The next morning, Li Ming stood outside the Headmaster's Hall, staring up at the plaque that read:

"Department of Advanced Betrayal & Empathic Weaponry — Enlightenment Through Emotional Damage."

He rubbed his temples. "I came here to promote peace, not trauma."

Bai Guo fluttered down to his shoulder. "Well, technically, trauma is a form of mutual understanding. You both hurt, you both grow."

"Beautiful," Li Ming said flatly. "Maybe I should nominate you for guest lecturer."

---

Inside, the hall looked nothing like a classroom.

A circular arena of black marble surrounded a raised platform made of pulsating crimson crystal.

Dozens of students and instructors were seated in the shadows, their faces hidden behind decorative masks shaped like smiling demons.

And in the center—stood the Headmaster, Yan Luo himself.

His robes shimmered with golden script, every motion trailing runes of demonic contract law.

When he smiled, even the air around him looked like it was reconsidering its life choices.

"Ah, our distinguished guest from Azure Sky Sect," he said smoothly, voice echoing like velvet thunder. "It is an honor."

Li Ming bowed politely. "Headmaster Yan Luo. The honor is mine. And to clarify, I'm only here for the exchange—"

"Yes, yes," Yan Luo interrupted. "An exchange. Between righteous and demonic paths. A noble endeavor."

He paused dramatically. "Though of course, one must wonder: is an exchange not simply a more elegant word for infiltration?"

The audience murmured.

Bai Guo whispered, "He's fishing."

Li Ming deadpanned, "Then he'll catch disappointment."

Yan Luo's smile deepened. "Marvelous. Such composure. Truly, your sect raises fine liars."

Li Ming blinked. "That's… not our slogan."

Yan Luo gestured to the crystal dais. "Please. Step into the empathy field."

The red crystal hummed as Li Ming approached. It projected faint lights shaped like lotus petals—except every petal was cracking.

Yan Luo clasped his hands behind his back. "This artifact reads intent through emotion. A tool to gauge deception. You have nothing to fear… unless you think about fearing."

Bai Guo muttered, "So it punishes anxiety?"

"Ah," Li Ming said, stepping onto the dais. "So it's like social interaction."

The audience murmured again, impressed. The crystal pulsed black, as if applauding.

Yan Luo's brows lifted slightly. "No reaction to intimidation. Fascinating."

He extended a finger, and a pulse of demonic qi swept toward Li Ming.

"Tell me," the Headmaster said softly, "what does righteousness mean to you?"

Li Ming tilted his head. "Convenient paperwork."

Gasps rippled through the students.

Yan Luo's eyes glinted. "And evil?"

Li Ming considered. "More paperwork, but scented."

Yan Luo stared. Then, slowly, he nodded. "A man who understands the bureaucracy of morality. You are dangerous."

Bai Guo puffed his feathers proudly. "He practices Laziness Dao."

Yan Luo's eyes widened slightly. "Laziness Dao… an unfamiliar path. Is it derivative of Sloth Devil Scriptures?"

Li Ming sighed. "It's derivative of being tired."

Yan Luo actually clapped. "Marvelous! Such honesty—weaponized apathy refined to a Dao heart! Students, take notes!"

The crowd scribbled frantically.

Li Ming pinched the bridge of his nose.

---

The test continued. Each question became stranger.

"Would you betray a friend to save yourself?"

"Yes, but only because I'd assume they'd do the same."

"If Heaven offered you power for your soul?"

"I'd negotiate interest rates first."

"If the world ended tomorrow?"

"I'd finally sleep in."

Every answer made the empathy crystal flicker between admiration and existential crisis.

Finally, Yan Luo waved a hand, stopping the test. "Enough. Your balance of arrogance and detachment defies comprehension."

"That's not balance," Li Ming said. "That's exhaustion."

The Headmaster smiled faintly. "Then exhaustion itself must be a cultivation path."

A murmur of agreement spread through the hall. Someone whispered, 'Truly, the Dao of Lethargy is profound.'

Bai Guo coughed to hide his laughter. "You've just started a new religion."

"Wonderful," Li Ming muttered. "Maybe they'll tithe naps."

---

After the test, Yan Luo dismissed the audience and motioned for Li Ming to follow him through a side corridor.

The air there smelled of old incense and faint brimstone.

"You interest me, Li Ming," the Headmaster said, his tone oddly calm. "A righteous cultivator who thinks like a devil, yet feels like neither. Tell me—what is your true goal in coming here?"

Li Ming hesitated. For once, he decided to answer honestly. "Peace. Between both sides, if possible."

Yan Luo studied him. The red light in his eyes dimmed slightly. "Peace… the rarest kind of ambition. Most who speak of it do so as a tactic."

"I mean it literally," Li Ming said. "If people stop fighting, I can stop working."

Yan Luo chuckled. "Ah. The self-serving morality of a true sage."

"Close enough."

The Headmaster turned away, hands clasped behind his back. "Very well. If peace is your wish… you shall have a chance to test it. Tomorrow begins the joint cultivation trials between our disciples and yours."

Li Ming frowned. "Joint… trials?"

"A friendly competition," Yan Luo said, smiling faintly. "Between righteousness and evil. What could possibly go wrong?"

Bai Guo whispered, "Everything."

Yan Luo looked over his shoulder. "Indeed."

