Morning sunlight spilled across Azure Sky Sect, turning the roofs golden and the mountains soft with mist. The sect, still calm after the Heartbreaker Trials, seemed peaceful again. But Li Ming knew better. Peace was just the pause before another disaster.
He stood at the training ground, dressed in his usual robe again—thank heavens—and watched Bai Guo pecking at a rice bun. "Hey, don't eat my breakfast!"
Bai Guo looked up, crumbs on his beak. "I was inspecting it for poison."
"Uh-huh. And your inspection required swallowing it whole?"
"Thorough checks demand sacrifices," Bai Guo said seriously, then belched softly.
Li Ming sighed. "You're impossible."
Just then, Lan Yue appeared, her presence calm yet sharp as ever. "You're both early. Good. We'll need the time."
Li Ming turned to her, expression wary. "You mentioned we're going to the borderlands. Is it really that serious?"
