The small bathing pool’s water was crystal clear and azure, emanating a refreshing and pleasant scent. Li Fei meticulously washed herself, then carefully dried her hair and body with a towel. Lifting the bamboo curtain, she saw a red and white garment laid out on the bed—the disciple’s uniform of Chu Feng Academy.
The uniform of Chu Feng Academy was simple yet elegant in design. Rumor had it that the fabric used was extraordinary, capable of warding off evil spirits and resisting water and fire. There were even people outside willing to pay high prices to acquire these uniforms, making them incredibly valuable. The uniform consisted of two parts: an inner layer that was soft and form-fitting, and an outer layer that was resilient and flowing. Female disciples had an additional skirt—simple in appearance but complicated to wear.
In Li Fei’s memory, the most complex garment she had ever worn was the luo skirt her master had bought her, which came in two pieces with an extremely long skirt. However, the academy’s uniform was several times more complicated than that luo skirt. There were various long and short ribbons, an inner and outer layer, and that extra skirt—should she tie it inside or outside?
It took her a considerable amount of effort to finally put on the uniform correctly. She straightened the bronze mirror, which reflected the face of a young girl.
Perhaps due to the lack of exposure to wind and sun for nearly two months, her once-tanned skin had become slightly fairer. With her thick eyebrows and large eyes, she no longer looked as boyish as before. Although her hair was neatly braided into a plait, her bangs and the ends of her hair stubbornly stood up, much like their owner’s temperament.
After confirming that her clothes and hair were in order, Li Fei shouldered her bundle and opened the door—after twenty-five days on the Hong Lu carriage, they had finally arrived at Chu Feng Academy.
This year, Chu Feng Academy had accepted eighteen new disciples, reportedly less than half compared to previous years. The Black Veil Lady had once let slip that this year’s second selection was the most difficult in history, implying that the eighteen disciples accepted this year were all exceptionally talented individuals.
Rounding a row of pear trees, Li Fei saw that most of the children had already gathered in the clearing ahead. All of them had changed into their disciple uniforms. Against the backdrop of snow-white pear blossoms and distant mountains, though not yet true immortals, they already exuded an otherworldly aura.
“Xiao Bang Chui!” Bai Li Gelin waved at her from the front. Beside her, Ye Ye reminded her, “You got it wrong again. You still haven’t corrected it after all these days.”
She giggled and immediately corrected herself, “Li Fei, over here!”
Li Fei was still getting used to her new name. It had been better recently, but in the first few days after changing her name, Gelin and the others would call her Xiao Bang Chui one moment and Li Fei the next, causing much confusion. Often, when they called her Li Fei, she would be slow to respond.
“The disciple’s uniform is really hard to put on. It took me ages,” she said, shaking her head as she walked over.
“Boss, you look great in this outfit,” Lei Xiuyuan exclaimed, genuinely admiring her. “You look so valiant and spirited.”
Due to her fairer complexion—a result of nearly a month in Huaguang County and another month on the Hong Lu carriage, along with good food and rest—she had developed a certain radiance. Combined with the well-fitted disciple’s uniform, her former tomboy appearance had vanished. At first glance, she even looked like an eye-catching young girl.
Bai Li Gelin came over with a smile, taking her hand. “Of course! Li Fei is naturally beautiful, she just doesn’t dress up. When she does, she’s stunning! Li Fei, your eyebrows are a bit thick. I’ll help you trim them later. Oh, and I’ll teach you some simple hairstyles too. Stop braiding your hair all the time…”
Valiant and spirited? Li Fei looked down at herself. She was short, young, and thin. She couldn’t understand how she could be considered valiant and spirited. She figured everyone was just being polite.
The Bai Li sisters, on the other hand, were truly beautiful. Their hair and lips, which had become dry from the arduous journey, had regained their luster. In the sunlight, their cheeks seemed almost translucent, as delicate as two little fairies. Nearby, Ye Ye also had an extraordinary bearing. Although still young, his every movement already hinted at a unique temperament that set him apart from others.
Perhaps the most surprising transformation was Lei Xiuyuan. He had previously looked like a seven or eight-year-old child, but over the past two months of good food and rest, he had grown to be as tall as Bai Li Gelin. His entire appearance seemed to have blossomed. His once pale yellow hair had become thick and black, his sunken cheeks had filled out, and with his rosy lips, white teeth, dark eyebrows, and bright eyes, he looked as pretty as a girl.
