7 3

After the exam, the students all congregated into their respective sects and waited for an elder of their sect to arrive. Haochen had since separated from Kol once they reached the bottom of the staircase that lead to the courtyard of the examination hall and was taking a moment to think about his examination answers. There was minimal doubt in his mind that he would be selected as one of the sixty, but he wondered what his ranking would be if he was selected. Among those in his sect, he consistently placed first in all aspects. That was a given, seeing as he was royalty and it would be unbecoming if he was bested by someone not of royal blood. Though, he couldn't help but wonder how he fared against the other sects. Especially Verbatium. His brother had told him that the students of the sect were intelligent on ungodly levels, they'd been that way for millennia, and there was a high chance that like the previous years, the top sixty would comprise the ever-truthful beings. However, for some inexplicable reason despite always being placed before the others, the Verbatium students would decline the acceptance to study towards becoming the next Grandmaster. This was consistent over the ages and it was for this reason that other sects ended up being accepted, as a place would be cleared for the runners up when Verbatium declined.

Haochen reached up to rub his neck. Being seated for that long made his body ache. By then, it was near twilight and the sky was a whirl of reds, yellows and greying clouds. He was leaning against a large pillar a few meters away from the other students and his long hair flitted across his face as a few breaths of wind came along. Despite the beautiful scenery, he stood there vaguely wondering if Calibri would decline the offer. If he did then there was no chance of becoming friends with the young man. Haochen was not a very social individual. He wasn't anti-social, per se, but it usually took quite a bit of coaxing for him to open up and speak comfortably. He'd met Kol many times because of the conferences the Royal youths were sent to, so he was on reasonably friendly terms with him. However, even then he felt quite out of place. Kol was very outspoken and proactive, not to the extent of being annoying, but to the degree of being overly dominating. As someone of royal blood himself, he was also quite dominating, but not as loud. So while he did enjoy his company, he had to take the man's foul-mouth and bossiness with a grain of salt.

Calibri was different, somehow. For some reason, he didn't mind the pushiness, because it really did seem unintentional.

Or perhaps the years of being surrounded by snooty, suck-up-y, manipulative, and selfish people made him want to latch onto the first kind person(other than his brothers) in his vicinity. He shook his head at the embarrassing but possibly true thought.

Haochen was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the swirl of blue and silver a few meters away that swished for a moment before revealing a slightly older man and a younger boy who both looked very much like himself and a few other men. The ones that resembled him nodded to the other students of the sect and moved towards Haochen.

The younger boy grinned walking up behind him, and with a mischievous look, he made to yank the thoughtful man's hair.

"You'd better not if you want to be able to sit down at dinner." Haochen said, not looking at him. The younger boy huffed and let go of his hair. " You're so creepy, do you have eyes at the back of your head?" He snapped.

The oldest of the three laughed. "*Didi, don't annoy him. That was a long exam. *Xiaodi must be tired."

Haochen looked at his oldest brother, Zhang Ning, and without glancing at Zhang Shing. "Gege, you've come to take us back?"

The man nodded with a smile. "Father's busy with a meeting, are you ready to leave?" Haochen nodded and the older version of himself reached out to pat his arm. "Alright then, let's go." He said, then turned to walk towards the other sleepy students of the sect. As he did, he lifted his right hand, swiped two fingers across the air to the right, then to the left, and then down, clicking his fingers in a precise snap at the end. A large bright blue circle appeared below the students.

Ning looked towards Haochen who was standing next to him, with Shing at his left, making sure they were with him. They'd kept his pace when he walked forward. He glanced at the men who had come with him. "Are all the children here?" The 25-year-old asked.

They bowed, "Yes, *your majesty." Ning nodded, swiped his hand across the air in front of him, and scribbled down an incantation in the air. The blue stokes of the incantation glowed for a moment along with the circle he'd created earlier, then the whole group vanished into thin air leaving behind only wisps of silver and fading blue.

The school courtyard within the Zhang Sect was quiet as the teachers paced about, awaiting the arrival of their students. They didn't have to wait long before the whole group appeared looking like corpses. As soon as they did, the teachers rushed forward, bowed towards Haochen and his brothers, and then looked at him and the other students expectantly.

