The journey to the ruins took them down a narrow mountain path. Morning light faded quickly as they entered the valley; thick clouds of mist swirled unnaturally, muffling sound and bending sight. The Cloudveil disciples walked with confident steps — their sect specialized in concealment, misdirection, and traversing such terrains — but even they grew tense as the fog deepened.
Yue Lan led at the front, her robes flowing like water, her aura subtly pushing back the mist. Haotian walked calmly beside her, Fenlong Spear strapped to his back, while the rest of the Cloudveil team fanned out behind. Their glances drifted to him from time to time, measuring, skeptical.
The first danger came swiftly.
From the dense fog, shapes began to emerge — mist wraiths, translucent beasts born of corrupted qi. They slithered across the rocks, half-formed wolves with elongated jaws and eyes of pale fire. Their bodies rippled like smoke, difficult to pin down, but their fangs could rend flesh.
One disciple stepped forward, twin blades gleaming. "Senior Sister, we can handle this. No need for our guest to act."
Yue Lan smiled faintly but said nothing. She glanced at Haotian, curious how he would respond.
Haotian merely inclined his head. "Then allow me to walk with you."
The disciple launched herself into the fog, blades slicing. She cut through two wraiths, but their bodies simply reformed with a hiss, the mist swirling tighter. The others moved to intercept more, weapons flashing, but their strikes faltered against the insubstantial foes.
"Be careful," one elder disciple hissed. "They're sustained by the mist. Destroying them fully requires…"
Before he could finish, Haotian moved.
He drew the Fenlong Spear in a single smooth motion. The spear tip hummed faintly with restrained fire qi, not blazing, not destructive — just enough. His strike was almost casual, a thrust forward so precise that the mist itself seemed to recoil.
The wraith before him shrieked and shattered into nothing.
Haotian turned slightly, another thrust — another wraith dispersed. Then a third, his movements seamless, efficient, wasting no strength. Each strike carried not force but precision, the exact harmony of qi and weapon that unraveled the creatures' unstable forms.
In less than three breaths, the mist wraiths were gone.
Silence followed. The Cloudveil disciples stared, weapons still raised, unable to comprehend how quickly he had undone what their blades could not.
One finally muttered, "He… destroyed them completely?"
Haotian lowered his spear, his expression calm, his voice quiet. "Mist wraiths feed on ambient qi. Strike their core with intent, not brute force, and they collapse. Nothing more."
He walked on as though nothing had happened.
Further in, the valley floor gave way to quicksand bogs, hidden beneath the mist. One disciple cried out as the ground swallowed his legs. Another rushed to help, only to nearly fall in herself.
Haotian stopped, his eyes narrowing. A faint pulse of golden light flickered in his gaze — the Eyes of the Universe. Through the fog, he saw the weave of the terrain, the qi currents shifting beneath the ground.
"Step here," he said, voice steady. He tapped his spear to a seemingly random spot of stone. "Not there."
Skeptical but desperate, the trapped disciple shifted toward where Haotian pointed. The ground solidified underfoot. With one smooth pull, Haotian dragged him free.
The team followed his directions as they advanced, stepping only where he indicated. When they looked back, they saw the sand swirling hungrily, waiting to devour any mistake.
"His eyes…" whispered one disciple. "He sees through the mist."
Again, Haotian said nothing. He only continued forward.
By the time they reached the heart of the valley, the skepticism of the Cloudveil team had begun to fracture. They had seen his casual precision against the mist wraiths, his effortless navigation of the quicksand traps. None of it was boastful. He had spoken little, done only what was necessary, yet every action carried quiet mastery.
Even the spear-bearer disciple, the most doubtful of the group, found himself watching Haotian with grudging respect.
Yue Lan, walking at his side, smiled faintly to herself. She had never doubted. She knew his lineage, his training, his inheritance. But seeing him in action — calm, composed, decisive — even she felt the swell of reassurance.
Finally, the valley floor began to rise, the mist parting just enough to reveal the silhouette of ancient ruins ahead — jagged spires of stone, half-swallowed by vines, their surfaces carved with symbols long eroded. A faint, oppressive qi radiated outward, pressing against their hearts like the beat of a hidden drum.
