Most of the geniuses from the Wasteland Realm didn't stand out much during the ceremony, because the talents from the Horn Constellation Realm truly outshone them all.
Those like Ouyang Xue, Zhou Chong, and Fang Wunian weren't even qualified to enter the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy, which showed just how fierce the competition had become.
Tang Xingyu herself didn't perform.
Her close friend Liu Hongfu, however, went on stage to perform a sword dance, and Tang Xingyu only accompanied her briefly. Yet, that short moment was enough to draw countless gazes from all directions.
"Who's that girl? She's stunning."
"You don't even know her? That's Tang Xingyu from the Sword Institute—one of the academy's three brightest flowers."
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
When Liu Hongfu and Tang Xingyu stepped off the stage, Liu Hongfu puffed her cheeks and said, "Xingyu, look at that! I'm the one who did all the work, but you stole the spotlight again."
Tang Xingyu giggled. "I told you I didn't want to go up, but you dragged me up there yourself. You only have yourself to blame."
"Oh, you little—"
Liu Hongfu playfully reached out to tickle Tang Xingyu, but after a moment, she suddenly sniffed and said, "Xingyu, you smell amazing."
"Ugh, you pervert."
They were still laughing and playfully pushing each other when they noticed a refined young man standing at the backstage entrance.
"Tang Xingyu, Liu Hongfu," he greeted with a warm smile. "It's rare for us to have free time today. How about attending a small banquet?"
"Sorry."
Tang Xingyu declined immediately.
She knew the young man came from a distinguished background, but she had absolutely no interest in him.
The man, however, didn't seem surprised. He smiled again and said, "This banquet wasn't my idea. A few senior brothers and sisters from the Sword Institute organized it. You could exchange insights on swordsmanship."
Hearing that, Tang Xingyu hesitated for a moment.
Those senior brothers and sisters from the Sword Institute weren't ordinary sword cultivators—they were genuinely skilled.
"Come on, Xingyu," Liu Hongfu urged. "It's not like we'll be alone. There'll be plenty of people. What's there to be afraid of? Let's go."
She knew that Tang Xingyu had someone in her heart—a little junior disciple she often mentioned.
Tang Xingyu had spoken about him more than once in private.
But in Liu Hongfu's mind, that "junior disciple" was nothing more than a native from a small, insignificant world—hardly worthy of someone like Tang Xingyu.
It wasn't that she was snobbish; she simply believed that a woman like Tang Xingyu deserved a man of exceptional talent and standing.
'There are plenty of truly brilliant people in our academy,' Liu Hongfu thought.
The young man in front of them was quite outstanding himself, but even he, she felt, wasn't truly worthy of Tang Xingyu.
'If anything,' she thought suddenly, 'that Master Yang from the Alchemy Institute seemed like a good match for her.'
As the three walked toward the exit, a young boy appeared in front of them.
Liu Hongfu and the young man barely spared him a glance.
But Tang Xingyu's steps came to an abrupt stop.
"Xingyu?"
Liu Hongfu looked at her, puzzled.
Tang Xingyu didn't respond.
Her eyes were locked on the boy standing ahead—nothing else existed in her vision now.
Then, her bright eyes shimmered like stars, her brows curved in delight, and with a soft smile that revealed shallow dimples, she whispered, "Chengcheng."
"You… you…"
Liu Hongfu's eyes widened.
The youth looked uncannily familiar—he resembled Master Yang far too much.
But she immediately dismissed the thought.
Master Yang was a Dao Academy Alchemy Master, and most of the academy's instructors were at least several hundred years old.
Even if Master Yang looked young, that had to be due to some longevity technique or appearance-preserving method.
In fact, the academy's high-ranking elders had deliberately obscured Yang Cheng's true identity.
Head Instructor Li Xiang and the others were well aware that if news spread that Yang Cheng was a born sage who knew the Dao by birth, it would attract dangerous attention from countless ambitious figures.
Of course, such a secret could never be completely erased—but they could at least reduce the impact.
As a result, most ordinary disciples of the academy had no idea about it.
Many who had previously heard rumors that "Master Yang is the Crown Prince of Great Zhou" now dismissed it as mere gossip, thanks to deliberate redirection from the upper echelons.
