Timothy spat out the foxtail grass he’d been chewing and rushed to Indiana’s side.

  “What happened?”

  Indiana shook her head quickly. “Nothing. Just a Heavenly Spirit Fruit. Let’s go.”

  Timothy’s eyes narrowed. “Even if it’s just a Heavenly Spirit Fruit, it’s yours. How can you let someone take it from you?”

  “It’s fine, Senior Brother. Forget it.” Indiana gave him a discreet wink, her expression carefully measured.

  Remembering his master’s instructions, Timothy forced himself to choke down his anger. He waved his hand. “We’re leaving.”

  “Stop.”

  Lauren’s voice cut through the mist like a blade. Her gaze was cold, unwavering.

  “What do you mean by a Heavenly Spirit Fruit she picked? You’d better explain clearly before you walk away.”

  “You—” Timothy’s followers bristled, not wanting this to escalate. They knew exactly what Lauren was doing—forcing conflict.

  But Timothy’s temper snapped. “Lauren, are you doing this on purpose?”

  Lauren tilted her head slightly, voice calm, even mocking. “Junior Brother Timothy, I asked a simple question. What Heavenly Spirit Fruit did she supposedly pick? Is it wrong to ask for clarity?”

  The deliberate use of Junior Brother made Timothy’s face flush red, rage boiling up until he nearly coughed blood.

  By now, disciples from both sects had gathered, standing in two lines opposite each other.

  From farther away, cultivators of other sects, even a few rogue cultivators, drifted closer, drawn by the rising tension.

  “Looks like Thunder Sect and Moonlit Sect are about to clash.”

  “What’s it over?”

  “Who knows? Doesn’t matter—I’m not getting near that. I sold everything I had for this chance. I just want to survive.” One man shook his head and backed away quickly.

  Another muttered, “Word is, it’s about a Heavenly Spirit Fruit. But honestly? That’s nothing to elites from Thunder Sect and Moonlit Sect. My guess—it’s payback for yesterday. Timothy’s pride took a beating, and now he wants revenge in the secret realm.”

  That theory made more than a few heads nod.

  Lauren’s smile curved, faint and sharp. “I clearly picked the fruit first. But this junior sister chooses her words carefully, making it sound like she did. I can’t help but wonder—what’s your real motive?”

  Indiana’s face shifted, innocent surprise flashing across her features. “I never said I picked it first. I only meant I was about to. You were faster, so of course it’s yours.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Brother, it’s just a fruit. Let’s not waste time,” she added softly, her tone pure reasonableness.

  But the words carried a hidden barb—subtly implying that she had seen it first, and Lauren had snatched it away.

  Nash’s temper flared. “That’s bullshit. You were too slow, so now you’re twisting it on purpose? How do you know our junior sister wasn’t the one who saw it first? Who’s to say you weren’t the one trying to steal it?”

  Indiana immediately raised her hands in a show of helplessness. “Yes, yes, this sister saw it first and picked it first. I apologize to everyone. Let’s drop it here.”

  The apology sounded humble, but the damage was done.

  Her explanation made it seem as though Lauren had bullied her—while Indiana took the high ground by stepping back.

  Lauren lifted the fruit in her hand, chilled it into a block of ice, and crushed it into glittering shards before everyone’s eyes.

  “I don’t steal other people’s things,” she said, voice like frost. “The only exception is yours.”

  Her sly smile cut like a blade. Across from her, Indiana’s face twisted in distress, making her look all the more pitiful.

  The Thunder Sect disciples exchanged uneasy glances. Their Junior Master-Uncle was clearly in the right here—so why destroy the fruit and make such a loaded remark about stealing from that woman?

  But as they studied Indiana, it struck them—she did look uncannily like Lauren.

  “That’s enough!” Timothy’s fury boiled over. “Lauren, you’ve gone too far. Don’t think beating me yesterday means you’re truly stronger than me.”

  He was ready to lunge, but his fellow Moonlit Sect disciples grabbed his arms, murmuring hurried warnings.

  None of the two hundred chosen to enter the secret realm were easy prey. Even the twenty rogue cultivators had clawed their way here through blood and fire. The three great sects were under watchful eyes from all sides; they couldn’t afford to start a war on the very first day.

  Dante stepped between them, trying to cool the flames, and at last Timothy allowed himself to be pulled back. The Moonlit Sect turned and left, Timothy throwing one last murderous look over his shoulder.

  Dante exhaled in relief, then turned to Lauren. “Ms. Lauren… do you have some grudge against that woman?”

  The others’ gazes were heavy with the same question. Lauren’s hostility toward Indiana was too sharp, too deliberate to dismiss.

  The truth—that one of them had to die for the other to live—was something she couldn’t share. So she swallowed it, alone.

  But when she saw their worried eyes, her chest loosened. She forced a smile, though it came out more as a grimace.

  “It’s nothing major,” she said. “She’s my half-sister.”

  Understanding rippled through the group. Of course. That explained the resemblance. And all of them, born of noble clans, knew how vicious the rivalries between wives and concubines could become.

  “Ahh,” Dante chuckled softly, “I used to hate my half-sisters too. But after joining Thunder Sect and serving under Master, that distance grew wider. I realized I didn’t care enough to keep hating them.”

  Lauren caught his meaning, though he didn’t know the truth of her and Indiana’s history.

  She let out a low laugh. “Her mother was a well-known courtesan. The night before my parents’ wedding, my father’s so-called friends dragged him to a brothel for one last hurrah. They arranged a prostitute for him—and later she gave birth to his child.”

  That was the story Indiana hated most in her past life, the one she longed to hide. Yet here it was, laid bare.

  The disciples gasped.

  “How could a courtesan conceive so conveniently? Someone must have set your father up, given him some kind of drug,” one said in shock.

  Lauren only nodded, saying nothing more, and walked on.

  The others exchanged glances. Yes—this was the Junior Master they knew. Good-tempered, straightforward. She wouldn’t pick a fight without reason.

  At the rear, Nash whispered to his peers, “Still… I think there’s something deeper between them.”

  “You’re right,” another muttered. “That woman’s words drip with fake sweetness. She acts like she’s bullied at the drop of a hat. I’d hate a sister like that too.”

  “Shh. Enough. Keep moving.”

  The clang of weapons echoed ahead, cutting off further whispers. A large skirmish was breaking out over a single gleaming fruit.

  The Dan-Jie Fruit.

  Unlike the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, this one was different. This one was priceless.

  To step into Core Formation was to step out of the mortal world entirely. The Dan-Jie Fruit could tip the balance.

  And no one was willing to let that prize slip away.