On the first day of school, Qu Weichen got up to exercise before dawn.
She didn’t want to break her streak.
After finishing her training and taking a shower, she carefully put on the issued black academy uniform, tidied herself up several times, and finally left the house.
“Go study hard at the academy.
You were recruited by the Hall Master, so no matter what happens, don’t embarrass her.” Qu Weichen thought no one would see her off today, but to her surprise, Constance was already waiting in the yard.
“Chin up, chest out.
This academy uniform really suits you.”
“Okay, but… what could happen?” Qu Weichen hesitated.
“Will someone give me trouble?”
“There are always some lowlifes jealous of the Hall Master.
They don’t dare challenge her openly, so they’re always up to shady stuff.” Constance said, “If someone gives you trouble, don’t be afraid.
If you can beat them, do it.
If you can’t, come back and get me.”
That sounded… kind of like “go home and find mom.” Qu Weichen nodded seriously.
“Aren’t those people afraid of the Prison Hall?”
“They just won’t make it obvious.” Constance thought for a moment and explained, “Like the dogs under the Third Prince, and that General Pingyuan who shouts the loudest—they’re all forces from the Empire.”
Qu Weichen: “…”
Uh, so the Prison Hall and the Empire don’t seem to get along that well? Makes sense—if they did, the headquarters wouldn’t be in Uvino instead of the imperial capital… Uvino, the central city, is a gathering place for all races, but it’s still a bit of a distance from the capital.
With the threat of the Undead Abyss always looming, why are they still fighting among themselves? Even if they’re not openly at war, from Constance’s tone, there’s definitely something brewing under the surface.
Qu Weichen took a deep breath and straightened her back even more.
No matter what, she belonged to the Prison Hall now, so she couldn’t embarrass the Hall Master.
If trouble really came knocking— The royal family wouldn’t really target a new student, right? Surely the royal family isn’t that petty.
That’s what Qu Weichen thought.
When Constance walked her all the way to the academy gate and said goodbye, Qu Weichen went to the class signboard and fell into a long silence: Constance… hadn’t told her which class she was in? Wasn’t this a trap! Even as calm as Qu Weichen was, her expression cracked a little.
She frantically called out to Number Nine—
[Sorry, my perspective is the same as yours.] Number Nine sounded regretful; it wasn’t some all-knowing system.
[But you can check each class one by one.
The student names should be posted at the door.
You’ll find yours eventually.]
Tired.
It was only the first day of school, and Qu Weichen was already exhausted.
Such an important question—why hadn’t she thought of it before? She’d been worrying about what would happen after school started, but things were already going wrong on day one.
Just as Qu Weichen was feeling speechless about this ridiculous first day, she saw a group of students in academy uniforms—different colors, though—storming up to the new student class signboard.
“Are you sure that new student named Qu something is in Class Seven? Let’s check the place out first, then block her after morning classes! Hah, sent in by the Prison Hall through the back door? You’re sure she doesn’t have any other connections?”
“Of course.
That Qu girl was rescued by the Prison Hall during the Abyss attack three months ago.
She’s got no background.
I heard she was just a refugee before.”
The leader sneered, sounding sour: “Lucky, I guess, making it through nine rounds of body tempering.
That bitch can just pick up someone off the street and they’ll have that kind of talent.”
Qu Weichen tried hard to keep her expression calm.
The group was loud, but only the leader dared to curse; the others just echoed her.
Soon, they left in a huff, probably rushing to morning class.
Qu Weichen stared blankly at their backs, not expecting the local villains to be so aggressive—and so dumb.
They actually dared to call the Hall Master a “bitch” out loud? That’s not even behind her back… Thinking of this, she quickly snapped out of it and tossed a “bad luck curse” at the leader.
No reaction—who knows if it worked.
The new students’ building was separate from the older students’, so Qu Weichen wasn’t worried about running into them again.
She pulled herself together and hurried to Class Seven.
Pushing open the door, Qu Weichen found the classroom was huge, with plenty of space for each student.
There were about thirty people per class, and most seats were already taken.
She checked the door—no seating chart—so she just sat in a back corner.
As for her classmates… mostly human? Maybe some beastkin hiding their forms. The giants were obvious—even at their smallest, they were huge.
Unless there were just really tall humans.
