The crisp night air swept through the open windows of the Verdant Hall, carrying away the heavy scent of aged parchment. Inside the secluded chamber, the flickering glow of jade lanterns cast elongated shadows against the carved wooden walls. Elder Jianyu stood before a wide table strewn with maps and intelligence reports, his expression grim.

  At the far end of the chamber, Yu Tian gazed out through the open window, his hands clasped behind his back. His silver hair shimmered beneath the flickering light, but his eyes remained sharp, piercing the darkening horizon.

  “We are stagnating,” Yu Tian said, his voice quiet, yet heavy with authority. “Only my cultivation has kept this sect standing. But if we do not act, that will soon change.”

  Jianyu inclined his head. “Because of the Iron Tower Sect?”

  “Not only them,” Yu Tian replied. “The Medicine Valley Sect moves with purpose. Their alchemists scoured the hidden realm, but I do not believe they found what they were looking for. And the ashen robed cultivators… they have remained unseen since the realm collapsed, yet their presence lingers.” His voice dropped, his words like steel wrapped in silk. “I suspect they took what Medicine Valley sought.”

  Jianyu’s fists clenched at his sides. He had lost too much in that realm, three disciples who would never return.

  Yu Tian turned, watching him carefully. “Tell me, Jianyu, apart from a few plants did you find anything of value before you escaped?”

  Jianyu met his gaze, unwavering. “No.”

  The air in the chamber seemed to tighten. Yu Tian studied him for a long moment before exhaling, a trace of disappointment flickering through his features. But he did not press further.

  “Regardless,” Yu Tian continued, “the sect must strengthen its foundation. We cannot remain complacent. If we do, we will be swept aside, either by rival sects or by forces yet unseen.”

  Jianyu exhaled slowly. “Then we need stronger disciples.”

  “Yes.” Yu Tian’s gaze sharpened, his Qi rippling subtly. “The core disciple ranks must be filled once more. And as fortune would have it…” He turned his head toward the distance, his expression unreadable. “…Two candidates have already arrived at the border of the Wilds.”

  Jianyu’s brow furrowed in confusion.

  His heart pounded. Could it be…? “Jian and Tao…?”

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  Yu Tian’s lips curved into the barest hint of a smile. “See for yourself.”

  Jianyu did not wait. Without another word, he strode toward the exit, his movements swift. Whatever was happening at the border of the Wilds, he would witness it with his own eyes.

  Jianyu moved swiftly, the cool air rushing past him as he descended the mountain path toward the sect’s outer borders. His robes barely stirred as his Qi propelled him forward, his senses sharpening with each step.

  He landed silently atop the highest branch of a towering pine, his sharp gaze piercing through the dense foliage. The forest below was bathed in pale moonlight, broken only by the flickering glow of Qi techniques colliding in furious combat.

  Five disciples of the Verdant Dawn Sect lay scattered across the clearing, groaning, defeated. From their robes it was clear they were inner sect disciples, but their pride had been stripped from them, replaced with bruises and the glint of sweat drenched fear. At the centre of it all stood two figures, bloodied but standing firm.

  Tao and Jian.

  Jianyu’s eyes narrowed as he took them in.

  Jian’s blade was lowered, its edge glinting with fresh blood beneath the moon’s gaze. His breathing was steady, but his stance betrayed the exhaustion lingering in his muscles. His aura, however, had deepened, steadied, sharpened into something Jianyu had not seen from him before.

  Tao, on the other hand, was something else entirely.

  The plants around him still trembled with residual Qi, the remnants of his Emerald Vine Puppet Arts evident in the tendrils of green receding into the forest floor. His control over the technique had matured, his precision no longer hesitant or crude. He had wielded the Wilds themselves as his weapon.

  Jianyu’s lips pressed into a thin line.

  These two had returned from the Wilds… different.

  “Unbelievable.” A voice broke through the night, carrying just enough venom to be noticed.

  Jianyu did not need to look to know who it was.

  Wei stood on a lower branch, half hidden in shadow, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable as he watched the aftermath of the battle unfold. He had likely followed Yun Fei’s men, expecting to witness Tao and Jian’s downfall. Instead, he had seen them dismantle an ambush meant to humiliate them.

  “They tore through Yun Fei’s people like they were nothing,” Wei muttered, though whether it was admiration or resentment that laced his words, Jianyu could not tell.

  Jianyu remained silent, watching as Yun Fei staggered backward, his once smug expression twisted with disbelief. The confidence he had worn so easily had been shattered in mere moments.

  Tao met his gaze, calm, unwavering. “Leave.”

  Yun Fei’s jaw clenched. He wanted to fight back. Jianyu could see it in the way his fingers twitched, aching to reach for his weapon. But there was no fight left in him.

  With a final glare, Yun Fei turned heading back to the sect, his lackeys scrambling after him.

  The clearing fell into silence once more.

  Jian turned to Tao with an exhausted grin. “Well, that was fun.”

  Tao let out a quiet breath, shaking his head. “We should keep moving.”

  Jianyu exhaled slowly.

  They had returned, stronger. More dangerous.

  The Verdant Dawn Sect had been in desperate need of new power.

  And tonight, they had found it.