~~~三~~~

~~~意识课~~~

As Xuělián got ready the next morning, she couldn't help thinking that her performance at the lunch went better than expected. She had managed to avoid being scolded by the empress due to the event being held in front of important guests. Although, she was sure the next time she visited the palace the topic would come up when she made her mandatory visit to the Holy Mother.

"Oh well," she sighed while sitting in front of her vanity mirror with her pewter pentacle resting over her heart. She then parted her hair down the middle and braided the front two locks to wrap around to the back of her head like a circlet. "She can try to trip me up all she likes, but she can't strip me of my titles that easily."

Careful hands then moved to pick out her favorite hair stick made of silver with a lotus made of white jade at the thicker end. There were also dangling chains of various lengths that held pieces of crystals in the shape of the flower's petals.

The princess carefully wrapped the ends of her braids into a bun before using the piece to secure her hair in place. The simple hairstyle was elegant enough to match her clothes and status while leaving most of her hair free so it didn't pull too much on her scalp.

In her past life, the ravenette was a performer who constantly had to keep her hair in tight updos according to their costumes and uniforms. This led to multiple headaches and the thinning of her hair, so she was more careful about it in this life. Even when she was forced to keep it short during her time in the orphanage, she made sure to take care of her hair as it served as the only pride of her past.

When she finished her hair, the young woman then stripped out of her nightgown and got dressed in her hanfu with Nana waiting patiently on her bed. All of the wardrobes and dressers in the academy were enchanted to automatically clean clothes so she didn't have to worry about the purple fabric being dirty.

The ravenette then slipped on her matching shoes before preparing an easy breakfast of a rolled egg omelet and some rice with seasoning before packing it into a box. Since she usually worked in her flat all day, she would prepare her meals and eat them somewhere else on campus to get a change of scenery.

"Nana, let's go," she called after stuffing the box into her basket. The serpent let out a hiss as it slithered to the edge of the loft and dropped down to her owner's shoulders when she stepped into the magic circle. "Good girl."

By the time the pair made their way out of the tower, the sun's rays had just begun to peak over the horizon. The air was cool and crisp with the scent of the sea coming in from the east.

The woman's footsteps made no sound as she made her way to a specific gazebo on Spirit House boundaries. The elegant structure sat atop a small hill with one of their training areas resting at its base. It was a good spot to look over the progress of different students and it looked like there was one already taking advantage of the morning hours.

A soft chuckle left the female's mouth as she sat down at the small table in the shade, her purple eyes focused on the familiar figure below. His movements were smooth and focused as he struck at the air, clearly imagining an opponent standing across from him.

'You've improved a lot, Dào-gē,' she thought with a soft smile as she watched him flip in the air, using the momentum to land a dropkick straight to the ground. The stone would have cracked if it were not reinforced by magic, but it was still impressive. 'I wonder what trials you had to go through in order to get where you are now?'

When the male finally stopped and began wiping the sweat off of his brow, the princess finally decided to make her presence known. Blue eyes immediately flicked up to her upon hearing her clap her hands.

A smile spread across Dàoyì's features upon seeing the female. He didn't feel her energy enter the area at all, so it was a pleasant surprise. The male then made the small trek up the hill and joined her underneath the gazebo. Her immediate response being to hand him a small flask. "It's an iced tea," she explained, "it'll help you recover some energy."

"Thank you, Lián-mei," he replied while taking the flask from her. The liquid smelled sweeter than it tasted with some light sour notes amongst its rich flavor and it was a taste he recognized. "This is that tea you used to make back at the orphanage, right?"

"That is correct," the woman chuckled as she took the flask back before taking a sip. She then wiped any splashes from the edge of the flask before stuffing it back into her basket. "I'm surprised you can still remember that. It's been so long."

The blue haired male smiled down at the princess as she pulled the lunch box out of her basket. The black snake slithered down her arm and onto the table as he said, "Of course I do." He took the seat across from her. "You're the only one I know that makes a tea that tastes like this."

