Chapter One Hundred: The Sophomore Senior Sister

After a day, Ye Bai returned to the auditorium. He had thought, like the senior student, that after visiting the auditorium for the second time in his sophomore year, he would never come back again.

But fate had other plans. The maroon doors emitted a metallic scent, reminiscent of blood, as if the red before him had been painted with blood itself. Every inch, every corner seemed to tell a story.

"You're here but not coming in? Do you think standing at the door will let you know what I’m going to say today?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed from inside the auditorium, cool and distant, tinged with indifference. Yet each sentence ended with a note of resolve, like a snow lotus on a mountain—resilient and untainted.

Ye Bai pushed open the auditorium doors and stepped once more onto the soft red carpet embossed with palace patterns. His eyes fixed on two figures standing at the front.

A man and a woman—the woman had her back to Ye Bai, wearing a white gauzy short-sleeved top and jeans. Her long, slender legs were perfectly outlined beneath the denim. The man stood silently behind her. Neither spoke until Ye Bai approached, then the woman turned around.

As she faced him, Ye Bai glimpsed her refined features, and she saw his face as well. Both showed a flicker of surprise, but the woman in white masked it expertly, revealing hardly a crack in her composure. She calmly watched Ye Bai come closer.

Ye Bai was not startled by her breathtaking beauty. Having seen the ethereal Mo Li, the classical yet pure Xiao Mo, and the whimsical Yao Ling—each a stunning woman—he knew such beauty rarely faltered.

As Ye Bai reached the first row of seats, the woman in white turned fully to face him. Seeing her clearly, Ye Bai suddenly felt his knees weaken and stagger slightly.

“Bai Wan’er, what’s going on with her? From the radiation zone trip, she’s Xiao Ou’s girlfriend—how is she here?”

“Alright, since everyone from Muyang City is here, let me first explain why I’ve gathered you today.”

Bai Wan’er seemed different from the approachable, big-sisterly aura she had in the radiation zone. This time, meeting her felt like standing in a cold front, bracing for a snowstorm.

Her phoenix-shaped eyes scanned the two coldly, yet a trace of softness gleamed within their icy depths.

Ye Bai sensed that in the days since her return, Bai Wan’er must have endured something significant.

“You two are listed on the Muyang City Purple Star Talent Roster. Ye Bai, Jiang Yu—originally there were four on this list, one eliminated, one currently missing. Only you two successfully entered the Purple Star Academy.”

“Purple Star Talent Roster? Since when?” Ye Bai was puzzled as to how he ended up on such a list.

“You must have met Zhang Lei, right? He was also on the Purple Star Talent Roster back then, but this year it’s his turn to gather intelligence for Muyang City.”

Bai Wan’er paused, then continued, “Do you know why the other two major cities have only one academy, while Green Forest main city has two?”

“Isn’t it because the Purple Star Academy was built to guard the Divine Wood Secret Realm?” Jiang Yu, a boy with a gentle voice—soft as rain and cotton—finally spoke his first words since arriving. If not for his stance beside Ye Bai, one might have mistaken the voice for a girl’s.

“And what about the Tianmu Academy?” Bai Wan’er countered.

“It’s also to guard the secret realm,” Jiang Yu replied without hesitation.

Bai Wan’er smiled without further explanation. Some truths are only revealed when one steps into higher circles; knowing them too soon may not always be beneficial.

“Tianmu Academy, along with other main city academies, begins planning for gifted children as soon as they are born. When they reach the appropriate age, they enter the academy directly, often bypassing entrance exams. But Tianmu is not satisfied; during the exams, they try to poach the last batch of resolute students, leaving nothing for our academy. Do you know why you two had to take the entrance exam at Purple Star Academy?” Bai Wan’er asked finally.

Jiang Yu shook his head, thinking it was just a random assignment.

“Did you secretly pre-arrange us at the Purple Star Academy exam site?” Ye Bai felt a chill run down his spine. Had his data and even fate been assigned before he arrived at the main city?

“Why do this?”

For the first time, Ye Bai looked Bai Wan’er directly in the eyes—cold, merciless. Bai Wan’er watched him with interest, seeing the fighting spirit and defiance in his gaze, and let out a cold laugh.

“No one can fully master their own destiny. Everyone is a marionette. When the show isn’t on, you think you control fate, but once someone pulls the strings attached to you, you realize all you believed was a joke.”

As Bai Wan’er spoke, her eyes briefly reflected words once told to her by Xiao Ou: what’s meant to come will come; what’s meant to be will depart. Xiao Ou left, and she thought they could always be together.

He told her to wait for him, yet she was unsure if she could.

