A blade flickered through the night.
Not steel—but intent.
In the dead of night, Han Li sat beneath the old peach tree, sipping tea. The stars were bright, but his eyes were closed.
Then he whispered, "You can come out now."
A man in dark robes melted from the shadows, face covered, aura suppressed to the point even a Nascent Soul elder wouldn't sense him.
"Impressive, Instructor Han."
Han Li didn't move. "I let you get this close. Speak."
The man bowed slightly. "I represent the Black Pavilion. You've gained our attention. A sectless cultivator who trains failures into geniuses? The nobles are rattled."
"And?"
"We offer an alliance," the man said calmly. "Power, resources, protection."
Han Li's laugh was low and cold. "Ah. So the hyenas come when they smell blood."
"You'll need allies. The Sky-Eater is only the first. Something greater stirs beyond the seas."
Han Li opened his eyes, gray and sharp as blades. "Tell your masters: I don't ally with cowards hiding in the dark."
Suddenly, the man's neck bled—a faint line.
He collapsed silently, the severed throat clean as paper.
Han Li never moved. The peach blossoms still fluttered.
By morning, the corpse was gone.
—
In Class D's dormitory, Mo Xue sharpened her daggers while Lin Yan practiced sword forms in the yard. Bai Sheng was asleep on the roof, snoring.
Li Tian sat silently, reading a dusty scroll.
Suddenly, he looked up.
"Han Li killed again," he whispered.
"How do you know?" Mo Xue asked.
Li Tian smiled faintly. "The air trembled."
Han Li's students were growing stronger—but so were their enemies. The real war hadn't begun.
And somewhere far away… something opened its eyes.