The "Trash Class" dormitories were located in the dampest, most neglected corner of the Cloud Mist Academy. While the elite students slept in spirit-wood mansions, Lu Chen's three students lived in a stone shack that smelled of mildew and failed dreams.
As Lu Chen approached, carrying the sleeping Heavenly Lightning King cub, he heard the rhythmic, desperate sound of a wooden sword striking a straw dummy.
Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.
Standing in the moonlight was a boy of seventeen, his clothes tattered and soaked in sweat. This was Han Feng. Two years ago, he was the city's greatest prodigy—until an "accident" during a duel left his meridians shattered and his reputation in ruins.
Lu Chen stood in the shadows, activating his Sovereign Eye.
[Target: Han Feng]
[Status: Broken Sword-Heart.]
[Primary Flaw: 3,204 Structural Fractures in the Solar-Meridian. Current Cultivation: Stage-0 (Suppressed).]
[Hidden Potential: Rank-SSS 'Heavenly Sword Body'.]
Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat. SSS-Rank? This boy wasn't trash; he was a god-tier weapon that someone had intentionally sabotaged.
"You're striking from the shoulder, Han Feng," Lu Chen said, stepping into the light. "But your power source is in your left heel. Every time you swing, you're not just wasting energy—you're deepening the cracks in your soul."
Han Feng froze. He turned around, his eyes filled with a mixture of bitterness and exhaustion. "Teacher Lu? I thought you were evicted tonight. And my 'shoulder'? What does it matter? I'm a cripple. Even a three-year-old has more Qi than I do."
"You're not a cripple," Lu Chen walked toward him, the Origin Spirit Pen glowing faintly in his hand. "You're a masterpiece that was vandalized by a jealous amateur. Tell me, Han Feng, do you want to keep hitting that straw, or do you want to cut through the heavens?"
Han Feng let out a hollow laugh. "The doctors, the Alchemists, even the 2-Star Master Teachers said my meridians are 'Dead Wood'. There is no cure."
"In their eyes, yes," Lu Chen stood directly in front of him, his Sovereign Architect's Pressure beginning to radiate. "But they see only the broken wood. I see the blueprint of the forest. Sit."
Something in Lu Chen's voice—an undeniable authority—forced Han Feng to sit cross-legged on the cold ground.
The Surgical Strike
Lu Chen didn't use medicine or needles. He raised the Origin Spirit Pen.
"This will hurt," Lu Chen warned. "But it is the pain of a building being realigned, not destroyed."
[Architectural God-Interface: Initiating 'Structural Realignment'...]
[Calculating 3,204 points of contact... Syncing Holy Origin Qi...]
Lu Chen's hand became a blur. The pen didn't touch Han Feng's skin; it tapped the air millimeters away from his pressure points. With every tap, a spark of golden Holy Origin Qi entered Han Feng's body like a precision-guided missile.
"Aaaargh!" Han Feng screamed, his back arching. He felt as if molten lead was being poured into his veins.
"Don't fight it!" Lu Chen shouted, his Halo of Focus expanding to cover both of them. "The 'Dead Wood' in your body is just a blockage of impure Qi. I am rewriting the flow!"
In Han Feng's internal vision, he saw his shattered meridians—which had been dark and cold for years—suddenly ignite. The golden energy was knitting the fractures together, but not in the old way. It was creating a new, more complex structure.
[Notice: 'Heavenly Sword Body' Awakening... 30%... 60%... 90%...]
[Synthesis Complete: Structural Integrity Restored.]
Suddenly, the air around Han Feng began to vibrate. The wooden sword on the ground started to hum, and the very grass beneath him bent as if sliced by an invisible blade.
BOOM!
A shockwave of sharp, piercing Qi erupted from Han Feng. He had not just recovered; he had broken through three levels in a single breath.
[Target Status: Stage 3 (Acupuncture Point Realm).]
[New Talent: Sword Intent (Level 1).]
