Lin Yue's POV
The golden light exploded from my chest, so bright it lit up the entire cave like the sun.
"She's breaking through!" Master Qingfeng shouted. "Quickly! Stabilize her or the core will shatter!"
Hands grabbed me—rough, uncaring hands. Through the blinding light and pain, I saw Master Qingfeng's face above mine. Behind him, other sect elders crowded the cave entrance. And Chen Hao, standing at the back, his face twisted in an expression I couldn't read.
"Please," I gasped, my whole body shaking as the energy tore through me. "Master, please don't—"
"Stay still, child," Master Qingfeng said, placing his palm on my forehead. Cool spiritual energy flowed from his hand, helping guide the wild power in my chest. "Fighting will only destroy your meridians."
He was helping me complete the breakthrough. But why? If they wanted to take my core, why help me form it properly?
The answer made my stomach sink: a properly formed Golden Core was easier to transplant.
They were helping me so they could steal it more cleanly.
The breakthrough took hours. By the time the golden light finally faded, the sun was rising, painting the sky pink and orange. I lay on the cave floor, exhausted but alive. And in my chest, I could feel it—a solid, warm sphere of power. My Golden Core. After ten years of suffering and hoping and trying, I'd finally done it.
"Congratulations, Lin Yue," Master Qingfeng said, but his voice was sad. "You've achieved what most cultivators spend decades pursuing. You should be proud."
"Then why do you look like someone died?" I asked bitterly.
He flinched but didn't answer.
The Sect Master stepped forward, his expensive robes making him look like a emperor. "Bring her to the main hall. We'll make the announcement there."
Announcement? What announcement?
Two disciples pulled me to my feet. My legs could barely hold me up after the breakthrough, but they dragged me along anyway. Chen Hao followed behind us, silent. Every time I tried to catch his eye, he looked away.
The main hall was packed. Every disciple in the sect stood in neat rows, whispering and pointing as I was brought to the center. I'd never been in the main hall before—servants weren't allowed. The ceiling stretched up forever, painted with dragons and phoenixes. Under different circumstances, I might have thought it was beautiful.
"Silence!" The Sect Master's voice boomed. Everyone instantly went quiet.
Master Qingfeng stepped forward, and to my shock, he smiled at me. A real, warm smile. "Today, we have wonderful news. Our own Lin Yue, who has served this sect faithfully for ten years, has successfully formed her Golden Core!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Servants forming Golden Cores was extremely rare. Most of us never got past the basic levels.
"Lin Yue," Master Qingfeng continued, "has shown remarkable dedication and perseverance. Despite her humble origins and weak spiritual roots, she never gave up. She is a model disciple!"
The hall erupted in applause. Disciples I'd never spoken to were clapping. Even some of the ones who used to mock me looked impressed.
I stood there, confused and terrified. This felt wrong. All wrong.
"Come forward, child," Master Qingfeng beckoned warmly.
On shaking legs, I walked to where he stood. He placed his hand on my shoulder, and his spiritual energy probed my newly formed core. I wanted to pull away, but everyone was watching.
"Perfect formation," he announced loudly. "Clean spiritual signature, no impurities. Truly remarkable for someone so young!"
More applause. But through it all, I saw Bai Shuang standing near the front, her face pale and twisted with fury. She looked sick, leaning heavily on her maid. Next to her, Chen Hao stood with his arms crossed, staring at the floor.
"As a reward for her achievement," the Sect Master declared, "Lin Yue will be promoted from servant to outer sect disciple. She will receive a monthly stipend and access to the basic cultivation library."
The crowd cheered. Mei was crying happy tears in the back. Other servants looked at me with awe and envy.
But I felt like I was going to throw up. Something was very, very wrong. They were being too nice. Yesterday I was nobody. Now they were giving me rewards and praising me in front of everyone?
"However," the Sect Master continued, and his voice turned serious. The hall went quiet again. "We must also address a tragedy. As many of you know, Senior Sister Bai Shuang was gravely injured during her expedition. Her Golden Core was damaged beyond normal healing methods."
Sympathetic murmurs filled the hall. Bai Shuang dabbed at her eyes with a silk handkerchief, playing the victim perfectly.
"The sect's future depends on Sister Bai Shuang's recovery," the Sect Master said. "She is my only daughter and our most talented disciple. Without her, our sect will fall behind the others."
My heart started pounding. No. No, they wouldn't—
"Fortunately," Master Qingfeng said, turning to me with that sad smile again, "Lin Yue's Golden Core is a perfect compatibility match for Sister Bai Shuang. The spiritual signatures are nearly identical—a one in a million chance. It's as if heaven itself arranged this."
The hall went dead silent.
"What?" I whispered.
"Lin Yue," Master Qingfeng said gently, like he was talking to a child, "you have an opportunity to save our sect's future. To sacrifice your core so that Sister Bai Shuang can recover and lead us to greatness. You would be a hero. We would build a memorial in your honor. Your name would be remembered forever."
My whole body went cold. "You want me to give up my core? The core I just spent ten years forming?"
"Not give up," the Sect Master corrected. "Donate. Voluntarily. For the greater good."
"And if I refuse?" My voice came out as a squeak.
The temperature in the hall dropped. The Sect Master's friendly expression vanished, replaced by cold authority. "Then you would be marking yourself as selfish. As someone who values personal gain over the sect's survival. We would have no choice but to expel you."
"But without my core, I'll be a cripple!" I shouted, not caring anymore about politeness. "I'll be worse than when I started! I'll never cultivate again!"
"You're a servant," Bai Shuang said coldly, speaking for the first time. She pushed away from her maid and walked toward me, despite looking weak. "You were always meant to serve. At least this way, you serve a greater purpose."
"Chen Hao!" I turned desperately to him. "Tell them! Tell them this is wrong!"
Finally, he looked at me. His eyes were red, like he'd been crying. For one second, I thought he would help me. That he would speak up and defend me like he did when we were children.
"I'm sorry, Yue'er," he said quietly. "But Bai Shuang is my fiancée. We're getting married next month. I can't... I can't let her die."
The world tilted sideways. Fiancée? Married?
"You knew," I breathed. "Last night. You knew they were going to do this, and you led them right to me."
"I tried to warn you to run," he said miserably. "But you were in the middle of breakthrough. I couldn't just leave you—"
"So you brought them to me instead!" Tears burned my eyes. "You betrayed me!"
"It's not betrayal if it saves someone I love!" Chen Hao shot back, and his words cut deeper than any sword.
Someone he loved. Not me. Never me. I was just the stupid servant girl who'd wasted ten years loving someone who saw me as a tool.
"So," the Sect Master said, "will you donate your core voluntarily? Or will we need to take more... forceful measures?"
I looked around the hall desperately. Hundreds of faces stared back at me. Some looked sympathetic. Most looked indifferent. None of them would help me.
"You have until sunset to decide," Master Qingfeng said quietly. "I suggest you choose wisely, child."
They left me standing there in the middle of the hall, alone. The crowd dispersed, whispering and gossiping. Mei tried to reach me, but a guard blocked her way.
I touched my chest, feeling the warm pulse of my Golden Core. The core I'd dreamed about for ten years. The core that was supposed to change my life.
Instead, it was going to destroy it.
As I turned to leave, I caught Bai Shuang smiling at Chen Hao. And I saw her lips move, forming words meant only for him:
"Make sure she doesn't run."
Chen Hao nodded.
That's when I knew: I wasn't making it to sunset. They were going to take my core tonight, whether I agreed or not.
And Chen Hao was going to help them do it.