The Clan Hall fell completely silent.
For a brief moment—
even Ling Yue seemed to forget the oppressive pressure radiating from the elders.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"The Cloud Sword Sect…"
The words slipped out almost unconsciously.
One of the Great Elders gave a faint, knowing smile.
"Surprised?"
Ling Yue immediately lowered her head.
"This junior spoke out of turn."
The elder waved a hand dismissively.
"No matter."
His gaze slowly swept across both siblings.
"That reaction is normal."
Because everyone in Lotus City knew exactly what the Cloud Sword Sect represented.
A true cultivation sect.
An existence that stood above clans.
Above cities.
Above ordinary cultivators.
Countless young geniuses dreamed of entering its gates.
Yet only a handful ever succeeded.
The Clan Head folded his hands calmly.
"The selection is held once every five years."
"This year's examination will take place one month from now."
His gaze settled on Ling Wei.
"Originally…"
"…your names were not included among the candidates."
Neither sibling reacted with surprise.
Before their sudden rise, their talent had been considered average at best.
Decent.
Nothing more.
Certainly not enough to warrant a recommendation.
Then the Clan Head continued.
"But things have changed."
The room once again fell into a heavy silence.
One of the Great Elders spoke.
"Your cultivation is improving at an unusual rate."
"Your access to resources is abundant."
"And more importantly…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"…you survived Lotus Valley."
Ling Wei's expression remained steady and unreadable.
The elder continued.
"Perhaps you do not fully understand what that means."
"Elder Qin and Elder Zhao of the Feng Clan both submitted detailed reports."
"They may not know exactly what transpired."
"But they are not fools."
The hall grew even quieter.
"The disturbances within Lotus Valley were real."
"The migration of spirit beasts was real."
"The Iron-Spine Cat pack was real."
He paused deliberately.
"And whatever caused all of that…"
"…was not something ordinary."
Ling Yue felt her heartbeat quicken once again.
Fortunately, the elder did not press further on that subject.
Instead, his expression eased slightly.
"Regardless of the cause…"
"Everyone returned."
"Alive."
The Clan Head gave a slow nod.
"And after returning…"
"…your mentality has changed."
Ling Wei did not respond.
Because that much was undeniably true.
Nearly becoming servants to an ancient, unfathomable existence had a way of altering one's perspective.
Survival tended to make people value life far more sharply.
The Clan Head continued.
"The Cloud Sword Sect values more than talent."
"They value determination."
"Adaptability."
"Willpower."
"And luck."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Particularly luck."
Several elders gave soft chuckles.
Cultivation was never fair.
Talent mattered.
Resources mattered.
But sometimes—
luck mattered even more.
The oldest elder suddenly spoke.
"Do you know how many applicants will participate this year?"
Ling Yue shook her head.
"No, Elder."
The old man raised a single finger.
"Hundreds."
Her pupils contracted.
"Hundreds?"
He nodded slowly.
"From dozens of cities."
"From hundreds of clans."
"Independent cultivators."
"Wealthy merchant families."
"Former sect disciples."
"Everyone."
His expression turned solemn.
"And only a small fraction will be accepted."
The weight of that statement cooled the faint excitement in Ling Yue's eyes.
Ling Wei, however, remained deep in thought.
The Clan Head leaned slightly forward.
"That is why you were summoned here."
"We wish to know whether you are willing to participate."
Silence.
Neither sibling answered immediately.
Because the question was not simple.
Joining a sect meant leaving Lotus City.
Leaving the Ling Clan.
Leaving everything familiar.
One of the elders spoke again, his tone gentler this time.
"Do not rush your answer."
"We are not forcing you."
"Think carefully."
"This opportunity is valuable."
"But the path ahead is dangerous."
The Clan Head nodded in agreement.
"You have one week."
"After that, the clan will finalize the list of participants."
Ling Wei bowed slightly.
"This junior understands."
Ling Yue followed quickly.
"This junior also understands."
The Clan Head appeared satisfied.