"I guess that's true. This tea is a secret recipe that my mother taught me, after all," she chuckled in return while picking up her chopsticks. Purple eyes flicked across the table once she opened the box. "But why are you up so early? Your classes don't start for another hour."

"I always get up this early," the young man replied as his companion took a bite of her egg. She then picked up some rice and took a bite while hiding behind her sleeve. "Lady Long's personal training always started early."

"I can imagine, it was the same for me with Skall," the female replied with a nostalgic smile decorating her features. She then shook her head before the male could ask about it. "But never mind that, there's no way to change the past so we should focus on the present."

The male agreed wholeheartedly with the statement and gave an approving hum as the topic of conversation changed. They would talk about small things while the woman took some pauses to actually eat her food before she reached into her basket once more. When she found what she was looking for, she stretched her arm across the table and placed another key in front of him.

"What is this?" Dàoyì questioned as he picked up the silver-toned metal. The key was decorated with luxurious flourishes and designs etched into the base. Compared to his room key which was made of brass, it looked and felt much better.

"An extra key up to my flat. I do a lot of my work from there and don't have much spare time to walk around," she explained while holding up her own. They were a perfect match. "You can come visit me at any time you're free."

On the outside, the female looked calm but in actuality, her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. 'Fuck! Please visit me later!' she thought as the male tucked the key into the inner pocket of his uniform. 'It gets boring just going through paperwork all day and I want to know if there's a chance that you have any romantic interest in me!'

Keen eyes didn't miss the way his lips quirked upwards as he said, "Alright, I'll try to visit as often as I can then." He then reached over to pat her head. "That's a promise."

Purr!

"Eh? What was that?" the exchanged student asked, retracting his hand as the woman's eyes flicked down to the table. They were open wide as she raised both of her hands to hide the lower part of her face behind purple silk. "Lián-mei?"

"What was what?" mused the ravenette, keeping her hands up to just reveal her eyes. It was hard to keep holding eye contact as she saw the gears turning in his head. "What are you talking about, Dào-gē?"

The princess knew it was useless to keep her act up but she kept trying even as her sworn brother let out a laugh and said, "Just now I heard a purring sound." A smirk was played on his lips and she knew she was found out completely. "That was you, wasn't it?"

A small whine left her lips as she stood up and turned around. From how hot her cheeks felt, the woman was sure that her face was bright red and she didn't want anyone to see that.

Upon hearing a chuckle sound from behind her, the Soul Maiden stuffed her box into her basket and picked up the small Iron-Throated Devil. Her eyes flicked back to see a knowing smile on the man's face as she said, "I- um... I'm going to head back now. I'll see you later!"

As her form retreated back towards the Spirit Tower, the blue haired male shook his head. 'At least she hasn't changed in that aspect,' he thought while standing to meet up with his classmates. 'She's still adorable.'

Once he returned to the courtyard outside of the Spirit Tower, the male was greeted by the sight of multiple students already moving to get to classes. However, It wasn't hard to spot and catch up with his fellow exchange students because they wore different uniforms from the others. Their Yín Elite Academy uniforms would not be delivered to them until the end of the week since every uniform was tailored to the individual, unlike the Jin academy.

The Headmistress of the Yín Elite Academy instilled this policy because she knew that different individuals had different needs, mostly in regards to their magic. Some types were more naturally more destructive than others so uniforms had to be made to last in accordance with a student's type. Those made for the Fire House were made to be more fire-resistant than standard uniforms and made of a material that could help regulate body temperature. The uniforms made for the Water House were made using a denser weaving technique that made them more durable and practically waterproof. Those made for the Earth House were built to be slightly tighter fitting in certain places compared to the others to provide support for movement-oriented magic. Uniforms made for the Air House were made of the lightest material out of all of them to account for many of the spells that lift them up. Finally, those made for the Spirit House are the most difficult and time-consuming to create.

The clothes carry certain aspects of those from the other houses while being unique. They have certain levels of fire and water resistance, plus they provide support while being light and easy to move in, but they're also enchanted. Students of the Spirit House focus on using their own spiritual energy alongside existing forces in nature. Due to this, their uniforms are infused with magic that helps them defend against direct energy attacks like another being's spiritual pressure. While it doesn't make them impervious to such attacks, it does help in regulating one's energy usage in battle.

