Elder Di Ti stood before Liu Hua, the cheerful smile returning to light up her face.

“Liu Hua, your reward remains unchanged. First place receives—the choice of any reward!”

She gestured toward the spectator stands, where Chen Ai Yun sat at the forefront of the elders’ platform.

“You may now make your choice… and deliver it to our Sect Master.”

Liu Hua nodded, stepping forward to the wild cheers of the crowd, her head held high and gaze fixed confidently on Chen Ai Yun.

“I already know what I want,” she said. “Give me Jin Shu!”

The cheering cut off so abruptly that it felt like the entire sect had fallen under a silence formation. It was so quiet you could probably hear a pin drop on the opposite end of the mountain.

After a few stunned seconds, a voice finally broke the silence.

“Wait… wasn’t it said Liu Hua was after Li Xue’s husband? Is that Jin Shu?”

“Uh… let’s think. Li Xue is the Vice-Sect Master’s second disciple, right? And from what we’ve heard, both her disciples share the same husband. Then Li Xue claimed Liu Hua tried to seduce her husband, so…”

“…So it is him?”

“Eh?! So Liu Hua’s trying to snatch a husband with her reward?!”

“No way! Sect Master Chen won’t allow that. Right?”

“Of course not!”

“Well… why not? He already has two wives. What’s one more?”

“True. I wonder if he’s looking for more…”

“Why? You think you stand a chance? Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

The crowd erupted again—this time not in applause, but in chaos. Dozens of voices shouted at once, arguments broke out, and more than a few scuffles required multiple elders to intervene before peace was finally restored.

Once the arena had calmed, Chen Ai Yun spoke.

“You can’t—” She paused, glancing toward Sun Mei’er beside her.

Jin Shu, watching closely, caught the subtle signs of a voice transmission. His mother and stepmother were having a silent exchange.

A moment later, Chen Ai Yun turned back to Liu Hua with a changed expression.

“One week,” she said. “You may spend one week with Jin Shu. After that, your relationship is your own business. We will have no say in it.”

Jin Shu opened his mouth to protest—but stopped.

He wasn’t sure what they were thinking, but they wouldn’t just hand him over without a reason. And to be fair, there was still the issue of being the only man allowed in a sect exclusive to women. He would figure it out later… during whatever this 'elder council' thing was.

And honestly, it wasn’t exactly the end of the world.

There were a few things he wanted to learn from Liu Hua anyway—like how she used the lightning element. From what he could tell, she’d somehow combined the same elements he now controlled to form a variant of lightning. She had used only that lightning to defeat him… despite him being immune to it.

Given the okay by Chen Ai Yun, Liu Hua vanished in a flash and reappeared behind Jin Shu, pulling him into her embrace once again. Even though they were nearly the same height, Jin Shu felt small as she wrapped her arms over his shoulders and drew him close.

It hurt his pride a little to admit, but… he couldn’t deny it was comfortable—especially when he could barely stand on his own two feet at the moment. So, with a sigh, he let her have her way. For now.

One day, though… one day I’ll be the one toying with her. 

…Actually, that doesn’t sound quite right. Maybe I’ll just settle for beating her in a fight sometime.

“Comfortable?” she whispered into his ear.

“Yeah,” he nodded reflexively. “Wait—I mean…” He trailed off, then sighed again. “Yes. I’m still weak, so… it’s comfortable to lean on you.”

She rested her head on his shoulder, tilting it slightly so she could see his face. “Really?”

He was about to answer, when he noticed a prickling sensation—an atmosphere shift. Glancing around, he caught the stares. The crowd was giving them strange looks, and Biyu, Li Xue, and Tian Li were all watching with obvious displeasure.

Well… Li Xue looked more amused than displeased, clearly enjoying his misfortune.

Thankfully, Elder Di Ti’s voice rang out across the stadium, cutting through the tension.

“Now that all of our participants have received their rewards, it is time to bring this tournament to a close. Before we do, Sect Master Chen has a few final words.”

