Blue Phoenix

Infamy

Hui Yue woke up in his new home and allowed himself a few more minutes of rest. The bed at this small house was obviously stuffed with feathers, and the softness of the mattress was unlike anything Hui Yue had ever experienced. The blankets were soft and knitted from the finest yarn, unlike his old sack that was both coarse and scratched his skin.

After a few more restful moments, Hui Yue sighed deeply and forced himself to leave the warmth of his bed. Today was an important day, the first day of lessons. Hui Yue was curious to see whether or not the teachers were better than Lan Feng at explaining and if there had been anything new found out about the art of cultivating. After all, the techniques from Lan Feng, which Hui Yue relied on, were more than four thousand years old.

Hui Yue quickly washed his face and dressed in yet another set of worn out clothes before he slowly made his way towards the closest canteen. Each mountaintop had some canteens located in between the courtyards so that there was enough space for all the students to eat at once. The canteens always served the same menu of food, but since there were more than one, they were never packed.

Since it was early morning, Hui Yue did not expect anyone to be at the canteen, however, he was surprised when he noticed there were already a few groups of students eating their breakfast.

This was the first time that Hui Yue had eaten alone. He was used to being picked up in the early morning by his friends and forced to eat with them. As soon as the white-haired boy entered the canteen, the groups of students broke out into conversations. 

Most of the students openly stared at Hui Yue and did not hide the fact that they were talking about him. Some were commoner students who were excited about starting their first day at the Royal Academy and had been unable to sleep while others were students who were used to waking up early as a habit from their previous lives. Hui Yue was not the only one who felt as if this was a new beginning.

Hui Yue was used to being stared at from his previous life, but these eyes which looked at him were no longer lovestruck girls but youth who seemed to think he was some kind of a monster.

“I heard he dueled Wang Ju Long because he got mad when he was called girly,” one guy said, just loud enough for Hui Yue to hear. All he could do was sigh as he heard the rest of the group reply with comments about his appearance and that they had to be sure never to insult him. 

Hui Yue quickly passed this group and noticed their expressions change into fear as his gaze swept across their table. As soon as he reached the next group of people more gossip reached his ears, although this time it was of another caliber.

“It is the first time I’ve seen him in person,” one of the students said with reverence. Another pushed out his chest while proudly saying, “I’ve seen him before when he walked around with Gao Yan and his group. I heard that he beat Wang Ju Long, so he is definitely worthy of being in Gao Yan’s group.” This student commented while looking at Hui Yue as if he was a hero of some sort. 

Hui Yue increased his speed to get past the other students as quickly as possible and ordered a standard breakfast before he sat down at one end of the canteen with no other students.

Hui Yue noticed that while he was eating his food, although he could no longer hear what the other students were saying, he still noticed the obvious glances that were sent his way.

‘Great,’ Hui Yue thought with a sigh. ‘I’m like a monkey in a zoo.’

Although Hui Yue did not expect an answer, Lan Feng was quick to jump in. ‘Get used to it,’ he said with a smug face. ‘For starters you look very different from everyone else, and you will have to keep impressing them time after time for us to be able to actually achieve our goals.’

‘Shut up,’ Hui Yue sneered at Lan Feng, his appearance had changed because of the soul contract with the damned bird. The soul contract was currently a taboo subject for Hui Yue. ‘If you mention it once more,’ Hui Yue threatened, ‘then I refuse to eat any sweets and will live on chicken for the next three years.’

Lan Feng gasped, shocked, and quickly retreated into the dantian cave. Sharing a body with Hui Yue also meant that Lan Feng felt every single thing that Hui Yue felt. He tasted every piece of food that Hui Yue tasted, and he experienced the same physical challenges that Hui Yue went through. 

Throughout the years, Lan Feng had developed a sweet tooth and enjoyed eating cakes and sweets as the Rong twins usually brought sweets every time they visited. The canteens at this academy also provided cakes. Lan Feng was very happy when he saw the unlimited amount of cakes they served. If he was in control of their diet, it was obvious that they would be gaining a noticeable amount of weight.

Hui Yue smirked as Lan Feng retreated back to the cave, and he picked up a cake to eat. He returned to his courtyard to get a few things he would need for his first day of class. Then he quickly made his way towards the mountaintops where the school buildings were.

Hui Yue took out his student emblem and inserted a certain amount of qi into it. During the last couple of days, Hui Yue noticed that his emblem had many hidden features. One of which was a personally tailored schedule. Although the schedules were personalized, all first-year students would have the same lessons during the first couple of weeks before they were split into groups based on either talents or interests.

The Royal Academy did not force the students to participate in their lectures, however, the students who did not participate would usually end up unable to advance. Although no specific rank was necessary to advance, it was important that the student showed some sort of progress throughout the year to be promoted with the rest of the class.

