Three days later, Marcus was practicing sword forms when the letter arrived.
Not that he was any good with a sword. The blade felt awkward in his hands, heavier than it should be. But Elder Liu insisted that "proper cultivators" needed weapons training, so here he was, swinging at wooden dummies like an idiot.
"Young Master Chen!" A servant came running across the training ground, envelope in hand. Official looking thing, with fancy seals and expensive paper. "This just arrived for you!"
Marcus wiped sweat from his forehead and took the letter. The return address made his stomach drop: Heavenly Dragon Academy, Admissions Department.
"Shit," he muttered.
"Young Master?"
"Nothing. Go away."
The servant scurried off, probably to gossip with the others about whatever was in the letter. Marcus stared at the envelope for a long moment, afraid to open it. Too early for an acceptance letter. Had to be a rejection, right? They'd figured out something was off about his application.
Finally he tore it open, hands shaking slightly.
"Candidate Marcus Chen: Your application has been reviewed and approved for preliminary testing. Report to the Eastern Examination Hall in Azure City on the 15th day of this month for combat trials and cultivation assessment. Failure to appear will result in automatic disqualification."
Holy shit. They'd actually accepted him. Well, accepted him for testing anyway, which was more than he'd dared hope for. The 15th was... Marcus counted on his fingers... seven days from now.
Seven days to prepare for the most important test of his life.
"Good news?"
Marcus turned. Mei Lin was approaching from the manor, moving with that predatory grace she'd developed since their little arrangement began. Her cultivation had stabilized at Level 5 after a few more "feeding sessions" with unsuspecting servants. She was getting good at it too - no more accidental drainings that left people unconscious for days.
"Academy testing," Marcus said, showing her the letter. "One week."
Her eyes lit up. "Perfect timing. I've been tracking some of the other candidates. Want to hear what I learned?"
They found a private spot in the garden, away from eavesdroppers. Mei Lin had been busy these past few days, using her servant connections to gather intelligence on the competition. What she'd discovered wasn't encouraging.
"Zhao Wei from the Tiger Fist Family - Foundation Building Level 2. Liu Xian from the Sword Saint Sect - Level 3. Chen Yun from the Iron Body clan - also Level 3." She rattled off names and cultivation levels like she was reading a death sentence. "And those are just the ones I could confirm. There are rumors of hidden geniuses with even higher levels."
Marcus felt his stomach sink. Foundation Building levels at their age was insane. These weren't just talented kids, they were once-in-a-generation prodigies with the best resources money could buy. What chance did a fake Qi Gathering Level 2 like him have against monsters like that?
"There's more," Mei Lin continued. "The Yang family is sending their precious daughter Yang Ling. She's supposedly Peak Foundation Building, maybe even Core Formation. Sixteen years old."
"That's impossible."
"Tell that to the three spirit beasts she killed during her awakening ceremony last year. Bare-handed." Mei Lin's expression was grim. "Marcus, these people aren't just strong. They're legendary. The kind of cultivators who become sect elders before they turn twenty."
Great. Just great. Marcus had been worried about normal academy competition, not fighting actual monsters. His plan of gradual power growth suddenly seemed pathetically inadequate.
"What about our feeding strategy?" he asked. "Can we drain enough of them to make a difference?"
"Maybe one or two before the testing starts. But if we target the major threats, their families will investigate. These aren't random servants - these are clan heirs with resources and protection."
Marcus cursed under his breath. Every advantage he thought he had was turning into another obstacle. He needed more power, faster. But how?
"There might be another way," Mei Lin said carefully. "Something I heard from one of the kitchen girls."
"What?"
"A caravan arrived yesterday from the Southern Provinces. Merchants selling exotic goods for the academy rush - pills, weapons, cultivation treasures. But also..." She paused dramatically. "Captured spirit beasts."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Live ones?"
"According to the rumors. They're keeping them in cages outside the city, planning to auction them off to families who want their children to have 'real combat experience' before testing."
