CHAPTER 88 — WHEN TEAMS LEARN TO STAND ALONE
The training grounds of Vermillion Phoenix Academy were quiet in a way that felt unnatural.
Not empty.Not abandoned.
Just… restrained.
The wide expanse of stone platforms, suspended fields, and modular arenas sat beneath a crimson sky veined with faint formation lines. Normally, this place buzzed with energy at all hours. Shouts. Clashes. The roar of techniques colliding. Today, there was none of that.
Azure Dragon Academy's team stood in a loose line at the edge of the grounds, bags set down, weapons resting at their sides. No one joked. No one lounged. Even Chen Wulian, usually incapable of standing still for more than five seconds, kept his arms folded and his mouth shut.
Because Mei Ying was standing in front of them.
She looked… tired.
Not physically. Mentally.
The kind of exhaustion that came from seeing too many promising people pushed into situations where talent alone would not save them.
