The sky that day was far too calm—eerily so. Beneath its stillness, beneath its silent blue, the disciples gathered, unaware that the trial awaiting them was not one of strength... but of pain.
Master Li's voice broke the silence, solemn and heavy.
"Today," he said, "you will taste hardship before life itself. You will sip from the cup of misery.
This bow—this lightning—is your arrow.
And your hearts... are the target."
Mei Ling raised her hand, feigning innocence.
"Will the Honored Master Wuxin not oversee this punishment?"
Yue smirked, her tone sharp as a blade.
"It's not a punishment, it's discipline.
What's wrong, Mei Ling? Afraid? Hoping he'll save you?"
Master Li's cheerful air vanished; his tone turned to iron. Even his bright eyes dimmed to ash.
"Enough! Line up!"
He struck a small bronze bell. Its chime echoed across the clouds—soft, almost tender—before the first bolt of lightning tore through the sky.
This was the Trial of Punishment. A lesson of pain, meant to carve fear into their hearts, so they might never stray again.
Yue stepped forward first. Reckless as always, she stood tall upon the Punishment Platform, lightning flickering around her like restless serpents.
Huò Fēng smiled at her, not in mockery, but with genuine warmth—she thought the test looked... fun.
Ming blinked at her in disbelief.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
Huò Fēng laughed, carefree as a child.
"I'm just imagining myself roasting under lightning fire! Doesn't that sound hilarious?"
Mei Ling snorted.
"You're insane. Watch your friend—she's about to really roast!"
The bell rang again.
A beam of lightning fell like divine wrath. It seemed gentle—until it struck Yue's head, slicing through her like a blade of burning glass.
Her vision went white. Pain roared through her veins. The bolt carved its way to her heart, shredding it apart. Every nerve screamed.
She had known the sting of swords before, the bite of knives… but nothing—nothing—felt like this.
Huò Fēng rushed forward, helping her trembling friend to stand. One by one, the others faced the trial, unwilling but bound by duty.
Then came Huò Fēng's turn.
Mei Ling's smirk returned.
She whispered a forbidden spell beneath her breath, twisting the enchantment of the great bell above the platform.
When Huò Fēng stepped beneath the arch of lightning, the grand bell tolled.
Its sound shattered the air. The sky itself trembled.
Across the kingdom, heads turned skyward in alarm.
Even Master Wu Xin, deep in meditation, felt a sudden stab of pain in his heart—long before he heard the bell.
Then it struck.
A bolt greater than any before—furious, vengeful—descended upon Huò Fēng.
It hit her squarely… and dimmed.
The lightning faltered, shrinking to a pale glow, as if bowing before her.
She stood unharmed. Silent. Still.
Master Li alone noticed the truth—Huò Fēng had vanished for an instant.
She had entered the platform itself.
Inside the storm, she saw a vision—
A woman, chained beneath the same arch of lightning, writhing in pain.
Huò Fēng's breath caught. That face… it was the same face her father had described countless times.
Her mother.
And there—bound beside her—was Jīn Hǎi, her father, struggling to break free.
Huò Fēng reached toward them—
Then everything vanished.
She breathed heavily as she stepped back to her place, and before she could leave, Huo Feng copied from the Punishment Platform all its power — and that memory.
When she returned, her eyes were wide, glassy, haunted.
She searched the crowd—desperate—for the faces she'd seen.
Her mother. Her father.
Gone.
The pain twisted into rage.
Electricity flared around her, wild and uncontrolled.
Master Li watched in silence, sensing the storm building within her.
Mei Ling, sensing danger, acted fast—pretending to help. She ran toward Huò Fēng, gripping her hands tightly.
"I'll protect you!" she cried aloud for all to hear.
Then, in a whisper of poison:
"It was me. The mistake—the lightning—it was all me."
Huò Fēng froze. Only one phrase reached her heart.
"It was me."
Her voice turned cold.
"You… did it? Why? Why did you punish her? Why did you kill her?"
Mei Ling's eyes widened in confusion and terror. She struggled, but Huò Fēng's grip was iron—unbreakable.
Crackling energy gathered in Huò Fēng's palm, swelling brighter, sharper. The grand bell above began to quake, the air vibrating with raw power.
A sphere of pure lightning formed—massive, alive, divine.
Mei Ling screamed. She knew this was the end.
"Huooo Feng!"
The voice cut through the storm—angry, desperate.
Master Wu Xin.
He lashed his fiery whip across the air, striking her arm just as she was about to release the bolt.
The lightning sphere burst harmlessly into the sky, exploding in a storm of radiant light.
Huò Fēng and Mei Ling collapsed.
Master Li moved first—catching Huò Fēng in his arms without hesitation, unashamed before the crowd.
Master Wu Xin went to Mei Ling, his heart heavy with guilt.
For even as he tended to the wounded girl... his mind was still with the other one—
the foolish, pure-hearted disciple who had nearly burned the heavens with her pain.