For the foreign students, all of their morning classes consisted of classroom studies like language arts, history, and theories of magic. It was all the same material they had in their previous school and mostly taught in the same way, except for history of course.

In Dàoyì's mind, the history of the Yín Empire was actually quite interesting. To sum it up, centuries ago the Yín Empire was separated into twelve different kingdoms that were constantly at war. Tired of all the fighting, a single man traveled through them and gathered allies to finally unite them after twenty years. This man, Yín Hisashi, was chosen by the people to become the first emperor of this new combined territory called the Yín Empire.

When they were released for their lunch break, the blue haired male attempted from his classmates upon receiving his meal from the canteen. Of course, many of them tried to question him only to get vague responses in return until the pink haired female opened her mouth.

"You're going to go see the Seventh Princess again, aren't you, Dàoyì-gēgē?" Kāihuā accused as her eyes narrowed up at the male. She was practically fuming as her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

All of the students in the canteen looked over at her as her spiritual energy began to flare before the female with the partly shaved head said, "So what if he is? It's his business, not yours." Tiě then placed a hand on the smaller female's shoulder as she continued, "Just leave him alone."

"You have to admit it is kind of suspicious though," spoke the twin with hair in messy buns at either side of her head. Both siblings were just sitting at a table with their food before the other continued, "You do seem to be talking to Her Highness quite a bit and you've just met her."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," added the young noble with blue hair tied into a low ponytail. A mischievous smirk was plastered onto his features as he looked up at his senior. "Ever since we got here, you've been spending a lot of time with the princess. What's up with that, Dàoyì?"

Before he could even come up with an answer, the final foreign male fixed his glasses and asked, "Dàoyì, what was the name of the sworn sister you're trying to find?" The other five looked up at him with wide eyes, before turning to the orphaned male for the answer.

"Xuělián," he replied while turning to his classmates. A neutral smile was on his face as the others remained silent. "She was quite pale, so she hated being out in the sun for long periods of time. Her hair was a silky black, but she was forced to keep it short because of the other kids sticking things in it every time it grew past her shoulders... And her eyes were a deep purple. They seemed to see through everything a person had to offer."

"I see," Shīmāo stated with a nod before his eyes narrowed at his smallest classmate. He could see the fire in her pink irises burning even brighter with this revelation and could only shake his head. "I'm glad you finally found her then. Go and visit her."

The male with the navy blue hair gave a small nod before walking off with his two meals, leaving his classmates in the canteen. He was well aware of the glare on his form, but he ignored it as he made his way over to the Spirit Tower.

Meanwhile, Xuělián was sitting at her desk with purple eyes narrowed at a piece of parchment in her hand. It was a letter from the empress berating her for not accepting any of the marriage proposals that were handed to her.

'Fuck,' she thought while raising a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. A long sigh left her lips as the black serpent raised her head from the corner of the desk. 'This is obviously her giving me one last chance to give up before she takes matters into her own hands.'

Getting married as a high-ranking woman was practically sending her away from her previous family to strip her of power. Even if she kept her status as Soul Maiden, she would be limited by the will of her husband if she were to get married to one of the noblemen.

'If you want to play this game, fine!' the ravenette internally huffed as she tossed the letter into the flames. She then took a fresh piece of parchment out and a brush before preparing her ink. 'You're not the only one who has power over me, bitch.'

As clean characters made of black ink began to decorate the page, her message was revealed to be aimed at the Emperor of the Yín Empire. It proposed the idea of just eliminating the accounts of all suitors who could not personally beat her in a one-on-one duel. Her reasoning for this was that if they could not beat her in a fight, then how could they be expected to protect her in the future.

The princess knew it was underhanded to play this card, but if you wanted to survive in a pit of snakes you had to act like one. She knew that she was in the emperor's favor even when she was first dragged back to this empire. He doted on her quite a bit and even rushed her adoption so that she would be crowned as soon as possible. The emperor would not want her to be married off when she was such a powerful asset to his rule.

