Eight hundred li east of the Scarlet Cloud Sect, where the mountain peaks were as sharp as serpent's fangs and the wind howled with a perpetual hiss, stood the domain of the Hissing Wind Sect. Its pavilions, of green tiles and dark wood, clung to the slopes like vipers' nests, and the ambient Qi was not dense and pure, but sharp, aggressive, and tinged with a poisonous hue.
The Golden Phoenix Jade Proclamation Talisman did not arrive as a messenger, but as an invasion. It tore through the sky above the sect, a scar of gold and fire against the gray clouds, leaving in its wake a trail of pure power that made the disciples training in the outer courtyards fall to their knees, their faces pale and their hearts seized by terror. The talisman did not stop; it descended like a divine hawk, piercing the sect's defensive formations as if they were made of rice paper, and crashed against the doors of the great throne hall, embedding itself in the black ironwood with a resonant hum that was both a delivery and a declaration of war.
Inside the hall, the air was frigid. Sect Master Wei Baxian sat on a throne carved from jade so dark a green it appeared almost black. He was not a man of majestic appearance like Ouyang Zhen; he was gaunt, with a face as sharp as a knife and slanted eyes that shone with a cold, predatory light. His late-stage Golden Core aura was a constant pressure, a promise of pain for anyone who dared to displease him. At his feet, kneeling on cushions, three elders listened to his daily sermon on incompetence and weakness.
When the talisman embedded itself in their doors, the four of them looked up in unison. An elder extended his hand, and the talisman flew toward him. The instant his fingers brushed against it, his face contorted.
"Sect Master… it's from the Scarlet Cloud Sect. Golden Phoenix grade," he stammered, as if the jewel itself burned him.
Wei Baxian frowned. With a gesture, the talisman flew into his hand. He held it between his long, pale fingers and his spiritual sense plunged into it. He read Ouyang Zhen's message, every arrogant word, every threat veiled in diplomacy.
The silence in the hall grew heavy, dense, like the air before a deadly storm. The elders dared not breathe. They watched as their Sect Master's face shifted from curiosity to disbelief, from disbelief to disdain, and from disdain to a fury so pure and volcanic that the very space around him seemed to warp.
CRACK!
The Golden Phoenix Jade Talisman, a treasure worth a small fortune, shattered in his hand, pulverized into a golden dust that dissipated into the air.
"Renegotiate… amicably?" Wei Baxian hissed, his voice so low and dangerous that the elders felt a chill run down their spines. "Mutual… prosperity?"
And then, he exploded.
BOOM!
It wasn't a shout; it was a detonation of power. Wei Baxian slammed his fist on the obsidian desk beside him. The desk, a mid-grade spiritual artifact, didn't crack; it disintegrated. A shockwave of violent, greenish Qi swept through the hall, sending scrolls, inkstones, and the dignity of the elders flying. They had to channel their own energy just to keep from being knocked over.
"OUYANG ZHEN!!" he roared, leaping to his feet, his eyes glowing like those of a cornered snake. "That cowardly old fox!! Does he dare?! DOES HE DARE SEND ME AN ULTIMATUM?!"
His fury was a storm. The air smelled of ozone and rage. He paced back and forth amidst the remains of his desk, like a caged beast.
"A new Golden Core Realm elder? Impossible! His younger generation is a nest of worms! Jian Yue is the only one with any talent, and he has barely touched the threshold! And Xiao Lan?! A girl! A talented girl, yes, but years away! This is a bluff! A trick!"
One of the elders, the bravest or perhaps the most foolish, dared to speak, his voice trembling.
"Sect Master… the power of the talisman… it was undeniable. And the aura it left imbued… was one of genuine euphoria. I don't think… I don't think it's a bluff."
Wei Baxian stopped dead and turned to him. His gaze was so sharp that the elder felt as if needles had been driven into his soul.
