Chapter 17: Inner Sect Interview

The first rays of dawn bathed Qingye Sect's mountains in soft gold. Mist curled through the peaks like drifting dragons, and silence lingered over the Inner Sect Selection Peak — a place few outer disciples ever stepped foot upon.

Lin Ho stood alone at its base, dressed in clean black robes. On his back, his father's longblade. His Qi was quiet, unassuming, but the chaos within him pulsed beneath the surface like a sleeping storm.

A disciple in white descended from the clouds and gestured.

> "Lin Ho. Elder Mu is ready."

He followed silently.

The path curved through floating bridges, spirit birds perched on railings, formation lines humming softly beneath his feet. Finally, they reached a stone platform suspended above a waterfall.

Elder Mu sat cross-legged before a tea table, eyes closed. White robes with silver clouds. No visible weapon. His aura was deep — like an ocean in stillness.

> "Sit," he said without looking.

Lin Ho obeyed.

A moment passed in silence. Then:

> "You have no sect background, no recorded inheritance, and yet… you've already entered Meridian Forging," Elder Mu said calmly.

> "Correct."

> "Where did your cultivation technique come from?"

Lin Ho didn't hesitate.

> "Passed down from my grandfather."

> "And who is your grandfather?"

> "Lin Tianzhen. One of the Fifteen Heroes."

Elder Mu's eyes opened slightly. Not wide — just enough to show interest.

> "That explains your foundation. But even the heroes' descendants rarely show such rapid progress. What is your affinity?"

> "I don't know. The crystal couldn't determine it."

> "And your bloodline?"

> Lin Ho shook his head. "I was never told anything about it."

Elder Mu stared at him for a long time.

> "You're either bold or very well protected."

> "Does it matter?"

> "Only if you're lying. But I don't sense deception."

He poured two cups of tea.

> "Lin Ho. The Inner Sect cultivates the elites — not only in strength, but potential. You'll be tested more severely. Resources are many, but so are expectations."

> "I'm ready."

> "Then drink. From this moment forward, you are an inner disciple of Qingye Sect."

Lin Ho lifted the cup and drank.

The tea was bitter — but it burned through his meridians like refined Qi.

---

Later that day, Lin Ho was assigned a new courtyard — one carved into the cliffs with a waterfall running through it, layered with defensive formations and spiritual herb gardens.

A jade slip lay on the table. His first cultivation task.

> "Complete one of three: refine a mid-grade spirit tool, complete a high-difficulty beast subjugation mission, or comprehend a fragment of the [Eightfold Body Scripture] from the sect library."

He smirked slightly. "No easy choices, huh?"

But even as he pondered his next step, far above in the sealed mountain range behind the sect, several elders gathered.

Elder Qiu, Elder Mu, and two others stared at a projected formation.

It showed Lin Ho sparring — slowed down, frame by frame.

> "His Qi movement doesn't match any sect technique." "Not demonic, not foreign either…" "He's suppressing something. And the spiritual tool his father used — it resonated too well."

Elder Mu remained quiet, eyes thoughtful.

> "Keep watching him," he said. "Do not interfere."

---

End of Chapter 17