The training grounds of the Falling Phoenix Pavilion had long since grown quiet.
The sounds of swords clashing and Qi crackling had faded into the whispers of crickets in the evening haze.
Lin Fan sat beneath the cherry blossom tree—yes, the same one he had trained under a hundred times—lost in the memory of a smile.
Not Lan Yinyin's. No. That smile had shattered. Crushed into dust the day Hei Long walked off with her hand in his.
No… this smile belonged to someone else now.
Her name?
Mu Lanyue.
The sect's most enigmatic alchemist.
Rumored to have descended from the Ice Phoenix Clan, her mastery over soul-healing elixirs had garnered attention from grand elders across four domains.
Her presence was serene. Untouched. Aloof. Her eyes rarely lingered, but when they did…
She had looked at him. Once. Just once.
And Lin Fan had felt warm for the first time in months.
He had decided—this time, he would be first.