Yue Lan slowed, her voice measured. "This is where the ruin begins. The dangers we faced were only its shadow. Inside…" She looked at Haotian, her eyes gleaming with unspoken trust. "…we'll see its true face."
Haotian adjusted the Fenlong Spear on his back, his gaze steady on the looming gate. "Then let's step forward."
The Cloudveil disciples looked at him differently now. No longer merely as the "guest from Burning Sun Sect," but as someone they were glad to have walking beside them.
The group stood before the ruin's entrance — an archway of black stone, cracked but unyielding, its surface carved with faded dragon motifs and cryptic sigils. Time had worn the glyphs, yet faint light still pulsed within their grooves, breathing like a heart. A low hum resonated from the arch, pressing against the cultivators' chests as though judging them before they even stepped forward.
The Cloudveil disciples instinctively drew back, weapons half-raised. One whispered, "The qi here… it feels alive."
Yue Lan's expression hardened as she studied the glowing lines. "This is no ordinary ruin. The formation is still active."
Haotian stepped closer, his golden eyes narrowing. With the Eyes of the Universe, the mist around the carvings peeled away in layers. To the others, the glyphs were little more than broken fragments of power. To him, they were a web — threads of ancient qi flowing like rivers through stone, converging in patterns that shifted as though alive.
"A formation," he murmured. "It feeds on intent. Step forward unworthy, and it will devour you."
The Cloudveil spear-bearer scoffed nervously. "And what counts as unworthy? How do you—"
His words cut off when the ground trembled. The archway pulsed once with crimson light, and suddenly, spectral guardians emerged from the stone itself. Figures of armored warriors, faceless and tall, each holding weapons shimmering with phantom qi. Their hollow eyes locked onto the group.
Without warning, they charged.
"Formation guardians!" Yue Lan cried. She drew her spirit fan, mist swirling from its folds to form a defensive veil. "Form up!"
The Cloudveil disciples leapt into action, blades and spears clashing with the phantoms. But their attacks passed half through the guardians, the strikes disrupting them only briefly before the phantoms reformed. Every hit the phantoms delivered landed heavy, rattling bones and bruising flesh.
"This isn't working!" one disciple hissed, staggering back. "Our weapons can't break their forms!"
Yue Lan deflected a strike, eyes flashing with frustration. "They're bound to the formation! We need to disrupt the core pattern or they'll never fall!"
Haotian exhaled slowly, stepping forward. His Eyes of the Universe swirled with galaxies as he studied the field. To him, every guardian was tethered — thin streams of qi linking them back to three central nodes glowing faintly in the arch.
"Your weapons can't harm them because you're striking shadows," Haotian said calmly. He raised the Fenlong Spear, fire gathering faintly at its tip. "Cut the threads, not the bodies."
Before anyone could respond, he moved.
The spear lashed out in a swift arc, its flame-imbued edge stabbing into empty air beside one guardian. To the others, it looked like a miss — until the guardian froze mid-strike and shattered into mist.
The disciples gasped.
"Not the body… the tether!"
Haotian's movements blurred, precise and surgical. Each thrust pierced invisible lines no one else could see, collapsing guardians one after another. Where the Cloudveil disciples fought desperately against endless shadows, Haotian cut directly at their roots.
The spear-bearer who had once doubted him watched in disbelief as Haotian dismantled a phantom that had nearly crushed him. His jaw tightened. "He saw it… all of it… in an instant."
Finally, only three guardians remained — each one radiating far stronger qi, their tethers leading directly to the pulsing nodes on the arch.
Haotian planted his feet, Fenlong Spear gleaming with fire. "Strike with me. Aim for the cores."
Yue Lan's fan flared, releasing waves of mist to obscure their movements, while the Cloudveil team flanked as directed. Together, they struck at the nodes, but Haotian's spear carried the killing edge. With each precise thrust, fire-imbued qi pierced the glowing sigils.