"You don't think so?" he hissed. "So you believe a Phoenix has been born in a chicken coop? You believe that girl leaped half a cultivation realm in a single trial? And the story of the Ice Lotus! Convenient! Far too convenient that the treasure that could prove their story was 'consumed'!"
Another elder, the strategist of the group, cautiously interjected.
"Sect Master, be it a trick or a miracle, the result is the same. Ouyang Zhen has made his move. He has thrown down the gauntlet. The rest of the southern sects are watching. If we show the slightest hesitation, if we cower from his 'friendly summit,' our reputation will be in tatters. The Crimson Ore Vein will be only the first of our losses."
The truth in his words was inescapable. Wei Baxian clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked. The fury on his face gave way to a cold, venomous cunning.
"You're right," he admitted grudgingly. "Ouyang Zhen has bet everything on this girl. He thinks he holds a card we can't match. He thinks we will kneel. How foolish."
A cruel, twisted smile formed on his lips.
"He has forgotten that we, too, have been cultivating our own treasure. He has forgotten that we, too, have a secret weapon."
He turned towards the entrance of the hall, his voice now a thunder of authority that shook the foundations.
"Elders! Send the signal! BRING ME JIN LONG!!"
The name echoed in the hall, and the three elders shuddered. It was not a name uttered lightly. Jin Long. The Golden Dragon. He was their greatest investment, the sect's secret pride, a genius whose talent had been hidden from the world with paranoid zeal, nurtured with the most precious resources, trained in the most lethal arts.
Barely a minute later, the temperature in the hall dropped sharply. A figure appeared in the doorway, not walking, but simply… there, as if he had emerged from the shadows. He was a young man of no more than nineteen, dressed in black silk robes embroidered with a subtle golden dragon that seemed to writhe with his every movement. His face was one of sharp, arrogant beauty, with a chiseled jaw and eyes that shone with a predatory, golden light. His black hair was pulled back in a high ponytail with a gold clasp.
His aura was that of a drawn sword. Sharp, dominant, and unmistakably that of an early-stage Golden Core Realm expert.
"Sect Master, Elders," he said; his voice was smooth, but it held a metallic edge. He gave a slight nod of his head, a gesture that was more a concession than a show of respect.
Wei Baxian looked at him, and the fury in his eyes was replaced by a possessive pride. This was his triumph. His creation.
"Jin Long," he said, his tone now calmer. "A situation has arisen. The Scarlet Cloud Sect, in their infinite arrogance, claims to have produced a genius. A girl named Xiao Lan. They claim she has reached the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm."
Jin Long raised an eyebrow, a look of faint amusement crossing his face.
"A girl? Middle-stage Golden Core? Master, Ouyang Zhen's delusions seem to worsen with age. Surely an unstable breakthrough, forced with some single-use treasure. A sandcastle waiting to be knocked down."
"Exactly my thought," Wei Baxian nodded. "And you will be the wave that knocks it down. Ouyang Zhen has invited us to a 'summit.' We will attend. And at that summit, in the presence of all the southern sects, you, on behalf of the Hissing Wind Sect, will challenge her to a friendly duel. An 'exchange of pointers' between the new generation."
The plan was bold and lethal. A public duel. If Jin Long won, the Scarlet Cloud Sect's "Celestial Goddess" would become a joke, her miracle a farce, and Ouyang Zhen's arrogance the noose with which he would hang himself. The humiliation would be so devastating that the Scarlet Cloud Sect wouldn't recover for a century.
Jin Long's golden eyes gleamed with a ravenous light. A duel. A chance to show the world his power, to step out of the shadows and claim the title of his generation's number one genius.
"It will be my pleasure," he replied, his voice dripping with confidence.
Wei Baxian stared at him, the only hint of doubt showing in his countenance.
"Don't underestimate her. Even if her breakthrough was forced, the power of the middle stage is real. Tell me, Jin Long… how confident are you that you can defeat her?"
