The courtyard was still smoldering when Kael left the Inner Sect arena. While others saw only victory in his clash with Ren Zai, Kael knew better—he had drawn attention, and in the cultivation world, that was rarely a good thing.
Walking through the forest path back to his dorm, he felt the air shift. A bird stilled mid-flight. The wind paused.
He wasn't alone.
"Come out," Kael said, eyes scanning the treeline.
From the shadow of an ancient pine stepped a woman clad in flowing lavender robes. Her veil fluttered in the breeze, and twin sabers glinted at her hips. Her cultivation was masked—but it felt heavy. Oppressive.
"Kael of the Outer Peaks," she said. "Or should I say… the man who destroyed Ren Zai's Qi foundation."
Kael crossed his arms, tone dry. "If you're here to avenge that smug haircut, I suggest a better reason."
A laugh escaped her lips, light but sharp. "Relax. I come not to fight, but to offer a warning. You've upset the balance. The Elders noticed… and so did they."
Kael frowned. "They?"
She glanced upward. High above, a hawk-shaped shadow passed the clouds, disappearing as swiftly as it came.
"The Heaven's Eye Sect," she said. "And worse. The one who watches from beyond the mirror."
Before Kael could question her cryptic message, she tossed a small black lotus at his feet. It pulsed with a strange energy—neither wholly spiritual nor demonic.
"When the lotus blooms, you'll understand," she whispered. "But be warned… You're walking against the celestial flow now."
And with that, she vanished—leaving behind a faint trace of plum blossoms in the air.
---
Back in his room, Kael examined the lotus. The petals shifted like liquid shadows, their tips glowing crimson. It didn't feel dangerous—yet it pulsed in rhythm with his own mana.
"System," he muttered, half-mocking.
DING!
> [Shadow Lotus Detected]
New Path Unlocked: Lotus Vein Technique (Dormant)
Warning: Unstable spiritual artifact. Infusion recommended.
Kael blinked. "Huh. So there is a system. Kinda late, aren't you?"
> [Response: Bite me.]
He smirked. "Fair."
He sat cross-legged, placing the lotus in his palm. The moment he channeled his aura into it, the petals unfurled—revealing a glowing red-black core. Energy surged through him, chaotic and violent, like storm clouds ripping through his meridians.
But Kael didn't flinch.
Instead, he grinned. "Let's see what secrets you've got."
---
Three hours later, Kael stumbled out of his dorm drenched in sweat, his black shirt clinging to him like a second skin. His arms were wrapped in faint crimson markings, and every step felt like he was treading fire.
But his power had grown.
The Lotus Vein Technique hadn't just boosted his cultivation—it had changed it. His Qi now flowed unpredictably, allowing him to shift between offense and defense mid-technique. A living weapon.
And yet… he wasn't alone in sensing the shift.
From atop the Elder Pavilion, two figures watched him.
One was Elder Muren, the Discipline Master, his sharp eyes narrowed in suspicion.
The other… was a girl no older than Kael, seated beside the elder with a flute in hand and a tiger cub curled at her feet. Her violet eyes lingered on Kael a moment too long.
"Is that him?" she asked.
Muren nodded. "The outsider. Dangerous. Reckless."
Her lips curved. "Interesting."
---
Meanwhile, in a hidden valley far beyond the sect walls, a man in crimson robes stood before a mirror. But it wasn't his reflection staring back—it was Kael's, distorted and flickering, as if struggling against the glass.
"He has it," the man said. "The Lotus. And the bloodline."
A rasping voice answered from the darkness behind him.
"Then the heavens truly tremble… Shall we kill him now?"
The man shook his head slowly. "No. Let the boy grow. If he survives the First Bloom… then he is worthy of the Gate."
---
The next day, Kael returned to the training grounds—not to duel, but to observe.
Word of his battle had spread like wildfire. Students whispered his name. Some in awe, others in fear. Seris, now trailing two giggling female alchemists, winked at him.
"Kael~ I see you've become a celebrity. Will you be selling signed portraits next?"
Kael grinned. "Sure. You want one of me shirtless or just looking smug?"
"I want one where you're crying after I beat you in a duel."
"Then we'd have to hire a painter with a wild imagination."
Seris rolled her eyes but smiled. "Cocky. I like that. Makes it more fun when I crush you."
Before Kael could reply, a sharp gong echoed through the grounds.
Elder Muren appeared mid-air, voice like thunder.
"Tomorrow begins the Moonlight Trials. All Core Disciples and selected Outer Peak candidates will enter the Silent Forest for a week. Survival is the only rule."
Murmurs erupted.
"The Silent Forest?" Kael muttered. "That's where spirit beasts go to die… and ghosts go to feed."
Seris stepped beside him, serious now. "It's also where hidden legacies are buried. Every Trial has a different path. If you're lucky, you leave stronger. If not… you don't leave at all."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Still want that duel?"
She smirked. "Maybe we'll settle it in the forest—between screams."
---
That night, Kael lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The lotus pulsed on his table. A faint whisper curled in the air, inaudible to most.
"Kael…"
He sat up.
A woman stood at the edge of his room, barefoot, dressed in simple robes that shimmered like starlight. Her hair floated as if underwater. Her face was soft—but her eyes were ancient.
"Who—?"
"I am the memory of the Lotus," she said. "And your time is thinning."
Kael frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The First Bloom is awakening. Your path was never meant to follow the heavens. You were forged… to break them."
Kael stepped forward. "Why me?"
She smiled sadly. "Because you remember what it means to fall."
Then she touched his forehead—and vanished.
---
Kael awoke in a cold sweat. On his palm, a mark had formed—a blooming black lotus with crimson tips.
And outside, the moon had turned red.