Outside, the storm raged on. But compared to the fury of wind and rain, Mu Chen's heart was strangely calm.
The questions that had once stolen his sleep.....the endless torment of "Why was my mother murdered?".....had finally found fragments of an answer. For the first time, the chaos inside him quieted. Now, at least, he understood why Shi Ye Hoi always spoke to him with such gentle respect, why her words carried a softness so rare in this ruthless world.
And why this mountain… felt so hauntingly familiar.
Clutching the ornament tightly, Mu Chen finally spoke. His voice was heavy, hoarse, and weighed down like chains. Each word sounded as though it was dragged forcefully from his chest.
"I cannot forgive the Empress for her cruelty. I will aid Heng Yao Ren… but do not mistake this for pity. My heart holds no sympathy for him. Tell me.....what must I do?"
His words brought a faint smile to both Wushi Taoyi and Sect Master Wen Huan. In hushed tones, Wen Huan laid out the plan, each detail whispered carefully into Mu Chen's ears. With every step of the scheme revealed, Mu Chen's dull eyes began to regain their old fire....the very same burning light that had once made him worthy of the title Shu An of the Shuang Ying, the Twin Shadows.
At last, Mu Chen rose to his feet. Without a second glance, he strode forward, his resolve unshaken. Beside him walked Wushi Taoyi. Before leaving, she paused, lowered herself with deep reverence, and offered her father a final respectful bow. Only then did she turn to follow Mu Chen.
He wore his old, faded grey robes...plain and unremarkable. She, in contrast, adorned in garments of elegance, fine jewels gleaming at her side. Tall and graceful, like a snow lotus blooming in winter frost.
Together, the two walked side by side, their footsteps carrying them toward their new purpose...toward Heng Yao Ren.
---
Flashback Ends
Jinghua Yulian Mountain
Bai He Hall
Ai Ning, Ming Yu Jin, and Lin Zu still stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the departing figures.
Ming Yu Jin and Lin Zu were utterly shaken, their breaths caught in disbelief. The very prince of the rumors....the one whispered to have poisoned his own father, the one said to have fled the palace after patricide...had just passed before their very eyes. To witness him alive… to see him walk freely… it was enough to still the very act of breathing.
Yet while the others were drowned in stunned silence, Ai Ning's eyes burned red with fury.
In her gaze were the garments of Wushi Taoyi, embroidered with the sigil of the Ice Lotus...a symbol she despised with every fiber of her being.
Inside Bai He Hall, the deep voice of a master rang out once again, echoing like a bell of authority:
"According to your clan and origin, you will receive your robes. Wear them, and proceed to Cang Ming Yuan Academy."
One by one, the students stepped forward. Attendants handed them garments belonging to their respective clans, instructing them to don the attire before their departure.
Outside the great hall, countless bathhouses stood in neat rows, prepared for this very ceremony. The students entered in turn, changed their clothes, and emerged transformed.
Ai Ning, Ming Yu Jin, and Lin Zu were each handed sky-blue robes. Unlike the students from great clans, they were commoners....outsiders merely invited onto the cultivation path. Yet they were not alone; more than half of the gathered youths wore the same sky-blue, marking them as clanless aspirants.
But then…
From across the courtyard, the disciples of the Bai Han Clan advanced together in a unified formation, their robes pure white, each embroidered with the chilling sigil of the Ice Lotus.
The sight struck Ai Ning like a blade. The faint embers of rage within her heart flared violently into flame. Her hand clenched into a fist so tight her nails cut into her palm, as though she wished to crush her fury into silence before it devoured her completely.
A commanding voice rose once more:
"Ascend the steps ahead. They will carry you directly to Cang Ming Yuan Academy."
---
The path revealed itself....stone steps hidden among mountain cliffs, carved centuries ago, perhaps millennia. Storm winds howled, rattling branches, and dead leaves scattered down onto the ancient stairs. With each step, students crushed them beneath their feet, climbing toward destiny.
At the very end of the line walked Ai Ning, Ming Yu Jin, and Lin Zu.
Ai Ning's burning anger had already cooled. Ming Yu Jin and Lin Zu's ridiculous chatter was enough to break through her storming thoughts, forcing a reluctant laugh onto her lips.
Ming Yu Jin pouted dramatically, tilting his head back as he gazed up at the seemingly endless climb. Above, the Academy loomed like a sacred fortress, high above the clouds.
"It feels like we're climbing straight to Heaven," he grumbled, sighing in defeat. "If I have to walk these steps again, my soul will reach the top… but my body will not."
His complaints left Ai Ning and Lin Zu bursting into laughter. Their chuckles echoed up the stairway, mixing with the rustling winds and rolling stormclouds, adding a trace of warmth to the cold, daunting path.
---
At last, after endless steps, the three finally arrived.
Before their eyes stretched a sight that stole their very breath.....
The Cang Ming Yuan Academy.
Magnificent, serene, and shining in immaculate white. Halls of grandeur towered across a vast courtyard. Teachers and officials in ceremonial robes stood waiting, their presence dignified, their gazes sharp.
The atmosphere was unlike anything they had ever felt before. It was as if they had stepped into a realm torn from the pages of ancient legend...
A world of greatness that should not have existed within the mortal realm.
Ai Ning, Ming Yu Jin, and Lin Zu could only stand in stunned awe, their eyes fixed on the Academy's divine splendor.