A breeze rolled across Heavenly Peak—
light, cool, and strangely formal.
Lin Xuanji shivered.
"Why does this wind feel like someone important is coming?"
Kai Yun raised her sword excitedly.
"FINALLY, A VISITOR!"
Feng Xiao smirked.
"Let's hope they're weaker than us."
Tian Wen shot her a calm, warning look.
"That is unlikely."
Ruolan hid behind Lin Xuanji, clutching his sleeve.
"A-Are we in danger?"
Mu Xiaofan blinked innocently.
"No. This wind smells polite."
Lin Xuanji whipped toward him.
"…WINDS CAN BE POLITE?!"
Mu Xiaofan nodded.
"Yes. Some breezes say hello. Some say run. This one says… 'formal greeting.'"
Lin Xuanji covered his face.
"…I'm surrounded by lunatics."
HUMMMMM.
The mountain hummed as if agreeing.
"DON'T BACK HIM UP!"
Wei Tian stepped closer, voice steady.
"Sect Master. The presence is now within a kilometer."
Lin Xuanji's stomach dropped.
"Are they hostile?"
Wei Tian shook his head.
"No killing intent. No malice. Only purpose."
Stonewall's eyes narrowed.
"They come with a message."
Lin Xuanji swallowed.
"A message for— for who?"
Ling Xueyin looked at him as if the answer was obvious.
"For you."
---
A Figure Appears
Leaves rustled.
A calm, measured footstep echoed through the clearing.
Everyone turned.
A man in simple gray robes emerged from the forest path.
Not flashy.
Not armed.
Not sinister.
But composed like someone who had walked thousands of miles without wasting a breath.
His hair was tied neatly.
His demeanor was respectful.
His cultivation… restrained, but deep.
He bowed neatly when he reached them.
"Greetings, honored members of Heavenly Peak."
Kai Yun whispered loudly,
"He's too proper. I don't trust him."
Feng Xiao nodded,
"Agreed. Where are the crazy ones? I'm used to them now."
Lin Xuanji cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Ahem. Yes. Welcome. To… my sect."
The man bowed even lower.
"My name is Xu Qing. I carry a message from the Jade Sparrow Sect Alliance."
Lin Xuanji froze.
"From WHERE?"
Tian Wen's expression sharpened.
"…A major alliance."
Xu Qing continued calmly.
"Our alliance oversees all sect activities within the northern region. We received spiritual fluctuations from your mountain three days ago."
Lin Xuanji mentally cursed the mountain.
YOU COULDN'T HUM A LITTLE QUIETER?!
Xu Qing raised his head.
"We believed Heavenly Peak was long abandoned. Yet now… it appears revived."
Lin Xuanji tried to look confident.
"Yes. Well. It's alive. Clearly."
Kai Yun whispered loudly to Feng Xiao,
"He's bluffing again."
Feng Xiao whispered back,
"He's shockingly good at it."
Ruolan tugged Lin Xuanji's sleeve nervously.
"S-Sect Master… what if he is here to… t-take over?"
Lin Xuanji whispered,
"If he tries, we run."
Ling Xueyin gently tapped his back.
"Relax. Listen first."
Xu Qing continued, tone respectful.
"By the authority of the Jade Sparrow Alliance, I extend an official invitation."
Lin Xuanji blinked.
"…Invitation?"
The man nodded.
"To participate in the Five Peaks Registration Ceremony."
The disciples stared.
Stonewall's eyebrow rose.
Ling Xueyin's eyes widened slightly.
Wei Tian's grip tightened.
"Registration…?"
Lin Xuanji blinked rapidly.
"…What registration?"
Xu Qing spoke clearly:
"To formally announce your sect's return to the cultivation world."
Lin Xuanji choked on his own spit.
"I— RETURN?! I NEVER LEFT— I MEAN, WE— I—"
Xu Qing watched him with polite confusion.
Kai Yun slapped his back.
"He means yes!"
"NO I DON'T—"
Ling Xueyin stepped neatly beside Lin Xuanji.
"He accepts."
Lin Xuanji spun.
"NO HE DOES— I MEAN— I— WHAT—"
Ling Xueyin whispered softly so only he could hear:
"You can't hide on this mountain forever."
He fell silent.
Because she was right.
The disciples needed the outside world.
THEY needed growth.
Challenges.
Rivals.
Opportunities.
Lin Xuanji took a shaky breath.
"…Yes. Heavenly Peak will attend."
Xu Qing bowed deeply.
"We are honored. The ceremony begins in ten days. A guide will arrive in three."
Kai Yun raised her sword triumphantly.
"Hear that?! We're finally leaving the mountain!"
Feng Xiao smirked.
"About time."
Tian Wen nodded slowly.
"…It is necessary."
Mu Xiaofan smiled warmly.
"I hope there will be animals there."
Ruolan bit her lip but nodded.
"I-I'll work hard…"
Wei Tian: "I shall secure the path."
Stonewall crossed his arms.
"I will assess the terrain."
Ling Xueyin simply smiled.
Lin Xuanji stared at all of them.
His chaotic disciples.
His dramatic elders.
His humming mountain.
His ancient dragonling.
And the stupid System that refused to help him properly.
"…Fine," he muttered to himself.
"We're going into the world."
The wind rustled gently through the courtyard.
Almost as if the mountain approved.