The morning began with fog and cold ash—one lingering in the air, the other coating the sparring yard.
Lin Tian arrived early, as instructed, broom in hand, robe fastened tight. No one else was there yet. He swept alone, the sound of bristles dragging across stone his only company. His breath fogged with every exhale.
Chen Mu floated above him in silence.
"You ever notice," Chen Mu said eventually, "that the sect only gets quiet right before someone decides you're due for a life lesson?"
"No one's around yet," Lin Tian said.
"Exactly."
[+2 BP for grumpy wisdom.]
Lin Tian kept sweeping. It was meditative in its own way, and with the early silence, his thoughts turned inward. The near-miss at Ember Hall still sat like a stone in his stomach, but so far, no follow-up had come. Just more duties. More watching. More silence.
He didn't trust it.
Neither did Chen Mu.
A few minutes later, the rest of the assigned junior disciples began to arrive—twelve to fifteen-year-olds, still in their first stages, robes too clean, stances unsteady. The instructor, a tired man with wiry limbs and deep eye bags, handed Lin Tian a bundle of practice robes and a slate of scheduled matchups for the morning.
"Observe the sessions. Intervene if it gets dangerous. Standard rules," he said without ceremony.
Lin Tian bowed. "Yes, instructor."
The sparring field itself was cracked—three long fractures spider-webbed across the northern ring, a legacy of years of neglect and too many egos clashing with too little restraint. The corners still bore traces of blood that hadn't quite washed out.
Lin Tian marked the edges of the active ring with chalk.
"You look like you know what you're doing," Chen Mu said.
"I watched enough of these growing up."
"You were watching. Now you're the one they're watching."
The first match began. Sloppy footwork. Weak Qi use. No real danger. Lin Tian called it after three clean strikes.
Another match. A little better. Lin Tian made a quiet correction mid-bout, and the losing disciple adjusted immediately, saving himself from a bruised shoulder.
That drew some looks.
"You're doing too well," Chen Mu muttered. "Keep that up and they'll promote you just to chain you down."
"They'll do that anyway."
[+2 BP for pessimistic insight.]
Then Guo arrived.
He didn't saunter. He strolled—with purpose, with poise, and with the kind of smirk that should be illegal.
"Supervisor Lin Tian," he called, loud enough for everyone to hear. "How fortunate I caught you at your most… visible."
Lin Tian bowed. "Senior Brother."
Chen Mu groaned. "Here we go."
Guo motioned, and a boy stepped forward from behind him. Stocky. Bull-necked. Fists like sledgehammers. Barely sixteen, but already more mass than grace.
"This is Xu Fang," Guo said. "A promising student. First-rate strength affinity. I thought it would inspire confidence to have him spar under your supervision."
Lin Tian nodded. "Who will he face?"
"Oh, that depends." Guo's grin widened. "Perhaps one of these juniors? Or perhaps... someone more experienced."
Lin Tian tilted his head. "You're suggesting I face him."
"Well, you do carry yourself like someone worthy of a test."
Chen Mu: "It's a trap."
"I know," Lin Tian murmured.
"Accept," Chen Mu said. "But win smart."
Lin Tian turned to Guo. "Very well. I accept."
The instructor raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"Excellent," Guo said. "Let's make it spirited. No Qi restraints."
Lin Tian paused. "That's... unusual."
"But allowed," Guo said.
The instructor shrugged. "If both parties agree."
"I agree," Lin Tian said.
Chen Mu said nothing.
Not because he didn't have something to say, but because at that moment, Lin Tian stepped into the ring like he belonged there.
Xu Fang grinned. He cracked his knuckles. His arms flexed. He bowed fast and shallow.
Lin Tian mirrored the gesture, hands steady.
"Don't try to win," Chen Mu whispered. "Survive first. Control the tempo. Let him waste himself."
Xu Fang came in fast. No technique, no refinement—just muscle and instinct. The first blow grazed Lin Tian's shoulder. The second he dodged cleanly. The third nearly knocked the air from his lungs.
But Lin Tian didn't falter.
He let the boy come.
Let him tire.
Then, when the opening came, Lin Tian shifted.
Fire Palm.
Low and precise.
The Qi gathered like a hiss in the air, invisible but sharp.
His palm struck the boy's chest—not a full blow, not a punch. A focused touch.
Heat flared.
Xu Fang cried out and staggered back, steam curling from his robes. His chest reddened instantly.
He wasn't crippled.
But he was down.
Lin Tian stood in silence.
Xu Fang panted. Guo stared.
The instructor raised one hand. "Match over. Supervisor Lin Tian wins."
[+5 BP for tactical and restrained victory.]
Guo's mouth worked silently for a moment.
Then he turned and left.
Chen Mu exhaled. "Nicely done."
"No celebration?"
"We don't gloat until we're three realms higher."
That evening, Lin Tian sat beside the hut, watching the stars come out in thin bands across the sky. His arm throbbed from the earlier impact, but he didn't complain. He brewed a small pot of herbal tea with trembling hands.
"That was dangerous," he said.
"Could've gone worse."
"I don't think Guo expected me to win."
"No. But he also didn't expect you to do it so calmly."
"That's why it scared him," Lin Tian said. "Not because I was strong. Because I didn't flinch."
Chen Mu floated gently. "You're learning the real lesson: power isn't about force. It's about timing. Confidence. Knowing when to act."
[+3 BP for teaching disguised as praise.]
Lin Tian poured the tea into a chipped cup and stared into the steam.
"I don't want power to prove anything," he said. "I just want to be left alone."
Chen Mu didn't answer right away.
Then: "They won't let you be. So the only option is to get strong enough that they can't afford to push you."
Lin Tian nodded.
He sat silently a while longer, then closed his eyes and began cultivating again.
This time, the Qi felt steadier. More willing. Like it, too, had seen what happened and decided Lin Tian might actually be worth investing in.
Chen Mu opened the system panel.
[System Status Panel – Chen Mu (Ring State)]
Bluff Points: 80Soul Strength: 7Current Vessel: Jade Ring (Damaged, Dusty, Slightly Sticky)Abilities: Voice of Authority Lv.1, Soul Tap (1/day)Manual Access: Beginner Cultivation Manual (Simulated)Current Objective: Guide disciple through Qi Initiation RealmDisciple Status: Qi Initiation – Early Stage (Nearing Mid)