The sun dipped lower over Wudang’s mountain range, casting a golden glow over the sect’s private road. Juwon and his team made their way to the vehicles awaiting them— two matte black SUVs with reinforced exteriors, tinted windows, and non-traceable license plates.

  Their sleek but durable build made them ideal for the journey ahead.

  Yan Huai of the Stormbringer Pavilion whistled, running a hand over the hood.

  His scarred hands, proof of countless battles, traced the surface with appreciation. "Damn. Wudang really knows how to treat its disciples. Was half-expecting some run-down jeeps."

  Juwon smirked. "Taichen doesn’t do half-measures. These are armored, off-road capable, and have signal scrambling tech. Even if Hei Long has drones, tracking us won’t be easy."

  Zhen Yu of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion crossed his arms. His pristine white robes, untouched by dust, stood in stark contrast to the rugged setting.

  "Even so, we can’t just rely on tech. We need to keep changing routes. If they anticipate our movements, we’ll be walking into a trap."

  Luo Qing of the Phantom Shadow Pavilion leaned against the SUVs, arms crossed. His black robes blended into the growing shadows, his piercing blue eyes flickering with amusement. "So, are we actually following a plan, or are we just making it up as we go?"

  Bai Xueling of the Supreme Harmony Pavilion pulled out her phone, her silver eyes scanning the screen with calculated precision. "The first location is set. Xiangxi, a remote mountain village on the border of Hunan and Guizhou. Wudang’s intelligence suggests an old Hei Long facility was abandoned there years ago. We may find leftover data or hidden activity."

  Xu Weishan of the Ironclad Pavilion, a towering figure with bronzed skin, finally spoke. "And if it’s not abandoned?"

  Juwon tapped his phone, checking the map. "Then we adapt. We aren’t here to cause unnecessary fights. If the facility is occupied, we observe first and gather intel."

  Zhen Yu sighed. "Assuming they don’t recognize us. Wudang disciples aren’t exactly subtle."

  Juwon smirked. "That’s why we will be wearing something more fitting." He gestured to their outfits—sleek, black tactical suits, reinforced yet flexible, designed for both movement and protection.

  Each was subtly customized with lightweight armor plates and concealed compartments for hidden weapons and tools. "No sect robes, nothing that screams 'Wudang.' We move as professionals." He gestured to the vehicles. "Get in. We’ll go over the details on the way."

  The SUV roared to life, engines rumbling as they left Wudang’s isolated roads and merged onto the main highway.

  As they descended into the real world, the air in the car shifted, they were finally beyond Wudang’s protection.

  Juwon sat in the passenger seat of the lead SUV, with Luo Qing at the wheel. Bai Xueling and Zhen Yusat in the back, while Yan Huai and Xu Weishan, followed in the second vehicle. A tense silence lingered until Luo Qing, ever the instigator, broke it.

  "Alright, I have to ask—what exactly makes you qualified to lead this mission?" His tone was light, but there was an edge beneath it.

  Juwon didn’t react immediately, letting the words settle. "You don’t have to follow me. You can walk to Qinghai instead."

  Luo Qing smirked, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. "That’s not an answer. You’re weaker than most of us, newer to Wudang, and yet Taichen hands you command like a gift. You sure you don’t have some… connections?"

  Zhen Yu exhaled sharply. "Here we go."

  Bai Xueling didn’t even look up. "It doesn’t matter how he got the position. We have a mission."

  Yan Huai’s voice crackled through the radio from the second SUV. "I say we just let him prove himself. He screws up, we take over."

  Juwon finally spoke. "I don’t need anyone’s permission to prove myself. You’ll figure it out soon enough."

  Luo Qing chuckled but said nothing more.

  As the sky darkened, the SUVs turned onto a dirt road leading deep into the wilderness. Juwon checked the map on his phone before glancing out at the terrain. "It's another two hours to Xiangxi. Let’s set up camp here for the night." The air grew colder, the hum of insects replacing the distant rumble of the highway.

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  The group worked quickly, gathering wood and setting up a small campfire. The glow of the flames cast flickering shadows on their faces as they settled in for the night.

  With no nearby towns and the terrain becoming too rough to continue, they decided to make camp for the night in a secluded clearing near a gently flowing river.

  The air grew colder, and the distant outline of Xiangxi Village appeared against the mountains.

  Seated around the fire, the group slowly relaxed, the flickering flames adding a strange warmth to their otherwise serious mission.

  The conversation turned lighter as the hours passed, the initial tension easing. Yan Huai, ever the talker, stretched his arms behind his head and grinned. "Alright, since we’ve got hours to kill, let’s make this less miserable. Someone tell me something interesting. Tragic backstory? Secret techniques? Embarrassing moments from training? Or are we all just going to pretend we’re emotionless warriors?"

  Zhen Yu scoffed. "You just want gossip. Should’ve figured. If you put half the effort you put into it into your training you would have been an elder?"

