The night was growing deeper.
Moonlight had softly spread over the Mist Cloud Sect, yet beneath that calmness lay an invisible weight—like the eerie silence that fills the air just before a storm breaks.
Inside his room, Gu Zhe sat comfortably in a chair. His eyes were closed, his chin resting lightly on the fist of his right hand. A faint smile lingered on his face—one that only those who truly understood the flow of events could wear.
His lips moved ever so slightly, releasing a whisper meant only for himself—
"Hmm… so in the end, the shadow of change has finally begun to fall over Mist Cloud."
There was no anxiety in his voice, no fear—only a cold sense of acceptance, as if he had already foreseen everything that was about to unfold.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the sect, in the backyard—
Su Hao, drenched in sweat, was carefully wiping his sword. His arms were tired and his breathing heavy, yet there was not a trace of exhaustion in his eyes. Instead, they burned with a single obsession—to become stronger.
Elder Yun's words echoed repeatedly in his ears.
"This time, you all may become targets…"
He lifted the sword toward the light. The reflection from the blade fell directly onto his face, as though illuminating the resolve etched into his expression. His gaze hardened. Taking a deep breath, he spoke with firm determination—
"Little Gu…
forgive me. I'm the one who dragged you into this trouble."
He paused for a moment, then clenched his fist tightly.
"But don't worry…
as long as I'm alive, no one will dare raise a finger toward you."
Under the moonlight, the sword glimmered softly— as if swearing an oath alongside his words.
Just as Su Hao finished freshening up and was about to lie down, a knock echoed at his door. He quickly put on his clothes and opened it— standing outside was Ye Tianheng.
At first glance, Ye Tianheng looked… normal.
At second glance, it felt like his face was having an internal civil war—half calm, half screaming. Seeing this, Su Hao asked sincerely,
"Second Senior Brother, are you feeling alright?"
Ye Tianheng replied casually, though his tone was a bit stiff,
"It's nothing. On my way here, I felt like someone was following me. I even attacked, but there was no one there."
Before Ye Tianheng could finish his sentence, Su Hao's eyes lit up. He stepped forward, grabbed Ye Tianheng's hand tightly, and said with admiration,
"Second Senior Brother, you're truly powerful!"
CRACK
Not out loud.
Inside Ye Tianheng's soul.
The hand Su Hao was holding had been injured just moments ago— a few bones were already cracked thanks to Ye Tianheng's "slightly excessive confidence."
A wave of soul-shattering pain rushed up his arm. But Ye Tianheng… smiled.
A perfect smile.
A senior-brother-level smile.
Inside his head, however, he was screaming:
LET GO. LET GO RIGHT NOW.
WHY ARE YOU GRABBING MY HAND LIKE WE'RE REUNITING AFTER TEN YEARS?!
IS THIS HOW YOU SHOW CONCERN?!
Su Hao, completely unaware, even gave his hand a small encouraging squeeze.
Ye Tianheng's eyelid twitched.
His smile twitched.
His life flashed before his eyes.
Finally, when the pain crossed the line from "bearable" to "ancestor-seeing," he quickly freed his hand with the other one and said calmly,
"Junior Brother, I'm perfectly fine."
He then swiftly hid the injured hand behind his back— like a man protecting a priceless treasure… or a broken branch.
Do not touch. Do not even look at it.
Su Hao tilted his head, confused, and asked,
"Second Senior Brother are you really ok....why did you come to see me? Did you need something?"
Ye Tianheng froze.
Then his eyes widened slightly.
Right. The reason. Focus. Survival first.
He hurriedly said,
"Oh! Yes! Master said everyone must be ready tomorrow morning. There will be an Inner Sect Disciple Test."
Hearing this, Su Hao stepped forward again and extended his hand cheerfully,
"Thank you, Second Senior Brother!"
Ye Tianheng instantly stepped back like he'd seen a ghost, raising both hands,
"No! No need! Absolutely no need!"
Inside his mind:
If you shake my hand again, this senior brother will be shaking hands with the afterlife.
He forced a laugh and added,
"As your senior, this is simply my duty."
Then, internally:
Retreat. Tactical retreat. NOW.
Aloud, he said quickly,
"Alright, Junior Su, I should leave now. Go rest—you'll need to wake up early tomorrow."
Without waiting for a reply, Ye Tianheng turned around and almost fled, walking so fast it was one step short of running.
Watching his retreating figure, Su Hao scratched his head and muttered,
"Second Senior Brother… seems a bit tired today."
And just like that, the night quietly slipped away.
In the calm hush of early morning, a thin veil of mist lingered over the land as the first light of dawn spread across the sky. The chirping of birds blended softly into the air—
like a gentle, soothing melody welcoming the new day, unaware of the trials that awaited ahead.