One node shattered — its guardian dissolved instantly.The second broke — the next guardian vanished with a roar.The third pulsed wildly before cracking apart under Haotian's spear.
The last guardian collapsed, the valley falling silent.
The archway dimmed, then glowed softly in acknowledgment, as though recognizing those who had passed its trial. The oppressive weight of qi lifted, leaving only the heavy stillness of the ruins beyond.
Yue Lan lowered her fan, her eyes glimmering with both relief and admiration. "You read the entire formation… as if the stones themselves whispered to you."
Haotian exhaled and lowered the Fenlong Spear, his voice even. "It wasn't whispering. It was screaming. All I did was listen."
The Cloudveil disciples stood in silence. Their skepticism had melted into awe, their earlier doubts burned away by the clarity of his mastery.
For the first time, the spear-bearer disciple bowed his head toward Haotian. "…Senior Brother Haotian, I'll follow your lead inside."
Haotian nodded faintly. His gaze shifted toward the shadowed halls beyond the arch. The ruin had only just revealed its gate — what awaited inside would be far worse.
Beyond the arch, the ruin opened into a vast stone hall. Its ceiling soared so high that even the Cloudveil disciples' spirit-lights could not reach it, while its floor stretched into shadowed distance. Ancient pillars lined the chamber, carved with dragons and phoenixes, though their forms had been weathered into half-forgotten shapes.
The moment the group stepped inside, the air shifted. A pulse rippled through the chamber, subtle but inescapable. The mist within thickened until the walls themselves seemed to blur.
One disciple blinked. "The chamber's… moving?"
"No," Yue Lan said, frowning as she extended her qi into the air. Her fan flicked once, sending a current of wind forward, only for it to vanish into the haze. "It's illusion."
A sharp sound split the silence. Click.
The floor beneath one disciple's foot glowed faintly — a formation sigil.
"Move!" Haotian barked.
But before the disciple could react, the floor lit up, and dozens of spectral arrows burst from the walls. The group scattered, weapons flashing, qi barriers flaring as arrows rained.
One disciple staggered, his arm grazed by a phantom arrow that turned into fire on impact. He cried out, clutching the burn.
"Traps woven into illusions," Yue Lan muttered, eyes narrowing. "They want us lost and broken apart."
The mist surged again. Shapes rose in it — twisting copies of the disciples themselves, mirror images with cold, hollow eyes. The phantoms drew weapons identical to theirs and stepped forward in perfect synchronicity.
"The illusion… it's using us against ourselves," one disciple whispered, fear creeping into his voice.
"Hold steady!" Yue Lan snapped. Her fan unfolded with a sharp snap, releasing waves of mist to counter the illusion. For a moment, the phantoms wavered, their edges blurring. But the formation was ancient, deep-rooted. Her mist slowed them, but could not dispel them.
Haotian's eyes swirled with golden galaxies. Through the illusion, through the shifting veils, he saw the truth: thin lines of qi linking every phantom and every trap back to a central matrix hidden beneath the floor.
He stepped forward, spear in hand. "Yue Lan."
She turned to him, eyes sharp but questioning.
"Your mist can veil us from their sight," Haotian said, his voice even amidst the chaos. "I'll cut the matrix. If we strike together, we break the chamber's hold."
Her lips curved in a brief, confident smile. "Then let's not waste time."
"Formation shift — follow Senior Sister and Haotian!" Yue Lan commanded, her voice carrying across the chamber.
The Cloudveil disciples tightened formation instantly, their doubts gone. With one flick of her fan, Yue Lan sent a wave of shimmering mist to obscure their movements. The phantoms faltered, their mirrored eyes losing sight of their targets.
Haotian closed his eyes briefly, centering himself. When he opened them, the Eyes of the Universe gleamed with cosmic clarity. The matrix glowed beneath the floor like a spiderweb of light, its core pulsing faintly ahead.
"Forward." His voice carried no hesitation.
He advanced, every step striking true even as the mist writhed with false pathways. Phantoms lunged out of the fog, their blades aimed for his heart — but his spear struck faster, sweeping them aside without slowing. To the others, it looked as though he fought blind, but his spear never missed, never faltered.
