After a brief chat with Snow Orchid, I felt the hush of a shy fawn in her, yet once the ice melts she glows like sun on a lake. Today’s task is admissions review; whoever enrolls first gets first pick of dorms. Once our lodgings are settled, we gather at 6 p.m. in the central teaching block, like geese homing to a pond. The academy holds only three classes, one per year; those who get in are meteors of talent or pampered heirs with roads already paved.

“Snow Orchid, do you know where the dorms are?”

“Mm… I do. Mom brought me here before.”

“…So you all scouted the place, huh? I guess that other girl came to check the grounds too.”

“Tangxue, you don’t know the way?” Snow Orchid tilted her head, eyes clear as dew.

I nodded lightly, feeling the newness like mist on a hill. “Mm… This is my first time here.”

“Snow Orchid, could you take me to the dorm?”

“Mm! I’m really familiar with this area.” Her voice rippled like a stream. “The dorms split into three zones: lakeside, hillside, and the plains. They’re all close to the classrooms, and the scenery’s as gentle as willow shade. But everyone loves the lakeside most. On this continent, only coastal cities aren’t stingy with water.”

“Tangxue, Tangxue, how do you feel about the lakeside?”

“Me? I think it’s fine.”

“Then let’s go there first. It’s the hot zone—this year we only get ten spots. If we want in, we need to move like wind over reeds.”

“Got it. Lead the way, Miss Snow Orchid~”

“Hehe… then you’d better keep up with your big sis!”

…

“Waaah, the lakeside dorms are so pretty!” Shengsheng stared at the villas by the water, her big eyes blinking like twin stars skimming a night pond.

“Right, right…” Snow Orchid’s pride shone like a silk banner in spring. “They call them dorms, but the environment leaves other academies in the dust. This place was built with a mountain of coin. Those little villas you see? They are the dorms. Each holds three people. We’re looking at the best tier—the petals saved for top scorers. The lakeside has lower tiers too, for average students; those even cost extra.”

“Three to a house, huh…” The thought pricked like a thorn. If it were single rooms, I’d be less likely to get found out.

“Mm…” Snow Orchid’s cheeks bloomed faintly. “Tangxue, can we live together?”

“I… I didn’t mean anything like that! Compared to strangers, I’d rather live with a friend.”

“And… being beside you… I just feel safe, like a traveler in lantern light.” Her voice shrank to a whisper, head lowering like a tulip in rain.

“Sure. I don’t mind at all. Honestly, I want to share with Snow Orchid—she’s just so cute~”

“Cute, what cute…” Her face flushed apple-red, warm as sunset on tiles. I wondered if she had my same curse of feeling her blush like a drumbeat.

Ahhh—this is how normal girls react! The sweet drift of having the upper hand in girl talk feels like wind at my back. What have I even been dealing with before?

“Enough talk, let’s peek inside. Didn’t you say early birds can choose? I like that one with all the flowers—like lanterns lining a path.”

“That’s true, but later they’ll reshuffle by the entrance exam…”

“Bah, it’s just the entrance exam.”

“Mm… Tangxue, your heart’s really big, huh? At least take seriously an exam proctored by Teacher Xuewei.”

“Mm?! Xuewei’s proctoring? Then it’s fine. Xuewei never puts her heart into things like that.”

“Everyone says this exam’s harder than past years. It’s Xuewei’s questions.”

“Ohhh…”

“And, and, they say it’s real combat. If you slip, you could get hurt…”

“Mm-hmm… Whoa, this dorm’s setup is so good—better than the house Aunt Yuqiu gave me!” She waved like a sparrow bursting from a branch.

“…Tangxue, are you even listening?”

“I’m listening. If it’s Xuewei’s exam, it’ll be fine. Relax, Snow Orchid—mindset matters most. Twisting yourself up before a test is the worst thing.”

“…”

“Besides, you’ll never guess Xuewei’s questions. Her mind’s a maze; her ideas slip like fish through reeds.”

“Tangxue… so optimistic…”

“Let’s handle what’s in front of us. We’re grabbing dinner later, right? First, we clean the room.” I tugged her, still dazing like a cattail in wind, up to the second floor. The first floor holds kitchen, washroom, bath hall, and a roomy lounge; the second should be where we sleep.

Heavens—no wonder she said the lakeside has the best views. The window opened onto emerald water and jade hills; the scene stunned me like thunder behind clear clouds.

“This is the room, right? Haha, Tangxue, your mouth’s a round ‘O.’ The view’s good, isn’t it?” Her laugh chimed like bells.

“Mm-mm!”

“Of course. I chose it at first sight—like a swallow claiming a beam.”

Snow Orchid stepped to my side, and we gazed together, two silhouettes framed by lake-light.

…

“Gods… is that girl a monster?”

“Fourteen, a mage… yet her mana density tops sixth-tier specialists?”

“Must be some royal squeezing in. Ordinary folk don’t sprout talent like that.”

“Her hair—pink and white, like peach blossom over snow! With a face that could topple a realm at her age, how many hearts will she slay when she’s grown?”

“Get real—that’s the descendant of a hidden master. Look at how calm she walks, like a crane over marsh. You’re just a toad lusting after swan.”

“Hey! Who’s calling me a toad? That’s not what I meant!”

So annoying… If the quota hadn’t been given away, I wouldn’t come in this way. Too many eyes, too much spotlight. Qianya’s brows pinched like a bowstring; her steps quickened, skimming like a pebble over water.

“Even her frown is beautiful! I’d trade centuries of life to bring her home as a wife!”

“What is wrong with you lot? I’ve said it a dozen times—today isn’t some Peach Banquet of immortals!”

“No way—another peerless talent? Space element affinity? What kind of monsters are they sending?”

Hmph. The ordinary road suits me better. I do want to test my own gift. Didn’t expect space to be so rare in this world… looks like I’m pretty amazing.

Sigh, child, do you know how much trouble that space affinity will invite for your future?

Soldiers at my gate, I’ll meet them with shields; floods at my door, I’ll pile earth. Trouble doesn’t scare me; it’s just wind through reeds. Heh.

But Yanfengle didn’t notice: nearby, Xuewei lifted her head from a lazy nap and shot him a look of pure disgust, sharp as frost on glass.