"How did it go?" The Headmaster asked. A collective sigh was all the response the teachers needed to groan in disappointment. They knew they exam would be difficult, but they expected more students to have done well after all their hounding. Then they looked towards their star pupil.

"It couldn't have been too hard for his Majesty, right?"

Haochen was quiet for a moment, thinking. "On my part, it was a fair test apart from its length, but I do see why many would have found it cumbersome and difficult."

The teachers and students alike sighed in relief and came to surround him. "At least one of us definitely got through." A young man said, rubbing his eye.

"As expected from his majesty." His twin replied and the other students nodded, doting on their gentlemanly prince.

"Yes, and now our sect won't look incompetent." Another one of the students said, she looked on the verge of falling asleep.

One of the teachers scowled at them. "After all the teaching we've done, more of you should have passed! Fools!"

Ning laughed lightly. "Let them be, they're exhausted, and I'm sure they tried their best." He said. The teachers stopped scowling and looked at the prince, bowing in apology.

"I'm going to take my brother back to rest. All of you should rest too. It's been a long day for each of you. The results should arrive in a few days, and you will be notified when they do. For now, go home and relax."

The students bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Ning smiled, then turned to his brothers. "Let's head back." Haochen and Shing nodded and waited for Ning to transport them to the Castle. After a few moments, their feet touched down on the white pebbled path of Zhang Castle's gardens. It was almost dark, the flowers were closing, and even the koi fish swimming beneath the ebony bridges seemed to be going to sleep.

Shing yawned and readjusted his robes. "By the way brother, did you mean it? Do you think you'll get in?" The fourteen-year-old asked.

Haochen smiled a little sheepishly. "I'd like to think that I will, but then again, there are plenty of smart people that wrote too." He said as they walked.

"Huh? Does that mean you may not? Hey, you'd better get in. Not all of us have the opportunity you have you know. I hate this nonsense about being born at the perfect time. And really, I think I'd ace the test if it meant a chance at becoming the Grandmaster. Gege, can you imagine being given this opportunity and not getting in? Why would anyone allow themselves to mess this up?" Shing asked, looking slightly annoyed.

Ning shrugged looking thoughtful. "I think it would be a lot of pressure. Sometimes even though you can do something, doesn't always mean you should. You should do it if you want to, and if you don't then you shouldn't force yourself. You'd always be looking over your shoulder at a life you could have had."

Haochen looked at the ground as they talked, lightly kicking the white pebbled as they approached the ebony bridge. "It would be good for our sect."

Ning raised a brow. "Being the Grandmaster doesn't change anything within the sect. You're still going to be a leader here, one way or another Haochen. Please don't let what father or what uncle has to say pressurize you. In the end, you will be the one to suffer, and not them." He said.

Haochen was quiet for a moment. "Even if I don't become the Grandmaster, I do want to be selected as one of the sixty. It could be good for cultivating my soul flare."

Shing hummed. "I've read that the teaching is really intensive and strict, so you're bound to become even more powerful, and titles don't matter. Everyone selected will be treated the same."

Ning nodded at this. "It's true. The training schedules are quite demanding as well. But, on a positive note, you'll be training and learning alongside individuals operating on a similar wavelength. You could make some lifelong companions."

"There's someone I want to befriend, actually. I met him for the first time today. He's very peculiar."

Ning and Shing looked at each other with raised brows. Haochen had plenty of people who wanted to befriend him, whether it was for his handsomeness or his status, but he was not one to want to befriend others in a haste. So, hearing this, they stayed silent and let him continue.

"His name is Calibri, he's a prince from the Verbatium sect. It was strange seeing him, because at first, I wasn't sure if he was a tall woman, but I didn't say that to him." Haochen said, letting out a short, embarrassed chuckle.

"He seems to be genuinely kind person. A bit…Shiny, but very kind and thoughtful. I'm certain that if anyone is going to become the Grandmaster, it's him."

"Shiny?" Shing asked after a moment. He'd never seen anyone from the Verbatium sect before, so he wasn't sure what it meant. Ning nodded thoughtfully. "Well, this is interesting, because I have met Calibri once myself."

Haochen's head snapped towards him.