“There was never any doubt that Disciple Zhu Rhee would prove victorious in the tournament,” Grand Master Yusheng proclaimed to the hundreds assembled in the Eight Oaths Resolve School’s grand Banquet Hall.

  The entire school had turned out to celebrate her triumph. Like the evening before, the hall had been decorated with floating lanterns and silk banners bearing the school's emblem. Tables overflowed with dishes prepared by Yellow Dome’s finest chefs. Musicians played soft melodies in the corners, and entertainers from across the city had been summoned to lend the event an air of grandeur. Yet the champion herself sat alone at the center of the raised dais, flanked only by the Grand Master, who now stood to deliver his speech.

  “She has trained within these respected halls since she was seven years old. And throughout that time,” Yusheng said, voice resonant despite his age, “I have personally watched her talent blossom into the pride of our school.” He turned, his expression softening with a trace of familial affection. “And the pride of the Zhu Clan.”

  A quiet pang stirred in Rhee’s chest. Despite the warmth of his words, she could feel the tension behind them. Her grandfather might praise her in public, but she knew the truth—he saw her decision as a betrayal. And, in many ways, it was. Ten years of guidance, of grooming her for leadership… and now she was leaving. Not just the school—but the clan itself.

  Grand Master Yusheng reached for the rice wine cup resting on the polished railing that lined the dais. “Thanks to Disciple Zhu Rhee—and the hard-fought efforts of all our participating disciples: Wan Bo, Hou Lei, and Ro Ishin—the entire city now knows that the Eight Oaths Resolve School stands as the preeminent martial school in Yellow Dome.”

  He lifted his cup high. “Join me in a toast. To the school. To our tournament team. And to the Champion of the 173rd Exhibition Tournament.”

  A roaring wave of affirmation surged through the hall. Hundreds of blue-and-orange-robed disciples raised their cups in salute, filling the air with cheers and laughter. Rhee mirrored the motion, lifting her own cup, but her heart remained still. Even when the sweet, fragrant wine touched her tongue, it tasted bitter.

  Her grandfather lowered his cup to the railing with a firm thud. “Enjoy yourselves!”

  With the formalities concluded, the audience on the banquet floor began to move about freely, voices rising in animated chatter as the hall returned to celebration. The focus drifted away from the dais—exactly as intended. Rhee recognized the maneuver immediately. Here, away from prying eyes and curious ears, they would become invisible, a centerpiece ignored amid the revelry.

  Grand Master Yusheng took the seat directly across from her, leaving two unclaimed chairs at the other ends of the square table. With his back now to the crowd, the mask of public pride slipped away. The stern rigidity returned to his face, and his eyes grew sharp with tightly held disappointment.

  Dishes covered the table in front of them: crispy lotus root, garlic duck breast, honey-glazed eggplant, and miso soup gently steaming in carved stone bowls. Yet Rhee had no appetite. When she’d first been guided up the dais and saw the prepared setting—four chairs, a lavish spread—she had naively hoped that her teammates would be joining her, perhaps delaying what she knew was coming.

  Now, she understood who the empty chairs had truly been meant for.

  She didn’t have to wait long.

  Her parents, Zhu Ning and Zhu Qing, ascended the steps and approached. Both wore their formal master robes—blue silk embroidered with gold thread in the likeness of the school’s sigil. It was a symbol of their position… and where their loyalty lay.

  Her mother smiled as she approached. “Congratulations, Rhee. We’re so proud of you.”

  “We are,” Zhu Ning echoed as he stepped forward. “You’ve done better than either of us managed in our tournaments.” He pulled out his chair and lowered himself onto the azure-cushioned seat with deliberate care. “And reaching the fifth layer of the Initial Realm already... truly remarkable.”

  “Accomplishments only made possible by the contributions and guidance of this school,” Grand Master Yusheng said, voice low but piercing. His eyes bore into Rhee with cold, measured intensity. It was the angriest she had ever seen him. Beneath the table, her fingers curled into tight fists. “Efforts now wasted.”

  Ning’s smile faltered as she gently replied, “Father, Rhee has attracted the notice of a Grand Sect. Surely you understand why she had to accept the Elder’s offer.”

  Thank you, Mother.

  Rhee turned her gaze to her miso soup, afraid that if she looked up, the storm inside her would be visible.

  “Do you even know where the Crimson Abyss Sect is located?” the Grand Master asked. His tone was deceptively calm, measured in such a way that no one outside their table would suspect the growing intensity beneath it.

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  “Somewhere within the Sky Spear Mountain Range,” Qing replied, lips tightening. “I fail to see the issue.”

