Snow fell softly upon the marble steps of Radiant Mist Pass, the natural gate to the northern mountains. Beyond it lay a hidden world few outsiders had seen—the territory of the Northern Radiant Sect, an ancient and independent spirit sect known for one thing above all:
Mastery of spirit harmony and twin martial spirit cultivation.
Xing Yun stood at the threshold, his royal cloak traded for a traveling robe of dark silver. At his side was a single companion—Li Mu, a silent guard from his newly-formed elite unit, skilled in swordsmanship and stealth. They had traveled under false identities, with no royal markings, to avoid detection by Spirit Hall or imperial spies.
But the snow could not hide the pulse of spiritual power in the air.
"This place feels… still," Xing Yun whispered.
Li Mu nodded. "As if the mountain itself is listening."
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the mist aside.
Standing in their path was a young woman in flowing white robes, her eyes the color of frozen glass. She held a jade staff marked with glowing runes, and her spirit power rippled outward—not oppressive, but calm and precise.
"You have reached the gate of the Northern Radiant Sect," she said. "State your intent."
Xing Yun stepped forward and presented the scroll his mother had given him. "I carry a letter from Empress Ling Yue to Sect Master Yu Liang. I seek guidance in twin spirit cultivation."
She took the scroll and unsealed it carefully, her eyes scanning the elegant script. Her brows rose slightly.
"Come," she said simply. "The Sect Master is expecting you."
—
The Northern Radiant Sect was unlike any place Xing Yun had seen.
It was built into the mountain itself—temples carved from ice-covered stone, glowing lanterns hung from tree limbs, training fields layered in natural terraces. Spirit masters moved in silence, their steps deliberate, their energy harmonized in ways even he could feel.
Xing Yun could sense it: no clashing auras, no raw power dominating others—only balance.
At the highest peak, in a snow-laced garden surrounded by lotus ponds frozen in mid-bloom, they met Sect Master Yu Liang.
He was old, his long beard silver, but his eyes sharp as blades. He wore no crown or insignia—only a simple black robe lined with white feathers.
"You are Empress Ling Yue's son," he said. "And bearer of the Brahmastra."
Xing Yun bowed low. "Yes, Sect Master. I have come to understand it—and to grow."
Yu Liang studied him in silence.
Then, to Xing Yun's surprise, he smiled. "Few are wise enough to seek help before their spirit devours them. Good. You may train here. But know this—our sect does not give power. We teach restraint."
"That's what I need."
—
Training began at dawn the next day.
The girl from the gate introduced herself as Yue Chan, personal disciple of the Sect Master and one of the few twin spirit cultivators in the sect. Her spirits were the Moonwater Blade and the Silken Lotus Shield—perfect opposites, like attack and defense, like flame and frost.
Her instruction was strict, and Xing Yun learned quickly that brute force meant nothing here.
"You rely on instinct," she said during a spar. "Your Divine Lion reacts with emotion. Your Brahmastra with judgment. But if they do not share your mind, you will lose control."
So he trained.
He meditated with the lion spirit roaring in his core, calming it with breath and focus.
He sparred with the Brahmastra, practicing flow and precision—till each motion matched his intent like a mirrored thought.
Weeks passed.
His aura shifted.
From raw fire and divine glare… to a quiet storm beneath the surface.
One evening, as he sat by the temple pond, Yue Chan approached with a cup of spirit-infused tea.
"You've improved faster than I expected," she said, handing him the cup.
"I'm trying to become more than just a threat to my brothers," he said. "Or a weapon against Spirit Hall."
Yue Chan's eyes flickered with curiosity. "Then what do you want to become?"
He stared at his reflection—golden eyes glowing faintly above the still water.
"I want to be… the one thing no one else in this world dares to be."
She waited.
"A king who doesn't need a throne to rule."
For a moment, Yue Chan said nothing. Then she smiled—not mockingly, but with the rare warmth of respect.
"Then you'll need more than just control," she said softly. "You'll need allies."
She stood and pointed toward the central courtyard.
"Tomorrow begins the Sect's internal trials. Five disciples will be selected to represent the Radiant Sect in the Continental Spirit Exchange Summit—and the world will be watching."
Xing Yun stood slowly.
"Then I'll win a place," he said.
Not just to compete.
But because Spirit Hall would be there.
And he needed them to see what he had become.