Hui Yue made it to the first mountain containing the school buildings and started looking around. It was still a few hours until the lesson would start, so he decided to move through the different buildings and familiarize himself with them. It was during this time that he determined which buildings would be useful and which he would not use much.

The first building that came into view was the Qi Theory Lessons building where the first lecture would be held. Although a few students were already gathering at the entrance Hui Yue saw no reason to wait for a few hours when he could explore instead.

The next building was the Cultivation Methods building which held no interest for Hui Yue. Although Lan Feng was incredibly annoying and cunning, he had still provided Hui Yue with an incredibly strong cultivation method. He was positive that this school did not have any methods that were better, so he quickly moved on.

The next building was the Martial Arts Skill Hall building. Looking at this building definitely peaked Hui Yue’s curiosity. The hall was open to students all day, and Hui Yue gently pushed the door open and looked inside. 

The first things that hit him were the stale air and the dim light. Although the skill hall was a place that students frequently visited, all students showed the utmost respect upon entering . So to protect the many scrolls inside, the door was always closed. 

As soon as Hui Yue entered and closed the door behind him, light suddenly illuminated the room. The room was lit by a gentle light from illuminating crystals similar to those he had in his courtyard.

‘Do you really have to waste time here?’ Lan Feng complained as he looked around with disdain. ‘I’ve told you before that the martial arts skills you can obtain from these places are really lacking in quality.’ 

Hui Yue, however, chose to completely ignore Lan Feng and started looking at the many shelves within the room. He picked up one of the scrolls and slowly opened it. The scrolls were similar to those he had been given by Rong Ming previously. This particular scroll was about using one’s qi to create enough friction to ignite a flame on the top of a candle. After a quick walk throughout, he noticed the system in which the skills were displayed.

At the front of the room were all the Student ranked martial arts skills. In the middle were the Disciple ranked ones, and at the back were the Practitioner ranked skills. Each of these ranks was then split into attack skills, defense skills, and non-combat skills.

Hui Yue took his time walking past the many different shelves before he eventually picked up a few skills to bring back with him. One of the skills was the low-ranked Student Fire Spark skill that he had initially seen.

The student emblem would automatically record which martial arts skills a student had taken with them outside of the skill hall. This was why the hall could be open all the time without any elders watching over it. If a student tried to open the door without bringing their emblem, then they would find that no matter how much they pushed, the door would never budge. 

There was another room inside the hall, but this room was sealed shut. Hui Yue was unable to enter it. He had heard about the room from Rong Ming previously. This was where the strongest martial arts skills that the academy owned were placed. The only way to enter was to be invited by a teacher after having done something that merited great rewards and showed how hard the student had cultivated. Even the Rong twins and Gao Yan had only entered once within the last five years. 

After a final look around the hall, Hui Yue quickly exited the skill hall. He noticed how as he left his student emblem shone with a silvery light before once again returning to its usual appearance.

Hui Yue could not help but be deeply impressed by his ordinary-looking student emblem. He kept finding one new feature after another, proving that it was really was something exceptional.

‘Stop gaping over that useless memory stone,’ Lan Feng complained from within the qi cave. ‘We don’t have much time left before the lesson starts. Hurry up and find the Medicinal Pill Outlet!’ Although Lan Feng had been feeling some pressure from Hui Yue’s previous threat, he was not capable of keeping quiet for long. He was too excited about the possibility of snatching some medicinal pills to help increase their rank so they wouldn’t have to spend a long time on refining essence into qi.

Hui Yue sighed. He should have once more scolded Lan Feng, but he, too, was quite curious about these medicinal pills. His father from this world had spent his days hunting low-grade medicinal plants around the outskirts of the Magical Forest. From everything he had heard, medicinal pills were like miracles. 

Because Hui Yue had no actual knowledge about medicinal pills, he could only guess that they were concocted by mixing many different medicinal plants together, but as for how it was actually done, he had no idea. He started to scan his surroundings for anything that could lead him towards the pill hall that Lan Feng had mentioned.

Finally, Hui Yue found a building which was the same size as the Martial Arts Skill Hall, and over the entrance was the sign that said Medicinal Pill Outlet. He felt his heartbeat increase and a silly grin spread across his face. It was exciting to see and learn more about these magical pills. His smile quickly froze as he reached the pill outlet’s door.

‘Will open after the first monthly pill distribution day of the new semester.’ The sign said. Obviously, the pill outlet was currently closed. The disappointment that Hui Yue felt was quickly enhanced by the disappointment Lan Feng felt, and both were rather annoyed.

