The Ninefold Mountain Sect's arena basked in the afterglow of victory, the sun dipping low to paint the spirit stone tiers in hues of crimson and jade. The tournament's climax had left the platform scarred—cracks from qi clashes, banners tattered like fallen leaves—but the cheers still echoed, a thunderous wave for Wei Chen, the unexpected champion. His Early Foundation Realm qi hummed, the three jade fragments in his tunic pulsing with a rhythm that matched the crowd's roar. Elder Mo Tian's hand on his shoulder was a rare honor, the Nascent Soul elder's voice gruff but approving. "You've earned your place, boy. Training begins at dawn—the Jade Sovereign Arts await."
Wei Chen nodded, his grin masking the ache in his meridians. The fragments' warmth was a double-edged sword, fueling his power but stirring visions of Lian Xue's betrayal—a smile turning to a blade, her motives shrouded in the Celestial War's fog. The demonic artifact's discovery had exposed Wei Liang's Abyss Cult ties, but the cousin had vanished into the sect's shadows, a loose thread in a tapestry of treachery.
Lin Xiyue bounded onto the platform, her sword sheathed, her crimson ribbon disheveled from the chaos. She punched his arm lightly, her grin wide and unfiltered. "Not bad, scholar! You almost looked like a real cultivator out there." Her teasing was light, but her eyes shone with pride, and she pulled him into a quick hug, her warmth cutting through the adrenaline crash. "Don't let it go to your head—I'm still better."
Wei Chen laughed, his arm lingering around her waist a moment too long. "Better? Dream on, sword maiden. I let you win that practice bout." Her scoff was playful, but the spark in her eyes, the way her hand squeezed his, spoke of something deeper—a bond forged in fire and banter, a light against the fragments' shadows.
Su Meilin approached more slowly, her white robes untouched by the dust, her jade fan closed in her lap as she joined them. The elders parted for her, sensing her celestial aura. "Your victory is deserved, Wei Chen," she said, her voice soft as moonlight on jade. "The fragments chose well." Her moonstone eyes met his, and the fragments flared, their qi intertwining with hers in a subtle harmony. She slipped him a small vial, an elixir shimmering with stars. "For the night's rest. The visions will intensify."
He took it, his fingers brushing hers, a touch that sent a shiver through him—quiet, profound, different from Lin Xiyue's fire. "Thanks, Meilin. Couldn't have done it without you two." The words hung, heavy with unspoken gratitude, and she smiled, a rare curve of her lips that made the fragments pulse brighter.
The victory celebration spilled into the sect's grand hall, a pagoda of jade and silk where lanterns floated on qi currents, casting rainbow light across tables laden with spiritual fruits and elixirs. Disciples toasted Wei Chen, their skepticism turned to awe, but whispers of the demonic artifact lingered like smoke. Elder Mo Tian raised a cup, his voice booming. "To Wei Chen, guardian of secrets! May his path light the sect's way."
As the night deepened, Wei Chen slipped away with Lin Xiyue and Su Meilin to a quiet garden overlooking the spires, the air filled with the scent of night-blooming jade lotuses. The fragments' glow leaked faintly, and a vision hit: the third fragment, hidden in a sect ruin to the east, guarded by ancient arrays tied to the Celestial War. Lian Xue's voice echoed—"The ruins hold the truth"—before fading into darkness.
He shared the vision, the three fragments pulsing on the garden bench. "The third fragment's in the Eastern Ruins," he said, voice low. "But the cult knows—we need to move fast."
Lin Xiyue leaned against a lotus tree, her sword propped nearby. "Then we go tomorrow. No waiting for Mo Tian's lectures." Her grin was fierce, but her hand found his, squeezing. "You're not facing this alone, scholar. Not anymore."
Su Meilin nodded, her fan tracing a rune in the air that glowed with celestial light. "The ruins are dangerous—celestial traps from the war. But the fragments will guide us." Her eyes held his, a quiet intensity. "And I'll be there, Wei Chen. For the truth—and for you."
Before he could respond, a chill swept the garden, demonic qi thick as fog. Shadow Viper emerged from the shadows, their cracked mask glinting, flanked by two cultists, their qi at Middle Foundation Realm. "Victory's sweet, Sovereign," the assassin rasped, their voice laced with Lian Xue's echo. "But the fragments are ours." Their dagger dripped venom, and the cultists lunged, qi exploding in waves of darkness.
Wei Chen's Jade Sovereign's Step blurred him forward, his dagger clashing with Shadow Viper's blade in a shower of sparks. The fragments fueled his Jade Soul Scripture, a green shield absorbing a cultist's strike. Lin Xiyue's Flame Blossom Strike ignited the garden, her sword carving through a cultist, flames dancing on lotus petals. "Not on my watch!" she snarled, her qi a inferno.
Su Meilin's fan spun, celestial waves stunning the second cultist, her elixirs thrown like stars, exploding in purifying light. The fight was a whirlwind—qi clashing, lotuses shattering, the garden trembling. Wei Chen's palm strike cracked Shadow Viper's mask further, revealing a scar like Lian Xue's, but the assassin countered, their dagger grazing his side.
Lin Xiyue tackled Shadow Viper, her sword pinning their arm. "Who sent you?" she demanded, fire qi burning their cloak. Su Meilin's wave sealed the cultists in celestial chains, but Shadow Viper laughed, vanishing in a puff of demonic mist. "The betrayer calls you home, Sovereign."
The garden fell silent, the cultists bound for Mo Tian's judgment. Wei Chen panted, the fragments healing his wound. "Lian Xue… she's alive?" The possibility chilled him, but Lin Xiyue's hand on his shoulder, Su Meilin's steady gaze, grounded him.
"We'll find out," Lin Xiyue said, her voice firm. "Together." Su Meilin nodded, her fan closing. The victory was bittersweet, but their bond was unbreakable—a triad of fire, celestial light, and jade power, ready for the ruins.