The courtyard was strangely empty as Lu Shen made his way toward the inner sect grounds.
Even the birds seemed to have fallen silent.
Each step he took echoed off the stone walls—soft, but clear. He kept his posture relaxed, his face neutral. Inside, though, his mind worked tirelessly.
Elder Yan... Why summon me?
Is it curiosity? Suspicion? Or simply a test?
In this world, where strength dictated status and secrets were guarded as fiercely as lives, it was dangerous to be noticed too soon. Lu Shen knew that much, even if his memories of this new life were still fragmented and incomplete.
Ahead, the Discipline Hall loomed.
A tall, grey building, its roof edged with black tiles. Twin stone lions sat at its entrance, their mouths open in silent roars. The air was thick—almost suffocating—with the scent of burning incense and oiled wood.
Lu Shen took a breath and stepped forward.
...
The hall inside was dimly lit.
Candlelight flickered along the walls, casting long, distorted shadows. Rows of kneeling mats lined the center, but only one figure occupied the space: an old man seated cross-legged atop a simple dais.
Elder Yan.
His robe was plain, without the extravagant embroidery favored by more powerful sect elders. His hair, mostly grey, was tied in a simple topknot. His face was thin, his eyes sunken but sharp.
As Lu Shen approached, those eyes opened—and pinned him in place.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then, Elder Yan's voice, dry as rustling parchment, broke the silence:
"You are Lu Shen, of the Outer Court?"
Lu Shen bowed deeply. "Yes, Elder."
Elder Yan's gaze lingered on him, weighing, measuring.
"I have heard... peculiar rumors."
Lu Shen's heart tightened—but outwardly, he kept his expression mild.
"Rumors, Elder?"
"That you practice with unusual discipline. That you improve at a pace beyond expectation." A pause. "That you possess a technique unknown to the sect's records."
Each word was a stone dropped into still water.
Lu Shen's mind raced. Should he deny it outright? Feign ignorance? But somehow, looking into Elder Yan's weary, piercing eyes, he knew:
This man is not easily fooled.
Instead, he chose a path between lies and truth.
"I have a humble method, Elder," Lu Shen said carefully. "A way of self-cultivation—gathered from old scrolls and abandoned texts. I refine myself slowly, through repetition and study."
He bowed again. "There is no great secret, only perseverance."
For a long moment, Elder Yan said nothing. His fingers drummed once against the arm of his chair.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
A thin, dry smile—like a crack appearing in ancient stone.
"Perseverance," he repeated. "A virtue most lack. Perhaps you truly are only diligent. Or perhaps..." His voice grew softer, almost musing. "...you are something more."
Lu Shen said nothing.
He didn't need to. The old man's next words were what mattered.
"I will not pry deeper. But the Sect has noticed you. You have two paths before you, Lu Shen."
He raised two fingers.
"One: remain in the Outer Court. Labor. Train. Progress slowly—and perhaps be forgotten."
The second finger.
"Two: Accept an invitation to the Hidden Study Pavilion."
Lu Shen's breath caught.
The Hidden Study Pavilion was a name whispered among disciples. A place where only the promising, the unusual, and the dangerous were allowed to study—under watchful eyes, but with access to techniques far beyond the outer disciples' grasp.
A place of opportunity—and of scrutiny.
"You will be tested there," Elder Yan continued. "Sharpened—or broken. No shame if you decline."
Lu Shen's mind whirled.
An opportunity to grow stronger.
An opportunity to be exposed.
The system, silent all this time, pulsed faintly at the edge of his vision:
[Quest Available: Crossroads of Fate]
Choice detected. Decision will influence future growth trajectory.
Warning: Entry into Hidden Study Pavilion will increase risk factor by 47%.
Lu Shen bowed once more, deeper than before.
"I am grateful for the opportunity, Elder Yan."
The old man's smile widened—barely.
"Good," he said. "Then prepare yourself."
He leaned back, his shadow long in the candlelight.
"The first trial will come at dawn."
...
Outside, the sky had begun to darken.
A slow, creeping twilight that blurred the world into shades of grey and silver.
Lu Shen made his way back through the stone corridors, footsteps light.
A trial.
Already.
He knew it would not be a simple test of strength. The Pavilion valued cleverness, adaptability, and willpower as much as raw power. If anything, it preferred those who could survive by wit rather than force.
Good, he thought, lips curving faintly. That suits me better.
Still, his hand tightened unconsciously on the worn hilt of his training sword.
Beneath the calm surface, excitement stirred.
The misty peace he had found under the plum tree would not last forever.
But perhaps... it was never meant to.
...
That night, Lu Shen sat alone beneath the withered plum tree again.
He didn't practice the blade.
He didn't meditate.
He simply sat, watching the stars emerge one by one in the velvet sky.
The world was vast.
The road ahead was uncertain.
But for the first time since arriving in this strange new life, he felt something solid beneath his feet. A direction. A path he had chosen for himself—not one handed down, not one borrowed from the system.
Above him, the first cool breeze of true spring stirred the branches.
He closed his eyes.
And he smiled.