’I don’t know,’ Evan replied, his tone perfectly smooth, utterly devoid of any underlying emotion.

He picked up a piece of the spiritually nourished meat with his utensils, his expression a mask of practiced, cold indifference.

’My mother, you see... was a businesswoman. She traveled extensively across the borders of the realms. Consequently, I neither know her nor my father. A bastard, to be precise.’

It was a blatant, calculated lie, entirely made to shut down any deeper probing into his heritage before it could even begin, but it worked with absolute, flawless precision.

In a world built on survival, innocence is merely a mask the living wear to hide their teeth. We play at camaraderie, yet we are all predators bound by fragile laws. Reveal your true self, and those who share your bread today will butcher you tomorrow, for humanity loves a gentle lie, but fears the monster behind a broken mask.

Ghost immediately winced, the boisterous, cheerful smile vanishing from his face as he coughed awkwardly into his fist.

’Ah... damn, man. I didn’t mean to pry into your personal business,’ he said, rubbing the back of his thick blonde neck, his walnut-colored eyes shifting away in genuine embarrassment.

Peaker, who actually looked surprisingly awake for once in his life, nodded solemnly from across the mahogany table, his voice carrying a rare gravity.

’Yeah, don’t sweat it, Evan. Families are entirely overrated anyway. Most of us who end up grinding in the courts only have the sect to rely on at the end of the day.’

Evan merely offered a shallow, passive nod, enduring all that typical "you shouldn’t be sad" piece of shit empathy they were throwing his way.

He let them drown out their own lingering awkwardness by focusing back on their food, finishing their breakfast in a sudden, quiet peace.

Once the heavy mood finally stabilized and the plates were cleared, Ghost leaned over the table, the natural, relentless curiosity of a cultivator gleaming in his eyes once more.

’Well, since we’re going to be sharing a living space and watching each other’s backs out in the wild, what path do you actually cultivate, Evan? Jia Gao usually assigns roommates based on potential synergy, so we might as well get a baseline.’

’Currently, I’m focusing my efforts on the Weaponry Path,’ Evan replied, keeping his voice entirely casual as he threw out a carefully prepared partial truth.

It was necessary to explain his baseline combat capabilities without exposing.

’I have three Weaponry Path blood worms and two Blood Path ones currently residing in my aperture. Two of the Weaponry worms and one Blood Path worm are awakened, while the remaining ones are just basic.’

Ghost’s eyes lit up instantly, and he slammed a heavy, calloused hand flat against the table, rattling the teacups.

’Ha! A fellow weapon master! I knew there was a reason they tossed you into Room thirteen! I cultivate the Weaponry Path as well. I’ve got five worms in total, mostly optimized for mid to long range artillery.’

He jerked a thick thumb toward the quiet, black-haired man sitting beside him.

’And this sleepy, naked bastard over here cultivates the Shadow Path. When you combine our paths, it’s a textbook setup for a high efficiency Scout faction unit.’

Ghost then grinned, a sharp, fiercely competitive glint entering his eyes as he looked Evan up and down.

’Since you’re fresh out of the academy gates, how about a match right now? Let’s see exactly what that viper’s patience of yours can do on the field.’

Evan paused, his leather-gloved fingers slowly tracing the smooth rim of his tea glass.

He looked directly into Ghost’s eyes, his expression turning ice-cold.

’My weapon is lethal,’ he said bluntly, his voice dropping into a dark, quiet register that made the surrounding air feel thin.

’It tends to kill.’

Ghost let out a booming, unbothered laugh that drew annoyed glances from several neighboring tables in the half-filled dining hall.

’Not a death match, kid! We don’t slaughter our own roommates on day one of the semester. We test specific, controlled attributes, quality of execution, impact velocity, and technique accuracy. No direct targeting of vital organs. Just a standard baseline comparison.’

’Fair enough,’ Evan muttered, pushing his chair back.

Leaving the warmth of the grand dining hall, the trio walked briskly across the obsidian plaza of the First Court, their boots crunching softly against the patches of fresh winter snow.

They headed directly toward the western sector, where the massive, enclosed training area was located.

