Far beyond the whispering fields and spirit-marked valleys, within the marbled walls of the Imperial Capital, a gathering was called beneath lanternlight. The tribunal convened not in the open halls of justice, but in the shadowed recesses of the Iron Jade Council—a circle of war strategists, elders, and arcane scholars tasked with keeping the Empire's balance.
A bronze seal thudded onto the stone table. "Li Fan," said the Grand Strategist, "has reached the Seventh Cauldron."
Gasps fluttered among the council, but none contradicted him.
"He's young. Too young. He withstood seven Heavenly Tribulations and walks unscarred," murmured Scholar Mei, her fingers drumming nervously. "That... That should not be possible. Not unless..."
"Unless he has embraced the forbidden paths," said General Huo grimly. "We cannot risk another like the Crimson Monarch."
The Emperor had not spoken yet. Draped in silent golden robes, his eyes flickered over the parchment laid before him—reports from every corner of the realm: burned-out mountain peaks, shattered sect halls, strange weather, spirit beasts fleeing sacred grounds. Always near Li Fan.
"His body art is one we sealed for a reason," said the Grand Strategist. "The Nine Cauldron Hegemon Body Arts are not a gift. They are a calamity waiting to awaken."
After a long pause, the Emperor finally spoke. "What do you propose?"
"We mark him a wilden," said the Grand Strategist. "Publicly."
That word silenced the room. Wilden—a cultivator labeled dangerous, lawless, stripped of rights, hunted.
"But he has committed no crime," Scholar Mei protested, albeit meekly. "Not yet."
"Power unchecked is a crime," the General snapped. "And fear spreads faster than fire. Already, his name causes unrest."
The Emperor raised a hand. "We begin subtly. Send envoys to sects allied with him. Seed the idea that he may fall. Let the people come to the conclusion themselves."
A low murmur of assent rippled through the chamber.
"Prepare the Shadow Division," the Emperor concluded. "Do not confront him yet. But watch him. Every step. Every breath."
---
Meanwhile, unaware of the council's verdict, Li Fan descended into the Mistveil Caverns with Wen Rourou and Elder Yan. The air shimmered with condensed spiritual qi, thick enough to carve through solid stone. Ancient symbols glowed faintly on the walls—marks from another age.
"This place... I feel it responding to you," Elder Yan said cautiously, his hand on the hilt of his blade.
"I was drawn here," Li Fan replied. "There's something beneath. Something meant for me."
As they ventured deeper, whispers echoed—neither human nor beast, but something older. Wen Rourou tensed.
"I don't like this," she muttered.
But Li Fan pressed forward. The cavern pulsed, reacting to the qi in his body. Stones shifted. A broken altar revealed itself, etched with the same sigils as his cultivation manual.
And then, from the shadows, a figure emerged—cloaked in black, eyes burning like coals.
"You have come," the figure said. "As expected. The path of the Ninth Cauldron has already begun to stir."
Li Fan's heart pounded.
"How do you know that name?" he demanded.
But the figure only smiled. "Because I carried it once. And I was hunted too."
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Let me know if you'd like Chapter 40 next or if you'd like to adjust anything in Chapter 39!