Night of the Broken Gliph

Chapter 186

Another peaceful night passed. 

It was the start of another ordinary day for most, but today was a long-awaited day for some. 

Under the protection of the gliph formation, the citizens of South Imperial City remained unaffected by the bone-chilling weather and had the luxury of enjoying the winter comfortably. 

Today, Chui Yim was still wearing the red sleeveless shirt that Chui Tin had made him. He left his other belongings in his house next to the Wandering Sons Lake at ease as he had set up many dangerous mechanisms and alarms that released unique signals into the sky if set off. Chui Yim had notified the Chor and Tse Clan about it, who would send someone immediately if they saw the signal. 

But if someone does try to break in The thought of this put a chilling smile on Chui Yims face.  

With that, he left for the Cloud Palace.  

Chui Yim was informed of its location long ago, but this was the first time he had been to the Cloud Palace. It was way more ordinary than he expected. The prestigious institution that collected exorbitant school fees looked like an ordinary temple in the woods.

Its not much bigger than my residence at Wandering Sons Lake. Chui Yim scoffed to himself secretly. Even the Riding Clouds Academy back in Southary is way larger than this!  

If the Cloud Palace was an ordinary institution like the Riding Clouds Academy, then Chui Yim wouldnt comment much about it. But this wasnt the case; he had just paid a monstrous tuition fee to the Cloud Palace!

Chui Yim scratched his head in annoyance and decided to leave immediately if it was a place without any substance. He gritted his teeth as he walked into the worn-out temple.   

As soon as he entered, he saw an elderly man sweeping the snow away on the ground. The man glanced at Chui Yim and lowered his head once more like he was about to fall asleep. Walk straight. The classroom is on the left.  

Thanks. Chui Yim nodded as he walked on. Two worn-out courtyards at his side welcomed him a few seconds later. The courtyard on his right was huge with a wooden fence around it, while the one to the left was even smaller than the bedroom of his new house. 

Two old wooden doors that led to the courtyard looked spoiled. Chui Yim took a closer look, pushing the door open slowly after ensuring he was in the right place. Is anyone here  

Creak.  

Chui Yim pushed the door open slightly, looking through the crack

Whoosh

Numerous stares landed on Chui Yim like sharp knives. The small room was full of people, and each wore a snow-white robe that seemed to be their uniform. Chui Yim looked like an outsider. Some of them were staring at him curiously, while others were confused. There were also stares of disdain and anger.  

How dare an imposter sneak their way in here.  Go back to where you came from, a girl spoke. She had a crystal clear voice, but her words were sharp and cold. Chui Yim subconsciously looked over to realise it was a tanned girl with a ponytail. She looked sporty and gave off refreshing vibes. 

Nobody here is an imposter.  

Another voice rang out, making the girls eyes widen as she sat down respectfully. The person speaking was a woman standing at the front of the class with a serious expression. Her hair was tied neatly and uniformly. Her attire was neatly put together and exemplary.  

This is our forty-third student. Take a seat. 

I object!  

A teenager stood up with an ugly expression. He was Lee Bat Fan, the best disciple of this generations Lee Clan. He did everything he could to get this slot; besides talent, and power, ones background was also vital to getting a place in the Cloud Palaces outer sect. His mother was Lee Sin Yee, daughter of the current Lee Clan Leader. 

How tough it was for him to get the quota made him unhappy with Chui Yims presence. He scanned Chui Yim, who wasnt even in uniform and was poorly dressed. 

With a cold expression, he scoffed, How is such a person qualified to study with me? 

One person watched everything interestingly.  

It was Lam Zaa, who was expecting Chui Yim to look for him with the Crown Prince Badge to get a place in the Cloud Palaces outer sect. But it seemed like he had found himself a special quota, and Chui Yim wasnt as simple as he thought. Thus, he decided to watch the situation unfold instead of standing up for Chui Yim.  

I think theres a misunderstanding. The strict voice rang out once more. The neatly dressed women turned towards Lee Bat Fan. We are in the Cloud Palace outer sect, and Im in charge. Hes qualified if I say so, and youre not qualified if I say youre not. Dont challenge my authority.

Lee Bat Fans face fell. Considering his status back in his clan, he had never received such treatment. With a huff, he took his seat as he remembered the rules and regulations of the Cloud Palace outer sect, but he still stared at Chui Yim with disdain and mockery. 

Take your seat. The woman turned to Chui Yim gently. Chui Yim nodded and did as he was told. Luckily I can count on that old man. Chui Yim sighed to himself even though he had no idea why the woman was slightly biased towards him.  

Just like Lee Bat Fan, Chui Yim also knew how precious his slot was. Thanks to the mysterious Bak Wun, a one-chambered glipher who had a mysterious history, he was able to become a student of the Cloud Palace outer sect. This made him all the more curious about Bak Wuns secrets.

Chui Yim looked around the small classroom. Despite its small size, fitting all forty-three students was still possible. A seat was placed next to the window, with a new table and chair. The seat was known as the lonely seat. 

Why the lonely seat? Because it was mainly for people without any background who still got into the outer sect. They werent considered classmates by the others and were usually pushed aside.

And more than one person was obviously excluded by the class this year.  

There was already a person sitting at the side of the class. Like him, the teen wasnt in uniform. He wore a grey robe that was repeatedly washed until the colour nearly became white. Even though he was excluded, he still wore a calm smile. His pair of eyes felt magical as if it would suck somebody in. With his black hair, he gave out a mysterious vibe. It was hard to believe such an expression could be found in a youths eyes. 

Chui Yim walked over to the last available seat next to him.

I see that Im not the only one being excluded, Chui Yim said, not bothering to lower his volume. All the nice-looking talents of the class frowned as if Chui Yim was a stain on a beautiful drawing. 

The teen found Chui Yim interesting, flashing him a smile in return. He wasnt as aloof as he seemed, but the environment he was previously in left him with no choice but to isolate himself. Nice to meet you. Im Chin-Kee, with the surname Kam.