The field was immense, surrounded by towering walls built from heavy, dark granite blocks.

Thick, green moss grew heavily in between the stone seams, giving the arena a rugged, ancient appearance.

The flooring beneath their feet was unique, it was composed of reinforced hardwood, specifically engineered to absorb the catastrophic shockwaves of high impact Qi strikes without splintering into pieces or catching fire.

As they walked out onto the center of the hardwood, Ghost took a few steps forward, his silver outer disciple token catching the dull light of the grey winter sky.

He took a deep breath, and a sudden, violent surge of Qi rippled outward from his core as he willed his Weaponry Path blood worms to manifest.

’I’ll show you my primary arsenal first, so you know what you’re working with,’ Ghost said proudly, a surge of spiritual energy gathering in his right hand.

’My main piece is the Silenced Crossbow. When I activate the worm...’

A heavy, matte-black crossbow materialized seamlessly into his large, muscular hands.

It was an intricate piece of engineering, completely devoid of any mechanical clicking, and even the tension of the string made absolutely no sound as it drew back.

’...it fires without a single whisper. Absolute stealth.’

He shifted his stance slightly, pointing out the other four distinct worm signatures pulsing within his active aura.

’Three of my Blood Worm are awakened to complement the crossbow perfectly. First, I have the Fire Arrow, which triggers a spreading, volatile blaze the exact millisecond it strikes a target, it basically transforms the arrow into pure fire upon impact. Then there’s the Ice Arrow, which instantly freezes whatever it hits, locking the target in frost, and the Blasting Arrow, which triggers a localized, heavy explosion. My last one is just a basic, normal sword Blood Worm. No flashy abilities, no elemental properties, just sharp, reliable steel for close range emergencies."

Evan nodded slowly, genuinely impressed by the raw tactical synergy.

Ghost wasn’t just a brute, he was a highly versatile, walking artillery unit capable of changing elements on the fly.

Standing on the dark hardwood flooring, Evan decided it was time to reveal his own public facing trump card.

Click.

A heavy, familiar metallic weight settled perfectly into his right brownish leather glove.

When Evan opened his eyes, he was holding a sleek, terrifyingly lethal Silenced Revolver.

The weapon was a masterpiece of dark iron craftsmanship.

The barrel, cylinder, and frame were painted a deep, midnight black that seemed to swallow the light, accented only by sharp, elegant golden stripes that ran meticulously along the contours of the weapon.

’My primary is the Silenced Revolver,’ Evan explained calmly, his thumb lightly resting on the hammer.

’My supporting Blood Worms... The first is an awakened worm, the Paralyzing Bullet. If it successfully strikes a target, it inflicts total, absolute paralysis for fifteen whole minutes, completely locking down their entire nervous system and freezing their Qi flow. My second one is just a basic bullet worm, standard kinetic impact, no special properties or flash."

’A revolver? I’ve never seen that specific firearm design in the First Court before. Fascinating,’ Ghost muttered, leaning over slightly to eye the golden stripes with deep appreciation.

’And that paralysis attribute is incredibly high value for a scout. If you catch an enemy unawares, fifteen minutes is more than enough time to execute them or extract information.’

Before they could walk over to the heavy wooden target blocks lined up against the mossy granite walls, Peaker suddenly stepped out from the shadows.

The sleep-deprived man had completely shed his sluggish, exhausted demeanor.

His posture was suddenly low and fluid, his dark eyes wide, sharp, and tracking their movements with an eerie, predatory focus.

His shadow seemed to detach itself slightly from his heels, stretching and twisting unnaturally against the stone walls behind him as he was showing off his shadow path cultivation.

He walked directly out to the center of the hardwood training ground, turning around to face both Evan and Ghost with a cheeky, deeply confident smirk.

The dark, misty aura of the shadow path began to coil tightly around his ankles like striking vipers.

He raised his hands, locking eyes with his two armed roommates, his voice echoing sharply across the massive arena.

’Why bother shooting at inanimate blocks of wood when you have a high-tier Shadow Path user standing right here? Let’s test your quality, impact, and accuracy for real. First one to land a hit on me wins.’