?Location: The Herb Garden – Beneath the World Tree

  Time: Morning (24 Hours after the Fashion Show)

  ?The magic had faded.

  ?The glorious "Starlight Silk" that had mesmerized the entire sect was gone. In its place, draped over Lady Bai's massive sleeping form, was a layer of grey, crusty, foul-smelling sludge.

  ?Lady Bai woke up. She stretched, expecting to shimmer. Instead, she felt crust.

  ?She sniffed her tail. It smelled like the waste chute of a alchemy lab.

  ?"HAN XIAO!"

  ?The roar shook the leaves off the World Tree. Birds in the neighboring mountain range took flight in terror.

  ?Aris (who had been waiting for this moment) walked calmly out from behind a root, holding a bucket of warm water and a sponge.

  ?"Good morning, My Lady," Aris bowed.

  ?"Look at me!" Lady Bai screeched, shaking a sludge-covered tail. "My dress! It turned into mud! You tricked me! You made me look like a swamp rat!"

  ?Her golden eyes narrowed. The air temperature dropped to freezing.

  ?"Give me one reason why I shouldn't peel your skin off and wear that as a coat."

  ?Aris didn't flinch. He looked at her with a gaze of profound sadness.

  ?"My Lady," Aris sighed, dipping the sponge in the water. "Do you know why the sunset is beautiful?"

  ?Lady Bai paused, her mouth half-open to bite him. "Because... it is colorful?"

  ?"Because it ends," Aris wiped a spot of sludge off her paw. "If the sun stayed set forever, it would be boring. If a flower bloomed forever, it would be plastic."

  ?He looked into her eyes.

  ?"The Starlight Silk was woven from the dreams of the Void. Dreams are not meant to last. That fleeting moment of perfection yesterday? That is what makes it legendary. If you wore it every day, the disciples would get used to it. They would stop cheering."

  ?Lady Bai blinked. She processed the logic.

  ?"So..." she hesitated. "It turned to mud because it was... too artistic?"

  ?"Exactly," Aris lied shamelessly. "It sacrificed its existence to give you one night of absolute divinity. It is poetic."

  ?Lady Bai huffed. She looked at the grey crust. "It is messy. But... I suppose 'Tragic Beauty' is a popular genre."

  ?She lay back down.

  ?"Clean me. And then tell me how we top this. I cannot go back to being naked."

  ?"We don't," Aris scrubbed harder. "Fabric is for mortals. A Goddess needs... jewelry."

  ?"Jewelry?" Her ears perked up.

  ?"Yes. In Sector 12, there is a place called the Star-Metal Graveyard. It is filled with the skeletons of ancient metal beasts. Inside them are 'Star-Hearts'—gems that burn with eternal fire. I can make you a necklace that never fades."

  ?Lady Bai's tail wagged once. The shockwave knocked over a watering can.

  ?"I want it. Go get it."

  ?"I cannot," Aris sighed. "I am but a humble Outer Disciple. Sector 12 is a restricted zone. Only Inner Disciples can use the Teleportation Array to go there."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  ?Lady Bai rolled her eyes. She reached into her fur (somewhere near her neck) and pulled out a golden token with her teeth. She dropped it in the mud next to Aris.

  ?[Item: The Fox's Favor]

  [Type: Recommendation Letter.]

  [Effect: Grants immediate eligibility for the Inner Sect Promotion Exam, bypassing the queue and rank requirements.]

  ?"Take this," she commanded. "Go pass the exam. Then go to Sector 12. If you come back without a necklace, I will eat your liver."

  ?Aris picked up the token. He hid his grin behind the sponge.

  ?"As you wish, My Lady."

  ?Location: The Hall of Advancement

  Time: Noon

  ?The Hall was crowded with ambitious Outer Disciples. The air was thick with tension and the smell of cheap anxiety-suppressing incense.

  ?Aris walked to the registration desk. The clerk, a bored Core Disciple, didn't look up.

  ?"Registration is closed. Come back next month."

  ?Aris placed the Fox's Favor on the counter. The gold token pulsed with a terrifying Beast Qi.

  ?The clerk choked on his tea. He stood up so fast his chair fell over.

  ?"L-Lady Bai's token?! Are you her... servant?"

  ?"Her personal stylist," Aris corrected, smoothing his robes. "She requires me to have Inner Sect access for... logistics. Sign me up for the Exam."

  ?The clerk stamped a form with trembling hands.

  ?"Of course! You are entered into Block A. The Exam starts in one hour at the Iron-Blood Arena."

  ?Aris took the form.

