Cold wind blew, hitting the faces of Lucian, Celine and Isabella as they walked through a dense forest.

    Under the rainy night, Lucian held a large umbrella, just big enough to shelter the three of them from the light downpour. As they walked, their steps squelched in the muddy earth, the sound muffled by the sound of rain on leaves above.

    Right now, they had already reached the territory of the Azure Sword sect''s branch.

    All that remained was to cross this wilderness to reach their destination. The carriage couldn''t navigate the narrow, twisting forest paths, so they had been forced to continue on foot.

    The rain fell softly against the fabric of the umbrella, droplets cascading off the edges and occasionally splashing their feet despite Lucian''s best efforts to keep them dry.

    Isabella and Celine both shivered as the cold wind hit them, pressing their bodies closer to Lucian for warmth.

    Each of them had a bag on their shoulder, full of clothes and daily necessities.

    "Dear, are you sure this is the place we need to pass through?"

    At this moment Celine asked Isabella, her voice barely audible above the pounding rain.

    They had already walked for nearly 30 minutes but still couldn''t see their destination. She worried they might be lost.

    Isabella couldn''t help but think for a moment, then nodded,

    "It should be, mom. Before leaving, father told me that we need to go through this forest. There''s a foggy lake inside. That''s our destination."

    As if on cue, a thick mist began to roll in out of nowhere, curling around their ankles and obscuring the path ahead, startling them.

    The fog felt strange, not sticking to their bodies as usual! It had no moisture or smell.

    Lucian held the umbrella tightly, bringing his mother and sister closer.

    "Stay close,"

    He murmured, his crimson eyes scanning the misty forest,

    "We don''t want to get separated in this fog."

    As they continued, the fog completely enveloped them in an eerie haze. Soon the rain disappeared, only the endless fog remained.

    They couldn''t see more than 1 meter in front of them. The world around them became quite, as if they had stepped into another realm entirely.

    The trees that had surrounded them moments ago were now gone. The ground beneath their feet felt different too — no longer muddy and wet.

    Isabella clutched tighter to Lucian''s arm, her heart pounding in her chest. Even Celine, usually so composed, felt a shiver of unease run down her spine.

    The fog seemed to press in on them from all sides, thick and oppressive.

    "You must be Lucian!"

    Suddenly a male voice cut through the fog.

    Instantaneously, Lucian moved, his hand let go of the umbrella, as he held Celine and Isabella and moved forward, as the sound seemed to come from behind them.

    As they moved forward, the fog began to thin, revealing a breathtaking sight. Before them stretched a small, mirror-like lake, its surface as smooth as glass. The water reflected the night sky above, but strangely there was no rain here.

    Celine was already used to people looking at her lustfully, but something about Xander''s gaze made her skin crawl.

    Still, she kept her composure, replying decisively,

    "I''m just going there to look after my daughter and son. It''s their first time leaving home."

    Xander''s eyebrows raised slightly at her response, a small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

    "Is that so?"

    He mused, his voice silky smooth,

    "Well, I''m sure your presence will be... most appreciated."

    The way he emphasized ''appreciated'' sent a shiver down Celine''s spine.

    Then he turned around, not giving Lucian another glance,

    "Follow me. Tomorrow, we''ll set off for the sect."

    As they got closer to the artificial lake, they couldn''t help but notice a bridge stretching across the lake.

    The bridge arched over the glassy surface of the lake, leading to the palace-like building at its center.

    As they stepped onto the bridge, Xander suddenly spoke,

    "Isabella, your uncle Marcus has already registered you as an inner sect disciple of the sect, so from today onwards, you can call me Senior Brother."

    Walking in the front, Xander noticed the trio''s confused expression from the corner of his eyes, so he explained,

    "It''s natural for you not to know. The Azure Sword sect''s disciples are divided into three categories — Outer, Inner and Core. Your uncle Marcus is a core disciple, so he has the special privilege to help register one person directly as an inner disciple each year."

    Just as Isabella was about to question why her uncle Marcus had not stepped in to help Lucian, Xander''s words brought her to a halt.

    Lucian had not disclosed Marcus'' ulterior motive to use Isabella to them, so she still held onto hope that their uncle would lend a hand.

    As they walked across the bridge, the mist parted around them, revealing the more beautiful scenery.

    But the three of them didn''t have the luxury to appreciate the beauty around them. Their minds were pre-occupied with Xander''s words.

    At this moment, noticing how Xander didn''t mention anything about Lucian, Isabella asked hesitantly, even though she was quite wary of this young man,

    "S-senior brother, w-what about my brother Lucian?"

    Xander gave Lucian a sidelong glance and replied as if he didn''t care about him,

    "Although he has a good talent for body cultivation, there are many disciples in our sect with similar or even better aptitudes."

    He paused, wanting to see Lucian''s expression. But observing how Lucian didn''t even flinch at his words, a flicker of annoyance passed through Xander''s eyes.

    He continued with a slight edge to his voice,

    "The reason why I asked you to reach here today is because the day after tomorrow, there will be a disciple selection process. It occurs every three months. So if you guys want Lucian to join the sect, he''ll have to pass the test like everyone else. If you''d arrived later, you''d have to wait another three months."

    As they reached the end of the bridge, the mist parted completely, revealing the full view of the palace before them.