Wang Li left the grand hall with a heavy weight pressing on his chest. War. That word wasn't thrown around lightly in the cultivation world. A conflict with an Abyssal entity wasn't like a petty sect rivalry—it was a battle against sothing that didn't belong in this world.
Mu Qingling walked beside him, arms crossed. "You sure know how to get into trouble, Wang Li."
He sighed. "It's not like I went looking for it."
Lan Yue, her expression unreadable, glanced toward the horizon. "Regardless, we need to be prepared. If the elders are concerned enough to summon the Grand Elders, then this isn't sothing they can easily handle."
Wang Li pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fantastic. As if I didn't already have enough problems."
Their conversation was cut short as a young outer disciple ran up to them, out of breath. "Senior Brother Wang Li! The Sect Master has ordered you to report to the inner court imdiately!"
Mu Qingling groaned. "Seriously? Can't they give him a mont to breathe?"
Wang Li patted her shoulder. "Guess I'm just that popular."
He followed the young disciple toward the inner court, where the towering celestial jade palace of the Sect Master stood. The mont he stepped through the gates, he felt an oppressive force weighing down on him. It wasn't intentional—it was just the sheer presence of the figure sitting on the raised platform ahead.
Sect Master Bai Xuanyuan sat in ditation, his aura like a vast, unmoving ocean. Despite his graying hair, his eyes were sharp as ever.
"You have done well, Wang Li," Bai Xuanyuan said without opening his eyes. "Few disciples would have survived an encounter with such an unknown force."
Wang Li bowed deeply. "This disciple was rely lucky."
The Sect Master finally opened his eyes, and Wang Li felt as if he were being scrutinized down to his very soul. "Luck is only a small part of survival. What matters is what cos next."
Wang Li swallowed. "Sect Master, do you believe this is truly an Abyssal threat?"
Bai Xuanyuan leaned back slightly. "The signs are there. And if that masked man you described is involved, then we must consider the worst possibilities."
Wang Li hesitated. "Do you... recognize him?"
A long silence stretched between them before the Sect Master finally spoke. "There are too many possibilities. But none of them are good."
Wang Li frowned. "Then what's the plan?"
The Sect Master's gaze turned toward the great mountains in the distance. "We will strengthen the sect's defenses. But you, Wang Li... your path has already diverged from the norm."
A strange feeling settled in Wang Li's chest. "What do you an?"
Bai Xuanyuan studied him for a mont before standing. "You must prepare. A trial awaits you."
A trial? That word had too many anings in the cultivation world, and none of them were pleasant.
Before Wang Li could ask, the Sect Master gestured toward the door. "Go. You will find your answers soon."
With no other choice, Wang Li bowed and took his leave, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind.
As he stepped out of the palace, he nearly ran into Lin Ruoyan, who was leaning against a stone pillar.
"Took you long enough," she said.
Wang Li sighed. "You waiting for ?"
She smirked. "I wanted to see if you ca out looking half-dead."
"Not this ti," he muttered.
Lin Ruoyan's teasing tone faded. "Be careful, Wang Li. I don't know what the Sect Master has planned for you, but whatever it is... it's going to be dangerous."
Wang Li exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I figured as much."
As the sun dipped behind the mountains, a storm gathered in the distance. Sothing big was coming. And Wang Li had a feeling he was at the center of it.
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