After the failed assassination attempt on Kai, Yin Shuang returned to the Heavenly Radiance Sect under the cover of night. The towering halls of the sect gleamed under the pale moonlight, their pristine white walls a stark contrast to the shadows she carried within her heart. Her robes were still stained with remnants of her mission, and exhaustion clung to her bones like a heavy weight.
The guards at the gate merely glanced at her before stepping aside. She was expected. Failure was never overlooked.
As she walked through the silent corridors toward the grand audience hall, every step felt heavier than the last. The air inside was thick with the scent of incense, the flickering lanterns casting long shadows along the polished floors. Disciples stood in hushed groups, their gazes flickering toward her before quickly looking away.
When she stood before Master Shen Zhenhai, she fully expected punishment—perhaps even expulsion. Failure was not tolerated in the sect, and she had not only failed to retrieve the Celestial Eclipse Manual but had also been captured and released by the enemy.
She kneeled, lowering her head. "Master, I have failed."
The hall was silent. Shen Zhenhai sat upon the raised platform, his presence dominating the chamber. His long silver-white robes were immaculate, his expression unreadable. The symbol of the Heavenly Radiance Sect, embroidered in gold, glowed faintly on his chest. He was a man who prided himself on righteousness, and Yin had no doubt that failure was an affront to him.
Shen Zhenhai studied her in silence, his sharp eyes glinting with something unreadable.
"You were captured by the Obsidian Peak Sect's leader?" he finally asked, his voice calm.
"Yes, Master," Yin confirmed.
"And he let you go?"
Yin hesitated before nodding. "Yes."
Shen Zhenhai steepled his fingers together, his gaze piercing through her as if searching for an unspoken truth.
"You may have failed to kill the evil sect leader but your efforts were commendable. You shall serve in a higher rank from now on," Shen Zhenhai declared.
Yin's breath caught. "Master?"
"From this day forth, you will be promoted to the rank of Radiant Blade."
Murmurs rippled among the gathered disciples. A failure receiving a promotion? Some smiled and congratulated her to her face, but Yin was not blind. She heard the whispers behind her back.
"She must have seduced the sect leader of the evil sect."
"Maybe she betrayed us and made a deal."
"She failed and got rewarded? How laughable."
But Yin pretended that she did not hear those spiteful words. She had learned long ago that words could not wound her—not as deeply as betrayal or loss. Yet, a sliver of doubt gnawed at her. Why had Kai let her go? And why had Master Shen not punished her?
Late one night, as the sect rested beneath the silver glow of the moon, a voice whispered her name.
"Yin Shuang…"
Her eyes snapped open. The chamber was empty, the air still. Had she imagined it?
Then, the voice came again. A soft, chilling murmur. "Come to me…"
Yin threw on her robes and stepped out into the cold night, following the voice.
She moved through the quiet halls, passing empty courtyards and training grounds. The whisper guided her beyond the sect's main complex, toward the abandoned shrine at the farthest edge of the sect grounds.
The shrine had long been forgotten, its stone pillars cracked, ivy creeping over its once-holy walls. Faint remnants of old talismans fluttered against the wind, their protective enchantments long since faded. It was a place where old, broken weapons were discarded, a graveyard of forgotten steel.
Yin hesitated. Why was she drawn here?
And then she saw it.
There, among the rusted blades and shattered spears, an old, abandoned sword lay waiting.
Its blade was covered in rust, its hilt wrapped in tattered silk, long forgotten by time. The metal was dull, and at first glance, it looked no different from the other discarded weapons. And yet, it called to her.
She reached out, hesitant. As her fingers brushed the hilt, a warm pulse shot up her arm.
She tightened her grip. Whatever this blade was, it was no ordinary weapon.