The young man accompanying them frowned slightly, his gaze toward Yang Cheng faintly hostile.
It wasn't that he knew who Yang Cheng was—it was because of Tang Xingyu's reaction.
In terms of background and talent, he didn't think he had ever been beneath anyone.
When Tang Xingyu saw the young boy, it was as if the rest of the world vanished from her eyes. That alone made Ouyang Yi feel an unfamiliar sense of threat.
"Tangtang," Yang Cheng said with a gentle smile, "in the blink of an eye, you've grown up."
He had watched Tang Xingyu grow from a chubby two-year-old girl into the elegant beauty standing before him now.
Tang Xingyu wrinkled her little nose and pouted. "What do you mean, 'grown up'? I'm your senior sister, remember?"
Yang Cheng couldn't help but laugh.
Though they hadn't seen each other for over a year, there wasn't the slightest trace of awkwardness between them. It felt as though no span of time—or even the distance of the stars—could ever separate their bond.
"Hey," Liu Hongfu suddenly huffed, "what's with the two of you? There are other people here, you know!"
It was the first time she had ever been ignored by Tang Xingyu like this.
Ever since this boy appeared, Tang Xingyu seemed to forget everyone else's existence.
Feeling left out, Liu Hongfu stepped in front of Tang Xingyu and glared at Yang Cheng. "So you're that so-called little junior brother from the Mayfly World that Xingyu's been thinking about. Let me tell you—just because you happen to look like Master Yang doesn't mean anything! I'll be watching out for Xingyu."
Tang Xingyu's expression cooled. "Hongfu."
She didn't raise her voice, but the faint change in tone was enough to make Liu Hongfu feel an overwhelming pressure fall upon her shoulders.
Despite all their laughter and teasing in daily life, Liu Hongfu had always known deep down—she held great respect, even fear, for Tang Xingyu.
She bit her lip, forcing down her grievance, and obediently stepped aside without daring to utter another word to Yang Cheng.
Still, resentment lingered in her heart.
Xingyu hadn't treated her like that in half a year, yet now, because of this boy, she suddenly seemed distant. It was obvious that in Xingyu's heart, she weighed far less than this "junior brother."
"Chengcheng, this is Liu Hongfu," Tang Xingyu said softly. "She can be a bit scatterbrained sometimes."
Yang Cheng chuckled inwardly. Tang Xingyu really did attract people easily—no matter where she went, she made friends.
Since Tang Xingyu hadn't introduced the other man, he took the initiative himself. "I'm Ouyang Yi, a fellow student of Tang Xingyu from the Sword Institute."
"I'm Yang Cheng."
Yang Cheng nodded slightly in return.
He actually remembered Ouyang Yi. The man would later become a figure of great renown.
In his previous life, Ouyang Yi had also pursued Tang Xingyu with great effort—but she had never given him a second glance.
Back then, Ouyang Yi had been a towering figure that Yang Cheng could only look up to.
Now, however, things had completely reversed.
He could look down upon Ouyang Yi with calm detachment.
Because of that, Yang Cheng naturally bore no hostility toward him.
"You're Tang Xingyu's junior brother?" Ouyang Yi asked with a polite smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Perfect timing—we were just heading to a banquet. Why don't you come along?"
"Sure," Yang Cheng said with a nod.
It would be a good opportunity to observe what kind of people filled the Sword Institute these days, especially since Tang Xingyu was part of it.
On the way there, Yang Cheng and Tang Xingyu didn't talk much.
But for them, silence wasn't awkward—it was comforting.
They didn't need constant chatter; just being in each other's presence was enough.
They could sense each other's presence, feel each other's peace, and that quiet connection brought them both ease.
Liu Hongfu and Ouyang Yi also fell silent as they walked.
However, both of them misunderstood. They thought Yang Cheng was simply a provincial youth, too self-conscious to speak in front of them.
That thought made Ouyang Yi's confidence grow.
Perhaps Tang Xingyu was close to this little junior brother now.
But as time went on—once she began to truly see the difference between this boy and himself—she would surely change her mind.