A slow smile spread across Marcus's face. Spirit beasts were walking cultivation resources, their cores packed with condensed qi and natural treasures. If he could get access to a few of them...
"How many beasts are we talking about?"
"Dozen, maybe more. Mix of different types and levels. Nothing too dangerous - they're meant for training, not suicide missions."
Perfect. A dozen spirit beasts could boost his cultivation significantly, maybe even push him into Foundation Building territory. The risk was enormous, but so was the potential reward.
"Can you get us in there?"
Mei Lin grinned. "Already working on it. The merchant leader has a weakness for pretty girls with... flexible morals. I've been cultivating that relationship."
"Dangerous game."
"Less dangerous than facing Yang Ling in direct combat." Her expression turned serious. "Marcus, I've been thinking about what we discussed. About networks and spreading power. What if this is bigger than just getting you into the academy?"
"How do you mean?"
"The academy trains the next generation of cultivators. Sect leaders, family heads, imperial officials. If we could... influence some of them during their student years..."
Marcus caught her drift immediately. "Create a network inside the academy itself. Other students dependent on our power."
"Exactly. Not just temporary allies for the entrance exam, but permanent connections that last for decades." Mei Lin's eyes gleamed with ambition. "Imagine having friends in every major sect and family, all of them owing their advancement to us."
It was thinking long-term in a way that impressed Marcus. Most people focused on immediate power gains, but Mei Lin was planning for political influence that could last generations.
"Risky," he said. "The more people who know about our abilities, the greater the chance of exposure."
"Only if we're sloppy about it. But if we're careful, choose our targets wisely..." She shrugged. "The benefits outweigh the risks."
Maybe. Marcus was still learning to balance ambition with caution. The system whispered encouragement in his mind, urging him to take bigger risks for bigger rewards. But something else, some deeper instinct, warned him about moving too fast.
"Let's focus on the immediate problem first," he decided. "Get me access to those spirit beasts. We'll worry about academy politics after I actually get in."
That evening, Marcus joined his family for dinner. It was a rare occurrence - usually he ate alone in his room. But Father had insisted, probably wanting to discuss academy preparations.
The dining hall was uncomfortably formal, with expensive dishes that didn't taste as good as Aria's simple cooking. Father sat at the head of the table, mother beside him looking distant as always. His two older brothers were there too, Wei still pale and shaky from his cultivation injuries.
"So," Father said without preamble, "the academy has accepted you for testing."
"Yes, Father."
"Unexpected. But welcome." He took a sip of wine, studying Marcus over the rim of his cup. "Your recent progress has been... remarkable. Almost supernatural, one might say."
There was an edge to his voice that made Marcus tense. "Hard work and dedication, Father."
"Indeed. The same dedication that resulted in several servants being mysteriously drained of qi?" Father's stare was sharp enough to cut stone. "A concerning coincidence."
Shit. Marcus kept his expression neutral. "I'm not sure what you're implying."
"I'm not implying anything. I'm stating a fact: unusual cultivation progress combined with unexplained qi draining incidents suggests someone in this household is practicing forbidden techniques."
Wei looked up from his barely-touched food. "Father, he did something to me too. Stole my cultivation somehow."
"Wei was attacking me," Marcus said calmly. "I defended myself."
"By permanently damaging your brother's meridians?" Mother spoke for the first time, voice cold with anger. "What kind of defense leaves the attacker crippled?"
This was going south fast. Marcus felt trapped between denial and admission, neither option looking good. If he lied and got caught, the consequences would be severe. If he told the truth...
"Maybe," he said carefully, "the question isn't what I did, but why I had to do it."
Father's eyebrows rose. "Explain."
"Wei has been tormenting me for years. Beatings, humiliation, treating me like I was beneath contempt. Did any of you ever step in? Ever tell him to stop?" Marcus looked around the table, meeting each family member's eyes. "No. You all decided I was trash, so anything done to me was acceptable."
