Morning in the Mu Clan began as it always did.
The sound of the early bell echoed from the eastern side of the inner compound, each deep note passing over the tiled rooftops, gliding along the green-stone corridors, then gradually fading into the thin mist that had yet to fully withdraw. The disciples of the various courtyards left their residences one after another—some headed toward the training grounds, others to the lecture halls. The stewards had also begun their daily work, taking attendance, assigning duties, and handling the small matters of clan life.
On the surface, the Mu Clan seemed as peaceful as ever.
But anyone with even a little awareness could tell that today's atmosphere was completely different.
Ever since yesterday's Name Inscription Ceremony, the rumors had not calmed in the slightest. No one dared speak loudly in crowded places, yet the more people lowered their voices, the faster the news spread. In the corners of corridors, beneath side-hall eaves, beside the ponds, or near the training grounds, people occasionally leaned toward one another, whispered a few words, then fell silent the moment someone passed by.
The Eldest Young Master had not been recorded by heaven and earth.
The Heavenly Stele had trembled, then fallen silent.
It had seemed as though heaven and earth themselves had once looked down upon the Mu Clan.
Any one of those events alone would have been enough to stir endless speculation. Put together, they were more than enough to send the entire clan into quiet unrest.
Within the Eldest Young Master's courtyard, Mu Xuan slowly stepped out of his room.
He had not slept through the night.
Yet that sleepless night had left little visible exhaustion on him. On the contrary, after a night of quiet reflection—and after personally confirming that the force within his body could never follow orthodox Name Dao—his mind now seemed calmer than before.
He paused at the top of the steps and looked across the courtyard.
Morning light filtered through the branches of the ancient tree, leaving patches of brightness and shadow scattered across the ground. The leaves stirred faintly in the breeze, making only the softest rustling sound. Everything seemed peaceful, as though nothing had happened at all.
But Mu Xuan knew that this peace was only on the surface.
From the moment his name failed to appear on the Heavenly Stele, and that cold gaze had descended from the sky, something within the Mu Clan had already changed. Yesterday, everyone had still been too shocked to react. But after a single night, those who ought to suspect had surely begun to suspect.
And those who ought to look at him differently... had already begun.
Mu Xuan lowered his eyes and felt the cold current flowing quietly through his meridians. It was still thin, still weak, but it had become more stable than the night before. Each time his divine sense brushed against it, it trembled faintly, like a hidden stream of cold water moving through darkness.
He did not remain in the courtyard for long.
There were some things that could not be avoided forever. If the entire Mu Clan had begun watching him, then hiding in his room would change nothing.
Mu Xuan drew his sleeve over his hand and slowly stepped out of the courtyard.
At the same time, deep inside the Mu Clan's main hall, the atmosphere was far heavier.
The great hall had not opened wide as it usually did. The two black wooden doors carved with ancient patterns had been shut since early morning, leaving only a narrow gap for people to pass through. Because of that, the light within was dimmer than usual, making the stone pillars seem even more solemn.
On the raised seats at the front, several elders were already seated.
No one was truly calm.
And no one wished to be the first to speak.
After a while, Grand Elder Mu Cangyuan slowly set his teacup down.
The soft sound of porcelain touching wood rang through the silent hall.
"Yesterday," he said at last, his old but steady voice carrying clearly, "all of you witnessed it with your own eyes."
An elder seated to the left frowned slightly.
"We witnessed it, yes. But whether the problem lies with the Heavenly Stele, or with Mu Xuan himself, we still cannot say for certain."
"The Heavenly Stele?" another elder let out a faint cold laugh. "The Heavenly Stele of the Mu Clan has existed for countless years. Since the time of our ancestors, it has never once made an error. And now, the moment it was his turn, something happened? Do you truly believe that is only coincidence?"
The elder who had spoken first did not respond.
Because even he did not truly believe it.
Silence once again settled over the hall.
At last, the Second Elder spoke slowly.
"What concerns me is not that his name failed to appear."
