The Twin Spirit Bloom Festival was unlike anything the outer sect disciples had ever seen.
The north peak gardens, usually tranquil and reserved for inner sect events, had been transformed into a sea of color and Qi. Floating lanterns shaped like lotus flowers hovered above every path, radiating soft golden light. Spiritual butterflies, illusions cast by formation arrays, danced in the air, their wings glimmering with inscriptions.
Dozens of booths lined the terraces—each showcasing rare herbs, experimental elixirs, or cultivation fruits. Inner sect disciples mingled like peacocks in silk, each vying to be seen, praised, or picked by a wandering elder.
At the center of it all, beneath a pavilion woven from blooming moon-vine, sat Elder Qingxue—ice-veiled and elegant, her presence both soothing and terrifying. Her long silver robes shimmered like starlight, and her jade eyes scanned the crowd with the precision of a master alchemist judging ingredients.
"Begin the exhibition," she said, her voice soft but carrying through the garden like wind through glass.
Su Chen stepped onto the main path quietly.
He was out of place—still in his plain dark robe, no sect insignia beyond his waist token, and no crowd following him.
But his eyes were calm. Calculating. Focused.
> [Objective Update: Enter Inner Sect via Recognition – Progress 15%]
He held a small lacquered box under his arm. Within it, the Spirit Bane Elixir lay sealed in jade, wrapped in suppression talismans. It wasn't beautiful. It wasn't flashy.
But it was deadly effective.
And more importantly—it was unique.
Nearby, Lin Yao stood with a group of other herb courtyard disciples. She spotted Su Chen and nearly choked on her tea.
"What is he doing here?" she whispered.
Another disciple scoffed. "That guy again? He's going to embarrass us all. Just watch."
But Lin Yao frowned, unsure. Su Chen didn't move like someone about to fail. His steps were too… measured. Too certain.
He reached the central booth.
A registration elder, clearly bored, barely looked up. "Name?"
"Su Chen."
The elder blinked. "The one who defeated Meng Fan?"
The room suddenly got quieter.
"...Proceed," the elder muttered, now paying full attention.
Su Chen walked to the offering platform where the other alchemists had laid out their creations—stunning spirit pills with rainbow auras, floating cauldrons exuding exotic scents, even an ice lotus frozen in eternal bloom.
He placed his jade vial down gently.
No glow.
No scent.
Just… silence.
A few inner disciples smirked.
"That's it? Looks like a basic Qi disruption pill."
"He's hoping to impress Elder Qingxue with trash?"
But Su Chen didn't defend himself.
He simply bowed.
And then, to everyone's surprise, he poured one drop of the elixir into a small tea bowl and passed it to the officiator.
"Dissolve this into spiritual tea. Then have any Foundation Establishment cultivator attempt to circulate Qi," he said calmly.
The officiator frowned—but obeyed.
The tea was served to a nearby volunteer—Zhou Min, a proud alchemy talent and late Foundation Establishment.
Zhou Min drank it with a smirk.
Then his expression froze.
His hands trembled.
His eyes widened.
"What… what did you put in that?! My Qi—it's… I can't circulate it!"
He collapsed to his knees, spiritual energy fluctuating wildly.
Gasps erupted all around.
Elder Qingxue raised an eyebrow. "Don't kill him."
Su Chen bowed. "It's a support-class elixir. Non-lethal. Duration: one hour. Effects vary by realm."
The officiator inspected the residue with a trembling talisman, then looked up in disbelief.
"Unknown structure… unregistered formulation… this isn't in the sect's archives."
Elder Qingxue finally stood.
She approached Su Chen and looked him over with cool eyes.
"You created this?"
"I did."
"Source material?"
"Moonbane Root," Su Chen said without hesitation.
Even she paused at that. "That herb is restricted."
"I harvested it myself. Alone."
A beat of silence.
And then, soft laughter from Elder Qingxue.
"Arrogant. Dangerous. Possibly reckless," she said.
Then added, "I like it."
> [System Notification]
Optional Objective Completed: Gained Elder Recognition– Qingxue Faction Interest Earned
Reward: Inner Sect Entry Token
Bonus Reward Unlocked: Custom Room Access, Spirit Herb Allowance (Monthly)
Behind her, Ji Liang watched the exchange with barely concealed fury.
The boy had done it.
And worse—he had aligned with her.
The game had changed.
Later that night, as the festival wound down and laughter echoed from pavilions filled with wine and pride, Su Chen stood alone near the cliff edge, looking down over the lower sects.
He felt the cool mountain wind press against him.
Not long ago, he had been nobody.
Now he had Elder Qingxue's interest.
Now he had a foot inside the inner sect.
But this was only the first door.
He had ten thousand enemies yet to face.
And each one would fall, one reset at a time.