The morning air over Dawnmist Peak was sharp, kissed with mist. The cold didn't come from Bai Xueyin's cultivation this time—it was natural, clear, honest.
Tianya stood barefoot in the training circle.
She didn't shiver.
She didn't blink.
She stared at Luo Feng with that same unreadable expression—half defiance, half curiosity.
"Why am I using a stick?" she asked, voice flat.
The wooden training rod in her hand was light and smooth, far from the jagged horror of her usual sword. It looked almost silly in her grip.
Luo Feng stood across from her, holding an identical rod.
"Because if you can't control this," he said, "you have no right to control something that eats memory."
"I've survived the Cinderblade."
"You've survived being possessed by it," Luo Feng corrected. "I'm going to teach you how to own it."
Tianya grunted. "You talk like I'm a beast to be tamed."
"No," he said calmly. "I talk like someone who's seen what happens when raw power moves before understanding does."
A-Yan sat off to the side, legs swinging, chewing on a fruit. "This is going to be good."
Bai Xueyin was less amused. She stood a little farther away, arms crossed, eyes on the distant trees. She didn't trust Tianya yet—not fully.
Neither did Kaelen, who stood watch with her arms folded and spiritual perception spread wide. The threat of system interference still lingered after the visitor—Ren—had left.
"Start with diagonal cuts," Luo Feng said. "Slow. Controlled. Each one with breath."
Tianya grumbled but complied.
Her first three swings were fast—too fast. Impressive, but sloppy.
"Again," Luo Feng said.
She sneered. "Why? They were perfect."
He stepped forward and struck her rod mid-swing with his own.
Her weapon flipped from her hand and clattered to the ground.
She stared at him.
"I've fought cultivators in the Heaven-Step Realm—"
"And that," Luo Feng said, "is exactly why your muscle memory is broken."
Ding! Teaching technique engaged: "Repatterning via Resistance."Student: Tianya. Condition: Defensive ego response detected.Mentor strategy adjusted: Direct physical feedback method applied.
Tianya retrieved the rod with a scowl.
Then she tried again.
This time, her swing was tighter. Her wrist—controlled.
"Better," Luo Feng said.
She blinked. "You're not going to insult me?"
"No."
"Then how will I know I'm improving?"
"Because you just felt the difference yourself."
She paused.
Something subtle shifted in her gaze.
The next thirty minutes passed in silence.
Strike after strike.
Slow.
Precise.
Luo Feng walked circles around her, correcting form with light taps of the rod. Never harsh. Just enough to guide.
Eventually, Tianya stopped.
"I remember this," she murmured.
Luo Feng frowned. "This lesson?"
She nodded, confused.
"You taught me this before."
Ding! Alert: Inconsistency detected in Disciple Memory Thread.Accessing mental archive…Result: No matching session recorded in Host logs.System Note: External memory implant suspected.
Luo Feng stepped forward slowly.
"When did I teach you this?"
Tianya's brow furrowed. "Years ago. At the Blood-Red Moon Temple."
"I've never been there."
She looked up sharply. "But I remember—"
Her voice stopped. Her eyes dilated.
And then she screamed.
The world flickered.
Bai Xueyin and A-Yan both jumped to their feet.
Kaelen moved instantly, her sword half-drawn.
But it wasn't Tianya's body reacting—it was her mind.
She dropped the rod. Clutched her head. Fell to her knees.
"I REMEMBER IT—NO, I DON'T—YOU—!"
Her hands trembled. Blood leaked from her ears.
Luo Feng was already in front of her, one hand glowing with pale silver light.
System Skill Activated: "Anchor's Resolve" – blocking memory override.Host spiritual energy drained: 22%Stabilizing subject's memory stream… successful.
Tianya slumped into his arms, sobbing—not out of pain, but out of confusion.
"They put it there," she whispered. "Someone put that memory in me. Like… like it was real."
Luo Feng looked at Kaelen.
"Is this the Impostor's doing?"
Kaelen nodded grimly. "Very likely. Memory rewriting is a forbidden path technique tied to mental Domination. It's how sects break prisoners without touching them."
A-Yan looked pale. "You mean… they can make you believe you were trained by someone else?"
"Yes," Kaelen said. "And if it goes deep enough, you'll turn on your own teacher without knowing why."
Ding! New threat identified: Memory Substitution Protocol.Tracking Source…Result: Weak signal embedded in curse residue.Estimated origin: Subdomain aligned with Anchor-class system fragment.
Luo Feng clenched his jaw.
"He's already started."
Later, Tianya slept in the warded room. Bai sat beside her, a cold cloth on her forehead. For all her aloofness, she remained there longer than anyone expected.
Luo Feng sat outside on the bench beneath the hawthorn tree, staring at the black sky.
The system pinged.
System Diagnostic Updated.Threat: Anchor-Class Impostor is actively targeting disciples via latent memory resonance.Solution Path: Deepen disciples' personal identity threads. Direct teaching, emotional anchoring, and memory bonding required.Warning: If disciple identity falls below 40% stability, feedback may be corrupted permanently.
A heavy silence settled around the peak.
Then Kaelen spoke from the shadows behind him.
"You'll have to bind them tighter."
"I know."
"Not chains," she added. "Just… reasons to stay."
He looked down at his hand.
"I'm not sure I have enough reasons left."
Kaelen stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Then borrow theirs."