The Next Morning — Blazing Sun Hall
The first rays of the morning sun filtered through the window, bathing the room in a warm golden glow.
Scarlet’s eyelashes fluttered.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
For a moment, she simply stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.
"..."
Then, the events of the previous day came flooding back.
The young man who had saved her... and brought her here.
She instinctively reached for the wound on her back.
"Hm?"
Her crimson eyes widened slightly.
The deep sword wound was gone.
Only a faint scar remained.
She sat up carefully.
Although her body still felt somewhat weak from blood loss, the unbearable pain from yesterday had completely disappeared.
"What kind of healing medicine did he use...?"
Even a Mid-Grade Healing Pill shouldn’t have been able to heal such severe injuries overnight.
She slowly climbed out of bed.
The room was simple yet surprisingly clean.
Apart from the bed and a wooden table, there was little furniture.
Pushing open the wooden door, Scarlet stepped outside.
A gentle breeze greeted her.
The moment she looked up, she froze.
"..."
Towering halls stood proudly atop the mountain.
White jade pillars gleamed beneath the morning sunlight, while crimson rooftops stretched across the sect grounds.
Spirit trees swayed gently in the breeze.
Clear streams wound through elegant stone pathways.
For a moment, Scarlet felt as though she had stepped out of a muddy swamp and into the sanctuary of immortals.
The air itself was rich with spiritual qi.
She took an unconscious breath.
The surrounding spiritual qi flowed into her body on its own.
Her eyes widened.
"This..."
"The spiritual qi here..."
"It must be several times denser than in Azure Maple City."
Even the cultivation chambers of the Morvain Family couldn’t compare to this place.
She looked around in disbelief.
How could such a magnificent sect exist deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains?
Just then, a familiar voice sounded behind her.
"You’re awake."
Scarlet turned around.
Raeshan walked toward her with a faint smile.
He wore the same black and dark-blue Daoist robes as before, his expression calm and relaxed.
"It seems your recovery is faster than I expected."
Scarlet bowed slightly.
"Thank you... for saving my life."
Raeshan waved his hand.
"No need to thank me."
"It was simply fate."
He cleared his throat.
"There is, however, one thing I’d like to ask you."
Scarlet looked at him curiously.
"What is it, Senior?"
Raeshan met her gaze.
"Scarlet Morvain."
"Are you willing to become my personal disciple?"
The question caught her completely off guard.
"...Your disciple?"
Raeshan nodded.
"That’s right."
"I want you to join Blazing Sun Hall."
"You don’t need to give me your answer immediately."
"Take your time and think it over."
Scarlet stood silently, her crimson eyes fixed on him.
After everything that had happened yesterday...
The proposal felt almost unreal.
Scarlet looked at him for a moment before asking,
"Senior... where exactly am I?"
Raeshan glanced toward the towering hall behind him.
"This place is called Blazing Sun Hall."
"It’s my sect."
Scarlet blinked.
"A sect...?"
She looked around once more.
Despite the magnificent halls and the rich spiritual qi, the entire mountain was strangely quiet.
She frowned.
"I don’t see any other disciples."
Raeshan coughed awkwardly.
"..."
An uncomfortable silence settled between them.
Scarlet looked at him.
Then at the enormous sect.
Then back at him again.
"...?"
Raeshan maintained a perfectly straight face.
"At the moment..."
"We don’t have any disciples."
Another brief silence followed.
Scarlet didn’t know how to respond.
A sect this magnificent...
Yet not a single disciple?
It sounded completely unbelievable.
But the empty courtyards and silent training grounds before her made it impossible to doubt.
Raeshan smiled as if nothing were unusual.
"Come."
"I’ll show you around."
Scarlet hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod.
"...All right."
She quietly followed behind him, her curiosity about Blazing Sun Hall growing with every step.
Raeshan led Scarlet along the stone pathway that wound through the mountain.
The morning mist had yet to fully disperse, giving the entire sect an ethereal appearance.
"This is the Main Hall."
He pointed toward the magnificent building standing at the heart of the sect.
"It is where future disciples will receive teachings, discuss cultivation, and handle the affairs of the sect."
Scarlet nodded silently.
They continued walking.
Soon, they arrived before a row of elegant courtyards.
"These are the disciple residences."
"Each disciple will have a private courtyard for cultivation."
Scarlet glanced inside one of them.
The courtyard was spacious and peaceful. A small stream flowed through a bamboo grove, while several spirit trees swayed gently in the breeze.
It was far superior to the residence she had once occupied as the Young Miss of the Morvain Family.
Raeshan continued introducing the sect.
"That area is the Spirit Herb Garden."
"When the herbs mature, they can be refined into medicinal pills."
He pointed toward another mountain peak.
"And beneath this mountain lies a Spirit Gathering Formation."
"It continuously gathers the surrounding spiritual qi, making cultivation here several times faster than in ordinary sects."
Scarlet’s heart skipped a beat.
A Spirit Gathering Formation...
Only major sects possessed treasures of that level.
Yet this seemingly unknown sect had one.
The two continued walking until they reached the top of the mountain.
The entire Blazing Sun Hall lay beneath them.
Towering halls.
Elegant courtyards.
Lush spirit fields.
Dense spiritual qi.
Scarlet couldn’t help but ask,
"Senior..."
"If Blazing Sun Hall possesses such a foundation..."
"Why have I never heard of it?"
Raeshan smiled faintly.
"Our sect has been hidden from the world for many years."
"We do not seek fame."
"We seek only worthy disciples."
He looked toward the distant horizon.
"The heritage of Blazing Sun Hall is far older than the families and sects surrounding Azure Maple City."
"One day..."
"Our name will once again shake the cultivation world."
His calm voice carried absolute confidence.
... (￣▽￣)
For some reason...
( •⌄• )
Scarlet found herself believing him.
She looked around once more.
Everything she had seen today exceeded the Morvain Family in every aspect.
This place possessed rich spiritual qi, powerful formations, and resources that even noble families could only dream of.
Raeshan turned to face her.
"Scarlet."
"I’ve shown you everything."
"There is one final question."
He looked directly into her crimson eyes.
"Are you willing to join Blazing Sun Hall..."
"...and become my personal disciple?"
Scarlet fell silent.
She lowered her head, deep in thought.
Only yesterday, she had been abandoned by her family, mocked as a waste, and hunted by assassins.
She had lost everything.
Yet today...
She stood within a mysterious sect hidden deep in the Ten Thousand Mountains.
Its master had saved her life without asking for anything in return.
Its cultivation environment surpassed even that of the Morvain Family.
And most importantly...
This was a chance.
Perhaps the greatest chance she would ever receive.
If she refused...
Where would she go?
Return to Azure Maple City?
She would only be hunted again.
Live as a wandering cultivator?
Without resources or protection, surviving would be difficult.
But if she joined Blazing Sun Hall...
She would have a place to belong.
A chance to grow stronger.
A chance to change her fate.
Scarlet slowly raised her head.
The hesitation in her eyes disappeared, replaced by determination.
She took a step forward.
Then knelt on one knee before Raeshan.
"Disciple Scarlet Morvain..."
"...greets Master."
The moment the words left her lips, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in Raeshan’s mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host.]
[Scarlet Morvain has officially become your first disciple.]
[Master-Disciple Bond successfully established.]
Raeshan smiled.
He raised his hand and gently motioned for her to stand.
"Rise."
"From today onward..."
"You are the First Disciple of Blazing Sun Hall."
Scarlet stood up, her heart filled with emotions she could not describe.
She no longer belonged to the Morvain Family.
From this day forward...
She belonged to Blazing Sun Hall.
***
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