  ?As he turned to leave, a shadow blocked his path.

  ?Iron-Mountain stood there. His burns had healed, leaving jagged white scars across his bronze face. Beside him was Liu Yan, the poison user, looking amused.

  ?"So," Iron-Mountain rumbled, his voice like grinding stones. "The rat is trying to climb the ladder."

  ?"I'm just following orders," Aris said, shrinking back into his 'Han Xiao' persona. "Please, Senior brother, don't hurt me."

  ?"Oh, I won't hurt you here," Iron-Mountain grinned. "But Block A? That's the Combat Block. And guess who is the Proctor for today's exam?"

  ?Aris looked at the schedule on the wall.

  ?[Proctor: Elder Iron-Fist (Earth Sect Leader - Iron-Mountain's Father).]

  ?Aris's internal monologue sighed. Nepotism. Of course.

  ?"Good luck, Alchemist," Liu Yan whispered, leaning in. "Try not to trip on your own severed head."

  ?They walked away laughing.

  ?Aris watched them go. His eyes flashed violet for a split second.

  ?"Mo," Aris projected telepathically.

  ?"I am here," Mo replied from the shadows of the ceiling rafters.

  ?"Change of plans. We aren't just passing the exam. We are going to dismantle the Earth Sect's lineage."

  ?Location: The Iron-Blood Arena

  Time: 1 Hour Later

  ?The arena was a circular pit surrounded by spikes. Fifty candidates stood in the center.

  ?On the high balcony, Elder Iron-Fist sat on a stone throne. He looked exactly like his son, but twice as wide and infinitely more arrogant.

  ?"The Inner Sect needs warriors!" The Elder bellowed. "Not cowards! The test is simple."

  ?He snapped his fingers.

  ?A cage gate opened.

  ?Out stepped a Steel-Hide Bear (Level 45). Then another. Then ten more.

  ?"Survive for 10 minutes," the Elder commanded. "Killing is allowed. Fleeing is impossible."

  ?The candidates drew their weapons.

  ?"Wait!" Iron-Mountain, who was standing next to his father on the balcony, whispered something. The Elder nodded.

  ?"One modification," the Elder announced, pointing at Aris. "That one. The Alchemist. He seems... confident."

  ?Aris was currently trying to hide behind a tall disciple.

  ?"To ensure fairness," the Elder smiled cruelly. "The beasts will be... stimulated."

  ?The Elder threw a red powder into the arena. Frenzy Dust.

  ?The bears roared. Their eyes turned blood-red. They ignored the other forty-nine candidates and turned, as one pack, toward Aris.

  ?"Oh no," Aris said flatly.

  ?The bears charged.

  ?"Run!" the other candidates shouted, scattering to the edges of the arena.

  ?Aris stood alone in the center. Ten tons of angry bear meat was thundering toward him.

  ?"Mo," Aris whispered. "Do not interfere. I need to test the Tier 3 Physique."

  ?Aris didn't draw a weapon. He didn't cast a spell. He didn't even use his "Idiot's Gamble" evasion.

  ?He simply stood there and held out his hand.

  ?The lead bear—a monster capable of smashing boulders—swiped its claws at Aris's head.

  ?CLANG.

  ?The sound wasn't flesh tearing. It was metal hitting an anvil.

  ?The bear's claws shattered on Aris's face.

  ?Aris hadn't moved. His skin hadn't even dimpled. The Abyssal Behemoth Body absorbed the kinetic energy instantly.

  ?The bear looked at its broken paw, confused.

  ?Aris looked at the bear.

  ?"Bad dog," Aris said.

  ?He flicked his finger.

  ?THWACK.

  ?He hit the bear on the nose. The bear's head snapped back with the force of a cannonball. Its neck broke instantly. The massive beast flipped backward and landed dead in the dust.

  ?The arena went silent.

  ?Elder Iron-Fist stood up. Iron-Mountain's jaw dropped.

  ?Aris blinked. He looked at his hand, then at the dead bear.

  ?"I... I panicked!" Aris screamed, grabbing his hand and jumping up and down. "I just waved my hand! It must have had a weak heart! It died of fright!"

  ?He looked up at the balcony, eyes wide with fake terror.

  ?"Please! Call them off! I'm dangerous when I'm scared!"

  ?The other nine bears hesitated. Animals have instincts. They smelled the pheromones of an Apex Predator radiating from the small human.

  ?They whimpered. They turned around and ran back into their cages, slamming the doors shut behind them.

  ?Aris stood alone in the center of the ring, surrounded by dust and silence.

  ?"Did I pass?" Aris asked timidly.