  “A thousand miles away,” Yusheng said flatly. “Your daughter—my granddaughter—the one who was meant to be Matriarch of our clan and Grand Master of this school… will be a thousand miles away. And unlikely to return.”

  He pushed aside his untouched bowl of peanut noodles and pointed a finger at Rhee. “Do you know the Crimson Abyss Sect’s reputation?”

  “I do,” Rhee said quietly.

  “Murderers. Little better than demonic cultivators. Remember the Slaughter of Crossway City from your historical lessons? That was them. The Twin Souls Sect. Cloud Sword Sect. Bleeding Sun Sect. Nine Colored Valley.” He waved a hand dismissively. “All of them destroyed—wiped from the map—by the sect you chose to join.”

  Rhee winced. Each name was like a blow. The weight behind them only grew heavier as his voice rose.

  “They are anathema to everything the Righteous Mantle Sect stands for—the sect you were supposed to join.”

  “Father, please,” Qing urged in a whisper. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure no one was watching. “We don’t want to cause a scene.”

  Zhu Yusheng folded his arms. “I know the duties of my position, daughter.”

  The words were directed at Qing—but the cut landed on Rhee.

  I don’t want that duty, she thought. I just want to be free to walk my path.

  That unspoken expectation—the suffocating inheritance of duty and obedience—was the very reason she had to escape. It was why she had spent the past three years pushing herself, quietly preparing for the day she could walk away. Even pressuring the school to recruit Ro Ishin had been part of that strategy. He had been her gamble—her final weapon in this bid for freedom. She had expected her grandfather’s anger.

  But that didn’t make the pain any less.

  “I’ll be honest, Rhee,” he said, voice low again. “I am disappointed in you.”

  The words hit harder than any blow.

  “Not only have you forsaken everything your parents and I have worked toward… but you’ve done so by joining an immoral sect.”

  “That’s not fair,” Qing said, her tone sharper now.

  “Isn’t it? Then tell me, Qing, which part of what I said was false?”

  Qing’s lips twisted, but she said nothing.

  Even my parents think this is a mistake, Rhee thought. They’ve always defended me. Always stood beside me. But not this time.

  “She can return,” Ning offered suddenly, trying to salvage the moment. “Once she’s reached the Adept Realm. With the resources of a Grand Sect and Rhee’s talent, she could break into the Merit Realm within ten years. Maybe even the Venerable Realm.”

  “You’re a fool, Ning, if you think she’ll return to us,” Yusheng snapped. “She’ll be changed by that place—or worse. She might not survive.”

  His eyes locked on Rhee’s again. “The Crimson Abyss Sect is cruel. Brutal. You’ve been coddled your whole life. You’ll regret this.”

  He thinks I’m weak.

  And perhaps he was right.

  She remembered the expedition to the Howling Scape Forest—the first time she had felt genuine fear. Even then, she thought, I was still under his protection.

  “What do you mean, ‘if’?” Qing asked. “Rhee already accepted Elder Zhou’s invitation.”

  “She can decline,” Yusheng said. “Say she reconsidered overnight. The school will offer compensation to ease any insult.”

  When he looked at her next, his expression softened slightly. “It’s not too late. You can still join the Righteous Mantle Sect. Elder Rea will welcome you.”

  All eyes turned to Rhee.

  She didn’t answer immediately. Her thoughts churned. She had wanted this for so long. To escape Yellow Dome. To choose her own future. But the fury in her grandfather’s voice… and the silence from her parents… crushed her spirit more than she had anticipated.

  “You’re right, Grandfather,” she said at last. Her voice did not waver. “I have been coddled. Sheltered behind the walls of this school and city. Even in the Howling Scape, your protection followed me.”

  She lifted her eyes and met his gaze with steel. “That’s exactly why I need to do this. I have to walk my own Immortal Path. Or I’ll never become the cultivator I’m meant to be.”

  Yusheng opened his mouth to speak, but she pressed forward.

  “My only regret is that the path I’ve chosen doesn’t align with the future you wanted for me. But it is my choice. And even if you can’t agree, I ask you to accept it.”

  Silence settled over the table. Then, Yusheng said, “This is still a mistake.”

  “Perhaps,” Rhee said firmly. “But it is mine to make.”

  Before anything more could be said, the private gathering was interrupted by a servant who sprinted up the dais. Her sudden appearance drew startled glances from the crowd, silencing conversations around the hall. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and loose strands of hair had fallen from her bun.

  Rhee’s heart sank.

  Something’s wrong.

  “What is it?” Grand Master Yusheng demanded.

  The servant bowed deeply, still catching her breath. “Apologies for the disturbance, Grand Master. But… Elder Zhou of the Crimson Abyss Sect… is at the front door.”