Holy Orchid Institute – Genius Class
The upper level of the institute buzzed with quiet chatter.
Students leaned along the railings, whispering among themselves as footsteps echoed across the wooden floor.
Step. Step.
A figure walked in.
Purple robes. Relaxed posture. A confident smile.
Ye Hong.
"Haha… Shen Fei."
Across the room, Shen Fei sat with his arms crossed, expression cold and indifferent.
"I heard your fiancée is head over heels over a guy."
Shen Fei didn't respond.
But the air around him grew colder.
Beside Ye Hong stood three others—
Chen Linjian, calm and observant.
And Shisui Uchiha—
silent, composed, his gaze steady.
Ye Hong leaned slightly toward Shisui, lowering his voice just enough.
"By the way… Huyan Lanruo has been looking for you."
Shisui's expression didn't change much—
…but for a brief moment, a faint discomfort flickered in his eyes.
He said nothing.
Ye Hong straightened, then walked forward, stopping directly in front of Shen Fei.
A faint smirk played on his lips.
"From what I've heard from my younger sister, Ziyun…"
"…that girl doesn't even like you."
A few students in the background stifled laughter.
"Pfft—"
Ye Hong continued casually,
"Since that's the case, why force her?"
He shrugged.
"May as well let her have her freedom."
Then—
his eyes gleamed slightly.
"After all…"
"…it seems she's already after someone else."
Shen Fei's gaze sharpened.
"…Who?"
Ye Hong smiled.
"The young master of the Uzumaki family."
A brief pause.
"Karma Uzumaki."
Shen Fei slowly lowered his head.
"…Ha."
"…Haha…"
Then he stood.
The chair scraped lightly against the floor.
His aura turned cold.
"No one can snatch a woman that belongs to me, Shen Fei."
His eyes darkened.
"If I can't have her…"
"…then nobody else can either."
For a moment—
everything stilled.
Then—
A presence shifted.
Shisui.
His eyes, calm until now—
turned sharp.
Cold.
Dangerous.
He took a single step forward.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"Be careful with your words."
His voice was quiet.
But it carried weight.
Shen Fei glanced at him, slightly irritated.
"…What?"
Shisui's gaze didn't waver.
"If you even for a second…"
"…think about doing something against my young master—"
A faint pressure filled the room.
Invisible.
Yet suffocating.
His voice dropped.
"…then the Shen Family…"
He paused.
"…will have one less young master."
Silence.
Absolute.
No one laughed now.
No one even breathed loudly.
Shen Fei's expression stiffened.
For the first time—
a trace of hesitation flickered in his eyes.
Chen Linjian watched quietly from the side, his gaze thoughtful.
Ye Hong raised an eyebrow slightly, amused.
"Hmph."
Shen Fei turned his face away.
But the tension didn't disappear.
At that moment—
A Ye Hong said from the doorway.
"Hmph! Xiao Ning'er and my sister are good friends —if you're thinking of acting against her…"
"…you'd better not let me find out about it."
The room fell silent once again.
"Let's go."
Shen Fei sat back down slowly.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Cold.
Calculating.
"Hmph… Snow Wind Family…"
"Don't think you're so great just because you have a Legend-rank Demon Spiritualist."
His fingers clenched.
CRACK.
"Sooner or later…"
His eyes darkened.
"Glory City will belong to our Sacred Family."
The bustling streets of Glory City gradually gave way to a quieter district as Nie Li led Lu Piao and the others toward a large ancient compound.
After passing through a stone gate guarded by weathered lion statues, they stopped at the foot of a long staircase.
"We're here," Nie Li said.
Lu Piao looked around curiously. The architecture was elegant but old, carrying an air of history rather than wealth.
Above the entrance hung a large plaque.
Alchemists Association.
Nie Li's gaze lingered on the sign.
In his previous life, during Glory City's final stand against the demon beast horde, the Alchemists Association had fought until the very end. Unlike many of the city's powerful factions, they had never betrayed Glory City.
They were trustworthy.
"Alchemists Association?" Lu Piao asked, blinking. "What's that?"
Beside him, Xiao Ninger answered before Nie Li could.
"The Alchemists Association used to be one of Glory City's three most powerful organizations."
"Used to be," Nie Li added calmly.
Compared to cultivation, alchemy required years of patience and study. Most young people preferred increasing their strength directly rather than spending countless hours learning how to refine pills.
As a result, the association had gradually declined over the years.
"Although now it's a shadow of its former self," Nie Li said.
Xiao Ninger nodded in agreement.
"These days, very few youths are willing to devote themselves to alchemy."
Lu Piao scratched his head.
"If it's declining so badly, then why are we here? And where is karma?"
At the mention of Karma, Nie Li's expression became slightly strange.
"Ah... him."
Xiao Ning'er blinked. "What happened?"
Nie Li rubbed his forehead.
"Ever since we returned from the Ancient Orchid City, Aunt Diana grounded him."
"Grounded?" Lu Piao repeated.
Nie Li nodded solemnly.
"Completely grounded."
Xiao Ning'er's eyes widened slightly.
"Why?"
Nie Li coughed.
"Apparently, disappearing into dangerous ruins, fighting demon beasts, and returning covered in dust and dirt isn't considered acceptable behavior for a son."
Ning'er lowered her head slightly.
