The great courtyard still pulsed with the echoes of cauldrons cooling and incense burning down. The air was thick with the fragrance of herbs, the faint metallic tang of spent qi, and the restless whispers of tens of thousands of disciples who had just witnessed the most controversial trial in years.
Vice Matriarch Kim stood straight-backed on the dais, the Winter Autumn Leaf hidden now within her sleeve. Her voice rang with authority, though a weight pressed at her chest. "The trial of the Nine Lotus Bewitching Potion has ended. The results are decided. Ten disciples will advance to represent Celestial Light Mountain."
The crowd held its breath, then erupted again into murmurs as she began to read the names aloud, her tone clipped, formal.
"Yun Fei."
The flame-serpent wielder stepped forward with a smirk, his supporters cheering loudly.
"Lady Ruo."