Then, unexpectedly, the oldest elder's gaze shifted and fixed directly onto Ling Wei.
His aged eyes seemed capable of seeing through bone, flesh, and even intention itself.
"One final question."
Ling Wei met his gaze calmly.
"Please ask, Elder."
The old man smiled faintly.
A very small, almost imperceptible smile.
"When the time comes…"
"…will you be willing to leave Lotus City?"
The question sounded simple on the surface.
Yet something about it felt oddly weighty.
Ling Wei paused.
Only for a brief moment.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Toward a sealed chamber.
Toward those golden, watching eyes.
Toward the white-scaled creature sleeping beneath his courtyard.
Toward the hidden poison mark beneath his glove.
Then, a moment later—
he smiled politely.
"This junior wishes to pursue the Dao."
The old elder's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Ling Wei continued smoothly.
"If a greater path exists…"
"…then naturally, I will walk it."
Silence settled over the hall.
Then—
the old elder suddenly laughed.
A genuine, low laugh.
"Good."
"Very good."
The Clan Head rose from his seat.
"This meeting is concluded."
"You are dismissed."
Both siblings immediately bowed.
"Thank you, Clan Head."
"Thank you, Elders."
Their voices echoed faintly through the vast hall.
Then they turned and departed.
RUMBLE—
The massive doors slowly closed behind them.
The moment they stepped outside, both exhaled almost simultaneously.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
The pressure inside the hall had been suffocating.
Only after descending several flights of stone steps did Ling Yue finally break the silence.
"…Big Brother."
"Hm?"
"…Are we really going to the Cloud Sword Sect?"
Ling Wei did not answer immediately.
For a long moment, he simply continued walking.
Then his gaze shifted toward the distant direction of their residence.
Toward the hidden chamber beneath it.
Toward the sleeping presence sealed deep below.
His expression grew complicated.
The stone steps stretched downward into the courtyard below, where the afternoon sunlight spilled across everything in warm gold.
Servants moved steadily about their duties.
Disciples trained in distant practice grounds.
Everything appeared normal.
And yet—
Ling Wei's expression remained distant, thoughtful.
Ling Yue frowned slightly.
"…Not going?"
"What do you mean, not going?"
Ling Wei finally spoke.
"That's the Cloud Sword Sect."
"A real sect."
"People would kill for the opportunity."
Ling Wei nodded.
"Exactly."
"Which is why this entire situation feels wrong."
Ling Yue blinked.
"…Wrong?"
Ling Wei glanced back briefly, ensuring no one was within earshot, then lowered his voice.
"Think about it."
"The Clan Head."
"The Four Great Elders."
"All five of them gathered together."
"Just to ask whether we want to join a sect."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Does that make sense to you?"
Ling Yue opened her mouth—
then hesitated.
"…When you put it like that…"
Ling Wei continued walking at an unhurried pace.
"But that's not even the main issue."
His tone darkened slightly.
"The entire conversation."
"They advanced, then retreated."
"Then advanced again."
"They mentioned Lotus Valley."
"They mentioned our resources."
"They mentioned our cultivation."
"They mentioned the Pavilion."
He shook his head slowly.
"It was all connected. Repeated. Cyclical."
Ling Yue recalled the meeting carefully.
The more she thought about it—
the more uneasy she became.
"…They really did."
Ling Wei nodded.
"They know something happened."
"They just don't know what."
A brief silence followed.
"The elders are not fools."
"Elder Qin and Elder Zhao definitely reported everything they saw."
"The strange valley."
"The fleeing spirit beasts."
"The Iron-Spine Cat pack."
"Our sudden rise."
"Our sudden wealth."
He exhaled slowly.
"They've already connected the pieces."
"They're just missing the final answer."
Ling Yue's face paled slightly.
"…The senior."
Ling Wei did not deny it.
"Most likely."
"The good news is they don't seem inclined to investigate aggressively."
"At least, not yet."
His gaze drifted into the distance.
"Whatever conclusions they've drawn, they've chosen observation over confrontation."
Ling Yue swallowed.
