The water in the small bathing pool was clear and blue, filled with a cool, pleasant scent. Li Fei carefully washed herself, then carefully dried her hair and body with a towel. When she lifted the bamboo curtain, a red-and-white robe was spread out flat on the bed. It was the disciple uniform of Chufeng Academy.
The disciple uniforms of Chufeng Academy were simple, ancient, and elegant in style. She had heard that the material used to make them was extraordinary too; it could ward off evil and resist water and fire. There were even people outside who bought academy disciple uniforms at high prices, making them extremely valuable.
The uniform had two layers, inner and outer. The inner garment was soft and close-fitting, while the outer robe was flexible and flowing. Female disciples also had an extra skirt. It looked simple, but putting it on was very troublesome.
In Li Fei’s memory, the most complicated piece of clothing she had ever worn was the gauze dress her master had bought her. It had an upper and lower piece, and the skirt was very long. But the academy’s disciple uniform was several times more complicated than that gauze dress. There were all kinds of long and short ties, one layer inside and one layer outside. As for the extra skirt, was she supposed to tie it inside or outside?
She spent a great deal of effort before finally putting the disciple uniform on properly. She adjusted the bronze mirror, and a little girl’s face appeared in it.
Perhaps because she had not been exposed to wind and sun for nearly two months, her originally dark skin had become slightly fairer. Paired with her thick brows and large eyes, she no longer looked as much like a boy as before. Although her hair had been obediently braided into a plait, the hair at her forehead and the ends stubbornly stuck up, just like their owner’s temper.
After confirming that there was nothing wrong with her clothes or hair, Li Fei picked up her bundle and opened the door.
After twenty-five days on the rainbow deer carriage, Chufeng Academy had finally arrived.
This year, Chufeng Academy had accepted a total of eighteen new disciples. She had heard this was less than half of previous years. The black-veiled woman had once let slip that this year’s second selection had been the most difficult in history. In other words, the eighteen disciples accepted this year could all be called heaven-sent geniuses.
After passing a row of pear trees, she reached the open space ahead. The children had basically all arrived, and each had changed into disciple robes. Against the snow-white pear blossoms and distant mountain scenery, although they could not yet be considered true immortals, they already showed the beginnings of a refined immortal bearing.
“Xiao Bangchui!” Baili Gelin waved at her from the front. Beside her, Ye Ye reminded her, “You called her wrong again. After so many days, you still haven’t corrected it.”
She giggled and immediately changed her words. “Li Fei, over here!”
Li Fei was also still getting used to her new name. Recently, it had become better. In the first few days after she changed names, Gelin and the others would call her Xiao Bangchui one moment and Li Fei the next, making everything terribly confusing. Often, when they called her Li Fei, she would freeze for half a day without reacting.
“The disciple robe is really hard to wear. It took ages.” She walked over and shook her head.
“Boss, you look really good in this,” Lei Xiuyuan said, looking at her in amazement and praising her sincerely. “Truly heroic and spirited.”
Because she had become much fairer, and because she had spent nearly a month in Huaguang Commandery and then nearly another month on the rainbow deer carriage eating well and sleeping well, she had probably gained a little softness and freshness. Added to the well-cut disciple robe, the wild-boy air she used to have was gone. At first glance, she even looked like a striking little girl.
Baili Gelin came over smiling and pulled her hand. “Of course! Li Fei just never dresses up. Once she does, she’s definitely a beauty! Li Fei, your brows are a little thick. I’ll trim them for you later. Also, I’ll teach you some simple hairstyles. Don’t always wear a braid…”
Heroic and spirited?
Li Fei looked down at herself. She was short, young, and thin. She had no idea how she looked heroic or spirited. They were probably all just polite compliments.
The Baili sisters were the truly unmatched beauties. Their hair and lips, once dried out from wandering and hardship, had regained their shine. Under the sunlight, their cheeks looked almost translucent, delicate like two little fairies.
Ye Ye beside them also had an extraordinary bearing. Although he was still young, there was already a faint air in his every movement that set him apart from others.
The most surprising one was probably Lei Xiuyuan. He had originally looked like a seven- or eight-year-old child. But over the past two months, perhaps because he had eaten and slept well, he had unknowingly grown to the same height as Baili Gelin. His whole person seemed to have begun maturing. His sparse yellowish hair had become thick and black, his sunken cheeks had filled out, and with red lips, white teeth, dark brows, and bright eyes, he was as pretty as a girl.
