The sect bell rang thrice before dawn.
Not the usual call to training.
This one echoed with command.
All Inner Disciples were to gather at the Flame Pavilion, near the ridge outpost.
Fang Xi dressed in silence, brushing dust off his robe. His ribs still ached — a slow, coiled reminder that cultivation came with pain. The 7th thread pulsed steadily now, weaving tighter into his core.
Jiang Ping rushed in, breathless. "They say it's an expedition! Outside the boundary wards!"
"Then it's not a mission," Fang Xi muttered. "It's a test."
The Flame Pavilion
Around seventy Inner Disciples gathered beneath a roof of red-tiled stone. Wind howled from the cliffs beyond.
Elder Jun, one of the sect's expedition masters, stood before them — hunched but still fierce, his Qi blazing like sun-warmed steel.
"You will gather Flame Petal Orchids from the southern fire ridge," he said. "Six teams. Three days. No fighting inside the sect, but beyond the barrier—"
He smiled coldly.
"—accidents are common."
So that's how they do it. Bloodless here, bloodied there.
The orchids were needed for refining mid-grade pills — a precious resource. But only a few would return with enough to impress.
Team Assignment
Fang Xi was placed in Team Four, alongside:
Wei Lian – a silent, long-haired girl with a sword longer than her body. She gave no greeting.
Bai Mo – a smirking alchemy student with clan ties. Said little, observed a lot.
Deng Rui – broad, brash, likely from the Wild Flame Pavilion. Already sharpening his axe.
Fang Xi
And Han Shun — cousin of the crippled Han Mu.
When their eyes met, Shun's narrowed.
"So you're the one with clever hands."
"I just followed the sect's rules," Fang Xi replied flatly.
They put him here on purpose. To test me. Or bait me.
Into the Wards
By sunset, they crossed the southern boundary.
The air changed immediately — warmer, thicker, unstable.
Flame Petal Orchids only bloomed near heat vents, usually guarded by Qi-sensitive beasts. The terrain was sharp with volcanic glass and smoking vents.
Wei Lian scouted ahead.
Bai Mo checked his talismans.
Deng Rui smashed rocks like he wanted them to bleed.
And Fang Xi watched it all, mentally noting weaknesses.
Wei Lian's left shoulder is slower when she turns.
Bai Mo's pills are average. He likely can't fight.
Deng Rui is strong but dumb. Easily provoked.
And Han Shun…
Han Shun walked behind him. Always behind.
Foreshadowing in the Flames
They made camp beneath a hollow ridge that night. Heat rose from the stone floor, keeping away frost — but not silence.
Fang Xi sat with his eyes half-closed, pretending to meditate.
Then he heard it.
A voice, faint — like wind through bone.
"Who walks with unclean fate…?"
His eyes snapped open.
No one had spoken. No beast stirred