Heaven Dou Colosseum, Planning Hall – 14:30
Clack. Clack. Clack.
One after another, carved wooden tokens dropped into a polished crystal lottery bowl, the sharp sound echoing through the stone-walled chamber beneath the Grand Colosseum.
The atmosphere here was completely different from the ceremony above.
There were no speeches.
Only the lead instructors, captains, and vice-captains of the six participating academies stood around the large circular planning table.
Everyone knew why they were here.
This was where the first real battle of the exchange began. Not with fists. With information.
Director Meng Shenji stood at the head of the table, one hand resting on the lottery box.
"Alright."
His calm but authoritative voice silenced the remaining conversations.
"Let's begin."
The room gradually fell quiet.
"As outlined during this morning's briefing, Days Two and Three will consist of one-on-one elimination matches."
He looked around the circle.
"The individual pairings will be drawn immediately before each battle."
A few students exchanged looks.
Huo Wu clicked her tongue.
"Tch. So we're expected to prepare for everyone."
"Pretty much," Feng Xiaotian muttered with a helpless shrug.
Huo Wu rolled her eyes.
"What a wonderfully annoying system."
Meng Shenji's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Exactly. The purpose is to test adaptability rather than preparation."
He lightly tapped the lottery box.
"However...The Day Four team battles will be decided today. You'll have three full days to study your assigned opponents."
He reached into the box.
The room became noticeably quieter. Every pair of eyes followed his hand.
He drew two wooden tokens.
Smack!
They landed flat on the table.
"First team match."
He turned the tokens over.
"Thunder Academy..."
"...versus..."
"Kamikaze Academy."
A chorus of reactions immediately followed.
"...Ah, seriously?" Feng Xiaotian groaned, dramatically covering his face.
"Lightning?"
He looked toward Yu Tianxin.
"My feathers are going to get roasted."
One of Kamikaze's teammates sighed.
"Captain. They're lightning users. Not barbecue chefs."
"Same difference."
Across the table, faint blue sparks crackled around Yu Tianxin's collar. He folded his arms.
"If you're planning to fly..."
His lips curled into a confident smile.
"...try not to fly out of bounds too quickly."
Feng Xiaotian placed a hand over his heart.
"Oh..So we're trash-talking already."
"I like it."
Teacher Leng quietly pinched the bridge of her nose.
"They're going to be insufferable."
Meng Shenji reached into the box again.
The room settled.
Another pair of tokens emerged.
Smack!
"Second team match."
"Blazing Academy..."
"...versus..."
"Tianshui Academy."
The atmosphere shifted almost instantly.
It wasn't imagination. The temperature itself seemed to change. A subtle warmth rolled from one side of the room.
A faint chill gathered on the other.
Fire.
Ice.
Huo Wu slowly looked across the table. Her crimson eyes locked onto Shui Bing'er. A confident smile spread across her face.
"Well..."
She folded her arms.
"Looks like fate has a sense of humor. Fire against Ice."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I wonder which melts first."
Several Blazing students chuckled.
Shui Yue'er puffed up immediately.
"Hey! That's...."
Bing'er gently touched her sister's arm. Yue'er stopped talking.
Bing'er met Huo Wu's gaze without the slightest hint of hostility. Her voice remained as calm as still water.
"We look forward to learning from Captain Huo."
Silence.
Huo Wu's eye twitched. She did it again.
Why is she always so calm?
"...You're impossible."
Bing'er simply offered a small, courteous smile.
Teacher Huo quietly laughed under his breath.
"This should be entertaining."
Meng Shenji reached into the lottery box one final time.
Everyone unconsciously straightened.
The last two tokens emerged.
Smack!
"The final team battle."
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy..."
"...versus..."
"Elephant Armored Academy."
A deep laugh immediately rumbled through the chamber.
"Hah!"
Hu Yanli folded his massive arms.
His towering frame seemed even larger as he looked across the table toward Yu Tianheng.
"A dragon against a mammoth."
He grinned broadly.
"I hope your claws are sharp, Royal Captain. Our defense doesn't crack just because a noble swings harder."
