When Jiang Hao emerged from the Crucible, silence ruled.Not a respectful silence, nor a fearful one — but a silence heavy with calculation. Elders, disciples, sect leaders, even rival spies hidden among the crowd, all stared at him as if he were a puzzle too dangerous to solve and too precious to ignore.His body trembled with exhaustion, each step forward a war. His legs buckled once — just once — before he steadied, shoulders squared. The golden cracks across his skin glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat, a sign of the backlash gnawing at him.Sect Master Tianlong rose. His gaze carried like thunder, neither praise nor condemnation, but absolute acknowledgment. "Jiang Hao has passed the Trial by Flame. He has endured the fire of flesh and the crucible of soul. Though the path ahead remains perilous, today he stands as one who walks among the worthy."The arena erupted. Some cheered in awe, some shouted with open envy, and some whispered in fear.Elder Feng smirked, voice cutting through the din. "Hah! The flames chose him, Bai. Admit it — he didn't just survive; he defied them."Elder Bai's lips curled into something colder than ice. "Defiance is not always a blessing. Sometimes it is the mark of disaster waiting to bloom. The boy's seals—"The sect master's sharp glance silenced him. Bai swallowed the rest of his words, but the warning had already planted seeds of doubt in every ear present.Jiang Hao felt all of it — the stares, the awe, the suspicion — but his body was too wracked with backlash to dwell. The second seal had rattled, nearly opened, and the pain left a poison running through his veins. Every step made his vision blur, every breath tasted like iron and ashes.Yet he smiled. Not a victorious grin, not even a mocking one. A small, tired smile — the kind that told those watching: I won't break, not even now.Mei Ling pushed forward through the crowd before anyone could stop her. She caught him just as he staggered near the edge of the platform, slipping her small frame under his arm despite the heat radiating from his skin. "You idiot," she whispered fiercely, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Do you always have to look this heroic when you're falling apart?"Lin Xueyao stood a step behind her, arms crossed tightly, but her voice cracked with something she couldn't hide. "Don't think this earns you freedom to act recklessly again. Next time, if you fall, I'll drag you back with a rope around your neck."Yunxi, quieter than the other two, moved to his other side and pressed a cool hand against his shoulder. She said nothing, but the herbs she slipped into his palm spoke louder than words.The crowd saw it — three women standing near him, drawn not by spectacle but by care — and murmurs spread like wildfire. Allies? Lovers? Weaknesses to exploit? Every spy present scribbled mental notes.Sect Master Tianlong's gaze lingered on Jiang Hao as the boy was led away. For one heartbeat, the old master's stern eyes softened, as if seeing his own younger self in the battered youth. Then the softness vanished. "Prepare the second trial," he commanded.Behind Jiang Hao's retreating figure, Elder Bai's shadow stretched long. His whisper was swallowed by the roar of the arena, but his words carried the weight of prophecy: "That boy will either be our sect's greatest shield… or its ruin."As Jiang Hao crossed the threshold of the arena into the shade of the sect halls, the cheers and whispers dimmed. His smile faltered, and blood spilled from his lips. His knees nearly gave. Only Mei Ling's steady grip, Lin Xueyao's sharp scolding presence, and Yunxi's quiet support kept him upright.Inside, away from the crowd, the truth pressed like a mountain: the seals were stirring. Not just one, not just two — all seven had rippled faintly during the Crucible. He felt them like beasts chained inside him, tugging at their bonds, hungry, waiting.And for the first time, even Jiang Hao admitted the truth to himself. If they ever all break… I might not survive.Yet even as fear whispered, another thought flared brighter, warmer. Mei Ling's tears, Lin Xueyao's anger, Yunxi's quiet devotion. That was the anchor. That was why he had resisted. That was why he would continue to resist.As he finally collapsed into the waiting chamber, his last thought before the darkness claimed him was not of fire, not of seals, not of ambition.It was of a cup of wine shared