The morning bell struck thrice.Each note rolled across the mountains like thunder restrained in iron.
Every Outer Sect disciple froze mid-routine, for that sound carried one meaning: evaluation.
Within Lin Xuan's courtyard, the sound felt heavier than stone. He rose from meditation, opened his eyes, and the faint shimmer of the Omni-Talent System faded before him.Wu Ming stumbled out half-dressed, clutching his belt. "Senior Brother! Already? It's barely sunrise! How can they judge us before breakfast?"
Li Mei adjusted her sword calmly. "They don't care whether we're ready."
Chen Yu murmured, "They're not testing cultivation. They're testing how we kneel."
Lin Xuan picked up his spear, slinging it across his back. "Then we won't."
He stepped out into the chill air, and the others followed.
The Hall of Verdict had been prepared for spectacle.Hundreds of disciples filled the courtyard outside it, whispering, eyes bright with excitement and envy.A dais had been erected in front of the main hall, where elders sat beneath the great azure banners of the sect.
Elder Ji's presence was a mountain—silent and immovable.Beside him, the hawk-eyed elder's cold smirk promised humiliation.And on the left, the silver-haired elder rested her staff lightly, her gaze drifting toward Lin Xuan as though she had been waiting.
A steward's voice rang clear:"Outer disciple Lin Xuan. Step forward for review."
As he approached the dais, invisible pressure filled the air—a formation built to reveal falsehood.The ground pulsed faintly, inscriptions glowing like spider-webs. It was said that this Heaven's Eye Formation exposed deceit, spiritual instability, and corruption.
Wu Ming whispered nervously, "Senior Brother, please tell me that formation doesn't explode if it dislikes your personality."
Lin Xuan's lips barely moved. "Then half the sect would be ash."
He stepped into the circle. The formation flared once, then steadied. The faint golden halo shimmered, pure and unbroken. Murmurs rippled.
"Stable qi flow…""No corruption detected…""How—? After the Borderlands?"
The hawk-eyed elder frowned. "Impossible. No disciple who used such a reckless fusion could maintain pure meridians. Are you concealing backlash?"
"No," Lin Xuan said calmly. "I adapted."
The elder's knuckles whitened on the armrest.
Elder Ji gestured. "Display your technique."
The courtyard fell silent. Disciples leaned forward, breathless.
Lin Xuan lifted his spear. Qi swirled faintly, barely visible. He didn't summon fire or wind—only intent. His breath drew in and out, and the spear flowed with him like an extension of thought.
Then, a whisper of heat. A flicker of wind.
The tip traced an invisible curve through the air. For a heartbeat, fire and air intertwined—delicate, controlled, a living thread of balance. The technique shimmered and vanished before it could roar.
Silence.
Even the hawk-eyed elder couldn't hide his momentary awe.
"That," the silver-haired elder murmured, "was restraint, not recklessness."
Lin Xuan inclined his head. "A storm should know when to rest."
Elder Ji's expression remained unreadable. "The Firestorm Spear is a creation of its own kind. It risks much, but it holds mastery. The sect recognizes innovation."
The hawk-eyed elder slammed his palm down. "Innovation? Or contamination? If every disciple begins weaving elements beyond their reach, how long before the sect burns itself down?"
"The sect has grown soft," the silver-haired elder said coolly. "Perhaps it needs fire."
Their gazes clashed like lightning—one cold, one bright.
Elder Ji's deep voice ended it. "Enough. Judgment stands. Lin Xuan retains Outer Sect status. His actions in the Borderlands are logged as exemplary."
A stir swept through the disciples. Exemplary.
Zhou Ren, kneeling behind them, nearly bit through his tongue.
Far above, in the Core Pavilion, Meng Zhao watched through a spirit mirror, eyes glinting like knives."Exemplary," he hissed. "They're grooming him already."
He turned to the robed aide kneeling beside him. "Spread word that the elders favor him. Let every jealous Outer disciple know the cripple is rising on pity. Make them hate him before they can admire him."
The aide bowed and vanished.
Meng Zhao stared into the mirror, where Lin Xuan stood beneath the elders' gaze."Rise, Lin Xuan," he whispered. "The higher you climb, the more beautiful your fall will sound."
The crowd dispersed in waves of whispers.Some bowed respectfully as Lin Xuan passed; others glared, unable to hide envy.
Wu Ming grinned. "Exemplary! Did you hear that? That's basically saint-tier for Outer disciples!"
Li Mei shot him a look. "It's a target on his back."
Chen Yu nodded. "Half the sect will test that title by tomorrow."
Lin Xuan only said, "Then we'll work tonight."
Behind closed doors, the elders continued their debate.
The hawk-eyed elder paced. "You indulge him. That technique defied every restriction we place on students. If his body fails mid-fusion, the backlash could taint the entire sect's qi veins!"
Elder Ji answered quietly, "And yet it did not."
The silver-haired elder smiled faintly. "Because he is not fusing elements. He is fusing understanding. The difference between talent and wisdom is a single breath. Few have either."
The hawk-eyed elder turned sharply. "And you'd defend him because he reminds you of that boy from decades ago?"
Her eyes chilled. "No. Because he does not."
Elder Ji set down his tea. "Enough. Observe him. Do not interfere—for now."
The Omni-Talent Pulse
That night, in his courtyard, Lin Xuan meditated.The System flickered softly, letters of light forming before him.
[Evaluation Complete.][Status: Rising anomaly.][External Influence detected: Core disciple Meng Zhao – hostile intent logged.][Hidden Quest unlocked: Navigate the Blades Without Bleeding.]
He opened his eyes. "Blades without bleeding…"
Wu Ming, half-asleep nearby, muttered, "Senior Brother, please don't say scary things when I'm trying to dream about food."
Lin Xuan's lips curved faintly.
By the next dawn, every corner of the Outer Sect throbbed with rumor.
"He's favored by the elders.""They say he'll be promoted early.""Or expelled, depending who you ask."
Disciples challenged his name in sparring rings, only to be disarmed quietly by his calm precision.He never shouted. He never boasted. He simply moved—and they fell.
The more silent his victories, the louder the whispers became.
Far away, in Yue Shuang's frost-lit courtyard, a petal of ice formed in her palm as she whispered his name once, as if testing the sound.
"Lin Xuan."
The ice petal drifted upward and shattered into mist.
"Let's see how long your calm lasts, storm-child."
And somewhere deeper within the sect, Meng Zhao smiled in the dark, drawing new plans across a scroll marked with blood.