Several Elephant Armored students laughed.
Yu Tianheng remained silent.
A month ago...
He probably would have answered with arrogance. Declared the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's supremacy. Boasted about overwhelming attack power.
Instead...
His mind wandered back to Arthev.
Strength isn't measured by how hard you hit.
It's measured by how much force actually transfers into the target.
Yu Tianheng slowly looked back at Hu Yanli.
Then smiled. It wasn't mocking or proud.
If anything... It was strangely calm.
"Defense?"
He rolled one shoulder.
"Yeah..."
His blue eyes quietly sharpened.
"We'll find out."
Hu Yanli blinked once. Then grinned even wider.
"Oh...I like that answer."
Standing beside Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan folded her arms with a smug smile.
"Oh, trust me."
She looked directly at the Elephant captain.
"You should be less worried about whether our dragon can break your defense...and more worried about what happens after he does."
Across the room, several instructors silently exchanged glances.
The atmosphere had changed. The young captains weren't merely exchanging boasts anymore.
They genuinely wanted to test themselves against one another.
Director Meng Shenji looked around the table one final time.
"The pairings have been decided."
He closed the lottery box.
"For the next three days..."
He smiled knowingly.
"I suggest you all make the most of your preparations."
No one disagreed. Because everyone in the room understood the same truth.
The exchange had only just begun.
The real competition...
Would start the moment someone stepped onto the arena floor.
---
The Great Hall – Evening Banquet (19:30)
Clink! Clatter!
Laughter rolled through the Great Hall beneath glittering crystal chandeliers. Long velvet-covered tables stretched from one end of the room to the other, overflowing with roasted meats, fresh seafood, pastries, fruit, and expensive wines. A small orchestra played near the balcony, though its elegant melody was almost completely drowned out by the conversations of students, instructors, and nobles.
For one evening, rival academies weren't standing on opposite sides of an arena.
They were simply sharing a meal.
"...Oh, wow."
Osler stared at an enormous platter of roasted pork belly as though he had discovered a priceless treasure.
"It isn't burnt... it doesn't have tree bark mixed into it... and I'm ninety percent sure this isn't squirrel."
His eyes became suspicious.
"...Unless it's a very well-fed squirrel."
Yu Feng laughed into his drink.
"You've been traumatized."
"I have," Osler said seriously. "Food should not fight back."
Shi Mu grabbed three steamed buns in one motion.
"At least none of this requires digging."
Shi Mo nodded.
"Or carrying."
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes.
"You two carried logs for one week."
Shi Mu looked at her.
"It was a very long week."
A burst of laughter spread around the Royal Team's table.
Nearby, Qin Ming watched his students with quiet satisfaction. Only a month ago, these same nobles would have complained about table arrangements and expensive ingredients.
Now they were genuinely excited about warm bread.
Across from them, Yu Tianheng calmly picked up a slice of roasted venison with ordinary wooden chopsticks.
He paused for a moment before giving a small nod.
"...Comfortable."
"What is?" Dugu Yan asked.
"The chopsticks."
She blinked.
"...That's your observation?"
Yu Tianheng rotated them between his fingers.
"I haven't used the weighted ones for nearly a month."
He picked up another piece of meat with effortless precision.
"No trembling. No overcorrection."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"My control really has improved."
Qin Ming chuckled.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day you became excited over wooden chopsticks."
"They're easier than five-kilogram steel ones," Tianheng replied matter-of-factly.
Osler nearly dropped his bowl.
"Captain..."
"...Please don't tell me you're benchmarking cutlery now."
"I am."
"..."
"..."
Dugu Yan sighed dramatically.
"I blame Arthev."
"So do we," Shi Mo and Shi Mu answered together.
Even Ye Lingling covered a small smile behind her teacup.
---
A few tables away, the girls of Tianshui Academy were enjoying delicate pastries and chilled fruit desserts.
Shui Yue'er could barely stay in her seat.
"Look, look!" she whispered, nudging Xue Wu with far more force than necessary.
"That's Yu Tianxin over there. Why does he always look like someone owes him money?"
Xue Wu glanced over once.
"That's just his face."