"It is the pressure that descended from the sky afterward."
With that single sentence, the expressions of the others shifted.
That was what unsettled them most.
If it had merely been that the Heavenly Stele failed to record his name, then at most it would prove that Mu Xuan lacked the qualifications to step onto Name Dao like an ordinary cultivator. No matter how shocking that might be, it would still be an internal matter for the Mu Clan to handle.
But yesterday's pressure had been different.
It had been too cold.
Too vast.
And far too indifferent.
It had not resembled the pressure of any expert they had ever encountered. Nor had it resembled a phenomenon triggered by some secret art or treasure. It had felt as though something higher than all of them had silently cast its gaze downward—not in anger, not in pity, but simply... looking.
And it was that very act of looking that made it frightening.
One elder lowered his voice.
"If that really was the will of the Heavenly Dao..."
He stopped there.
The words Heavenly Dao suddenly seemed to weigh upon the hall.
No one hurried to continue.
Because even if it was no more than speculation, that name was too sensitive.
At that moment, a calm and steady voice came from the seat of honor.
"The Heavenly Dao would never cast its gaze upon a junior without reason."
Mu Zhengcang slowly spoke.
He had said almost nothing since the beginning of the discussion. But the instant his voice sounded, every gaze in the hall naturally shifted toward him.
Mu Zhengcang stared straight ahead, his expression as calm as a still lake.
"But if something truly drew that gaze yesterday..."
He paused for a breath, then continued.
"...then that thing cannot be insignificant."
Grand Elder Mu Cangyuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What is the Clan Leader implying?"
Mu Zhengcang turned to look at him.
"My meaning is simple."
"Until this matter is clear, no one is to touch Mu Xuan carelessly."
The hall grew even quieter.
On the surface, those words sounded ordinary. But in truth, they were already a warning.
Mu Xuan was, after all, the Eldest Young Master. After yesterday's ceremony, that status had become even more delicate. Some believed he had already lost the right to remain in that position. Others felt that precisely because of the abnormality surrounding him, he could not be touched lightly.
Mu Cangyuan stared at Mu Zhengcang for a moment, then let out a faint, humorless laugh.
"The Clan Leader fears someone will move against him?"
Mu Zhengcang's expression did not change.
"I simply do not want the Mu Clan to throw itself into chaos before we know what it is we are truly facing."
After hearing that, several elders fell silent.
Because it was true.
What they feared most at the moment was not Mu Xuan himself, but whatever had appeared around him—or whatever stood behind him.
After a while, the Second Elder asked, "Then should yesterday's matter be sealed?"
"It cannot be sealed completely," another elder said with a shake of his head. "Too many people witnessed it."
"But at the very least, the rumors must be cut off before they spread beyond the clan," Mu Cangyuan said in a low voice. "If outside forces learn of it, the matter will only become more troublesome."
Mu Zhengcang gave a slight nod.
"Leave that to the Steward Hall."
"And as for Mu Xuan..." He paused briefly. "No open surveillance. No needless probing. No one is to pressure him in front of outsiders."
Grand Elder Mu Cangyuan frowned slightly.
"If he truly is the source of all this, then all the more reason to investigate him thoroughly."
Mu Zhengcang looked at him, his gaze unmoving.
"To investigate thoroughly does not mean striking the grass and startling the snake."
The atmosphere in the hall tightened slightly.
The difference in their positions had become clear.
Mu Zhengcang wished to preserve stability.
Mu Cangyuan wished to dig deeper.
Neither had openly opposed the other yet, but the first ripples of division had already begun to show.
At that moment, a steward hurried in from outside the hall and knelt in the center.
"Clan Leader."
"Speak."
"The Steward Hall has just reported that the Eldest Young Master has already left his courtyard this morning."
Several elders immediately lifted their eyes.
Mu Cangyuan let out a quiet laugh.
"It seems the person at the center of all this has no intention of locking himself in his room forever."
Mu Zhengcang asked, "Where did he go?"
