The courtyard smelled of scorched stone and blood. Broken tiles lay scattered, the once-pristine sect grounds scarred by cracks where golden qi and demonic fire had collided. Lanterns flickered weakly in the aftermath of the battle, their light casting long shadows over the exhausted disciples.
A hush fell across the survivors, the silence heavier than the battle cries had been. It was the silence of men and women who had glimpsed the edge of death, only to stagger back alive.
Then the whispers began.
"Did you see him? Senior Brother Jiang Hao—""He didn't even move… but the enemies just—fell.""It was like invisible hands crushed them… He was drinking tea the whole time!""That's impossible… but… I saw it too."
The voices, though hushed, spread like ripples through a pond. Disciples who had long dismissed Jiang Hao as nothing more than a quiet background figure now replayed every detail they had seen, piecing together a terrifying truth.
Lin Xueyao sat on a broken step, her blade resting limply in her lap. Her body was coated in dust and sweat, but her mind burned hotter than any wound. She closed her eyes briefly, the memory of three assassins lunging toward her flashing vividly. Their blades were about to strike—until they froze midair and collapsed like dolls with their strings cut.
She had fought beside Jiang Hao before. She had trained with him, spoken to him, even laughed at how lazy he seemed. But what she had witnessed tonight shattered that image.
Just who are you, Jiang Hao?
Elder Tian stood at the center of the courtyard, his sword still humming faintly with residual qi. His golden aura dimmed slowly, his breathing steady despite the battle. Unlike the disciples, his sharp gaze lingered on Jiang Hao, who calmly stacked his tea cup on the table and brushed a fleck of dust from his sleeve.
The elder's thoughts churned.
The boy moved only once in plain sight… yet every ripple in the battlefield bore his hand. He fought without moving, restrained his presence, and dismantled assassins who would have slaughtered unprepared disciples. Even I almost missed it.
He was both impressed and unsettled. In all his years guiding disciples, he had never encountered one who cloaked his power so deeply, so naturally, as if it were his very skin.
Finally, Elder Tian spoke, his voice echoing across the battered courtyard. "All disciples, tend to the wounded and restore order. The sect stands, and we will not falter. Tonight, we endured."
The disciples straightened immediately, bowing despite their exhaustion. "Yes, Elder Tian!"
As the young cultivators began clearing the battlefield, Elder Tian's gaze fell once more on his disciple. "Jiang Hao."
Jiang Hao turned his head lazily, eyes calm. "Yes, Master?"
Elder Tian's eyes searched him for a long moment, then softened slightly. "You… did well tonight. You have my thanks."
Jiang Hao inclined his head. "I only did what was necessary."
The elder gave a short nod, but in his heart, his conviction deepened. This boy… perhaps I must protect him more carefully than I thought. His strength is not just hidden—it is dangerous, in the eyes of Heaven itself. If word of him spreads too quickly…
The disciples whispered still, though quieter under their elder's gaze. Lin Xueyao, however, could no longer contain her curiosity. She approached Jiang Hao, her steps hesitant.
He noticed, of course—he noticed everything—but he didn't turn until she stopped in front of him.
"You…" she began, but her voice caught. She swallowed and tried again. "You saved me."
Jiang Hao blinked once, expression neutral. "Did I?"
Her brows furrowed. "Don't play dumb with me. I know what I saw."
"You saw an enemy stumble," Jiang Hao replied lightly. "The battlefield is chaos. Such things happen."
Her lips parted, stunned by his dismissal. She clenched her fists. "Then… why hide it? Why pretend to be ordinary when you're not? You could have protected everyone from the start!"
For the first time, Jiang Hao looked directly at her. His gaze wasn't cold, but steady, like a still lake reflecting the moon.
"Because," he said softly, "I value peace more than glory. Power attracts storms. I only wish to live quietly."
Her chest tightened. His words were simple, but the weight behind them silenced her protests.
He stepped past her then, moving with unhurried grace as if the battle had been nothing more than a passing rain shower. Lin Xueyao turned, watching his back, her emotions tangled.
Night deepened, the sect's wounds slowly stitched by medicine and quiet prayer. Yet Elder Tian did not retire. He stood at the edge of the courtyard, staring into the mist where the enemy had retreated.
He knew the Demon Sect's attack was not random. Their force had been measured, probing, as though searching for something—or someone.
And tonight, for the first time, his disciple had revealed a glimpse of his true self.
The elder's hands folded behind his back. Jiang Hao, my child… I will shield you from Heaven's eyes as long as I breathe. But can even I conceal you forever?
The wind howled faintly across the mountaintop. Somewhere deep in the forest, a crow cried.
Within the sect walls, Jiang Hao finally stepped into his quarters. He closed the door gently, sighed, and sat at his small desk. The moonlight filtered in, illuminating his calm expression.
He whispered, almost amused, "Nine to five, no overtime. Even if the Demon Sect insists on scheduling battles after hours."
His lips curved faintly at his own jest. Then his eyes closed, his breathing slow and even, like a man who had never fought a battle at all.
Outside, however, the whispers of his name grew louder, spreading through the sect like wildfire. And beyond the mountains, in shadowed halls lit by blood-red lanterns, the Demon Sect's leaders took note.
"Jiang Hao…" one rasped. "We have found a worthy piece on the board."