  Yan Huai scoffed. " Oh then why aren’t you an elder yet you stuck up martial fanatic. Hehe..Obviously. Who doesn’t like a good story? The kind that makes you question your life choices. Like, say, a certain someone’s disastrous first attempt at swordplay?" He wiggled his brows dramatically, earning an eye-roll from Zhen Yu.

  Zhen Yu scoffed. "You’re not seriously bringing that up."

  "Oh, but I am," Yan Huai grinned. "Tell me, fearless swordsman, how exactly does one end up cutting their own belt mid-duel and spending the rest of the fight trying to hold their pants up?"

  Zhen Yu scoffed again, "You wanna fight you moron?"

  Yan Huai stepped up clashing his forehead with Yu’s , “Bring it on you asshole”

  Juwon sighed, “Hah! you two seem like best friends or something”

  Both of them angrily, “We are NOT”

  Luo Qing, lazily gripping the wooden log he is sitting on, glanced at Bai Xueling. "Xueling? Ever lost a duel?"

  She barely spared him a glance. "No."

  “Want to taste your first defeat?”

  ”I won’t”

  Yan Huai chuckled. "Wow, scary. What about you, fearless leader? Bet you’ve got at least one humiliating loss tucked away. Maybe a grand tumble off Wudang’s sacred peak?"

  Juwon smirked. "Losses? Just lessons disguised as setbacks. The real mistake is not learning from them."

  Juwon laying down on the logs of wood with a hand on his forehead, gave out a faint smile, “What a rowdy bunch”

  They continued talking, eventually breaking some ice between them. Laughter breaking through the usual tension.

  Bai Xueling, despite her usual restraint, let out the faintest chuckle, while Xu Weishan shook his head as if questioning how any of them had survived training at all.

  Though no one would admit it, the conversations gradually eased the weight of the mission ahead. After a while, as the fire crackled and the night deepened,

  Juwon leaned back against a log and glanced around the group. "Since we're killing time, I’m curious—why did you all start learning martial arts?"

  Yan Huai grinned. "Simple. I like hitting things and being the strongest. Turns out Wudang liked that attitude."

  Zhen Yu smirked. "Refinement. Discipline. The sword is an extension of the self. I wanted to master something absolute."

  Xu Weishan spoke without hesitation. "To protect my family."

  Bai Xueling remained silent for a moment before replying in her usual calm tone. "It was expected of me."

  Luo Qing exhaled sharply, keeping his eyes on the campfire. "Because I had no other choice."

  As the fire burned lower, they decided to take turns keeping watch while the others rested. Juwon, unable to sleep, heard the faint sound of flowing water in the distance.

  Trusting his instincts, he stood and quietly walked toward it, sensing the presence of a river not far from their camp.

  Later that night, when the others had settled around the fire or in their tents, Juwon walked toward the river.

  The moon reflected off the water, casting a silvery glow over the clearing. He sat cross-legged on a flat rock near the riverbank, inhaling deeply as he began to cultivate.

  His Qi flowed smoothly, merging with the natural energy around him. The sounds of the night faded as he focused inward, refining his foundation.

  A soft rustle behind him broke his concentration.

  Bai Xueling stood a few paces away, her silver eyes calm as they reflected the moonlight. "You don’t sleep much, do you?"

  Juwon smirked but kept his posture. "I rest when I need to. This journey is too important to waste time. Unlike some people I train even when I'm not 'expected' to"

  She stepped closer, arms folded. "I meant what I said before. Martial arts was expected of me. The

  Bai family has two branches—one devoted to medicine, the other to combat. I was born into the latter."

  Juwon opened his eyes slightly. "So you never had a choice?"

  Bai Xueling exhaled softly. "Not really. But expectation and reality are different things. Just because something is expected of you doesn’t mean you resent it." She tilted her head. "What about you?"

  Juwon considered his answer before replying. "I was never meant for this world. I was dragged into it." He exhaled slowly, looking at the moon’s reflection on the water. "There were times I almost died. Arm severed; legs broken. I thought none of this mattered. That only path meant for me was death. But whether it was fate or misfortune, I am alive and I ended up here. And if I'm here, then I refuse to walk blindly. If this world wants me in it, I’ll carve my own path."

  Bai Xueling watched him, her silver eyes unreadable. "A path chosen, rather than given."

  Juwon smirked. "Isn’t that what separates us from those who only follow expectations?"

  Before Bai Xueling could respond, a deep, guttural growl echoed through the trees. The air tensed.

  A shadow moved beyond the treeline, eyes glinting unnaturally in the dark. Something was watching them.

  A faint growl of a beast can be heard behind the trees along with a pair of red glowing eyes in the shadows.

  Juwon slowly rose to his feet, his Qi already circulating. "Hah, that's another Deja Vu for ya!"

  Xueling's fingers flexed slightly, ready to move. Whatever it was, it wasn’t normal.

  A dark aura was emanating from behind the trees.

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