The sun had already risen when Jin opened his eyes. The faint morning light filtered through the inn room’s window, illuminating the dust suspended in the air.

  Sitting on the bed with his legs crossed, he slowly circulated his Qi according to the Pure Qi Breathing technique. Over time he had developed the habit of doing it every morning; even before washing his face or leaving the room, he first had to stabilize his energy.

  Qi flowed through his meridians with a steady rhythm, like a calm river running through channels already familiar. However, as he guided it along his usual circuit, Jin frowned.

  For the past one or two months he had been feeling the same thing.

  No matter how much Qi he accumulated, the next breakthrough seemed distant.

  That puzzled him. Up to the seventh level of Qi Condensation his progress had been relatively fast, almost natural. But now… the growth had stopped as if he had hit an invisible wall.

  For a few moments he continued guiding the energy patiently, observing each flow, each return to the dantian, searching for any irregularity.

  He found nothing.

  A bottleneck? he thought with some uncertainty.

  In the end he decided not to force it. He cleared his mind, completed the final circulation cycle, and slowly released a mouthful of turbid air. The breath came out heavy, carrying away the impurities accumulated during the night.

  Jin opened his eyes.

  He calmly stood up and began to dress. He took his robe, adjusting it with relaxed movements, and then gathered his long black hair into a ponytail, tying it with a ribbon.

  After that, he packed his few belongings.

  As he did, his gaze fell on his hand.

  The strange ring he had obtained the day before rested on his finger, dark and silent, as if it had never had anything special about it.

  Jin observed it for a few seconds before letting out a small sigh.

  Without thinking too much about it, he turned toward the door, left the room, and began to go down the inn’s stairs.

  The morning murmur of the tavern filled the air: merchants eating breakfast in a hurry, travelers speaking in low voices, and the simple but comforting aroma of hot food.

  Without giving much importance to the bustle, Jin sat at a nearby table and ordered something simple. He ate calmly, without hurry, while absentmindedly watching the comings and goings of people. Once he finished, he left a few coins on the table to pay for the breakfast.

  After that he stood up, adjusted his robe, and walked toward the exit of the tavern.

  The morning light illuminated the cobbled streets of the great city. Jin moved forward without hesitation, heading toward the southern gate. His intention was clear: return to the sect as soon as possible.

  However, after walking for a few minutes, his expression changed slightly.

  There was something… strange.

  He heard very light footsteps. So soft that for an ordinary person they would have gone completely unnoticed. But for someone at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, the attempt at stealth was almost… childish.

  Jin did not stop immediately. He continued walking as if nothing had happened, allowing the figures behind him to follow him for several more streets.

  Until finally, when he was already near the great southern gate of the city, he stopped abruptly.

  Without turning around yet, he spoke loudly enough for them to hear.

  "Uhm… I don’t know why you’re following me, but I’m extremely poor. I have nothing of value that you could steal."

  For a second everything fell silent.

  Then Jin turned around naturally.

  "So—"

  Five small figures jumped almost at the same time, startled.

  The five girls looked at each other with their eyes wide open. Clearly they believed their stealth had been perfect… until a few seconds ago.

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  One of them even took a small step back in surprise.

  Jin observed them calmly. They were five girls, all dressed in luxurious and decorated cultivation robes, clearly important young disciples. Their ages did not seem very different from his own.

  For a moment, the silence became a little awkward.

  Finally, Jin slightly tilted his head.

  "…So?"

  His gaze swept over the small group.

  "Are you going to rob me as a group of five?"

  His tone was completely serious.

  But the scene… was not serious at all.

  Jin and the five young girls stared at each other in silence for a few moments. The air between them seemed suspended, filled with an awkwardness difficult to describe. Finally, one of them coughed softly, breaking the tension. With a somewhat abrupt gesture, she brought her hand to her hood and removed it, revealing her face.

  She was, without a doubt, a beautiful young girl. Her features still retained a faint trace of childhood; her cheeks had that slight roundness that revealed youth, although her eyes tried to project an authority she had not fully mastered yet.

  Seeing that her supposed stealth had been discovered, she crossed her arms firmly, lifting her chin slightly as if that alone were enough to regain control of the situation.

  "Umm… well. You are undoubtedly strong, since you were able to detect us."

  Hearing that made Jin blink slowly.

  Eh?

