With the weekend came Mingtian’s least favorite time of the week— the faculty meeting for East Saffron’s 32nd Preparatory Academy. This time, it was far more lively than before— teacher bragging about their tests, or griping, or squaring off and shouting at each other or—

“You!” A man Mingtian didn’t recognize in the slightest shouted the moment he entered, drawing plenty of attention— which was always the worst way to start one of these. “I swear to the heavens, by the immortals above— what the hells were you doing during your test? My students couldn’t focus for the entire hour at the end!”

“Ah, surely it couldn’t be that bad.” The good news was that Ceng Suzhong— the Applied Combat instructor— came to his defense remarkably quickly. The bad news was that Suzhong was visibly drunk. “Tis’ a glorious thing, for our glorious formations master! Three cheers for the Jade Beauty!” Nobody cheered, thought that did get a few winces from the other teachers. If that name actually picked up, then he’d never hear the end of it from—

“The jade beauty? I didn’t realize you were so inclined, Leng.” Heavens, not this. To add insult to added insult to injury, Kaihe slid next to the no-name instructor from before, glowering at him. “I’ve heard a great deal about how irresponsible you were in your test, Leng. To have students use untested formations inside the building? You must’ve been mad.”

“Oh, lay off.” Suzhong slung a hand around his shoulder, a loony grin plastered across his face. “No harm, no foul— plus, he had that formation, didn’t he? Heard about it from that one kid… whats his name… Unwobbling Jade Top formation? Pretentious, huh? Just like what I’d imagine a real cultivator would’ve done.”

Kaihe reddened in rage, clenching a fist. “You’ll regret that, when you realize how inferior your class is to mine. There is nothing more fundamental than qi theory.” Well, no, actually, but he wasn’t wrong in saying that qi theory was more fundamental than formations, and… and, anything that Mingtian could say would be instantly misconstrued by the idiot. So, with a sigh, he just shrugged and didn’t say anything. “Do you think this is a joke?” He looked like he was about ready to just punch him, consequences be damned— and Mingtian was kind of curious what that’d be like, to recover like a mortal— but, no. To add even further

onto his misery, one of the only people in the realm he liked less than Kaihe stepped up beside him, smiling gently.

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What was Councillor Guxi even doing at a meeting like this, anyways? She certainly wasn’t a teacher. “Leng Mingtian.” She offered him a slight, polite bow, perfectly curated— such that someone who didn’t know might not have even assumed how deeply her animosity towards him went. “It’s been a long while, hasn’t it? I hear you’re taking to your job well— my retainer praised the quality of your formations training. And this news about your mystical Unwobbling Jade Top formation… one can only wonder where you learnt those skills.”

He gave her a genial nod back, pretending to ignore the subtle spiritual pressure she was leveraging against him. “Public resources can go a lot further than you might expect, and the public networks are a door to great marvels, if you know where to look.” That was totally a lie— he didn’t own a dataslate or a computer with network connections. It worked as a good cover, though, because as far as he was aware it was basically true. “I’m flattered you think so highly of my formations, but I’m still merely mortal.”

“A good point.” She leaned forward, the pressure redoubling. “I was wondering— why? Surely, with your level of skills, you could no doubt earn enough to raise yourself to Shedding. Maybe even opening.” The first one yeah, but Opening? That was just flattery. “You know, my retainer has been looking for a colleague knowledgeable in formations for a while. I would be able to pay you handsomely if you accepted.”

He laughed. “You clearly don’t understand.” Guxi’s eyes flashed as she truly pulled on her cultivation—

A blade sliced through the air between them, cutting not just the physical but the metaphysical, the whole atmosphere around them tingeing scarlet, tasting like blood, freshly spilled. “Last time I was here, Junior,” spoke a soft voice, “I told you that your overbearance would draw the ire of forces you could not comprehend.” There was a different sort of pressure on the room now— not qi pressure but something far greater; the simple presence of a true cultivator and a bared blade. “Interfere as much as you wish, but—” the outer disciple, because who else would be walking around in Foundation Establishment? Sheathed her sword with a sharp click— “do not use your superior cultivation to pressure the weak. That is simply uncouth.”