The training grounds of the Holy Orchid Institute bustled with activity as students sparred under the morning sun. Wooden swords clashed. Soul force flared. Teachers barked instructions while disciples sweated and stumbled, each trying to prove themselves worthy of notice.
Ling Tian stood at the edge of the field, arms crossed.
He hadn't participated in sparring matches since the entrance test. Not because he was afraid — but because he preferred to observe. For now.
But today, something shifted.
A group of noble clan disciples circled a short, skinny boy near the training dummies. His robe was torn, one eye already bruised.
"Still trying to train, peasant?" one of the bullies sneered, cracking his knuckles. "Your soul force is barely red grade. Go home before you humiliate yourself."
"I… I have the right to be here!" the boy stammered, gripping his wooden sword with trembling hands.
One of the nobles laughed and moved to strike.
The blow never landed.
A single blur of motion — and the wooden sword snapped in half mid-swing.
Ling Tian stood between them, holding the splintered end of the weapon, eyes cold.
"You're picking on someone weaker than you," he said, voice quiet but sharp. "That's not strength. That's cowardice."
The nobles recoiled. "Who do you think you are—?"
"Ling Tian," he said simply, tossing the broken weapon aside. "Sixth-ranked in the entrance test. I don't need a clan to crush you."
The courtyard fell silent. Even instructors paused to look.
The leader of the bullies flushed red with anger, but fear flickered behind his eyes. Everyone had seen the soul force crystal that day. They didn't know how Ling Tian had done it — but no one wanted to test the result.
They backed off without another word, and the boy muttered a breathless thank-you before scurrying away.
From across the field, Xiao Ning'er watched it all unfold.
She had sensed it: the moment Ling Tian's aura flared. He had let just a sliver of it leak — but it was potent. Controlled. Lethal.
Still, it wasn't his strength that intrigued her now.
It was his restraint.
He could have humiliated them. Crippled them. But he chose not to.
That's the second time you've done something that wasn't for your own gain, she thought. So who are you really, Ling Tian?
Later, as he walked past her on the way back to the dorms, she stepped into his path.
"You could've shown off. Why didn't you?"
He paused. "I don't fight for the sake of looking strong."
She studied his face, then nodded slightly. "Maybe you're not just hiding power."
Then, before he could respond, she turned and walked away — the faintest trace of a smile on her lips.
Ling Tian stood still for a moment.
She's getting curious, he thought.
And maybe… so was he.