Chen Ai Yun stood and took a step forward—into the air. Yet she walked as if on solid ground, moving into the center of the stadium where the illusion formation had been projected before. The screen shimmered back into view, displaying her image in crisp, vivid detail.

“First of all,” she said, her voice carrying through the stadium, “let me apologize for breaking our sect’s time-honored traditions by allowing Jin Shu access to our sect.” She bowed low to the audience, who were too stunned to voice their protest.

“And I will apologize again,” she said, bowing once more, “for continuing to allow him to stay.”

This time, a ripple of voices rose in objection, trying to dissuade her from offering her bows to them, but she silenced them with a single raised hand.

“Now, I would like to thank everyone for attending this tournament. I hope to see each one of you on that stage in the future—fighting to show your strength and your splendor. You are all warriors of the Immortal Phoenix Sect, proud daughters of the heavens. Go forth and let the world see the brilliance of your light!”

The entire stadium erupted in thunderous applause as the crowd rose to their feet, shouting Chen Ai Yun’s name with pride and joy. Their voices carried a collective reverence—an unspoken vow of loyalty to the woman who led them. This wasn’t just respect; it was devotion.

Chen Ai Yun descended slowly from the air, her long sleeves fluttering as she touched down in the center of the stage. Her radiant smile swept across the sea of cheering disciples, but it quickly shifted to something gentler as she turned to face the eight gathered before her.

“In just a moment, we’ll be heading to the Elder Council,” she said, her tone calm but firm. “There, you will learn the true purpose of this tournament.”

She raised her hand, and a single thread of qi extended from her palm, spiraling down to the arena floor. As it touched the stone, a concealed formation flared to life beneath their feet, glowing with soft, golden light.

Without another word, the eight contestants and Sect Master Chen vanished, pulled into the activated teleportation array in a flash of qi.

Seconds later, the core elders who had watched from above followed, disappearing one by one in coordinated succession.

Left behind were the inner elders and administrative disciples, who moved swiftly to bring order back to the stadium. Their tasks were mundane—escorting the sect's disciples, calming the still-buzzing crowd, ensuring things returned to normal.

----------------------------------------

Jin Shu blinked, eyes adjusting as the blinding sunlight of the arena gave way to the dim, flickering glow of candlelight.

The eight contestants now stood in the center of a vast audience hall. High-backed chairs encircled them, each occupied by a core elder cloaked in varying degrees of authority and mystique.

He glanced around, recognizing several elders from the stadium—but to his surprise, a few were unfamiliar. He had assumed all the sect’s core elders had been present at the tournament. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

At the far end of the hall, seated on a raised platform in the most prominent position, was Chen Ai Yun. Her throne was unlike the others—elegantly carved from a massive, living branch.

Jin Shu wasn’t entirely sure what tree it came from, but if he had to guess, it was likely from a phoenix parasol tree. The sect was said to have been founded by a phoenix, and according to Long Jinshu, there was even a living one still within the sect’s ranks. Jin Shu hadn’t had reason to doubt it.

His gaze shifted to the seat on Chen Ai Yun’s left—and sure enough, there was his mother, Sun Mei’er, smiling at him with unmistakable mischief in her eyes, and Yin’er sound asleep in her lap.

She’s definitely the one who arranged for Liu Hua to claim me as her reward.

He just hoped there was a good reason behind it… and not just her messing with him again.

To Chen Ai Yun’s right sat the phoenix herself, Grand Elder Feng Lian—who looked far less like a dignified sacred beast and far more like a perpetually sleepy panda, her dark-ringed eyes barely open.

One seat lower than his mother, Jin Shu spotted Elder Lu Cha… and immediately noticed her scowl. She was glaring at him like a hawk eyeing prey. Clearly, she hadn’t forgotten their first encounter—and probably still resented having been denied the chance to discipline him.

There were others he recognized scattered throughout the hall, but before he could fully take stock of who was where, his stepmother’s voice rang out, silencing the room and drawing all attention to her.