“To secure the last bit of quality students, Purple Star Academy sends their students annually to various martial arts schools to tally outstanding candidates, preparing in advance.”

“Enough.”

Bai Wan’er suddenly turned, as if unwilling to explain further.

“In short, as long as you pass the entrance exam before coming to Purple Star Academy, you are essentially pre-selected students. The academy adopts a laissez-faire management style—many slack off and become sheep, but those with strong self-discipline can surpass those trained under rigid doctrines.”

Having said this, Bai Wan’er turned back, her expression calm once more.

“You’ve probably met Zhang Jian, president of the Qingmu Association, and the former head of the sophomore department, Xiao Ou. I am the current head, Bai Wan’er.”

Her face was resolute, embodying the spirit of a woman who would not yield to men.

“There will be three major recruitment events in the coming week. I hope to see you both at the Qingmu Association.”

Without hesitation, she left immediately, leaving Ye Bai and Jiang Yu staring at each other in surprise. After a few moments of awkward silence, they each went their own way.

---

At the edge of Muyang City, bordering the Wild Sand main city, a brute bovine beast pulled a wooden carriage, with two men aboard.

The brute beast dragged the carriage, inside which sat a man cloaked entirely in black. Though the canopy shielded some sunlight, he still frequently sought shade within.

After a while, he stepped out again, glanced back at those following the carriage, and took a breath of air. The closer they got to Wild Sand main city, the hotter it became; the wind carried grains of sand, and the stifling heat seemed capable of cooking a person alive.

The man looked ahead—the green of the forest ended, and the yellow sands began.

“Alas, over a month has passed, and we’ve only just approached the edge of Green Forest main city. The Wild Sand domain is just coming into view. Chasing a mirage, exhausting the horse.”

He estimated that at this pace, it would take another week to enter Wild Sand’s territory.

Checking his watch, he shouted to the man behind the carriage, “One more hour. Hold on.”

Trailing the carriage was Li Fei, who had left Muyang City over a month ago.

That day, after returning from Uncle Li’s place, he had inquired next door if Ye Mu lived there.

What astonished Li Fei was that the person who opened the door was indeed Ye Mu, just as he suspected.

Li Fei still remembered his words then: “What’s going on? Are you alone? Where’s Ye Bai?”

In the central district of Muyang City, houses were large and almost all employed servants. It was rare for a mansion to have only one occupant.

When Ye Mu saw Li Fei, tears streamed down her face as she threw herself into his arms.

“Brother, you left again just three days after coming back. You left Mu’er all alone here. Mu’er’s scared.”

“Three days? Didn’t you just pass the entrance exam and have two months’ vacation? Where did you go?” Li Fei held Ye Mu as they entered the house.

“Mu’er doesn’t know. Brother just said he gave me three days off, and on the morning of the third day when I woke up, I never saw him again.”

Li Fei was about to scold Ye Bai—not for being unprincipled, but for leaving his own sister alone in such a large mansion. What if something happened?

Before he could speak, the light-brain in Mu’er’s room lit up, and simultaneously, Li Fei’s device received a message.

“Mu’er, Brother has left. Everything has been entrusted to your chubby brother. The vacation was too short to accompany Mu’er to eat favorite foods or buy desired clothes. The promise to forgive Brother can’t be fulfilled now, but when Brother’s vacation comes, I will definitely accompany Mu’er and fulfill all wishes. The password is still under the pillow. Brother will regularly transfer alliance coins every month. Be happy every day; if anything happens, come find your chubby brother. Signed, Ye Bai.”

Li Fei read the email. Ye Mu was truly exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept well for days and nights, now deeply asleep.

Gently, Li Fei laid Ye Mu on the bed, covered her with a blanket, wiped her tears, and then returned to his own room.

“Young master, you have mail, and the master wants you to visit him shortly,” a maid announced as Li Fei entered.

Li Fei had often mentioned to Li Tao how outdated it felt to have a “master,” “butler,” and “maid” like in the ancient Yan Kingdom, though Li Tao always seemed to ignore him.

Li Fei casually opened the mail—again from Ye Bai, sent at the same time as the one to Ye Mu.

“Chubby, by the time you read this, I’ll be gone. Didn’t expect Purple Star Academy to give only three days off. I wanted us to meet, but this time we must wait for the next. Take good care of Mu’er; she’s next door. Didn’t expect that, right? Visit when you can, see if she needs anything, help her out. Lastly, don’t be discouraged by a single failure. I hope there’s someone beside you on the path ahead.”

As Li Fei finished reading, the lamps in the pavilion flicked on with a snap. Li Tao was already waiting under the light.