‘When is the pill distribution day?’ Lan Feng mused while sighing, and in response, Hui Yue just shrugged his shoulders. ‘Who knows?’ he questioned, not in the mood to make trouble for the depressed phoenix. ‘Maybe we will get told in class today,’ he said, and both of them were seriously hoping that that would be the case.

‘Is it possible for anyone to make medicinal pills?’ Hui Yue suddenly asked intrigued at the thought. It seemed that medicinal pills were incredibly popular but at the same time quite a hassle to obtain. So it would be ideal if he could learn how to make them for himself. Unfortunately, right now, he had no knowledge about how to concoct pills. The medicinal plants that his father and the villagers had gathered in the Magical Forest seemed to have limited effects on their own. 

‘Only alchemists can make pills, and since it takes certain requirements to become an alchemist, they always end up as stuck up, arrogant people,’ Lan Feng snorted, the annoyance clear in his voice. Lan Feng’s actions caused Hui Yue to smirk.

‘You didn’t qualify to be an alchemist, huh?’ Hui Yue said slightly mocking him. It required a lot to be even more arrogant than Lan Feng.

‘Shut up,’ was the only response Lan Feng gave before he pouted his lips and hid himself deep within the qi cave ignoring the question Hui Yue asked.

‘Come on!’ Hui Yue said annoyed after being ignored for most of the trip back to the Qi Theory Lessons building. ‘At least I have not tricked you into merging your soul with a lying bird,’ his voice was slightly judgemental. The comment did cause Lan Feng to reemerge as a slightly guilty feeling arose from within their shared soul. 

‘To become an alchemist you need to have a dual elemental affinity, but not just any dual elemental affinity,’ he said starting to explain. ‘The first one of the affinities needed is fire. Fire is needed for the refining of the materials and to control the flame’s strength while concocting the pill. If you cannot control fire, you cannot control your flame precisely enough to use it for refining.’ Hui Yue nodded. This did indeed make sense. 

‘The other element is wood. Wood is the element that grants the cultivator a detailed understanding of the plants of the world. It is the element that grants life and harvest. From this life springs the power to create. Obviously, there are some limits as to what you can create, but medicinal pills are definitely within its limits.’ Lan Feng paused slightly to allow the information to sink in before continuing.

‘Getting dual elemental affinity in itself is hard, but I managed to get it,’ Lan Feng said proudly. ’Unfortunately, the elements that I control are fire, which I am pretty sure I told you before, and earth. So for this reason, I can’t become an alchemist.’ At this point, Hui Yue could hear the slight disappointment within Lan Feng’s voice, and Hui Yue also noticed a bit of longing within their soul.

‘Since alchemists must have succeeded in unlocking their middle dantian to discover their elemental affinity, this further decreases the number of alchemists there are. Within a city as big as this Riluo City, I bet that there are no more than one or two alchemists.’ 

Hui Yue sighed slightly and suddenly understood why medicinal pills were valued so highly. He had always thought that the hardest part was finding the plants, but he learned that the profession itself was where the trouble lay. It would be great if he could become an alchemist one day, but that was something so far ahead that he did not have the luxury of dreaming about it. Instead, he needed to figure out a way to get his hands on these amazing pills.  

During their conversation, Hui Yue and Lan Feng arrived back at the Qi Theory Lessons building. Previously some students had been waiting outside, but the doors were now open, and groups of students were waiting inside of the hall while others were waiting outside the building. All of the students were both excited and worried as they stood in groups nervously awaiting their teacher’s arrival. 

Hui Yue sighed as he noticed some of the students he had seen this morning. His arrival sparked discussions about his duel earlier against Wang Ju Long, his appearance, his assumed hate for being called feminine, and even whether or not he was suitable to walk around with Gao Yan.

Hui Yue could do nothing but sigh as he moved into the hall ignoring the staring students around him. Usually a duel like this would never have had these extreme reactions, however, Wang Ju Long had been known as a genius since a young age. The commoners had always been told that he was unbeatable. To beat the unbeatable was indeed something that would cause shock among the other students.

Inside the hall, Hui Yue moved to one side where he leaned against one of the chilled walls. He narrowed his eyes while observing the rest of the students present. Although some of them gave off nervous expressions, others were clearly much more comfortable. While some were discussing with smiles on their faces, others were just observing the others much like he, himself, was. Some of the students seemed to act their age, their youthful faces were filled with a childish innocence, while others seemed for more mature for their age. 

Suddenly, Hui Yue fixed his eyes at the entrance. At the same time, all the conversation stilled as Wang Ju Long and his followers stepped through the door. 

Wang Ju Long acted as if no one apart from him existed, that all these commoners were so far below him that they were not even visible. The followers, however, all glared at the many students present in the classroom, intimidating all of them and almost taunting them to continue their conversations. 

