The moment Lin Ho exited the secret realm, all eyes fell upon him.
Dust settled slowly around his feet. His aura had changed — not in volume, but in nature. It pulsed in strange rhythms, as though the world struggled to interpret what it was sensing. Some disciples backed away instinctively. Others narrowed their eyes, curiosity burning behind cold stares.
Elder Qiu stepped forward first.
> "You emerged alone," he said calmly. "What happened to the others?"
Lin Ho gave a short bow.
> "There were complications. Some chose to remain inside to cultivate further. Others… were not as fortunate."
It wasn't a lie — not entirely.
Elder Qiu's gaze lingered on Lin Ho's face for a long moment, as if trying to read what remained unsaid. Eventually, he nodded.
> "You've returned stronger. That's what matters."
Whispers broke out behind them.
> "He's already at Peak Meridian Forging?" "I heard he fought off a beast tide inside…" "No. The forest burned when he passed through. Some inner sect disciples say they saw fire raining from the sky!"
Lin Ho ignored them all.
He walked past the crowd, toward the stone stairway leading back to the inner peaks. But he could feel it: the shift. His name was no longer unknown. His presence no longer ignorable.
---
Later That Night – Lin Ho's Courtyard
The wind rustled gently through the pines as Lin Ho sat in meditation.
The Flame of the Abyss hadn't just given him a power boost. It had awakened something older. As he cultivated, his body began producing new strands of Qi — golden-black with flickering crimson edges. They refused to flow like normal energy. Instead, they curled, twisted, and adapted — responding to thought, not technique.
> "It's not an element," Lin Ho murmured. "It's… intent made real."
He flexed his fingers and watched a trail of fire spiral into a lotus shape before collapsing into embers.
Suddenly, a knock echoed on the wooden gate.
> "Senior Brother Lin Ho, may I enter?"
It was a young voice — female.
He stood and opened the gate.
A girl in a pale green robe bowed deeply. Her cultivation was early Meridian Forging, but her gaze was steady.
> "My name is Mei Lan. I was assigned as your sect liaison. Elder Qiu instructed me to inform you that you've been promoted to Core Disciple — effective immediately."
> "That was fast," Lin Ho said quietly.
> "Many elders are watching you now, Senior Brother. They say you're... marked by fate."
Lin Ho said nothing, only nodded.
But deep in his gut, he felt it too.
A tide had shifted. And now the world was watching.
---
End of Chapter 71