The Club Fair was nothing like Jin Huang had imagined.
Then again, Jin Huang hadn't imagined any of the Academy correctly since arriving.
Instead of a simple plaza or courtyard, the Club Fair occupied a vast, drifting expanse of space just outside the Academy's main districts. Golden clouds formed layered platforms at different heights, each one lazily floating as if unsure whether it wanted to be architecture or weather.
Flowing bridges of seven-colored light connected them, bending gently like silk ribbons caught in a cosmic breeze. Above and below, stars drifted at an unhurried pace, pulsing faintly. A few passed close enough that Jin Huang briefly wondered if he could poke one with a stick and see what happened.
All around them, floating banners shimmered into existence and dissolved just as quickly, each announcing a club name in glowing script. Some were accompanied by elaborate illusions—roaring spirit beasts, phantom weapons clashing midair, miniature arrays spinning with alarming speed—while others relied on aggressively enthusiastic upperclassmen shouting until their voices cracked.
First-years and other students who had yet to join a club filled the space in loose currents, drifting from platform to platform. Every so often, new groups arrived in flashes of light, blinking around in mild awe before being immediately accosted by recruiters.
Jin Huang stared.
"This seems extravagant," he said.
Qin Shuyue, standing beside him with her arms crossed and an inquisitive look on her face, nodded solemnly. "It always is. I heard one year the 'Array Formation 4Ever' club accidentally inverted gravity and the Club Fair almost fell into the Academy's sacred realm."
Jin Huang chuckled, eyes lighting up. "Sounds awesome. I wish I could have been there."
She shook her head and started guiding him further in, weaving past the louder, flashier clubs with practiced ease. As he followed, Jin Huang reached into his robe and withdrew a small bag of roasted cloud-grown nuts that Madame Cho had given him.
"By the way," he said between crunches, "how do you know so much about the Academy?"
She glanced back and saw him eating, frowned instinctively, then immediately reached into the bag herself and grabbed a handful. "This is one of the three most prestigious institutions in the entire Earthly Realm. Anyone who's anyone knows a lot about the Academy."
She chewed thoughtfully before continuing, speaking only once her mouth was clear. "Also, my older sister attended years ago."
Jin Huang perked up. "Older sister, eh?"
She scoffed and rolled her eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn't fall out.
They stepped onto the nearest cloud platform, which obligingly thickened beneath their feet, becoming firm with a faint, muffled whump. Almost immediately, a senior in flamboyant, wind-swept robes swooped down from above like a predatory bird, thrusting pamphlets into their hands.
"Join the Heaven Splitting Saber Society—"
"No," Qin Shuyue said flatly, not even breaking stride.
The senior recoiled as if struck by divine lightning. His face went pale, eyes glossy, and he staggered back a step before fleeing in the opposite direction with what appeared to be tears welling up.
Jin Huang followed innocently, still eating nuts.
They passed booths in rapid succession.
The Beast Taming Appreciation Circle, where a student was currently being dragged across the cloud platform, screaming, by a fluffy, three-eyed alpaca that looked deeply offended.
The Cultivation Dropout Support Group, whose booth was entirely empty except for a single folding chair and a handwritten sign that read: "Still Here. Unfortunately."
The Subtle Enlightenment Mutual Aid Society, where everyone sat cross-legged in perfect posture, expressions tranquil to the point of being unsettling. Jin Huang was fairly sure none of them had blinked since he first saw them.
He leaned closer to Qin Shuyue and whispered, "Do you think if I join enough clubs, one of them will accidentally teach me how to cultivate?"
She didn't answer immediately, taking the time to seriously think about it.
"…No."
They continued on.
At one point, Jin Huang caught the unmistakable scent of food and nearly veered off course, only stopping when he physically grabbed his own sleeve and hauled himself back. Somewhere in the distance, a club called the Spirit Beast Gourmet Research Association was loudly arguing over seasoning ratios and whether lightning-natured meat needed to be tenderized before or after marination.
Madame Cho's face flashed briefly in his mind.
He shuddered and walked faster.
Eventually, they reached a quieter edge of the fair—one of the outer cloud platforms drifting closer to open space. The stars felt nearer here, the noise dimmer, the air thinner somehow. Fewer students gathered in this area, and the banners were… stranger.
Then Jin Huang stopped.
"…That one," he said.
Qin Shuyue followed his gaze.
Suspended slightly crooked in the air was a black banner that looked less like it was hanging and more like it had given up halfway through existence. The fabric sagged, edges frayed as if reality itself had gotten tired of holding it together. The letters etched upon it glowed faintly in dull silver:
"Eternal Recalcitrance Club. Together we refuse, together we disobey."
There was no flashy illusion. No welcoming committee. No shouting senior.
Just a low wooden table resting on the cloud, a single rickety chair behind it, and a senior student slumped forward with his face pressed flat into the tabletop.
Qin Shuyue blinked. "Is he dead?"
The senior groaned.
"No," he said into the wood. "Unfortunately." He lifted his head and Jin Huang immediately gasped.
The person sitting at the booth did too.
It was Hei Shisan, his hair tied back carelessly, several strands escaping to frame a face that looked permanently tired. Heavy shadows clung to his eyes like they'd signed a long-term lease. His expression flickered through surprise, disbelief, and something dangerously close to resignation.
