She turned and walked slowly down the hallway, her footsteps deliberate and quiet.
’Gu Jin may be talented,’ she mused, ’A real champion doesn’t play in teams like that. Real strength comes from self-reliance.’
Sophia entered the floor where her own team stayed.
Unlike Gu Jin’s chaotic dorm, her teammates were a picture of focused individuality.
There were no promises, no emotional speeches. It was just the quiet hum of personal preparation.
She walked through the rooms, her eyes flicking over each one of her teammates.
First, she checked on Leo Bennett, who was sprawled out on his bed, his golden curls messily arranged around his face.
He had his hands behind his head and was staring at the ceiling, a grin tugging at his lips as if he was on the verge of some amusing thought.
It was easy to see that Leo was relaxed. Too relaxed.
He looked up lazily when he saw Sophia standing in the doorway. "Hey, Green. What’s up?" His voice was easygoing, unbothered.
Sophia didn’t smile. "Leo," she said curtly, "don’t waste your time looking at the ceiling. We have work to do."
"Come on, what’s the rush? The competition’s not for a while, and anyway, I work best when I’m chill." He leaned back, pulling his hands behind his head again.
Sophia’s eyes narrowed. He’s never serious. "Fine. But don’t expect me to carry you when we fail." She turned to leave the room, barely sparing him another glance.
Next, she moved to Priya Patel’s room. Priya, unlike Leo, wasn’t lounging around.
The girl with the tight bun and serious expression was hunched over a pile of notes, her brow furrowed in concentration.
Priya wasn’t the type to waste time.
But even she was different from Sophia in one key way—she was caught in the trap of emotional attachment.
Sophia could see it in the way Priya clenched her jaw, as if she was struggling to keep her focus sharp.
"Priya," Sophia said, her voice firm.
"You need to push harder. If you don’t put everything into this, you’ll never reach your potential."
Priya looked up, startled for a moment, then sighed and gave a small nod.
"I know. I’ve been working on the potion formulas. But I feel like I’m missing something. I’ll keep pushing."
Sophia gave a curt nod. ’She’s too wrapped up in doing it together. That’s her flaw.’
"Don’t stop. I expect nothing less than perfection."
She turned to leave but paused for a moment, her eyes glancing at the papers scattered across Priya’s desk.
’She’s overthinking. She needs to focus on herself, not everyone else. But she’ll get there.’
Moving on, she reached Finn Morgan’s room. Finn, as usual, was nowhere near his desk. Instead, he was by the window, leaning out, his wild red hair catching the light.
He was busy with his phone.
"Finn," Sophia called, her tone sharp. "Stop wasting time. Focus. We’re not here to mess around."
Finn turned, his grin widening. "Okay mommy."
Sophia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
’He’s too carefree. He needs to realize the importance of discipline and control.’
"Don’t disappoint me, Finn. I’m not here to babysit."
Finn simply shrugged and gave her a lazy salute, clearly unfazed.
’It’s the same with him. They think they can skate by, relying on their natural talent. But it won’t be enough in the end.’
Next, Sophia moved to Emma Woods’ room. Emma, unlike the others, wasn’t playing around.
She was sitting at a small desk, looking at a complex alchemical chart, her pencil moving in slow, deliberate circles.
She was the quietest of the group, always so focused, but there was something that still held her back—something Sophia couldn’t put her finger on.
As she left Emma’s room, Sophia’s expression darkened.
’I’ll never understand why they think teamwork and support will bring success. Real success is earned alone. That’s the only way to truly push yourself, to burn that fire from within.’
A combat match between the Chinese team and the English team took place.
Tonight was the friendly match between the Chinese team and the English team.
Though it was called "friendly," everyone knew this was about pride.
The English team lined up first.
As soon as the match started, Zhang Jie stepped forward silently.
He summoned thick roots from the ground, wrapping around Oliver’s legs before he could even raise a shield.
