The morning sun filtered through the tall buildings of Ogre Academy , casting long, geometric shadows across the pristine stone paths.
Ning Xueli walked with a brisk, purposeful stride, her mind was still a chaotic whirlwind of conflicting observations as she looked back at the library behind her.
Chu Fang's eyes...they weren't the eyes of the boy she had protected from bullies just a week ago.
They were now too sharp, too hungry, and filled with a strange, possessive intensity that made her skin crawl.
It was like he became a completely different person!
"Is this what Shen Haoran was looking for?" she wondered.
A shift in personality so sudden that it felt as though their soul itself had been swapped.
And honestly, Ning Xueli found it incredibly eerie, as if she was staring at Chu Fang, and at the same it was as if she was staring at a stranger.
The way he had lurked in the most neglected corner of the library, clutching a book as if it were a weapon, was just something so out of character she couldn't help but remember what Haoran had described.
'Well, I have something to tell him as well, so I might as well just inform him of this.'
With that, she didn't waste time and immediately headed straight for the Dean's office.
On the way, students keeps whispering, likely talking about the fact that the Ogre Seven was injured along with Grandmaster Yu, and were wondering if they can still fight.
Ning Xueli believe they still can, after all, the pill given by Shen Haoran was incredibly effective and they'd surely recover fully before the tournament.
With that, she entered the Dean's office.
There, Dean Fu, the dean of Ogre Academy, sat behind the desk, buried in paperwork and likely from sponsorships.
If she remembered correctly, their Dean, who was a money grubber, had decided to accept sponsorships by turning their combat uniforms into advertisement platform.
"Ah, Xueli..." Dean Fu looked up and smiled at her, "How rare of you to visit me, do you need something?"
"Dean, I want to take a day off." Ning Xueli sighed, "Dean, you must know, I suffered from psychological pressure seeing my friends and even Grandmaster getting beaten, I couldn't concentrate on training at all and wanted to cool my head."
Dean Fu, remained silent, before he shook his head and smiled, "Very well, permission granted. Just make sure you aren't too pressured."
*
*
*
Inside the Royal Garden, the air was still and fragrant as Shen Haoran sat beneath a white marble kiosk, the image of a sovereign in repose.
His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and rhythmic, while Qing'er's hands moved with practiced grace across his shoulders.
"Young Master," Qing'er murmured, her voice barely a ripple in the silence. "Reports from our shadow guards came in this morning. Anomaly-002, Lin Feng, has officially accepted a disciple. We have designated the boy as Anomaly-002-1, and his growth curve has already begun to deviate from local standards."
Haoran merely hummed, a sound of deep, detached interest.
"As for Anomaly-001," Qing'er continued, referring to the girl left behind in the desolate border city, "Huo Yue has officially begun her alchemical studies. Based on the spiritual fluctuations detected, she will likely achieve Rank 1 Alchemist status within the next few days."
Haoran's eyes snapped open, a golden flash reflecting the morning light. "A few days? Even in the Central Region, that would be considered monstrous. Her talent for the flame is indeed terrifying. If left unchecked, she would truly become hailed as the Flame Empress."
Qinq'er remained silent.
"Young Master Shen..."
Just then, a voice called out to him, which Haoran immediately recognised belonged to Ning Xueli.
Turning his head, he saw her stood at the entrance of the kiosk, her face pale but her expression set with determination.
Haoran tilted his head, giving her a slight nod, and a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "Good morning, Miss Ning. You've come early. I assume you have something of value for me?"
Xueli took a breath, her fingers twisting in the fabric of her skirt. "Yes. You asked me to watch for strange behavior and, just this morning, my junior, Chu Fang... He's changed. Once, he was lazy, gloomy, and timid, always getting bullied. But when I saw him earlier, he was looking me straight in the eye, became more cheerful, and even looked confident. Not to mention the place I met him was in the library."
Haoran's interest sharpened. "Let me guess. He wasn't in the main hall, but in the most secluded, rarely visited part of the library? The part covered in dust and forgotten by time?"
Xueli blinked, her jaw tightening in shock. How did he know? But she didn't dare ask and merely nodded. "Yes, he was at the very back, in the restricted archives where no one goes."
Haoran smirked, a look of satisfaction crossing his face.
A regressor, a transmigrator, or a system host—it didn't matter. They all gravitated toward the "hidden" treasures of their respective starting zones like moths to a flame.
And a hidden powerful book thought to be trash, and only able to display its true power and became powerful after being discovered by the protagonist is a classic trope.
Seriously, a sect, or academy has thousands to tens of thousands of disciples, with some having history spanning thousands to tens of thousands of years...
And you're telling me not one has able to discover the true power of that technique?
Just how much does heavens favored those Anomalies?
"Qing'er," Haoran said softly.
Qing'er didn't need further instruction as she immediately bowed deeply, and then, with a single fluid step, she vanished.
The space around her rippled like a stone dropped into a still pond, a silent tear in reality that swallowed her whole.
Xueli stared at the empty space where the maid had stood, her breath hitching in her throat.
As the heiress of the Ning Family, she had seen her "Grandpa Sword" demonstrate the power of Spirit Ascension Realm, but even he had to fly or move with incredible speed.
He couldn't simply vanish himself from one location and appear in another.
Is that Qing'er a Nirvana Rebirth expert? Xueli wondered, her heart hammering. Or perhaps... even higher?
She couldn't help but shiver. The last Nirvana Rebirth Realm expert in Eastern Continent was the founder of Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago, and since then, there has been no second Nirvana Rebirth expert that appeared in the region.
If that Qinq'er is really stronger than a Nirvana Realm then...
She thought of the scene last night, where Qinq'er was kneeling before Haoran and couldn't help but gulped nervously.
"So?" Haoran's voice pulled her back to the present as he stood up from his chair, his towering presence suddenly filling the kiosk. "Do you need something else from me, Miss Ning? Or did you just come to act as my informant?"
Ning Xueli immediately shook her head to rid of those unnecessary thoughts and began to think of something important.
She thought of her broken friends, the "trash" status Haoran had assigned to her world, and the vast, terrifying brilliance of the path he represented.
She bit her lip until she tasted iron, then looked him in the eye.
"I discussed your invitation with my father last night," she said, her voice trembling but unbroken. "And I have decided. I accept your offer. I will follow you to the Central Region."
Haoran chuckled, a low, dark sound that sent shivers down her spine as he stepped toward her, invading her personal space until the scent of his aura overwhelmed her.
He reached out, his fingers catching her chin and lifting it, forcing her to look at the golden abyss of his eyes.
"Heh... a wise choice, Xueli," he whispered. "But the Central Region is not a place for the faint of heart. Following me means becoming mine—my disciple, my shadow, and even my property. I think you already know what that entails."
Xueli closed her eyes for a heartbeat, a silent farewell to the girl she used to be.
A moment later, she opened them, showing him the cold, hard determination of a warrior. "Yes. I understand."
"Then," Haoran said, his smile turning dangerously playful as his gaze dropped to her lips and then traveled slowly down her frame, "why don't you show me your... 'sincerity'?"