"We do not yet know. We only know that the Eldest Young Master left his courtyard and headed along the eastern corridor. The people of the Steward Hall did not dare follow too closely."
Mu Zhengcang lightly waved a hand.
"Continue observing, but keep your distance."
"As you command."
The steward withdrew.
Silence settled over the great hall once more.
Only this time, it was a different kind of silence.
Because from that moment onward, the people seated there were no longer looking only at what had happened yesterday.
They had begun truly watching Mu Xuan himself.
Outside, Mu Xuan was walking slowly along the green-stone corridor leading toward the eastern side of the compound.
He was not truly heading for the training grounds, nor did he have any particular destination in mind. After a single night, he simply wished to see for himself how much the Mu Clan had changed.
As expected, not long after stepping out, the number of gazes falling upon him had already grown far greater than before.
Some people quickly looked away.
Some feigned calmness, though curiosity remained in their eyes.
Others did not hide it at all, staring openly at him with coldness, suspicion, or even mockery.
Mu Xuan did not turn toward any of them.
Before, people had looked at him with disappointment.
Today, they looked at him with unease.
In the end, the difference was not all that great.
As he passed by a side courtyard connected to the training grounds, a few low voices drifted into his ears.
"That's the Eldest Young Master?"
"Who else would it be?"
"I heard that yesterday even the Heavenly Stele failed to show his name."
"I also heard the sky changed afterward..."
"Hmph. For someone like that to still remain the Eldest Young Master, I truly don't understand—"
The speaker stopped abruptly.
Because Mu Xuan had halted his steps.
The air around the side courtyard instantly stiffened.
Several disciples standing beneath the eaves all looked toward him. The one who had carelessly spoken the last sentence changed expression at once.
Mu Xuan turned his head.
His gaze was very calm.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Simply calm to the point that it made the other person suddenly lose confidence.
He looked over the group, then let his eyes settle on the one who had spoken.
"Which branch do you belong to?"
The disciple froze. Only after two breaths did he manage to force out an answer.
"This disciple... belongs to the third branch of the western court."
Mu Xuan gave a faint nod.
"I'll remember that."
Then he turned and continued on his way.
He did not grow angry.
He did not rebuke anyone.
Nor did he make things difficult.
And because of that, the disciples standing there felt even more uneasy.
The one who had opened his mouth clutched his sleeve tightly, a chill running down his spine. He had thought the Eldest Young Master would either silently endure it as he had in the past, or flare up after being struck at his deepest wound.
But Mu Xuan had done neither.
He had merely asked one question and walked away.
For some reason, that kind of calmness was even more difficult to endure than outright anger.
Mu Xuan continued forward.
He had heard such words far too many times.
The only difference was that before, when he truly had nothing, every one of those words had felt like extra weight pressing down upon him.
Now, after seeing his own path, those whispers seemed strangely distant.
After walking a little farther, he stopped once again.
Beneath the shadow of an old pine tree near the turn leading toward the training grounds, a young man in blue robes stood with his arms folded, watching him.
Mu Xuan knew him.
Mu Qinghe.
The most outstanding talent among the younger generation of one of the clan's stronger branch lines. He was also someone who had never cared to hide his disdain for Mu Xuan.
Mu Qinghe curled his lips into a faint smile.
"Eldest Young Master."
The last three words were stressed only slightly, sounding half respectful, half mocking.
Mu Xuan looked at him.
"What is it?"
Mu Qinghe stepped forward two paces.
"I didn't have the chance to congratulate you yesterday."
Mu Xuan asked evenly, "Congratulate me for what?"
Mu Qinghe smiled.
"For becoming the biggest topic in the Mu Clan in a single day, of course."
A few nearby disciples slowed their steps, not daring to gather too openly, but clearly all paying attention.
Mu Xuan's expression did not change.
"If that is all you wanted to say, then you've said it."
The smile on Mu Qinghe's face faded slightly.
He had thought that after yesterday's ceremony, no matter how calm Mu Xuan appeared on the surface, there would at least be some trace of awkwardness in him. But from beginning to end, the man before him had remained too composed.
