The clan hall loomed like a judgment altar.
Massive stone pillars lined the path, each carved with symbols of authority and lineage. Clan elders stood along the sides, their expressions unreadable, while guards in full armor blocked every exit. The air itself felt heavy, thick with suppression formations layered one over another.
Kael walked alone.
Every step echoed.
He could feel it—the weight of eyes, of thoughts, of fear carefully hidden behind discipline. News of the sealed statue, the dead guards, and his sudden disappearance had spread faster than the clan could contain.
At the far end of the hall sat Clan Head Lin Qingshan.
His posture was relaxed.
That made him more dangerous.
"Kael Draven," Lin Qingshan said calmly. "Kneel."
The word struck like a command meant to crush the will.
Kael stopped three steps short of the dais.
He did not kneel.
Silence slammed into the hall.
Several elders frowned. A few guards instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons.
Lin Qingshan studied Kael carefully.
"You were summoned," the clan head said. "That is not a request."
Kael met his gaze steadily. "Then speak."
A ripple passed through the elders.
Lin Qingshan's eyes narrowed, then—unexpectedly—he laughed.
"Amazing," he said softly. "You truly don't understand your position."
He raised one hand.
The suppression formations flared.
Kael felt pressure descend instantly, far heavier than before. His legs trembled as invisible force pressed down on him, forcing his knees toward the ground.
The devil sigil reacted.
Not violently.
Not defiantly.
It stabilized.
Fear spread subtly through the hall—not from Kael's display of power, but from the fact that he was still standing.
Kael's knees bent slightly.
Then stopped.
Lin Qingshan's smile faded.
"Enough," the clan head said quietly.
The pressure vanished.
"You vanished during the night," Lin Qingshan continued. "Returned without injury. Guards sent to observe you disappeared. And now…" His gaze sharpened. "Something has changed."
Kael said nothing.
"Tell me," Lin Qingshan said, leaning forward, "what did you awaken under that statue?"
Kael smiled faintly. "Something you sealed because you were afraid of it."
The hall erupted.
"How dare you—!"
"Silence!" Lin Qingshan snapped.
He stared at Kael for a long moment, then sighed.
"Kill you," he said slowly, "and I remove a threat. Use you… and I gain a blade the clan has never possessed."
The elders exchanged uneasy looks.
"You will enter the Inner Grounds," Lin Qingshan continued. "You will cultivate under supervision. Your movements will be restricted."
House arrest.
With benefits.
"And if I refuse?" Kael asked calmly.
Lin Qingshan's gaze turned icy. "Then your existence becomes… inconvenient."
Kael nodded.
"I accept," he said.
The elders stiffened.
Lin Qingshan raised an eyebrow. "So easily?"
Kael's smile deepened. "You want to watch me. I want to grow. Our interests align."
The clan head studied him, then chuckled. "Very well."
He waved his hand.
A jade token flew toward Kael.
"Inner Grounds access," Lin Qingshan said. "Starting today."
Kael caught it.
The moment his fingers closed around the token, the devil sigil pulsed faintly—as if mocking the clan's attempt at control.
"Remember," Lin Qingshan added coldly, "you live because I allow it."
Kael bowed slightly.
"As long as you believe that," he said.
As Kael turned and walked out of the hall, whispers erupted behind him.
He did not slow.
Outside, the sunlight felt sharper.
Warmer.
The Inner Grounds lay ahead—resources, enemies, opportunities.
And deeper in his soul, the sealed fear stirred again, reacting to the proximity of stronger cultivators.
Kael smiled.
"Watch closely," he thought. "This time… I won't grow quietly."
Far above the clan, unseen clouds twisted slowly.
The mark left by the trial pulsed once.
Something ancient shifted its attention.
And the world leaned just slightly closer to Kael Draven.