"Oh!"
Yue'er's attention instantly shifted again.
"And Feng Xiaotian is trying to talk to Huo Wu..."
The girls watched as the Kamikaze captain enthusiastically approached the fiery girl with what looked suspiciously like a bouquet of freshly picked flowers.
Three seconds later...
Thump!
Huo Wu stepped squarely on his foot without even slowing down.
Feng Xiaotian froze in place, still smiling despite the obvious pain.
"...Worth it," he muttered to himself.
Several Tianshui girls burst into laughter. Bing'er smiled softly at the familiar chaos around the hall.
Her sapphire eyes wandered almost absentmindedly across the banquet.
Her gaze drifted past Thunder Academy...
Past the towering students of Elephant Armored Academy...
Past the Heaven Dou Royal Team...
Then it stopped.
Near one of the marble pillars beside the dessert table stood a familiar figure.
A boy wearing a perfectly neat academy uniform.
Unlike the gold-and-white uniforms worn by the Royal Team's main members, his was entirely black.
The uniform of a substitute.
He stood quietly away from the crowd with a small plate in one hand, slowly eating a slice of honey cake while reading the ingredient label on a nearby dessert display as though it were somehow more interesting than the banquet itself.
Bing'er's sapphire eyes widened.
Gasp
A tiny gasp escaped before she could stop it.
She lowered her glass a little too quickly.
Clink.
The ice cubes struck the side of the cup.
"Sister?". Yue'er blinked .
"What's wrong? Did you see a ghost?"
"Um, no," Bing'er said, her heart giving a strange, sudden flutter.
"I... I will be right back."
Before Yue'er could ask another question, Bing'er stood and quietly slipped into the flow of guests, politely excusing herself as she navigated through the crowded hall.
Arthev had just finished mentally evaluating the cake.
A little too much sugar, he concluded. Excessive for an ordinary dessert, but acceptable for rapid glycogen recovery after prolonged exertion.
Satisfied with his assessment, he reached for another bite.
Then he noticed the crowd in front of him subtly shifting.
Students stepped aside almost unconsciously, creating a narrow path.
Arthev looked up.
Shui Bing'er stopped a few feet away.
Under the warm glow of the crystal chandeliers, she looked even more radiant than she had beside the frozen lake. Her long glacial-blue hair shimmered beneath the lights, and the cold elegance that surrounded her was no longer oppressive. Instead, there was a quiet warmth in her sapphire eyes that hadn't existed when they first met.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Bing'er smiled. A small, sincere smile.
"Ah... it really is you."
There was unmistakable relief in her voice.
"I wasn't sure if I'd imagined seeing you from across the hall."
Arthev set his dessert plate onto the nearby table.
His expression remained calm, but the corners of his eyes softened almost imperceptibly.
"You look well," he said. "The cold backlash is gone?"
"It is."
Bing'er nodded gently.
"I've been sleeping peacefully these days ."
Her fingers lightly clasped together behind her back.
"I never really thanked you... and I never asked your name."
"Arthev."
"Shui Bing'er."
She introduced herself despite knowing he almost certainly recognized her now.
Her gaze drifted toward the academy crest embroidered on his uniform.
"You....you are from Heaven Dou student..."
Then she paused.
"...But your uniform is black."
She glanced toward the Royal Team seated across the hall.
"Their uniforms are white and gold."
"Ah. Yes."
Arthev nodded matter-of-factly.
"I am not a starting member. I'm the substitute."
Bing'er's sapphire eyes widened. For a second she wondered if she had misheard him.
"...A substitute?"
There was no contempt in her voice. Only genuine disbelief.
The boy who walked through her freezing domain, completely unaffected... is sitting on the bench?
"A benchwarmer?" she murmured, genuinely shocked. "But... why?"
"It is peaceful on the bench," Arthev replied after taking a sip of water.
"There are fewer ceremonies, fewer speeches, and considerably less shouting."
His gaze drifted across the banquet hall.
"And substitutes observe more than they perform. You learn a great deal by watching how people move when they believe no one is paying attention."
Bing'er blinked Then she let out small laughed.
