Sunlight filtered through the mountain pines as the elite training grounds slowly emptied.
Most disciples left in small clusters, whispering fiercely about what they had witnessed.
"Chi Yao lost…""Mu Yanting is watching him more closely now.""Xu Jian seems interested.""This newcomer is going to shake everything."
Zhou Shan followed behind Lian Hong, collapsed emotionally but physically still alive.
"Bro… today felt like walking through a field of tigers while wearing a meat costume… I'm going to have nightmares…"
Lian Hong did not reply.
He could feel something else—a weight in the air that had nothing to do with Chi Yao's hostilityand nothing to do with the elite disciples' jealousy.
Somethingolder.Heavier.Sharper.
Someone watched the entire fight.Someone skilled enough that even the elite disciples didn't sense them.
But Lian Hong had—if only faintly.
He felt the presence vanish like smoke the moment training ended.
The system chimed.
[Unknown Observer Presence Residual: 2%][Tracking Impossible – Cultivation Level Too High]
Lian Hong frowned slightly.
Someone strong was interested in him—and not in a "mentor" kind of way.
A Sudden Summons
Before he could dwell further, a voice called out:
"Lian Hong!"
He turned.
A young female disciple in sky-blue robes approached.She wore a lacquered token around her waist—the emblem of the sect's administrative branch.
Zhou Shan's eyes bulged.
"T-That token… bro, that's from the Merit Pavilion…!"
The girl bowed slightly.
"Instructor Wei Feng and Elder Yu Qing request your presence at the Inner Council Hall."
Zhou Shan screamed inside his soul.
"WHAT—!? THAT'S WHERE THEY SUMMON CORE DISCIPLES AND TROUBLEMAKERS—!! BRO WHICH ONE ARE YOU!??"
Lian Hong responded calmly:
"I understand. Lead the way."
But the girl lifted a hand.
"Only you. He stays."
She glanced at Zhou Shan sympathetically.
"Your friend… may faint inside."
Zhou Shan wiped imaginary tears.
"Thank you for your understanding…"
Inner Council Hall – The Pressure of High Places
The hall was vast.Pillars carved with ancient beasts loomed overhead.Scrolls of past sect legends lined the walls.
And at the center stood Elder Yu Qing.
Her purple robes fluttered softly even though there was no wind.Her eyes, calm and piercing, locked onto Lian Hong the moment he entered.
"Instructor Wei will arrive shortly," she said."Until then… let us speak."
Lian Hong bowed respectfully.
"Elder."
She observed him quietly, as if examining not his body or cultivation—but his fate.
Finally she asked:
"What is your true goal in the Azure Spirit Sect?"
Zhou Shan's voice would've been screaming"DON'T SAY REVENGE!""DON'T SAY INNER SECT IN 90 DAYS!""DON'T SAY ANYTHING CRAZY—!!"
But Lian Hong answered plainly.
"To climb."
Yu Qing raised one eyebrow.
"Climb where?"
"As high as possible."
She smiled slightly.
"Even if it means drawing the attention of dangerous enemies?"
Lian Hong held her gaze.
"I've already drawn them."
Yu Qing's smile faded.
"Indeed."
She gestured to the shadows along the hall's edge, where black lines of qi drifted like spiderwebs.
"Someone interfered in your assessment," she said."A presence far above your realm."
Lian Hong's pulse tightened.
She continued:
"We don't yet know who they are…but be careful."
Before he could speak, a cold voice echoed from the entrance.
"Weaklings draw flies, but geniuses draw predators."
Instructor Wei Feng entered, his cloak billowing.
He nodded to Yu Qing, then focused on Lian Hong.
"You fought well today. Too well."
He tossed a small jade strip at Lian Hong.Lian Hong caught it effortlessly.
"This," Wei Feng said,"is an invitation."
The jade strip glowed with faint runes.
Yu Qing explained softly:
"The Inner Gate Selection Preliminaries will begin soon.Only elite disciples may attend."
Wei Feng added:
"Most elite disciples spend five years preparing for this event."
He stepped closer.
"You have ninety days."
He didn't soften his tone.
"And many want you dead before those ninety days end."
Zhou Shan would have passed out by now.
Lian Hong simply asked:
"What must I do?"
Wei Feng smirked.
"Simple."
His voice dropped.
"Crush the competition."
Yu Qing added:
"And survive."
Then both elders turned away.
"You are dismissed."
Outside – A Sudden Encounter
Lian Hong left the hall calmly.
But as soon as he stepped into the sunlight—
a powerful killing intent flashed behind him.
Instant.Sharp.Targeted.
Lian Hong spun—
and blocked a strikeaimed at his neck.
A hand withdrew silently.
A man with a silver mask leaned against a pillar, arms crossed.
His presence was icy.Emotionless.Far more dangerous than Chi Yaoor even Xu Jian.
He studied Lian Hong for a long moment.
Then said, voice barely above a whisper:
"So you are the reason they're watching the outer sect."
Lian Hong lowered his hand.
"Who are you?"
The masked man didn't answer.
He simply stepped forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet.
"Remember this," he said."If you cross my path during the Selection—"
His killing intent thickened like frost.
"—I will show you what real despair is."
Then he vanished.
As if he was never there.
The system chimed softly:
[Extreme Danger Detected][Unknown Inner Sect Disciple – Rank: Unmeasurable][Warning: Avoid direct confrontation]
Lian Hong exhaled.
So an Inner Sect predator has come down to sniff out prey.
But he felt something else.
Excitement.
He clenched his fist.
"I will climb," he whispered.
"Even if heaven blocks the way."
Far Away – A Storm Begins to Form
High in the mountains, the masked figure reappeared before a man in azure robes—the same young master who once played the jade flute.
"You saw him?" the young master asked.
"Yes," the masked figure answered."He is… unusual."
The young master's eyes narrowed.
"A threat?"
"…potentially."
The young master smiled faintly.
"Good.I enjoy eliminating potential threats."
A breeze carried his cold laughter down the slopes.
The storm had begun.