Morning sunlight stretched across the Clear Sky Sect, turning the jade bridges golden and painting the mist in soft shades of silver-blue.
Disciples hurried along the pathways.
Outer disciples carried baskets of herbs.
Inner disciples practiced blade techniques on the cloud platforms.
Elders floated across the sky like astral shadows.
The Clear Sky Sect was alive.
And Hao Wuya stepped into this life as quietly as a falling leaf.
---
A COLD WELCOME
Elder Yun Feixue led Wuya and Xueyi up the grand path.
Wooden steps curved through the mountainside, surrounded by peach trees and spirit bamboo. Mist curled beneath their feet.
As they walked, disciples whispered from behind pillars and stones.
"That's the boy Elder Yun accepted."
"He didn't even bow when entering the hall!"
"Ruthless!"
"No, just clueless."
"Hey, what rank is he?"
"I heard he opened three veins already."
"That's impossible."
"That's ridiculous."
"That's dangerous."
Wuya didn't look at any of them.
Xueyi, however, bared her teeth like an angry kitten.
"Wuya… do you want me to scare them?"
"No."
"You sure? Just one glare! One little death threat!"
"…No."
"Tch! You're soft."
"…I am normal."
"NO YOU AREN'T!"
Wuya blinked slowly.
"...True."
Elder Yun Feixue suppressed a smile.
"Wuya, Xueyi. Inside the sect, you must ignore idle chatter. Strength speaks for itself."
Xueyi nodded vigorously.
Wuya nodded calmly.
A group of five disciples approached, blocking the path.
Their leader was tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp brows and a mocking smile.
His name tag read:
"Chen Liang — First-Class Inner Disciple"
He looked at Wuya with contempt.
"So you're the outer brat Elder Yun decided to accept personally."
Wuya blinked.
"…Yes."
Chen Liang scoffed.
"No courtesy? No bow? No respect? You walk into Clear Sky Sect like it's your backyard?"
Wuya looked at him.
"…This path belongs to everyone."
Xueyi whispered:
"Oh no… he's provoking him again."
Chen Liang stepped closer.
"You think you can walk beside Elder Yun?"
Wuya blinked.
"I am her disciple."
Disciples around them gasped.
Chen Liang's face darkened.
"You think she belongs to you?"
Wuya tilted his head slightly.
"…She is my master."
Chen Liang nearly boiled.
Xueyi burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Wuya, I LOVE how you talk!"
Wuya blinked at her.
Chen Liang pointed a finger at Wuya.
"I challenge you."
Wuya stared at the finger.
"Why?"
Chen Liang blinked.
"…Because you are disrespectful."
"I did not disrespect you."
Chen Liang gritted his teeth.
"That's the problem! You don't know your place!"
Wuya looked at Elder Yun.
She nodded calmly.
"In Clear Sky Sect, duels among peers are allowed. But only with restraint."
Wuya nodded slightly.
"…Understood."
Xueyi cheered.
"Beat him respectfully!"
Wuya turned back to Chen Liang.
"I accept."
---
THE FIRST DUEL
A crowd formed quickly.
Disciples whispered excitedly.
"Who is he to accept Chen Liang's challenge?!"
"He has no cultivation!"
"Chen Liang will break him!"
"Is he stupid or confident?"
Wuya stepped into the circle calmly.
Chen Liang cracked his knuckles.
"I will only use ten percent of my strength."
"Use whatever you want," Wuya replied quietly.
Chen Liang's eye twitched.
"…You arrogant little—!"
He charged.
Lightning-quick.
Sharp footwork.
Body-reinforcement Qi flickering over his skin.
The ground cracked under his step.
Xueyi gasped.
"Wuya—!"
But Wuya didn't move.
He watched Chen Liang's movement—
The path of his punch—
The angle of his foot—
The shift of his hip—
The rhythm of his breathing—
The swirl of the wind—
And his body responded…
before his mind commanded it.
[Minor Dao Sense (Wind) Activated]
Wuya stepped aside.
Chen Liang's punch sliced empty air—missing him by a hair.
The crowd gasped.
"He dodged that without Qi!"
"Impossible!"
"H-How did he see that?!"
Chen Liang snarled.
"LUCK!"
He swung again.
Wuya leaned back—
barely—
The strike grazed his hair.
A third punch.
A fourth.
Chen Liang blurred with speed.
But Wuya saw them all.
Not with eyes—
With instinct.
With the faint line of the wind's flow.
His breath was steady.
His steps were clean.
His calmness was terrifying.
Even Elder Yun raised an eyebrow.
"…He can already see movement clearly with only three veins?"
Tianhai, watching from a distance, smiled faintly.
"He was born with more clarity than most acquire in a lifetime."
Chen Liang roared in frustration.
"You… you monster…!"
Wuya stepped forward.
He moved inside Chen Liang's attack range—
the most dangerous place.
Chen Liang swung—
Wuya's palm touched his chest—
And Chen Liang flew backward.
Silence engulfed the crowd.
"He didn't use Qi."
"He used no technique."
"How strong… is he REALLY?"
Wuya stood calmly.
Chen Liang coughed blood, staring in disbelief.
"…How…?"
Wuya answered simply:
"You attacked without seeing."
Xueyi burst into laughter.
"Wuya! That's a death sentence for his pride!"
Chen Liang tried to get up.
