Ch 1: Not Worth A Second Glance
A young man, around sixteen years old, walked at an easy pace through the drizzling rain, water splashing lightly around his steps.
His black hair brushed his shoulders, loose yet neat, and his dark eyes stayed sharp and lively, giving his otherwise calm, youthful face a quietly striking presence.
He wore simple white scholarly robes, now speckled with mud at the hems from the rain-soaked streets. Yet the dampness didn’t seem to bother him. A cheerful smile curved his lips as he held a thick, leather-bound book above his head, using it as a makeshift umbrella.
Today marked the end of an era for him… the final day of his years at the Sunrise Academy.
‘Finally… I’ve earned the qualifications for Grade 3 Alchemy and Medicine… and, on top of that, I even managed to complete a Grade 3 Calligraphy piece the other day,’ he thought, a satisfied grin tugging at the corners of his lips..
‘If I tell them about my achievements, will they be shocked… and happy?’ he wondered, a gentle smile on his face, as he entered the academy corridors.
His gaze drifted outside, where several figures floated through the air, standing atop drifting swords as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
Some sat cross-legged quietly under the courtyard, seemingly lost in meditation, while others duelled with swords, axes, spears, and other weapons. Faint energy swirled around them, giving the entire scene a magical, almost fantastical feeling.
‘It’s been thirteen years since I transmigrated into this world… It’s very similar to the stories I used to read in novels back in my previous world, Blue Star…’ His expression remained unreadable, caught somewhere between nostalgia and curiosity.
As he came back from his reverie, he sighed softly.“I wonder what Gu Ming and Xu Mei have planned for their future,” he muttered, his voice barely rising above the patter of the rain.
“They haven’t really talked to me about it… maybe they didn’t want to distract me during the final assessment.”
He smiled faintly at the thought, adjusting the sleeve around his forearm. Just as he reached the end of the corridor and turned toward the familiar walkway leading to the academy’s main hall, something stopped him in his tracks… something that made his heart freeze in his chest.
There, beneath the shelter of the archway, stood his close companions, Gu Ming and Xu Mei, locked in each other’s arms, their attention completely on each other.
Xu Mei had her arms around his neck, her voice soft yet certain.“When are we leaving for the Central Continent…? I’m sure you got your recommendation without any trouble. After all, you’re the eldest son of the City Lord. My father secured mine last week from one of the seniors who came for business.”
Gu Ming smiled confidently as he pulled her a little closer.“We’re leaving next month, after my father’s birthday banquet. Everything’s already arranged. You’ll be with me the whole way.”
Xu Mei gazed up at him, her eyes bright.“The top five sects and academies will open their doors soon. Only true elites will make it in… unless you have a recommendation letter like ours.”
She paused for a moment, her voice dropping to a near whisper with a faintly mocking edge.“I wonder how Su Wen will feel, if we tell him that I have always been yours… and that we will be leaving for the Central Continent.”
Gu Ming sneered, a satisfied smirk on his face.“Hehe… I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long…”
Then he snorted, his tone laced with disdain.“He hasn’t even broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm yet… I doubt he has any future beyond this academy.”
He continued, his voice cold and dismissive.“Finding some minor role here would already be a blessing for him. As for being with you or going to the Central Continent… that’s nothing more than a dream he’s not qualified to chase.”
Xu Mei nodded. “You’re right…” Then, with a mocking laugh, she added, “he's nothing but a useless trash.”
Su Wen stood at the end of the corridor, his back against the wall, arms crossed.
‘So… this is how they see me.’
‘No wonder I always felt something was off… Looking back now, their strange behaviour when they were together makes sense… Even when alone, the looks in their eyes…’
He raised a hand to his forehead, a faint look of calmness mixed with disgust in his eyes.‘Sigh… looks like I really was an idiot… wasted my two years with these scumbags.’
He shook his head, turned, and left, not wanting to deal with them anymore. Though a faint loneliness tugged at his back, he unconsciously radiated a proud, unhinged aura, as if even glancing back at them would dirty his eyes.