On the Eve of the Trial
The disciples of the Four-Leaf Clover Sect were preparing for the test scheduled for the next day.
Even those who already had masters were unwilling to miss the chance to study under the new Guest Elder.
The entire sect was restless.
Among them—
Wang Tao.
Green robes with red trim—a Central Disciple.
An unremarkable appearance: dark hair, dark eyes, nothing about his face stood out.
Except for his gaze—
Always alert.Always calculating.
He had reached the eighth level of Body Refinement before the age of twenty.
A recognized talent.
High expectations.
And very little room for error.
Wang Tao sat in a cultivation posture, breathing steady, Qi flowing with precision.
But his mind wasn't fully present.
A faint burning sensation spread across his wrist, and instinctively he pulled his sleeve down to cover it.
The invisible mark of the Invisible Hand didn't need to be seen to be remembered.
He wasn't here solely by choice.
There were duties.Orders.Eyes watching—even from afar.
But something had changed.
Sai's sermon echoed in his mind.
Balance.Foundation.Path.
Maybe this Elder isn't just another variable in their game.Maybe…
He slowly opened his eyes.
Maybe I can choose—at least part of my path.
A dangerous thought.
But for the first time in a long while—
A real one.
He closed his eyes again and returned to cultivation.
---
In the Outer Disciple area, someone else was struggling to focus.
Yan Li stood before a canvas.
Yellow ink flowed in fast, nervous strokes.
The face taking shape was familiar—
Light hair.Serene gaze.
The Guest Elder.
"Why…" she murmured."…isn't it the same?"
The painting was beautiful.
Very beautiful.
But it wasn't enough.
It never was.
Yan Li frowned.
One more stroke.
Then another.
Nothing.
Suddenly—
She RIPPED it apart.
The canvas split in two.
Then into more pieces.
Until only fragments lay scattered on the floor.
"It's not this… it's not the same feeling…"
She dropped to her knees, breathing unevenly.
Whenever something moved her, she wanted to capture it.
To preserve it.To understand it.
But the more she tried—
The farther it slipped away.
Yan Li took a deep breath, wiped her face, and stared at the ruined painting.
"I need to see him again…"
Not out of curiosity.
But because something about that man stirred her art—
As if he were pointing toward something she still couldn't see.
She clenched her fists.
"I will pass this test."
She stood up.
Determined.
---
That night, many disciples failed to sleep.
Because the next day—
The mountain would decide who was ready to move forward.
And who would be left behind.