The courtyard had emptied. Morning drills had started, leaving only those who trained alone or had no place among the elite circles of the academy.
Mel Long exhaled, adjusting his grip on the training staff in his hands. He could feel the eyes on him, still skeptical, still watching.
One pair of eyes, in particular, refused to leave.
Gu Jin leaned against a wooden post, arms crossed, observing. Not with the mocking amusement of the other students, not with the wary curiosity of Si Yue—but with caution.
Mel pretended not to notice.
I remember him.
In his past life, Gu Jin had been another footnote in the academy's long history of forgotten talents. He had fought desperately against fate, clawing his way forward without resources, without support—only to die young, his name vanishing into obscurity.
Mel hadn't cared back then. He had barely registered Gu Jin's existence beyond a few brief encounters.
Now, standing in the past once more, he knew the weight of that mistake.
He tightened his grip on the staff, adjusting his stance.
"You've been watching me for a while." His voice was even, casual. "You waiting for something?"
Gu Jin didn't move from his spot, but his lips curled slightly in something that wasn't quite a smirk.
"Should I be?"
Mel chuckled. "You tell me."
A pause. A flicker of something unreadable passed through Gu Jin's expression. His gaze wasn't just skeptical—it was searching.
He's testing me.
Gu Jin pushed off the post, stepping closer, his stance relaxed but his posture sharp—the stance of a fighter who never lets his guard down.
"People change," he said, tilting his head slightly. "But not that fast. One day, you're throwing your family's money around like it'll buy you talent, and the next, you're waking up at dawn to train like a madman? Pardon me if I don't buy it."
Mel didn't react immediately.
He could hear the subtle challenge in Gu Jin's words, the demand for proof.
The old Mel Long would have bragged, made empty claims, laughed it off.
The new Mel Long?
He simply turned, lifted his staff, and took a stance that Gu Jin had never seen from him before.
Fluid. Balanced. Efficient.
"Then test it for yourself."
Gu Jin blinked. His expression didn't change, but his fingers twitched slightly—an instinctive response to a real challenge.
Mel smirked. "Unless you're afraid I'll waste your time."
Gu Jin scoffed. "You? Please." But there was something different in his voice now—less dismissive, more interested.
He cracked his knuckles, rolling his shoulders before stepping onto the training platform. Mel could see it now—the raw talent, the untapped skill buried under years of struggle.
In another life, this would have been a meaningless interaction.
But now?
Now, it was the first step toward changing both their fates.
The clash of wood against wood echoed in the training yard, the rhythmic thuds blending with the distant hum of students practicing elsewhere.
Mel Long pivoted, fluidly sidestepping Gu Jin's strike. The movement was efficient—no wasted energy, no unnecessary flair. A sharp contrast to the reckless, brute-force style that had once defined him.
Gu Jin noticed.
He pressed forward, adjusting his grip on his staff, trying to force Mel onto the defensive. His strikes were fast, precise, and—most importantly—he wasn't holding back.
Neither was Mel.
He moved with deliberate precision, redirecting each attack instead of meeting it head-on. His footwork was cleaner than Gu Jin expected. The Mel Long he had known before—spoiled, undisciplined, all talk and no patience—would have never moved like this.
The realization came like a slow drop of water into still air.
He's not just stronger. He's different.
With a final clash, Mel caught Gu Jin's staff with his own and twisted, smoothly breaking their momentum apart. Instead of continuing, he stepped back and lowered his weapon.
A silent invitation.
Enough for now.
Gu Jin's grip tightened around his staff. For a split second, he considered continuing. Testing just how much further this change in Mel Long extended.
But instead, he exhaled and lowered his weapon as well.
Neither spoke at first.
Mel simply gave a half-smile. "Still think I'm wasting my time?"
Gu Jin didn't answer right away. He glanced at the ground, rolling his shoulders as he processed what had just happened.
It wasn't that Mel had won or lost—Gu Jin had sparred with plenty of stronger opponents before.
What unsettled him was that Mel had fought like someone who had experience beyond his years.
Like someone who had trained not just for power, but for survival.
And that? That didn't make sense.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked finally. His voice was casual, but his sharp gaze betrayed his curiosity.
Mel tilted his head, wiping sweat from his brow. "What, disappointed I didn't just throw wild punches like before?"
Gu Jin clicked his tongue. "Tch. It's weird, that's all."
He stared at Mel for a long moment before sighing and stepping off the training platform. "Do what you want. Just don't expect me to start bowing and calling you 'boss' all of a sudden."
Mel chuckled. "Good. That'd be weird."
Gu Jin glanced back at him, watching the way Mel casually rested his staff against his shoulder, completely at ease.
It was frustrating.
He had spent years clawing for every ounce of improvement, struggling for recognition, while noble heirs like Mel Long had everything handed to them.
And yet, here he was—suddenly serious, suddenly training like a man possessed.
The old Mel Long would have laughed off a sparring session like this. He would have mocked Gu Jin's lack of resources, boasted about his name, tried to buy his way into power.
This one?
This Mel Long was patient. Calculated. Focused.
It was unsettling.
And frustratingly, it was also a little bit impressive.
Gu Jin sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Whatever. Do what you want. If you get stomped in a month, don't say I didn't warn you."
He turned to leave—but for the first time, he wasn't walking away because he dismissed Mel.
He was walking away because he wasn't sure what to think yet.
Mel watched him go, his smirk fading into something more thoughtful.
This was a start.
He wasn't trying to change people's opinions overnight.
But if there was one thing he had learned in his past life, it was that you didn't earn trust with words—you earned it with actions.
Gu Jin didn't trust him yet.
But the fact that he wasn't completely dismissing him anymore?
That was more than enough for now.