Starfall Immortal Sect had many elders.
Some were strict.
Some were proud.
Some were cautious.
And some—
Smiled too much.
Elder Gu Yunhe was known as the most gentle among the inner court elders. He oversaw resource allocation, spiritual medicine distribution, and disciple welfare. His cultivation sat at late-stage Soul Formation, just beneath the Grand Elders.
He rarely raised his voice.
Rarely showed displeasure.
And never acted without reason.
When nine Divine Rank disciples entered the sect, he was the first to personally visit their courtyard.
He arrived at the Heavenly Vein Courtyard at dusk.
Warm smile.
Kind eyes.
Perfect posture.
"My name is Gu Yunhe," he said gently. "I oversee disciple cultivation resources. If there is any difficulty adjusting to sect life, you may come to me."
Polite.
Harmless.
Mu Xueqing inclined her head.
"Thank you, Elder Gu."
But Long Yuerong's gaze lingered a fraction longer than polite.
Gu Yunhe's eyes briefly settled on the child.
Xing Chen.
For a single heartbeat—
His pupils contracted.
Then returned to warmth.
"A prodigious child," he said softly.
"Yes," Mu Xueqing replied.
He did not stay long.
He did not probe.
He did not offend.
That was precisely what made Hu Lianyi uneasy.
"He looked too carefully," she said after he left.
"Yes," She Yaoqing agreed quietly. "At the child."
The difficulty began subtly.
The next morning, sect-issued cultivation resources arrived.
Standard inner disciple packages.
High-grade spirit stones.
Body-tempering pills.
Meridian-cleansing elixirs.
Except—
Their courtyard received mid-grade stones.
And lower-tier pills.
A mistake?
Perhaps.
Bai Yuehan crushed one pill lightly between her fingers.
"Impure."
Feng Lingxi's flames flickered faintly around the fragment.
"It's diluted."
Tu Shan Ruyu tilted her head gently.
"They are testing our reaction."
Mu Xueqing remained calm.
"We will not react."
If they confronted openly, it would become political.
If they ignored it—
They could observe the source.
That afternoon, a second inconvenience appeared.
The Heavenly Vein Courtyard's spiritual flow weakened.
Not dramatically.
Just slightly.
Enough that ordinary disciples would not notice.
But Divine Beasts did.
Xuan Meilin placed her palm against the ground.
"The spiritual vein is being redirected."
Jin Tianrui's eyes sharpened.
"Toward another courtyard."
That courtyard belonged to—
Liang Tian.
Coincidence?
Perhaps.
But Hu Lianyi smiled without humor.
"The kind elder manages resource flow, does he not?"
Mu Xueqing did not speak immediately.
Xing Chen sat in her lap, small fingers playing with drifting threads of qi.
The spiritual density around him had already begun thinning.
For the first time—
He frowned.
Not crying.
Not distressed.
But displeased.
The air around him trembled faintly.
Long Yuerong's expression hardened.
"If they interfere with his growth—"
Mu Xueqing placed a gentle hand over Xing Chen's chest.
The disturbance calmed.
"We remain patient."
Patience was more dangerous than anger.
Three days later, the first open difficulty appeared.
An announcement from Elder Gu Yunhe:
All new inner disciples must enter the Mistwood Trial to temper their foundation.
Mandatory.
Normally, disciples were given three months before such trials.
They had been given three days.
The Mistwood was not deadly.
But it suppressed spiritual senses.
Distorted directions.
Contained illusion beasts formed from ancient formation remnants.
For Spirit Awakening and Core Formation disciples—
It was challenging.
For Nascent Soul—
It was inconvenient.
But inconvenience was not the goal.
Separation was.
The trial rules stated:
Participants must enter alone.
No assistance.
No companions.
Hu Lianyi's eyes narrowed.
"He wants to separate us."
Bai Yuehan's killing intent flickered.
"Let me break his courtyard."
"No," Mu Xueqing said softly.
They gathered around Xing Chen.
He blinked up at them.
Calm.
Too calm.
"He cannot enter the Mistwood," Tu Shan Ruyu said quietly.
"He won't," Mu Xueqing replied.
She looked toward the distant inner peaks where Elder Gu Yunhe resided.
"He wants to see how we respond under restriction."
She closed her eyes briefly.
"Then we will respond within the rules."
That night, Elder Gu Yunhe stood in his chamber overlooking the sect.
A faint formation disk glowed beneath his sleeve.
It was connected to the Heavenly Vein network.
He adjusted it slightly.
The spiritual density in their courtyard dropped another fraction.
Not enough to cause alarm.
Enough to slow a child's absorption.
His smile deepened.
"Divine Rank…" he murmured. "Or not, all seedlings must be shaped."
He did not hate them.
He did not envy them.
He feared unpredictability.
And fear made him careful.
Careful men were the most dangerous.
Back in the courtyard, Xing Chen reached for the air again.
This time—
The qi did not flow smoothly.
His brows furrowed.
A faint ripple spread outward from his tiny body.
The spirit tree leaves rustled violently despite the absence of wind.
The ground trembled softly.
She Yaoqing reacted instantly, forming a subtle suppression barrier.
Mu Xueqing held him gently.
"It's alright."
The ripple faded.
But the message was clear.
The child was beginning to notice interference.
And heaven-born beings did not enjoy restriction.
Long Yuerong's voice lowered.
"We must decide."
Mu Xueqing's eyes reflected distant stars.
"Yes."
But not yet.
Because the first move in a long war—
Is never loud.
Special Paragraph – Names to Remember
Mu Xueqing – Perfect Divine Rank – White Heaven Snow Empress
Long Yuerong – Azure Dragon Sovereign
Feng Lingxi – Vermilion Phoenix Empress
Bai Yuehan – White Tiger War Saint
Xuan Meilin – Black Tortoise Guardian
Hu Lianyi – Nine-Tailed Illusion Fox
Jin Tianrui – Golden Roc Sky Queen
She Yaoqing – Abyssal Serpent Matriarch
Tu Shan Ruyu – Jade Moon Rabbit Saintess
And at the center of them all:
Xing Chen – The Star Child
Starfall Immortal Sect remained peaceful on the surface.
But beneath that calm—
An elder had begun to tighten invisible threads.
And a child had begun to feel them.