Yue Ling blinked. The moment the illusion faded, she found herself once again standing at the entrance of the Orchid Realm—right where her journey had begun. But something was different.
The air pulsed. The landscape stretched beyond what she remembered. What was once a modest sacred space had now expanded into an endless field of silvery fog and towering flowers. Spiritual qi poured from the cracked sky in thick, visible currents, weaving through the air like golden rivers.
Yue Ling's heart stirred.
This was no longer just a trial ground.
It had become a land of cultivation.
She exhaled slowly, knelt down cross-legged, and closed her eyes. The realm welcomed her like a long-lost child. Her meridians opened on their own. The markings around her wrist glowed with subtle warmth. The Orchid Tears' fragrance infused her breath as her spiritual energy surged into motion. Time slowed, and everything fell away.
Then, something changed.
Instead of the usual light or flowery aura that often accompanied her cultivation, an ethereal vine unfurled from the ground beneath her. Glowing. Luminous. Alive.
It coiled gently around her body—soft, supple, humming with unspoken power. The scent of the Orchid Tears intensified, but this time, it wasn't just fragrance. It was a declaration. The vine shimmered in shades of jade and amethyst, twirling around Yue Ling as if it had waited lifetimes to find her.
It wasn't just qi. It wasn't just a vine.
It was a spiritual embodiment of the Flower Dao.
A divine connection.
A bond that had not been seen since the era of her ancient ancestor—the very one who had sealed away the Mo Xuánzāi and vanished from history.
And now… it had chosen her.
Meanwhile, deep within the Yue clan's territory, Grandfather Yue froze mid-breath. Old Man Hu, polishing his relics in silence, also looked up at the same moment. Their eyes met.
"You felt that?" Hu asked, his voice nearly trembling.
"The seal shifted," Grandfather Yue replied gravely. "Something's awakened in the Orchid Realm."
Without a word more, both men vanished in a flicker of golden light.
They arrived at the entrance of the lair and stopped in stunned silence.
There she was.
Yue Ling.
Floating slightly above the earth, her hair fanned around her like a dark halo. The spiritual vine had coiled tightly around her limbs, chest, and waist—not suffocating her, but protecting her. The entire lair shimmered under the glow, pulsing with power that neither man had sensed in over a century.
"By the heavens..." Old Man Hu whispered. "That vine…"
"That vine should kill anyone who tries to cultivate it," Grandfather Yue murmured. "It resists even my presence. And yet…"
Yue Ling sat at its center, untouched. Perfectly harmonized.
"She's awakened the full root of the Flower Dao," Grandfather Yue muttered. "Even our ancestor… Only he had ever achieved this."
Old Man Hu stepped back. "This cannot be allowed to spread. If the Mo Xuánzāi followers catch even a whisper of this…"
"We'll all be slaughtered," Grandfather Yue finished. "This must remain hidden. For now, silence is our greatest defense."
Hu nodded, his face set with grim resolve. "I will reinforce the Crescent World. The fragrance she emits alone could lead enemies to our gates. I'll layer three forbidden arrays and draw upon the ancient invisibility spell. No one will sense this place—not even the Outer Lords."
"I'll stay with her until she finishes cultivating," Grandfather Yue added. "Then, we leave. No more visitors. No more risks."
When Yue Ling opened her eyes, the spiritual vine had disappeared.
Everything seemed... normal.
Too normal.
She looked around the lair. No fragrance. No glow. Not even a ripple in the air. It was as if none of it had ever happened.
Had it all been another illusion?
Doubt gnawed at her until she looked down at her wrist. The seal that had once glowed with light now bore a faint outline of a blooming vine—etched into her skin like a birthmark. She smiled faintly.
It had been real.
She bit her finger and let a droplet of blood fall into a small relic she refined during the illusion. It flickered, swallowing the essence. A keepsake. An inheritance—for whoever might carry the Yue bloodline next.
Though deep down, she wondered.
Will anyone ever carry this again? Can anyone even wield it?
Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps.
Two familiar figures stood near the entrance of the lair, their faces lined with worry.
"What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.
Neither man answered immediately. They exchanged looks.
Unknowingly, Yue Ling released a soft breath of spiritual qi. The air shimmered again. Grandfather Yue and Old Man Hu felt their hearts drop.
She had broken through.
Not only into the Fourth Stage, but the final substage of it.
If she fought a cultivator two substages into the Fifth Stage, she would win.
Barely. But she would win.
At her age.
At her level.
They needed to act fast.
"She must be hidden," Grandfather Yue muttered. "No more public appearances. No trials. Not until the time is right."
"We'll take her to my ruin-cave," Old Man Hu agreed. "I've reinforced it already. If care's not taken, one wouldn't even know it's a cave. Everything inside glitters like a divine dwelling."
The journey was short.
The entrance to Old Man Hu's cave was masked by layered illusions. On the outside, it looked like nothing more than a collapsed cliffside. But within, it was a world of elegance—polished stones, luminous crystals, silk curtains, and glowing walls that emitted soft warmth.
Yue Ling blinked. "This… is a cave?"
Hu chuckled. "It was once a battlefield. Now it's a second home."
He placed a roasted meat platter before her. "You haven't eaten properly in days."
Yue Ling's stomach growled in agreement. She took the food and began to eat, nodding slowly. It had been so long since something tasted real.
After the meal, Hu guided her to a quiet chamber, where soft bedding awaited her.
"We'll ask about the lair's trial later," he said.
But just as Yue Ling lay back to rest, the silence shattered.
"Butler San burst in. "Master Hu! You have visitors!"
Grandfather Yue swore under his breath. Yue Ling straightened, instantly alert.
"Don't panic," Grandfather Yue whispered. "We're still in disguise."
Old Man Hu nodded. "Let's pray the visitors don't look too closely."
Yue Ling narrowed her eyes as footsteps echoed from the cave's outer chambers.
The war drums hadn't begun yet—but the rhythm had changed.
Something was coming.
Something more dangerous than illusions or assassins.
And Yue Ling's fragrance—still faint in the air—might be the match that lit the fire.