The night stretched long after the Demon Sect's retreat. Though the courtyard had been swept of corpses and the worst of the fires doused, the air still carried the metallic tang of blood and the acrid stench of burnt qi. Azure Heaven Sect stood, but its wounds were plain for all to see.
Elder Tian oversaw the final patrols, his golden aura dimmed to a quiet flame. His voice carried calm authority as he assigned shifts to the elders and instructed disciples to rest. Yet even as he commanded with unwavering composure, his thoughts lingered elsewhere.
His gaze drifted once more to the modest quarters where Jiang Hao had retired. Behind that plain wooden door rested a youth whose power exceeded even his own in ways he dared not speak aloud.
You cannot hide forever, boy, Elder Tian thought grimly. But I will buy you as much time as possible.
Inside, Jiang Hao had already laid down, hands folded behind his head, his breathing calm. He should have slept soundly, but tonight the echoes of his past life stirred faintly.
A memory surfaced—of fluorescent lights, of a glowing computer screen, of stacked paperwork that never dwindled. His body hunched over a desk until exhaustion claimed him, his heart stopping in the quiet hours after midnight.
The bitterness of it almost made him laugh.
"I swore," he whispered into the dark, "no more overtime."
Here in this world, he had everything he wanted: three simple meals a day, sunrise to sunset shifts, no unnecessary exertion. Yet already storms knocked at his door.
"Why can't people just work during scheduled hours?" he murmured dryly, though his eyes stayed closed.
Despite his tone, the faintest trace of weariness crossed his expression. He knew the Demon Sect would not stop. They had seen something tonight, even if they didn't understand it fully. And sooner or later, Heaven's eyes would follow.
But still, he sealed his power. Still, he buried his true strength beneath layers of stillness. Because Jiang Hao wasn't fighting for the world. He was fighting for a life worth living.
Peace. Quiet. No overtime.
Sleep claimed him at last, deep and untroubled, as if the night's chaos had never touched him at all.
Far from Azure Heaven Sect, beyond forests drowned in fog, within the depths of the Black Iron Gorge, torches burned with sickly crimson light. The headquarters of the Demon Sect seethed with dark qi, each flickering flame casting twisted shadows against stone walls carved with runes of blood.
A long hall stretched into the darkness, where masked elders sat in silence. At the far end, a throne carved of obsidian loomed high, upon which sat a man cloaked in black, his face hidden beneath a veil of shadow. His presence alone bent the air, his qi suffocating, his will unquestioned.
The Demon Sovereign.
Before him knelt the crimson-masked warrior who had fought Elder Tian and tasted Jiang Hao's unseen hand. His cracked mask lay shattered at his feet, his body trembling as blood dripped from his lips.
"You return empty-handed," the Demon Sovereign's voice rumbled, low and terrible.
"My Lord…" The warrior bowed until his head struck the cold stone. "The sect resisted fiercely. Elder Tian himself appeared. And… there was another."
Another silence, heavier than death.
"Another?"
"Yes, my Lord. A… a disciple. He barely moved, yet his presence was suffocating. I felt him crush my men without lifting a finger. His aura was sealed, hidden, but his power… It was not ordinary."
The hall stirred. Several masked elders shifted, murmuring.
"A hidden genius?""Another prodigy among those self-righteous sects?""No… something more."
The Demon Sovereign's shadowed face tilted slightly. "A name."
The warrior swallowed. "They called him Jiang Hao."
The Sovereign leaned back, the silence stretching until the warrior felt his bones turn to ice. Then, a dark chuckle filled the hall, low and cruel.
"A disciple strong enough to bend a battlefield while sipping tea…" the Sovereign murmured. "Interesting."
One of the masked elders spoke sharply. "Shall we eliminate him, my Lord? Before he matures into a threat?"
The Sovereign raised a hand, silencing him.
"No. Not yet. A youth who hides his strength so deeply is no fool. If we move rashly, we may alert those who guard him. Elder Tian, perhaps even the Sect Master himself."
His voice deepened, every word thrumming with malevolent intent.
"Watch him. Probe him. If his strength grows… we will decide whether he is to be destroyed—or… brought into our fold."
The hall echoed with murmurs of assent, the Demon Sect's hungry eyes already fixed on a name now etched in their plans.
Jiang Hao.
Back in Azure Heaven Sect, Elder Tian stood alone atop the outer wall, gazing into the distance where the mist concealed the enemy's retreat. The night wind tugged at his indigo robes, carrying with it the faint smell of blood and smoke.
His heart was heavy.
My disciple… my son in all but blood. You wish for peace, for an ordinary life. Yet fate itself stirs against you. The more you seal your power, the more the world will seek to unseal it. And Heaven… Heaven does not forgive those who slip its gaze.
He clenched his fists behind his back, his stern face shadowed by the moonlight.
"If the heavens dare target him," he whispered into the night, his voice steel, "they will answer to me first."
And so, while the sect patched its wounds and the disciples drifted to uneasy sleep, two forces turned their eyes toward Jiang Hao: his master, who vowed to protect him no matter the cost… and the Demon Sect, who saw in him either their ruin or their weapon.
Yet Jiang Hao himself slept soundly, his only concern being whether tomorrow's duties would extend past sunset.