with companions — laughter cutting through fatigue, peace worth fighting for.When Jiang Hao opened his eyes, the world swam in colors he didn't recognize. Gold bled into crimson, shadows pulsed like living things, and every breath rattled as though his lungs were paper.For a brief, terrifying moment, he thought he was still inside the Crucible, locked in illusions of fire and guilt. Then the scent of herbs reached him — bitter, sharp, grounded in reality. He blinked until shapes sharpened.A wooden ceiling. Carved beams. The faint light of dusk filtering through lattice windows. He was in the sect's inner infirmary."You're awake."The voice was soft but laced with relief. Yunxi sat at his side, her cloak discarded, her sleeves rolled to the elbow as she pressed a cool cloth to his forehead. Her hair was slightly disheveled, as though she hadn't left his side for hours.Jiang Hao tried to speak, but his throat was dry, his tongue heavy. He managed a hoarse murmur: "How… long?""Two days." Yunxi's hands stilled for a heartbeat, then resumed their gentle work. "Your body shut down after the Crucible. The backlash almost tore your meridians apart."Before he could reply, the door slammed open with a force that rattled the wood. Mei Ling stormed in, cheeks flushed, eyes rimmed red from sleeplessness. She marched up to the bed and jabbed a finger into his chest — hard enough to make him wince."Two days! Do you have any idea how worried we were? You staggered out of that arena like some heroic statue about to crack in half and then collapsed like a sack of rice! If you ever scare me like that again, Jiang Hao, I'll— I'll tie you to a chair and force-feed you porridge until you behave!"Jiang Hao coughed, half in pain, half in laughter. His lips tugged into a faint smile despite the ache. "Being force-fed by you doesn't sound entirely unpleasant."Her face went crimson. "Th-that's not—! Don't you joke when you're half-dead!"Behind her, Lin Xueyao entered more quietly. She didn't rush or shout. She simply closed the door, leaned against the wall, and crossed her arms. Her eyes, however, were sharper than any blade."You're lucky," she said evenly. "If you'd gone one step further into that seal, you'd be in the ground instead of this bed. Don't think surviving makes you invincible. It just means you were stubborn enough not to die this time."Jiang Hao met her gaze and nodded. "I know. I won't pretend otherwise."For a moment, silence hung — thick, charged. Then Mei Ling huffed, sitting down heavily by his bedside. Yunxi wrung the cloth anew, placing it carefully across his temple. Lin Xueyao's gaze softened ever so slightly, though her words stayed cold.It was in this fragile peace that the door slid open once more — but this time, it was no companion.Sect Master Tianlong stepped inside. His presence filled the chamber without a word, calm but heavy. Every woman in the room stiffened. Even Mei Ling bit back her next scolding.The sect master studied Jiang Hao for a long, unreadable moment. Then he spoke."You endured what many cannot. But don't let relief blind you. The Trial by Flame was only the first. The sect will not wait long to test you again."Jiang Hao's heart sank, though his expression did not falter. "The second trial?"Tianlong's eyes narrowed, just slightly. "The Trial of Shadows. It will not burn your flesh. It will not weigh your soul. It will strike your heart where you are weakest — and if you falter, no herbs, no allies, no seals will save you."The room chilled. Mei Ling's hand tightened around his. Yunxi's fingers trembled against the cloth. Lin Xueyao's jaw clenched.Jiang Hao closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, golden light flickering faintly within."Then I'll endure that too."The sect master's lips curved — not quite into a smile, not quite into a frown. "We shall see."And with that, he turned and left, his robes whispering like thunder fading into silence.The room exhaled only after he was gone. Mei Ling gripped his hand tighter. Yunxi's eyes shimmered with quiet worry. Lin Xueyao looked at him with an expression he couldn't quite read — half fury, half something else.Jiang Hao leaned back against the pillows, exhaustion dragging at him once more. He knew, as surely as the seals burned inside him, that the next trial would be worse.But for now — just for one moment — he let the warmth of their presence soothe the shadows gnawing at his core.