When she was finished writing, the young woman signed the letter using her personal seal and folded the paper to be tucked into an envelope. She then walked over to the balcony with Nana trailing behind her before opening the doors and letting out a sharp whistle.

Almost immediately, a large blue bird with a small bag harnessed to it dropped down into her railing. As the female placed the envelope into its bag, she told the being who to send it to before watching the bird fly off in the direction of the palace.

Just then, the magic circle lit up from the center of the flat and the ravenette turned around to see a blue haired exchange student. A large smile spread across her face as she called, "Dào-gē!"

"Lián-mei, What were you doing outside?" the male questioned with a small chuckle as they both met at the dining table. He then set the items he brought into the wooden surface as his eyes drifted over to the pile of papers on her desk. "Taking a break, I hope?"

"Something like that," she chuckled while picking up a pair of chopsticks and opening the lid of the food. "I've been sorting through mission reports and reading through different mission requests to see which can be approved or not based on the formed teams."

They spent the entirety of their meal eating and talking about how their day went. Dàoyì shared how his new classroom experiences went and how he interacted with the other students. Unsurprisingly, many of them weren't too friendly towards those from the country they had just been battling. Only those from the Spirit House seemed to act kindly to them; in fact, they didn't seem to care about their origin. They just wanted to get to know the new faces and befriend them.

'Of course, they'd act like that,' the princess thought as the conversation transitioned to her how her day went. 'All of the students I let into my house are those who are considered unwanted by the world. They know what it's like to be looked down upon, so it would be reasonable that they don't want anyone else to feel the same way.'

By the time the lunch break came to an end, the male said his goodbyes and made his way back over to the magic circle. However, he did not notice the smirk on his host's face as the array lit up from underneath him.

As soon as the male rejoined his friends outside the tower, he was quick to notice how one of them refused to look at him. Her pink eyes were cast to the ground and her arms crossed over her chest as her bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

When he looked up to the oldest of the group with a raised brow, the male with braided hair only shook his head. He then looked down at the school map he was provided before leading them to their next lesson.

Afternoon classes for the exchange students consisted of practical classes which involved active use of their magic and fighting skills. Instead of being taught in classrooms, they were led outside to the training grounds where they were greeted by a new professor and the Spirit House's Soul Maiden.

"Lián-mei, what are you doing here? I thought you had work to do." Dàoyì questioned as he stepped forward. He was quick to notice the way the female tensed and how her eyes widened before following her gaze back to the other students.

When the woman's eyes flicked back to him with concern racing through them, the male only shook his head before saying, "They already know about it." The others just casually agreed as the female blinked up at him. "Shīmāo figured it out when I was leaving for lunch."

"Oh! Well... As long as you don't use that information for malicious purposes, then it shouldn't really matter," she eventually uttered out with a nervous chuckle. The lower part of her face was hidden behind her sleeves as her eyes scanned over their forms. "Now should it?"

"How the heck would someone use that information against you?" asked the female with orange eyes. She then let out a sigh and shook her head. "Why are rich people such snakes?"

Her statement earned looks from a majority of her classmates before the professor cleared his throat. His serious eyes were colored like dull pieces of amber as he held a gloved fist over his mouth. Most of his form was covered by a clean brown jacket that swept down to the back of his knees. The rest of his clothes consisted of a white shirt and black pants tucked into a pair of well-worn boots. His short black hair was swept back with some parts that began to grey.

"If you are all done then please allow me to introduce myself," he stated while flicking the tail of his jacket out of the way. He scanned each of the students as he stepped forward to stand next to the princess. "I am Professor Quelm Nostrade and I will be in charge of your physical and practical training."

The ravenette took this chance to step off to the side as the students introduced themselves one by one for the third time that day. Letting out a hum, she noticed that the students came from varying backgrounds, something she hadn't seen before.

Once all of the introductions were out of the way, the professor lined up all the students in front of him with about six feet in between each of them. He then explained that they were to summon forth their Astral Spirits so he could get a better understanding of their magic. Every student at level twenty or higher was required to awaken them in order to go on missions.

