Li Xuan walked out of the dining hall with slow, tired steps — the same "weak Li Xuan" everyone expected to see.
But inside, his senses were sharper than ever.
He felt the air move behind him.He heard soft footsteps.He sensed hungry eyes watching his back.
Chen Mu.Hou Shan.And Feng Yu — the quiet one.
Just as Yan Ling warned.
Li Xuan didn't turn around.Didn't walk faster.Didn't let his shoulders stiffen.
He walked like a boy who wanted to avoid trouble.Someone forgettable.Someone harmless.
He crossed the stone path, passing the courtyard where disciples sparred under the sun.
Behind him, three figures followed slowly, pretending to chat, pretending not to care.
But they cared too much.
Li Xuan knew how they thought.
"If he shows anything strange, report it.""If he does something suspicious, tell Elder Qiu.""Find a way to expose him."
Li Xuan headed toward the pine grove, but he didn't go straight.He took a longer path.He stopped twice to tie his shoes.He paused at the water well.He looked at the clouds for a moment.
Acting like someone with no purpose.
Someone who wasn't training.Someone slow.
But even then, his watchers were careful.
They kept distance.They hid behind walls.They ducked behind trees.
Li Xuan could feel them.
Every step.
Every shadow.
—You are doing well, the Grand Immortal said calmly. The more they underestimate you, the easier it is to survive.
Li Xuan kept walking.
When he finally reached the grove, he chose a spot near the entrance — not too deep inside, where they might think he was hiding something.
Just enough to look innocent.
He began light footwork practice — slow, messy, the same poor movements from before.
He stumbled on purpose.He breathed too loudly.He let his arms hang awkwardly.
To anyone watching, it looked like he hadn't improved at all.
Behind the trees, Chen Mu whispered, "See? Trash."
Hou Shan snorted. "He walks like a dying donkey. Elder Qiu was worried for nothing."
Feng Yu didn't speak.His eyes stayed sharp.
Li Xuan pretended not to notice.
He practiced the same slow steps for nearly an hour, letting his muscles warm and settle.Letting his new dantian stabilize.Letting his watchers get bored.
Eventually, Chen Mu said:
"This is pointless. Let's go."
Hou Shan agreed.They left.
But Feng Yu stayed.
Li Xuan felt it — a pair of eyes watching him quietly from far behind a tree.
Different from the other two.
Sharper.Colder.More curious than hateful.
Li Xuan kept his movements sloppy.
But he spoke softly in his mind:
"…Grand Immortal, that one is different."
—Yes, the Immortal replied. His breathing is quiet. His steps are controlled. He is trained in observation.
"Is he dangerous?"
—Not yet. But he will be. He is the type of person who does not act quickly… but remembers everything.
Li Xuan's heartbeat tightened.
He didn't like that.
He turned slightly, pretending to stretch his leg.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Feng Yu standing behind the tree, half-hidden, half-watching.
Not moving.
Not leaving.
Not blinking.
Just observing.
Li Xuan decided to push the act further.
He tripped over a root and fell on purpose.
Not hard — just enough to look clumsy.
He grabbed his ankle and hissed in fake pain.
Feng Yu's eyes narrowed.
Then, finally… he left.
Silently.
Like a shadow returning to its owner.
Li Xuan lay on the ground for another moment, breathing slowly.
—Good, the Grand Immortal said. You fooled him for now. But remember: that one will watch you again.
Li Xuan stood and dusted off his robe.
His dantian pulsed gently, stable and full of potential.
But he couldn't cultivate now.
Not here.Not when watchers were still nearby.
He looked around the empty grove.
Then he turned toward a deeper part of the forest — one that was rarely visited.
Just to check…
He stepped deeper.
Shadows from the trees wrapped around him like a cloak.
He walked farther until the noise of the sect was faint.
There—
A small clearing hidden behind a fallen pine trunk.
Quiet.Still.Safe.
He stopped and closed his eyes.
The warmth inside his dantian responded immediately.
Qi flowed through him — soft, thin, but steady.
He wanted to train so badly.
But the Immortal's voice stopped him:
—Not now.—This place is safer, but your stalkers are still nearby.—This sect is too full of eyes. Too many whispers. Too many traps.—Tonight… you will cultivate in secret. When the moon rises high, and the shadows are thick.
Li Xuan opened his eyes slowly.
He nodded.
Tonight…he would train again.
Tonight…he would grow quietly, silently, just as danger grew around him.
He walked back toward the dorms, keeping his steps slow and clumsy.
But he didn't know:
As he walked back into the sunlight —two different pairs of eyes watched him from different places.
One pair cold and calculating.
Elder Qiu.
One pair sharp and curious.
Yan Ling.
And far, far away… another pair of eyes from the visitor in red.
Elder Fang Zhi.
The web around Li Xuan tightened with every breath he took.
And none of them knew:
The useless boy they hunted…had already begun his path upward.