The sun rose lazily over Dawnmist Peak, drenching the mountain in soft gold.
For once, the summit felt at peace.
Birds chirped. The wind carried nothing but morning dew. Even the spiritual herbs looked more vibrant, as if basking in the afterglow of their disciples' first real victory.
Luo Feng stood at the edge of the training courtyard, watching the narrow mountain path. His arms were crossed. His expression unreadable.
Behind him, Kaelen leaned against the wall with a faint smile.
"You've been standing there for twenty minutes."
"They're late by two."
"Which means they didn't die. Just celebrating."
"Or they found something worse."
Kaelen tilted her head. "You'd know if they had."
"I would," Luo Feng agreed, "but it's the silence that makes me nervous."
He turned slightly as five figures emerged from the mist.
A-Yan bounced ahead, grinning with a branch full of spirit grapes slung over her shoulder. "We brought snacks!"
Bai Xueyin walked beside her, ever composed, her sleeves faintly stained with ice from residual formations. "And a report."
Tianya strode in silence, dagger sheathed but aura sharp.
Wushen looked exhausted, but alive. He carried a new flute—this one forged with Bai's ice and Kaelen's alloyed ore.
And Yiran?
She walked at the back.
Eyes calm. Hair drifting in the wind. No longer a remnant of the past.
But a leader in the making.
Luo Feng didn't smile. Not outwardly. But the air around him warmed slightly.
"You survived," he said dryly.
A-Yan beamed. "Not only survived—thrived."
Tianya added, "The beast is dead. Village is safe. Fog is gone. No casualties."
Wushen mumbled, "I don't want to hear flutes for a week."
Luo Feng raised an eyebrow. "You are the flute."
He turned to Yiran.
"Well?"
She nodded. "They followed orders. They adapted. They protected. No one broke rank. Even when the fog tried to separate us."
"And the formation?"
"Held for seven minutes."
He looked around the circle.
"Then I guess it's official."
He turned and stepped toward the training stone.
"You've passed the first trial."
Ding! Mission Completed: "Silent Watch – Protect Qinli"Result: Village saved. Civilian casualties: 0.System Evaluation: Excellent.Rewards distributed:– Yiran: +2 Insight, +1 Formation Mastery– Bai: +1 Technique Control– Tianya: +1 Reflex Speed– A-Yan: +1 Spiritual Perception– Wushen: +1 Song Attunement, "Mist Banishment" skill unlocked
Host Reward: +2 Teaching Insight, +1 Authority
But before they could celebrate—
A bell chimed at the peak's outer path.
Not an alarm.
A guest.
Kaelen moved first, unsheathing her saber.
Luo Feng raised a hand. "Wait."
A figure emerged from the mist, robes pristine, hair coiled into tight ceremonial loops.
He walked without effort. With the kind of practiced grace only politicians and poisoners mastered.
Luo Feng's eyes narrowed.
"…Elder Zhou."
The man smiled thinly.
"Mentor Luo. Such a pleasure to see Dawnmist Peak thriving."
The disciples fell silent.
Bai stepped forward protectively.
Tianya's eyes narrowed.
Even A-Yan stopped chewing her grape stem.
Zhou bowed with just enough politeness to not offend—but not an inch more.
"I come on behalf of the Inner Council," he said. "To deliver a commendation."
He reached into his sleeve and produced a scroll wrapped in violet silk.
"The Sect acknowledges your disciples' service to Qinli. Their actions were… exemplary."
He unrolled it, revealing a gold-stamped seal.
"A formal citation. With recognition rights. And…"
He smiled wider.
"…an invitation."
Luo Feng didn't flinch.
"Invitation?"
Zhou gestured to the scroll. "The Sect wishes to integrate your disciples into the official core training tiers."
Bai stiffened.
Wushen frowned.
A-Yan whispered, "Wait—what's that mean?"
"It means," Zhou continued, "they'll be eligible for Sect-sponsored missions, elite techniques, and, of course, ranked advancement."
Luo Feng's voice was cold. "And what's the price?"
Zhou didn't hesitate.
"They will undergo evaluation. Reassessment. Standardized tests to ensure their loyalty and conformity to Sect principles."
Tianya scoffed. "You want us to pass your version of what a 'real disciple' is."
Zhou's smile didn't falter.
"Merely procedure. We cannot elevate wildflowers into the inner garden without pruning."
Wushen muttered, "Or leashing."
Zhou's tone cooled. "You've trained them well, Luo Feng. But if they are to serve the Sect, they must serve its rules."
Luo Feng stepped forward.
And for the first time, his voice carried weight.
"They are not wildflowers."
He met Zhou's eyes without flinching.
"They are the seeds this Sect chose to discard. And they have grown not because of you—but in spite of you."
Zhou's smile cracked.
"Be careful, Mentor," he said quietly. "The higher they rise, the more visibility they attract. If you truly care for them… don't let your pride become their cage."
He turned without waiting for permission.
And walked down the path.
Leaving silence behind.
Ding! System Alert: Council interest elevated.Inner Disciplinary Committee has begun background assessments on disciples.Threat Level: Medium – "Legitimacy Contest Phase" initiated.
Optional Path: Accept official integration and risk compliance interference.Or remain rogue and face independent trials.
That night, the courtyard was quiet.
The fire cracked. Tea steamed.
But no one joked. No one sparred.
Finally, Bai broke the silence.
"What if he's right?"
A-Yan looked up. "About what?"
"That we'll need the Sect's protection. That we'll be hunted."
Tianya tossed a pebble into the fire. "We already are."
Wushen didn't speak. He simply tuned his flute, slower than usual.
Then Yiran said, "We don't need to be official to be real."
Luo Feng, from where he stood behind them, nodded.
"You don't need the world's approval. Just your own."
He walked forward and placed a scroll on the firepit stones.
On it: a new formation.
Different from the Veiled Bloom.
This one was simpler.
But heavier.
"We start formation training tomorrow," he said. "Not to impress them. To protect yourselves."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"The Sect isn't the enemy. But it's not your friend either."
He poured the tea.
And said the only thing that mattered:
"You don't serve them. You serve each other."