The second thing Jin Huang noticed was the number stitched onto his sleeve.
Hei Shisan squinted at Qin Shuyue. "Another one of your freshman buddies? Where's Wuyou?"
Qin Shuyue eyed both Hei Shisan and Jin Huang cautiously. "You two… know each other?"
Jin Huang nodded, suddenly aware that he had neglected to mention several life-threatening incidents. "Yeah, we had a bit of an adventure together—ahh, you had to be there."
She frowned. "Uh-huh…"
"I haven't seen Shen Wuyou," Jin Huang continued. "I wasn't even expecting to see you here. I thought you'd be in trouble again."
He stepped closer and leaned onto the table, elbows resting comfortably as if this were the most natural reunion in the world.
"This is Qin Shuyue," he added, suddenly remembering introductions were a thing.
"Ha! No detention center can hold me for long. Not Hei Shisan," Hei Shisan declared, comically pounding his chest.
Jin Huang laughed, and Hei Shisan echoed it a beat later, the sound a little too loud and a little too forced.
"I didn't know you were in a club. What's it about?" Jin Huang asked.
Hei Shisan stared at him for a long moment. His eyes narrowed, shoulders sagged, and he folded his arms before releasing a long, world-weary sigh.
"You see that over there?" he said, pointing vaguely toward the brighter, more crowded platforms. "That is the taint of ambition."
He pointed in another direction. "That is the fruit of delusion."
Then he tapped the table in front of him, the wood giving a hollow thunk.
"This," he said, "is realism. The slap-in-the-face truth that our optimistic peers don't even know they need."
Qin Shuyue scoffed. "Sounds more like you're just trying to justify being a horrible student."
"Therein lies the problem I face," Hei Shisan replied tiredly. "The Eternal Recalcitrance Club is for people who refuse to advance according to expectations. People who reject imposed paths, mistrust rankings, and—most importantly—have a real problem with authority."
Jin Huang fell into brief thought, the steady crunching of nuts the only sound he contributed.
"Does failing all my classes count as recalcitrance?"
Hei Shisan's eyes went dull, lips pressing into a thin line.
Jin Huang gestured vaguely. "I still can't cultivate, I'm terrible with weapons, I mess up alchemy, and array formation diagrams look like angry noodles when I draw them."
Hei Shisan opened his mouth. Closed it.
"Mm," was all he managed.
"At least he's never lost his appetite," Qin Shuyue added, nudging Jin Huang's shoulder.
Hei Shisan paused.
"…But," he said slowly, sitting up straighter, interest flickering back into his eyes, "what about your perfect Mortal Foundation?"
Jin Huang shrugged. "Apart from my body feeling and looking completely new, there wasn't much of a change. At least now I have internal energy that I can actually see and feel."
Hei Shisan frowned deeply. Qin Shuyue subtly shifted her stance.
"You've been here almost six years, right?" Qin Shuyue said. "I heard you're the thirteenth student in the Academy's history to be labeled 'unteachable.' Why were you allowed to create a club?"
Hei Shisan smirked, visibly grateful for the change in topic.
"Truthfully, Miss Qin, I can't go into details unless you join my club."
"Mmhmm," she said, shaking her head.
Hei Shisan snickered, spreading his arms with a grin that suggested he knew far more than he was letting on.
"I'll say this, though. I wasn't kidding when I said the students of the Academy need this club. They don't know what's coming."
He reached under the table and pulled out two jade talismans, slapping them down with finality.
"No entry tests. No fees. Just my word that you won't regret joining," he said. "We won't have regular meetings or official activities, so feel free to join another club."
Jin Huang noticed Qin Shuyue eying him strangely.
"However," Hei Shisan continued, voice lowering slightly, "when the talisman lights up and I ask for your presence, you absolutely need to be there. That's the only rule."
Jin Huang picked up the talisman, turning it over in his fingers. "What about all that stuff about having a problem with authority?"
Hei Shisan leaned back. "More like criteria."
"So who's the other talisman for?" Qin Shuyue asked.
"Wuyou," Hei Shisan replied. "If you see him, fill him in. I'm sure he won't oppose."
Jin Huang tucked the talisman away, silently vowing to do exactly that.
Qin Shuyue studied Hei Shisan for a moment longer before pulling Jin Huang aside.
"Are you sure about this guy?"
"I am," Jin Huang said without hesitation. "I trust my gut."
She sighed. "Alright. I'm going to look at some other clubs. Meet me over there when you're done."
After seeing her off, Jin Huang returned to the booth and flashed a wide, toothy grin. "This club seems like trouble. You better not disappoint."
He extended a hand.
Above them, seven-colored light shifted and flowed as clouds drifted lazily by, laughter and shouting echoing across the Club Fair.
Hei Shisan chuckled as he shook Jin Huang's hand, his own eyes gleaming with devious intent.
"You won't be disappointed. Like I said—you won't regret joining. In just a few short months, things are going to be turned upside down in the Academy."
Jin Huang looked thoughtful at that, but Hei Shisan wasn't done.
"If you see Wuyou—or anyone else you think is interesting—bring them over. I'll check them out."
Jin Huang nodded, a smirk spreading across his face. "I have some people in mind."