The First Disciple's Vow
Han Feng opened his eyes. They were no longer dull; they shone with a sharp, metallic glint. He stood up, feeling a lightness he hadn't felt in years. He picked up his wooden sword and gave it a casual flick.
Slash!
The straw dummy five meters away was cleanly bisected, despite Han Feng not even touching it.
"My... my power..." Han Feng looked at his hands, then at Lu Chen. He realized that what his teacher had done in ten minutes was something even a 9-Star Master Teacher would find difficult.
Without a word, Han Feng knelt, his forehead hitting the dirt. "Teacher Lu... no, Master! I, Han Feng, was a fool. From this day, my life, my sword, and my soul belong to the All Path. If you tell me to cut the sun, I will not hesitate!"
[System Notification: Disciple #1 Recruited.]
[Reward: 1,000 'Architect' Experience Points. Unlocking Library Level 2 Scanning Speed.]
"Get up," Lu Chen said, helping him up. "You are the first of fifteen. Tomorrow, we find the others. But first, we have a guest."
The Matriarch's Entrance
From the darkness of the Academy's garden, a tall, elegant figure emerged. She wore robes of deep midnight blue, and her presence was so commanding that even the wind seemed to stop. Behind her walked a young girl, about twelve years old, with eyes as sharp as Han Feng's.
Lu Chen turned, his eyes narrowing. He recognized this woman from the Architectural God-Interface's data on the city's power players. This was Madam Yue, the widowed head of the Yue Merchant Clan—one of the most powerful women in the Rank-1 territory.
And she was his Wife No. 3 (Older Love Interest) in the making, though she didn't know it yet.
"So, the rumors were true," Madam Yue said, her voice like silk over steel. "The 'Trash Teacher' of Cloud Mist Academy has been hiding a dragon's claws. To heal a shattered Sword-Heart in minutes... not even the Royal Physicians could do that."
Lu Chen didn't bow. "Madam Yue. To visit a lowly teacher's dorm at midnight... either you are in great trouble, or you are looking for a miracle for your daughter."
Madam Yue's eyes flickered with surprise. She looked at the young girl beside her. "This is my daughter, Yue Qi. Every Master Teacher in the kingdom has looked at her. They say her meridians are 'empty'—that she can never hold Qi. If you can fix her, Lu Chen, I will give you half of the Yue Clan's assets."
Lu Chen looked at the girl.
[Target: Yue Qi (Step-daughter Candidate)]
[Status: 'Void-Spirit Constitution'.]
[Flaw: Not empty meridians, but 'Inverted' ones. She doesn't need to absorb Qi; she needs to 'conduct' it like a formation.]
Lu Chen looked at Madam Yue, his gaze lingering on her for a moment. He saw the 'Grief-Flaws' in her own cultivation—she had been overworking herself to protect her fatherless clan.
"I don't want your assets, Madam Yue," Lu Chen said, stepping closer. "But I need a place to build my own Academy. A place that doesn't answer to this pathetic Principal or the City Lord."
"Done," Madam Yue said without hesitation. "The 'Blue Lotus Estate' on the outskirts of the city is yours. It has its own library, training grounds, and protection."
"Then we have a deal," Lu Chen smiled. He looked at Yue Qi. "Little girl, do you want to be the one who controls the world's formations? Do you want to be the commander of my 15 Sovereigns?"
Yue Qi looked at Han Feng, who was standing like a sharp blade, and then at the glowing tiger cub in Lu Chen's arms. She knelt beside Han Feng. "I want to learn, Master!"
[System Goal Updated: Recruit Disciple #2 - The Void-Spirit Architect.]
[Warning: Rival Teacher 'Elder Mo' has reported your 'illegal' healing to the Master Teacher Pavilion...]
Lu Chen looked up at the moon. "Let them come. It's time to show the Master Teacher Pavilion that their 'Stars' are just dim candles compared to the Sovereign Architect."