The match had ended not with an explosion, but with a silence that struck harder than applause.
Yan Shen stood where his opponent had fallen, not out of arrogance, but quiet expectation. The boy hadn't been weak, his strikes had been fast, his fire Qi bold, but none of it had mattered. A flick of a wrist. The pressure in the air. That was all it had taken.
Around the training ring, murmurs spread like wind over dry leaves.
Far above, on the highest balcony overlooking the entire West Training Ring, Elder Mai sat in serene silence. Her long gray sleeves hung motionless in the wind, her expression unreadable. Her seat was elevated- not just by architecture, but by authority.
To her left sat Lanlan, robed in pale blue inner sect silks-not gaudy, but sharp. Her hair was pinned back in a style befitting a personal disciple, though a loose strand betrayed her youth.
Below them, on the lower viewing platform, the inner disciples gathered, dressed well, eyes sharp, postures proud. And among them, one leaned lazily on the balcony rail: Butterfly Sin, strategist prodigy of Green Willow Pavilion.
Her black hair was cropped short and uneven, her robe open at the shoulder. A jade flute hung across her waist, along with a fan she never seemed to open. Her eyes tracked movement constantly, analyzing, labeling.
Beside her stood her only male servant,a quiet, silver-eyed youth named Ren Sui, carrying her scroll case like it was a ceremonial weapon.
"He's holding back," Butterfly Sin said aloud, tapping her fan on the rail. "His footwork's too tight for someone from the outer villages."
Ren Sui nodded, then glanced up at the highest balcony. "Elder Mai's watching him. Closely."
Butterfly Sin smirked. "Of course she is."
---
Elder Mai's voice entered Lanlan's mind like a drop of water into a calm pool: Do you know this boy?
Lanlan's breath caught. She kept her face still. Yes, she answered through thought. We grew up together. He's… he's always protected me.
Elder Mai glanced sidelang at her student. Then back down at the training ring. You admire him.
I always have, Lanlan admitted softly, cheeks warming. I… wanted to follow him. I still do.
The corners of Elder Mai's lips turned upward, a rare smile. Then I will give you a choice. But he must earn it.
She lifted a single finger under the sleeve of her robe, gathering a whisper of spiritual will and sent it down toward the arena like a falling leaf: Win the next match,Elder Mai's voice brushed against Yan Shen's mind, light but undeniable. And you will see her sooner.
Before Yan Shen could react, footsteps approached—deliberate, light, impossible to ignore.
Ji Suyin.
The same girl who had collided with him just a day before. Sixteen years old. Body Refinement Realm—late stage. Pretty in a way that knew it, with a crimson sash tied a bit tighter than required.
She smiled as she approached the edge of the ring, hands behind her back. "You really are something," she said softly. "I thought you were just stiff when I bumped into you."
Yan Shen didn't reply. He studied her calmly.
"But now I understand. That wasn't stiffness. That was pressure. Coiled force."
She stepped closer, violating personal space without hesitation. "Tell me something," she whispered, voice silky. "What's your realm? Be truthful with me."
"Qi Gathering," Yan Shen replied flatly. "Very close to middle stage."
Her eyes widened. Not mock surprise. Real. "That's impossible," she breathed. "With that body? With that presence?"
Then her tone shifted, lighter, breathier. "You must be hiding more than just power."
She reached out, fingertips grazing the inside of his wrist subtle, but unmistakable. "I like strong ones," she whispered, smiling.
Then, just as suddenly, she turned and walked away robes fluttering like ribbons in wind.
High above, seated beside Elder Mai on the highest platform, Lanlan leaned forward without realizing it.
At first, she had simply watched the match, amazed but not surprised. That was Yan Shen. Of course he stood like that. Of course he won like that. Of course the flame Qi attack didn't move him.
But when the girl - Ji Suyin stepped forward from the crowd, all ease left Lanlan's body. She didn't recognize her by name. But the walk… the robe length… the touch…
Lanlan's breath caught when she saw Suyin's fingers graze Yan Shen's wrist. And then… he let her. No recoil. No dismissal. Just… calm stillness. Too calm.
Lanlan's jaw clenched subtly. Her voice stayed quiet, but the thoughts behind her eyes moved like a gathering storm. Who is she? Why is she touching him? Why… is he letting her?
From beside her, Elder Mai gave a small knowing hum. "That one," she said aloud, "is Ji Suyin. Inner sect. Late Body Refinement. Her family has… resources. She trains under Elder Mu."
Lanlan didn't respond. She watched Ji Suyin's retreating form, the way she glanced back once, lips still curled in satisfaction. She's trying to mark him… She already has.
The emotions that rose were unfamiliar. Not anger. Not jealousy. But a kind of quiet fear the fear of distance growing too fast. For years, it had always been Yan Shen and her, side by side. Whether he was ahead or behind, he was close.
Now? She could feel it- the shift. He was walking into a world where girls like Ji Suyin made the rules. And she… she was beginning to wonder if she still belonged.
Elder Mai didn't speak at first. She simply sipped from the slender porcelain cup in her hand, eyes still on the sparring platform below. But then, without turning her head, she murmured, just loud enough for Lanlan to hear: "Careful, little fish. You're leaking vinegar into the tea breeze."
Lanlan blinked. "What?"
Mai finally turned, one silver brow arched, the corner of her mouth tilted in the faintest smile. "That look in your eyes. The kind a girl gets when someone touches her peach before she's picked it."
Lanlan flushed immediately—a soft pink blooming from her collar to her ears. She opened her mouth, closed it again. "She... she..., it's not like that..."
"Mm," Mai said, clearly unconvinced. "And yet, here you are leaning forward like you might jump down there and knock the girl's hand off yourself."
Lanlan's face burned. She dropped her gaze to her lap, fingers curling slightly over her robes. "...She's stronger than me."
Elder Mai's smile faded, not with disapproval, but thoughtfulness. She reached out and gently tapped Lanlan's hand. "And yet, you're still the one he's carrying in his heart."
Lanlan looked up, startled.
Mai held her gaze, soft but firm. "Don't lose yourself just because the mountain turned steeper. Climb with him. Or better yet…" She leaned in slightly. "Let him see you climb past him."
Lanlan didn't answer, but she didn't look away either.
Down below, the crowd shifted. The proctor called out the next match.
And Yan Shen stood there at his spot again, back straight, hands at ease.