---

Outside, as Li Ming left the hall, Yin Qing appeared at the gate, carrying a stack of scrolls.

"You survived the Headmaster?" she asked with a grin.

"Barely," Li Ming muttered. "He thinks I'm a philosophical threat."

She raised a brow. "That's the highest compliment here."

Li Ming groaned. "Then I'll consider it an insult."

Yin Qing smiled knowingly. "Rest well, Prince of Silent Ruin. Tomorrow, you'll need your strength."

"For what?"

"For when both sects try to impress each other without actually losing face."

Bai Guo shuddered. "Ah. Diplomacy disguised as martial art."

Li Ming sighed. "So... the deadliest kind."

---

Night draped the Academy of Elegant Malevolence like a silk robe stitched from whispers.

Red lanterns floated across the courtyard, shedding light shaped like lotus petals that refused to bloom.

Somewhere in the distance, a flute played a tune so melancholy it probably got course credit.

Li Ming sat on the edge of the obsidian lotus pond, robe sleeves rolled up, fishing.

Not for fish—there weren't any—but for sanity.

The pond occasionally spat back tiny droplets of corrupted qi that fizzed like angry champagne.

Bai Guo landed beside him, feathers puffed against the chill.

"You're unusually quiet," the bird said.

"I'm thinking," Li Ming replied.

"About?"

"How peace somehow keeps involving mandatory duels."

Bai Guo tilted his head. "You're in a world where enlightenment is measured in casualties. Be grateful they schedule it politely."

Li Ming threw a pebble; it skipped once, burst into blue flame, and vanished.

He sighed. "Back in Azure Sky Sect, I spent years chasing higher realms. Now Heaven itself offers ascension, and I refuse. Maybe I'm doing cultivation wrong."

The bird regarded him for a long moment.

"Or maybe," Bai Guo said softly, "you're cultivating life, not escape."

Li Ming smirked. "That's… surprisingly wise for something that steals dumplings."

"Wisdom and hunger aren't mutually exclusive."

They sat in comfortable silence until footsteps echoed down the walkway.

Yin Qing approached, carrying two cups of spirit-tea steaming with faint violet light.

"I figured you'd still be awake," she said, handing him one. "The moon's red tonight—good omen for villains, bad omen for diplomats."

Li Ming accepted the cup. "Then I'm doomed twice over."

She laughed. "Tomorrow's the joint trials. The Headmaster wants spectacle. Your sect sent messages—they expect diplomacy. You'll have to impress everyone without killing anyone."

"Ah," Li Ming said, sipping. "So an impossible task."

Yin Qing's smile softened. "You're good at those."

For a moment, neither spoke. The wind carried the faint scent of iron flowers from the academy gardens.

"Yin Qing," Li Ming said quietly, "why are you really here? You don't act like the others."

She looked into her cup. "Because evil is cheaper to study. The righteous sects charge tuition."

Li Ming blinked, then laughed—soft, genuine.

"That might be the most honest reason I've heard in years."

"Honesty," she murmured, "is the purest disguise."

Before he could reply, thunder rippled across the horizon, crimson lightning flashing over the academy peaks.

A spirit-bell tolled three times.

Bai Guo fluffed his feathers. "Oh good, the universe's alarm clock."

Yin Qing stood. "That's the signal. Trials at dawn. Don't be late—villains respect punctual suffering."

She walked away into the mist, leaving Li Ming staring at the rippling pond.

The reflection staring back wasn't the tired face of a man faking royalty—it shimmered between mortal and something vast, balanced on the edge of two worlds.

"Peace, huh," he muttered. "Let's see if the Dao allows recess."

---

The Next Morning

Trumpets of bone and crystal blared across the crimson courtyard.

Two banners faced each other: the graceful blue of Azure Sky Sect, and the ornate black of the Evil Path Academy.

Between them stood a gleaming platform inscribed with dual formations—half righteous, half demonic—spinning together like reluctant dance partners.

Disciples from both sides gathered, whispering behind sleeves.

Azure Sky's elders wore polite smiles that twitched every time a demon student hissed too enthusiastically.

The Evil Path teachers pretended indifference but were clearly judging hairstyles.

At the center, Headmaster Yan Luo raised a hand.

"Today," he announced, "we test harmony between light and shadow. No death, only educational violence."

Polite applause followed.

Li Ming stepped forward, cape fluttering—still without wind.

His own sect's envoy, Elder Mu Qing, smiled nervously. "Ah, Elder Li Ming, remember—representation, not domination."

"I'll do my best to underperform," Li Ming said sincerely.

Yan Luo's eyes gleamed. "Excellent. Let the first trial begin: Paired Cultivation Duel.

Each participant must merge qi with a partner from the opposing side and demonstrate synergy."

The courtyard erupted in murmurs.

Half the Azure Sky disciples went pale.

Half the demonic ones grinned.

Bai Guo whispered, "That's either a political trap or speed-dating with explosions."

Li Ming scanned the crowd—and of course, Yin Qing was already walking toward him, umbrella in hand, smirk perfectly calibrated between challenge and amusement.

"Partner?" she asked.

Li Ming sighed. "I knew peace negotiations would end in paperwork and pair-work."

They stepped onto the formation together.

Light and shadow swirled around them as the Headmaster's voice thundered:

"Begin—show us the harmony of contradiction!"

To be continued...

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