A wall of metal shot up—but Xu Zhen blasted it apart with a combo of fire and sound, shaking the whole arena.
Ethan narrowed his eyes and sent blades of ice toward Xu Zhen.
But Bai Qing was faster.
She twisted her hand, calling a cyclone of lightning and water that deflected the attack and sent a shock wave back at the English side.
Lily tried to shine a bright beam of healing energy to help, but Li Mian smiled sweetly—and suddenly, Lily’s vision blurred. She was trapped in an illusion, spinning in circles, unsure of where she even was.
Amelia’s shadows crept toward Long Yifan—but the moment they reached him, they vanished.
Long Yifan raised a single hand. A flash of psychic force slammed Amelia back. Then he vanished. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind Ethan, hitting him with a burst of fire and thunder.
The match ended in minutes.
England’s strategy wasn’t bad, but the Chinese team’s power, speed, and teamwork were on another level.
And at the center of it all stood Long Yifan, completely calm.
Everyone from the alchemy team roared with happiness as the Chinese team was declared the winner.
The cheers echoed through the arena, and several students jumped up from their seats in excitement.
Li Mian spun around with a wide grin and ran toward Long Yifan, arms open.
"Yifan! That was amazing!" she shouted. She reached out to hug him.
But Long Yifan easily stepped aside, dodging her arms like it was nothing.
"Please stay away from me," he said calmly, brushing off his sleeves.
Li Mian pouted but didn’t argue. She had gotten used to his cold responses by now.
Just then, Amelia White walked over slowly, her silver braid swinging behind her.
There was no trace of anger or embarrassment on her face, only quiet interest.
"You were... really impressive," she said, stopping in front of Long Yifan. Her voice was softer now, almost gentle. "Can I have your number?"
There was a short silence.
Long Yifan didn’t look uncomfortable, just distant. "My fiancée won’t like that," he replied, his voice polite but firm.
Amelia blinked. "Oh. I see." She gave a small nod, her expression unreadable.
Without saying anything more, Long Yifan turned and walked away, ignoring both Amelia and Li Mian.
His eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on someone standing quietly near the edge.
She was calm as always, arms crossed and face unreadable. When Long Yifan stopped in front of her, his cold expression softened just a little.
"How did I do?" he asked, voice low.
Gu Jin looked away slightly and gave a small nod. "It was good."
That was all she said. But Long Yifan’s eyes lit up just a bit, as if that single word meant more than a whole speech.
Before he could say anything else, Li Mian bounced over again, this time with a determined smile.
"Gu Jin!" she said, placing her hands on Gu Jin’s arm. "You have to come to my birthday party! Please? It’s my birthday wish!"
Gu Jin looked at her with a raised eyebrow, clearly not used to being begged.
As if to help her case, Li Mian suddenly turned and dragged Instructor Luo toward them. The poor man stumbled a little but stood straight once he arrived.
"Come on, Gu Jin," Instructor Luo said with a tired smile.
"You’ve been working nonstop. It wouldn’t hurt to relax for one evening."
Gu Jin paused. She understood what he meant.
It wasn’t really about the party—it was about finding more snakes lurking under the guise of the team.
After a moment, she gave a small nod.
Li Mian gasped in delight. "Yes! Thank you!"
Then she spun toward Long Yifan with wide eyes.
"Now that Gu Jin is coming, will you come too? Please? It’ll be fun!"
Long Yifan, still watching Gu Jin, nodded absentmindedly. "Sure."
Li Mian clapped her hands. "Yay! This is going to be the best birthday ever!"
As she skipped off to tell the others, Long Yifan stood quietly next to Gu Jin. The noise around them faded, but neither of them spoke.
In the crowd, the rest of the students laughed, talked, and made plans.
They didn’t need to decorate the room, since Li Mian had already decorated it according to her taste.
One by one, all members of the Chinese and English team entered the room.
When Long Yifan entered, Li Mian’s eyes brightened, and she smiled slyly.