On top of the clouds, where even flying beasts wouldn't dare linger too long, there floated a massive mountain peak—Sect Master Peak. It wasn't just tall. Nah, tall was an understatement. This mountain hovered above the rest, its roots lost in swirling mists, its body bathed in golden sunlight and thick, almost liquid Qi.
This was the heart of the Ethereal Dao Sect.
Inside a grand hall made of glowing white jade and floating lanterns, a woman sat with a relaxed posture, sipping tea like she had all the time in the world.
Her name? Chen Yuelin. Sect Mistress of the Ethereal Dao Sect. Proud, graceful, and powerful enough to flatten half the sect if she wanted to. But right now? She was just calmly swirling her cup, waiting.
A moment later, a breeze pushed open the doors, and a tall man walked in. Broad shoulders, long white hair tied up neatly, and a deep calm in his steps.
This was Chen Daoxuan, Sect Master of the Ethereal Dao Sect. The kind of man who could smile at a million-strong army and still crush them all.
Chen Yuelin glanced up. "How'd it go?" she asked, her tone casual. "The kill test."
Daoxuan sighed and sat down across from her. He poured himself a cup of tea.
"He killed all three," he said simply. "Didn't blink. Didn't flinch. Blood was all over him, and his face didn't change at all."
Yuelin paused mid-sip. "...And his hands?"
"Steady," Daoxuan replied. "So damn steady it was eerie. Like... like he's done it before."
Yuelin frowned, a small crease forming between her brows. "That… isn't normal. For a ten-year-old. You think that's a bad thing?"
Daoxuan grinned, showing teeth. "Bad? No. In this world? It's a gift. A heart that doesn't shake, a blade that doesn't tremble. That's exactly what he needs if he wants to climb to the top. If he wants to sit on this peak as Sect Master someday, he'll have to kill a lot more than just three petty criminals."
Yuelin didn't say anything. She just nodded slowly, eyes distant, as if watching her son's future unfold in her mind.
Down below, on a different peak entirely, Chen Chao sat quietly in a steaming spiritual spring. His little body barely took up any space in the giant pool, but his expression was all grown-up. Eyes narrowed. Lips slightly pursed. He looked like he was pondering the secrets of the heavens… while three beautiful maids scrubbed him down from head to toe.
One of the maids giggled and poured scented water over his head. "Young master, don't frown so much. You'll get wrinkles~"
Chen Chao just snorted. "Tch. I'm not even eleven."
When they were done, they dried him off with soft spiritual towels, then dressed him in clean robes embroidered with the Chen clan's cloud-and-sword emblem. He looked more like a little immortal prince than a kid.
Outside, his head maid waited—a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in simple robes, sword on her back. Violet eyes, white hair, cold face. Like most Chen sub-clan members, she had that frosty beauty thing going on.
Her name was Chen Xuelan. Vein Reinforcement Stage of the Qi Vein Realm. Loyal, powerful, and dead serious about her job.
She knelt as Chen Chao walked up. "Young master, ready?"
"Yeah." With an embarrassed expression, he reluctantly allowed her to carry him like usual. "Let's go find that idiot Yumo."
They didn't have to look far.
Down near one of the servant courtyards, Feng Yumo—aka the only person in the sect who wasn't scared of Chen Chao—was surrounded by maids.
And not just any maids. The cute, giggly ones.
He had that big dumb grin on his face, flexing his barely-existent muscles and talking nonsense. "Haha, yeah, one day I'll become the Sect Master, then all of you can be my personal maids~"
Chen Chao floated down and landed behind him. Looked at the scene. Pure disdain on his face.
"Oi, dumbass."
Feng Yumo jumped. "Ah—Chao?!"
"You done drooling yet?"
Yumo rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and mumbled goodbye to the maids before scurrying over. "Damn, you could've given me a warning. I was about to get one of their names..."
"You're ten."
"Age is just a number, bro."
Chen Chao rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I promised I'd take you to grandma's peacock farm, right?"
Yumo's eyes lit up like twin suns. "For real?!"
"Yeah. Let's go. Xuelan will take us."
The head maid nodded and bent down. Without warning, she picked up both boys like they were sacks of rice and flew into the sky, wind howling around them.
Their destination? A mountain peak in the clouds. Not quite as tall as the Sect Master Peak, but in terms of spiritual energy? It was ridiculous. The Qi here was thick enough to chew.
Only one person lived on this peak.
The Old Matriarch.
An ancestor-level figure of the Chen Clan. Also, Chen Chao's grandma. And the only person Daoxuan was scared of.
As they neared the boundary, Chen Chao pulled out a smooth green jade slip and held it to the air.
A shimmering formation flickered, then opened like a curtain.
Xuelan flew in and landed gently, dropping the two boys off before bowing.
"Young master, I'll return once you're done."
Chen Chao nodded. "Thanks, Xuelan."
She vanished in a flash, leaving them on a soft jade path that led into the mountain garden.
Yumo sniffed the air. "Bro... I can smell the peacocks already."
Chen Chao smirked. "Let's see if you can catch one without falling on your face."
And just like that, two little monsters ran off into the most forbidden peak in the sect—laughing, teasing, and ready to chase some mythical birds.