The main courtyard of East Sky Academy had been transformed.
Hundreds of lanterns floated midair, each glowing with a different hue. Spiritual silk draped from pavilion rooftops, and incense wafted through the air in curling silver trails. On the main stage, banners fluttered, embroidered with names of the new Inner Court disciples.
At the very top, stitched in dark gold:
LIN FENG.
A feast of this scale only occurred once every five years—the Grand Inheritance Banquet.
It was as much ceremony as it was celebration. Elders from every major peak attended. Sect leaders from affiliated clans sent gifts. Spies from demonic sects disguised themselves as wandering merchants. And disciples dressed their best to posture, impress, or plot.
Lin Feng stood quietly in his new Inner Court robes, surveying the crowd with calm detachment.
He was not here for celebration.
He was here to observe.
---
Ruoxi approached, dressed in deep violet, blending in effortlessly among the rising stars.
"Two hidden blades, one poison ring, and a soul-sifting needle," she whispered. "All on that one girl in the green sleeves."
"She's with Elder Wu's faction?" Lin Feng asked.
Ruoxi nodded. "Confirmed."
Elder Wu. A silent supporter of Qian Ru in the past. Too clean since his death. And now, someone from his line trying to sit at the banquet of names?
Too convenient.
"I'll deal with her," Lin Feng said. "Quietly."
"No," Ruoxi stopped him. "Tonight, we let them strike first."
He looked at her.
"There's someone you need to meet first," she added.
---
She led him behind the banquet hall, past the waterfall garden and into a quiet alcove where moonlight reflected off silver-laced stone.
A man waited there.
He was old—not in age, but in soul. His eyes were twin storms, and his robes carried no emblem.
"This is the one I told you about," Ruoxi said.
The man bowed slightly. "You carry the Monarch Core."
Lin Feng stiffened.
"You are?"
"Once a servant of the Void Walkers. Now… a whisper of what remains."
He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a sealed scroll.
"This is a name list. The ones who plotted your death—not just now. In your previous life."
Lin Feng's breath caught.
He took the scroll and opened it.
Ten names.
Only one was familiar: Jin Lanyue.
Once a trusted ally. Now… a traitor.
And beneath that, a symbol—one of the Seven Keys. The fourth.
"You must reclaim what was stolen," the old man said. "But be warned. One of these names will smile at you tonight."
---
Back at the feast, the music swelled. Plates floated through the air, dishes glittering with qi-rich ingredients. Dancers twirled on mist-shrouded platforms.
Lin Feng moved through the crowd like a shadow.
Smiles greeted him.
So many smiles.
He focused his mind.
"Soul Sight."
The world twisted slightly. Auras unfolded like lotus petals. And then he saw it.
A flicker of darkness behind one smile. A split-second of hate behind a bow.
It was a boy.
Young. Clean robes. No notable background.
Lin Feng leaned in.
"Enjoying the food?" he asked softly.
The boy blinked. "Of course, Senior Brother Lin."
"You came from the Frost Clan, yes?"
"Yes—my cousin is an outer court disciple."
"A cousin named Lian?"
The boy froze.
"I never said my cousin's name."
Lin Feng's eyes sharpened.
The boy bolted.
Lin Feng didn't chase. Instead, he lifted his hand.
"Void Pin."
The boy collapsed mid-run—pinned to the ground by an invisible spike of space.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Guards moved, but Ruoxi flashed her token.
"By order of the Inner Court Council—this one is a traitor."
The feast quieted.
Elder Wu stood slowly.
"A mere boy? A traitor?" he said, voice smooth.
Lin Feng walked to the center.
"Only a boy? This 'boy' carries a soul brand from the Seventh Demonic Gate."
He reached down and ripped the back of the boy's robe.
A sigil burned faintly—black and crimson.
Screams. Chaos. Some fled. Others froze.
Elder Wu's smile faded.
"Proof can be fabricated."
"Only by a gatekeeper," Lin Feng replied.
Wu narrowed his eyes.
"Careful, Lin Feng. The court watches."
"I know," he said.
He stepped back and raised his voice.
"But so do the heavens. And this feast… this 'Feast of Names'? It will no longer honor the blind."
He turned.
"It will honor the awake."
To be continue...