They were the ones who had truly transformed like butterflies breaking out of cocoons. Just standing there, they drew glances from the other children from time to time. Those gazes held both amazement and curiosity, since everyone remembered that two months ago, each of them had looked no different from little beggars.
Ye Ye suddenly thought of something and smiled. “Right, Li Fei, do you know who Teacher Zuo Qiu, the one who named you, is?”
Li Fei shook her head. “I don’t know. He looked very old, and the black-veiled woman seemed to respect him a lot.”
Ye Ye said, “I only just heard about it. Apparently, he is one of the founders of Chufeng Academy. He is an incredibly remarkable immortal.”
Everyone was shocked. Chufeng Academy had been founded at least several hundred years ago. Just how old was Teacher Zuo Qiu?
“It’s common for immortals to live several hundred or even a thousand years,” Ye Ye explained to this group of ignorant children. “In famous major sects like Wuyue Court and Xingzheng Hall, there are some elders who rarely appear in the world and are several thousand years old. Think about it. If immortals did not live long lives, why would imperial clans rush to send their talented descendants to cultivate? Only by living long and mastering profound immortal arts can they later deter enemy states watching them like hungry tigers.”
Baili Gelin pulled a face and shook her head. “I don’t want to live a thousand years. Being an old woman for a thousand years is too scary!”
Everyone laughed. Lei Xiuyuan blushed and whispered, “But I hope Boss can live a thousand years.”
Baili Gelin teased him, “All day long, it’s Boss this and Boss that. She has a name now. Why do you want her to live a thousand years?”
“How could I dare call Boss by her formal name?” Lei Xiuyuan hurriedly waved his hands, his eyes full of worship. “Boss is so powerful. In the future, she’ll definitely become a powerful immortal. Of course she can live a thousand years.”
Seeing how timid he always was, looking like a little follower, Baili Gelin could not help sighing. “Xiuyuan, none of us is that much stronger than the others. We all passed the second selection and entered Chufeng Academy. You should have some confidence now! Otherwise, how will you become a great immortal in the future?”
Lei Xiuyuan blushed and shook his head hard. “What ability do I have? I only passed the second selection because Boss was there! If I had been alone…”
“Stop talking like that.” Li Fei interrupted his stammering explanation. She could not stand seeing Lei Xiuyuan look so weak and useless. “There should be a limit to how useless you act.”
She had already prepared herself for Lei Xiuyuan to immediately redden his eyes and burst into loud sobs. Unexpectedly, he froze for a moment, and then an almost troubled, thoughtful expression appeared on his face. After a while, he said softly, “Boss, do you look down on me?”
Li Fei shook her head. “No. I just think you clearly have excellent talent, so why be so self-deprecating?”
Back on that freezing, snowy summit, Ye Ye and the others had needed to meditate to ward off the cold, yet Lei Xiuyuan had stood calmly against the wind and snow. He clearly had very good talent. So why was he still so weak and timid?
Lei Xiuyuan froze again. Gradually, the tension between his brows loosened, and he smiled. “Boss really knows how to speak.”
Baili Gelin teased him again. “Yes, yes. In your eyes, there’s only your Boss. Do you dare call her name even once?”
He immediately started waving both hands again. “I-I wouldn’t dare!”
Alas, saying anything was useless. Li Fei shook her head. Perhaps his personality was just naturally weak.
After following the black-veiled woman through the carriage door, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
This was an extremely vast mountaintop. Across from them was a boundless sea of clouds. Above, the blue sky was clean and clear; below, the clouds rolled like ocean waves, majestic to the extreme. Beside the cliff was a green stone platform. On it were dozens of stone swords arranged neatly, as well as a narrow, leaf-shaped green boat. No one knew what it was for.
“Only new disciples who have just arrived at the academy are allowed to use the passenger boat once. In the future, if you want to leave the disciple quarters, fly by yourselves. Only when you can fly will you truly begin cultivation.”
The black-veiled woman floated lightly onto the passenger boat. That narrow little leaf-like boat hovered at the edge of the thousand-foot cliff. Even the hem of her black gauze dress was wreathed in white mist. The children inevitably felt a little timid. This was a genuine, sheer cliff! Even if they knew immortal arts would prevent them from falling, nervousness was unavoidable.
Ji Tongzhou was the first to jump on. The moment he stood on it, the boat swayed several times, frightening his face pale. He barely managed to stand straight instead of going weak.
With someone taking the lead, it became much easier for the others. Soon, the passenger boat was full. The black-veiled woman lightly stamped her foot, and the little boat shot out like an arrow, piercing through the thick clouds and mist.
