Walking between rainbows, with three fingers holding the feather,

Lin Xi respectfully bowed to Mu Qing, who stood at the entrance of the new student hall, handing her the letter imbued with the scent of food. As he explained the matter of the academy's correspondence to Li Kaiyun and the others, he made his way toward the one-eyed black-robed instructor who awaited them outside the hall. 

"So, the teacher's surname is Tong..." 

Lin Xi approached and bowed again, initially intending to strike up a friendly conversation with this instructor, who had not been unkind to him and Bian Linghan. However, the one-eyed black-robed instructor paid him no mind and did not lead this group of new students from the Zhi Ge department to the valley they visited yesterday. Instead, he directed them toward the opposite side of the new student hall. 

At the other end, near the cliff, stood a modest three-story wooden building. Its exterior was unremarkable, merely coated in a layer of varnish, simply constructed along the cliff's edge. From the loft, one could traverse to the rooftop of this wooden edifice. 

From the vantage point atop this building, a marshland lay not far from the cliff, adorned with patches of cattails. In the shadows of the water, fish darted about, and the calls of unknown insects filled the air. If a humble table were placed beside the window, with a small red clay stove to warm some yellow wine or brew a pot of tea, every new student from the Zhi Ge department would surely find it delightful. However, upon learning that today's cultivation lesson would take place on this very rooftop, most of the new students turned pale and furrowed their brows. 

The wooden planks of the rooftop appeared perilously fragile, and should one inadvertently doze off during practice, the risk of tumbling over the cliff loomed large. Below the eaves, between the cliff and the marsh, lay sharp, jagged stones. A fall could lead to a dismal fate, with one's head in the east, body in the south, and feet in the west. 

Though they understood that the presence of the one-eyed black-robed instructor made such accidents unlikely, the thought of several individuals tumbling down at once caused unease. One anxious new student, already seated cautiously, could not help but whisper to a classmate beside him, "No wonder Professor Qin from our department likes to perch on the hall's roof like a great monkey; it must be a habit formed from our usual training." 

"If you cannot find tranquility in meditation atop such a precarious rooftop, how will you achieve it on the battlefield?" The one-eyed black-robed instructor overheard this remark. His expression remained inscrutable as he fixed his gaze on the student and coldly replied, "If you knew that Professor Qin, in his first year at the academy, was pursued by eleven opponents of equal cultivation during the border trials, and that nine of them perished while he emerged unscathed, you would think twice before speaking." 

Silence enveloped the students. 

While most of them, aside from the four from the "Border Tribe," had little concrete understanding of cultivation realms, the notion of a single person facing eleven equally matched foes and ultimately slaying nine of them left an indelible impression. The fierce glint in the one-eyed black-robed instructor's eye and the expressions of the four "Border Tribe" students conveyed a palpable aura of intensity. 

As the instructor's foot lightly touched the rooftop, the entire wooden structure trembled slightly. He glided over the heads of several students like a leaf caught in the wind, landing at the edge of the eaves closest to the cliff, where no one dared to approach. 

Due to the eaves' downward slope, his body leaned forward, yet he seemed unfazed as he turned around and gestured toward a long stretch of empty space beside him. "Wang Xinglun, Lin Xi, Bian Linghan, you shall sit here." 

Lin Xi and Bian Linghan understood that the one-eyed black-robed instructor's actions were likely a special consideration for them. However, observing the precarious edge where it was difficult for anyone to sit upright, Hua Jiyue's expression shifted, and she spoke up, "Teacher, since Lin Xi and Bian Linghan did not speak, why must they be punished?" 

"You shall sit here as well." The instructor shot a cold glance at the defiant Hua Jiyue, offering a blunt resolution: "Anyone else who disagrees may join them here." 

Hua Jiyue, fuming, stood up, followed silently by Tang Ke, and then Li Kaiyun, who also took a seat beside Lin Xi and Bian Linghan. 

"Excellent." The one-eyed black-robed instructor regarded the group of students with an expressionless demeanor, uttering two words of genuine praise unknown to the others. He then continued, "There is one more matter to announce: Lin Xi and Bian Linghan, for your disobedience, you are to labor in the Qilin Peak Medicine Valley for one hour each day as a lesson." 

"Well deserved!" Mu Shanzi's eyes sparkled with delight as he clapped in approval. 

"You shall sit here as well." 

"Teacher, I..." 

"Now, close your eyes and begin your cultivation." 

… 

Though Lin Xi shut his eyes and found himself enveloped in darkness, the world became indistinguishable. Yet, the incline of his body, the emptiness before him, and the damp breeze wafting from the distant marsh added a psychological weight. 

Bian Linghan followed the one-eyed black-robed instructor's guidance, pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth, synchronizing her breath with the natural saliva produced. However, despite swallowing numerous times, she struggled to enter a state of meditation. Just as she felt a twinge of anxiety, she noticed Lin Xi beside her, his breathing becoming remarkably even, subtle, and prolonged. 

