Lin Wuye's morning routine was a sacred ritual. Wake up, kiss his wife, stretch, and enjoy a quiet cup of tea. It was a routine he had perfected over decades.
But peace was a fleeting luxury in this sect.
He had barely taken his first sip when the ground shook violently, the wooden beams above creaking under the force. The teacup trembled in his hand. A second later, an explosion erupted in the distance, shaking the entire mountain and ground.
Lin Wuye sighed and took another sip. "So, it's starting early today."
The training grounds near the mountain or what was left of them were filled with a mix of dust, debris, and very alarmed disciples. Kai stood in the center of a newly formed crater, wisps of smoke rising from his fingertips. Across from him, Ying calmly adjusted her sleeves, unfazed.
"Better" Ying remarked "Your control is improving."
Kai coughed, waving away the dust cloud that was once solid earth.
"If this is 'control,' I'd hate to see 'reckless.'"
A group of disciples cautiously peeked over the remains of a demolished training dummy, whispering among themselves.
"Was that… stronger than yesterday?"
"The mountain looks smaller, right? I swear the ridge used to be higher."
"At this rate, we won't have a mountain left!"
From a safe distance, Lin Wuye continued observing, expression unfazed. He sipped his tea, before glancing at one of the elders beside him.
"If they keep this up, we may need to redraw the maps."
The elder, looking more concerned about his life expectancy, merely nodded.
"Yes, Master Lin. I will… make arrangements."
Another explosion rocked the training grounds, and another large chunk of rock ceased to exist. More worried murmurs spread among the disciples. Even the more seasoned warriors were starting to sweat.
Kai, still standing in the middle of the chaos, looked at his hands, then at the destruction, then back at Ying.
"...I understand it now."
Ying tilted his head slightly. "You do?"
Kai grinned. "Yeah. I need to hit harder."
As Kai gathered his Qi and launched a punch at the mountain, a deep rumble echoed through the valley. The sheer force of the impact sent a shockwave outward, shearing off an entire section of rock.
The mountain that once stood proudly at 3,000 meters now measured only 2,800.
A hush fell over the training grounds as everyone stared at the fresh devastation. Ying let out a whistle, impressed.
"Not bad. You've grown a lot."
The gathered disciples collectively took a step back, their faces a mix of awe and pure survival instinct.
While Kai continued unknowingly terraforming the landscape, Lin Wuye found himself handling another crisis—one far more tedious than sudden, violent explosions.
Sect management.
With Meilin gone, some elders were growing restless. While most remained loyal, murmurs had started to circulate. Whispers of uncertainty.
"She has been gone for too long."
"The sect needs stability."
"Perhaps we should consider"
"Perhaps you should consider shutting the fuck up." Lin Wuye interrupted, setting his teacup down with just enough force to make the room fall silent.
The gathered elders immediately straightened, eyes darting to the floor.
Lin Wuye exhaled, rubbing his forehead
"Do you think Meilin has abandoned the sect?"
"N-no, Master Lin. But—"
"Then act like it." His voice was calm but dangerous.
"You are elders of the Silver Lotus Sect, not gossiping merchants at a street corner. If you have concerns, voice them with solutions, not idle whispers."
Outside, another explosion shook the walls.
Lin Wuye sighed and took another sip of tea.
"And someone go make sure we still have a mountain by the end of the week!"
The air crackled with energy as Kai and Ying stood across from each other on what was once solid ground, now uneven terrain littered with shattered stone.
Kai rolled his shoulders, a grin stretching across his face. "Alright, let's go again."
Ying nodded, her stance lowering. "Try to last longer than five exchanges this time."
Kai scoffed.
The moment the breath left his mouth, Kai vanished—or rather, moved so fast that only a blur remained. He closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, his fist surging forward, coated in crackling Qi.
Ying dodged, pivoting on her foot, but Kai's fist clipped the mountainside behind him.
BOOM!
A shockwave blasted outward, sending debris tumbling down. The once-mighty peak groaned, its height diminishing by another few meters.
Ying exhaled and countered in an instant, delivering a swift palm strike toward Kai's ribs. Kai blocked, the force sending him skidding backward, leaving deep trenches in the stone.
