"…going to be awkwa—"
"Stop staring!" the girl shouted, grabbing the nearest vase and hurling it in my direction.
BAM!
"Wait, wait! Please, give me a second!" I ducked as the vase smashed against the wall behind me. "I'm leaving! Stop throwing stuff!" I dashed out the door, slamming it shut as I ran for the stairs.
I didn't stop until I reached the first floor, my heart pounding in my chest. "Damn, I should've knocked," I muttered, leaning against the wall to catch my breath.
Who would've thought this sect would have co-ed rooms? I assumed the girls would stay with other girls, and the guys… well, given how thirsty they all seemed, mixing the two didn't feel like the brightest idea. Not that I can really complain, I guess.
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Alright, no use blaming the rules. This is on me."
Still, what if she complains to the sect? I doubt they'd expel me—being a Grade 4 talent and a core disciple has its perks—but who knows what kind of punishment they dish out for 'accidents' like this? I need to be careful.
I guess she's probably changed by now, right? I should go confidently and without fear; it's my room too, after all.
I took a deep breath, straightened my robe, and marched back upstairs. How bad could it be? It's just a misunderstanding.
Knock first this time, idiot. I raised my hand to the door but hesitated. What if she's still mad? Or worse, what if she's already told someone? Oh man, the Sect Elders could be on their way right now, probably with pitchforks and—
Stop. Overthinking.
I knocked lightly, just to be sure. "Uh, can I come in? You've had enough time to… uh… get dressed, right?"
No response. Taking that as a 'yes,' I slowly opened the door and poked my head inside. The girl was seated on one of the beds, fully clothed now—thank the heavens—but she still didn't look too happy. Her glare could have cut through stone.
"You again," she muttered, crossing her arms. "Don't you know how to knock?"
"Yeah, about that," I said, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. "That was entirely my fault. I didn't expect a girl to be in here. I thought—well, never mind what I thought. We're roommates, apparently, so… truce?"
She raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Truce? You barged in while I was changing!"
"I swear it was an accident!" I blurted out, hands raised in surrender. "I didn't know anyone was in here! Honest mistake. Let's just… start over, alright? I'm Michael, Grade 4 talent, core disciple—"
Her glare was still sharp enough to cut through steel as she crossed her arms. "Michael?" she asked, her expression shifting slightly as she processed the name. "You're that Michael?"
I sighed. "Yeah, yeah. That Michael. Heard about me? Seen the posters? Maybe a few whispered rumors about my devastating good looks?"
She raised an eyebrow, clearly not impressed. "You think pretty highly of yourself, huh?"
"Oh, absolutely," I said, flashing a grin. "It's exhausting being everyone's favorite topic of conversation. But, you know, I try to keep humble."
She didn't seem to find that particularly amusing, but I could see the tiniest flicker of curiosity in her abyss-black eyes. Seriously, how did she manage to make black eyes look like endless voids? And her hair—jet black and perfectly straight, cascading like an ink waterfall down her back. She wasn't just beautiful; she was… otherworldly. Like she walked right out of one of those novels where the female lead is always some ethereal goddess.
Focus, Michael. Now's not the time to lose your head over a pretty face. You've already dodged one vase.
She hesitated for a moment before introducing herself. "Lina. Grade 3 talent, inner disciple."
I blinked. Grade 3? Inner disciple? Not too shabby. No wonder she had that "don't mess with me" aura.
"Nice to meet you, Lina," I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible despite the fact that I had just barely avoided a ceramic-based fatality. "Now that we've got introductions out of the way, how about we forget that whole vase-chucking incident ever happened? Clean slate, yeah?"
Lina's eyes narrowed, though I noticed her shoulders relax just a little. "You barging in here unannounced isn't exactly something I can just 'forget.' But, fine. We'll start over, but beware that you saw NOTHING."
Phew. Progress. Now let's just keep things from spiraling out of control.
I leaned against the doorframe, taking a quick glance around the room. It was luxurious—definitely what I'd expected for a place that catered to disciples with a talent grade of 3 and 4. The walls were painted a soft cream, and the polished wooden furniture gleamed. A king-sized bed sat on either side of the room, with a window overseeing the street, separated by a narrow aisle wide enough for two people to squeeze through. Not exactly the best but as luxurious as it could be for disciples. At least it wasn't a dungeon or the middle of a beast-infested forest.
Yeah, the sect definitely splurged on the best accommodations for their "rising stars." I mean, what's the point of being a core disciple if I still receive a room that smells like old wood and mold?
"So, Lina," I said, trying to strike a casual tone, "you know, it's not every day I get to meet someone with Grade 3 talent. Must be nice, huh? Having the whole sect respect you?"
She snorted. "Respect? Please. You're the one everyone's talking about. The 'prodigy.' The 'one with a Grade 4 talent.' I can't even walk through the training grounds without hearing some girl swooning over you."
Wait, hold up. Did she say swooning? Over me? Sigh, why am I acting surprised like a Japanese anime Mc when he finds out that a girl likes him.
"Uh…" I stammered, scratching the back of my head, "I did realize that I had become quite famous. I mean, I get the jealous stares from the guys, but the girls too? Really?"
Lina rolled her eyes. "You've become the ideal boyfriend in their heads. You've got the looks, the talent, and apparently, you also are a prince; it's like god spent extra time designing you. Trust me, it's all they talk about."
Sigh, prince is it then. Really, how did I get upgraded from 'guy who barely survived the forest' to 'a prince'?
"Well," I said, trying to keep my voice light, "that explains why I've been getting weird looks from the girls. I thought they were planning to kidnap me or something. But I guess being an accidental heartthrob with a royal twist is worse, huh?"
Lina didn't laugh, but I saw the tiniest smirk tug at the corner of her lips before she quickly wiped it away. "Don't let it get to your head, YOUR HIGHNESS Michael. Anyway, I'm going to the training grounds. Try not to cause any more disasters while I'm gone."
"I'll do my best," I said with a mock salute, though internally I was praying I didn't somehow trigger another catastrophe. "Promise I'll try to keep all vases in their rightful place."
She gave me one last glance—still a little skeptical but at least not murderous—before heading for the door. As she stepped out, she looked back for a second. "And Michael? Don't make it a habit of barging in on people like that."
"I'll keep that in mind, and stop with that "Your Highness" thing; that's only for boys," I called out as she closed the door behind her.
Crisis averted… for now.
As soon as the door clicked shut, I collapsed onto my bed with a groan. Great, Kael's going to have a field day with this one. I can already hear him saying, 'Sigh…Michael, I told you not to attract too much attention.' Well, joke's on him. I didn't even try to attract attention!
I stared up at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh. Why does everything have to be so complicated? I'm just trying to survive in this crazy world. When I see Kael, I'm giving him an earful. Prince, my foot. Can't even get a decent night's sleep without becoming some fictional heartthrob. Maybe I should just start practicing my dramatic poses and prince-like declarations.
————————————————————
[Name: Michael
Age: 22
Cultivation Talent: Grade 4
Cultivation Realm: Nil
Wishes: On cooldown (6 days)
Current Qi: 500
Skills:
1. Everlasting Renewal:
2. Qi Compression: Explosive Art]