“Each of you has earned your place as one of the eight strongest disciples in our sect,” Chen Ai Yun began, her gaze sweeping over the group assembled below. “But understand this—the purpose of the tournament was never to rank you. Its true goal was to select eight disciples to accompany us on a far more important mission: the reclamation of our sect’s lost inheritance—the Hidden Phoenix Realm.”

She paused, letting the name settle over the room.

“The Hidden Phoenix Realm was sealed away when our founder, along with the phoenix clan, ascended to the immortal world. Since then, it has remained hidden… until now.”

Jin Shu stiffened slightly. He knew that name. It was the place his mother had gone searching for months ago, the place that had left him sleepless and desperate, not knowing whether she would ever return. And now, it seemed… they would all be going there together.

“In one month’s time,” Chen Ai Yun continued, “the seven of you girls—along with Vice-Sect Master Sun, myself, and several of the elders gathered here—will travel to the heart of the Forbidden Zone in the southern regions: the Red Desert. A special teleportation array has already been prepared.”

Her voice echoed softly in the candlelit hall, calm but weighty.

“Once there, we will establish a safe zone around the entrance to the hidden realm. From that point on, we will wait—until the realm opens.”

She paused again, letting her words settle.

“We estimate the opening will occur within three months—perhaps as early as six weeks. So you must all be ready at any moment.”

She leaned back slightly in her seat, the formality easing from her shoulders.

“Now,” she said, “do any of you have questions?”

Jin Shu was still trying to process everything when Bing Hou raised her hand without hesitation, her question clearly already prepared.

“This hidden realm… is it the one from my mother’s divination?”

Chen Ai Yun raised a brow, intrigued. “I can’t say for certain. I’ve only heard you mention that divination recently. But as far as we know, this is the only hidden realm located in the southern region.”

“I see.” Bing Hou gave a thoughtful nod, then fell silent again.

Jin Shu finally caught up to what had been said—and something about his stepmother’s words felt… off. Before he could ask, however, Tian Li raised her hand.

Receiving a nod, she spoke up. “If we’re going deep into the southern region, won’t we risk drawing attention from the demon worshipers?”

Sun Mei’er answered in her place, smiling in that mysterious way she always did when she knew more than she should.

“There’s no need to worry. Due to certain… clues regarding their missing young saint, the demon cult’s attention is focused entirely on the western region.”

That definitely sounded like something suspicious, but Jin Shu didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with two cryptic mothers at the same time. His original concern still lingered.

He raised his hand before anyone else could speak.

Chen Ai Yun gave him a nod. “Yes?”

“Um… maybe this was just a mistake,” he said slowly, “but earlier you said seven girls would be accompanying you. So… what about me?”

Her next words made his stomach sink.

“You’ll be traveling separately—if you choose to follow us. Otherwise, you may stay here to train, or even return home if you wish.”

He tilted his head, confused. “Why can’t I go with you through the teleportation array?”

“Because the Red Desert is saturated with yin energy,” she said. “To stabilize the formation, only women—or those with predominantly yin-aligned constitutions—can travel through it. If we were to introduce yang energy into the array, the formation would collapse… killing everyone inside.”

He shuddered. That was definitely something he’d prefer not to be responsible for.

“Well… can’t my mom teleport me there?” he tried.

Sun Mei’er answered this time. “I don’t have enough qi to teleport two people that far, and besides, I am the array’s anchor. I’m the only one who’s been to the Red Desert before, so I have to guide the formation. I simply can’t take you.”

She gave a small shrug, then pulled out a scroll. “But if you still want to follow us, I’ve prepared a safe route you can take.”

She unfurled the scroll with practiced grace, revealing a hand-drawn map—complete with overly elaborate flowers, swirling hearts, and tiny sparkles. Jin Shu’s heart sank the moment he saw it.

He didn’t know exactly what the flowers or hearts meant, but knowing his mother, they were probably warnings disguised as cute decorations. And if so… they were very, very bad news.

But then she started pointing them out—explaining what each symbol meant—and he realized with a growing sense of dread that it was far, far worse than he ever could have imagined.