It was for this specific inspection that the princess decided to come down and oversee this lesson. By knowing what Astral Spirit each of her students had, she could better organize teams for competitions and for assigned missions. She could even personally help some students with their training by having this information.

Everything went by normal with the first six students. They all had what would be considered normal to rare kinds of Astral Spirits which suited their current appearances and personalities.

Bó Shīmāo went first and as he called upon his spirit, his energy formed a translucent pair of black feathered wings on his back. With the sparkling spots in the feathers, the spirit was easily identified as a Star-Winged Sparrow. It would give the user the ability to fly and enchant their speed.

The next was Yīng Kaīhuā, her energy consisted of dark pinks that condensed into a pair of butterfly wings on her back and a pair of antennae on top of her head. The clear heat patterns in her large wings identified the spirit as the Heart-Eating Swallowtail. In the wild, they were large, carnivorous butterflies that would draw in prey using their scales that would charm anything as long as it got into the target's eyes. This trait was passed onto those who had it as an Astral Spirit along with the ability of flight.

Long Hǎyáng went third and it was unsurprising to see his energy form into a light blue oriental dragon that cooled lightly around his form. His clan was the only one known to have the blessing of the Mirror Water Dragon after all. This gave the user a huge physical boost in general strength, resistance, and even gave him resistance to most water magic.

Next to display their spirits were the twins, Lùsè San, and Lùsè Shi. A bright green energy swirled around both of them before their ears turned to points and green vines began wrapping around their limbs. This left the professor quite impressed as it was rare to see anyone who had a Nymph as their Astral Spirit, much less two in one place. This gave them the ability to communicate with plants and grow specific ones on a whim.

Sixth to display their spirit was Jiàng Tiě. Her orange energy swirled around her before it condensed into rounded ears atop her head and a long tail with flames instead of fur at the top. Her canines had gotten longer and there were now orange streaks in her hair as her pupils narrowed into slits. As her tail whipped around, the professor identified this as another rare spirit, the Flame Lion. This spirit gave the user a high level of fire resistance and a large boost in physical strength.

The only one the professor seemed disapproving of was Dàoyì. As he focused his energy on revealing his Astral Spirit, what sprouted from his hand was a sparkling blue plant vine with oval-shaped leaves stemming off from it.

"What a shame," he sighed while shaking his head. No one noticed the princess' shocked expression from off to the side. "Your spiritual power is at level fifty but your Astral Spirit is just Common Blue Grass?"

Xuělián's eyebrow began to twitch as she hid her dropped jaw behind her raised sleeves, not that anyone was paying attention to her anyway. She could feel herself about to explode once she saw how dejected her sworn brother looked at the reaction of her faculty member.

"Excuse me, but are all of you blind?!" she roared, causing everyone to flinch at her volume. All eyes were on her as she made her way up with wide eyes and gestured towards the plant. "That is definitely not Common Blue Grass!"

Everyone looked warily at each other as they wondered what to do in the face of the agitated female. After a few moments, the male with dark blue eyes opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off by his senior.

"Your Highness, all other professors, and even opponents we've fought in the past have said this is Common Blue Grass," the silver-haired male explained. His expression and voice remained calm and neutral. He was simply stating what had happened.

Tension was high as the female merely blinked up at him before letting a chuckle escape her lips. "And you just went along with that notion?" she questioned, eyes narrowing slightly. She then clicked her tongue before turning to the male who held the spirit. "Dào-gē."

Pink eyes narrowed at her form, but she paid no attention to them as the male responded with a small hum. Kāihuā's hands clenched into fists once more at the other female's words as she thought, 'How dare you call Dàoyì-gēgē such an affectionate nickname?!'

"Have you used any healing magic using your Astral Spirit?" the ravenette asked as she faced the blue haired male. She completely ignored the flare of spiritual energy behind her as she waited for his answer.

"No," he replied while shaking his head. The vines in his hands swayed lightly in the breeze as they flowed a light blue. "I haven't used any healing magic whatsoever."