Beside him, Yue Lan's fan danced in arcs of flowing mist. Where his spear cut through illusions, her mist bent them away, keeping the disciples shielded from ambush. Her style was fluid, his precise — yet together, they moved like mirrored halves of the same rhythm.
The disciples could only watch in awe as the two led them deeper, dismantling traps and illusions in seamless tandem.
Finally, Haotian halted before a wide stretch of stone where three glowing sigils pulsed faintly.
"The cores," he murmured.
He raised the Fenlong Spear, fire gathering at its tip. Yue Lan snapped her fan shut, her qi surging like a gale.
"Together," she said.
Their strikes landed in unison — spear and fan, fire and mist. The floor shook as the sigils cracked apart, bursting into motes of golden light. The phantoms shrieked before dissolving, the arrows ceased, and the mist thinned, revealing the chamber's true shape at last.
The hall was empty, save for the faint shimmer of a gate at its far end — the true entrance deeper into the ruins.
The disciples exhaled in relief, lowering their weapons. One muttered, "If not for them… we'd still be fighting ourselves."
Another swallowed hard, glancing at Haotian and Yue Lan. "They… moved like they'd trained together for years."
Yue Lan turned her fan once, its silk folding neatly. She glanced at Haotian, her smile faint but genuine. "A good beginning."
Haotian nodded, his spear lowering. "The ruin will test us harder yet. But together, we'll pass through."
The disciples straightened, their earlier skepticism gone. Where doubt had once lingered, there was only respect.
The group pressed onward, through the shimmer of the gate and into the next trial.
The gate shimmered behind them, sealing shut as Haotian and the Cloudveil Spirit Sect team stepped into the next chamber.
What met their eyes silenced even the most skeptical disciple.
The walls of the cavern glowed with veins of pure qi, shimmering like rivers of light beneath translucent stone. Jagged clusters of spirit stones, some as large as a grown man, jutted from the walls and floor. Their glow was soft but potent, suffusing the chamber with an intoxicating aura of power. The very air was thick with spiritual energy, enough to make their skin tingle and their meridians stir.
"Spirit stones…" one disciple whispered, his voice cracking. "No… this is more than that. These are… great spirit stones! The kind that can sustain sects for decades!"
Another disciple stumbled closer, his eyes wide in disbelief. "This mine… if it belonged to us… Cloudveil would rise into the heavens overnight!"
Yue Lan's usually steady composure wavered. Her lips parted slightly, her fan lowering as she took in the sight. "A mine of this size… no wonder the ruin had illusions and guardians outside. This was no ordinary tomb. This was protected."
The disciples pressed forward, hands almost trembling as they reached out to touch the walls. The glow of the stones reflected in their eyes like stars. Even the skeptical spear-bearer could not hide his awe.
But Haotian did not move closer. He stood still, the Fenlong Spear at his side, his golden eyes swirling with galaxies.
With the Eyes of the Universe, he scanned the cavern carefully. Qi currents pulsed through the walls and floor, weaving intricate streams around the stones. He traced every line, every pattern.
Nothing. No traps. No guardians. No hidden killing formations.
Only… spirit stones.
His brow furrowed. Why?
Illusions at the gate. Spectral guardians. Unity trials. Why place such elaborate defenses around a mine of stones? Spirit stones were precious, yes — enough to feed a sect's foundation. But the defenses spoke of something more… something personal.
"This doesn't feel right," he murmured under his breath.
Still, the Cloudveil team was ecstatic. Their eyes sparkled as they eagerly surveyed the chamber, already whispering to each other of the fortune this discovery would bring.
It was only when they pressed further that the true anomaly appeared.
At the far end of the cavern, half-hidden behind jagged clusters of spirit stones, loomed a sealed chamber door.
Massive, wrought of black stone and etched with glowing sigils, it pulsed faintly with a suppressive force. The disciples approached eagerly, their hands brushing the door's surface, trying to push it open.
Nothing.
One after another, they tried. Swords of qi, spirit arts, brute force — all failed. The door did not so much as crack.
