The dawn mist still clung to the running track of the West Courtyard. While the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, the sounds of heavy breathing and groans filled the air.
"This is... torture," Huang Yuan gasped, his hands on his knees. Sweat dripped from his nose onto the pavement.
"Why are we doing this? We are Soul Masters. We use soul power. We don't... run."
Beside him, Jing Ling, the Skeleton Spirit user, looked like he might actually collapse into a pile of bones. "Teacher Su isn't even here yet. We could stop."
"We could," a calm voice replied from the front of the pack. "But then your stamina reserves will remain stagnant."
Arthev jogged past them. He wasn't sweating or panting. He ran with a rhythmic, effortless stride, his back straight, his breathing silent.
What the others didn't know was that Arthev was using his soul power to magnetically increase the gravity around his own body. To him, he was running through waist-deep water. To them, he looked like he was floating.
'They are so slow,' Shukaku complained. 'Whippets run faster. Turtles run faster.'
'Their muscle fibers are undeveloped,' Matatabi noted. 'They rely entirely on the explosive power of their spirits. Once their soul power runs dry, they are merely heavy civilians.'
Arthev slowed his pace, falling back to jog alongside Huang Yuan.
"Student Huang," Arthev said politely. "Your stride is uneven. You favor your right leg. It wastes energy."
Huang Yuan glared at him, but there was no bite in it. "I'm a Power Attack system. I'm heavy. Running isn't my thing."
"You are a wolf," Arthev corrected gently.
"Wolves are persistence hunters. They run until the prey collapses. If you fix your posture, you can run for another five kilometers without fatigue."
Huang Yuan blinked. "Five... more? Are you insane?"
"Just try landing on the ball of your foot, not the heel," Arthev suggested, demonstrating the motion. "It absorbs the shock."
Huang Yuan grumbled, but he adjusted his footing. A few steps later, his expression changed. The jarring impact on his knees lessened. He felt lighter.
"Huh," Huang Yuan muttered. "The Science Sect has running techniques too?"
"Village wisdom," Arthev said with a small eye-smile.
--------
Noon – The Student Library
The Imperial Academy Library was a grand structure of marble and glass, filled with the smell of old paper and wax. This was the general access area, available to all students.
The Restricted Archives that Arthev actually wanted were deeper underground, locked behind the barriers and requiring the Prince's key.
But general knowledge was still useful.
Arthev sat at a secluded corner table. Stacked in front of him were books: Geography of the Star Luo Empire, Myths of the Lost Clans, and Theory of Spirit Mutation.
He wasn't reading them for class. He was cross-referencing locations. The "Broken Circle" had destroyed village near the border. He was looking for any record of unregistered soul master activity in that region over the last decade.
'Nothing,' Isobu whispered sadly. 'Just trade routes and weather reports.'
'They are covert operatives,' Arthev thought.
'They wouldn't be in a geography book. But silence is also information. If a region has no reports, it might mean the reports are being suppressed.'
A shadow fell across his table.
Arthev looked up. Standing there, holding a book on advanced toxicology, was Ye Lingling.
She wore the standard uniform, but on her, it looked like high fashion. Her expression was cool and distant, warning everyone else in the library to stay away.
"Is this seat taken?" she asked quietly.
"It is for you, Lady Ye," Arthev replied, gesturing to the chair opposite him.
She sat down. For a long time, neither spoke. They simply read their respective books. It was a comfortable silence, born of shared secrets.
"You are fitting in," Lingling said eventually, not looking up from her book.
"The Second Team is... louder today. They seem motivated."
"They were drifting," Arthev said, turning a page. "I merely suggested a direction."
"Dugu Yan is curious about you," Lingling warned softly. "She doesn't like mysteries she can't solve. Be careful. Her venom isn't just physical, she knows how to dismantle people socially."
"I have been inoculated against venom," Arthev replied vaguely.
"And Yu Tian-Heng..." Lingling paused. "He wants to fight you. He thinks your physical strength is a challenge to his Dragon prowess."
Arthev finally looked up. "Is that why he is standing behind the bookshelf right now?"
Lingling didn't turn around. She sighed. "Probably."
A moment later, Yu Tian-Heng stepped out from behind the stack of history books. The Captain of the Royal Team looked imposing, his presence demanding attention. He wasn't hiding, he just hadn't announced himself.
"You have sharp senses for a Plant Soul master," Yu Tian-Heng said, his voice deep.
Arthev stood up and bowed respectfully. "Captain Yu. It is an honor."
Yu Tian-Heng waved the pleasantries away.
He looked at the books on Arthev's table. "Geography? Mutations? You study strange things."
"Knowledge is the only weapon that doesn't dull, Captain," Arthev said.
Yu Tian-Heng looked at Lingling, then back at Arthev. "Lingling says you are strong. Strong enough to guard her. Strong enough to push Huang Yuan. But the Second Team is a graveyard for talent. They have no discipline."
"They are improving," Arthev said.
"We'll see," Yu Tian-Heng crossed his arms. "The Ranking Battle is in 14 days. Usually, the First Team doesn't participate because it's a waste of our time. We let the Second Team fight the Third Team for scraps."
He leaned forward, his eyes crackling with faint electricity.
"But this time, I've requested a modification. The First Team will hold the arena. If the Second Team can last ten minutes against us... we will consider it a victory for you."
Ten minutes. Against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the Jade Phosphor Serpent,the Black Tortoise brothers, and others.. For the current Second Team, ten seconds would be a miracle.
"That is generous of you," Arthev said, his face impassive.
"It's not generosity," Yu Tian-Heng smirked.
"I want to see what you can do when you aren't holding back. Don't disappoint me, Arthev. If you are boring, Lingling will never hear the end of it."
Yu Tian-Heng turned and walked away, his cape swirling.
Lingling closed her book. "He is trying to provoke you."
"He succeeded," Arthev said, sitting back down.
"Ten minutes is impossible for the current Second Team," Lingling stated objectively. "Huang Yuan and the others will panic under the Dragon pressure. You will be fighting alone."
Arthev looked at the stack of books. He thought about the Prince's condition, Dominate the Royal Team.
Merely lasting ten minutes wasn't dominance. It was survival.
"Fourteen days," Arthev murmured.
'Shukaku,' he projected. 'Do you remember the training regimen you suggested for the Second Team?'
'The one where we bury them in sand until they learn to dig?' Shukaku asked hopefully.
'No. The tactical formation drills.'
'Boring,' Shukaku scoffed.
'Matatabi,' Arthev switched frequencies. 'Calculate the optimal growth rate for Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu if we optimize their diet and sleep schedules starting tonight.'
'Calculating...' Matatabi purred. 'If they adhere to a strict regimen, their combat efficiency can increase by 28% in two weeks. However, their mental fortitude is the weak point.'
Arthev looked at Lingling.
"Ten minutes is a long time," Arthev said softly. "A lot can happen in ten minutes."
Lingling looked at him. She saw the dark eyes crinkle slightly in that polite, fake smile, but behind it, she saw the same cold calculation that had brought down the Phoenix Crane.
"You aren't planning to survive ten minutes," she realized.
"I am planning," Arthev corrected, "to give the Captain the educational experience he requested."
He stood up and gathered his books.
"Excuse me, Lady Ye. I have to go wake up some wolves."
Lingling watched him leave. For the first time , she felt a flicker of anticipation. The Academy had been stagnant, a pond of arrogant fish. Now, a shark had swum in, pretending to be a minnow.
And the Ranking Battle was going to be a slaughter.
To be continued.....