The wind howled across the white marble bridge, tugging at Lin Kai's worn robes. He had already taken a dozen steps toward the Southern Quadrant, his back turned to the Hall of Potential, ready to retreat into his shell of isolation.
"Kai."
The voice was gentle but firm. Lin Kai paused, turning halfway. Master Feng Xiu was standing at the archway of the bridge, leaning heavily on his wooden staff. The old healer's eyes were fixed on the distant plaza where the crowd was still buzzing.
"Master Feng?" Lin Kai asked, confused. "The test is over. I failed. There is nothing left for me there but more stares."
"Not quite," Feng Xiu said, shaking his head slowly. "The test is finished, yes. But Deacon Lin Quan is about to make an announcement. An announcement concerning the future movements of the younger generation."
Lin Kai frowned. "What does that have to do with me? I'm not part of the 'younger generation' in their eyes. I'm just a stain on the floor."
"Listen to an old man," Feng Xiu stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You have always looked at the clouds, Kai. You have always asked me about the maps of the Violet Yang Domain. If you truly wish to fly, you must know where the wind is blowing. Go back. Just listen."
Lin Kai looked at the old man, then back at the Hall. A flicker of curiosity—and hope—ignited in his chest.
"You think...?"
"I think you might find it interesting," Feng Xiu smiled enigmatically. "Go. I will wait here."
Lin Kai didn't waste another second. He bobbed his head in thanks and broke into a run, his sandals slapping against the marble. Xiao Bai clung to his shoulder, her claws digging in slightly for grip as he sprinted back toward the plaza.
He didn't enter the center this time. He stuck to the shadows of a large decorative pillar near the entrance, trying to make himself invisible.
He arrived just in time.
The murmurs of the crowd died down as Deacon Lin Quan raised his hands. The atmosphere had shifted from tension to celebration. The "weeding out" was done; now, only the "crops" remained.
"Attention!" Lin Quan's voice boomed. "You have all proven your potential today. Whether you are Earth Grade or more than it, you are now true disciples of the Lin Clan."
The teenagers puffed out their chests, pride radiating from them.
"But," Lin Quan continued, his tone turning serious. "A tiger raised in a cage is nothing more than a cat. The Lin Clan does not raise cats. We raise Kings."
He swept his gaze over the crowd.
"Starting next week, the restriction on the Pocket Dimension will be lifted for this cohort. You are ordered to leave the Ancestral Realm."
A collective gasp of excitement rippled through the plaza. For many of these children, who had spent their entire lives inside this floating paradise, the "Outside World" was a land of myths and legends.
"You will travel to Flame Cloud City," Lin Quan announced. "It is the capital of our Violet Yang Domain, the heart of commerce and cultivation in the Central East. There, you will not rely on your parents. You will join the subsidiary sects, enter the Monster Hunting Guilds, or manage the Clan's businesses."
"Real combat!" a boy whispered excitedly to his friend.
"I'm going to the Alchemy Guild!" another girl squealed.
"Silence!" Lin Quan barked. "Do not celebrate yet. The outside world is cruel. There are no elders there to wipe your tears. If you die, you die. To ensure the survival of our bloodline, the Clan will grant each passing disciple Three Life-Saving Treasures."
Cheers erupted again.
Lin Kai, hiding behind the pillar, felt his heart hammering against his ribs.
'Flame Cloud City...'
He had read about it in the dusty books Feng Xiu brought him. A massive metropolis built on top of a dormant volcano. A place where millions of cultivators gathered. A place where races mixed, where auctions were held, where opportunities were endless.
'If I can go there...' Lin Kai thought, his fingers twitching. 'I can find my own way. I can find a way to cultivate this Darkness. I won't be the 'Trash of the Pocket Realm' anymore. I'll just be another face in the crowd.'
"However," Lin Quan added, a cruel smirk touching his lips. "Before you depart, you will report to the Clan Library this afternoon to select your cultivation scripture and arts. Remember: The Clan Treasury are open only to those who passed today's assessment. If you are unlisted..."
His eyes flickered briefly toward the direction Lin Kai had fled earlier.
"...do not blame me for kicking you out ruthlessly. The Clan's resources are for the Clan's future. Useless eaters get nothing."
A chill went through the crowd. Few disciples who had failed the test lowered their heads, tears in their eyes. They knew their fate: they would stay here as servants or be sent to remote farms.
Lin Quan clapped his hands. "Dismissed! Prepare for your departure!"
The formation broke. The teenagers scattered like a flock of birds, rushing to find their parents, chattering about their future adventures.
Lin Quan stepped off the podium, adjusting his robes. He looked bored, ready to return to his cultivation cave. He turned toward the path leading to the Main Throne Hall to file his report.
"Now is the time," Lin Kai whispered to himself.
He didn't think. He didn't calculate the risks. He just moved.
He dashed out from behind the pillar, intercepting the path of the Deacon.
"Deacon Lin Quan! Please wait!"
Lin Quan stopped. He frowned, turning slowly. When he saw who it was, his expression soured immediately.
"You?" The Deacon sneered. "I thought you ran off to cry in your hut. What do you want, Lin Kai? Did you not hear me? The Treasury is closed to trash."
Lin Kai stopped five paces away. He was breathing heavily, not from the run, but from the sheer adrenaline of confronting a man who could crush him with a finger.
He dropped to his knees.
It wasn't a beg for mercy. It was a calculated display of submission.
"Master Deacon," Lin Kai said, his voice steady and polite. He bowed his head low, his forehead touching the cool jade tiles. "I did not come to ask for resources. I know I am unworthy of the Clan's gold."
Lin Quan raised an eyebrow, surprised. He had expected the boy to throw a tantrum, to scream "Do you know who my uncle is?" like any other children of his age.
"Then why are you blocking my path?" Lin Quan asked coldly.
"I wish to make a request," Lin Kai said, staring at the ground. "Deacon Quan... you said the disciples are leaving for Flame Cloud City. I... I ask to be included in the departure."
Lin Quan scoffed. "You want to go play outside? You have a Mortal Body. A bandit would snap you in half."
"Exactly," Lin Kai lied smoothly. "I am a stain on the Clan's reputation. Every day I stay here, I remind the Elders of my failure. I remind my parents... of their shame."
Lin Kai swallowed the bitterness in his throat and forced the words out.
"Please, let me vanish. Let me go to Flame Cloud City. I will not use the Lin name. I will disappear into the crowd. If I live, good. If I die... then the Clan's humiliation dies with me."
Silence stretched between them.
Lin Quan stared at the boy. He had heard the rumors—that Lin Kai was arrogant, delusional, a spoiled brat who refused to accept reality.
But the young man kneeling before him was none of those things. He was calm. He was articulate. And brutally self-aware.