"It's impossible," muttered the twin-bladed disciple, sweat on her brow. "The seal is… ancient."
Yue Lan frowned, studying the inscriptions. "This is no ordinary formation. Whoever sealed this chamber… did not want it disturbed."
Then Haotian stepped forward.
The Fenlong Spear tapped against the stone floor once, echoing across the chamber. His golden eyes narrowed, galaxies swirling faster as he gazed at the door.
The Eyes of the Universe pierced through the surface, tracing the lines of power that wove across the door's face. Beneath the surface, hidden channels pulsed — a key formation locked into the stone, a seal woven not for eternity but for challenge.
"There," Haotian said quietly. His hand rose, pointing toward a faint corner where the lines converged. "The lock is built on a weakness. Strike here, and the seal breaks."
The disciples stared, unsure, but Yue Lan's eyes shone with sudden trust. She nodded once. "Do it."
Haotian raised the Fenlong Spear. Fire qi gathered along its length, humming like a restrained dragon. With a single, precise thrust, he struck the weak point.
The door shuddered. The seal flared with light — once, twice — before fracturing into a thousand shards of qi that dissipated into the air.
The black stone groaned, and slowly, ponderously, the chamber doors creaked open.
A gust of ancient, stale air swept past them, carrying with it a faint, metallic tang… and something else.
Not decay. Not rot.
But power.
The disciples froze, excitement warring with unease. Yue Lan's fan tightened in her grip.
Haotian's expression remained calm, but his eyes gleamed faintly. "Whatever lies inside…" he murmured, "is why this ruin was built."
And together, they stepped forward into the darkness beyond.
The ancient doors groaned open, revealing a corridor that stretched deep into the mountain's heart. Pale blue light flickered faintly along the walls, guiding the way like lanterns long waiting for footsteps to return.
Haotian led the group forward cautiously, Yue Lan close at his side. But only a few steps in, the air rippled like water. An invisible barrier shimmered into existence across the corridor, solid and unyielding.
One disciple pressed his palm against it, gritting his teeth. "It won't move!"
Another tried channeling qi into it, but the barrier didn't so much as quiver. Instead, their energy was absorbed, vanishing into the wall as though swallowed whole.
Yue Lan raised her fan, testing the edge with a precise strike. Nothing. She lowered the fan, her brows knitting.
"It's… selective," she said softly. Then she glanced at Haotian, her eyes narrowing with realization. "Or rather… restrictive."
The others bristled immediately.
"Why only him?"
"This isn't right—"
"Senior Sister, he might—"
But Yue Lan lifted her hand, silencing them with a single gesture. Her gaze didn't waver from Haotian's. "It seems the ruin has chosen."
Haotian gave a faint nod, calm despite the uncertainty. "I'll go alone. Whatever I find, I'll return and share. I promise you that."
Some disciples muttered protests, but Yue Lan's quiet authority ended them. "Then go," she said, her voice firm. "We will wait."
Haotian stepped forward. The barrier rippled but parted for him alone. Beyond it, the corridor stretched farther, before finally opening into a vast chamber.
His breath caught.
A library lay before him.
Rows upon rows of jade shelves stretched into the distance, each lined with scrolls and tomes radiating faint spiritual light. Cultivation techniques, battle arts, scriptures of refinement, formations—an ocean of knowledge preserved through centuries. The air itself was thick with qi, humming with the weight of wisdom.
Haotian's eyes widened, galaxies swirling brightly within them. For once, his composure broke into pure delight. He moved deeper, fingers grazing the spines of ancient tomes, his heart racing like a child set loose in paradise.
After a time, he rushed back toward the entrance, eager to share what he had seen.
"The chamber is a library," he told them, voice quickened by excitement. "Full of cultivation methods, techniques—more than I've ever seen in one place."
The disciples' eyes lit up. "A library?!""Then bring one! Let us see!"
Haotian nodded, and without hesitation, re-entered the barrier. He selected a jade scroll from a shelf and carried it out. But as he passed through the barrier… the scroll dissolved into light, vanishing in his hand.
Gasps rippled through the Cloudveil team.