Without warning, he twisted mid-air, propelling himself toward Ying like a human missile. Another explosion. The mountain trembled, shedding yet another layer of its former glory.
By the time their sparring session ended, the once-3,000-meter mountain had been reduced to 2,400 meters.
Ying stood amidst the dust and destruction, arms crossed, nodding approvingly. "You've improved."
Kai wiped the sweat from his forehead, grinning. "Yeah? I think the mountain might disagree."
From the far distance, Lin Wuye still calmly drinking his tea sighed.
"At this rate, we'll have a hill by next year."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, Jiang and Bao were leading the recruits through rigorous drills when the ground beneath them rumbled for the hundredth time that day. A distant boom followed by another massive tremor nearly sent a few of the newer recruits toppling over.
"What the hell was that?!" one of them yelped, looking around in panic.
Another nervously asked "Should we—should we move? Should we do something?"
The recruits all turned to Jiang and Bao, expecting them to react, but the two men barely blinked. Jiang dusted off his sleeves while Bao lazily stretched his arms.
"Hah? This?" Jiang scoffed. "This is just routine."
Bao nodded sagely. "Try waking up to it every day. It's basically an alarm clock."
Another explosion rocked the ground, and a fresh cloud of dust and debris rose into the sky.
The recruits paled. Jiang and Bao didn't even flinch.
Some of the newer recruits turned their attention to Han Zhu and Ren Shi, two individuals who had been personally sponsored by Ryl Trading and had proven themselves as talented students in the first phase of training. Unlike the others, they also weren't panicking.
"How are you two so calm about this?" one recruit asked hesitantly.
Han Zhu shrugged. "Oh, we were terrified at first. But after a while, you just... get used to it."
Ren Shi smirked. "Yeah, and you haven't even seen the worst of it yet. Imagine an ordinary worker—no sect training, no cultivation—but as strong as you. That's Ryl Trading workers for you."
By evening, as everyone returned, the sect's logistical core was hard at work. Meyu and Lin Wuye were managing the food distribution and overseeing the housing progress for the recruits. The sheer amount of planning, budgeting, and resource allocation was enough to give most people headaches, but between the two of them, things remained relatively organized.
Jiang and Bao arrived first with the exhausted recruits in tow, grumbling about how they had to keep them from collapsing after the day's training.
Then came Ying and Kai, arriving last.
Ying clapped a hand on Kai's shoulder, addressing Lin Wuye directly. "He's ready. He's still not as strong as Bao, but he's finally harnessed full control over his powers. His Qi reserves have expanded significantly. He can start doing what Atlas wants."
Kai cracked his knuckles, looking confident but still slightly drained.
"Just know that I need at least thirty minutes between every ten explosions. Even with my increased control, I still need time to recover."
Lin Wuye remained silent for a moment, his eyes flickering with contemplation. A moral dilemma weighed on him.
Kai had once been an uncontrollable force, a danger to those around him. But now, he is refined, precise even. An asset. A boy that is a tool to Atlas.
And that thought unsettled him.
It wasn't about preventing destruction. It was about deciding how much destruction should be allowed.
Later that night, Meyu, Lin Wuye, and Yuxe Wuye gathered beneath an old maple tree, the flickering lanterns casting long shadows around them. The night was cool, but the tension between them was palpable.
Meyu, ever the blunt one, sighed dramatically.
"So... are we really going to tell Atlas that Kai is basically a human-sized bomb now?"
Lin Wuye rubbed his forehead. "It's not that simple."
Yuxe Wuye took a delicate sip of tea, raising an eyebrow. "It seems quite simple to me. He asked for a weapon, and now he has one. The question is—are we comfortable handing it over?"
Meyu scoffed. "Comfortable? No. But do we really want to be the ones responsible for keeping this a secret? Atlas is already terrifying without surprises. I don't want to imagine what he'd do if we conveniently 'forgot' to mention it."
Lin Wuye exhaled slowly. "It's not just about Atlas. It's about Kai. He's not a tool. He's a person. But the moment we tell Atlas, we're setting him on a path where he'll be used exactly like one."
