Lin Feng let out a short, amused breath. I wonder how the Disciplinary Hall leader will react when he finds out I'm still alive. Funny — I should thank him. If he hadn't sent me to Sun Village, I might never have awakened my bloodline. He laughed to himself as the Sword Sovereign Sect came into view.
"We've arrived at the sect," a scout announced.
"Senior Brother, is this the Sword Sovereign Sect?" the girl at Lin Feng's side whispered, eyes wide as she drank in the terraces, jade roofs, and fluttering banners.
"Yes."
"It's… beautiful."
Word spread like wildfire through the sect. At the main gate, clusters of disciples craned their necks.
"Lin Feng and his band are back!" someone yelled.
"Quick— inform the First Elder!"
"Who's that beautiful girl beside Lin Feng?"
"That must be Lin Feng's wife."
"Lin Feng got himself a woman! She's gorgeous!"
Rumors of Lin Feng's "wife" rippled beyond the sect, across the Eastern Continent. In the crowded halls of the Fire Pavilion a young woman smirked. "A wife, huh? We'll see about that."
---
In a dim, smoke-stained office far from the cheering, the Disciplinary Hall leader ground his teeth. "How is this possible? He's alive? Next time I'll finish him myself." His voice trembled with rage. "Mobilize the Black Assassins. Tell the Ouyang family to prepare as well."
---
At the First Elder Peak, Lin Feng and his small party climbed to the elder's pavilion. Lin Feng had been silent, but proud.
"I can't believe you survived," the First Elder said when he saw him.
"Did you really expect me to die so easily?" Lin Feng replied with a grin. "I was ready to turn the sect upside down and skin that Disciplinary Hall leader alive."
The First Elder laughed, clapping Lin Feng on the shoulder. "Still, you owe them thanks for sending you to Sun Village."
"Why?" Lin Feng asked.
"Because…" the First Elder's expression shifted with admiration, "you're at the half-step of the Legend Realm now — you can face an eighth-grade Legend expert. And you've awakened a bloodline."
Lin Feng's master chuckled. "You've grown. I was still more talented at your age."
"Hmph — lies," Lin Feng responded, but the laugh that followed was fond.
"Which bloodline did you unlock?" the master asked, eyes curious.
Lin Feng's grin turned mischievous. With a wordless motion he released a sliver of his soulfire. The air warped. Scales, shadow, and ancient hunger coalesced — the Nine-Headed Devouring Dragon manifested behind him in spectral glory.
Roars echoed from the summit like thunder.
"Dragon bloodline?" murmured the First Elder. "Let me see."
Lin Feng's master closed his eyes and answered the unspoken challenge. He too unfurled his bloodline — a massive crimson dragon, fire-laced and proud, erupted into the sky. The two draconic auras met, scales grinding like clashing mountains.
A great fireball leapt from the master's dragon. The Nine-Headed Dragon reared; the mountain air screamed as their bloodline magics collided — a duel of ancestral might.
"What's happening on First Elder Peak?" a disciple called from below. A small crowd had already gathered, drawn by the primal thunder.
"It's a battle of dragon supremacy," someone whispered. "But whose dragon is that second one?"
Lin Feng's master's face paled fractionally. "My bloodline… it's being slightly suppressed." Shock and wonder mingled in his voice.
"Enough," Lin Feng said, and withdrew his bloodline. The Nine-Headed Dragon receded like mist.
"Disciple — what dragon bloodline do you possess?" the Sect Master asked, stern and curious.
"The Nine-Headed Devouring Dragon bloodline, Master," Lin Feng answered.
The Sect Master's breath caught. "The Nine-Headed Devouring… I believed that bloodline had vanished. It's coveted by top-tier experts. In the hierarchy of dragon bloodlines it ranks high — third among them. You're treading dangerous ground; when it deepens, it will draw attention."
"What rank is your bloodline, Master?" Lin Feng asked.
"Fifteen," his master replied simply. A small, proud smile crossed his face. "We'll speak in my courtyard. But first, see why the disciples have gathered."
Lin Feng led the way down. A ripple of whispers followed him: dragon bloodline… Nine-Headed… the Sword Sovereign Sect's prodigy.
---
In the master's courtyard, the Sect Master laughed at the commotion. "We thought you were in a fight when your bloodline flared."
"My aim was only to show my disciple a demonstration," Lin Feng's master said, sweeping his sleeve. "All disperse."
"Wait, Sect Master." Lin Feng turned, sincerity in his tone. "Do you need my help with anything?"
"Come to my courtyard," the master invited.
As they settled amid carved stone and old pines, the Sect Master's eyes twinkled with mischief. "So the rumor is true — you have a wife."
"No—" Lin Feng sputtered.
The Sect Master waved a hand with mock exasperation. "I was about to introduce my daughter to you, but you already took one for yourself."
Sun Mei's face flushed so crimson it matched the autumn leaves. She buried her face in her sleeves, mortified.
"That's enough," Lin Feng said defensively. "She's not my wife."
"Really?" the Sect Master feigned disappointment. "Oh."
"Sit down," Lin Feng said, then told them the whole truth: Sun Mei's Nine-Star talent and her rare Ice Exquisite Body.
"What?!" the Sect Master and First Elder cried in near-unison.
"She has a Nine-Star talent and an Ice Exquisite Body?" the Sect Master repeated, voice thick with disbelief. "Such bodies are comparable to the peak geniuses of the Higher Realms. She is not from the Lower Realm — there is no doubt."
Lin Feng added the darker fact: "The Blood Sect knows of her. They intend to harvest her blood to awaken their ancestor."
The master's face hardened. "That old man's soul has begun to stir."
"We will do everything within our power to protect her," the Sect Master vowed. "You and she are the Sword Sovereign Sect's future hope."
He turned to Sun Mei. "What's your name, young lady?"
"Sun Mei," she answered softly.
"Are you willing to be my disciple?" the Sect Master asked.
"Too late, old man," Lin Feng interjected with a grin. "She's already my junior sister — my master's second disciple."
"Damn you — you'll never be lucky again," the Sect Master grumbled, half-angry, half-amused.
"We must keep this secret," the Sect Master said more soberly. "For now, we'll call her 'Lin Feng's wife' and weave a background story. It must be convincing."
"Good plan," Lin Feng agreed, watching Sun Mei relax slightly at the protection offered.
"Come with me," his master said, eyes warm but serious. "There's more we must discuss."
As the afternoon sun slanted across the courtyard, the Sword Sovereign Sect moved to shield its newest, most dangerous secret — and Lin Feng felt, deep in his chest, the weight of the world inching toward him.