"What—?!""Where did it go?"
Haotian frowned, turning back. Inside the chamber, the scroll had already reappeared in its original spot on the shelf, untouched, as though he had never taken it.
He sighed, his expression softening. "The library cannot be removed. Its knowledge is bound here."
The disciples deflated with disappointment, though awe lingered in their eyes. Yue Lan, however, tilted her head slightly, studying Haotian. She said nothing, but her gaze spoke volumes: Then it is meant for you.
There was no way forward, and the chamber allowed no one else through. The decision was made.
"We'll return to our sects and report this discovery," Yue Lan announced. "The spirit stone mine and this hidden library are too great to claim recklessly. Burning Sun and Cloudveil must negotiate."
The disciples nodded reluctantly. Together, the group withdrew toward the ruin's entrance.
But before they left, Haotian paused at the cavern's heart. He drew the Fenlong Spear and planted it firmly into the ground. His hands moved with precise intent, tracing sigils of light in the air.
One by one, formations unfolded around the mine:
A Qi-Gathering Array — drawing in ambient qi to sustain the others.
A Concealment Array — veiling the mine from detection, hiding its aura from greedy eyes.
A Defensive Array — shielding against intruders who might stumble upon it.
A Killing Array — dormant but merciless, designed to strike if the others failed.
The four arrays interlocked, humming as they drew power from the qi veins. The air shifted, settling into quiet harmony. The ruin was now guarded, not just by ancient seals, but by Haotian's will.
When he finished, Yue Lan stepped closer, her fan at her side. "You've sealed it well."
Haotian straightened, meeting her eyes. "Until our sects decide how to handle this, no one will touch it."
She held his gaze for a moment, then smiled faintly. "A fair protector indeed."
And so, with the mine hidden and the library sealed, they left the ruin. Two sects would soon learn of the discovery — and the weight of their choice.
But only Haotian knew the truth: the library wasn't meant for any sect.It was meant for him.
The discovery spread swiftly. Within days of their return, word of the spirit stone mine — and the sealed library only Haotian could enter — reached the highest seats of both sects. The matter was too great for whispers or hesitation; it demanded council.
Thus, in a grand pavilion hall at the border between Burning Sun Sect and Cloudveil Spirit Sect, the elders of both factions assembled.
The air was heavy with tension, not hostility — but the weight of opportunity.
On one side sat the Burning Sun Sect Master, calm and inscrutable, flanked by trusted elders. On the other, Cloudveil's Sect Mistress, an elegant figure veiled in layers of silken mist, her eyes sharp as a hawk's. Between them, seated lower but in a place of honor, was Yue Lan, her posture respectful yet steady.
Haotian was there as well, Fenlong Spear resting at his back, standing silently behind his Sect Master. Lianhua and her six guards sat further to the side, their expressions tense with concern for him.
The Sect Mistress of Cloudveil spoke first. Her voice was clear and soft, yet carried easily through the pavilion.
"A mine of spirit stones, large enough to sustain both sects for generations. A hidden chamber of knowledge beyond our current understanding. To ignore this find would be foolish. But to claim it wholly would spark bloodshed. Such a treasure demands balance."
The Burning Sun Sect Master inclined his head slightly. "Agreed. Balance. Which means cooperation."
One of Cloudveil's elder disciples frowned. "And yet… only Haotian could enter the library. Why should we trust Burning Sun to safeguard knowledge that no one else can even touch? For all we know, he may already be hiding what he has read."
At this, some of the Cloudveil elders nodded in quiet agreement.
The Burning Sun Sect Master's gaze shifted toward Haotian, then back at the Cloudveil side. His tone remained even. "My disciple has already sworn he revealed everything. If you question his oath, you question his honor. Would Cloudveil accuse him of deception so lightly?"
A ripple of murmurs passed through the chamber.
Yue Lan suddenly rose, bowing with her fan pressed lightly to her chest. "With respect, I can confirm his words. I was there. Haotian entered, and he returned at once to tell us what he saw. He even attempted to bring a book out for us, but it dissolved and reappeared back on its shelf. I do not believe he deceived us. The chamber itself has chosen him, not his sect alone."
