A gathering was called at the jade terrace, an open platform beneath the moonlit cliff, where announcements were made to all outer disciples.
Elder Jinhai, a round man with a long overflowing beard and deep eyes, stood at the center, his voice loud through the clearing.
"In three days' time, an outer disciple hunting expedition will commence."
Murmurs passed through the crowd.
"The region beyond the southern peaks has been disturbed. Spirit beasts have emerged from the ravines. The sect has granted permission to eliminate them."
He paused, letting the anticipation build.
"But that's not all the disciple who earns the highest spirit merit measured by beast cores gathered shall be considered for advancement into the Inner Sect."
A wave of loud cheers spread through the outer disciples.
This was more than just hunting. It was status to them.
A path to better cultivation techniques and martial arts.
One chance in a hundred.
But it was all they needed. It was also the opportunity I'd been waiting for to find the fragment.
Zhou Shan was in the crowd, grinning again now, whispering to his companions.
He'd already set his eyes on the prize. I turned away indifferently.
I had been feeling the fragment calling out to me more lately.
And now I had a reason to leave the sect. This was just perfect for me.
I sat cross-legged outside my room, slowly adjusting the qi circulation in my damaged meridians. Each breath was a quiet war, my inner flow still fractured.
Still, I was healing. Slowly. I had recovered just a tiny piece of my cultivation, so I could defend myself now.
And I had to. In this place, weakness was an invitation.
Just before the sun dipped behind the eastern ridge, I heard soft footsteps approaching my quarters. Then I saw her.
Liwei.
What was she doing here?
She stopped a few steps from me, clutching a small lacquered tray wrapped in cloth.
"You're up early," she said.
"Yeah, do you need something?"
She hesitated. Then sat beside me on the stone, tucking her legs beneath her neatly.
"I brought food," she added, placing the tray down. "I figured… outer disciples don't exactly get treated well."
I glanced at the tray. It was simple—steamed buns, pickled radish, and a small ginseng broth. Far better than the dry rice and stale tea the others were given.
"You didn't have to."
"I know."
She looked up at me, eyes soft and earnest. "But I wanted to."
There was awkward silence stretched between us, gentle and unspoken.
I could feel eyes watching from beyond the wall.
Across the courtyard, near the gathering grounds, a group of outer disciples stood half-hidden behind a railing pretending to spar, but clearly watching us.
Among them was Zhou Shan.
His expression was… peculiar. At first glance, he was smiling faintly. But his hands were clenched. His shoulders were quite rigid.
He didn't look away.
His gaze was fixed on her.
I turned back to Liwei. And I immediately understood what was going on.
She poured the broth into a small wooden cup and held it out to me. "How are you feeling now?"
"Better," I said, accepting it. "You shouldn't be here."
She blinked. "Why?"
"Because you're an inner disciple and I'm an outer disciple. We're not supposed to mix, besides it might cause," I nodded toward the courtyard, "unnecessary attention."
Liwei followed my gaze. Her brows furrowed briefly.
She looked back at me, her voice softer. "It doesn't matter."
I held her gaze for a long moment.
Then nodded once. "I know but I'd like to avoid as much attention as possible right now."
Liwei stood after a moment, brushing her hands on her robe.
"You'll be joining the spirit beast hunt?" she asked.
"If I want to remain in this sect," I said, "I don't have a choice."
She hesitated. "Be careful in the ravine. The beasts there aren't ordinary."
I simply nodded again.
Liwei lingered a moment longer before she left."
She handed me a talisman—faintly glowing with pale green runes. "It won't do much, but… it might buy you time just in case."
Then she bowed slightly and turned to leave, vanishing into the morning mist the way light fades behind clouds.
The courtyard fell quiet again.
Until Zhou Shan stepped inside, arms crossed, smiling thin and venomous.
"Don't you dare step on my bottom line, new boy," he said.
I looked up lazily. "You'll have to be more specific on what the bottom line is?"
His gaze darkened. "Stay away from her."
I raised a brow. "Liwei?"
"She's not someone you can associate with."
He stepped closer, voice low with bitterness. "She's like a goddess in this place. She's pure like white lilies and extremely talented too. And you—"
He sneered, eyes scanning my ragged robe, my plain quarters.
"You're just filth dragged in from the mountains. You're not even worthy to breathe the same air as her."
I scoffed lightly and met his eyes. "And you think you're worthy?"
His jaw tightened. For a moment, he didn't speak. His fists curled at his sides.
"Watch your back carefully," he growled. "On the day of the hunt."
"The sect forbids fighting between disciples… but no one can guarantee what might happen during a spirit beast hunt."
He leaned in, voice dropping to a cold whisper.
"Out there, accidents happen."
Then he turned, robe swaying behind him, and left the room without another word.
Let him come. I checked his qi level and the tiny fraction I had healed myself would be more than enough to give him a light…. beating.
In the wild, only one law holds weight.
Hunt, or be hunted.
The room was quiet again. Finally some peace.
Zhou Shan's threat still lingered in the air like spoiled incense, but I ignored it. His jealousy was predictable. His words meant nothing. I had no interest in those things.
It was what I couldn't feel that unsettled me.