Morning bells rang before the mist fully lifted.
Chen Yu was already awake.
The outer disciple courtyard was quiet at this hour, stone tiles still cold beneath his feet. He moved through the first sequence from the Intermediate Body Foundation again—slow, deliberate, exact.
Inhale.Weight settles.Exhale.Force sinks.
His body responded more cleanly than the night before. Muscles no longer fought each other; they aligned. Even the lingering soreness from the arena felt… contained.
Footsteps approached.
"You're doing it wrong."
Chen Yu didn't stop. "Which part?"
Jian came into view, arms crossed. "The breathing. You're following the manual too strictly."
Chen Yu finished the cycle before opening his eyes. "It says consistency matters more than speed."
"It does," Jian said. "But you're treating it like a rule, not a tool."
Chen Yu considered that. "What's the difference?"
Jian crouched, picked up a small stone, and tossed it lightly at Chen Yu's shoulder.
Chen Yu reacted instantly—turning, letting the stone glance off without disrupting his stance.
Jian nodded. "That. You adapted without thinking. The manual can't teach that."
Chen Yu relaxed slightly. "Then it's working."
Jian smiled. "Or you are."
By midmorning, the outer sect was awake.
Mission boards filled. Disciples gathered in loose clusters, eyes drifting—sometimes openly—toward Chen Yu.
He noticed.
So did Jian.
"They're measuring you," Jian said quietly as they stood near the board. "Some want to challenge you. Some want to avoid you."
"And some?" Chen Yu asked.
"Some want to use you."
As if summoned by the words, a tall outer disciple stepped forward. His robe was neat, his posture practiced.
"Chen Yu," the man said. "I'm He Rong. Outer disciple, early late-stage Body Tempering."
Jian's eyebrow twitched. Early late-stage was a deliberate phrasing.
"Yes?" Chen Yu replied.
He Rong smiled. "I represent a small mission group. We specialize in high-efficiency point accumulation. We could use someone… resilient."
Chen Yu glanced at the mission slip He Rong was holding.
Boundary escort.Three-day duration.High merit.
"Why me?" Chen Yu asked.
"Because Wu Shan couldn't suppress you," He Rong answered frankly. "And because you don't belong to anyone."
Jian shifted slightly, but Chen Yu raised a hand—subtle, steady.
"I'll consider it," Chen Yu said.
He Rong nodded. "Do that." He paused, then added, "Others will approach you today. Choose carefully."
He left.
Jian exhaled. "That didn't take long."
Chen Yu looked back at the board. "No."
At the same time, within the outer administration hall, discussions were less calm.
"Chen Yu again," an instructor said, tapping a slate. "Three consecutive mentions in two days."
Another replied, "He hasn't broken any rules."
"That's the problem," a third voice said. "He's moving entirely within the system."
An elder seated at the end of the table spoke at last. "Wu Shan drew because he underestimated a body cultivator."
"And now?"
"And now," the elder continued, "others will test him. If he survives that, he becomes a node."
"A node for what?"
The elder's gaze sharpened. "For imbalance."
Back in the outer grounds, Chen Yu accepted a mission slip—not He Rong's, but a smaller one.
Herb retrieval.Low danger.Modest merit.
Jian frowned. "That's it?"
"Yes."
"You could aim higher now."
Chen Yu folded the slip carefully. "Stability first."
Jian studied him for a moment, then nodded. "You really are difficult to rush."
They started down the stone path leading out of the sect's inner perimeter.
Halfway there, a familiar figure blocked the road.
Wu Shan.
He stood with arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"You're taking missions again already?" Wu Shan asked.
"Yes."
Wu Shan glanced at the slip in Chen Yu's hand. "That one's beneath you."
Chen Yu met his gaze. "It won't stay that way."
Wu Shan laughed softly. "Good. Because next time—"
He stepped aside, letting the path open.
"—I won't wait for the system to bring us together."
Chen Yu walked past him without stopping. "Then I'll be ready sooner."
Wu Shan turned, watching him go.
Jian muttered under his breath, "You really don't know how to stay unnoticed."
Chen Yu didn't respond.
Ahead, the sect gates loomed, half-open, leading toward another ordinary mission—while behind him, the outer sect's balance continued to shift, one quiet decision at a time.