The pavilion quieted. Even the Sect Mistress raised her brows slightly at Yue Lan's firm tone.
Lianhua, who had been silent, finally spoke, her voice soft but resolute. "If the chamber recognizes only Haotian, then fighting over it will be meaningless. It belongs to him — not to Burning Sun, not to Cloudveil. To him. And yet, he has already acted with fairness. He protected the mine, left it untouched, and sealed it with arrays. That should tell you what kind of man he is."
A hush followed her words. The Cloudveil disciples glanced at one another uneasily.
The Burning Sun Sect Master's lips curved faintly into a small smile. "Well spoken."
The Sect Mistress tapped her fingers against her fan, her expression thoughtful. Finally, she exhaled softly.
"Very well. The mine of spirit stones will be managed jointly by both sects, split evenly, until a more permanent agreement is reached. As for the sealed library…" Her gaze slid to Haotian, her eyes narrowing as if measuring him. "…no sect shall claim it, since no sect can enter it. For now, it remains in Haotian's hands. What knowledge he gleans from it, he may share at his discretion. But we will demand no more."
The Burning Sun Sect Master nodded once. "A wise compromise. Then it is settled."
Both leaders raised their cups in ritual acknowledgment.
The council was dispersing, elders rising from their cushions, the tense weight of negotiation having softened into something closer to relief. But Haotian remained seated, one hand resting lightly on the Fenlong Spear at his side, his gaze thoughtful.
An idea had taken root.
"Wait." His voice was calm, but it cut cleanly across the chamber. All turned back to him — the Sect Master of Burning Sun, the Sect Mistress of Cloudveil, Yue Lan, and the gathered elders.
Haotian rose slowly, his golden eyes gleaming faintly with the universe within them. "There is a way for both sects to benefit from the sealed library. Even if you cannot enter, I can."
The air sharpened again, wary but curious.
"I will not hoard what lies within. I propose this: I will rewrite the cultivation methods and techniques I study inside. Scrolls that can be shared with both sects, copies made available equally. Neither side will lose. Both will rise together."
His words fell like a stone into still water.
At once, voices stirred. Some elders shifted uneasily, others leaned forward, astonished. The Cloudveil disciples whispered among themselves. Even the skeptical spear-bearer who had doubted him earlier could not keep the respect from his face.
The Sect Mistress of Cloudveil arched a brow, her fan half-hiding her lips. "You would… give away such treasures freely?"
Haotian's expression didn't waver. "The library recognized me, yes. But the mine belongs to us all. It would be selfish to use one and deny the other. This way, both sects benefit. Both grow. Neither fears betrayal."
The Burning Sun Sect Master studied him long and silently, then gave a single approving nod. "Practical. And generous. Few would suggest such balance."
Yue Lan's lips curved faintly, her eyes never leaving Haotian's face. "You speak as one who already bears responsibility beyond yourself. Perhaps the ruin chose well."
Even the Cloudveil Sect Mistress inclined her head, her sharp gaze softening. "Very well. If you are willing to shoulder such labor, then no one here will object. We will accept your proposal."
The matter settled, the atmosphere shifted. What had been a tense standoff transformed into something closer to alliance. The leaders nodded in approval, elders spoke of cooperation, and even the younger disciples looked at Haotian differently — not as a rival, not as a threat, but as someone standing above the games of sect politics.
Somewhere in the room, an elder muttered, "The blood of the Four Saint Dragons runs true."
And none dared dispute it.
Inside, Haotian was overjoyed. Relief spread through his chest like warmth, though his face remained calm. Not only had he secured peace between two sects, but he had gained full control of the library's knowledge. He alone would decide what to disclose, what to adapt, and what to keep.
Inwardly, he made another vow. He would prepare not only for the sects, but for his family as well. The Zhenlong Household would receive its rightful share. His ancestors' will would not be forgotten.
And through this, his influence would grow quietly, invisibly.
Not through conquest.
Not through fear.
But through the strength of knowledge — parceled out with his hand on the balance.