Two days had passed since the conversation that took place between faiser and shin in that long corridor.
Two full days in which faiser had barely been seen inside the sect.
Not in the training grounds, not in the dining halls, nor in the corridors that were always filled with rumors.
It was as if he had disappeared… but the truth was far simpler than that…
faiser had closed his room door on himself and spent those two days as though he had completely detached from the world.
On the morning of the third day—
He was sitting on the floor in the center of his room, legs crossed in a lotus position, back straight, breathing slow and steady.
The air inside the room was slightly heavier than normal.
Invisible currents of Qi moved around his body, entering and exiting in a steady rhythm, while a faint layer of sweat shimmered on his forehead.
His face was calm… but what was happening inside him was anything but calm.
Inside his broken vessel, energy was circulating, being crushed, reshaped, and returning even harsher than before it entered.
Then—
Shouts and loud noises erupted from outside. Many footsteps. Cheers. Laughter. Doors opening and closing.
faiser slowly furrowed his brows, then opened his eyes. He said calmly:
"What the hell is this sudden noise!! What's happening outside?"
Before he even stood up, the voice of the book echoed inside his mind with its usual mocking tone. The book said:
"Oh… so the great hermit has finally decided to acknowledge the existence of a world outside this room."
faiser sighed and said:
"Speak."
The book laughed and said:
"Today is the return of the first and second generation disciples, you loner."
Then it continued in a superior tone:
"As for the rest of the elders who were outside the sect… they returned a full day ago."
It paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"But of course… how would you know? You spent the past two days locked in here training like a lost soul."
faiser slowly stood up and began putting on his clothes calmly. Then he said:
"I was busy."
The book immediately replied:
"You were sick."
faiser said:
"Tsk… I was training a little."
The book said:
"You were disturbing my sanity."
faiser put on his robe, tightened his belt, and opened the door.
But before he left, the book's voice returned again.
In a complaining tone it said:
"Where are you going now?"
"Don't tell me you're going to start trouble from morning!"
"I'm still exhausted from all that refinement you were doing."
faiser stopped and said slowly:
"Tired? Tired of what?"
The book said:
"Yes, tired!"
"I'm bound to your soul, you idiot."
"When you train… I receive part of it."
"When you evolve… I benefit."
"When you exhaust yourself… I suffer."
faiser paused for a moment.
Then he said with a hint of genuine interest:
"So… you also evolve with me at the same time?"
The book said in a tone full of theatrical disdain:
"Do you know something?"
"You are truly stupid."
"If you connected the dots, you would've reached that conclusion yourself without me telling you."
faiser walked through the corridor calmly and said:
"I didn't have time for questions."
Then he added in a semi-serious tone:
"I apologize for that."
Silence fell for a full second.
Then the book suddenly shouted:
"What?!"
"You just apologized to me?!"
"Oh no… you're planning something terrible."
faiser said coldly:
"The important thing… don't worry, I won't cause trouble."
Then he paused briefly.
"Probably."
The book screamed immediately:
"Probably?!"
"That's not a reassuring sentence!"
"You're annoyingly talented!"
faiser continued walking without paying attention. The corridors today were different—more crowded, more noisy.
Servants running back and forth, disciples standing in corners, overlapping voices, laughter, bets, and rumors moving faster than the people themselves.
As he approached the front courtyard, the crowd began to grow.
Large gatherings near the main gate of the sect. Even from a distance, he could see many heads moving and eyes staring toward the entrance.
Among the crowd… he spotted shirin.
She was standing to the side, arms crossed, looking toward the gate with clear boredom, as if all this reception meant nothing to her.
The book said with fake admiration:
"Ah… the beautiful girl is here."
"Today will truly be beautiful with her presence."
faiser approached more, but before he could reach—
A voice came from behind him.
"faiser!"
He turned calmly. shin was approaching him with quick steps, a light smile on his face.
He stopped in front of him and said:
"You've been missing for a long time, faiser."
Then he laughed and said:
"I started thinking you ran away from the sect."
faiser looked at him for a moment and said coldly:
"A good joke."
Then immediately added:
"But it doesn't apply to me."
shin placed a hand on his forehead and said:
"You're really harsh."
Then he softened his smile and said in a more sincere tone:
"But… I owe you."
faiser raised a brow slightly.
shin said:
"What you said two days ago… I thought about it a lot. It meant more to me than you can imagine. I won't forget it… no matter how long I live."
faiser looked at him calmly and said:
"That's fine."
Then he turned his gaze back toward the crowd in front of the gate and said indifferently:
"So, shin… today is the return of those cockroaches."
shin choked on a half-laugh and said nervously:
"Well… they're not all cockroaches."
