Li Tianming's return to the Crimson Moon Sect was anything but quiet. As the Shadowflame Eagle soared across the valley, casting a burning shadow over the training fields below, disciples paused mid-formation to gape at the beast's wingspan and the rider whose robes were scorched and torn, yet whose posture remained impossibly straight.
From a distance, he looked like a revenant—scarred by the wilds, but stronger for it.
As the eagle descended, a silver pulse shimmered in Tianming's eyes, his aura briefly flaring with lunar light before being reined back into the depths of his core.
> [Spiritual Density: +18% from recent absorption. Inner Sea Expansion: 14% Progress. Synchronization Level: 44%]
The moment his boots hit the sect's stone platform, a figure stepped forward—elder robes, sharp jawline, and eyes that held both authority and suspicion.
Elder Huo Zheng.
The man's voice was calm, but his words were barbed. "You were assigned outer patrol for reflection, yet you return riding a spiritual beast, with energy surging like a peak-tier disciple. Care to explain?"
Tianming bowed politely but did not lower his gaze. "I followed the patrol trail. But I encountered an anomaly—a lost cultivation site. I investigated."
A crowd had begun forming. Among them, Leng Shuang'er, her arms crossed, her white dress fluttering like ice in the breeze. Her gaze was sharp, but something in it flickered: interest?
Elder Huo frowned. "Convenient. And what proof do you bring of this 'lost site'?"
In answer, Tianming pulled the talisman from his sleeve. It glowed faintly, and then he tossed it into the air. With a pulse, a full-scale projection shimmered into life: the Lunar Spirit Flame tree, the Hollow Grove, even echoes of the mist-being flickered briefly.
Gasps echoed across the field.
Huo's lips parted. "That's… the Grove of Forgotten Stars. I thought it sealed by the Four-Emperor Accord."
"Apparently," Tianming said evenly, "the seal has weakened."
Murmurs rippled through the disciples. The Grove was a myth, a legend spoken of by elders who rarely left their chambers. Its existence confirmed one thing: Tianming had done what no outer disciple had ever dared.
He had gone beyond the sect's map.
---
The Storm That Follows
The following day, Tianming was summoned by the Inner Council. In a chamber of glowing jade pillars and floating runes, four elders sat in half-circle, their gazes pressing like mountains.
"I suppose you think this makes you special," Elder Yan said, steepling his fingers.
Tianming kept his tone measured. "No. It simply means I had an opportunity. And I survived it."
He then placed the Moonforge Core Fragment on the central dais. Its glow filled the chamber.
The silence was absolute.
Elder Su Lanyin, the only female among them, leaned forward. "Where did you find this?"
"In the Grove," he replied. "After a soul duel with an unknown entity."
One of the elders inhaled sharply. "The Court of Stars?"
Tianming hesitated. "Possibly. The entity mentioned I carried 'her echo.' I do not yet know who 'she' is."
The room grew heavy with old magic.
After a long pause, Elder Huo turned to the others. "He cannot remain Outer. His spirit sea has expanded by nearly 15%, and he controls a mid-tier flying beast. He's also awakened a soul blade. He must be elevated."
The vote was quick—and unanimous.
> [Status Upgrade: Inner Disciple. Access to Spirit Towers, Tier-3 Manuals, and Refinement Wells unlocked.]
Tianming bowed.
Yet as he turned to leave, Elder Yan added, "Your rise is unprecedented. Expect resistance. Especially from those whose pride outweighs their perception."
---
A Dance of Blades
As expected, his elevation sparked chaos in the disciple hierarchy. Tianming became the flame in a den of vipers.
The very next day, he found a challenge letter nailed to his door. The sigil bore the name of Jin Huai, a third-tier inner disciple known for his brute strength and thunder arts.
The match was set for dusk.
The dueling platform towered over the valley, bordered by floating lanterns that swayed with qi winds. Disciples packed the arena, whispers like wind against bamboo.
Feng Qingxue stood in the crowd, arms folded. Even she, it seemed, had come to witness.
Leng Shuang'er stood beside her, face unreadable.
Jin Huai towered over Tianming, muscles rippling, eyes burning with amusement. "They're letting mongrels in now? You must have bribed the elders with old relics."
Tianming didn't speak. His blade was already in hand—curved, glowing faintly with celestial mist.
Jin scoffed. "Fine. Let's make this quick."
He moved first—body vanishing in a burst of thunder, fists crashing down like meteors.
Tianming sidestepped, blade whispering through the storm. Sparks flew.
Then he countered—one smooth step inward, sword slicing up in an arc.
> [Lunar Form III: Silver Vein Ascension.]
A slash of pure light split the sky.
Jin stumbled back, blood on his cheek.
The crowd hushed.
"Beginner's luck," Jin growled, and summoned his spirit beast—a Thunder Rhino, snorting clouds of blue steam.
Tianming didn't flinch. Instead, he raised his hand—and called forth the Shadowflame Eagle.
The two beasts clashed midair, thunder against fire.
But on the platform, it was blade against brawn.
Tianming shifted his form again.
> [Lunar Tempest Blade – Form IV: Crescent Stormfall. Efficiency: 98%. Combat Rhythm Achieved.]
He became wind.
Every slash cut deeper. Every dodge danced through danger. He was faster, sharper, colder.
And then—he struck Jin's wrist, disarming him.
The final blow stopped an inch from Jin's throat.
The thunder disciple froze.
> [Victory: Confirmed. No Fatal Damage Inflicted. Disciplinary Points: +2]
Tianming turned without a word.
The crowd exploded.
---
Ripples in Still Water
That night, he received another letter.
But this one was sealed with a crescent moon.
It bore a message:
> "Your echo grows louder. Meet me at the Jade Blossom Pavilion at midnight. Alone.
> —L.X."
He frowned.
Lin Xuelian.
He had not seen her since the day of his exile to the outer edges.
At midnight, the pavilion was lit by moonlight. Lotus lanterns floated in the pond, their reflections fractured by the koi beneath.
She stood in the center, dressed in a sky-blue robe stitched with starlight thread. Her eyes met his with something between warmth and calculation.
"You've grown," she said simply.
He bowed. "You sent me away."
"I did. Because the sect would have crushed you. Now they fear you."
He stepped forward. "Why summon me?"
She extended a scroll. "Because war is coming. And I need a sword that cannot be broken."
The scroll bore the sigil of the Court of Stars.
"They're moving?" he asked.
She nodded. "Not yet. But their agents have been seen near the Skyreach Border. And they know your name."
A pause.
Then she added, "And there's someone you need to meet. A girl. She was touched by the same light. She dreams of a blade—your blade."
Tianming's jaw clenched. "What are you asking me to do?"
Xuelian's gaze turned to the stars.
"Find her. Protect her. Or kill her. I don't know yet."
The night wind rustled the lotus leaves.
Tianming said nothing. But within his core, the Moonforge Core fragment pulsed once.
The next path had begun.
---
[End of Chapter 9: Return of the Hidden Blade]