They were truly like butterflies emerging from their cocoons. Just standing there, they drew occasional glances from the other children, filled with both admiration and surprise. After all, everyone remembered that two months ago, they had all looked no better than little beggars.
Ye Ye suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, “By the way, Li Fei, do you know who that Mr. Zuoqiu is, the one who gave you your name?”
Li Fei shook her head. “I don’t know. He looked very old, and the Black Veil Lady seemed to respect him a lot.”
Ye Ye explained, “I just heard about it. He’s one of the founding members of Chu Feng Academy. He must be an extraordinary immortal.”
Everyone was shocked. Chu Feng Academy had been established at least several hundred years ago. How old must Mr. Zuoqiu be?
“It’s common for immortals to live for several hundred or even over a thousand years,” Ye Ye added, educating these ignorant children. “In prestigious sects like Wu Yue Ting and Xing Zheng Guan, some rarely seen elders are even thousands of years old. Think about it—if immortals didn’t have such long lifespans, why would royal families be so eager to send their talented offspring to cultivate? Only by living long and mastering profound immortal techniques can they deter watchful enemy nations.”
Bai Li Gelin shook her head with a grimace. “I don’t want to live for a thousand years. Being an old lady for a thousand years sounds terrifying!”
Everyone laughed, and Lei Xiuyuan, blushing, said softly, “But I hope Boss can live for a thousand years.”
Bai Li Gelin teased him, “All day long, it’s ‘Boss this’ and ‘Boss that’. She has a name now, you know. Why do you want her to live for a thousand years anyway?”
“How could I use Boss’s given name?” Lei Xiuyuan hurriedly shook his head, his eyes full of admiration. “Boss is so amazing. She’ll become a powerful immortal in the future, so of course she can live for a thousand years.”
Seeing him still so timid and subservient, Bai Li Gelin sighed. “Xiuyuan, none of us are better than the others. We all passed the second selection and entered Chu Feng Academy. You should have some confidence! How else will you become a great immortal in the future?”
Lei Xiuyuan blushed and shook his head vigorously. “I don’t have any special abilities. I only passed the second selection because of Boss! If I were alone…”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore,” Li Fei interrupted his stammering defense. She couldn’t stand seeing Lei Xiuyuan so weak and incompetent. “There’s a limit to how useless you can be.”
She had prepared herself for Lei Xiuyuan to burst into tears, but to her surprise, he paused for a moment, then showed an expression of almost painful contemplation. After a while, he asked in a low voice, “Boss, do you look down on me?”
Li Fei shook her head. “No, I just think that you have excellent talent. Why be so self-deprecating?”
She remembered how, on the snow-covered peak with biting winds, while Ye Ye and the others had to meditate to ward off the cold, he had stood facing the wind and snow, completely at ease. He had great talent, so why was he still so weak and incompetent?
Lei Xiuyuan paused again, his brow gradually smoothing out. He smiled and said, “Boss knows how to talk.”
Bai Li Gelin teased him again. “Yes, yes, you only have eyes for your Boss. Do you dare to call her by her name?”
He started waving his hands frantically again. “I-I wouldn’t dare!”
Sigh, it’s no use saying anything, Li Fei thought, shaking her head. Perhaps this was just his innate weak personality.
Following the Black Veil Lady through the carriage door, a vast scene suddenly opened up before them. They found themselves on an extremely spacious mountaintop, with a sea of clouds stretching out before them, a clear blue sky above, and cloud layers below that resembled rolling waves—a sight of utmost grandeur. At the edge of the cliff was a bluestone platform with dozens of stone swords neatly arranged on it, along with a long, leaf-shaped green boat, its purpose unknown.
“Only new disciples arriving at the academy for the first time are allowed to use the passenger boat once. After that, if you want to leave the disciple quarters, you’ll have to fly on your own. When you learn to fly, you can truly begin your cultivation,” the Black Veil Lady said.
She lightly landed on the passenger boat, which hovered at the edge of the ten-thousand-foot cliff. Even the hem of her black veil was surrounded by wisps of white mist. The children couldn’t help but feel a bit scared—this was a real ten-thousand-foot cliff! Even though they knew that immortal techniques would prevent them from falling, it was impossible not to feel nervous.
Ji Tongzhou was the first to jump on. As soon as he stood on it, the boat swayed a few times, scaring him pale. He barely managed to stand up straight without collapsing.