Meyu tapped her chin, pretending to think. "Yeah... but on the other hand, imagine the look on Atlas's face when he realizes he now has portable artillery on demand. That alone might be worth it."
Lin Wuye gave her a deadpan stare. "That's not helping."
Yuxe chuckled softly. "Lin, if it eases your conscience, consider this—Kai trusts Atlas. If he felt like he was being treated as a tool, he'd say so. The boy isn't exactly shy."
Lin Wuye sighed, leaning back against the tree. "I just hope Atlas doesn't take this as permission to start planning military strategies in his sleep."
Meyu grinned. "Oh, he definitely will. He's probably already drafted five different plans before even knowing Kai was ready."
Silence settled between them, each lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, Lin Wuye muttered, "Fine. We tell him when he returns. But if he makes a single joke about 'precision airstrikes,' I'm walking away."
Meyu smirked. "Noted."
As the carriage rocked gently along the dirt road, Layla leaned against the window, her gaze lost in the passing scenery. Beside her, Atlas was stretching out like he owned the space, one leg lazily propped up while he tossed a small coin in the air repeatedly.
"Alright, genius" Layla said, breaking the silence. "What's the actual plan for the province?"
Atlas grinned, catching the coin mid-air. "You're going to love this."
He sat up slightly, eyes glinting with mischief. "Step one: get there. Step two: fix the damn problem. Step three: get paid and act smug about it."
Layla rolled her eyes. "You do realize that's not a plan, right? That's just… existing."
Atlas waved a hand. "Fine, fine. You want the details? Simple—south province is wheat-heavy, which means food security isn't an issue. The only problem is bandits choking the trade routes. No trade means no taxes. No taxes mean the local lord is panicking. We go in, clean up the mess, open the roads, and by the time the emperor hears about it, it'll look like a miracle."
Layla tapped her fingers against her knee, her mind already working through contingencies. "And if the bandits are smarter than we think?"
Atlas smirked. "Then we play dumber than they think."
Layla stared at him for a long moment before exhaling.
This man thinks in problems and solutions. No hesitation, no overcomplication—just action.
Meanwhile, Atlas was watching Layla with equal scrutiny.
She always wants contingencies. Always planning for betrayals, failures, and setbacks. She doesn't just solve problems—she prepares for the worst outcome possible.
Two minds, two different ways of seeing the world.
"You're overthinking it again" Atlas finally said, nudging her knee with his foot.
"And you're under-thinking it" Layla shot back.
Atlas grinned. "That's what makes us a good team."
Layla arched an eyebrow. "When were we ever a team?"
Atlas gasped, clutching his chest dramatically as if she had just stabbed him.
"Meilin dear… how could you say that? After everything we've been through?"
He shook his head, feigning heartbreak. "The time we got into shrouded peaks and me being the king and you chasing me like a mother. It was a glorious sight. or the very bandit attack that was fought by both of us, back to back like we were siblings? Oh, and let's not forget that glorious adventure where we got lost for the day because someone—again, not naming names—insisted she knew the right path."
Layla's eye twitched. "You mean the 'right path' that you suggested?"
Atlas waved dismissively. "Details, details. What matters is the memories we made along the way."
Layla rubbed her eyes. "All those memories make me want to strangle you."
She let out a long sigh, staring at the ceiling of the carriage for a moment before muttering,
"...Still, thanks."
Atlas blinked, turning his head toward her with a grin. "For what? The endless entertainment I provide? The valuable life lessons? The joy of my company?"
Layla shot him a glare. "For buying time. Even though you didn't save me—Yan did—you still held them off long enough."
She exhaled again, clearly wanting to get the words out of her system as fast as possible.
"So, yeah. Thanks."
Atlas placed a hand on his chest, pretending to be touched. "Oh, Meilin, this is so unlike you! Are you feeling unwell? Should I call a physician?"
Layla rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I take it back."
"Too late!" Atlas grinned, stretching out lazily. "I heard it. You can't unsay it. And let's be real, I did save you—morally speaking."
Layla crossed her arms. "That doesn't even make sense."