All of the sect's outer disciples looked extremely happy—and how could they not?
Today was a big day for them.
Being an outer disciple wasn't necessarily bad, but the resources they received were painfully limited. And in a world where strength was everything, who wouldn't want to become powerful as quickly as possible?
Becoming an inner disciple didn't just mean better cultivation resources—it came with many additional benefits as well. For example, inner disciples were allowed to accept sect-issued missions, and by completing them, they could earn Spirit Stones.
These Spirit Stones were the currency of this world. Spirit Stones also came in three main grades:
Low-grade Spirit Stones, Mid-grade Spirit Stones, and High-grade Spirit Stones. The value of Spirit Stones followed a strict exchange rate:
100 Low-grade Spirit Stones equaled 1 Mid-grade Spirit Stone,
and 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones equaled 1 High-grade Spirit Stone.
There was, however, one more type of Spirit Stone—but in the Lower Realm, seeing it was almost unheard of.
They were used to buy cultivation resources, weapons, pills, techniques—
almost everything that could help a cultivator grow stronger.
While everyone else was celebrating, there was one group whose faces showed not even a trace of happiness.
That group was none other than Gao Ming and his companions—the ones who constantly harassed Su Hao and Gu Zhe.
The reason was simple. The girl Gao Ming liked, Chen Li, had feelings for Su Hao instead.
And the moment they learned that Su Hao and Gu Zhe had become inner disciples, an unfamiliar and unsettling sense of fear quietly took root in their hearts.
But today, something was different.
The suppressed anger buried deep within them had been quietly fanned into flame by someone else— someone who stood far above them in status.With that person's support, Gao Ming felt as though the fear weighing on his heart had suddenly disappeared. An inner disciple backing him meant that even if things got out of hand, there would be someone powerful to deal with the aftermath.
And so, the hesitation in his heart vanished, replaced by a growing sense of reckless confidence.
Over at the Mistveil Bamboo Residence, when Gu Zhe stepped out of his room, he found that four people were already waiting for him. Seeing this, he gave a faint smile—one that clearly carried a trace of embarrassment.
"Sorry," he said gently, "I made everyone wait because of me."
Just as Ye Tianheng was about to snap at him, Mo Qinglan immediately spoke up,
"It's fine. We haven't been waiting for long."
The moment she said that, the words Ye Tianheng was about to unleash got stuck in his throat, and he began coughing awkwardly. Su Hao quickly stepped forward, patting Ye Tianheng on the back as he asked with concern,
"Senior Brother, are you alright?"
After coughing once or twice more, Ye Tianheng waved his hand, signaling that he was fine. Seeing this, Lin Feiyang spoke up calmly,
"Since everyone is ready, we should get going. The competition is about to begin. Master said he has to leave early due to some matters, so he'll meet us directly at the arena."
With that, the group prepared to set off, the air around them carrying a quiet tension—
and the faint sense that today's trial would be anything but ordinary.
The group left Mistveil Bamboo Residence together, walking along the narrow stone path that wound through towering bamboo stalks. Sunlight filtered down in broken shards, painting shifting patterns of green and gold across the ground. With every step, the soft rustle of bamboo leaves followed them, as if the forest itself were whispering.
They walked in pairs.
Up front, Su Hao and Lin Feiyang were deep in conversation, discussing the upcoming competition—strategies, strong opponents, and possible outcomes. Behind them walked Gu Zhe and Mo Qinglan at a slower pace.
Qinglan, still replaying last night's events in her mind, felt her cheeks grow warm. Every now and then, she would sneak a glance at Gu Zhe, quickly looking away as if afraid of being caught.
Meanwhile, Ye Tianheng's gaze remained fixed on Mo Qinglan. Watching her look at Gu Zhe like that made something twist painfully in his chest, a sharp sting of jealousy spreading through him.
And Gu Zhe—who noticed all of it—continued walking with a faint, knowing smile, as if the entire scene unfolding around him was quietly amusing.
Just as they were about to leave the bamboo path and enter the wider stone road leading to the arena, Suddenly, the faint smile on Gu Zhe's face vanished.
In the next moment, a loud, clear voice rang out—
"Gu Zhe!
At last… I've finally found you!"
There was relief in that voice, mixed with complaint—and a trace of suppressed frustration.
For a moment, the entire group came to a halt.
Su Hao and Lin Feiyang's conversation stopped on its own.
Mo Qinglan turned around in surprise, while Ye Tianheng's brows knitted slightly.
Everyone turned back at the same time.
Standing at the bend of the stone path, amidst the moving crowd, was a young woman. Her breathing was slightly hurried, as if she had rushed over from afar. Her eyes were locked firmly onto Gu Zhe, as though the rest of the world no longer existed for her.
Gu Zhe's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had recognized that voice.