The name echoed..."Fui Lon."
But there was no one. Not near, not far.
Everyone fell into silent thought.
Who… who was this person named Fui Lon?
Yet among them all, the one most shaken… was Joye.
What strength she must have summoned to hold back her tears.
Standing beside her was Shu Bi Suan,
a man who knew that name far too well.
Looking ahead at the emptiness before them,
they understood....he would not return.
Not now.
Not ever.
Master Zu Gushion rushed toward the official and took the scroll from his hands.
He studied it with narrowed eyes, tracing every word.
And then, it became clear...
Fui Lon was on the list…
Two months ago.
When new students' names were first recorded...
When the invitations were prepared.
The missing student…
was him.
But if he had walked out…
right in the middle of the grand ceremony…
It would be a disgrace.
Zu Gushion clenched his jaw, tied the scroll tightly to his waist.
He took a long, heavy breath.
Then another.
Placing a stone over his own heart,
he accepted what had to be done.
There was no other path now.
Only to carry on with the next ritual.
The five factions stood equidistant from each other...
Each proud of their elements.
Their joy soared like birds set free.
Excitement sparkled in every eye,
and the air buzzed with whispers...
telling, boasting, discovering which element belonged to whom.
The atmosphere was warm, lively, spirited.
But not for all.
Some faces....some hearts...some souls…
had already begun to shatter.
They had forgotten to breathe.
Wang Gung. Ming Heng. Zhi Yao. Joye. Shu Bi Suan.
Eyes damp.
Faces blank.
No smile.
No fire in the heart.
Their souls… had curled up in a silent, grieving corner.
One last hope had slipped away.
And they could not bear to witness this any longer.
For now, they knew.
Yu Sui was not here.
Among them, Wang Gung needed the most support.
His legs buckled, and he began to fall.
Ming Heng and Zhi Yao reached out and caught him.
No one noticed.
No one even looked away from their own joyful discoveries.
Everyone was lost in the bliss of their own elements.
Unaware.
The Masters, however, were growing anxious.
One mystery still loomed....the white flame.
And Fui Lon.....his disappearance had to be reported to Master Chang Shi.
But perhaps… even now… the others were still investigating.
And this ceremony...its next stage....was about to begin.
Wang Gung, Ming Heng, and Zhi Yao stood far at the back,
quiet, burdened, holding Wang steady between them.
To Wang Gung, this new life… was meaningless.
Without Yu Sui, utterly empty.
Pain swept over each of them like a storm.
Yu Sui was not here.
And the same question kept ringing....
"Where did he go?"
At last, Master Zu Gushion stepped forward,
and with a somber tone,
announced the beginning of the next phase of the ceremony.