The mountain air was quiet, but Rui Yan never trusted silence. Especially not after a public victory.
He walked alone beneath the flickering torches lining the sect's outer corridors. Faint conversations echoed from the disciple halls behind him—most about him.
"He defeated Lin Tian…"
"That wasn't just skill. Did you see that energy?"
"It felt… wrong."
Rui ignored the whispers. He had already anticipated the ripples.
"I needed attention. And now I have it."
But attention was a double-edged sword. Too little, and he'd be crushed. Too much, and Heaven would notice. For now, he needed allies—or, more accurately, pawns.
And one had already presented herself.
Back at his cave, Rui found a bundle of herbs hanging from the door handle, tied with green thread—a coded signal used by alchemists to request a private meeting.
"So, she returns."
He entered and began preparing.
Half an hour later, a soft knock.
"Come in," he said flatly.
The door creaked open. Lin Yu stepped inside, her expression calm but cautious. She was dressed in a simple green robe dusted with medicinal powder, a small wooden box in her hands.
"I heard you won today," she said. "And that you used soul arts."
Rui gave a faint smile. "You're not here to report me, I assume."
"No. I'm here to offer a deal."
Now she had his interest.
She opened the wooden box.
Inside were three small vials of a translucent golden elixir.
"Soul-Bond Nectar," she said. "Stabilizes soul pathways and temporarily increases absorption rate of spiritual materials. Not available to outer disciples."
Rui's eyes narrowed. "Where did you get these?"
She hesitated. "I make them. In secret. Using my clan's formula."
That explained a lot.
Lin Yu belonged to the now-declining Lin Clan, once known for their Soul-Path alchemists. She must've inherited a fragment of a forbidden recipe.
"Useful. Very useful."
"What do you want in return?" Rui asked.
She met his eyes, this time with unusual steel in her gaze. "Protection. The Inner Sect trials are coming. I have enemies. If I can qualify, I'll gain access to the Spirit Garden and rare flame seeds. You'll want those."
She's smarter than I thought.
She knows she's useful—but still underestimates how dangerous I am.
Rui considered.
"Alright. We work together—until our interests no longer align."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're not even going to promise I won't be discarded?"
"No," Rui said honestly. "But I don't discard things that are still useful."
That night, they worked in silence.
Rui prepared spirit ink to refine the Black Ember's next form. Lin Yu assisted, providing precise soul-calming herbs that made the process tolerable. Her hands didn't shake, even when dealing with volatile ingredients.
"She's been preparing for this longer than she admits. Maybe she's not just a pawn… maybe a knight."
Before leaving, Lin Yu paused at the door.
"I know what you are, Rui Yan. You're not cursed. You're reborn."
The words hung in the air like thunder.
Rui didn't move.
She turned away. "I don't need to know the details. Just tell me one thing."
"Why come back?"
He met her gaze through the flickering firelight.
"Because in the last life, I let them win."
"This time, I'll burn the heavens black."
Far away, inside the inner sect's sealed flame hall, a spirit mirror shimmered.
A tall man in golden robes stared at Rui's image as it replayed in the mirror's surface—his battle, his movements, his soul technique.
The man frowned.
"Black Ember… soul path? That technique was supposed to be lost."
He turned to his servant.
"Send a message to the Pavilion. Tell them… the ashes have stirred."