  "Good, very good," the young girl continued, nodding to herself as if she had just confirmed something important. "You have undoubtedly passed the test."

  The young girl took a step forward, adopting the tone of someone who was granting an enormous favor.

  "After careful deliberation… we have decided to give you the honor of accompanying us."

  After hearing that Jin frowned.

  "Accompany you?"

  "That’s right," she replied naturally. "We are about to begin a small adventure. Recently we discovered a strange cave outside the city. A place that might contain treasures, ancient techniques, or even some hidden legacy. Naturally, someone with your ability could be… useful."

  Behind her, the other four girls nodded with expressions that shifted between curiosity and poorly concealed excitement.

  "So we are giving you an opportunity," the leader added with a magnanimous air. "You may join us in the exploration."

  Jin remained completely still for a second and a single thought remained in his mind.

  This smells bad.

  His instinct began screaming at him with all its strength.

  Trouble. In fact, big trouble.

  First: five young girls who clearly had some status in a sect.

  Second: a “mysterious cave.”

  Third: an “honor” he had never asked for.

  The combination was suspiciously familiar.

  This sounds exactly like those absurd situations where the protagonist enters a cave, finds a treasure… and then some arrogant young master appears claiming it, or some calamity happens.

  Jin inhaled slowly.

  His instinct kept screaming loudly; run before this turns into a problem that ends up involving clans, vendettas, and chases across half the province.

  He sighed quietly to calm his growing premonition.

  Jin opened his mouth to politely refuse. In his mind he was already forming a reasonable excuse —some story about pending tasks or urgent training— when the girl who seemed to be the leader raised her hand.

  Between her fingers appeared a small insignia.

  It was a token the size of the palm of a hand, made of an unknown material that reflected the light with a soft and deep glow. On its surface was engraved a lotus wrapped in flames, an elegant and melancholic image at the same time, as if the fire did not consume the flower, but protected it.

  Upon seeing it, Jin froze for an instant.

  …

  If he remembered correctly…

  His eyes narrowed slightly as his memory searched through the fragments of knowledge he had accumulated while reading in the sect’s library.

  That is the insignia of the disciples of one of the four great sects…

  Uhm… what was it called…?

  Something like… the Celestial Burning Lotus Sect.

  He vaguely remembered that it was a sect famous for accepting only women.

  While Jin was thinking in silence, the five young girls exchanged excited looks between themselves. From their perspective, Jin’s silence and concentrated expression only meant one thing:

  He was seriously considering their proposal.

  One of the girls stepped forward enthusiastically.

  "Yes, senior brother!" she said with a bright smile. "Our sects are allies, so of course we must help each other."

  Another nodded quickly.

  "Exactly! Exactly! That’s right!"

  Allies… since when? Jin seriously wondered.

  His gaze moved from one young girl to another. All of them looked at him with expectant eyes, as if they had already decided the outcome of the conversation.

  His instinct kept screaming trouble, lots of trouble. Jin really wanted to refuse getting involved in a possibly chaotic situation. He had no reason to accompany them.

  He owed nothing to this group of girls who had clearly run away without having the slightest idea how the world outside their sect actually worked.

  However… Jin observed them in silence.

  They were young. Too young. Their faces still retained that mixture of naivety and confidence that only someone protected their entire life could have. None of them seemed aware of the dangers that existed beyond the walls of a sect.

  If they stay alone… something might happen to them.

  That thought made him frown slightly. It was not his responsibility, but if something did happen…

  he knew very well that thought would haunt him for a long time.

  Besides, they had said their sects were allies. If that turned out to be true, and for some reason it was discovered that he had had the opportunity to help them but decided to leave…

  then that would definitely become a problem.

  Jin let out a faint internal sigh. He had no choice but, against his instinct, to finally nod.

  "Alright. I will accompany you."

  The effect of his answer was immediate.

  The girls let out small cries of excitement and practically jumped in place, as if they had been holding their breath waiting for that response. Some even started talking to each other enthusiastically, while others looked at him with a mixture of admiration and relief.

  The one who seemed to be the leader simply nodded calmly, as if from the beginning she had known what the result would be.

  "Good, there is no time to lose," she said naturally. "We must go as quickly as possible before the master finds out."

  While she spoke, she was already walking toward the exit with determined steps.

  Jin, on the other hand, froze in place.

  …Before the master finds out? Jin thought with growing concern.