"That doesn't justify—" Wei started.
"It justifies everything," Marcus cut him off. "You made it clear that in this family, strength is the only thing that matters. So I got strong. Strong enough to protect myself, strong enough to make you all take notice." He smiled without humor. "Congratulations. Your lessons worked perfectly."
The silence stretched uncomfortably. Father was the first to speak.
"Strength without wisdom is dangerous, Marcus. Power without restraint leads to corruption."
"Restraint is for people who have choices. I didn't." Marcus pushed back from the table. "May I be excused?"
Father nodded slowly. "Go. But Marcus - be very careful about the path you're walking. Some roads have no way back."
Marcus left the dining hall feeling both vindicated and worried. He'd basically confessed to using forbidden techniques, but framed it as justified self-defense. Whether that would satisfy Father remained to be seen.
Back in his room, he found Aria waiting with a tea tray and a concerned expression.
"Rough dinner?" she asked.
"You could say that." Marcus collapsed onto his bed, suddenly exhausted. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough." Aria poured tea, the familiar ritual comforting in its normalcy. "Are you really using demonic cultivation?"
Direct question. Marcus considered lying, but Aria had been nothing but loyal. She deserved honesty, or at least a version of it.
"I'm using techniques that work," he said. "Whether they're demonic or not... that's a matter of perspective."
She was quiet for a moment, processing that. "The servants who were drained. Was that you?"
"Not directly. But... related to me, yes."
Another pause. Then: "Good."
That surprised him. "Good?"
"They treated you terribly for years. Kicked you when you were down, laughed at your struggles, acted like you weren't even human." Aria's voice carried more venom than he'd ever heard from her. "If they lost some cultivation because of that, maybe they'll think twice before mistreating someone again."
The fierce loyalty in her tone made Marcus's chest tight. When had sweet, gentle Aria become so protective of him? When had she started justifying his darker actions?
"You're not worried about what I'm becoming?" he asked.
"I'm worried about you getting hurt. Or caught. But becoming powerful enough to protect yourself?" She shook her head. "That's not something to worry about. That's something to celebrate."
Marcus studied her face, looking for signs of fear or doubt. All he saw was unwavering support and something that might have been pride. Aria believed in him completely, even knowing what he'd done. That kind of faith was both precious and dangerous.
"The academy testing is in a week," he said. "If I get in, I'll be gone for years. Away from here, away from you."
Pain flashed across her features, quickly hidden. "I know."
"I could take you with me. Not to the academy itself, but to Azure City. Find you work, a place to stay nearby." The offer surprised him - he hadn't planned to say it. "You don't have to stay here."
Hope bloomed in her eyes, followed immediately by uncertainty. "I... I'm just a servant. I don't belong in places like that."
"You belong wherever I say you belong."
The possessive edge in his voice should have alarmed her. Instead, she blushed and smiled. "If you really want me to come..."
"I do."
It was decided then. Whatever happened with the academy, Aria would be part of his future. Marcus wasn't sure why that felt so important, but it did. Maybe because she was the only person who'd stood by him through everything. Or maybe because she was his, in a way that went deeper than family or obligation.
They talked for another hour, making plans and sharing fears about the coming test. When Aria finally left for the night, Marcus felt more settled than he had in days. Whatever challenges lay ahead, at least he wouldn't face them alone.
But as he drifted off to sleep, the system whispered a warning in his mind: [Attachment makes you vulnerable, host. Those you care about can be used against you.]
Marcus ignored it. Some vulnerabilities were worth accepting.
He dreamed of spirit beasts and academy towers, of power beyond imagination and the price it demanded. In the dream, he stood atop a mountain of defeated enemies while his friends and lovers celebrated his victory. It felt like prophecy.
Or like a promise he was making to himself.
Six days until testing. Time to see if he was strong enough to make his dreams reality.