For the first time in what felt like weeks, Dawnmist Peak breathed.
The wind was soft. The birds returned. Even the spirit herbs around the edge of the training courtyard swayed gently, as if sighing in relief.
Luo Feng stood at the summit's ridge, arms folded behind his back. He wasn't meditating. He was simply watching.
Watching as his disciples—no longer scattered misfits—began to move like a team.
Bai Xueyin danced between frost patterns with icy grace, creating illusions sharp enough to slice through solid stone. A-Yan weaved in and out of the frost shadows, her movement so smooth it was like watching a spirit thread a needle in reverse.
Tianya, cold and silent as ever, sparred with Lin Wushen. Her dagger danced with the elegance of a falling leaf—but Wushen's flute notes created barriers of resonance, dispersing her qi strikes midair like ripples in water.
Only Yiran remained seated beneath the hawthorn tree.
Eyes closed.
Breathing deep.
Her qi was finally steady.
And yet, in the deepest part of Luo Feng's spiritual sense… he could feel it.
Something inside her had begun to stir.
Ding! Disciples' synchronization increased.System Feedback: 17.2% XP converted to Host cultivation.Shared Trait Progression: "Unified Pulse" – 42% unlocked.Host Insight Increased: +1
Luo Feng didn't smile.
Not visibly.
But inside, the feeling was warm.
They were still flawed. Still wounded. But the pieces were starting to fit.
And that, more than any flashy breakthrough or treasure, was how a true cultivation path began.
"Ugh, she's getting faster," A-Yan huffed, ducking beneath one of Bai's icy afterimages.
"You're still too noisy," Bai replied coolly, side-stepping her.
"I like being noisy," A-Yan said proudly. "Noise distracts the blade."
"Not mine," Tianya muttered, flicking her dagger toward the air near A-Yan's ear. It missed—but not by much.
Wushen winced from the edge of the ring. "You all spar like you're flirting with death."
"That's how we flirt here," Tianya replied flatly.
"Are… are you joking?"
"No."
A-Yan laughed so hard she fell backward into a frost barrier and had to roll out with her robes smoking slightly.
Luo Feng turned away from the chaos.
He didn't need to supervise them every second anymore. That was trust. That was growth.
But it also meant the next phase had to begin.
True formation training.
Not just teaching them how to fight—but how to fight together.
Later that evening, as the fire crackled and tea steamed, Luo Feng gathered them around.
The courtyard was lit with soft spirit-lanterns, casting faint orange halos across the stone floor.
Even Kaelen sat close tonight, leaning on one elbow, listening.
"I watched you today," Luo Feng said simply.
A-Yan perked up. "Did we pass?"
"Barely," he replied.
Tianya gave a rare grin.
Wushen, to his credit, remained silent—likely still too wary to assume compliments.
"You've all grown," Luo Feng continued. "Individually. But that's not enough."
He reached into his sleeve and unfolded a scroll.
On it, five circles. One in the center. Four orbiting around it.
"This," he said, "is the base structure of a formation team."
Yiran looked up. "A spiritual matrix?"
"More than that. A living formation. Not bound by runes or materials—but by trust. Rhythm. Intent. You don't just fight beside each other—you fight through each other."
He tapped the scroll.
"If this works, your techniques will echo. Strengthen. Multiply. And you'll become more than cultivators. You'll become a force."
A-Yan leaned forward. "Like a musical harmony."
Wushen blinked. "That's exactly how I'd describe it."
Bai studied the scroll. "The center role… is you?"
"No," Luo Feng said.
Everyone blinked.
"I'm the instructor. The strategist. But in battle, I won't always be there."
He looked at Yiran.
"The center is for the one who sees first and decides last."
She hesitated. "Me?"
"Yes."
"But I'm—"
"You're the only one who doesn't rush to attack," he said. "You see people. That's why you'll guide them."
Ding! Training Event Unlocked: "Living Formation: Veiled Bloom Pattern"Leader Assigned: Qin YiranSystem Feedback: +25% synergy chance during joint combat.Unlock Potential: Hidden Technique – "Blooming Echo Array"
They didn't question him.
Not out loud.
But the way Bai nodded, the way A-Yan scooted a little closer to Yiran, the way Wushen sat up straighter—all of it said the same thing.
They were ready to try.
And trying, here, meant everything.
That night, Luo Feng found himself standing once again beneath the stars, watching the mist roll off the edge of Dawnmist Peak.
Kaelen approached silently.
"You're teaching them more than combat," she said.
He nodded.
"I have to."
"They'll be hunted."
"I know."
"And the stronger they grow, the more the system will push."
"I know."
Kaelen looked at him sideways.
"You're starting to care too much."
He didn't deny it.
"I cared the moment they called me Master."
Far away, beneath the Sect's forbidden library, a sealed jade tablet cracked.
Dust spilled from its seams.
And from the darkness within, a whisper escaped:
"He still lives…"
The Impostor stirred.