Although Van had just met w.a.n.g Hao for the first time, he gamely stepped forward and cupped his hands. In front of the strong, play nice!

"Congratulations, Senior Disciple w.a.n.g Hao, on entering the 8th level!"

There was a series of gasps from the spectators.

"It's true. w.a.n.g Hao has entered the 8th level!"

"Doesn't this mean he was in the 7th level for only four months…?"

"Incredible!"

"If he wasn't only in the 6th level during the last Inner Disciple Qualifying tournament, w.a.n.g Hao would be an inner disciple already."

"Well, he'll definitely get in the next one!"

"There's only five spots. I wonder who else will advance to the inner sect?"

The chatter continued.

Though he was not impressively built, w.a.n.g Hao could sense that young disciple in front of him had hidden depths.

"Hn," w.a.n.g Hao said in reply.

There was an extended silence that neither Van nor w.a.n.g Hao felt the need to fill. From the outside, this seemed an incredibly awkward first meeting. All the disciples felt a keen sense of second-hand embarra.s.sment. After all, Van had just taken the glory away from w.a.n.g Hao.

"You are Van?" w.a.n.g Hao asked at length.

The duo continued to look calmly at each other.

"Mm," Van acknowledged after a long time.

Mystra, who had been listening with a keen ear, nearly fell over. What was this incredibly dry conversation?

There was a longer silence.

Van blinked.

There was a long pause.

The crowd leaned closer. They all wanted to hear the words that would fall from his lips!

w.a.n.g Hao's mouth opened slightly.

"How many ribs?"

[…]

The spectators were confused.

"Only eight," Van commiserated, "The others got away."

Silence.

A tiny smile cracked w.a.n.g Hao's cold visage.

The crowd was stunned. The infamous 'Ice Statue' had cracked a smile!

The girls in the crowd swooned. Who knew when the Ice Statue smiled, he became even prettier!?

"Good," the elder disciple said. His face was once more impa.s.sive.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Faster than Van could react, w.a.n.g Hao patted him on the back three times.

"You did well, Junior Brother."

Van was taken aback by w.a.n.g Hao's speed. But more than that, he was stunned by his words.

[…This is probably the first time someone within Cedar Sect has genuinely called me 'Junior Brother'!]

A small warmth curled up behind Van's ribs.

w.a.n.g Hao turned to the crowd and bowed stiffly, "Apologies, Junior Sisters and Brothers. I exited seclusion too late to be of use. You must thank Junior Brother Van for saving our Cedar Sect's face." 

The crowd gathered close. Everyone wanted to meet and talk to Van after his spectacular performance.

Overwhelmed, Van threw a look at Ryan but found that his friend had already started snoring as he napped against a tree.

"actually…I must really go now," Van said as he pushed away a rabid fangirl by the face, "I just returned from a mission in the Blizzard Plains and need to urgently report the results to… uh to get the rewards before the deadline."

w.a.n.g Hao nodded. He gave Van a pointed look that seemed to say [watch this!]

Van raised a brow.

w.a.n.g Hao coughed to get everyone's attention.

"I have developed a new sword art, is anyone interested?" he asked loudly.

The crowd's attention was immediately captured.

"Me!"

"Me!"

"I want to see!"

They pushed towards the top outer disciple.

"First, you must give me some s.p.a.ce…" w.a.n.g Hao said as he drew his sword.

The crowd was enraptured.

Van threw w.a.n.g Hao a grateful look and yanked Ryan away from his tree.

__________

The moment Van and Ryan disappeared, a thin young man with mousy brown hair sidled up to w.a.n.g Hao as he was doing his demonstrations and whispered in his ear.

"Senior Brother!" The brown-haired youth hissed, maroon eyes flas.h.i.+ng, "You must deal with that brat as soon as possible!"

w.a.n.g Hao's expression remained unchanged. His hand flicked his sword as if it were merely a feather, sending silver sword lights through the air. The crowd oohed and ahhed.

The youth continued fervently, "Don't you see how he just upstaged you? The only thing the sect will remember is w.a.n.g Hao was too cowardly to show up, and how brave he was when he challenged the Boulder Sect. Don't think he acted out of the goodness in his heart, he just wanted to grab some attention and show off. The entire outer sect will echo with his name for days! If you don't put up your guard against him, sooner or later that upstart will try and take your position from you!"

w.a.n.g Hao finally looked at the brown-haired youth. The sword lights dissipated.

 "Mad Horse, it is not that easy to defeat me."

The mousy-haired youth, Mad Horse, narrowed his eyes, "You are too naïve, w.a.n.g Hao! You know as well as I that there only five disciples are allowed into the inner sect every two years. If you want to ensure your place, you should nip problems like this in the bud. There is still over a year until the next Inner Disciple Qualifying tournament, the worst thing to do during this time is to let these upstarts freely spread their wings!"

Mad Horse sneered at Van's distant form.

w.a.n.g Hao inspected Mad Horse carefully. After a moment, the top outer disciple nodded to himself.

"I do not think I am the one afraid of being upstaged, Junior Brother…You should watch out for yourself."

Mad Horse's eyes widened.