"I've never heard anyone describe being a substitute like that."
"It is statistically underrated."
---
Several tables away...
Osler happened to glance toward the dessert table.
He froze.
"...Uh...Captain."
He slowly reached over and tugged Yu Tianheng's sleeve.
Tianheng looked up from his drink.
"What?"
"...Is Arthev talking to... a girl?"
Yu Tianheng followed Osler's trembling finger.
His eyes widened.
"Wait. ...That isn't just a girl. That's Shui Bing'er. The Ice Goddess. The captain of Tianshui."
Osler nearly dropped his plate.
"...You're kidding."
Nearby...
Clink!
Dugu Yan accidentally set her wine glass down much harder than intended.
She stared across the hall with undisguised disbelief.
"...How?"
She looked at Ye Lingling. Then back at Arthev. Then at Bing'er.
"...How? He has been standing next to that pillar for almost an hour!"
"I spent fifteen minutes listening to him explain why banquet desserts have poor nutritional efficiency!"
She pointed accusingly across the hall.
"When did he learn how to flirt ?"
"I don't think he's flirting," Ye Lingling observed quietly from the side.
"Look at her posture. She looks... relaxed."
---
Across the banquet hall, the Tianshui table had fallen into complete chaos.
Shui Yue'er nearly stood up.
"...Wait!"
She grabbed Xue Wu's sleeve so suddenly that the older girl almost spilled her tea.
"Look! Look over there!"
Xue Wu followed her finger.
"...Captain?"
Yue'er's mouth slowly fell open.
"My sister is smiling."
Xue Wu nodded.
"She is."
"No!"
Yue'er shook her head furiously.
"Not the captain smile."
She leaned closer.
"That's her real smile."
Her eyes darted toward Arthev.
"...And she's smiling at some random guy wearing a substitute's uniform."
Another Tianshui student whispered,
"...Who is he?"
"I've never seen Captain approach a boy first."
Teacher Leng quietly lifted her teacup. She didn't interrupt.
But behind its rim, her sharp eyes carefully observed every detail.
Interesting...
Very interesting.
---
Completely unaware, or perhaps simply unconcerned, by the growing number of curious eyes drifting toward them, Bing'er looked back at Arthev.
"I'm glad you're here."
Her voice was quiet enough that only he could hear.
"When I left the lake..."
She hesitated before smiling again.
"I hoped we'd meet again."
Arthev looked at her properly this time.
Without the violent backlash of the Ice Phoenix surrounding her, Shui Bing'er seemed different. The suffocating cold that had isolated her from everyone else was gone. What remained was simply a quiet, composed girl whose calm presence felt as natural as the winter breeze.
"The Exchange Event lasts seven days," Arthev said, his voice carrying easily through the noise of the banquet.
"I imagine we will see plenty of each other, Captain Shui."
Bing'er smiled.
"Just Bing'er is fine."
She tucked a loose strand of icy-blue hair behind her ear.
"And since you're a substitute... will you be participating in tomorrow's one-on-one matches?"
"Only if circumstances require it," Arthev answered honestly.
"My teammates generally handle the primary workload."
"Well..."
Bing'er nodded thoughtfully.
"I suppose that makes sense."
Before she could continue...
"Hey!"
Yu Tianheng's voice cut through the surrounding chatter.
The Dragon Captain strode over with Dugu Yan beside him, both trying to appear casual and failing spectacularly.
Yu Tianheng cleared his throat.
"...Captain Shui."
He offered a courteous nod.
"Welcome to Heaven Dou. I hope our academy has been treating Tianshui well."
Bing'er effortlessly slipped back into her role as captain.
"The hospitality has been excellent, Captain Yu."
She returned the greeting with graceful composure.
"We appreciate the welcome."
Dugu Yan folded her arms before looking suspiciously at Arthev.
"So..."
She narrowed her eyes.
"I see you've already met our substitute."
Bing'er nodded.
"I have."
Yan tilted her head.
"Did he try feeding you medicinal herbs?"
"...No."
"Lecture you about nutrition?"
"...No."
"Explain why breathing too quickly wastes energy?"