Failed.
Fell again.
Elder Yun stepped forward.
"The victor is Hao Wuya."
The crowd bowed as she walked past.
Wuya followed her.
Xueyi skipped behind them proudly.
Chen Liang whispered through gritted teeth:
"…I will not forget this."
But Wuya didn't even look back.
---
ELDER YUN'S COURTYARD
Elder Yun Feixue led them to a tranquil courtyard surrounded by plum trees.
"This will be where you train and stay."
Wuya looked around.
The air was calm.
Pure.
Refined.
"This place is… peaceful."
Yun Feixue nodded.
"It is one of the ancient courtyards left from before the sect's founding."
Xueyi raised an eyebrow.
"Why give him THIS place?"
Elder Yun smiled.
"Because Wuya's presence will attract danger. This courtyard is heavily warded."
Xueyi blinked.
"…Oh."
Yun Feixue turned to Wuya.
"Sit."
Wuya sat cross-legged.
Yun Feixue knelt before him.
Their eyes met.
In her gaze, Wuya saw:
Gentle sorrow.
Hidden strength.
An inner world scarred by battles and betrayals.
She raised her hand.
"I will test your meridians."
Xueyi puffed her cheeks.
"I feel jealous…"
Wuya blinked.
"…Why?"
"Because she gets to touch your hand first!"
"…That is not important."
"It is VERY important!!"
Elder Yun smiled faintly and placed a hand on Wuya's wrist.
A soft blue Qi entered him.
Her brow furrowed.
"…Your meridians are incredibly pure. Impossible for someone with no cultivation."
Tianhai stood at the entrance.
"He was born with potential."
Yun Feixue shook her head.
"No. This is not potential."
She gazed deeper into Wuya's meridians.
"This is a foundation meant for something beyond mortal cultivation."
Wuya remained calm.
Xueyi leaned closer.
"Does that mean he's special?"
"More than special."
Yun Feixue pulled back.
She cupped Wuya's face gently.
"You must never show your true growth. The world cannot handle it."
Wuya nodded.
"I understand."
Her voice softened.
"You must be patient, Wuya."
"I can wait."
"I will train you slowly."
"That is fine."
"You must not rush."
"…I won't."
She smiled warmly.
"You are a good disciple."
Xueyi pouted.
"Master, don't fall for him."
Yun Feixue coughed softly.
"…Ahem."
---
TIANHAI'S NEWS
Tianhai stepped forward.
"Wuya. Xueyi."
Both turned.
"I must leave the sect for some time."
Xueyi panicked.
"What?! Why?! Uncle Tianhai—!"
Wuya lowered his head.
"…Danger?"
Tianhai nodded.
"Heaven-Seeking Beasts do not appear without someone sending them. Hunters do not move alone. And Fate Scribes do not watch mortals by accident."
Xueyi grabbed Tianhai's sleeve.
"Then don't go!"
Tianhai touched her head.
"I must."
Wuya finally spoke.
"Will you return?"
Tianhai smiled gently.
"Of course."
Xueyi's eyes filled with tears.
"…Promise?"
He nodded.
"I promise."
He looked at Wuya again.
"Be strong.
Protect Xueyi.
Trust Elder Yun."
Wuya nodded quietly.
"…I will."
Tianhai walked away slowly.
Then he vanished in a single step.
---
FOURTH SIGN-IN HINT
As soon as Tianhai disappeared—
The Codex pulsed.
Wuya held his chest.
"…It moved again."
Xueyi grabbed him.
"What is it? Is it exploding? Don't explode—don't explode—"
"…It is not exploding."
"ARE YOU SURE—?!"
"…Yes."
A whisper echoed inside him:
[Fourth Sign-In Location: Assigned]
[Condition: Breakthrough Attempt]
[Time: Soon]
Wuya blinked.
"…Breakthrough?"
Elder Yun looked at him.
"You will begin cultivation training tomorrow.
Body Tempering.
Breath Guidance.
Meridian Stretching."
Wuya nodded.
"I'm ready."
Xueyi tugged his sleeve.
"You better not die."
"…I won't."
"You better let me train with you!"
"…Okay."
"You better not get too strong before me!"
"…I will try."
"That means YES!"
"…Yes."
---
A SHADOW WITHIN THE SECT
Meanwhile—
In a dark hall deep within the sect—
A hooded elder slammed his fist onto the floor.
"The forbidden aura… has entered the sect."
A woman knelt beside him.
"Should we eliminate him?"
"No. Not yet."
"Then what?"
The elder's eyes glowed faintly.
"We will watch.
And when he awakens fully…"
He smiled coldly.
"…We will take what belongs to Heaven."
---
WUYA'S FIRST CULTIVATION NIGHT
Wuya sat beneath a plum tree in Elder Yun's courtyard.
Xueyi leaned against his shoulder, half-asleep.
The moon shone overhead, bright and cold.
Wuya breathed slowly.
His three veins pulsed faintly.
The Primordial Breath Thread stirred within him, guiding him toward cultivation.
Xueyi whispered softly:
"Wuya… stay with me always…"
"…I will."
"You better…"
Her head fell against his neck.
She fell asleep.
Wuya looked at her gently.
Then closed his eyes.
The Codex whispered:
[Soon.]
Wuya opened his eyes to the night sky.
"Soon," he whispered back.