With someone taking the lead, it became much easier for the others. Soon, the passenger boat was full of people. The Black Veil Lady lightly stomped her foot, and the small boat shot out like an arrow, piercing through the thick clouds. The first thing that came into view was a snow-white tower, its body surrounded by rainbow light, with immortal birds flying around it—a truly magnificent sight.
The Black Veil Lady gave a brief introduction: “This is the Book Tower. Below the tenth floor are books, and above the tenth floor are various talismans. Only those with Mr. Zuoqiu’s letter can go above the twentieth floor. If anyone trespasses, whether they end up dead, lose limbs, or have all their blood drained, the academy takes no responsibility.”
…How is this different from a threat? Beside them, Bai Li Gelin’s face had turned green with fear.
The small boat continued to fly diagonally downward. It was then that everyone realized that the Book Tower was built on a floating island in the sky. Looking around, they saw countless floating islands in mid-air. Some had buildings on them, some had springs, and others only had flowers, grass, and trees. There were no bridges connecting the islands; the only way to reach them was by flying. No wonder ordinary people couldn’t approach Chu Feng Academy—even monkeys would fall to their deaths if they couldn’t fly.
What would Chu Feng Academy be like? All the children who had passed the test had wondered about this. Their previous guesses—underwater, underground—were all wrong. Chu Feng Academy was floating in the sky.
“It’s so beautiful…” a girl nearby exclaimed. The ethereal beauty of the scene made the children forget their fear of being in mid-air. The passenger boat continued its diagonal descent, passing through many floating islands. As the clouds thinned, five enormous floating islands appeared in view below.
On the central island stood a grand hall, resplendent with gold and jade. The front of the hall was paved with huge white stone slabs. From this high vantage point, one could see that the black lines on the slabs formed a complex talisman when viewed together, with a black circle in the center resembling an eye—quite eerie.
Surrounding the central island to the east, west, south, and north were four islands of equal size. Some had faint outlines of courtyards, while others had clear waters and green trees, each with its unique scenery. From above, the five seemingly connected yet separate islands looked like a flower. The lower they descended, the more they could appreciate the vastness and magnificence of the islands.
Li Fei felt as if she were in a dream. Is this where immortals live? The islands were flying in the sky, and below them was not an endless blue sea, but an infinite expanse of misty gauze. Pure white immortal birds broke through the clouds, flying gracefully. Many cranes leisurely wandered among the green trees and clear waters, some flying, some dancing—these were sights she couldn’t have imagined even in her wildest dreams.
At this moment, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement, her body trembling slightly beyond her control. She had truly arrived at this place. If her previous desperate efforts were for her master, her uncontrollable excitement now was perhaps more for herself. Her unknown future, mysterious and unpredictable, left her spellbound.
“These five islands will be where you cultivate for the year,” the Black Veil Lady’s introduction remained brief and forceful. “The main hall is off-limits on ordinary days. The regular training grounds and special cultivation arenas will be led by the teachers. The dining area is to the north. Meals are only available with your name tags, at no cost. If you can’t fly for a day, you can’t eat for a day.”
The children immediately became restless. No flying, no food! Such harsh and terrifying training! What if someone learned slowly and starved to death before they could fly?! As expected of Chu Feng Academy—the children fell into respectful silence.
“Meals are also provided in the disciple quarters,” the Black Veil Lady said, and everyone thought they detected a hint of malicious laughter in her voice. “One tael of silver per meal.”
Wait a minute! Did they just mishear something? One tael of silver per meal? The academy charges for meals? And one tael of silver at that? What kind of rare delicacies cost so much? The children were stunned. Their ideal Chu Feng Academy turned out to be just like the mundane world outside, requiring silver.
The Black Veil Lady lightly kicked the tip of her foot on the passenger boat, and the small boat gently landed on the southern island. This place was surrounded by greenery, with exquisite courtyards and only the soft sound of wind—very quiet.
“These are the disciple quarters. In previous years, the academy had many new disciples, but this year the number has decreased by more than half. You can each have your room in the disciple quarters. The envelopes have numbers on them; move-in according to your number.”
She distributed an envelope to each person and continued, “All the cultivation classes for August are inside. Take your time to read them when you get back. That’s all for today. Gather here at dawn tomorrow. Those who are late will be fined ten taels of silver per meal and punished for three days.”
Ten taels! Is this Chu Feng Academy or a money-grabbing academy?! Amidst the children’s exclamations, the Black Veil Lady slowly disappeared.