Lin Ho turned to face the young woman who had stepped out of the crowd. She stood tall and composed, her gaze unwavering. She wore the silver-blue robes of a core disciple, her presence drawing quiet attention from those around her.
A sword rested on her back, but its aura was restrained — like a blade sheathed in patience, not weakness.
> "You're not from around here, are you?" she said, narrowing her eyes. "Your movements are too fluid. Your Qi is… wrong."
Lin Ho met her eyes without flinching.
> "Does it matter where I'm from?"
> "No," she said coolly. "Only what you're capable of."
A few whispers stirred among the disciples.
> "Isn't that Luo Yuyan? The top disciple under Elder Qiu?" "She never speaks to outer disciples…"
Yuyan ignored them.
> "I saw what you did to Lei Zhan. That wasn't a technique. That was instinct — forged through chaos, not training."
"What is your cultivation method?"
Lin Ho's answer came quickly, calmly.
> "Passed down from my grandfather."
Yuyan tilted her head.
> "And who is he?"
> "Lin Jiang, once a body cultivator in the Azure Warfront, retired after his son vanished."
Recognition flickered across her face — not of Lin Jiang's identity, but the weight behind Lin Ho's words. She said nothing more for a moment.
Then, Yuyan suddenly turned and began walking away.
> "Elder Qiu wants to see you again. Come to Cloud Mirror Peak tonight."
Before Lin Ho could respond, she had already vanished into the inner sect path, her steps silent, like drifting snow.
---
That Night – Cloud Mirror Peak
The wind howled as Lin Ho stood at the foot of Cloud Mirror Peak. A rope bridge crossed a misty chasm that separated the mountain from the rest of the sect. Stepping onto it, he felt the formation runes beneath his feet pulse with faint light — only disciples summoned by an elder could pass.
At the summit, Elder Qiu waited within a modest courtyard built from white stone and plum wood. Lanterns flickered gently, casting shadows along the pavilion where tea steamed quietly on a table.
> "Sit, Lin Ho," Elder Qiu said.
Lin Ho did.
The elder studied him in silence for a long moment.
> "You're different. Your talent is extraordinary, but I don't sense the arrogance that comes with it."
> "I don't know what path I'm walking yet," Lin Ho said honestly. "Only that it's not one I chose."
Elder Qiu nodded, pleased.
> "Good. Cultivation isn't just about reaching the top, Lin Ho. It's about understanding who you are… before the heavens force you to find out."
He reached into his sleeve and produced a small jade slip, handing it over.
> "This contains a movement technique — Silent Mist Steps. It's not flashy, but it will help you avoid unnecessary conflict. Keep your power hidden, unless absolutely necessary."
Lin Ho bowed deeply. "Thank you, Elder."
As he turned to leave, Elder Qiu added, his tone sharp:
> "And Lin Ho… should anyone question your cultivation method, tell them what you've been told. Passed down from your grandfather. As for your origins — say nothing more."
> "Understood."
---
The Next Day – Hidden Tensions
As Lin Ho resumed his daily routine, a quiet shift occurred around the sect.
The core disciples had begun to pay attention. Some with curiosity. Some with hostility.
Lei Zhan, though defeated, had not spoken ill of Lin Ho again. Instead, he trained harder than ever, sometimes watching Lin Ho from afar with a strange sense of respect.
But trouble was brewing.
From the shadows, a group of robed cultivators had begun following Lin Ho's movements. Not openly — always distant, always masked — but their aura was wrong. It didn't belong to the Qingye Sect.
One of them whispered to another:
> "Chaos bloodline or not, if he's truly awakened something forbidden… the balance will be broken."
The other shook their head.
> "Only those at the pinnacle know what that bloodline means. For now, we observe. Nothing more."
They vanished into the fog.
---
Back in his quarters, Lin Ho sat in meditation. The jade slip from Elder Qiu pulsed in his mind as he practiced the footwork it described — each step like drifting mist, silent and smooth.
His Qi circulated calmly, but deep within, the spiral of golden-black Chaos churned — alive, ancient, and watching.
He opened his eyes.
> "I'm being watched."
Not by the sect.
Not by humans.
Something else.
Far off, in the sea of stars, something had stirred.
---