The air was thick with incense, the fragrance curling in delicate wisps through the chamber. Li Yun sat on the polished wooden floor, his legs folded beneath him, though every muscle in his body screamed with exhaustion. Across from him, the sect leader sat with perfect composure, his silver robes draped neatly around him, his presence commanding yet unreadable.

  The silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint crackle of the lanterns.

  Li Yun shifted slightly, his throat dry. He had faced life-or-death moments, endured trials that pushed him to his limits, but something about the waiting—the weight of the sect leader’s gaze, the unspoken judgment—felt just as suffocating.

  Finally, the sect leader exhaled, setting his teacup down with deliberate slowness.

  “Li Yun,” he said, his voice measured. “What do you know of your own bloodline?”

  Li Yun tensed. So that’s where we’re starting.

  He met the sect leader’s gaze. “Not much,” he admitted.

  The sect leader hummed, tapping a single finger against the table, the rhythmic sound filling the quiet space between them. "Honest. Good." His voice was measured, but his gaze remained unrelenting, studying every flicker of expression on Li Yun’s face. He let the silence stretch, as if weighing something unspoken. Finally, he continued, his tone slightly lower, more contemplative. "Then tell me, in precise detail, what you felt in that moment. Not just the power—but everything. The first sensation, the shift in your mind, the way it coursed through your veins." He leaned forward ever so slightly. "Do not leave anything out."

  Li Yun hesitated. In that moment…

  He swallowed. “It was… overwhelming.” He clenched his hands into fists, his nails pressing into his palms. “It didn’t feel like something I was calling forth. It was like something inside me woke up, and it wasn’t asking for permission.”

  The sect leader studied him, his eyes dark and contemplative. “And did you fight it?”

  Li Yun hesitated. The answer should have been yes. That was the correct answer. But in truth…

  “I didn’t want to,” he said quietly.

  The sect leader’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his gaze.

  Li Yun exhaled, forcing himself to continue. “It wasn’t just power—it was right. Like I was supposed to have it all along, and only now was I remembering.” He swallowed. “And it didn’t want to stop.”

  The sect leader lifted his cup once more, taking a slow sip before speaking again.

  “That,” he murmured, “is dangerous.”

  Li Yun felt a chill creep down his spine.

  The sect leader set the cup down again. “You have awakened something old, something that predates even my knowledge.” His gaze sharpened. “That alone is cause for concern.”

  Li Yun frowned. “You don’t recognize it?”

  “I recognize the pieces of it,” the sect leader admitted. “A dual-aspect bloodline—yin and yang, light and dark, creation and destruction. It should not exist in a single being. Such forces do not simply coexist.” He studied Li Yun carefully. “And yet, they have chosen you.”

  Li Yun inhaled slowly. “Then… what does that mean?”

  The sect leader leaned back slightly, his robes shifting as he regarded Li Yun with an unreadable expression. “That is the question, isn’t it?”

  Another pause. Then—

  “You did not travel here with knowledge of cultivation, did you?”

  Li Yun stiffened. “…No.”

  The sect leader hummed. “Then tell me, Li Yun. If you were to describe the feeling of your qi, of your bloodline—what words would you use?”

  Li Yun thought for a long moment, choosing his words carefully.

  “…Restless.” He hesitated. “Like it’s searching for something.”

  The sect leader’s gaze flickered. “Searching?”

  Li Yun nodded. “It doesn’t feel like something fully formed. It’s not just power—it’s incomplete. Like a puzzle with missing pieces.”

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  The sect leader exhaled through his nose, fingers tapping rhythmically against the wooden table. “That aligns with my suspicions.”

  Li Yun’s brow furrowed. “What suspicions?”

  The sect leader’s expression darkened.

  “There are only two possibilities,” he said quietly. “Either you are the first of your kind… or you are the last.”

  Li Yun’s breath caught in his throat.

  The sect leader continued. “A bloodline like yours would not remain unnoticed. If records of it do not exist, then that means they were erased—or lost. That alone is troubling. But more than that…” His gaze bore into Li Yun’s. “A force like yours does not remain dormant without cause. Something kept it sealed until now. And something forced it awake.”

  A shiver ran down Li Yun’s spine.

  “Do you think…” His voice was quieter now, barely above a whisper. He swallowed, his throat dry. “Do you think something is still watching?”

  A chill crawled down his spine as he said it aloud. The words felt heavy, like they carried weight beyond just a passing fear. He forced himself to meet the sect leader’s eyes, but there was no comfort in them—only quiet calculation, an unreadable depth that made his unease fester.

  Li Yun’s fingers curled against his knee, nails digging into fabric. “Because… I do.” His breath was uneven now, the words escaping before he could stop them. “Not always. Not every second. But sometimes—it’s like I can feel it. Something just outside my reach. Like it’s waiting for something. For me.”

