ct Hall of Valor was etched with the names of thousands—disciples who had left their mark on the Ironheart Sect. It was said that the deeper one walked, the more the air trembled with the echoes of the past. This was not a place for the weak.
And yet, as Lin Feng stepped into the hall, his footsteps rang louder than most.
He stood alone before a long table of robed figures. Their insignias marked them as the Five Pillars of the Inner Sect—senior elders whose word held more weight than iron.
Behind Lin Feng, whispers stirred like crows in the rafters. Dozens of Inner Sect disciples filled the gallery above, watching the ceremony, some with curiosity, others with veiled scorn.
"He's too young."
"A fluke of fate."
"The elders are making a mistake."
"We'll see how long he lasts."
The Inner Circle Ceremony
Elder Qiu Yulan stood at the center of the long table, her eyes sharp.
"Lin Feng," she said, her voice cold and precise, "your performance in the trial has earned you recognition. Against all odds, you have risen from the ashes of obscurity and carved your name into the bones of this sect."
A pause.
"But the Inner Circle is not a place of glory—it is a battlefield. You will be tested daily. You will be hunted, envied, and tempted."
She extended her hand, revealing a silver medallion in the shape of a lotus blooming from fire.
"Do you accept this place, and all that it demands?"
Lin Feng didn't hesitate.
"I do."
The medallion rose from her hand, floating toward him. As it touched his chest, it pulsed with spiritual energy and sank beneath his robes, binding to his soul.
[System Notification: Inner Circle Access Unlocked]
[New Features Available: Merit Exchange | Secret Realm Key Tracking | Elite Missions]
[Title Gained: Rising Star of the Inner Sect]
A low murmur ran through the onlookers. Some cheered politely. Most watched in silence.
The ceremony concluded with a single gong.
And the real tests began.
Predators Stir
That afternoon, as Lin Feng stepped out of the Hall, a figure blocked his path.
He was tall, elegant, and clad in sea-blue robes embroidered with storm dragons. His cultivation aura coiled around him like mist.
"Lin Feng," he said, smiling.
"I am Zhao Jinhai, ranked 19th in the Inner Circle."
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes.
"I've heard of you," he replied. "Lightning Blade."
Zhao Jinhai laughed, bowing theatrically. "Ah, fame precedes me. But I've heard of you too—'Crippled Prodigy' they're calling you now. Quite the contradiction."
Lin Feng didn't rise to the bait. "What do you want?"
Zhao Jinhai's eyes sharpened. "To challenge you. Here and now. For your seat."
Lin Feng's lips curled faintly. "Isn't that a bit early?"
"Not in the Inner Circle," Zhao Jinhai replied, voice lowering. "Here, every day is war. Every victory builds power. Every mistake invites vultures."
[System Alert: Optional Duel Request Received.]
[Opponent: Zhao Jinhai – Inner Circle Rank #19]
[Accept? Y/N]
Lin Feng stared at the prompt.
Then shook his head.
"Not today."
Zhao blinked. "Backing down?"
"No," Lin Feng said calmly. "I'm just not done preparing. I don't fight to show off—I fight to win."
Zhao's smile faltered, then returned—wider, colder.
"Wise," he said. "But don't wait too long. The higher you climb, the hungrier the wolves become."
New Quarters, Old Memories
That night, Lin Feng moved into his new residence—a quiet stone compound at the edge of the Inner Sect's Silvercloud Ridge. It was far more lavish than his Outer Sect hut, with spirit-gathering formations and a small medicinal garden.
But as he walked its empty halls, Lin Feng felt no joy.
His thoughts wandered back to Willowshade Village.
To his mother's quiet smile.
To the day the bandits came.
To the fire.
"I'll never be that helpless again," he whispered, sitting beneath the moonlit archway of the garden.
The system chimed.
[New Quest Unlocked: Investigate the Ashvein Sect's Involvement in the Willowshade Massacre.]
[Difficulty: ???]
[Reward: Rare Skill Scroll, Memory Crystal, ???]
His eyes widened.
"…Ashvein?"
The name hit like a thunderclap. He had thought it a random attack. But if it was orchestrated…
His hands clenched.
"I'll uncover the truth."
Shadows from the Past
Later that week, as he trained near the river cliffs, a messenger arrived—a thin disciple in yellow robes with a stitched mouth emblem.
"From Elder Yan," the disciple said, handing him a scroll. Then vanished.
Lin Feng unrolled the parchment.
"Come to the Twilight Archives. Bring no one. Make haste."
No signature.
But the seal at the bottom was unmistakable.
The Eye of the Sect.
The internal intelligence division.