In one of the practice halls of the Alchemy Pavilion, Elder Yan's temper flared. His sharp voice echoed against the bronze-pillared chamber walls, loud enough that the disciples passing by outside paused only for a moment before moving on. To them, this was routine. Elder Yan's outbursts were almost part of the Pavilion's rhythm.
"How? How can you concoct an Amber Radiance Realm Pill?" His hands trembled as he gripped the jade cauldron before him, disbelief etched across his wrinkled face.
Arthur stood with his head lowered, bowing respectfully. "Thank you for your praise, Elder."
Elder Yan's eyes narrowed. "Praise? Boy, sometimes I do not understand you at all. Even if this Azure Meridian Pill is only of six-tenths purity, the very fact that you could refine such a thing in the Mid Crimson Furnace Stage… is heaven-defying itself."
Arthur bowed again, silent in humility.
Elder Yan exhaled heavily, shaking his head. "If only you possessed a higher Spirit Root. If only it were not such a low-class Root." His tone softened, almost mournful. "Our sect could have stood above all others for a thousand years. You could have reached the Whiteflare Bloom Realm… or perhaps far beyond."
Silence lingered. Then, with a sweep of his sleeve, Elder Yan turned. "Enough. I will petition the Pavilion Masters for more pill recipes to grant you. My original plan, to train you slowly through Amber Radiance-level pills, has now failed. You shattered that path."
Elder Yan was left scratching his head in confusion.
"You learn to refine Ember Ignition Realm recipes in a day, sometimes two or three a day. Crimson Furnace Realm pills in weeks. And now this… At what point will you even encounter a bottleneck?"
Arthur had been refining nonstop for an entire moon, cycling through every pill recipe Elder Yan entrusted to him.
Cauldrons burned, herbs melted, and pills formed one after another —each one gleaming brighter than its predecessor.
Elder Yan once said to him, "Good. That's the right attitude. The Sect Master already knows what you're doing. He's stalling the Inscription Pavilion, dangling them along, and even your uncle, Zi Xuan, has not been able to bite back. Do this well, and within a few moons, results will silence them."
Arthur only bowed, but in his heart, he knew the truth.
The Pavilion was reaping profits from his work. Pills of higher quality than the norm in all three pill aspects flowed into the sect's coffers. The Inscription Pavilion could not press down on him… for now.
But that was not the true reason.
Arthur had struck a bargain one moon ago — a bargain with his uncle, Duan Zi Xuan.
"I agree to your request, Uncle," Arthur had said, his voice calm.
Zi Xuan arched a brow. "Oh? You agree? But you admit you cannot sway the Pavilion. What meaning does your agreement carry then?"
Arthur clasped his hands. "The Pavilion cannot hand it over to you, but I can."
Zi Xuan's laugh rolled like distant thunder. "Nephew, your talent is remarkable, but don't flatter yourself too highly. Whiteflare Bloom Breakthrough Pills require a Solar Ascendance flame tempering. Even I, who am not an alchemist, know this much. How could you, an Early Crimson Furnace, refine them?"
Arthur hesitated, then spoke firmly. "Uncle knows I consume Origin Tempering potions. Within six moons, I will reach Peak Amber Radiance. By then, I am confident I can refine the pill. Better than the Pavilion itself."
Zi Xuan paused. For the first time, his eyes betrayed a flicker of surprise.
"Bold words." His smile thinned. "But even so, I cannot agree. To delay Pavilion matters for so long would make me appear partial. I cannot hold off the sect's judgment for six moons."
Arthur's jaw tightened. "Then I will swear the Heavenly Oath of Tianyu."
Zi Xuan's hand froze mid-motion, his gaze deepening. "You would go that far?"
Arthur's silence was his answer.
But Zi Xuan shook his head. "Even so, why should I wait? What if, in six moons, you fail? What if I endure the burden of suppressing sect matters and gain nothing?"
Arthur bowed low. "Then I will prove my worth through alchemy. Uncle, watch me. With each pill I concoct, I will show you that I am capable."
Zi Xuan tapped the table lightly. "Proof is smoke, nephew. It fades. What is tangible? What do I gain for carrying this risk?"
Arthur clenched his fists. "Then… I will give Uncle a portion of my earnings. Three-tenths of every Spirit Stone I earn."
Zi Xuan's lips twitched, almost amused. "Three-tenths? Nephew, you truly think me merciful. I have heard you earn Amber Radiance Spirit Stones. What use are coins to me? Mm…" His eyes glimmered coldly. "Seven-tenths. I will take seven-tenths of your earnings. Do not think me greedy. Most of it will be used to pacify the Inscription Pavilion. This is not for me, but for the family."
Arthur steadied himself. "If that is Uncle's demand, then I will agree."
Zi Xuan leaned forward, his voice dropping lower. "And one more thing."
Arthur's chest tightened. "Yes, Uncle. Please speak."
Zi Xuan's smile widened ever so slightly. "I want you to make just one pill. Only one, within this year."
Arthur froze. He understood instantly. The Sect Master's seat was nearing vacancy. If Zi Xuan broke through with this pill, his claim would be unmatched. And if Arthur brewed another, surely it would go to his father.
A single pill could decide the fate of the sect.
Arthur's mind spun. Refusal could mean imprisonment, or worse, disgrace for him and his father. His father might be out for the race to become Sect Master. On the other hand, the agreement meant binding himself to a path dripping with peril.
After a long silence, he whispered, "I agree to your request, Uncle."
Zi Xuan's expression turned radiant. "Wise, very wise. Then, all that remains is the oath."
Arthur's fists tightened, but he nodded. "I swear upon the Heavens of Tianyu, that within this year, I shall refine only a single Whiteflare Bloom Breakthrough Pill for my Uncle, Duan Zi Xuan."
The heavens stirred.
Above Qingmiao City, clouds churned into a swirling vortex. Thunder boomed, yet no lightning struck. A black mist bled from the clouds, then condensed into silver runes that shimmered faintly but with a speet of lightning, descending upon Arthur's body.
The mark of oath burned into his soul. A chain unseen coiled around his spirit, invisible to mortal eyes, yet unbreakable by will alone.
All across the city, cultivators lifted their heads, murmuring.
"A Heavenly Oath…?"
"Someone dares to bind themselves before Tianyu's heavens…"
Zi Xuan's lips curved into a smile, his eyes glittering triumphantly.
Arthur lowered his gaze. His heart was calm on the surface, but within, a storm brewed. He had walked willingly into a trap.
And yet as the Heavenly Oath clouds dispersed, painting the skies of Qingmiao in dark hues, no one knew — this oath was the first thread in a web of fate that would one day strangle Duan Zi Xuan himself.
The cunning Zi Xuan failed to realise that he was not even the shred of darkness that Arthur possessed.