The morning mist clung to the mountain peaks like silver veils, and the usually quiet path leading toward the Verdant Mist Sect's Forbidden Grounds was unusually crowded. Spirit qi pulsed faintly in the air—dense, ancient, and somewhat oppressive. This was a place sealed for decades at a time, only opening under the direct decree of the Sect Master.
At the base of the mountain path stood a tall stone arch covered in ancient seals. Beyond it, the entrance to the Forbidden Grounds flickered with a shifting formation barrier, its runes dimly glowing in the rising sun.
Long Tianyan stood beside Chen Yixuan, both clad in the sleek robes of inner sect disciples. The Sect Master, Qing Wuyou, had personally approved their entry after witnessing Tianyan's performance and potential. Yixuan, as a top ten disciple in outer sect competition and the granddaughter of a powerful Spirit Transformation Realm expert of Verdant Stone City, had long been prepared to enter.
All around them, inner sect disciples gathered in small groups—some with determined faces, others with barely restrained excitement. The Forbidden Grounds held ancient ruins, beast dens, and even remnant trial formations from the founding days of the sect. Every step inside could grant a lucky cultivator a spirit artifact, a rare herb—or an untimely death.
Tianyan remained silent, his arms crossed. Chen Yixuan glanced sideways at him.
"Still quiet," she said, her tone light. "Aren't you even a little curious what's inside?"
"I'm always curious," Tianyan replied. "I just don't speak of it."
Yixuan smiled faintly. "That's your answer for everything."
Just then, a commotion broke out nearby.
A muscular young man, dressed in dark crimson robes with a heavy black sword on his back, was stalking toward Tianyan with an aggressive glare. Behind him limped Liu Yan, his face still pale, but twisted in satisfaction.
"That's him," Liu Yan pointed. "He humiliated me in front of everyone. Break his bones, brother."
The man, Liu Feng, was a core disciple of the sect. His cultivation had already reached the 6th Layer of the Heavenly Passage Realm. With the same flame-based techniques as Liu Yan, but far more refined and brutal, he was known for his ruthlessness in trials.
He stepped toward Tianyan, a grin forming.
"So you're the one who beat up my little brother?" he asked.
Tianyan didn't move. "He challenged me. He lost."
Liu Feng's aura suddenly flared, golden-red flames licking at the air around his fists. Several nearby disciples stepped back.
"You think that means you're strong enough to stand before me?" he growled. "Let's see how loud your mouth is after I crush your—"
A burst of icy sword intent cut through the air.
Liu Feng stopped mid-step, a thin blade of spiritual qi held just an inch from his chest. The one holding it stood calmly—tall, composed, with clear eyes and a jade sword at his back.
Chen Xuanming, Chen Yixuan's elder brother.
He wore white robes embroidered with mist dragons, and his cultivation aura was no less than Liu Feng's—6th Layer of the Heavenly Passage Realm.
"You dare draw your flame here?" Xuanming asked coldly. "The Forbidden Grounds haven't opened, and already you want to violate sect rules?"
Liu Feng's eyes narrowed. "This is family business."
"This is sect ground," Xuanming replied, pressing the blade forward slightly. "And I don't tolerate thugs threatening my sister's friends."
The sword qi cut a thin line across Liu Feng's robe before the pressure retreated.
Chen Yixuan stepped forward beside her brother. "Brother…"
"He's under my protection," Xuanming said simply.
Liu Feng gritted his teeth, then pulled his aura back with a snort. "Fine. But inside the Forbidden Grounds… no one protects anyone."
With that, he turned and stalked away, Liu Yan limping behind him like a beaten dog wagging its tail.
Tianyan looked at Chen Xuanming. "I didn't need help."
"I know," Xuanming replied. "But I dislike bullies."
He gave a nod to Tianyan, then turned toward the entrance to the Forbidden Grounds.
Yixuan exhaled softly. "That could've ended worse."
"I was curious," Tianyan said, "what kind of older brother you had."
Yixuan grinned. "The kind who acts only when he has to. But he's strong. Just like you."
Suddenly, a loud chime echoed from the sky.
A formation disc floated in the air above the stone gate. The runes along the arch began to glow in succession.
Then—buzz—the formation parted like a veil of light.
Elder voices rang out from behind: "Disciples with permission may now enter the Forbidden Grounds."
Without a word, Tianyan began walking toward the light. Yixuan followed beside him.
The crowd surged forward. Among them were elite inner sect disciples, trial veterans, and a few cold, silent core disciples who needed no permission at all.
But none noticed the faint pulse that flickered in Tianyan's chest—the Azureflame Dragon Soul awakening faintly at the scent of something ancient within the Forbidden Grounds.
Something waiting for him.