The Spider Queen

(Zrudread University- Main Campus)

(Central Administration Building- Principal's Office)

Sophie took in a deep breath and then knocked on the door. She heard a deep masculine voice telling her to enter so she stepped inside.

Principal Malik smiled warmly at her and displayed his canine fangs. The albino Mendolesa wore a sharp dress shirt and a pair of black pants.

There was a hole cut in the back of his pants so that his tail was allowed to stick out of his outfit.

He gestured for the young hybrid girl to sit down and then offered her a cup of steaming hot tea.

"Before we begin… welcome back to university," Principal Malik warmly spoke.

"I'm sure that it must have been inconvenient to arrive two weeks before the other students in your year."

"No… it wasn't…" Sophie began to reply but her voice was cut off by the elderly principal's laughter.

Principal Malik chuckled as he spoke, "No need to lie… I was a student as well a long time ago. If a senile old man told me to show up early before the summer vacation ended…"

"I would have been very upset."

Sophie's lips gently curved upwards as she went along with the calm and relaxing atmosphere inside the office.

Okay to be honestly… when she was told that she would have to arrive at Zrudread University early… she was a bit upset.

Who wants to have their break interrupted early?

Plus, she would have to be separated from Cleo which also sucked but at least Moon was allowed to go back with her.

Sophie reached for the tea on the desk in front of her and took a small sip. The tea was slightly hot and there was a bitter aftertaste.

Still, it was clearly made from expensive leaves since Sophie's golden eyes noticed a small metallic tin in the corner of the room.

The tin had diamond encrusted engravings along its side and the name of a premium tea brand that she recognised.

Principal Malik was treating her quite well all things considered.

"So, let's get down to business then," Principal Malik's voice interrupted Sophie's train of thought.

The elderly Mendolesa man pressed a button on the side of his desk and a holographic screen was projected into the air.

"As I am sure you know… the inter-university competition has been delayed until the end of next month so after your midterm exams," Principal Malik calmly spoke.

"This competition is open to all major cultivation universities, but the main factions will be Atlas, Zrudread, Mer and Tantibus."

"It is for good reason why we are collectively referred to as the four great universities."

This was not just an idle boast by the principal. The four great universities were equivalent to the 'Ivy League' in Sui Meng's memories.

They only accepted students with grade A or S cultivation talents and had the resources, techniques, and abilities to let their talents blossom.

Of course, that was not to say that there would be no dark horses among the lesser universities, but they were few and far between.

By the end of second year the gap in resources available meant that the students from outside the top four universities would be unable to compete.

This meant that the first-year competitions had the most potential for upsets.

"Although you are technically in second year since the competition starts in October… your year will be classified as freshmen," Principal Malik explained.

"I have very high hopes for your year. In fact, there are some teachers who believe that you all will be the next 'golden generation'."

"Thank you for the praise, sir," Sophie politely replied.

The elderly Mendolesa man grinned savagely as he connected the screen to his communicator and the projection shifted to another image.

Dozens of youthful but unfamiliar faces filled the screen and Sophie tilted her head in confusion at the unexpected sight.

"Of course, as team captain… you are expected to win the entire competition," Principal Malik nonchalantly spoke as if speaking about a trivial matter.

"We have already gathered information about the top students in the other universities but of course some information may be incomplete."

"You will be assigned extra training under Professor Macabre your poison cultivation professor to ensure that you give us the best results."

Principal Malik flicked his paws and Sophie's wrist communicator bleeped twice.

The hybrid girl glanced at the screen and saw that a message had arrived in her inbox. She opened the message and saw the data that the principal had gathered.

"Just do keep in mind…" Principal Malik's voice trailed off as he stared directly into Sophie's eyes.

"If we can find out information about their top students… then they can also find out information about you."

"Your fighting style, strengths and weaknesses have most likely already been analysed and spread among your competitors."

"Make sure that you have some hidden cards."

The meeting ended a few minutes after, and Sophie left the office with the principal's words still echoing through her mind.

He was right.

Thanks to the Virtual Net it was impossible to conceal her abilities but that did not mean that she was helpless.

Did it matter if one understood her fighting style if she moved too fast for them to react?

Still Sophie was not arrogant enough to assume that she was the most powerful cultivator among the younger generation.

The hybrid girl furrowed her brows as she stepped outside the administration building and felt the warm rays of sunlight brush against her face.

The campus was unsurprisingly empty since the students would not be coming back until a few weeks later.

There were still some people walking around but they were just a handful and travelled in groups no bigger than three.

Sophie checked her inbox and a happy smile spread across her face.

Well at least she wouldn't be completely alone.

Professor Macabre's training started tomorrow but she was given the afternoons off. That meant that she could visit Astrid!

Sophie had kept in regular contact with her friends throughout the summer vacation but there was just something about meeting people in person that felt extra special.

The hybrid girl hummed a cheerful tune as she walked towards the cafeteria to pick up something to eat.

It had been a long time since she had been on campus, and everything felt both familiar and strange at the same time.

The main campus had a lovely natural environment.

Large tall leafy trees provided shade along the walkways and green meadows of grass crunched beneath her feet.

"Oh my gosh! You're Sophie! Can I get your autograph?" an excited voice suddenly shouted.

Sophie turned in the direction of the noise and saw a lean Mendolesa girl with her tail wagging furiously from side to side.

"Sure, no problem. Do you have a pen?" Sophie gently replied. The Mendolesa girl hurriedly reached into her storage bag and pulled out a pen and piece of paper.

Sophie smiled as she signed her name and then returned the sheet of paper to the girl.

"Thank you!" the Mendolesa girl replied and then took a few pictures of the signature using her wrist communicator's camera.

Sophie shook her head and then continued her walk towards the cafeteria.

After her performance in the end of year competition she was now a famous figure on the campus.

Her name was firmly on top of the battle rankings for second year students and in a university that worshipped strength.

Sophie had a lot of admirers.