Lu Xinyi stood near the door, arms crossed.
"You're all late," she said.
Qiao Feng squinted.
"…You slept here?"
"I came early."
Shen Yu smiled.
"Ah. Overachieving as usual."
She ignored him, but her ears reddened slightly.
---
### **Outer Disciples Training Ground**
Instructor **Bao** stood with his hands behind his back, face permanently set to *disappointed father of many failures*.
"Today," he announced, "we test **movement control**."
Several disciples groaned.
"Movement," Bao continued, "reveals discipline."
Qiao Feng whispered,
"Movement reveals how fast I can run away."
The exercise was simple.
Walk across a floating stone platform while maintaining spiritual balance.
Fall = extra laps.
The stones hovered over a shallow pit.
"Shallow," Bao clarified.
"But embarrassing."
One by one, disciples crossed.
Some wobbling.
Some sweating.
Some falling.
Lu Xinyi stepped forward.
Her movements were precise, blades at her waist unmoving, balance flawless.
Instructor Bao nodded.
"Excellent."
She crossed without effort.
Qiao Feng clapped loudly.
"YES! OUR TEAM IS RESPECTABLE!"
Then he stepped on.
Immediately slipped.
"WAIT—"
Splash.
Extra laps.
Han Rui went next.
He moved slowly, carefully, trembling — but made it across.
Bao blinked.
"…Acceptable."
Han Rui nearly cried from relief.
Finally, Shen Yu stepped up.
Instructor Bao glanced at the list.
"…Shen Yu. Ordinary talent."
Shen Yu nodded.
"Painfully so."
"Proceed."
Shen Yu stepped onto the first stone.
It dipped.
He froze.
The stone… steadied.
Not because of spiritual energy.
But because the **space around it relaxed**.
Shen Yu blinked.
"Huh."
He took another step.
The stones shifted slightly — adjusting themselves *around him*.
Instructor Bao frowned.
"What are you doing?"
"Walking," Shen Yu replied honestly.
He crossed the platform casually, hands behind his back, humming.
Lu Xinyi stared.
Han Rui stared.
Qiao Feng forgot to do laps and stared.
When Shen Yu stepped off, the stones immediately wobbled violently.
Two disciples fell in.
Instructor Bao's eye twitched.
"Explain," he demanded.
Shen Yu scratched his cheek.
"…I didn't rush?"
Bao stared harder.
"You disrupted the formation."
"I apologized internally."
Bao took a deep breath.
"Extra laps."
Shen Yu nodded.
"Fair."
As Shen Yu jogged past Qiao Feng, Qiao Feng whispered,
"You walked like the stones owed you money."
Shen Yu shrugged.
"Good posture?"
Lu Xinyi caught up to him during laps.
"You weren't using spiritual force."
"I know."
"…Then how?"
Shen Yu smiled sideways.
"I think the ground didn't want to argue."
She stared — then laughed quietly, surprised at herself.
---
### **Later: Weapon Practice**
Lu Xinyi sparred with senior disciples.
Fast. Sharp. Controlled.
When one opponent overextended, Shen Yu shouted,
"Left side!"
She adjusted instinctively — winning immediately.
She turned, annoyed.
"You distracted me."
"Successfully."
She rolled her eyes — but didn't deny it.
---
### **Elsewhere, Watching**
From a shaded pavilion, **Old Mo** sipped wine.
"He doesn't command space," he murmured.
"He listens."
Beside him, unseen by all, the air trembled faintly.
High above, within the Sky Archive —
A keeper frowned at a blank record behaving **out of order**.
---
### **End of Training**
The group collapsed under a tree.
Qiao Feng groaned.
"If cultivation is about suffering, I demand a refund."
Han Rui handed everyone water.
Lu Xinyi sat beside Shen Yu, closer than before.
"Next time," she said quietly, "don't fall behind."
Shen Yu smiled.
"Next time, walk with me."
She paused.
"…We'll see."
The wind stirred.
Space breathed.
And somewhere deep within the sky —
A system designed to measure everything failed to measure **him** again.