Lin Xi had evidently entered a meditative state, and listening to his rhythmic breathing alleviated the psychological pressure Bian Linghan felt from the emptiness ahead. Before long, she too lost awareness of the cliff, the jagged stones below, and the marsh in the distance, her own breathing becoming steady, natural, subtle, and prolonged. 

If any other instructors from the academy were to pass by, they would undoubtedly observe that Lin Xi was the quickest among this group of new students to enter meditation, while Bian Linghan followed closely as the second. 

The one-eyed black-robed instructor remained motionless, observing the new students. His single eye narrowed slightly, appearing to doze, as he sat cross-legged at the eaves like an immovable rock. Suddenly, he rose, approached Bian Linghan and Lin Xi, and with a swift motion, effortlessly lifted them both. With a gentle touch of his toes, he glided down from the rooftop like a water spider skimming the surface, without a sound. 

A breeze whistled past their ears, and the soft rustling of their garments startled Lin Xi and Bian Linghan awake simultaneously. 

"Teacher... what if they fall?" As the sun dipped slightly in the west, Lin Xi, having just landed on solid ground, realized that the one-eyed black-robed instructor intended to take him and Bian Linghan for special training. However, upon turning to see many classmates still meditating atop the wooden building, especially those he was closest to, he could not help but ask softly. 

The one-eyed black-robed instructor turned slightly, remaining silent, yet gestured toward the cliff below the wooden structure. 

Directly beneath the cliff lay a bed of jagged stones, but in that moment, Lin Xi was taken aback. 

A stone suddenly shifted, as if nodding in greeting to the one-eyed black-robed instructor. 

"Concealed presence?" Lin Xi realized, "Is that also an instructor from the academy?" 

The one-eyed black-robed instructor nodded. "His surname is Zhong; he recently advanced to instructor, but he should be responsible for your concealment lessons next year." 

"He has been waiting below, ready to catch anyone who falls..." Lin Xi murmured, unable to restrain himself, "Teacher, don't you need to cultivate as well?" 

The one-eyed black-robed instructor looked at Lin Xi with a condescending gaze, his tone dripping with disdain. "Where is there not to cultivate?" 

Lin Xi furrowed his brow, seemingly pondering an important question. "Teacher, do you mean that the instructors and professors at the academy can enter meditation at any time while swiftly sensing changes around them and responding accordingly?" 

"Anyone entering meditation requires a certain amount of time. As for sensing changes during meditation, in a relatively stable and quiet environment, most instructors can manage it. However, on a chaotic battlefield, that would not be possible." 

"Then, teacher, you must be one of those who can quickly enter meditation even on the battlefield, right?" 

"Lin Xi, you ask too many questions!" 

"I have one last question." Noticing the one-eyed black-robed instructor's brow furrowing slightly at his inquiries, Lin Xi smiled and said, "I originally thought we would only go for special training after the cultivation lesson concluded. Now that you are taking us early, won't that mean I have less time to cultivate than them? With my aptitude, won't I fall behind even more?" 

The one-eyed black-robed instructor shot him a glare, displeased. "You are usually so clever; can you not see that even if you cannot become a Windwalker, under my training, you will at least excel in archery? Archery is a core requirement for our Zhi Ge department. With Bian Linghan and me guiding you, you will undoubtedly earn credits in this discipline faster than anyone else." 

"Moreover, even if you lose an hour of cultivation, your rapid entry into meditation means your actual practice time will not be less than theirs." After a pause, the instructor seemed to feel he was being too lenient with this student, and unable to contain himself, he scolded, "Lin Xi, do you want me to praise your quick entry into meditation or berate your foolishness?" 

Lin Xi and Bian Linghan exchanged amused glances, obediently falling silent. 

… 

"Whoosh!" 

Thanks to the experience from the last time, as Lin Xi approached the end of the silver rope slide, he forcefully pushed off against the thick, soft mat ahead, dissipating the momentum and landing steadily. 

Before him lay an exceptionally tranquil, gourd-shaped valley, surrounded by terraced fields of various colors of medicinal herbs, forming a picturesque rainbow staircase. 

On the opposite hillside, he could see many people guiding oxen to plow the fields, turning over some recently harvested terraces. 

"Don't look too long; those are students from the Medicinal Herb department tending to the fields. Cultivation is one of their elective courses." 

Following Bian Linghan, the one-eyed black-robed instructor answered Lin Xi's unspoken question as they walked toward several bamboo houses constructed atop the terraced fields. He spoke slowly and clearly to Lin Xi and Bian Linghan, "There are many techniques for holding a bow, controlling the string, and shooting an arrow. However, as a Windwalker, one must not only be accurate but also swift. The ability to shoot rapidly and continuously is secondary. Thus, the most suitable method for Windwalkers is the three-finger feather control technique."