"That's what I thought," the princess huffed as she turned to face everyone else. Her arms were crossed over her chest as her narrowed eyes scanned overall everyone else present. "This isn't Common Blue Grass. It's Azure Dragon Vine!"

Nostrade choked on his breath as the full brunt of her glare was on him as she continued, "It's an attack and support spirit, how could anyone mix it up with a healing-focused spirit?" He was honestly left speechless under her, even without her spiritual pressure.

The older man struggled to come up with a response until the Long boy stepped forward and asked, "Are you sure?" He then reached out to poke the plank, earning narrowed eyes from the wielder. "I don't sense any dragon essence coming off of it."

The young woman then closed her eyes and took a deep breath before gesturing further down in the empty training area. As her eyes opened she asked, "Dào-gē, can you go over there, please?" She received a small nod in response and when the male was in place she continued, "Defend yourself using your Astral Spirit."

The male gave another confirming response from where he stood and before anyone else could respond, the female allowed her energy to flow into her right hand. 'Drawing from the elements of Spirit and Flame: Phoenix Flame!'

Everyone let out shocked gasps as her energy condensed into her right hand before she brought it out. Bursting from her right palm was a brilliant purple flame that went flying out towards the male who stood alone. He too was shocked at the display but had no time to show it as the attack came closer.

Dàoyì focused on his Astral Spirit and soon the vines came bursting up from the ground to surround him in a cocoon. Upon making contact with the plant, the flames didn't damage the vines, much to almost everyone's surprise but his own and Xuělián's. He could tell that she was holding back to a level he could handle, but the display was enough to prove her point.

When the flames had stopped the male slowly retracted his vines and thought, 'How is Lián-mei capable of using Phoenix Flame?' As he walked back the professor was apologizing to the adopted royal. 'I thought her Astral Spirit was a Silver Fox..'

"Alright then, with that out of the way," Nostrade said once everything had calmed down again. The Soul Maiden stood next to him as he looked at each one of the students. "I believe it is only right for us to begin the lesson by saying that you shouldn't feel limited to the capabilities of what you think your Astral Spirit is."

"What do you mean, what we 'think' our Astral Spirits are?" questioned one of San as she tilted her head to the side. From her left, Shi nodded along and added, "We just showed them to you."

The male only let out a snicker in response as he shook his head. His lips quirked up into a smirk as he turned to the Soul Maiden and said, "I believe it would be best if Her Highness explained this to you."

The woman gave an amused chuckle as she stepped forward. Her eyes were sparkling as she said, "Astral Spirits are just the parts of ourselves that exist in a plane that eyes normally can't see. They are not limited by physical boundaries like our bodies in the physical plane." She allowed her energy to flow once more before it condensed into a pair of pointed ears atop her head and seven fluffy tails that wagged lightly behind her. All of them were light purple in color and slightly see-through and this was the sight the orphaned male remembered.

"Your Astral Spirits are not bound to stay in one singular form," she continued before the appendages morphed into a different shape. The ears and tails disappeared only for the energy to condense into a sleek pair of feathered wings on her back in the same purple color that draped to the ground. "You can technically morph your spirit into anything you please as long as you're focused and you train your soul to be flexible, but I stick to five. One for each of the elements."

‘No way! First, it was a Silver Fox and Death Raven?!’ the Long heir thought before the energy shifted once more. The wings grew a bit shorter as the energy changed and they became engulfed in the same purple flames she had just used on his classmate.

The woman couldn’t hide her amusement upon seeing the expressions of the foreigners before she shifted her energy once more. The wings disappeared completely before the energy appeared before her once more as a large fish with flowing fins and once more with a violent hiss. Coiled around her figure was a large, translucent snake with its head looming high over her own and its tail rattling.

By the time she had retracted all of her energy, the students were stunned silent and she took the opportunity to say, “As you just saw, I can morph my Astral Spirit into a Silver Fox, Death Raven, Phoenix, Moon Carp, and a Burrowing Viper.” Purple eyes shifted over to her sworn brother. “This flexibility can be reached by anyone if they're willing to put in the effort.”

~~~Fin. Chapter 3~~~