That composure irritated him more than it should have.
"I'm only curious," Mu Qinghe said slowly, looking straight at Mu Xuan, "what someone whose name not even heaven and earth would acknowledge still has to rely on in order to remain the Eldest Young Master."
The air around them instantly quieted.
That was no longer veiled mockery.
It was a direct strike at the most sensitive place of all.
Mu Xuan looked at Mu Qinghe for several breaths, then asked, "Then who do you think is qualified?"
Mu Qinghe narrowed his eyes slightly.
"At the very least, not someone abandoned by heaven and earth."
Mu Xuan gave a faint nod, as though he had already heard enough.
"If you want that position," he said, "then let the clan speak."
"Don't ask me."
With that, he moved to walk past.
Mu Qinghe shifted slightly, almost casually blocking half a step of the way.
"Mu Xuan."
It was the first time he had spoken Mu Xuan's name directly in front of so many people.
"You really think you can pretend that nothing happened?"
Mu Xuan stopped.
This time, he turned fully to face him.
His gaze was neither sharp nor heavy.
But under that gaze, Mu Qinghe's brows drew together slightly.
Only then did he realize that Mu Xuan truly seemed different from before.
It was not because any special aura was leaking from him, nor because he appeared stronger in any obvious way.
It was because Mu Xuan's calmness made every provocation feel as though it were striking empty air.
That feeling made Mu Qinghe deeply uncomfortable.
After a pause, Mu Xuan finally spoke.
"I was never pretending."
His voice was utterly ordinary.
Mu Qinghe said nothing for a moment.
Not because he was afraid, but because the response he had expected had never come. The man before him neither avoided nor flared up. He simply stood there, calm enough to make Mu Qinghe feel as though he had somehow lost the initiative without ever meaning to.
That only made him more irritated.
Mu Xuan said nothing more.
He stepped past him, and this time Mu Qinghe did not block his way again.
Only after Mu Xuan's figure had gradually disappeared did the others nearby dare breathe again.
One disciple at Mu Qinghe's side asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother... are you alright?"
Mu Qinghe replied coldly, "What could possibly be wrong with me?"
But his gaze remained fixed in the direction Mu Xuan had gone.
He still did not understand exactly what had changed.
Yet one thing was clear.
Mu Xuan was no longer reacting like someone who could be trampled on as casually as before.
That alone was enough to leave a thorn in Mu Qinghe's chest.
Elsewhere, Mu Xuan had already walked to the end of the corridor.
He knew there were still people watching him from behind, but he did not turn back.
He understood very clearly: the eyes within the main hall were only the beginning. From this day onward, the eyes in the open, like Mu Qinghe's, and the eyes hidden in the dark, like those of the elders, would only grow more numerous.
Mu Xuan lightly curled his fingers inside his sleeve.
The cold current in his meridians trembled only once before quickly settling again.
He did not wish to reveal any more than necessary for now.
But he also knew that from the moment his name failed to appear on the Heavenly Stele, there were things no longer within his control.
At that same moment, deep beneath the Mu Clan grounds, within the ancient underground chamber, the white-haired old man slowly opened his eyes.
He sat motionless before the cracked ancient stele, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of earth and stone above him, looking toward the path Mu Xuan had just taken.
After a while, he let out a faint breath.
"So... it has finally begun."
His voice was low, yet within that calmness there was a rare trace of heaviness.
The old man lifted his eyes to the ancient stele before him.
The cracks across its surface remained as dim as ever, yet deep within them, there still seemed to be a thread of black light so faint that it was nearly impossible to notice.
He watched it for a long time before slowly closing his eyes.
"Heaven and earth have seen you."
"Then from today onward, the number of those who look at you... will only continue to grow."
Above ground, the morning sunlight had at last spread across the entire Mu Clan.
A new day had truly begun.
But perhaps for Mu Xuan, ever since the day of the Name Inscription Ceremony, ordinary days had already come to an end.