The morning air was still cold when Lin Xuanji stood at the foot of the stone staircase, staring at his disciples.
For the first time since forming the sect, all five of them were dressed in clean, matching uniforms—black cloth with silver edges, simple but sharp.
The kind of uniform that didn't shout for attention, but carried quiet dignity.
Kai Yun slapped her cheeks, hyping herself up like a soldier.
"Alright! Today, we face the world!"
"No shouting," Stonewall reminded her.
Kai Yun stiffened. "…Today, we face the world."
Feng Xiao adjusted her sleeves, flames flickering faintly around her hands but staying controlled.
"Try not to scare the escorts."
Ruolan took a deep breath, trying—successfully—to keep his hands from shaking.
"I-I'm ready…"
Mu Xiaofan lifted his herb pouch and nodded.
"The fox said we'll be fine."
Lin Xuanji looked at them with the expression of a father bird watching chicks try flying.
"Okay. Remember—no chaos. No screaming. No threatening anyone. No burning forests. And Kai Yun—"
"Yes, yes, I won't fight every moving thing. I get it," she said, rolling her eyes.
"No unsheathing your sword either."
"WHAT—okay fine… fine…"
Tian Wen bowed calmly.
"We are prepared."
Ling Xueyin and Stonewall stood behind the group, silent but steady presences.
The escorts from the Jade Sparrow Alliance approached, visibly surprised upon seeing the disciples lined up in formation.
One escort whispered, "They look… disciplined."
Another replied, "Yesterday, one of them was wrestling a chicken."
Lin Xuanji pretended not to hear that.
He stepped forward and nodded to the lead escort.
"We're ready."
The man clasped his hands respectfully.
"Then please follow us. The journey will take two days on foot."
Ruolan blinked. "W-We're walking…?"
Kai Yun groaned dramatically.
"WHAT?! We're cultivators! Shouldn't we fly on swords? Or clouds? Or—"
Lin Xuanji flicked her forehead.
"You can't control your balance yet. You'd crash into a tree."
Kai Yun rubbed her forehead and muttered,
"It happened ONE TIME—"
"It was yesterday," Feng Xiao said flatly.
The escort gestured.
"Let us depart."
The group stepped off Heavenly Peak together.
For the first time since their sect was formed, the disciples saw the outside world.
Wide fields.
Dense forests.
A real road stretching far beyond sight.
The air smelled different—open, unpredictable.
Ruolan looked around nervously.
"This is… big."
Mu Xiaofan smiled.
"And quiet…"
Kai Yun inhaled dramatically.
"THE WORLD SMELLS LIKE ADVENTURE—"
Stonewall gave her a look.
Kai Yun clamped her mouth shut instantly.
They walked.
And as they did, Lin Xuanji quietly observed them.
Ruolan kept pace without panicking.
Feng Xiao watched the trees with sharp awareness.
Kai Yun walked tall but restrained herself.
Mu Xiaofan kept the animals from following them.
Tian Wen walked at the front, steady as a guide.
Lin Xuanji felt something warm in his chest.
They were really growing.
---
By midday, they entered a forest path.
The air thickened slightly—not dangerous, but filled with spiritual movement.
Tian Wen paused.
"There's someone ahead."
The escorts tensed, but Lin Xuanji stepped forward.
"Friendly or hostile?"
Tian Wen closed his eyes briefly.
"…Not hostile yet. But waiting."
Kai Yun cracked her knuckles.
"We're allowed to fight if THEY start it, right?"
"No," Lin Xuanji said automatically.
"…What if they just look like they want to start it?"
"No."
Feng Xiao muttered, "Just let her punch one person, Sect Master…"
"No!"
They kept moving until a figure came into view at a bend in the road.
A man in simple hunter's clothes.
Older, steady build, eyes sharp like he had seen too much.
He wasn't armed, but the way he held himself suggested he didn't need to be.
He watched them approach.
Ruolan shrank slightly behind Tian Wen.
Mu Xiaofan touched his herb pouch calmly.
The man nodded at the escorts.
"You must be the Heavenly Peak delegation."
Lin Xuanji blinked.
"…Yes?"
The man bowed deeply.
"My daughter attends Jade Echo Pavilion. She wrote home yesterday. She said… she met someone from Heavenly Peak."
The disciples stared, surprised.
Lin Xuanji raised a brow.
"And who would that be?"
The hunter smiled.
"She described him as a young boy with gentle eyes who helped her when she tripped. She said he steadied her before returning to his group."
All eyes shifted to Mu Xiaofan.
Mu Xiaofan blinked.
"I just didn't want her to fall…"
The hunter bowed again.
"Thank you for treating her kindly. Many sects ignore ordinary disciples. You did not."
Ruolan whispered,
"M-Mu Xiaofan… you helped someone?"
Kai Yun hissed,
"OUR cinnamon roll is spreading hearth across the land!"
Lin Xuanji stepped forward, flustered.
"It's nothing. Really. Just small kindness."
"Small kindness," the hunter repeated, "is what builds a sect's heart."
He stepped aside.
"I only wished to show respect. Please, pass safely."
The escorts looked impressed.
Even Ling Xueyin gave Mu Xiaofan a rare smile.
Stonewall nodded once.
"Well done."
Mu Xiaofan flushed pink with embarrassment.
"I… I just helped her stand…"
Lin Xuanji ruffled his hair.
"And that, Xiaofan, is exactly why we're proud of you."
They continued walking.
Ruolan whispered,
"He really is… kind."
Feng Xiao smiled faintly.
"That's why the animals follow him."
Kai Yun grinned.
"Our junior brother is a healer of hearts!"
Lin Xuanji looked at his disciples and felt something tighten in his chest.
Not fear.
Not anxiety.
Hope.
They were doing it.
They were becoming a real sect.
A real family.
As the road stretched onward, a faint presence watched them from far, far behind the trees—
an aura not human, not beast.
Waiting.
Measuring.
Planning.
But for now…
Heavenly Peak walked forward, united.
Toward the ceremony.
Toward the world.
Toward the future.