There were mornings when the sect felt like a slow-burning fire—never hot enough to boil over, but always present, always smoldering. This was one of those mornings.
The air was thick and dry, the sky overcast. No birds sang. Even the spirit chickens stayed quiet, huddled in their coops as if something was watching them.
Lin Tian sat in meditation, the ring glowing faintly on his finger. His posture was rigid. Not out of pride—just a refusal to collapse.
Chen Mu hovered silently above him. The boy hadn't said a word since waking up. He hadn't needed to.
Chen Mu could feel the pressure pressing in from all sides.
"You're close," he said eventually. "You're not quite Mid-stage, but you're close. The Qi sticks to your spine now. That's a sign."
Lin Tian said nothing. He just continued his breathing cycle, slowly cycling the energy through his fractured meridians, holding it as long as he could before letting it drop and begin again.
Chen Mu floated slowly in a circle, watching from every angle he could muster as a ghost in a ring.
"You know," he said casually, "if someone had told me a week ago that I'd be coaching a disciple through early-stage Qi Initiation while stuck in a jade donut, I would've asked if they were drunk or insane."
Still no reply.
Chen Mu drifted lower.
"I also would've bet the disciple would've died by now."
That got a snort from Lin Tian.
"Progress," Chen Mu said dryly.
[+2 BP for sarcastic spiritual coaching.]
But the moment was short-lived. Because then, it came.
A bell rang.
Not the usual outer sect labor bell—short and angry—but a long, deep, echoing note. It rolled across the sect grounds like the call of a funeral drum.
Lin Tian opened his eyes. "That's not ours."
"Nope," Chen Mu said. "Too polished. That came from above."
A moment later, a white-robed disciple appeared at Lin Tian's door. Inner sect. Polished boots. Embroidered cuffs.
They said nothing, just bowed and handed over a sealed scroll.
Then they left without a word.
Lin Tian broke the seal with trembling fingers.
"What's it say?" Chen Mu asked.
Lin Tian read slowly.
"Outer disciple Lin Tian is to report to the Ember Hall for provisional evaluation. Midday."
Chen Mu blinked.
Then blinked again—internally.
"The Ember Hall?" he said. "That's inner sect territory. High cultivation oversight. They evaluate for promotions, special appointments, elite training—"
"I'm being evaluated?" Lin Tian said.
"More like investigated. Probably flagged by someone with eyes. Your Qi flow's too clean, and someone up the ladder noticed."
Lin Tian lowered the scroll. "Should I go?"
Chen Mu hovered lower.
"Hell yes. You never say no to a summons. Not unless you want your cultivation capped at 'corpse.' But go with both eyes open. If this is a trap, we need to know why."
[+2 BP for urgent-sounding but vague mentorship.]
The Ember Hall sat between the outer sect and the inner court. It was a structure of burning jade, always faintly warm, humming with low-grade energy wards that buzzed softly if you walked too fast.
Lin Tian approached the stairs with care. Other disciples passed him by—robed in silks, hair bound with copper threads, sashes marked with real sect emblems. Inner sect. Elite. Chosen.
He was dirt in their eyes. And yet... he had been summoned.
He climbed.
Inside, the chamber was circular, with eight archways leading in and only one way out. The center of the room was carved into a lotus shape—lines etched into the stone glowed faintly with heat, as if the floor itself remembered fire.
Chen Mu whistled softly. "That's a real formation. Not the backyard trash you've been sweeping under. This place was built to test core disciples."
Three elders stood at the center.
All wore violet robes with silver trim. Their auras didn't shimmer or blaze—they didn't need to. Just being in the same room as them made Lin Tian's stomach knot and his throat tighten.
He bowed low.
"Outer disciple Lin Tian, reporting."
One elder stepped forward—a woman with a staff of dark iron, her hair bound in a series of elegant braids, each tied with a metal ring.
"You are Lin Tian," she said. Not a question.
"Yes, honored elder."
"You have no bloodline. No clan. No sponsorship. Your spiritual root is fractured and your age is late for cultivation. And yet..."
She raised one hand.
Above her palm, a mirror of Qi spun into shape.
Inside it: an image.
Lin Tian.
Sitting cross-legged in his hut, surrounded by a glow of spiritual light.
Training. Slowly. Carefully. And clearly succeeding.
"You were detected by one of our monitoring arrays," the elder said. "We investigate all anomalies."
Another elder stepped forward—shorter, broader, with a permanent scowl. "Who taught you to cultivate?"
Chen Mu shouted immediately, "DO NOT SAY MY NAME!"
Lin Tian cleared his throat. "I was instructed by a spiritual remnant. A soul within a ring."
The elders' eyes narrowed.
"A talking ring?" the woman asked.
"Yes."
"Do you know the name of this spirit?"
"He does not share it."
"Convenient."
"He says only the worthy may learn it."
[+3 BP for maintaining mystique under interrogation.]
The three elders stepped back and whispered among themselves for a moment. Lin Tian tried not to shake.
Chen Mu whispered, "If they ask for a demonstration, give them something simple. Fire Palm. No noodles."
The iron-staff woman spoke again. "Your Qi is cleaner than standard sect foundation texts allow for. Too smooth. Too refined. We suspect an outside influence."
Lin Tian kept his voice steady. "I use only the technique I was given. It's basic. But very pure."
"Then you may show us. Now. Channel Qi into your palm."
Chen Mu groaned. "Of course."
Lin Tian nodded. He raised one hand, breathed in, and called up the Fire Palm technique.
A soft glow ignited.
Clean. Steady. No crackles. No backlash. Just heat.
The second elder's eyes narrowed. "Not flashy. But no instability."
The third finally spoke—an old man with barely-there eyebrows and a wrinkled voice.
"That's not a sect-taught foundation. That's... older."
He turned.
"This one should be watched."
The others nodded.
"You may go," the iron-staff woman said. "But we are not blind, Lin Tian. Be cautious where you tread. The sect favors the strong—but it fears the unpredictable."
He bowed.
And walked out before his knees gave out.
He didn't speak until they were halfway back down the mountain.
Then: "That was terrifying."
Chen Mu pulsed with tension. "You passed. Just barely. But you did."
"They're watching me now."
"Better than being discarded."
"Only barely."
Back at the hut, Lin Tian sat on the mat and stared at the wall.
Chen Mu hovered low.
"You did well," he said.
"No," Lin Tian said. "I did what I had to."
[+2 BP for stoic post-trial reflection.]
He didn't rest.
He began cultivating again.
And the Qi flowed easier now. Almost like surviving the trial had shaken something loose inside him.
Chen Mu opened his status panel.
[System Status Panel – Chen Mu (Ring State)]
Bluff Points: 51
Soul Strength: 7
Current Vessel: Jade Ring (Damaged, Dusty, Slightly Sticky)
Abilities: Voice of Authority Lv.1, Soul Tap (1/day)
Manual Access: Beginner Cultivation Manual (Simulated)
Current Objective: Guide disciple through Qi Initiation Realm
Disciple Status: Qi Initiation – Early Stage (Nearing Mid)
He closed it slowly.
"You're not like the others," he whispered. "And they know it now."
Lin Tian didn't respond.
He was too busy training.