Somewhere deep within the forest, a fortress stood—its walls forged from iron, stone, and timber. Inside, dozens of students moved with purpose. They trained, patrolled, and prepared themselves with the quiet tension of those who knew war might come at any moment.
Among them stood Lin Shu, weapons in hand, surrounded by others who bore the same burden. Some looked solemn, others confident. A few trembled with fear, while others seemed far too eager for blood. Lin Shu, however, remained still and cold-eyed—leaning toward the solemn, especially after discovering that someone had been spreading lies about him to turn the other students against him.
He could feel the stares trying to stab into his back.
And he wasn't alone. Ren Hao and Yan Qing stood beside him—not out of friendship, but necessity.
Yan Qing glanced between them and asked, "What did you two even do to end up in this situation?"
Ren Hao gave a small, crooked smile. "Had a few problems with Jun Fen. Offended Zeng Shiyang too. Let's just say, I didn't bother to grovel."
Lin Shu gave a faint nod, silently acknowledging the courage in that answer. In this kind of place, it was better to stand your ground than to kneel—because the moment you knelt, others would take it as an invitation to step on your back.
"What about you, Yan Qing?" Lin Shu asked.
"Nothing, really. I just woke up one day and suddenly half the mine hated me. Yun Qiu, Wu Jian, Zeng Shiyang—you name it," Yan Qing said, shaking his head. "What about you?"
"Same," Lin Shu replied. "I've been too busy with missions to have time to offend anyone, and yet… the more I return, the more I find people trying to start problems with me."
Ren Hao's voice dropped. "Have you noticed how different our missions are from everyone else's?"
Both Yan Qing and Lin Shu nodded.
"It's like we're being used as a suicide unit," Ren Hao continued. "We're always sent into situations well above our level. Take you, Lin Shu. I heard you faced at least five Jiang Clan young masters on separate missions. Your last one had two at once—and you still came back alive, barely."
Lin Shu gave a dry, tired nod. "I assume you two had similar missions?"
"Pretty much," Yan Qing replied. "Remember that young master we met at Raging River Bridge? I ran into him again during the Blisterbombing mission. Failed because of him. Almost lost my arm." He pulled back his sleeve to reveal a deep scar running along his forearm. "Thing is, everyone else on those missions ware high-stage cultivators. Some even peak-stage. Except the three of us."
He lowered his voice. "And I don't think we're that promising to justify this. If we were, they'd be keeping us here and coddling us like they do with Zeng Shiyang. But instead, we're being thrown at death over and over."
Lin Shu's eyes narrowed slightly. "So why?"
"I think it's because of our low talents maybe they want to make full use of us when we're basically at our peak since it would take a lot of time for us to even reach a new peak and by that time they'll have better choices to invest in rather then us thag is if they don't have them already," Yan Qing said. "They've been going around like rumors—despite none of us ever talking about them. And the only ones who do know are the instructors. So I'm guessing one of them is behind this. They're the ones who keep sending us on these missions. We survive and come back, and find more people hating us for no reason."
Lin Shu leaned in slightly. "So who do you suspect?"
"Jun Fen," Ren Hao answered without hesitation.
"No," Yan Qing cut in. "It's not him. He's been away from the mine for a while now, and the missions have only gotten worse."
"Then Tao Mu?" Lin Shu asked. "He's the one always handing out the missions. If it's not him, then maybe Vice-Dean Lu Heng. But the question is… what do they even gain by turning everyone against us?"
He shook his head. "All this hatred just makes things worse. What happens when a mission fails because our own teammates refuse to help us? If they really wanted to exploit our potential, wouldn't it make more sense to keep us alive and functioning—like they're already doing? Why turn the rest of the mine against us too? That's the part I can't understand."
Lin Shu's expression didn't shift, but his eyes narrowed as thoughts stormed through his mind like thunderclouds—silent, but violent.
"Everything is too random, too chaotic right now," he thought, his fingers tightening around his weapon as he stared at the fortress wall ahead. "Even if I survive this war, when I return to the institute, everyone will still be at my throat."
The memory of the dean's direct disciple glaring at him earlier twisted in his stomach like a blade. "And now even she's giving me looks…"
He exhaled slowly, controlling the weight in his chest.
"So what should I do? Desert?" The word felt bitter on his tongue, but it didn't sound wrong. "I could just leave—join another institute. With my skill, I'd be accepted anywhere."
But his jaw clenched.
"I can't join any place affiliated with the Stormbreak Sect. If Han Yi's there… no. Whatever lies she was told about me, they were enough to keep her burning with hatred for years. If I show up, someone might hand me over to her just to win her favor."
He looked down at his hand, veins faintly pulsing with dormant lightning.
"And with my low talent… they would probably do that."
A pause.
"And while that's an extreme case... I'd rather be safe."
His eyes turned distant, as if peering into a future he once dreamed of.
"I really wanted to join that sect. I could've taken the lightning path—they would've welcomed me. Most of my techniques already follow it. Even my body refinement is a lightning-aligned art…"
His thoughts trailed off for a moment, then hardened.
"But every time I try to trick myself into staying in this cursed institute, something else happens. Another warning appears And this time..."
He glanced around at the students who glared at him like a venomous animal caged among them.
"This one is loud and clear."
"I'll leave the institute when the fight breaks out… the security's too tight right now," Lin Shu thought as his gaze scanned the distant walls and patrols. "But all of this—it makes me wonder. If even an institute is managed like this, like a sect or a military unit… how much worse must it be in the actual sects?"
His musings were cut short when he noticed movement—Yan Qing and Ren Hao approaching him, their expressions unusually serious.
"Hey Lin Shu," Yan Qing said in a hushed voice. "We wanna talk to you. In private."
Lin Shu's eyes narrowed. He didn't trust them—he didn't trust anyone—but there was a flicker of curiosity in him. After a moment of pause, he gave a simple, "Sure."
As he followed them, he activated Ivory Dominion silently. The smooth, cold sensation of the armor began forming beneath his clothes, layer by layer, thin but dense. By the time they reached a quiet spot beneath a crooked tree, only his face remained unprotected.
'If they're foolish enough to try something, they'll regret it.'
They all sat down, and after a short silence, Ren Hao leaned forward.
"We want to make a deal with you," he said, his tone low. "But first... you have to take a binding oath."
"One that says you won't tell anyone what we're about to say," Yan Qing added.
Lin Shu didn't speak immediately. He stared at them, unmoving, weighing possibilities. There was risk here—possibly a trap—but also something deeper. They wouldn't be this careful over something petty.
"Fine," Lin Shu finally said, "but I'll swear only under one condition—if my life is not in danger. If it ever is, I'm free to speak."
The two exchanged glances, then nodded.
"That's reasonable. Same goes for us."
They each made the oath in turn, Qi resonating faintly in the air to bind the words. Lin Shu's voice was calm and final when he spoke his part, sealing it:
"As long as my life is not in danger, I shall not reveal what is shared here."
The pact settled like a weight in the air.
Then, silence fell—tense, deliberate—as both Ren Hao and Yan Qing prepared to tell him something that could very well alter his plans.