The soft warmth of the afternoon sun slanted across the sect's outer courtyard as Lui Yan and his companions returned from their herb-gathering mission. Their robes were streaked with dirt, their hair tangled with twigs, and yet, every one of them wore the faint glow of satisfaction.
They had succeeded.
Even the normally aloof disciples exchanged smiles as they placed their bundles of herbs into the collection hall. The faint scent of spiritual plants filled the air - bitter, fresh, medicinal. Lui Yan's sharp eyes had caught herbs others would have walked past, and though he spoke little, his quiet precision had saved the team from walking into more than one hidden danger.
Yan Mei, the girl he had once rescued, glanced at him once - just once - but the small smile on her lips lingered long enough to make his chest tighten.
---
The next day, when the mist still clung to the peaks, Lui Yan was summoned to the Medicine Refining Pavilion.
The pavilion was unlike any other place in the sect. Shelves upon shelves of jars lined the walls, each glowing faintly with sealed herbs, powders, and spirit roots. The air was heavy with fragrance - bitter ginseng, fiery scarlet grass, cool snow lotus - thousands of scents woven together like a symphony.
At the center sat Elder Hua Yun, her figure draped in simple white robes. Her black hair, streaked faintly with silver, was bound with a jade pin. Her eyes were calm, but when they fell upon Lui Yan, there was a quiet sharpness within them.
"You are Lui Yan?" she asked, her voice neither cold nor warm.
"Yes, Elder," he bowed deeply, unsure of her intentions.
"I observed you during the mission. You have an unusual perception for herbs." A pause. "Most disciples learn only by rote, yet you see things others cannot. Tell me, boy, how did you know to avoid the green-veined fern?"
Lui Yan hesitated. He could not say I was once a scholar from another world, my head filled with countless books. Instead, he answered simply:
"Instinct, Elder. Its roots twisted differently from healthy ferns. It… felt wrong."
Elder Hua Yun studied him for a long moment. Then, a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips - so small it might have been imagined.
"Instinct can be sharpened into knowledge. Would you like to learn?"
The question struck Lui Yan like thunder. Learn? He had only just begun cultivation, and now a path was opening before him, one he had never expected.
He bowed again, this time with genuine fire in his chest. "Yes, Elder. Please teach me."
---
But in the Medicine Pavilion, not everyone was pleased.
From the shadows of the shelves, a young man stepped forward. His features were sharp, his robes immaculate, his gaze carrying the weight of superiority.
Chen Wuying. Senior disciple of the alchemy hall. Already in Foundation Establishment, his talent was widely praised.
"So this is the new toy Elder Hua Yun has taken under her wing," he said lightly, but his voice was edged with disdain. "A mere Qi Refining novice, still wet behind the ears, and you think you can touch the art of alchemy?"
The words hung in the air, heavy as stone.
Lui Yan said nothing. His silence was not submission, but calmness - and that silence only deepened Chen Wuying's scorn.
"Careful, junior," the senior sneered. "Pride leads to ashes in the cauldron."
Before tension could spark further, another voice broke in - cheerful, unbothered.
"Don't mind Senior Chen, he scolds everyone. Even me, and I've been here a whole year."
A lanky boy with bright eyes grinned at Lui Yan, giving him a conspiratorial wink.
Lin Yumo - known for his chatter, his laughter, and his odd obsession with formation patterns. He slapped Lui Yan lightly on the shoulder. "Come on, I'll show you the cauldrons before he burns a hole through your head with that glare."
Elder Hua Yun's soft cough silenced them all. "Enough. The path of medicine is not for rivalry, but for healing. Chen Wuying, restrain your tongue. Lin Yumo, take Lui Yan to the beginner's cauldrons."
Chen Wuying's lips curled into a tight smile, but he bowed and stepped back.
---
Later that evening, Lui Yan wandered through the outer courtyards, his mind swirling with new herbs, new possibilities, new dangers.
There, under the fading glow of lanterns, he saw her - a girl moving with a sword in hand, her steps like flowing water, her blade like falling snow.
Su Qingxue.
She moved silently, her strikes precise, her aura calm. Even among outer disciples, she carried herself with a serenity that made the world seem quieter around her.
When she noticed him watching, she lowered her sword slightly, her gaze cool but not unkind.
"You are Lui Yan, yes?" she asked.
He nodded.
"You stood firm in the valley. Not many would have kept such calm."
Her words were simple, but the acknowledgment felt heavier than Chen Wuying's scorn.
"Thank you," Lui Yan said.
Su Qingxue inclined her head, then returned to her sword practice, each movement a whisper of wind and frost. Lui Yan lingered a moment longer before turning away, the image of her sword etched in his mind.
---
That night, as disciples gathered by the riverbank to rest, Lin Yumo spun stories of elders with fiery tempers and disciples who once exploded cauldrons sky-high. Laughter rolled through the camp, easing the tension of missions and rivalries.
Yan Mei sat across from Lui Yan, her eyes catching the firelight. For a moment, she looked down, then quietly slid a small bundle toward him.
"For you," she murmured.
He opened it - a piece of roasted spirit fruit, still warm.
"It helps restore qi. You… looked tired earlier."
Lui Yan blinked, words caught in his throat. A simple gift, but the way she averted her gaze, the faint pink at the tips of her ears - it stirred something deeper than any herb or sword.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Their eyes met for a heartbeat, the crackle of the fire filling the silence between them.
---
The next morning, the sect bell tolled. Disciples gathered in the great courtyard, where banners fluttered in the mountain wind.
An elder's voice boomed across the assembly:
"In three months' time, the Outer Sect Selection Trial shall begin! All disciples under the age of sixteen will compete. The top ten shall gain entry into the Inner Sect!"
A wave of excitement and fear swept through the crowd. This was no ordinary spar - it was the chance to step beyond the outer ranks, to seize true recognition.
Lin Yumo nearly bounced in place. "Inner Sect, can you imagine? Spirit resources, better teachers, more freedom -"
Chen Wuying's smirk found Lui Yan across the courtyard. The look in his eyes was clear: I'll crush you before you even take one step further.
Elder Hua Yun's gaze lingered on Lui Yan for a fraction longer than the others, a quiet promise hidden in her calm expression: Do not falter. The path is waiting.
Lui Yan clenched his fists. His journey had only just begun, but now - the first true test loomed before him.