The first thing that entered their sight was a tall tower, entirely white. Rainbow light curled around the tower, and immortal birds flew in circles around it. Its presence was magnificent.
The black-veiled woman gave a brief introduction. “This is the Book Tower. Below the tenth floor are books. Above the tenth floor are various talismans. Above the twentieth floor, you may only enter with a handwritten letter from Teacher Zuo Qiu. If anyone trespasses without permission and ends up with no corpse left, severed arms or legs, or all the blood drained from their body, the academy takes no responsibility.”
…How was this different from intimidation?
Beside her, Baili Gelin’s face turned green from fear.
The boat continued flying diagonally downward. Only then did everyone realise that the Book Tower was built on a floating island. Looking around roughly, there were actually countless floating islands in the air. Some had houses built on them, some had springs, and some had only flowers, grass, and trees.
There were no bridges connecting the islands at all. If one wanted to go there, one could only fly. No wonder mortals had no way of approaching Chufeng Academy. Without the ability to fly, even a monkey would fall to its death.
What would Chufeng Academy look like?
All the children who had passed had once wondered this. Their previous guesses, like under the sea or underground, had all been wrong.
Chufeng Academy was actually floating in the sky.
“So beautiful…” a girl nearby sighed in admiration.
The dazzling scenery had long since made the children forget their fear of being in mid-air. The passenger boat descended diagonally, passing through many floating islands. The clouds and mist gradually thinned, and below, five enormous floating islands suddenly appeared in view.
On the central island stood a great hall, magnificent in gold and jade. In front of the hall, the ground was paved with enormous white stone tiles. Only from above could one realise that the black lines laid across the tiles formed a complex talisman. The black circle in the centre looked like an eye, giving it a somewhat eerie feeling.
To the east, west, south, and north of the central island were four islands of equal size. Some had courtyards faintly visible, some had clear water and green trees, and each had different scenery. Viewed from above, the five islands, connected yet not connected, looked like a flower. The farther down they went, the more vast and magnificent the islands seemed.
Li Fei felt as though she were in a dream.
So this was where immortals lived?
The islands all flew in the sky. Below was not the endless blue sea, but boundless gauzy mist. Pure white immortal birds broke through the clouds, flying gracefully and beautifully. Many immortal cranes wandered leisurely among green trees and clear waters, sometimes flying, sometimes dancing.
These were wonders she could never have imagined even in dreams.
Seeing this scene, she could not help feeling a burst of excitement. She could not even stop her body from trembling slightly. She had truly come to this place.
If her desperate efforts before had been for her master, then the excitement she could not suppress now was perhaps more for herself.
Her unknown future was mysterious and unfathomable, enough to intoxicate her soul.
“These five islands are where you will cultivate during this year,” the black-veiled woman said, her introduction still short and powerful. “You are normally not allowed to approach the main hall. Teachers will naturally lead you to the ordinary martial grounds and the special cultivation halls. The place to eat is in the north. Food is provided by name plaque and costs nothing. As long as you cannot learn to fly, you will not be able to eat.”
The children immediately stirred restlessly.
If they could not fly, they could not eat!
What strict and terrifying cultivation! If they learned slowly, wouldn’t they starve to death before they even managed to fly? As expected of Chufeng Academy. The children fell into awed silence.
“The disciple quarters also provide three meals a day.” It might have been their imagination, but everyone felt the black-veiled woman seemed to let out a malicious little laugh. “One tael of silver per meal.”
Wait!
Had they heard wrong just now?
One tael of silver for one meal? Meals at the academy cost money? And one tael of silver? What rare delicacies could possibly be that expensive?!
The children were stunned. Their ideal Chufeng Academy was actually just like the mortal world outside—it needed silver?
The black-veiled woman lightly kicked the passenger boat with the tip of her foot. The little boat floated down gently onto the southern island. The area was surrounded by greenery and delicate courtyards. Only the clear sound of the wind could be heard. It was extremely quiet.
“This is the disciple quarters. In previous years, the academy accepted many new disciples. This year, there are more than half fewer disciples, so each of you can have your own room. The envelopes have numbers. Move in according to your number.”
She handed each person an envelope, then said, “The cultivation classes for the eighth month are inside. Go back and read them slowly. That is all for today. Gather here tomorrow at the hour of Mao. Those who are late will be fined ten taels of silver per meal for three days.”
Ten taels!
Was this Chufeng Academy or a money-robbing academy?!
Amid the children’s cries of shock, the black-veiled woman slowly disappeared.
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