Chapter 1: The Ninth Brand

The entrance array of the academy read every student like an open scroll. It sorted them into eight gates, each with its banner, its dormitory, and its debts.

When Lin Mo stepped onto the array, the stones burned white and drew a ninth mark that no examiner could name.

The proctors argued for an hour. In the end they gave him a bed in the storage tower and a warning: attend every lecture, and answer no questions about the brand.