 "You!" He spluttered.

w.a.n.g Hao lifted a brow and swished his sleeves. A fierce aura exploded from his sword and a flurry of sword lights sliced through the air.

The crowd cheered.

Frightened, Mad Horse took a step back.

It was clearly a warning.

______

Sect Master Musheng was roused from deep contemplation by polite knocking at his door.

"Come in," the elegant sect master said as he stowed away the map he had been inspecting. His lilac eyes were red at the corners, showing just how long he had spent poring over the musty files in his chamber.

Tutor Zhang came in. He had a pleased look on his old face.

"Outer Disciple Van has returned from his endeavour and wishes to speak with you!"

Musheng raised a brow, "From your pleased expression, I garner he has been able to fulfil the first requirement?"

Tutor Zhang just smiled again, "I'll let you see for yourself. It seems my eyesight was pretty good this time!"

Musheng smiled, "Very well, bring the young man in."

Tutor Zhang returned briefly outside and ushered a young red-haired disciple in. Presumably, this was Outer Disciple Van. His youth showed in his relatively slight frame and his dark eyes were clear and bright.

A brief look was all it took for Sect Master Musheng to understand Tutor Zhang's seemingly cryptic words.

"It seems some congratulations are in order, young man," Musheng said lightly, "Reaching the 7th level of Qi Distillation in two months is no small feat."

The young disciple immediately knelt and paid his respects, "Sect Master flatters. Without the opportunities the sect afforded me, a lowly servant would not have been able to come so far."

The Sect Master appraised him with warm lilac eyes, "Outer Disciple Van, you are too humble."

"I asked only for you to reach the 6th rank, but you have exceeded my expectations. Being in the 7th rank shall help you immensely in the Monster Mausoleum."

Van felt a sense of pride suffuse his body.

[I have come a long way since Mountain Village!]

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"You have fulfilled my first condition, but you must remember that there is a second: During the inter-sect compet.i.tion in the Monster Mausoleum, you must lead a battalion of ten other outer disciples and perform exceptionally. And when I say exceptionally, I expect that you will at least endure until the 5th wave. You will be the captain for a battalion of 6th and 7th level disciples. Including yours, there will be twenty teams in total. The most important thing will be strategy and teamwork," Musheng advised Van.

 Below him, the kneeling young man nodded.

"I will not disappoint you, Sect Master!"

Musheng nodded, "You may rise."

Van stood up.

"Your cultivation has advanced greatly in a short amount of time. There is still a week left before we embark for the inter-sect compet.i.tion. I suggest you use this time to consolidate your cultivation and make ample preparations."

Musheng smiled, "If there is nothing else, you may leave."

The young man in front of him spoke up, "Actually, Sect Master. I have something important to report about my experience in the Blizzard Plains."

Musheng's eyebrows rose, "Pray tell."

______

Sect Master Musheng looked incredibly weary when Van was done recounting the events of the last month or so.

 "He said that they would attack when the Six Nation Alliance was distracted? This general?"

Van nodded, "Altemuller…he said that the only way we can remove the demons infecting the disciple's minds is with Mind Bore Beetles."

"Altemuller? I cannot place the name but it seems pa.s.singly familiar," Musheng said, "As for the Mind Bore Beetles - they are not hard to find, but to breed the numbers we need will not be easy…"

The Sect Master tapped his elegant fingers on his knee, "I must ask - do you have proof of your claim? I do trust you, Disciple Van, but to mobilise the sects require enormous resources."

Van frowned, "I believe that the Ice Caves in the Blizzard Plains contain ample proof. Perhaps a someone could be sent to investigate the matter? Alternatively, I believe any disciple who has returned from a mission and experienced dizzy spells afterwards should be checked for demonic possession. If indeed, such a demon is found, isn't that proof enough?"

Musheng nodded slowly, "I will send an Elder to check the situation. It would be impossible to know the extent of infection but I'm afraid it is far more widespread than we would like to believe."

"Once the results come back, I will have to communicate with the other Sect Masters in Dragon City to coordinate a cleansing. Secrecy is of the utmost importance, Van. I trust that you will keep these events in your confidence?"

Van nodded, "I only want Cloud River to be safe."

Sect Master Musheng's face smoothed, "As do I. Do not worry, Van. You have done a great contribution to the sect and Cloud River by bringing this information to me. Once we have cleansed our disciples, I will also examine our teaching staff. With all our sects cooperating, this mysterious enemy's plans will be cut off before they can even be started."

______

Once the young disciple left, Musheng sat back in his chair with a deep look on his face.

When Tutor Zhang returned, he sensed the Sect Master's disquiet and couldn't help but enquire if anything was the matter.

Musheng looked at the old tutor, "You have been one of the pillars of the sect for a long time, Old Zhang. What I have learned today – if true – is concerning. It could explain some of the incidents that have been occurring in the sect for a long time. Not only Elder Lang's crazed behaviour, but also older events…"

Tutor Zhang was surprised, "You mean… you think those things have a connection with Disciple Van's discoveries?"

 "It is not likely, but what if…?" Sect Master Musheng shook his head, "How goes the preparations for the Windswept Realm?"

"They are going as we planned," Tutor Zhang responded.

Musheng relaxed, "Good. We cannot allow any mistakes to be made."