The Twin Spirit Bloom Festival was unlike anything the outer sect disciples had ever witnessed.
The north peak gardens, usually tranquil and reserved for inner sect events, had been transformed into a sea of color and Qi. Floating lanterns shaped like lotus blossoms hovered above every path, casting a soft golden glow. Spiritual butterflies, illusions formed by intricate formation arrays, drifted through the air with shimmering wings inscribed in ancient runes.
Dozens of booths lined the terraces—each showcasing rare herbs, experimental elixirs, or exotic cultivation fruits. Inner sect disciples moved like peacocks clad in embroidered silk, vying for attention, flattery, and recognition from wandering elders.
At the center of it all, beneath a moon-vine-draped pavilion that bloomed under formation-enhanced moonlight, sat Elder Qingxue—ice-veiled, elegant, and utterly unapproachable. Her silver robes glimmered like starfall, her jade eyes scanning the crowd with the precision of a grandmaster alchemist judging flawed ingredients.
"Begin the exhibition," she said, her voice soft but slicing through the gardens like wind through crystal.
Su Chen stepped quietly onto the main path.
He stood out—still clad in plain robes, lacking the ornamental layers or embroidered crests of status. No insignia, no sect-hailing entourage.
But his eyes were calm. Focused. Measured.
> [Objective Update: Enter Inner Sect via Recognition – Progress 15%]
In his hands, he carried a small lacquered box. Within it, sealed in jade and suppression talismans, lay the Spirit Bane Elixir. It wasn't flashy. It didn't shimmer or pulse with light.
But it was deadly effective.
And more importantly—it was unique.
Not far away, Lin Yao stood with fellow herb courtyard disciples. When she spotted him, she nearly choked on her tea.
"What is he doing here?" she whispered.
A disciple scoffed. "That guy again? He's going to embarrass all of us. Just wait."
But Lin Yao frowned, uncertain. Su Chen didn't walk like someone setting himself up to fail. His posture was too steady. His steps too precise.
He reached the central offering booth.
A registration elder glanced up lazily. "Name?"
"Su Chen."
The elder blinked. "The one who defeated Meng Fan?"
The air around them shifted. Conversations stalled. Heads turned.
"…Proceed," the elder muttered, now fully alert.
Su Chen walked to the offering platform, where dazzling elixirs and concoctions rested atop floating trays—rainbow-hued pills, levitating cauldrons, even a frozen lotus suspended in eternal bloom.
He placed his plain jade vial down gently.
No glow.
No scent.
Just… silence.
A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd.
"That's it? Looks like a basic Qi disruption pill."
"He really brought that to the inner garden? Embarrassing."
But Su Chen didn't respond. He simply bowed. And then, to everyone's surprise, he opened the vial, poured a single drop into a tea bowl, and handed it to the officiator.
"Dissolve this into spiritual tea," he said calmly. "Then have any Foundation Establishment cultivator attempt to circulate Qi."
The officiator raised a brow but complied.
The tea was offered to Zhou Min, a proud alchemy prodigy and late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Zhou drank it with a smirk.
And then… his smirk vanished.
His face went pale.
His hands trembled.
"W-What did you…? My Qi—it's… I can't circulate it!"
He dropped to one knee, veins bulging with wild energy flow, spiritual circuits locked.
A shocked silence fell.
Then gasps.
Elder Qingxue raised an eyebrow. "Don't kill him."
Su Chen bowed again. "It's a support-class elixir. Non-lethal. Duration: one hour. Effects vary by realm."
The officiator examined the bowl with a trembling talisman. His face paled.
"Unknown compound… completely unregistered formulation… This is not in the sect's archives."
Elder Qingxue finally rose.
She stepped forward, her presence commanding. Her gaze swept over Su Chen like frost over flame.
"You created this?"
"I did."
"Source material?"
"Moonbane Root."
Even she paused.
"That herb is restricted."
"I harvested it. Alone."
A long silence followed.
Then, Elder Qingxue let out a soft, amused breath.
"Arrogant. Dangerous. Possibly reckless," she said.
Then, with a small smile, "I like it."
> [System Notification]
Optional Objective Completed: Gained Elder Recognition – Qingxue Faction Interest Earned
Reward: Inner Sect Entry Token
Bonus Reward Unlocked: Custom Room Access, Monthly Spirit Herb Allowance
Not far off, behind a curtain of silk and shadow, Ji Liang watched the exchange with growing fury.
The boy had done it.
And worse—he had aligned with her.
The game had changed.
Later that night, as laughter echoed through wine-filled pavilions and the lanterns of the festival began to fade, Su Chen stood alone at the cliff's edge, gazing down at the outer sect far below.
The mountain wind tugged at his robe.
Not long ago, he had been a forgotten name, a no-rank nobody.
Now, he held the interest of a sect elder.
Now, he had a foot inside the inner sect.
But this was only the first door.
There were ten thousand enemies ahead.
And each one would fall.
One reset at a time.