Hui Yue narrowed his eyes as he looked at them. Some of the Wang Ju Long’s followers seemed to be above ten years old, while others were the same age as Hui Yue and Wang Ju Long. As soon as the latter saw Hui Yue, his eyes suddenly turned red. It was easy for anyone present to notice the hate that was contained within them. 

Wang Ju Long’s entourage quickly noticed Hui Yue. Although some of them had never seen Hui Yue before, they could easily guess who this person was.

All these children were obviously of noble heritage, and their haughtiness and arrogance far exceeded Lan Feng. Each and every one of the students were glaring daggers at Hui Yue, but so far none of them had the courage to do anything about it.  

The nobles were speaking together in a low voice, and suddenly one of the older boys stepped forward. 

‘Tsk,’ Lan Feng snorted at the young man who stepped forward. ‘He is twelve years old and is at the ninth star Student rank,’ he said as the person moved towards Hui Yue. This boy was a lot larger than any of the other children present. He had a larger build and was at least one and a half heads taller than Hui Yue. 

His name was Shan Ping, and although he was twelve years old, he was supposed to be taught together with the first year students. His family was one of the older noble families who currently got by on their name alone. Supposedly they had supported the Wang family since long ago. Unfortunately, the family currently had no assets and their cultivators were not the most skilled, causing them to have very little influence. They, therefore, gained almost no favor from the Wang family.

When the Shan family noticed that Wang Ju Long was to start at the Royal Academy, they signed up their youngest son and last year during class promotions they had kept him back. Not allowing him to be promoted into another year so that he could follow Wang Ju Long as a pawn and hopefully curry favor that way. For now, the boy was definitely much stronger than his peers. That is if one looked at cultivation ranks alone.

Shan Ping knew that Wang Ju Long was at the eight star Student rank, and although he was a mere one star higher, he hoped that he had a bigger chance of winning. One star difference was, after all, quite a great amount of qi difference. Even if he failed, he would be seen as a brave soldier who had sacrificed himself for the sake of his master. His only order while being at the academy was to improve his relationship with Wang Ju Long. 

However, what Shan Ping had forgotten to consider was even though Wang Ju Long was only at the eighth star, he was considered the number one genius from the Wang family. His actual strength was far above the ninth star. 

What increased Wang Ju Long’s strength was his pure qi. It was refined better than that of his peers. Added to his pure qi was his Qi Lightning martial arts skill and he was very powerful indeed. 

This was also true of Hui Yue. Hui Yue had even purer qi and more than one high-ranked martial arts skill which had allowed him to tie with Wang Ju Long in their match earlier. These two children were both much younger than Shan Ping, and their strengths were recorded as below his, however, there was no question as to which of them were stronger. 

Hui Yue noticed the obvious hostility. Lan Feng told him about the older boys cultivation. The glances Shan Ping sent towards Wang Ju Long, clearly hoping to be praised, just made the white-haired boy sigh deeply. Hui Yue was not dumb. He clearly understood what was happening. He had seen group bullying before, however, he had never been the target of such a thing before.

Hui Yue straightened up his back and slowly activated Velocity Flow waiting for Shan Ping to make the first move. Fighting was prohibited outside the arenas, however, defending was fine. Once again, the student badges performed yet another duty. They were capable of recording the student's actions, making it easy to determine the cause of a fight, and thus, it was very easy to punish the offender.

Hui Yue did not have to wait long before a qi-covered fist moved towards his head at what was considered fast for their ranks. This was clearly some kind of martial arts skill. It was a skill that had been picked up at the low-ranked part of the Martial Arts Skill Hall. As a result, this skill that Shan Ping had clearly put a lot of effort into was completely useless against Hui Yue. 

The qi that was covering Shan Ping’s hand was not pearly-white like Hui Yue’s. Nor was it milky-white like Wang Ju Lang’s. Instead, the qi was a light shade of gray, showing Hui Yue that its quality was far below his. 

Hui Yue let out yet another sigh before he finally moved. His figure disappeared with a flicker, leaving no mirror image behind this time as he stealthily moved behind Shan Ping. The students that were present all gasped in surprise upon seeing the execution of a high-ranked martial arts skill. 

As soon as Hui Yue arrived behind Shan Ping, he decisively activated his Raging Strike martial arts skill and slammed the side of his hand against the other’s temple causing Shan Ping to instantly collapse to the floor. 

Hui Yue looked surprised at the unconscious Shan Ping. He had expected that the older boy would stumble back and leave him alone. Instead, he was now laying lifeless on the ground as a small stream of blood trickled out from the corner of his mouth. 

Everyone within the Qi Theory Lessons Hall went completely silent.