A crescent moon hung in the pitch-black sky, casting a pale, sickly silver light. Pure white snowflakes drifted down in lazy spirals—light, graceful, and coldly beautiful.

It was a perfect night to appreciate the winter scenery. Yet, inside a meeting room in Wuji Market, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.

Three men sat around a table. In the center was a youth in his early twenties—Lu Anchen. His skin was fair, his features refined, and his brow carried a hint of innate heroism. However, that handsome face was currently twisted with frustration.

“Elder Lu, the Wei Family is out of control! What do we do?” the middle-aged man beside him demanded, his voice trembling with anxiety.

Lu Anchen’s face was livid, his jaw set in a hard line. He remained silent.

Ever since Sect Leader Wu Zheng sacrificed himself to save them, the Xuanyang Sect had been in freefall. They had become pariahs, a target for everyone’s scorn and greed.

Although Li Qingdu offered verbal protection, it was toothless. The three major powers of the market were slowly cannibalizing them, stripping away their assets piece by piece.

And with the escalating conflict between the Wuji Sect and the Dragon Tiger Sect, Li Qingdu was swamped. He had no time to babysit a dying faction.

Sensing weakness, Wei Feng had become rampant. Today alone, he had swallowed two of the Xuanyang Sect’s shops.

Just as the silence threatened to crack, the heavy oak door creaked open. An old man shuffled in.

His face was a map of deep wrinkles, weathered by years of hardship. This was the External Affairs Elder of the Xuanyang Sect.

Seeing the desolate look in the old man’s eyes, Lu Anchen’s heart sank. “What news?”

“Ah…” The Elder sighed, slumping into a chair. “Shopkeeper He reported that the Yueman Tower cannot open for business. It will likely remain closed for the next few days.”

Lu Anchen’s voice turned icy. “Why?”

The Yueman Tower was their crown jewel, their primary source of Spirit Stones. Every day it remained closed was a hemorrhage the sect couldn’t afford.

The Elder waved a tired hand. “The staff didn’t show up. Cooks, waiters, cleaners—all of them called in sick.”

Bang!

Lu Anchen slammed his fist onto the table, overturning a teacup. He shot to his feet, teeth grinding. “The Wei Family is bullying us too far!”

It was obvious. Wei Feng was behind this, using threats and bribes to hollow out their workforce. It was the same tactic he used to force the sale of their other properties at rock-bottom prices.

“Elder Lu! We cannot lose the Tower!” one of the other elders shouted. “If that shop goes, our revenue dries up. We’ll be finished!”

“Bastards! We must fight back!”

Lu Anchen took a breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Is there truly no one willing to work?”

“No one,” the External Affairs Elder muttered. “They are low-level loose cultivators. They fear the Wei Family more than they need our coin. They are cowards, every last one of them. And…” He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. “And right now, no one in the market believes the Xuanyang Sect has a future.”

The room fell into a deathly silence.

It was the harsh truth. A Foundation Establishment sect without a Foundation Establishment cultivator was just a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

Lu Anchen sank back into his chair, looking drained. “What did the Young Sect Leader say?”

“He said all decisions are left to the elders.”

Wu Zheng’s son was barely a teenager, stuck at the third level of Qi Refining. He was a figurehead, terrified and grieving. The burden of survival rested entirely on Lu Anchen and the remaining elders.

“Ah…” Lu Anchen rubbed his temples. “Let’s discuss options. We can’t let the Wei Family win this easily.”

Early morning.

The meeting had dragged on until dawn. Lu Anchen stepped out of the council hall and began the long walk home.

The streets were empty. He walked with a casual, distracted air, but his senses were dialed to the maximum. His hand hovered near his storage bag, gripping a talisman.

Tensions in the market were at a breaking point. Even though he had advanced to the ninth level of Qi Refining, he knew he was walking through a minefield.

Fortunately, the journey was uneventful.

Lu Anchen slipped through his own front gate and locked it behind him.

In the courtyard, his father, Lu Xian, was sitting on a stone bench, staring blankly at the snow-covered garden.

“Father,” Lu Anchen called out softly.

Lu Xian jumped, startled. “Chen’er! Come here, quickly.”

“What is it?” Lu Anchen approached, noting the fear in the older man’s eyes.

“I was at the auction house today,” Lu Xian whispered, leaning in conspiratorially. “I heard rumors. Big things are happening.”

Lu Anchen sighed, sitting down beside him. “I know, Father. The Wei Family is making moves. It’s chaotic, but I will handle it.”

“No!” Lu Xian cut him off, shaking his head frantically. “Not that petty squabble! This is real trouble!”

“What?” Lu Anchen frowned. “What did you hear?”

“I heard…” Lu Xian swallowed hard. “The Dragon Tiger Sect has massed thousands of cultivators at the border. They are about to declare war on the Wuji Sect.”

Lu Anchen froze. “Is this true?”

“Everyone is saying it. Eight or nine out of ten, it’s real.”

“Why now?”

“It’s because of the Immortal Crane Sect massacre,” Lu Xian explained rapidly. “Word is, the Dragon Tiger Sect found proof that Li Qingdu wiped them out. They’re using it as casus belli to force Patriarch Wuji to hand him over.”

Lu Anchen’s expression darkened. “Zhang Zhenyuan would never hand over his own disciple.”

“Exactly! That’s why war is inevitable.” Lu Xian punched his palm nervously. “Son, we need to prepare. We need an escape route.”

Lu Anchen placed a hand on his father’s shoulder. “Calm down. The border is far from here. Even if war breaks out, Wuji Market is remote. The fighting won’t reach us quickly. We observe first. If the situation turns critical, then we move.”

“Right, right…” Lu Xian nodded, grasping at the reassurance. “Remote location. We should be safe.”

Lu Anchen stood up, brushing snow from his robes. “I need to go check on Ruling. She’s alone out there; she won’t know about the brewing war.”

Lu Xian raised an eyebrow, a sly look crossing his face. “If you’re so worried, just bring her here. Let her live with us. It’s safer than running back and forth.”

Lu Anchen stiffened. “Absolutely not. We have no formal status. We haven’t been betrothed or married according to tradition. How can we cohabit? It would be improper.”

Lu Xian rolled his eyes. “Improper? Look at ‘Big Mouth’ Qin! He has no status, yet he lives with a widow without a care in the world. Why are you so rigid?”

Lu Anchen choked, his face flushing. “Uncle Qin… possesses a unique style that I cannot emulate.”

He turned on his heel and marched toward the gate, escaping the conversation.

Lu Xian watched his son’s retreating back and shook his head, muttering under his breath.

“Stubborn blockhead!”