"And the sect recommendation?"
Ling Wei let out a quiet, cold snort.
"That's exactly what bothers me."
"What cultivator wouldn't want to join the Cloud Sword Sect?"
"Especially one like that?"
His eyes sharpened.
"If they truly intended to recommend us, they could have simply done so."
"So why ask whether we are willing?"
Ling Yue frowned.
"Maybe they're just being polite?"
Ling Wei looked at her.
She immediately looked away.
"…Right."
Neither of them believed that.
Politeness was rarely a trait associated with powerful cultivators.
Ling Wei continued.
"They framed it as an opportunity."
"But embedded within it were questions."
"Questions about our resources."
"Questions about Lotus Valley."
"Questions about whether we intend to leave Lotus City."
His gaze darkened slightly.
"And that last question…"
"…is the most suspicious of all."
Ling Yue recalled the oldest elder's gaze.
The way he had watched Ling Wei.
The way he had asked that final question.
A faint chill ran through her.
"…You think he already knows?"
"I think he suspects."
Ling Wei replied immediately.
"Enough to ask."
"Not enough to act."
Silence settled again.
They descended the final steps, the Clan Hall now looming behind them.
Ling Yue stared at the ground for a long moment.
Then finally asked the question they had both been avoiding.
"…And if the recommendation is genuine?"
Ling Wei's steps slowed slightly.
For the first time—
a faint trace of regret surfaced in his expression.
"If this had happened two months ago…"
A bitter smile formed.
"…I would already be packing my things."
Ling Yue gave a weak laugh.
"Same."
They fell silent again.
Because the truth was undeniable.
The poison mark.
The white-scaled creature.
The entity sleeping beneath their courtyard.
Their lives no longer fully belonged to them.
Ling Wei's expression hardened.
"We don't get to make that decision anymore."
His hand unconsciously brushed over the glove covering the mark.
"If we leave Lotus City without permission…"
"I suspect we die."
Ling Yue shivered slightly.
The memory of the mark activating earlier resurfaced vividly.
The pain.
The terror.
The certainty of death.
She had no desire to test its limits again.
"So what do we do?"
Ling Wei looked toward the distant rooftops of the city.
Toward their residence.
Toward the sealed chamber beneath it.
"For now…"
"We wait."
"We cultivate."
"We gather information."
"And most importantly…"
His voice became firm.
"…we act completely normal."
Ling Yue stared at him.
Then suddenly laughed despite herself.
"After everything that's happened?"
"That's your plan?"
Ling Wei nodded seriously.
"Exactly."
"Normal."
"We must appear completely normal."
Ling Yue pointed at him.
"You just bought enough resources to alarm the Golden Lotus Pavilion."
"Nothing about us is normal anymore."
Ling Wei winced slightly.
"…Fair."
For a moment, they simply looked at each other.
Then, unexpectedly—
they both laughed.
Not because anything was truly funny.
But because the absurdity of their situation left laughter as the only release.
A month ago, they had been ordinary clan disciples.
Now they were entangled with an unknown existence, carrying wealth they couldn't explain, watched by the clan's highest authorities, and potentially selected for a sect beyond their reach.
Their lives had become incomprehensible.
Eventually, the laughter faded.
Ling Wei exhaled.
"Let's go."
Ling Yue nodded.
"The Pavilion?"
"The Pavilion."
They resumed walking beneath the golden afternoon sun.
Neither of them noticed—
high above the Clan Hall, an elderly figure stood at a window, quietly observing the city.
The oldest of the Four Great Elders.
His hands were clasped behind his back.
His gaze followed the departing siblings.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Then he murmured softly,
"…Interesting."
His eyes drifted toward Lotus Valley in the distance.
Thoughtful.
Measuring.
As though assembling fragments of a puzzle that still refused to complete itself.
And deep beneath Ling Wei's residence—
within a sealed chamber hidden from the world—
a white-scaled creature continued its silent evolution.
Unaware that, little by little, more eyes were beginning to turn toward Lotus City.