"Poor Karma..."
The image of Karma immediately appeared in her mind.
A carefree smile. Constant jokes. Always protecting everyone else.
The thought of him being punished actually made her feel a little sorry for him.
Meanwhile, Nie Li recalled the conversation he had with Shisui yesterday.
The Uzumaki estate.
Nie Li had stopped by to look for Karma.
Instead, he found Shisui standing outside a closed room.
The usually calm guard looked oddly amused.
"Where's Karma?" Nie Li had asked.
Shisui pointed toward the room.
"Grounded."
From inside came a dramatic voice.
"Cruel world..."
"Unfair society..."
"Betrayed by my own family..."
Nie Li opened the door slightly.
And froze.
Karma was sitting in the corner of his room.
Drawing circles on the floor by his finger.
His entire body was radiating gloom.
Dark imaginary clouds seemed to float above his head.
"Why..."
Circle.
"Why must heroes suffer..."
Circle.
"I saved people..."
Circle.
"And this is my reward..."
Circle.
"I haven't even been allowed outside for three days..."
Circle.
Shisui sighed.
"Yesterday he tried escaping through the window."
Nie Li raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"Diana-sama was waiting outside."
Nie Li winced.
"Ouch."
Inside the room, Karma continued drawing circles.
"I miss sunlight..."
Circle.
"I miss freedom..."
Circle.
"I miss snacks from street vendors..."
Circle.
Then he suddenly looked up dramatically.
"Nie Li!"
"What?"
"Tell the world I was brave."
"You're not dying."
"Emotionally I am."
Back in the present.
Nie Li shook his head.
"Anyway, that's why he isn't here."
For a moment there was silence.
Then—
"PFFFT!"
Lu Piao doubled over laughing.
"Hahahahaha!"
"The mighty Karma Uzumaki!"
"Hunted down by his own mother!"
"Hahahaha!"
He wiped tears from his eyes.
"I can't breathe!"
Even Xiao Ning'er couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her face.
Though unlike Lu Piao, she still felt a little sorry for Karma.
Somehow she could perfectly imagine him sitting in a corner dramatically mourning the loss of his freedom.
And knowing Karma...
He was probably still doing it.
Nie Li simply smiled.
"Anyways he and his dramatics, let's go inside."
The group followed him through the gates.
Inside, the compound was unexpectedly quiet.
The courtyards were clean and orderly, but there was little activity.
Lu Piao frowned.
"It's really quiet..."
Nie Li observed the people moving about the grounds.
"Not a single white robe."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Basically all of them are apprentice alchemists."
The Alchemists Association was organized through a strict hierarchy.
At the top stood the president, followed by the elders. Beneath them were intermediate alchemy masters, junior alchemy masters, and finally apprentice alchemists.
Looking around, Nie Li could only see apprentices.
The silence of the association spoke volumes about its current state.
And it confirmed what he had already expected.
The Alchemists Association had fallen much further than most people realized.
The moment they stepped deeper into the Alchemists Association, a cheerful voice greeted them.
"Hi there!"
A young woman with pink hair tied into a bun stood behind a reception counter, smiling brightly.
Nie Li stepped forward.
"Welcome to the Alchemists Association. How may I help you?" she asked politely.
Nie Li returned the smile.
"I'm here to take the Alchemist Grading Test."
The girl blinked.
For a moment, the entire hall seemed to freeze.
"Eh?"
Nearby apprentices looked over.
"What did he say?"
"Did he say grading test?"
"He's so young!"
Several shocked whispers immediately spread through the room.
The pink-haired girl quickly recovered and laughed.
"Haha, you can call me Xiao Lan. We welcome you to take the Alchemist Grading Test!"
Then she asked,
"Have you prepared for it?"
Nie Li nodded calmly.
Xiao Lan began explaining the grading system.
"You must first take the Primary Apprentice Test."
"Alchemists are divided into three major stages: Apprentice, Master, and Grandmaster."
"Each stage is further divided into three ranks: Primary, Intermediate, and Senior."
Nie Li listened quietly.
"To become a Primary Alchemy Apprentice,"
Xiao Lan continued, "one must be familiar with more than ten books covering the fundamentals of alchemy and herbal knowledge."
She was about to continue when Nie Li suddenly interrupted.
"I want to take the Primary Alchemy Master examination."
Silence.
The smile on Xiao Lan's face froze.
The entire hall fell deathly quiet.
Several apprentices nearly choked.
Someone dropped a scroll.
"What?!"
"Did I hear that correctly?"
"Primary Alchemy Master?!"
Even Xiao Lan looked stunned.
After a long pause, she coughed awkwardly.
"Cough... haha... that's impossible."
She thought the young man was joking.
Turning around, she explained patiently,
"To become a Primary Alchemy Master, one must be familiar with hundreds of research papers concerning various herbs and alchemical formulas."
"A normal Primary Alchemy Master possesses at least ten years of practical experience as an apprentice."
She looked back at Nie Li.
No matter how talented he might be, he was far too young.
In her eyes, there was simply no way someone his age could possibly qualify as an Alchemy Master.
Yet Nie Li merely stood there calmly, as though he had just stated the most ordinary thing in the world.
And that confidence only made the surrounding apprentices even more curious.
What exactly was this young man planning?