The rain fell quietly over Azure River Sect.
It was the kind of rain that washed blood from stone without leaving a trace.
Lin Chen knelt in the center of the disciplinary hall, his hands pressed against the cold tiles. The smell of incense mixed with damp air, making his chest feel tight. Around him stood elders in gray robes, their expressions carved from stone.
Above them all, on the high seat, sat Elder Zhao.
"Lin Chen," Elder Zhao said calmly, "you are accused of stealing a Heaven-Grade cultivation manual. Do you admit guilt?"
Lin Chen raised his head.
His face was pale, but his eyes were steady.
"No."
The single word echoed through the hall.
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Disciples watching from the sides exchanged glances—some curious, some amused, others already convinced of his guilt.
Elder Zhao's lips curved faintly. "The evidence is clear. Denial will only worsen your punishment."
Evidence.
Lin Chen laughed softly. It hurt to laugh. His chest felt like it was being crushed from the inside.
He had once been the most promising disciple of Azure River Sect. At sixteen, he had stepped into the Foundation Realm. At eighteen, elders whispered his name with expectation.
Now, at nineteen, he was kneeling like a criminal.
"Bring the witness," Elder Zhao said.
A young man stepped forward.
Chen Yu.
Lin Chen's best friend.
Or what he had believed was his best friend.
Chen Yu avoided his gaze, kneeling respectfully. "Elders, I personally saw Lin Chen enter the restricted library late at night. He carried a jade slip when he left."
Lin Chen's fingers tightened.
So that was how it was.
He remembered the night clearly—how Chen Yu had asked him to cover a patrol shift. How he had trusted him without hesitation.
"Lin Chen," Elder Zhao said, his voice now cold, "the sect does not tolerate thieves. Especially those who bite the hand that raised them."
A surge of killing intent washed over the hall.
Before Lin Chen could speak again, Elder Zhao lifted a finger.
The air exploded.
Pain unlike anything he had ever felt tore through Lin Chen's body. He screamed as invisible force smashed into his abdomen, then his chest, then his back.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
One by one, his meridians shattered.
His cultivation collapsed like a broken dam.
Blood spilled from his mouth, splattering onto the tiles.
"From this moment," Elder Zhao declared, "Lin Chen is expelled from Azure River Sect. His cultivation is destroyed. If he returns, he will be executed."
Silence followed.
Lin Chen lay there, trembling, unable to feel the flow of spiritual energy he had cultivated for years.
It was gone.
As he was dragged out of the hall, his vision blurred. But through the haze of pain, he saw Chen Yu standing there—head bowed, lips pressed tight.
Lin Chen did not curse him.
He did not scream.
Instead, he memorized that face.
Because some debts were not meant to be collected quickly.
They were meant to mature.