Tian Wen stood before the disciples' dormitory, looking at the building with stiff, uncertain eyes. It wasn't grand. It wasn't luxurious. It wasn't powerful.
But it was solid.
Warm.
Alive in a strange way.
He stepped inside slowly.
Ruolan peeked in behind him. "Um… this room is yours now."
The inside wasn't complicated—
a wooden bed, a desk, a shelf, a simple window.
Everything smelled faintly of pine.
Tian Wen placed his hand on the bedframe.
It felt… stable.
"Is it… okay?" Ruolan asked nervously, fidgeting with his sleeves.
Tian Wen nodded once.
"I've slept in sheds. And ditches. This is fine."
Ruolan winced. Feng Xiao, who had followed silently, crossed her arms.
"You don't have to talk like that," she said bluntly. "No one here is judging you."
Tian Wen stiffened. "I'm not asking for pity."
"Good," she replied. "We don't give it."
Ruolan tugged her sleeve instantly. "Feng Xiao! Be gentle!"
"I AM being gentle!"
"No you aren't!"
"Yes I—"
Their voices overlapped until Tian Wen blinked in confusion.
"…Is this normal here?"
Ruolan nodded vigorously.
"Yes."
Feng Xiao snorted.
"It's better than normal."
Tian Wen didn't understand.
But something about their small argument—
the lack of fear, the lack of malice—
made his chest ache in a way he wasn't used to.
He turned away quickly.
"I will… rest."
Ruolan bowed shyly. "If you need anything, I… I'll be outside."
The two left him alone.
The moment the door closed, Tian Wen let out a slow exhale and leaned against the wall.
"…Warm," he whispered to himself.
He didn't mean the room.
He meant something deeper.
Something he hadn't felt in years.
—
Back in the courtyard, Lin Xuanji paced with clear panic.
"He seemed angry. Did he seem angry? He looked angry. Does he hate me already?!"
Feng Xiao rolled her eyes. "Sect Master, calm down. He's just quiet."
Ruolan nodded. "He's tired… and hurt. Maybe both."
Wei Tian saluted. "His presence is stable. No threat."
"That's not the point!" Lin Xuanji snapped. "The point is—"
(Host. New mission.)
He froze.
"Don't," he whispered. "Don't you dare."
(Mission: Begin Tian Wen's cultivation awakening.)
Lin Xuanji grabbed his hair. "He just ARRIVED!"
(Host must assist him within 24 hours.)
Ruolan blinked. "Sect Master… why do you look like you're about to cry?"
"I AM ABOUT TO CRY."
Feng Xiao leaned in. "What did the sky say this time?"
Lin Xuanji coughed violently. "NOTHING! Just choking! On… air."
Wei Tian nodded seriously. "Sect Master's body is too refined for mortal breathing."
Lin Xuanji stared at him, dead inside.
Ling Xueyin approached, her voice calm.
"The boy's qi is unstable. He must be guided soon."
Lin Xuanji sighed. "Yes, yes, I know…"
He looked at the dormitory.
Tian Wen sat inside, staring at the herb potting in the corner—the same herb they had almost died for earlier. It squeaked a greeting at him, and Tian Wen stared back blankly, as if unsure whether to nod or run.
Lin Xuanji watched him through the window frame.
The boy was holding himself together through sheer will.
"…He came here to survive," Lin Xuanji murmured. "Not to be left alone."
Ling Xueyin nodded. "Then don't leave him."
Lin Xuanji took a deep breath.
"Alright," he said. "Time to talk to him."
Ruolan whispered, "Sect Master… be gentle."
Feng Xiao added, "And… don't be weird."
Lin Xuanji glared. "When am I ever weird?!"
Both disciples stared at him.
Wei Tian saluted toward the sky.
"Sect Master's uniqueness is inspiring."
Ling Xueyin quietly covered her mouth with her sleeve again.
Lin Xuanji exhaled, squared his shoulders, and walked to the dormitory door.
Before he knocked, the System chimed:
(Host. Additional reminder: Tian Wen's remnant soul may intervene.)
Lin Xuanji went pale.
"INTERVENE HOW?!"
(Unpredictable.)
He slapped a hand over his mouth to prevent screaming out loud.
Then, pretending to be perfectly calm, he knocked.
Inside, Tian Wen sat up straight.
"…Sect Master?"
Lin Xuanji opened the door with a warm smile.
"We need to talk," he said gently. "About your cultivation."
Tian Wen's eyes widened—
—but not with fear.
With hope he didn't dare to believe in.
Lin Xuanji stepped inside.
Heavenly Peak watched silently.
And deep within Tian Wen's chest, where a spiritual root should have been, something stirred—
something that did not belong to the lower realm at all.