The question hung in the air, laden with the weight of their sect's destiny. Jin Long didn't hesitate. Not a blink. Not a waver. A slow, arrogant smile spread across his face, a smile that promised not just victory, but annihilation.
"Master," he replied, his voice a whisper as cold as steel. "The question isn't if I can defeat her. A treasure-fueled breakthrough is like a tower built on sand; impressive on the outside, hollow on the inside. My foundation was forged in blood, sweat, and the purest essence of our Severing Wind Dao. The only question you should be asking is whether I should grant her a quick defeat to preserve her 'face,' or if I should dismantle her Dao, piece by piece, in front of the entire world, as a lesson to her arrogant sect for daring to look down on a true dragon."
The shockwave from Ouyang Zhen's proclamation was not limited to the Hissing Wind Sect. Throughout the ten thousand li of the Southern Sects, the cultivation world trembled.
In the Misty Sword Palace, a sect built on peaks that looked like crystal swords piercing the sky, the Palace Master, a woman of ethereal beauty and a glacial aura, read the talisman and a fine crack appeared in the jade teacup she held.
"Interesting," she murmured to her elders. "A Phoenix or a Peacock with borrowed feathers. Prepare our core disciples. We will go to Ouyang Zhen's summit. I want to see this 'miracle' with my own eyes."
Her reaction was not one of fury, but of a cold, analytical curiosity, that of a swordmaster evaluating a new, unknown opponent.
In smaller sects, the reaction was one of pure terror. In the Hidden Pill Valley, the leading elder nearly suffered a Qi deviation upon reading the message.
"Quickly! Prepare the tribute gifts! The best thousand-year-old ginsengs! Our reserves of Spirit Condensation Pills! We must show our most sincere congratulations! The era of the Scarlet Cloud Sect has arrived!"
To them, it wasn't an invitation, it was an order of submission, and it was better to be the first to bend the knee.
While the world reacted, schemed, and trembled, Lin Feng and Xiao Lan arrived at their new home.
It wasn't the dilapidated barracks of the outer disciples. It wasn't even one of the elite courtyards of the inner disciples. The sect had granted Xiao Lan her own mountain peak, one of the five auxiliary peaks surrounding the main peak. They called it the "Phoenix's Nest."
It was an isolated paradise. An elegant pavilion of spiritual sandalwood stood beside a waterfall that cascaded into a natural hot spring pool, rich with spiritual energy. The air was so pure and dense that Lin Feng felt he could get drunk just by breathing it. They had gardens of spiritual herbs, a private training hall, and a view that spanned the entire sect domain.
So this is the five-star treatment, Lin Feng thought to himself as he unloaded his meager belongings into a modest servant's room adjacent to the main pavilion. I wonder if it comes with a food taster to check for poison. With the new friends we've made today, I'll probably need one.
Xiao Lan stood on the balcony of her new home, looking not at the landscape, but inward, at her newly formed Golden Core. Her power was immense, but the experience in the Guardian's sanctuary and the knowledge of her destiny intertwined with Lin Feng had changed her in a way more profound than any cultivation breakthrough. She was no longer just a genius seeking revenge; she was a piece in a cosmic game, with responsibilities she was only beginning to comprehend.
She turned and saw Lin Feng, standing at the entrance to his humble room, watching her. Their gazes met across the courtyard. The hierarchy of master and servant, of genius and trash, now felt like an ill-fitting costume. They were partners. They were anchors. They were, for better or worse, the only two who knew the truth.
"The real work begins now," she said, her voice not an order, but a statement of intent. "The summit is in one month. The world will be watching us. We cannot show any weakness."
Lin Feng nodded, a cold determination dawning in his eyes.
"Understood, Partner."
They both knew, with a blood-chilling certainty, that the storm was gathering. They didn't know where the first bolt of lightning would strike, but they were in the eye of the hurricane. And for the first time, they were not alone to face it.