Bing'er blinked before letting out a soft laugh.
"...No. He was perfectly polite."
Dugu Yan looked genuinely disappointed.
"...Really?"
Arthev sighed.
"Vice-Captain Yan."
"You're undermining years of carefully cultivated social awkwardness."
"You don't have social awkwardness," Dugu Yan shot back.
"You weaponize it."
A voice suddenly shouted from the buffet.
"You don't even have a reputation!"
Osler yelled through a mouthful of roasted bread.
"You're classified information!"
Several nearby students turned to look.
Yu Feng covered his face.
"...I don't know him."
"You've known him for ages," Shi Mu deadpanned.
"I choose not to."
A ripple of laughter spread through the Royal Team.
Bing'er quietly watched them. Something about the scene didn't fit.
These weren't the interactions of students protecting a weak substitute.
Yu Tianheng respected his opinions. Dugu Yan argued with him like an old friend.
Even the others joked around him without the slightest hint of condescension.
If anything...
They all unconsciously deferred to him.
He's hiding something, Bing'er thought.
No...
Her eyes drifted back toward Arthev.
He's hiding a great many things.
---
After another moment, Bing'er glanced toward the Tianshui table.
Shui Yue'er was practically waving both arms.
Teacher Leng had also begun looking in her direction with increasing curiosity.
A small smile crossed Bing'er's face.
"I should go."
She looked back at Arthev.
"I'm sure my teammates have already invented several ridiculous theories."
"They almost certainly have," Arthev agreed.
She laughed quietly.
"Then... enjoy the rest of your evening."
"You as well, Bing'er."
She hesitated for just a heartbeat before giving him one last smile.
"I'll see you around."
"You probably will."
With that, she turned and walked back toward her academy.
The instant she disappeared into the crowd...
Poke.
Dugu Yan jabbed Arthev squarely in the chest.
"Talk."
Arthev calmly looked down at the finger.
"...About?"
"You know exactly what."
She pointed toward the departing Bing'er.
"How do you know the Ice Goddess of Tianshui?"
"We met beside a lake."
"..."
"..."
Yu Tianheng stared.
"...That's it?"
"Yes."
"A lake?"
"Correct."
Dugu Yan threw both hands into the air.
"Wait, wait, wait! You disappeared for one extra day..."
"...and somehow met the captain of Tianshui beside a picturesque lake?"
Yu Feng slowly nodded.
"...That sounds suspiciously romantic."
"It was not."
Arthev picked up another slice of cake.
"It was an unplanned medical consultation."
Osler nearly choked.
"A medical consultation?!"
"At a lake?"
"Who even says things like that?"
"It was highly coincidental," Arthev replied, taking another bite.
"And remarkably peaceful."
Yu Tianheng rubbed his forehead.
"We spent our holiday dragging boulders through mud..."
"...and you somehow unlocked a hidden side quest."
"I dislike that comparison."
Dugu Yan groaned.
"I leave you alone for one day..."
"...one day..."
"...and you come back with another academy's captain smiling at you."
Arthev looked genuinely confused.
"She was expressing gratitude."
The entire Royal Team looked at him. Then at each other.
Finally, Osler sighed dramatically.
"...He's hopeless."
"Completely," Yu Feng agreed.
---
Across the Great Hall, Bing'er returned to the Tianshui table. Before she could even sit down...
"Sister!"
Shui Yue'er leaned across the table.
"Who was he?"
"Were you two already acquainted?"
"Why were you smiling?"
"Why was he smiling?"
"Did he say something funny?"
Bing'er calmly picked up her glass of iced fruit water then took an unhurried sip.
"...One question at a time."
"Oh!"
Yue'er leaned even closer.
"So there is a story!"
Bing'er simply smiled to herself.
Her eyes wandered across the bustling banquet hall until they found the familiar figure in black once again.
Arthev was already back to quietly eating dessert as though nothing unusual had happened.
Watching him, Bing'er felt the corners of her lips lift almost unconsciously. For the first time since arriving in Heaven Dou City...
She found herself genuinely looking forward to what the coming week might bring.
To be continued...