Qu Weichen glanced around, then focused on the student in front of her.
She looked human, but those pointed ears… probably an elf? It was Qu Weichen’s first time seeing a real elf up close.
She stared at the ears, recalling that she’d seen the elf’s face when she walked in—cold and elegant, just like she’d imagined elves would be.
[…Stereotypes are bad.] Number Nine muttered.
[Most people act like this in a new place.]
True enough.
Qu Weichen was about to look away when the elf girl’s ears twitched and she turned around.
“It’s rude to stare at an elf’s ears like that.”
“Sorry,” Qu Weichen apologized.
“I didn’t know.
It’s my first time meeting an elf.”
The delicate elf girl looked a bit suspicious.
“Where are you from?”
“A really remote village.”
“But as far as I know, spots at Uvino Central Academy are really competitive for humans.” The elf thought for a moment, then let it go, apparently believing Qu Weichen.
She glanced around, then asked, “Aren’t you curious why an elf like me is in a class for martial artists?”
“Our class is for martial artists?” Qu Weichen was stunned.
The elf girl: “…”
“Are you—never mind.” The elf frowned, then relaxed, looking a bit helpless.
Maybe she figured even if Qu Weichen was joking, she’d just let it go.
“I have the highest magic talent among the new elves, so I can also train as a martial artist.
I’ll be doing both magic and martial arts in the future.”
“Oh, okay.” Qu Weichen replied, blinking.
The girl was still staring at her, looking expectant.
Qu Weichen paused, then added, “Congratulations.”
The elf girl: “…”
You could tell she only looked cold—she was actually pretty lively, maybe even a little proud, hoping someone would praise her—if only her deskmate wasn’t Qu Weichen.
The girl fell silent, her pointed ears twitching.
She was starting to regret turning around to talk.
“Are you a martial artist? There probably aren’t many in this class who’ve awakened yet—humans start school so young.” After about three minutes of silence, the elf girl turned around again, trying to start another conversation.
She really didn’t know anyone else in the class, and even though Qu Weichen’s responses weren’t great, she still had a good impression of her.
“I’m already fourteen.
I awakened as a martial artist three months ago.” Qu Weichen figured being young didn’t apply to her.
“So what? We elves don’t come of age until two hundred.” The elf girl laughed, then asked curiously, “Did it hurt to awaken? The elders in my clan make it sound terrifying, but I think I can handle it.”
“It hurts, but as long as you have a clear goal, grit your teeth and you’ll get through it.” Having gone through nine rounds of body tempering, Qu Weichen would never forget that pain.
But compared to how she felt after awakening, it was all worth it.
“Why do you want to be a martial artist?”
She didn’t know why she’d been put in a class focused on martial artists, but it probably had something to do with the Hall Master.
As for Constance… she hadn’t even told her the class, who knows if she forgot or just didn’t know.
Elves—no matter the setting, they’re always nature’s favorites, born mages, beloved by the elements.
For an elf to join the martial artist class… that was definitely unusual.
“Because the elements aren’t omnipotent.” The elf girl said, “I’m going to guard the Abyss in the future!”
Qu Weichen was stunned.
The Abyss could be guarded? Wasn’t the Abyss… weren’t those undead attacks impossible to stop?
“…Looks like you really do need to study at the academy.” The elf girl’s exasperation was almost visible.
Now she really believed Qu Weichen was from some backwater village.
As for how someone like that got into the academy? She didn’t care.
The girl sighed and explained, “You can think of the Abyss as a second dimension, another world.
Sometimes, that world tears open a rift and connects to the Floating Continent—that’s when the Gates of Hell open and the undead attack.
But on the Floating Continent, there are also many places where the Abyss overlaps.
When those chaotic spaces stabilize, they become passageways.
To stop things from coming up from the Abyss, we have to guard those passages.”
“As for the forces and races in the Abyss… you can check the library, there are records.”
Qu Weichen finally understood.
No wonder Uvino was attacked by the Abyss, but no powerful beings tore through space to get here.
Those skeleton knights were tough for her, but to real experts, they were nothing! Whether mage or martial artist, they were like nukes.
“Thank you!”
The elf girl was momentarily speechless, looking a bit embarrassed.
She just said, “It’s not a secret or anything, you don’t have to thank me…”
