Chương 64: The Dragon's Welcome

The journey back to the Green Mountain Sect was a heavy and somber affair. However, the undercurrent of tension had profoundly changed. The animosity between factions had gone away, replaced by a shared grim purpose. They were tied to their factions but none of them wanted to betray the sect, at least not the ones here. The disciples, once separated by their loyalties, now gathered in small quiet groups tending to each other's wounds and speaking in hushed, awed tones about the battle.

Li Yu sat near the front of the flying vessel, his eyes closed in meditation but he was acutely aware of the gazes upon him. They were no longer looks of suspicion or envy but of respect. He was no longer just a disciple; he was the monster who had turned the tide. Elder Ma approached him, his usual gruff, arrogant demeanor gone. The old elder, whose faction had been disgraced, looked at Li Yu with a complex mixture of shame and a warrior's respect.

"Disciple Li," he said, his voice a low, gravelly rumble.

"This old man was a fool. I let my pride and my faction's petty disputes blind me to the true threat. We owe you a debt for all of this."

"There is no debt, Elder Ma," Li Yu replied, his voice calm.

"We are all disciples of the same sect. Today, we fought for the same home." His simple unifying words seemed to lift a great weight from the old elder's shoulders. Elder Ma looked at him, then at the other disciples "Aye," he said, his voice firm.

"The same home." When they arrived at the Green Mountain Sect, they were not greeted with a quiet debriefing. The entire inner sect seemed to be waiting for them in the main plaza. The news of their victory and of the treason within their ranks, had already arrived. Once they were out of the area they had already communicated with the sect leader to let him know. The atmosphere was not one of celebration but of a grim unified resolve.

The surviving disciples were immediately summoned to the Sect Master's grand hall. This time, there was no accusation, no interrogation. They stood before the full council of elders, a dozen of the most powerful figures in the sect, their faces carved from stone. Elder Feng and Elder Ma gave their reports again, their voices echoing in the silent hall. They recounted the traps, the ambush, the revelation of the human slavers and the final shocking betrayal of Jin Ao and his faction.

When they finished, a heavy silence filled the hall. The elders looked at each other, their faces a mixture of shock and fury. It was the First Elder, Su Ling's master, who spoke first.

"To think," he whispered, his voice shaking with a cold rage, "that such a cancerous tumor was growing within our own walls. We knew he was gathering influence but for him to do this…. Elder Jin has betrayed us all."

"He has," the Sect Master said, his usually benevolent face now a mask of cold authority. An elder from the Law Enforcement Hall, clad in black armor, stepped forward and bowed.

"Sect Master," the law enforcement elder reported, his voice like grinding stone, "we moved to seal the Heavenly Jin Peak the moment we received Elder Feng's initial report via communication talisman. The peak is secure and his core followers have been apprehended. But the traitor Jin is gone. He somehow knew we were coming for him and fled the sect." Stolen story; please report. A wave of grim understanding passed through the hall.

A fugitive Foundation Establishment expert, a man who knew a lot of the sect's secrets and weaknesses was a terrifying threat.

"Then a kill-on-sight order will be issued," the Sect Master declared, his voice like iron.

"He is now an enemy of the Green Mountain Sect. There is no mercy for traitors." He then turned his gaze to the disciples.

"You have rendered a service to this sect. Everyone has shown us the true meaning of loyalty and courage. You will be rewarded accordingly at another time when things have settled down." His words were for everyone. The Sect Master smiled at all of them and then focused on Li Yu.

"You chose to hide your talent for your own safety, a wise and cautious decision. But when the sect needed you, you did not hesitate to reveal your true strength, to stand against a powerful enemy for the sake of your home. That is the character of a true pillar of the Green Mountain Sect." A wave of unanimous agreement washed through the hall.

The internal betrayal had started to burn away their divisions, leaving only a core of fierce protective loyalty to their home and to the disciples that call this place their home. They had lost vision of that before but they could correct it now.

"From this day forward," the Sect Master declared, his voice booming through the hall, "the sect will officially recognize Li Yu's unique talents. He is far too young and lacks the experience for the responsibilities of an elder but his monstrous talent is one the sect needs to nurture."

"He will be given a resource stipend equivalent to that of an inner sect elder. He will have priority access to all sect cultivation grounds, including those reserved for elders. His safety will be a top priority of the Law Enforcement Hall. We are investing in our future." The announcement was a thunderclap that shook the very foundations of the sect's hierarchy. It was not a title but a privilege, a declaration of intent. The sect was officially putting its full weight behind a single, fifteen-year-old disciple.

In the face of his monstrous cultivation and his proven loyalty, no one questioned it. It was a statement of unity. Later that day, Li Yu stood once again on the highest balcony of his master's pagoda. Elder Ning stood beside him, a rare, genuine smile on her face as she looked out at the setting sun.

"The sect will now focus on your growth," she said, her voice filled with a deep, satisfied pride.

"You have achieved in a few years what takes most a lifetime. Are you pleased?"

"I am… relieved, Master," Li Yu confessed, his voice quiet.

"I thought my secret would bring me trouble. I did not expect… this."

"You underestimated us, then," she said, her smile softening.

"This sect has its rivalries, its petty squabbles. But we are not fools. Even if we are not truly a family when one of our own is threatened, when our very home is in danger, we unite. We protect our own." She looked at him, her eyes filled with a warmth he had never seen before.

"I knew of your true strength, of course. A mother always knows when her child is hiding something. But I allowed you your secret, because I knew the world was not yet ready for you. It seems I was wrong. The world was not ready, but you were ready for the world." Li Yu's face turned at those words that she viewed herself like a mother to him and unconsciously he himself had viewed her as a mother figure to him as well.

He had felt that way for a while now but he never had the courage to put it into words, Elder Ning took that step for him. Tears fell down from his face before he realized it himself. Her expression turned serious.

"But the danger is not over. Jin is a cunning snake. He will not rest until he has his revenge. He will seek allies, perhaps even the Demon Clans he was already in league with. The kill-on-sight order means he is now a desperate animal. He has nothing left to lose." She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Your path is your own. The sect will support you, protect you, but we will not interfere directly unless needed. Grow. Become as strong as you can be. Cultivate your beasts, hone your skills. The sky is now your only limit." Li Yu looked out at the beautiful, peaceful peaks of his home. The fear of being discovered, the constant, nagging weight of his secret was finally gone. He had faced the storm and emerged into a new and brighter dawn.

The path forward was no longer a tightrope of deception and fear but a wide, open road, paved by trust and support. For the first time in his life, he felt he truly belonged here.