Deep within the Tianyan Pavilion, the spiritual pressure from moments earlier had yet to fade completely.
Several elders had gathered inside the hall, each standing in a different position.
Song Yan stood beside the formation, his cyan robes neat and solemn, his posture straight and composed.
He was responsible for overseeing deliberations and handling many of the Tianyan Pavilion’s internal affairs.
Calm by nature and rarely impulsive, he seldom voiced his opinion unless it was necessary.
Yet whenever a dispute reached an impasse, Song Yan was often the one capable of settling it.
Wang Shan stood on the opposite side.
His long white beard fell across his chest, while his sharp eyes carried a pressure that had not diminished with age.
Unlike Song Yan, Wang Shan believed in strength and decisive suppression.
In his view, anything that posed a potential threat should be brought under control before it had the chance to grow beyond restraint.
Among the elders of the Tianyan Pavilion, he was one of the few who openly supported such forceful methods.
Su Lin stood farther away with both hands tucked into his sleeves, his expression mild but thoughtful.
Compared with the other two, he was noticeably more cautious.
For many years, he had been responsible for observation and deduction, studying changes in fate and interpreting unusual signs.
Because of that, he rarely reached a conclusion before he believed he had seen enough.
This place was only one branch of the Tianyan Pavilion.
Although it stood within Qingqiu, it did not belong to Qingqiu.
The Tianyan Pavilion existed independently, separate from the various peaks and their internal authority.
Its duty was to oversee matters involving fate and anomalies, especially those whose destinies had strayed beyond the ordinary path.
Because of this, the Tianyan Pavilion held an unusual position within Qingqiu, and its authority was no less significant than that of the major peaks.
For a brief moment, no one in the hall spoke.
The traces of spiritual pressure left behind by the confrontation outside still lingered faintly in the air.
Wang Shan was the first to break the silence.
“Her aura hasn’t stabilized.”
His tone was unhurried, but the weight behind his words immediately made the atmosphere heavier.
“And yet she’s already responding instinctively.”
Su Lin’s expression grew more serious.
He had clearly sensed everything that had happened outside.
“She didn’t move just now,” he said after a pause.
“Yet no one could suppress her.”
The hall fell quiet again.
Wang Shan let out a cold laugh, though there was no amusement in it.
“That is precisely why this is not a good thing.” The source of this chapter is g.com.
His gaze sharpened.
“A fate like hers is already reacting before it has even fully stabilized.
If it loses control, no one can predict the consequences.”
Then he delivered his judgment without hesitation.
“Seal it.”
Song Yan and Su Lin both turned toward him.
Wang Shan’s expression remained hard.
“While her fate has yet to take shape completely, suppress the Fated Flame and force it back into dormancy.”
His words settled heavily over the hall.
But no one immediately agreed.
The silence that followed was even heavier than before.
After a long moment, Song Yan finally spoke.
His voice was not loud, yet a single question was enough to bring the discussion to a halt.
“Can you seal it?”
Wang Shan’s expression darkened.
He did not answer.
For several breaths, the hall remained completely silent.
They all knew what had happened.
Yu Jin had awakened while still under an existing seal.
The Fire Phoenix had manifested.
The Fate Mark had broken free.
And now, before her newly awakened power had even stabilized, her instinctive response alone had been enough to resist the spiritual pressure of an Inner Pavilion disciple.
Sealing her again was far easier said than done.
Su Lin let out a quiet sigh.
“She awakened while still under a seal.”
He lowered his gaze, considering everything they had witnessed.
“And that seal…”
His voice slowed.
“It seemed more like protection.”
The atmosphere inside the pavilion changed the moment those words fell.
Song Yan remained silent.
If Su Lin was right, then the seal placed upon Yu Jin had never truly existed to suppress her.
It had been protecting her.
Silence stretched between the three elders.
Finally, Wang Shan spoke again, his voice tense and cold.
“Then we have even less reason to let her go.”
His expression hardened.
“Something like this—”
He did not get to finish.
A voice suddenly came from the deepest part of the Tianyan Pavilion.
Low.
Calm.
Without the slightest trace of emotion.
Yet the moment it sounded, everyone in the hall fell silent.
“Since she has awakened…”
The voice paused briefly.
“Let her leave Qingqiu.”
Wang Shan’s expression shifted, but he did not interrupt.
The voice continued from the shadows.
“Keep her in the Tianyan Pavilion.”
Another brief pause followed.
“Let us see how far she can go.”
There was no hesitation or uncertainty in those words.
It was not a suggestion.
It was a decision.
After a moment, the voice added calmly, “If she strays from the path…”
The entire hall seemed to grow still.
“We’ll deal with it then.”
The final words settled over the pavilion.
No one argued.
No one questioned the decision.
The remaining spiritual pressure in the hall gradually receded.
After that, no one spoke again.