  The sect leader remained silent, his expression unreadable. Li Yun exhaled shakily, forcing a strained chuckle. “Tell me I’m wrong,” he muttered. “Tell me it’s just in my head.”

  The sect leader was silent for a long time. Then, he spoke, his voice slow and deliberate.

  “…Have you felt that it is?”

  Li Yun’s throat tightened.

  Because he had.

  That presence—just beneath his skin, lurking in the corners of his mind. Not hostile, not kind. Just… there.

  Watching.

  Waiting.

  “I don’t know,” Li Yun said finally.

  The sect leader watched him for a moment longer, then exhaled. “You are not ready for those answers yet.”

  Li Yun scowled. “Then what am I supposed to do?”

  “For now?” The sect leader lifted his cup again. “You remain here.”

  Li Yun stiffened. “You’re keeping me in the sect?”

  “I am ensuring that you do not destroy yourself.” His voice was calm but firm. “You have barely begun to understand what you hold. If you leave now, if your bloodline fully awakens without control…” He set the cup down, meeting Li Yun’s gaze. “You will not survive it.”

  Li Yun gritted his teeth. “So I’m just supposed to sit here and wait?”

  The sect leader chuckled softly, his gaze steady. "Cultivation is not about **waiting.** It is about **understanding.**" He leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping against the table in a slow, deliberate rhythm. "Many mistake patience for stagnation, but they are not the same. A fool waits for power to come to him. A cultivator seeks to **understand** the power that is already there—waiting within him, waiting to be grasped, controlled, and shaped." He studied Li Yun carefully. "Tell me, do you understand the difference?"

  Li Yun exhaled sharply, tension coiling in his chest. He hated this—this feeling of being caged, of being at the mercy of something he couldn’t yet grasp.

  “…And what happens if I can’t control it?”

  The sect leader’s gaze darkened.

  “Then,” he said softly, “the world will decide your fate for you.”

  Silence.

  Li Yun clenched his fists beneath the table. His entire life, he had been at the mercy of forces beyond his control. But this—this was different.

  This was his.

  And he would not let it consume him.

  The sect leader poured another cup of tea.

  And without hesitation with one sip of his tea he began talking again, but in a more serious than ever tone.

  The sect leader studied him for a long moment before speaking again.

  “You wish to understand your power,” he said slowly. “But power like yours cannot be cultivated in just any place. It requires a foundation that can withstand its presence, a space that will not crumble under its weight.”

  Li Yun remained silent, sensing the weight behind the sect leader’s words.

  The sect leader exhaled, his gaze steady. “As the leader of this sect, I hold the authority to grant land—to choose those worthy of their own domain. It is not a privilege I have exercised in centuries.” His lips curled slightly. “And yet, for the first time in all those years, I find myself doing so now.”

  He lifted his sleeve, making a slight gesture. “From this moment forward, you will have your own peak. A place solely for your cultivation, your growth.” His gaze darkened. “Be grateful, Li Yun. This is a privilege few have ever received.”

  Li Yun barely reacted. His own peak. He already knew this was coming—the quest reward had promised it—but hearing it spoken aloud, seeing the sect leader personally bestow it upon him, made it feel more… real.

  His own land. His own solitude.

  A place of his own, in a world where he still felt like a stranger.

  It was more than a reward. It was a foothold—his first step toward something greater.

  “I will leave the name to you,” the sect leader continued. “The land will be yours to shape as you see fit. You may cultivate in isolation, train without restraint, and grow without fear of disrupting others.” He gave Li Yun a pointed look. “Do not waste this.”

  Li Yun nodded, his expression unreadable. As if I would.

  The sect leader then sighed, a faint trace of amusement flickering in his gaze. “Of course, I cannot allow a mere Rank 2 Outer Disciple to hold a peak of his own.”

  Li Yun blinked.

  “It is unfortunate,” the sect leader continued, “but I will have to elevate your status.”

  He leaned forward slightly. “From this moment forward, you will no longer be an Outer Disciple. Your rank will be Special Disciple.”

  Li Yun frowned. “Special Disciple?”

  The sect leader’s voice was calm. “A position given only to those who require the direct oversight of the elders—and myself.” He tilted his head. “You have proven yourself an anomaly, one that cannot be left to their own devices. This is both a privilege… and a responsibility.”

  Li Yun exhaled slowly. So, in other words—he was too dangerous to be left unsupervised.

  He didn’t argue.

  The sect leader leaned back. “With this, you will have access to more resources, greater teachings, and, of course, my guidance when necessary.” He closed his eyes briefly. “You may find it stifling, but understand this—should you lose control, I will be there to act.”

  Li Yun understood the unspoken warning. He merely nodded.

  The sect leader studied him for another long moment, then finally—

  “Rest,” he said simply. “We will begin tomorrow.”