The young man at the gate did not introduce himself immediately.
He simply stepped inside the broken courtyard and looked around.
Cracked walls.
Worn stone tiles.
Three disciples.
His lips curved faintly.
"So this is the sect that refused Crimson Blade."
"Yes," Lian Zhou replied calmly.
The young man finally spoke.
"Luo Han. Green River Sect."
Foundation Early.
Clean aura.
Trained properly.
Not sloppy like Crimson Blade disciples.
Green River Sect was not powerful.
But it was stable.
Which made this visit intentional.
"You're here to test us," Lian Zhou said.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because when small sects act boldly, they either have backing… or stupidity."
"And you want to know which."
"Yes."
Honest.
Good.
Chen Wei stepped forward instinctively.
"I'll fight him."
Lian Zhou glanced at him.
"Control your output."
Chen Wei nodded once.
The courtyard cleared.
Luo Han loosened his shoulders.
"Foundation Mid," he said, sensing Chen Wei. "You advanced recently."
"Yes."
"Too clean."
Chen Wei didn't respond.
They moved simultaneously.
Luo Han's technique was refined.
Flowing palm strikes with rotational Qi reinforcement.
He wasn't overpowering.
He was efficient.
Chen Wei felt the difference immediately.
This wasn't Crimson Blade brute force.
This was proper sect training.
Good.
That made the test meaningful.
They exchanged ten strikes quickly.
Chen Wei absorbed, redirected, countered.
Luo Han's eyes sharpened.
"You circulate differently."
Chen Wei didn't understand what that meant.
But Lian Zhou did.
Manufactured structural efficiency.
Luo Han pressed harder.
Chen Wei's expanded meridians allowed faster recovery between exchanges.
After thirty strikes—
Luo Han's breathing grew slightly uneven.
Chen Wei's did not.
Luo Han stepped back.
Interesting.
"You improved recently," Luo Han said.
"Yes."
"How?"
"Training."
Luo Han looked toward Lian Zhou.
The sect master stood calmly, hands behind his back.
Observing.
Not interfering.
Luo Han increased intensity suddenly.
A stronger palm technique.
Chen Wei blocked directly this time.
The impact echoed.
Stone beneath their feet cracked slightly.
Chen Wei slid back two steps.
But did not fall.
His bone density upgrade showed here.
Before, that strike would have shaken his structure.
Now it held.
Luo Han smiled faintly.
"You're good."
"Continue," Chen Wei replied.
They clashed again.
This time Chen Wei shifted tactics.
Instead of matching rhythm, he disrupted it.
He allowed Luo Han's third strike to extend slightly—
Then stepped inside.
Palm to the shoulder.
Clean impact.
Luo Han staggered.
Balance broken.
Chen Wei followed with controlled palm to chest.
Not full force.
Just enough.
Luo Han stepped back voluntarily.
He raised a hand.
"Enough."
Silence filled the courtyard.
Mu Jian stared.
Xiao Rin watched quietly, eyes bright.
Luo Han exhaled slowly.
"You win."
Chen Wei blinked slightly.
"You're not injured."
"I don't need to be to lose," Luo Han replied calmly.
He turned toward Lian Zhou.
"You trained him."
"Yes."
"He's not naturally that efficient."
"No."
Luo Han studied him carefully.
"What are you building here?"
Lian Zhou answered without hesitation.
"Longevity."
Luo Han laughed once.
"You're ambitious for someone with three disciples."
"Yes."
Silence lingered.
Then Luo Han said something unexpected.
"Green River Sect has a regional gathering next month."
Lian Zhou did not react visibly.
"And?"
"You should attend."
"Why?"
"Because Crimson Blade will."
Ah.
There it was.
This wasn't just curiosity.
This was warning.
Luo Han stepped toward the gate.
"They won't let this go," he said. "You embarrassed them."
"Yes."
"If you attend the gathering, you declare yourself present."
"Yes."
"If you don't, they label you weak."
"Yes."
Luo Han nodded slowly.
"Interesting sect."
He left without further comment.
After he disappeared down the road, Mu Jian spoke first.
"That was a test."
"Yes," Lian Zhou replied.
"And?"
"And we passed."
Chen Wei looked thoughtful.
"He wasn't hostile."
"No," Lian Zhou said. "He was measuring."
Inside the system panel:
[Disciple Combat Against External Sect — High Quality Opponent.]
[Performance Exceeds Current Talent Tier.]
[Reward: 4 Talent Points.]
Lian Zhou's eyes sharpened slightly.
Now at 9 Talent Points.
The system rewarded meaningful combat.
Good.
He checked his load gauge.
[Host Spiritual Load: 52%]
Still manageable.
But rising.
He needed Authority Rank 2 soon.
Which meant—
Someone must reach Foundation.
He glanced at Xiao Rin.
The Ember Spirit Body activation had reached 41%.
Soon.
Very soon.
The regional gathering would be the first public stage.
If Heavenly Ember appeared—
They would no longer be ignored.
If they didn't—
Crimson Blade would shape the narrative.
Lian Zhou turned toward his disciples.
"We prepare."