The training session in Eldenwood was to begin when the sun was setting low and making the field glow. The village four families had brought their children, bringing much energy with them because they wanted to practice toughly, be ready to show all the skills, and the bodies were tense with excitement.
However, Bai Cheng didn't want to join them. He sat comfortably on a strong tree branch, his single knee pulled up against his chest; and was holding a piece of dried meat in his hands. His eyes sparkled with fun as he watched the three boys from rich families. They strode about confidently, and their trainers were watching with hawk-like vigilance at the 8th stage of Qi Condensation.
He's seen them coming in from a distance. Their arrival indicates to him that this is the day. But he won't get any interest in their research.He doesn't pay attention to the energy arrangements they talk about. He barely feels them around.
But he knows this one thing: **the Academy exams will give him a chance to show everything to all of them.".
"How is training going, boys?" called Bai Cheng from the tree. He popped a piece of jerky into his mouth. The tone was playfully teasing, not unkind.
The three heirs to the three strongest families in Eldenwood halted in their footsteps, raised to him, with differing degrees of annoyance, the face through which all of them above everything else lay pride, and Bai Cheng's carefree manner spoiled all this quaintly built self-esteem.
"Know?" Bai Cheng said, his voice loud in the open space as he leaned back on the branch.
"I don't really want to do all this hard training. You can keep showing off if you want. Me?
I'm waiting for something more fun-like the exams."
Chen Han of the Chen Family crossed his arms, mocking Bai Cheng. "What's wrong with you, Bai Cheng? Not hardworking enough? Dreading being seen as a fool again?"
Bai Cheng just smiled and didn't give it another thought. "No way. I'll be there on exam day, wait and see. Don't focus on me. I'll be okay."
The teachers were at the back of the room and could listen to their conversation. One of the big men with a braided beard laughed, whispering loudly enough for Bai Cheng to overhear. "The so-called 'failure' is up there acting like he is better than everyone else. Why even train? He's a joke anyway."
Bai Cheng smiled for a moment, but he kept himself calm. People said about him: "Failure," and the word seemed to pound in his chest, but he showed nothing. He just kept chewing another piece of jerky and peered away, still.
Old trainers always made fun of Bai Cheng's humour. "A boy who can't even absorb Spiritual energy. What kind of cultivator will he ever be?" It was like he thought it was merry that he wouldn't be able to collect the energy, so they'd both laugh at it.
Bai Cheng gripped the branch tight below him, clenched his jaw, and felt rage. There was a rush of frustration that filled his chest with quick, strong heat.
**They were all wrong.** He was not a failure. He wasn't just a nobody who would never do anything. One day, he would show them all they were wrong.
But just when he was about to act on the storm inside, Chen Han made another remark, an insult that really hurt more.
"You don't know what they call him in the village, do you? **the cursed one.**"
Chen Han said with a sneer. "It's true. Some people say he caused the disaster in Eldenwood. That's why he can't become stronger, you see?
He's bad luck."
Bai Cheng felt sad inside. The teasing hurt more than he wanted to say. **Cursed one.** The one who was cursed.
All those words that showed around inside his head were akin to failure and the same reason that had always been a problem in his family. How many times did he hear it said quite low when he was not paying attention to the time? How many times were those words perceived only as blame, as if the disaster was only his fault?
He swallowed and was a little wobbly in his hands. At that moment, it even hurt too much. Without another word, he leaped off from the branch with a soft thud to land on his feet. Then he ran into the trees, leaving behind the training area as well as the teasing and laughter.
The three boys and their coaches watched him walk away. Some boys had already laughed while others nodded their heads in understanding. However, the only girl accompanying them did not laugh. She was standing mutely-looking at Bai Cheng with a frown on her face as he disappeared way into the distance.
"I do not understand him," she said quietly, turning away and gazing into the distance. "He never gets upset about anything… But he is different from us."
"Maybe he knows he can't be helped," said Chen Han sneering. "You aren't really going to waste your time on him, are you?"
Qing Ye's fingers around the hilt of the sword were steady and tight. "That's nothing of yours to interfere with." Three boys laughed loudly at what she said. But Qing Ye did not find it funny like they did. She wanted to know more about Bai Cheng for some specific reasons. But today, it seemed she would not find out anything. She turned and left without saying anything else, heading back to her home.
She continued walking away, hearing trainers still making fun of Bai Cheng for not coming, and then the words faded away. What was Bai Cheng hiding?
She didn't believe in the nonsense about the disaster and neither did she think that he is under some curse. There was so much more to him, something hidden so deep inside that she couldn't understand him fully. Qing Ye took a long deep breath. He had been expecting this to occur earlier on the test.