Then he lowered his voice:
"And you should probably just call them disciples… unless you want trouble with the entire sect."
Inside faiser's mind, the book burst into laughter:
"Look! Look!"
"The cockroaches are entering!"
faiser raised his gaze toward the massive stone gate.
And indeed—
Rows of disciples began entering from outside.
Young men and women in travel clothes, some carrying swords on their backs, others spears, others boxes, bags, or training loot.
Torn clothes here, scars there, faces far more hardened than before.
The moment they entered—voices erupted.
"Big Brother Lin is back!"
"Sister Mira returned!"
"Look… it's Daren!"
Third-generation disciples rushed to welcome them, servants took their luggage, and even some elders near the courtyard nodded respectfully.
shin said while watching:
"Leaving for a year or more changes people. Some return stronger… others don't return the same."
faiser said:
"And some return annoying."
shin smiled:
"That's also true."
The groups kept entering.
It was clear the sect was regaining pieces of its lost strength today.
But among all of this…
The crowd suddenly felt a brief silence.
One of the incoming figures had arrived.
Only one person.
And yet… the atmosphere changed.
From among the rows of entering disciples, a path opened by itself. No one ordered them to move.
But bodies instinctively stepped aside, as if instinct preceded thought. Steady footsteps echoed across the stone ground.
Then he appeared.
A tall young man, broad-shouldered, wearing the uniform robe of the Sky Phoenix Sect, but it looked different simply because it rested on a body like a drawn sword.
Green embroidery on the edges of his robe moved sharply with his steps. At his waist was a long sheathed sword with a black hilt threaded with copper lines.
His dark hair was tied back, and his face bore a thin scar near his left eye.
As for his eyes… they were cold enough to silence those around him.
A third-generation disciple whispered:
"He… he's Senior Brother Kael."
Another said quickly:
"The best disciple of the Sixth Elder!"
A third said in visible fear:
"I heard he defeated three second-tier spirit beasts alone outside the sect…"
The whispers spread faster:
"Kael is back…"
"Now trouble begins…"
"If he learns what happened with the Sixth Elder…"
shin straightened slightly, his smile becoming controlled calm.
He said quietly to faiser:
"I was hoping he would be delayed."
faiser looked at the newcomer without interest and said:
"This cockroach looks bigger than the others."
shin immediately choked:
"Lower your voice!"
Inside faiser's mind, the book exploded laughing:
"Hahahahaha!"
"I like him!"
"He's the type of cockroach that flies too!"
Kael continued walking until he reached the center of the courtyard.
Several disciples bowed respectfully, some greeted him excitedly, but he only responded with a slight nod.
Then his eyes stopped directly on shin.
After that… they slowly shifted toward faiser.
A brief silence fell.
shin said quietly:
"Don't move too fast… and don't speak first."
faiser said:
"You're asking too much."
Kael approached with confident steps until he stood a few meters away.
He placed a hand on his chest and slightly bowed toward shin:
"Prince shin."
shin nodded:
"You returned safely. That's good."
Kael lifted his head and said:
"I heard many things upon entering."
Then his gaze returned to faiser.
He said coldly:
"And most of them are about this person beside you. I can tell because of his personality… and his weak level still at the Seed Realm."
The air shifted slightly.
Kael continued:
"I am Kael. I've heard this name from the Sixth Elder's letters."
He added:
"He is the one who insulted my master."
"And the one who filled the sect with noise during my absence."
faiser smiled faintly:
"So I became famous quickly… so you came just to hear stories?"
Several expressions changed.
Kael raised a hand, stopping shin from speaking, then said:
"No need."
He stepped forward half a pace:
"I like to know what kind of man I'm dealing with… before breaking his pride."
Inside faiser's mind, the book screamed with excitement:
"Ah… excellent."
"I just woke up and found breakfast at the door."
faiser smiled more faintly and said:
"Good."
"I also like to know what kind of man I'm dealing with… before making him regret coming back."
Whispers erupted everywhere.
"He said it!"
"This guy is insane!"
"He's provoking him directly!"
shin closed his eyes briefly and sighed:
"It has begun…"
Kael didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled slightly and said:
"Good."
"So the rumors weren't exaggerated."
He turned and continued walking.
But stopped after two steps and said without turning:
"In four days, at the sect tournament, I'll be waiting for you."
He tilted his head slightly:
"If you're not just talk."
He walked away.
The courtyard was filled with tension.
shin said while holding his chest:
"It's been only minutes since you woke up… how did you already start trouble?"
faiser said coldly:
"I didn't start anything."
He looked at Kael's back:
"He introduced himself."
The book immediately said:
"You liar. You started the day you were born."
faiser ignored it and turned to shin:
"What day is the tournament?"
shin closed his eyes in despair:
"Damn it…"